My own war game

Chapter 261 New Nickname

When Lieutenant General Haruyoshi Momotake's boots stepped onto the beach, he knew that the problem had become very serious.

There were only a few officers standing on the beach to greet him. All of them looked sick, and the leader, Major General Masahisa Kawaguchi, was obviously struggling to stand.

"Mr. Kawaguchi, you...oh, forget it." Looking at his subordinate who was so thin, Lieutenant General Hyakutake finally did not say any words of blame.

But just this sentence made Kawaguchi Masahisa feel ashamed and embarrassed all of a sudden. "Sir, I have damaged the prestige of the Imperial Army. I beg you to punish me by military law. Even if it means death, I will..."

"Okay, Kawaguchi-san, let's put the discussion of responsibility aside for now. Tell me about the current situation of the troops first."

"Hai! Sir, please come this way."

Kawaguchi Masahisa led the way and invited his superiors to the tent that served as the command room. Along the way, Momotake Haruyoshi could occasionally see weak soldiers lying on stretchers struggling to stand up and salute him.

"The current situation is this: my detachment has 4800 infantrymen, of whom about 400 are seriously injured. In addition, more than have diarrhea problems of varying degrees, of which more than are in serious condition..."

hiss~
Although Haruyoshi Momotake had prepared himself mentally, he still felt a sinking feeling in his heart when he heard the report from his subordinates. According to Masahisa Kawaguchi, the non-combat casualties of his troops had reached 40%. If he did not come, the Kawaguchi detachment would collapse on its own without the Americans attacking.

"I have brought medicines and other supplies, which will be distributed soon. You can make a count and send the seriously ill soldiers back on board for treatment." The lieutenant general pointed to several destroyers responsible for transportation at sea.

"Hai! I am so grateful! Sorry to have caused you so much trouble!"

"What are the Americans' movements?" The lieutenant general began to care about the enemy's dynamics.

"There are air raids every day. The Americans are targeting our transport troops, which makes it difficult for our supplies to arrive in time. Before you came, each soldier only had one rice ball for a meal. In addition, the US military seems to have organized a small guerrilla-style armed force."

"American troops? Guerrillas?" Momotake Harukichi didn't expect these two words to appear at the same time. "Are you talking about something like the battlefield in North China?"

"Yes! Their movements and tactics are very similar, but they are better equipped and their actions are more covert. My troops suffer losses of varying degrees every day." Kawaguchi replied with his head down.

"Soga~" Momotake Haruyoshi rubbed his chin, and some memories in his mind were awakened. He used to be the vanguard of the Japanese invasion of China. He belonged to the sequence of the South China Front Army. He once led his 18th Division to charge in Huiyang, Guangzhou.

It was also because of this experience that he was deeply impressed by the elusive guerrilla forces in the waterways in the south.

"It's a bit strange. The U.S. military shouldn't have this kind of tactical characteristics..." Momotake Harukichi thought for a moment and called to his adjutant, "Send a telegram to the Special High Technology Department's Nanyang Branch. I want a comprehensive file on the top U.S. military officials on Guadalcanal."

There was a special reason why the Japanese army chose Hyakutake Haruyoshi as the chief officer of this battle. As a family of military honors, Hyakutake's two elder brothers were both admirals, which made them very suitable as lubricants between the army and the navy. Hyakutake himself had served as the head of the Harbin Special Service before serving in the army, and had deep roots in the Japanese intelligence agencies. The army, navy, headquarters, and intelligence agencies, almost every department had to give face to Hyakutake Haruyoshi. Under normal circumstances, combat troops would need approval from the Special High Technology Department for intelligence, but for a lieutenant general, such a small matter could be solved by just opening his mouth.

The intelligence department responded very quickly. That evening, the lieutenant general received a telegram of intelligence. When he saw the situation report that was more than a dozen pages long, his face became solemn.

"Soga~ No wonder the U.S. military's tactics have become so strange. It turns out that this gentleman has also come here. With him here, it is not difficult to understand why the small Guadalcanal is so difficult to deal with."

Seeing that Hyakutake Harukichi was so cautious, Major General Kawaguchi also came up and asked, "Sir, is there a famous general from the US military here to take charge?"

Momotake Harukichi shook his head and explained softly, "He is an agent, the British ace agent."

"Spy? Just a spy?" As a professional soldier, Kawaguchi didn't understand why a spy would make his superiors feel like they were facing a serious enemy.

"Kawaguchi-san, you don't understand the importance of this person because you have never worked in intelligence. This person is already registered with all the intelligence agencies in Europe, and Himmler has even offered a reward of 20 marks for his life."

"So much money?" Kawaguchi Masahisa was surprised. 20 marks is 300 million yen, which is enough to pay a division's salary for a year. This made him even more curious. "Sir, who is the other party?"

"A very mysterious guy who often appears and disappears suddenly, with a completely different face. Every time he appears, he brings huge losses to our allies and the empire. The last time he was found was on Midway Island."

Momotake Harukichi looked at the report in front of him and said in a complicated tone, "Kawaguchi-san, did you know that the General Staff once conducted a special evaluation of this person's tactical value and concluded that under certain circumstances, if he joined the battlefield, he could play the role of a brigade. Therefore, he has a nickname in the intelligence department... the one-man brigade."

"What?!" Kawaguchi Masahisa never thought that a person could deserve such an evaluation. "Then wouldn't such a guy be very dangerous?!"

"That's right," Momotake Harukichi nodded. "From the intelligence we have so far, although this guy has never revealed his true identity, he is very likely a Chinese. In that case, it makes sense that he is proficient in guerrilla warfare."

Baiwu Qingji stood up and looked at the soldiers outside the tent who were moving like ants. "When I left China, I had a discussion with Chief Gangcun. I learned a lot about how to fight against guerrilla warfare. Now I have the opportunity to verify it in this area. It is really a great pleasure in life."

boom! boom!
Suddenly, there were explosions in the camp. Several rifle grenades and Molotov cocktails fell into the newly built camp, causing a fire.

The panicked soldiers ran out of the tent to put out the fire, and at this time, a cold gunshot was heard from an unknown direction in the woods, and a soldier was shot and fell to the ground.

"Sir! Be careful!" A guard rushed up to protect the lieutenant general, but he pushed him away. "Baga! Why are you panicking? Can't you see the enemy is still out of range? The more panicked you are, the more you will expose your target!"

The scale of the attack was small, but it brought considerable chaos to the camp. However, Haruyoshi Momotake was not angry. The eyes of the lieutenant general even showed the excitement of meeting a strong enemy. "The 1st Marine Division? A one-man brigade? Let me see it for myself."

(End of this chapter)