Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 216 Unlucky Shigeharu Suematsu

"Didi-di-!"

At the 114th Regiment headquarters, the telegraph machine kept beeping. Division Commander Shigeharu Suematsu asked impatiently, "Where's the air force? Where have they all gone?"

Chief of Staff Tetsuya Shimazu: "Sir, we have lost contact with the air force. The reconnaissance cavalry we sent out haven't sent back any news yet; we estimate we'll have to wait another hour."

Suematsu Shigeharu slammed his hand on the table: "One hour?"

"In another hour, the Chinese will attack!"

This roar startled all the staff officers in the command room into silence.

Tetsuya Shimazu lowered his head: "General, I suspect it's highly likely that the enemy's commander-in-chief, Wang Feng, has taken over the battle."

Suematsu Shigeharu's expression changed drastically: "What?!"

"This is impossible!"

Tetsuya Shimazu: "Our intelligence network cannot penetrate Changzhi at all. We are unaware of any of the enemy's movements. We must prepare for the worst."

Shigeharu Suematsu: "Shimazu-kun, I don't need you to remind me to mind my place!"

Tetsuya Shimazu took a step back and remained silent.

It's as if I've already gotten used to it.

The staff officers behind them exchanged glances, not daring to breathe.

The newly recruited operations staff officer gestured with his eyes to Tetsuya Shimazu, who was standing next to him.

Suematsu Shigeharu felt a little apprehensive. Although he had just rejected the chief of staff's suggestion, he couldn't help but feel some worry.

"Wang Feng, has he really returned to the battlefield?"

Shigeharu Suematsu put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth on the ground.

"Wang Feng!"

This name is known to almost everyone in the Japanese Army, and even in Japan, it has become as famous as a child's name.

Some divisions wanted to challenge Wang Feng, prove their strength, gain the Emperor's favor, and bring glory to their ancestors.

Some divisions, however, feared him like a tiger.

But the 114th Division was exactly like that.

Suematsu Shigeharu frowned, glanced at the portrait of the Emperor on the wall, and hesitated.

The question is whether to continue fighting to the death, or to cut our losses and immediately regroup to maintain the stalemate.

He was somewhat undecided.

Kenji Doihara

While he was hesitating, he thought of someone.

According to seniority, Shigeharu Suematsu graduated from the 14th class of the Infantry Department of the Army War College, two years earlier than famous generals such as Seishiro Itagaki, Kenji Doihara, and Rensuke Isogai, who graduated from the 16th class.

He was transferred to the position of regimental commander of the 14th Division three years ago.

It refers to the troops commanded by Kenji Doihara in Lanfeng.

Two years ago, he was demoted for his involvement in the "February 26 Incident," and it wasn't until after the incident broke out that he returned to the position of division commander.

This battle was of great significance to him.

He was already a criminal, but was promoted exceptionally when people were needed.

Only with sufficient military achievements can one maintain this position and even advance further.

Who would have thought that after the Battle of Nanjing, he would be transferred to Shanxi and directly encounter the ultimate "big boss"—the Allied Provincial Garrison!
Suematsu Shigeharu turned to the trembling staff officers: "Gentlemen, given the current situation, do you think we should continue the attack or retreat?"

A staff officer mustered his courage and stepped forward: "General, we have lost our air cover and night is approaching. Night fighting is the enemy's forte. I believe we should halt our offensive and consolidate our gains from the daytime!"

"Baka!" Another staff officer's eyes widened. "Nishimura! Have the Chinese scared you to death?"

The 114th Division is a special division, formerly the reserve of the 14th Division.

To date, a considerable number of soldiers and officers in the unit are "veterans" from that period, and some even still refer to themselves as members of the 14th Division.

This sense of belonging to the same region and culture cannot be erased simply by changing a number.

Therefore, when news of the 14th Division's crushing defeat at Lanfeng reached Shanxi, many soldiers of the 114th Division wept bitterly, wishing they could rush to Changzhi immediately to avenge the 14th Division, which had been disorganized.

But when war truly breaks out again...

The soldiers' mentality underwent a complete 180-degree turn.

The initial battles were unfavorable, the garrison's superior weaponry, the 47th Army's fearless fighting, and the 386th Brigade's frequent guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines caused these soldiers great suffering.

It's no exaggeration to say that all that's left to suffer for now is hardship.

The area surrounding Changzhi is mountainous, making the transportation of supplies difficult. Coupled with the continuous guerrilla warfare waged by the Eighth Route Army, the logistics transport detachment has been frequently attacked, and now there is a serious shortage of food.

The daily food rations for ordinary soldiers have been cut in half.

Even officers below the rank of colonel have had their ranks reduced by one-third.

If the war is not ended soon, it will probably cause a major upheaval.

Even if the samurai code and the spirit of loyalty to the emperor are strong, they still need to fill their stomachs!
"Shut up!" Suematsu Shigeharu snorted coldly. "Order the 27th Brigade to consolidate its defensive line, retreat two kilometers to construct fortifications, and prepare for night battle!"

Tetsusuke Shimazu quickly took notes.

Suematsu Shigeharu continued, "The 28th Brigade continued its attack on the Chinese 47th Army, and the cavalry regiment circled around to its flank and broke through the defenses within three hours!"

Tetsusuke Shimazu: "Hai!"

After the combat orders were issued, the command post returned to its previous order, but now there was a more oppressive atmosphere inside.

A short while later, the communications officer rushed in, panting heavily: "General!"

Shigeharu Suematsu asked with displeasure, "Did you file a report?"

The communications officer swallowed hard: "Report."

Suematsu Shigeharu: "Pay attention next time!"

The communications officer, setting aside the matter, handed over the telegram: "Your Excellency, urgent telegram from the Taiyuan Command!"

Suematsu Shigeharu frowned, took the telegram, and glanced at it.

He was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

The operations staff officer standing nearby peeked over.

However, due to the angle, they couldn't see Shigeharu Suematsu's expression at all.

"Has another round of aid arrived?"

"Guess so!"

"Oh no! I'm starving!"

"If this keeps up, I reckon I'll have to scavenge for food on the battlefield!"

Tetsusuke Shimazu immediately noticed something was wrong and came over: "Shogun, what happened?"

Suematsu Shigeharu crumpled the telegram into a ball: "Order from the Taiyuan Command: My unit is ordered to withdraw from the battlefield immediately."

Tetsuya Shimazu exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

"General, what exactly is going on?"

Suematsu Shigeharu said coldly, “The Chinese Jin-Sui Army and the 14th Army Group in southern Shanxi have made unusual movements. Headquarters wants us to go there to garrison them.”

Tetsusuke Shimazu asked, puzzled, "But..."

Suematsu Shigeharu waved his hand, directly interrupting his question: "Lord Katsuki Seiji has been dismissed!"

Shimazu Tesuke was taken aback, then his brow relaxed. The dismissal of the First Army's commander-in-chief and the absence of a new commander-in-chief was already a political earthquake. Coupled with the unrest among the Chinese troops in southern Shanxi, the battle situation in Changzhi had reached a stalemate. At this point, withdrawing the 114th Division might be the best solution.

"General, when shall we withdraw?"

Suematsu Shigeharu's face was ashen, and he didn't say a word.

The moment he saw the telegram, he already guessed the reason why Kiyoshi Kazuki had been dismissed.

Everyone knew about the conflict between Terauchi Hisaichi, Commander-in-Chief of the North China Area Army, and Katsuki Kiyoshi, Commander-in-Chief of the First Army; this was hardly a secret among the high-ranking Japanese military officers in North China.

Some people have already taken sides and are just waiting for the two sides to decide the winner.

What a coincidence.

Like Kenji Doihara, he stood firmly on Kiyoshi Kazuki's side.

Now that Kazuki has been dismissed, Terauchi Hisaichi's next target might just be Suematsu Shigeharu.

"idiot!"

He remained silent for a long time before uttering two syllables.

He was originally a criminal of the "February 26 Incident," and went to China with the intention of redeeming himself for His Majesty the Emperor. Less than a year has passed, and he has not gained much military merit. He has also become a loser in the political struggle in a muddle.

What we fear most in life is not sudden despair, but despair that follows hope.

Shimazu Tessuke frowned and asked in confusion, "Your Excellency?"

Shigeharu Suematsu: "Reply to Taiyuan Command: The battle at the front is at a stalemate, and we have reached the most critical moment. We are temporarily unable to withdraw!"

Shimazu Tessuke stammered, "Your Excellency, are you disobeying orders?"

Suematsu Shigeharu slammed his fist on the table: "I am the division commander! I am the supreme military officer, not you!"

"Do as I command!"

Now that things have come to this, he has no other choice.

Either go all in and fight the garrison to the death, and return to Taiyuan with dazzling military achievements, which might earn you the appreciation of Terauchi Hisaichi.

Another option is to obey orders, slink back, and await political reckoning.

Shigeharu Suematsu has already decided which path to take.

As the saying goes, "a higher rank can crush a lower one," and Shimazu Tesuke didn't dare disobey orders, so he could only quickly agree.

"Hai!"

--------

front.

Wang Feng kept a close eye on the battlefield situation.

As the artillery opened fire, the scales of victory began to tip in their favor.

Both the 114th Division and the Independent Mixed Brigade were second- or third-line units, severely lacking in heavy firepower. The field artillery regiments attached to them were only equipped with a dozen or so 75mm mountain guns.

It's not even as good as a column-level artillery battalion.

After playing against the Japanese Class A divisions for so long, Wang Feng was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the experience.

It seems a little too easy!

Simply locate the Japanese field artillery positions on the map, and deploy your heavy artillery positions outside the range of the Japanese firepower according to the panel prompts, and you can fire at will.

The military airfield has also been taken down, so there's no need to worry about any countermeasures from the other side.

Zhao Fangyuan strode in, saluted, and said, "Reporting, sir!"

Wang Feng: "Speak!"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Report from the front: After a brief retreat, the Japanese army seems to be showing signs of a counterattack."

Wang Feng: "Don't worry, after three rounds of salvo, the artillery positions will continue to move forward. Get the heavy artillery right in the faces of those Japanese devils!"

All the fear stems from insufficient firepower.

Behind us lies Changzhi, the largest military industrial production base. The shortest transport distance is no more than fifty kilometers. Previously, when fighting in Henan, we sometimes had to worry about logistical supply issues and had to fight sparingly.

Now all that can be put aside. With the harassment from Japanese bombers gone, a steady stream of shells is being transported to the front lines for the artillerymen to squander at will.

More than twenty 105mm howitzers, three 122mm howitzers, two 150mm howitzers, and two 155mm howitzers were firing at full power, raining down shells on the front lines as if they were free, letting the Japanese devils taste the feeling of being suppressed by artillery fire.

Wang Feng walked to the map, picked up the command baton, and said: "Tell Zheng Zhenzhong immediately to have the 122mm artillery battalion move forward to this location right now!"

Zhao Fangyuan frowned: "Sir, what does this mean?"

Wang Feng gestured on the map: "As long as the artillery battalion can move here, with the superior range of our Shanxi-made 122mm howitzers, this area will be within our firing range. I guess the command post of the Japanese 114th Division is nearby!"

It's not a guess, it's a certainty.

Zhao Fangyuan suddenly realized: "I see. Then I will immediately send scouts to infiltrate. As long as we can find the Japanese command post, we can destroy it with one shell, break through one point, and shake the entire line. As long as we can take out the 114th Division, the remaining two independent mixed brigades are not a problem at all!"

Wang Feng nodded: "Where are the 4th Column, 1st Battalion, and 2nd Battalion located?"

Zhao Fangyuan took over the command baton: "We have advanced to the flank of the Japanese 28th Brigade!"

Wang Feng glanced at the location on the map: "They've covered 30 kilometers in half an hour. It's really worth all the autonomous vehicles I gave them. Alright, the time is ripe. Order the Fourth Column to launch an attack immediately, infiltrate the 28th Brigade's flank and rear, and coordinate with the 47th Army on the front to immediately launch an encirclement offensive!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

----------

On the rugged mountain road.

Trucks sped past, kicking up clouds of yellow sand.

Inside the carriage, the soldiers gripped their Type 24 rifles tightly, and the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed.

"Hey, bro, how many times have you thrown up already?" A machine gunner looked at the rifleman opposite him and couldn't help but ask.

The rifleman, barely suppressing his discomfort, said, "I'm worthless; I can't afford this good stuff."

"Hahahahaha!"

The soldiers inside the carriage burst into laughter.

It was everyone's first time traveling to the battlefield in a truck, so they were very excited and kept looking around, whispering among themselves.

"Hey, platoon leader, why don't the officers get carsick when they ride in cars?"

"How would I know!" the platoon leader muttered. "It's good enough that we have a vehicle to ride in. Look at other units, they all run on foot!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly felt a violent shaking.

The platoon leader realized what was happening: "Get out of the vehicle!"

"Quick! We're about to fight the Japanese!"

"gather!"

The soldiers helped each other to their feet and nimbly jumped off the truck.

Inside the cab.

The soldier lit a cigarette and began puffing away.

The company commander looked at him and asked, "Do you even know how to drive? Who taught you?"

He was clearly quite startled by the sudden stop.

"You're pulling a comrade-in-arms, a brother, not a pig or a piece of cabbage!"

The soldier handed him a cigarette, smiling on the surface, but secretly thinking to himself:

"Pigs get dizzy and jump off the train, cannonballs explode when jolted, and tea leaves might get crushed, but brothers are different. Even if you get thrown out, you can climb back on your own."

(End of this chapter)