Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 616 Mutaguchi: I Too Have the Potential to Become an Imperial Marshal
The next afternoon.

Taiyuan.

Japanese First Army Headquarters.

"Commander, Chief of Staff, the 9th Brigade headquarters has sent a farewell telegram."

A staff officer strode into the operations room and bowed to Yoshio Shinotsuka and Renya Mutaguchi to report.

"Nani?"

The two old Japanese soldiers' expressions immediately changed.

"Another farewell telegram..."

Yoshio Shinotsuka's face was gloomy.

During the nearly two years that Yoshio Shinotsuka served as the commander of the First Army in Taiyuan, the most frequent telegrams he received were farewell telegrams.

The 3rd Brigade, the 4th Brigade, the 108th Division...

Units at the battalion level and above equipped with radios would send a farewell telegram to headquarters before being completely annihilated.

Now, the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment have also sent farewell telegrams.

This means that the two elite units of the First Army are about to be completely annihilated.

"Read!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka waved his hand and said that although he really didn't want to hear the farewell telegram, listening to it was a sign of respect for all the soldiers of the 9th Brigade who had died for their cause.

Mutaguchi Renya and the other Japanese staff officers all wore solemn and grim expressions.

"Hi."

The communications officer held the farewell telegram in both hands and read it aloud:
"After days of fierce attacks by the enemy, our defenses finally collapsed."

"Although the soldiers endured hunger and toil and fought for every inch of land, they were outnumbered and ultimately teetered on the brink of destruction."

"This is all due to my lack of virtue in my position, and I feel deeply ashamed."

"However, I am still convinced that the Locust Kingdom will win, and I will continue to fight even if I have only one soldier left."

"I am filled with extreme resentment for failing to achieve His Majesty's will; even if I were to die ten thousand times, I could not atone for the loyalty of my soldiers and their families."

"Tonight, I will personally lead the vanguard, charging into the enemy lines with the utmost sincerity to serve my country, even unto death."

"May your military fortunes endure forever."

"Your Majesty the Heavenly Locust, Your Majesty the Great Japanese Empire..."

Clearly, at this point, the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment had not yet been completely wiped out, but their forces were few in number.

Moreover, at night, Koshino Konosuke would lead the remaining troops in a general offensive against the Eighth Route Army.

After tonight, the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment will cease to exist.

"idiot."

After listening to the communications officer read the telegram, Yoshio Shinotsuka's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Although he had guessed the fate of the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment the moment the Eighth Route Army pulled out heavy howitzers, Yoshio Shinotsuka's heart still ached as if it were bleeding when he actually heard the farewell telegram.

The 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment were both directly subordinate to the First Army Headquarters and were usually used to defend Taiyuan.

These two units do not have much combat experience.

However, their training and equipment are top-notch, especially in night combat training, where they are among the best in all units of the First Army.

However, what made Yoshio Shinotsuka even more uneasy was that Li Yunlong was about to lead a large army to attack Taiyuan.

The 9th Brigade's Gaji Field Army has a total strength of nearly 1 men.

If this were a field operation, these troops would probably be wiped out by the Eighth Route Army in just one or two days.

However, in the Battle of Xinxian, the 9th Brigade's Jiaji Field Regiment had solid concrete fortifications.

With their sturdy concrete fortifications, they could hold out for at least half a month and wipe out nearly 10,000 Eighth Route Army troops.

However, the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment were almost completely wiped out in less than five days.

As for the Eighth Route Army soldiers killed, four thousand would be considered quite good!

After annihilating the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment, Li Yunlong faced no further obstacles on his southward march to Taiyuan. The remaining troops of the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment were certainly few in number, but they were all officers and elite soldiers.

There is actually a way to save these officers and elite troops.

That is, if the Chinese people in Xinxian County were escorted to Taiyuan, the Eighth Route Army would definitely make way for them.

However, once this method was used, the Eighth Route Army would be on guard.

Yoshio Shinotsuka also intends to use this method to transfer from Taiyuan into Hebei Province.

Therefore, it was natural not to allow the remnants of the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment to use this method to transfer into Taiyuan.

"Gentlemen, Li Yunlong's troops will arrive in the Yangqu County area in a day at most."

There was no time to mourn for the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment. Yoshio Shinotsuka glanced at everyone with a solemn expression and said.

Xinxian County is only about 40 kilometers away from Yangqu County. If it were Li Yunlong's mechanized troops, they could arrive in two or three hours at most.

The First Army deployed numerous landmines along the highway from Xinxian to Yangqu, and also deployed small units to harass the area.

In order to slow down the Eighth Route Army's offensive.

However, Yoshio Shinotsuka knew that the Eighth Route Army was equipped with mine-clearing vehicles, so these landmines and small units were not very effective.

At the earliest one day, at the latest two days, the main force of the First Army will clash with Li Yunlong's main force.

Upon hearing Yoshio Shinotsuka's words, the expressions on the faces of the Japanese officers and staff all became more serious.

In the past two years, the fearsome reputation of Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment of the Eighth Route Army has left an indelible mark on all the Japanese soldiers of the First Army, like a brand.

"are you ready?"

Yoshio Shinotsuka glanced at everyone.

"Hi."

All the Japanese officers lowered their heads.

“Commander,” Mutaguchi Renya suddenly said at that moment, “Instead of waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative and wipe out Li Yunlong’s vanguard battalion.”

Yoshio Shinotsuka frowned and said, "The Eighth Route Army's vanguard battalion must be an elite force, and most likely they also have tanks. Even with their sturdy concrete fortifications, they are difficult to withstand. How could they be so easily wiped out?"

"ambush!"

"Commander, the only chance for our army to wipe out the Eighth Route Army's vanguard battalion is to ambush them!"

Renya Mutaguchi said with considerable confidence.

In order to deal with the Eighth Route Army, he recently studied a lot of ancient Chinese military strategies, as well as all the ambush battles of the Eighth Route Army, and even classic battles such as the Four Crossings of the Chishui River and the Pingxingguan Victory.

He felt he had become stronger and that he had the potential to become the marshal of the brother country.

"Mutaguchi-kun," Yoshio Shinotsuka said, narrowing his eyes, "tell me your battle plan."

Seeing that Renya Mutaguchi looked confident, Yoshio Shinotsuka decided to listen to his plan.

Although Mutaguchi Renya was always just a strategist, he basically didn't offer any constructive advice while serving as the Chief of Staff of the First Army.

But now that Yamamoto Ichiki has been transferred, the First Army doesn't even have anyone to offer advice or suggestions.

Renya Mutaguchi pointed to the map and said.

"Commander and gentlemen, please look at the map."

"After the 9th Brigade and the Yoshino Regiment are all killed tonight, the Eighth Route Army will definitely continue its southward attack tomorrow."

"Dazhaigou was a necessary route for the Eighth Route Army to reach Taiyuan after they captured Xinxian County."

"The Locust Army can ambush here at night and attack and annihilate the vanguard battalion of the Eighth Route Army."

Immediately afterwards, Renya Mutaguchi explained the reason for setting up the ambush there.

The Eighth Route Army had become an arrogant force. All it would take was to send out a unit to feign defeat, which would surely draw the Eighth Route Army's vanguard battalion into pursuit and into the Japanese ambush zone.

Yoshio Shinotsuka nodded expressionlessly and said, "Immediately order the 39th Brigade of the 20th Division and the 20th Mountain Artillery Regiment to travel by car to Dazhaigou overnight to ambush and wipe out the Eighth Route Army's vanguard battalion."

Yoshio Shinotsuka's current mindset is to take a gamble, what if he succeeds?

(End of this chapter)