Bright Sword: I am an undercover agent in the puppet army

Chapter 85: The whole country is shocked, Yan Laoxi and Chang Kaishen's tricky actions, Xu Yang takes action, and Ba Dou makes another great achievement

Yangquan.

Japanese Army 22nd Infantry Regiment Headquarters.

Chief of Staff Jiro Nojiri walked up to Kasahara Koizumi and reported: "Captain, I just received news that the locust army reconnaissance team sent out from Niangzi Pass was also intercepted by the Chinese Eighth Route Army. All the locust soldiers died in battle and were loyal to the Heavenly Locust.

Combined with the news sent from the headquarters, according to the reconnaissance of the air force, all the artillery towers of small strongholds along the Zhengtai Railway were devastated by the explosions.

This means that all small strongholds along the Zhengtai Railway had been destroyed by the Chinese Eighth Route Army overnight.

Due to the lack of useful intelligence support, we have not yet figured out the Eighth Route Army's unit number and its strength.

But from what happened last night, we can infer that the Eighth Route Army must have come out in full force, and the force exposed is far greater than before."

"What's worse is that with the loss of these small strongholds, the locust army has completely lost control of the 10 to 20 kilometer area along the Zhengtai Railway."

"At present, the only thing the locust army can do is to ensure the safety of the Zhengtai Railway and the six large strongholds along the line, but this situation may not last long."

"Given the aggressiveness displayed by the Eighth Route Army last night, their strategic goal must not stop there. They must have further goals."

After a night of hard work, Kasahara Koizumi's eyes were full of bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Baka! What are the Eighth Route Army going to do? Are they trying to wipe out all the large strongholds on the Zhengtai Railway? Or do they want to attack Yangquan County and eat up our 22nd Regiment?"

Nojiri Jiro said: "Attacking Yangquan County and destroying the 22nd Regiment of the Locust Army is completely wishful thinking, but it is possible to attack the Zhengtai Railway and instantly eliminate several large strongholds.

If we don’t take countermeasures, the Zhengtai Railway Line will be completely destroyed after tonight.”

"Destroy the Shota Railway? Dream on!"

Kasahara Koizumi said with a grim face: "Nojiri-kun, immediately report our situation here and your speculation to the brigade headquarters and the 1st Army headquarters truthfully, and request the 1st Army headquarters to send aviation and armored train support!"

"Hi!" Nojiri Jiro snapped his legs together, nodded heavily, turned and left.

Kasahara Koizumi turned his attention back to the map.

Under the operation of the combat staff, the map is already filled with blue crosses.

But what’s strange is that there is no blue arrow behind the cross.

According to the operating specifications, the blue crosses represent the enemy's offensive and the results achieved; therefore, correspondingly, each blue cross should be followed by a blue arrow representing the direction of attack.

Below the arrow, the enemy's number and date should also be marked.

This is what is considered a standard and rigorous combat map.

But on the current map, in the Niangzi Pass area of ​​Yangquan, there is not a single arrow to be seen except for about 80 blue crosses.

As for the enemy's number and date, there is no need to mention it.

Seeing this, Kasahara Koizumi's face became even uglier and more ferocious, as ugly as a devil.

At this point in the battle, they had lost so many strongholds, but they knew nothing about the enemy. This was the first time since he joined the army.

This is undoubtedly a huge shame for him.

Fortunately, the situations of friendly forces in other areas were similar, so he had not been punished or reprimanded by the 1st Army Command for the time being.

But competing with friendly forces was obviously not Kasahara Koizumi's life creed, and his mood became even worse.

Looking at Kasahara Koizumi's almost murderous gaze, several combat staff officers couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. They subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the face.

But besides feeling panicked, they also felt a little aggrieved. Can they be blamed for this?

The Intelligence Department has not been able to provide accurate information yet. What can they do? Are they supposed to guess the deployment and numbers of the Eighth Route Army? They can't tell fortunes.

……

the other side.

Taiyuan City.

Japanese 1st Army Headquarters.

Yoshio Shinozuka also stayed up all night.

What Kasahara Koizumi saw was a large area of ​​blue crosses, but what Shinozuka Yoshio saw on the sand table was a large area of ​​small blue flags. Not only was the area much larger than the 22nd Regiment's combat map, but the number was also greater.

The head of the Operations Section, Kazuyoshi Sakanishi, reported to Yoshio Shinozuka with his head down: "Commander, as of 9:253 a.m., all small strongholds on both sides of the Tongpu Railway, Baijin Railway, and Zhengtai Railway have been captured by the Eighth Route Army.

Of course, this is the time after verification by aerial reconnaissance.

According to reports from major frontline strongholds, the Eighth Route Army's offensive was basically over before 6 a.m.

This means that before 6 a.m., all these strongholds had fallen.”

After a pause, Sakanishi Ichiro continued to report: "Moreover, this does not include the data from the Pinghan Railway and the Jingzhang Railway."

"According to conservative estimates, the Chinese army deployed at least 60 regiments, more than 10 people, in Shanxi alone.

This is an unprecedented raid, and also the biggest challenge and crisis faced by the Locust Army since it invaded Shanxi in September 1937! "

The Chief of Staff Kusunokichi beside him shook his head and said, "No, the biggest crisis of the Locust Army is not the 10 Eighth Route Army, nor the fall of so many small strongholds.

As long as the locust army is willing, they can send troops to take it back at any time."

“The real crisis facing the Locust Army is the lack of intelligence and the terrifying speed at which the Eighth Route Army is developing.

In particular, the Eighth Route Army's terrifying development speed. If it is allowed to continue its savage development, it is very likely to cause a catastrophic blow to the Locust Army in the future.

This crisis is just the beginning! It is also a wake-up call to the locust army!"

Yoshio Shinozuka has seen all kinds of storms and waves, so how could he be so disturbed by the crisis in front of him?

He kept a clear mind and stared at the sand table for a long time before he slowly asked, "Battlefield information blocked?"

"I am surprised that the Eighth Route Army has mastered the advanced combat subject of battlefield information blocking and has performed it so perfectly."

Yamamoto Ikki next to him said conceitedly: "Commander, this should be just a coincidence. The Eighth Route Army usually only knows guerrilla warfare and ambush warfare. They don't even understand the essence of frontal positional warfare. How could they understand the advanced tactical concept of battlefield information blocking?
So, it must be a coincidence.”

"If my guess is correct, the Eighth Route Army must have too many troops, so they accidentally blocked battlefield information."

"This is no longer important."

Shinozuka Yoshio waved his hand and said, "Whether the Eighth Route Army did it intentionally or not, at least this result has been achieved."

"Right now, what we really need to understand is the specific deployment of the Eighth Route Army and its next combat intentions, so that we can prescribe the right remedy.

The intelligence provided by the aerial scouts is too little to support the locust army's corresponding strategic deployment."

Chief of Staff Kusunokichi thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Eighth Route Army does not have any great intentions to fight. They just want to take advantage of the lack of manpower in the Locust Army to gain some benefits.

This time, the only thing is that a little more troops were dispatched and more small strongholds were attacked.

This is also in line with the Eighth Route Army's consistent combat strategy, and they have always done so before."

Shinozuka Yoshio said: "If this is the case, just bear with it for now. Even if the Tongpu Railway and Baijin Railway are damaged, it is not a big deal. We just need to ensure that the Zhengtai Railway is unobstructed.

But the fear is that the Eighth Route Army’s ambitions do not stop there!

They have been patiently developing for so long, and suddenly revealed all their strength, which obviously shows that they have greater ambitions.

Moreover, after the Eighth Route Army gained an advantage, they always liked to press on, rather than stopping when they saw the advantage like the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did. "

"They were able to capture so many small strongholds so easily this time. Even if they didn't have any bigger combat goals at the beginning, they would inevitably develop ambitions at this time."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the next step will definitely be for them to launch attacks on large-scale strongholds on various railway lines and attempt to disrupt various railway trunk lines."

After a pause, Shinozuka Yoshio changed the subject and continued, "Of course, this is just my personal guess. The Operations Department still needs to rely on intelligence when formulating operational plans."

Kusunokichi's eyes lit up and he said, "Commander, how about we order the 3rd and 4th Locust Army and the 15th Mixed Brigade to send a mobile brigade to take the initiative to attack and draw out the main force of the Eighth Route Army? In this way, the intention of the Eighth Route Army will be exposed.

Not only that, the locust army can even use this as bait to guide and change the combat intentions of the Eighth Route Army, thus turning passivity into initiative. "

"Take the initiative to attack?" Shinozuka Yoshio asked, "In which direction? What if the Eighth Route Army avoids fighting? How many kilometers should we advance? Or should we continue to go deep into the heart of the bandit area until they are surrounded and destroyed by the Eighth Route Army?"

"This..." Kusunokichi Hideyoshi was suddenly speechless.

Shinozuka Yoshio added: "So, let's wait, wait one more day. If nothing unexpected happens, the Eighth Route Army will reveal their true intentions tonight, and then the Locust Army will be able to formulate a corresponding counter-attack plan based on the specific situation."

"Hi Yi!"

A group of Japanese officers bowed their heads.

After thinking for a while, Sakanishi Ichiro said, "Commander, what if the Eighth Route Army also captures the large strongholds of the Locust Army?
Of course, with the weapons and equipment of the Eighth Route Army, it would be almost impossible to capture a large stronghold with more complete fortifications, more elite troops and firepower in one night.

But it is better to be safe than sorry.”

Shinozuka Yoshio thought about it seriously for a while and said, "Kusuyama-kun, your concerns are not without reason."

"Immediately order the 3rd, 4th, and 15th Mixed Brigade to send at least one squadron of troops to each large stronghold.

If the Locust Army is not strong enough, send more Imperial Army troops."

Kusunokichi said: "It is not enough to send an additional squadron of troops to each large stronghold, even if all the reserve forces of each brigade are put into it. In other words, they need to draw troops from the garrison forces of each county.

Correspondingly, the military forces in each county were depleted. "

Shinozuka Yoshio: "The Eighth Route Army would never dare to attack the county town, at least not without any preparation.

As long as we survive tonight, the Locust Army's general reserve can be deployed. By then, the crisis of insufficient military forces in the counties will naturally be solved."

"Hi Yi!"

Kusunokichi Hideyoshi bowed his head again.

……

Yan Laoxi and Chiang Kai-shek's intelligence network spread throughout Shanxi.

Although the Eighth Route Army did not report the combat plan to the theater headquarters, both Yan Laoxi and Chiang Kai-shek received the news of the war at the first time.

They were all shocked by the powerful strength displayed by the Eighth Route Army, and at the same time they all felt an unprecedented huge crisis...

Kenan Slope.

The Second War Zone Commander's Department.

Kenanpo is 30 kilometers northwest of Jixian County, Shanxi Province, and is adjacent to Hukou Waterfall in the west. Its original name was "Nancunpo". In order to avoid the taboo of "Nanmian", Yan Laoxi changed its name to Kenanpo, which means to overcome numerous difficulties and achieve final victory.

This was originally a loess hill with only 6 households. It was composed of five ridges running parallel from west to east and sloping from north to south. Each ridge had an alluvial plain where crops were planted or peach trees were planted.

Later, Yan Laoxi designated this place as the headquarters of the Second War Zone. After more than two years of construction, this tiny place has been transformed into a large mountaintop city with cave dwellings that can accommodate more than 20,000 people. It has become an important military town in the Second War Zone and the political, economic, and cultural center of SX Province.

The village is about 1 kilometer long from east to west and about 0.5 kilometers wide from north to south. It is an independent gourd-shaped ridge with ditches and rivers on three sides and a plateau on one side. The terrain is dangerous.

After receiving the information sent back by the intelligence department.

Yan Laoxi felt the huge threat posed by the Eighth Route Army, and before the Japanese army showed goodwill, he took the initiative to show goodwill to the Japanese army.

In an attempt to use the Japanese to attack and check the Eighth Route Army.

the other side.

Mountain city Chongqing.

National Army Command.

After receiving the intelligence about the Eighth Route Army, Chiang Kai-shek also felt tremendous pressure. He even felt a little annoyed that he had not been able to thoroughly implement the policy of "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression".

After discussing with his staff, Chiang Kai-shek also issued an order to Wei Junru, who was stationed in Luoyang, to avoid fighting, asking him to withdraw his troops and not to assist the Eighth Route Army in combat. At the same time, he gave the Japanese troops in front of him an opportunity to withdraw and defend, in order to counter and attack the Eighth Route Army.

After the Battle of Xinkou broke out.

General Wei Junru, commander of the 14th Army Group, was promoted to deputy commander of the Second War Zone and commander-in-chief of the front line, commanding all the central troops in Shanxi.

Later in January 1939, he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the First War Zone, stationed in Luoyang, and served concurrently as Chairman of HEN Province and Security Commander of the Province.

Unlike Yan Laoxi, General Wei Junru was a member of the Seventh Route Army and a half. After the outbreak of the full-scale war of resistance, his attitude towards the Eighth Route Army was extremely ambiguous. He once provided a large amount of military supplies to the Eighth Route Army despite tremendous pressure.

It can be said that he made a great contribution to the development and growth of the Eighth Route Army.

Therefore, how could he possibly watch and watch the Japanese troops outside Zhongtiao Mountain withdraw their troops to defend against the Eighth Route Army?

On the one hand, he called Chiang Kai-shek back and said that he would firmly obey the orders of the Supreme Command.

On the other hand, he pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, and took the initiative to order the Central Army in Zhongtiao Mountain to expose its desire to attack, create friction, and put pressure on the Japanese troops in front of them.

We don’t require to cause many casualties to the Japanese army, but at least we must keep them firmly contained here!
……

The Eighth Route Army currently knows nothing about this.

However, the Communist Party’s online intelligence courses are no worse than those of the Kuomintang, and it is only a matter of time before people realize this.

Right now, all divisions, brigades, and regiments are actively preparing for tonight's offensive.

Countless scouts were scattered outside, closely watching the Japanese army's every move.

The staff officers of the General Staff went in and out to integrate pieces of intelligence and develop response plans based on possible emergencies.

So busy.

On the contrary, the fighters got a short rest. They all hid in hidden places to rest and accumulate strength.

……

3pm.

A military train drove into the Taohe stronghold and slowly stopped. Then the side door of the carriage opened and a large number of fully armed Japanese soldiers walked down in neat rows.

After receiving the report, Xu Yang hurried to the station platform and greeted a Japanese captain.

"Kojima-tai-kun, what are you doing?"

Xu Yang asked in broken Japanese. As the telephone lines were cut and Xu Yang's Independent Third Battalion did not have a radio station, they knew nothing about the Japanese army's deployment.

It is worth mentioning that after in-depth study with Kayoko Hinakawa, Xu Yang’s Japanese is already good enough to communicate with the Japanese, so he doesn’t have to worry about being exposed.

"Xu Yang, the captain is worried that your Taohe stronghold will be attacked by the Eighth Route Army tonight, so he ordered me to lead my troops to provide you with tactical guidance." Kojima's close retainers knew that Xu Yang was the trusted brother-in-law of the captain, Hikawa Okasaka, and he did not put on airs like a lady.

"Sigh!"

Xu Yang bowed and nodded in a flattering manner. His mind raced for a while, and then he asked, "Kojima-taijun, I wonder if only our Taohe stronghold has received tactical guidance, or if all the strongholds have received tactical guidance?
If only our stronghold gets tactical guidance, it may not be enough.

Judging from the aggressiveness displayed by the Eighth Route Army last night, they will most likely launch an attack on the Locust Army’s large strongholds tonight.

I have more than 600 elite soldiers under my command. They are all brave and good at fighting, and they are willing to serve the Japanese locust army until death.

Therefore, if only my base receives tactical guidance, please convey this to Mr. Hikawa and ask him to transfer your squadron to other bases to be on the safe side. "

After a pause, Xu Yang changed the subject and continued, "Of course, I am not disliking you, Mr. Kojima, but I am considering the interests of the Great Japanese Locust Army.

As long as there is still one man and one gun in my Independent Third Battalion, we will fight to the death and will never let the Taohe stronghold fall into the hands of the enemy!"

Xu Yang had two purposes for this move. One was to spy on the Japanese army's combat deployment, and the other was to divert the Kojima Squadron and prepare to seize the armored train at 8 o'clock in the evening.

"Yoshi!" Xiaodao's close minister gave Xu Yang a thumbs up: "Xu-san, you are so loyal!
However, your worries are unnecessary. The Locust Army Headquarters has also taken this into consideration. In addition to your Taohe stronghold, other strongholds have also sent additional troops. "

"Soga! This way, there's no risk of any consequences!"

Xu Yang nodded on the surface, but in his mind he had already started to think about how to destroy the Xiaodao Squadron and tell the Eighth Route Army the news.

Xu Yang took Xiaodao's close retainers on a tour of the Taohe stronghold, introducing the terrain of the Taohe stronghold and the defense situation.

There are five artillery towers in the Taohe stronghold, which are larger and more solid than those in small strongholds.

After understanding the situation.

Kojima's close minister said to Xu Yang, "Xu Sang, let our squadron defend the No. 1 and No. 2 turrets and the area in front of them. What do you think?"

If the Japanese gather together, it will not be easy to eliminate them.

Even if we could use explosive packs to blow up the artillery tower and the Japanese at the same time, the noise would be too loud and could easily cause problems.

Therefore, Xu Yang naturally wanted to avoid this situation from happening.

He immediately refused and said, "Mr. Kojima, that's not necessary. Guarding the Taohe stronghold is the responsibility of my battalion. I am very grateful that you have come here to provide tactical guidance.

How can we still let your locust army guard the front line?

Moreover, it is impossible for the Eighth Route Army to launch an attack during the day.

Therefore, the defense of each artillery tower and front-line positions is still in the hands of me. You, the locust army, should rest in the rear first. It will not be too late for you to reinforce after the Eighth Route Army launches the attack.

In this way, you can not only reduce casualties in the first wave of offensive by the Eighth Route Army, but also accumulate strength to calmly crush the enemy's offensive.

To borrow an old Chinese saying, good steel should be used on the blade, and the cannon fodder should be the Imperial Army. "

Kojima Kinomi's favorability towards Xu Yang increased a lot at once, and he completely understood why Captain Hikawa Okazaka valued Xu Yang so much.

Xu Yang is not only brave and good at fighting and has made many military achievements, but he also always puts the interests of the Imperial Locust Army first. Who wouldn't like such a subordinate?
Kojima's close minister was deeply moved and gave a thumbs up again: "Yoshi! Xu, you are worthy of being the most trustworthy helper of my Great Japanese Locust Army. Then let's do as you say."

"Hi Yi!"

Xu Yang snapped his legs together, bowed his head, and said, "Kojima-taijun, you have come all the way here, thank you for your hard work. It's almost time for dinner, you should take a short rest. I will arrange for the kitchen team to prepare dinner for you."

"Yoshi!" Kojima's close retainer nodded, then turned to a second lieutenant officer next to him and said, "Watanabe-kun, take the locust army's canned meat to Xu Sang to heat it up."

"Hi Yi!"

The Japanese second lieutenant bowed respectfully and was about to leave, but was stopped by Kojima's close retainer.

"Watanabe-kun, wait a moment."

The Japanese second lieutenant turned around and looked at Kojima's close minister in confusion: "Captain, do you have any other instructions?"

"I mean take out all the canned meat. There might be a fierce battle tonight, and we need to rely on the brave warriors of the Third Independent Battalion of the Imperial Army. They are loyal, so let's treat this as a reward for them."

"Hi Yi!"

The Japanese second lieutenant bowed his head heavily and waited for two seconds. Seeing that Kojima's close retainers had no other instructions, he turned and left.

Xu Yang flattered Xiaodao's close minister a few more times, invited him to the reception room to have tea and rest, and then left on the pretext of instructing the work of the kitchen team.

He had already thought of a way to deal with the Kojima squadron, which was to put croton seeds in the food, just like he did with Watanabe Renta, and wait for them to pull their trouser pockets and relax their vigilance, and then suddenly kill them...

(End of this chapter)