Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 655 The Death of Yoshio Shinotsuka!

By this time, the two cavalry regiments, having marched for an afternoon and most of the night, had slowed down.

Yoshio Shinotsuka pointed to the hillsides on both sides and began to speak eloquently.

"Kuroshima-kun".

"If Li Yunlong deploys an ambush force here, he will surely be able to wipe me out here."

"Just like when we ambushed the 20th Division."

The 20th Division initially advanced towards Taiyuan from the Guangyang Highway.

It was here that they were ambushed by the main forces of the 129th and 115th Divisions of the Eighth Route Army.

Lieutenant General Kawagishi, commander of the 20th Division, was beheaded by Li Yunlong.

From then on, the 20th Division remained with the First Army in order to seek revenge.

However, in the two and a half years of fighting, the 20th Division lost several brigade commanders and more than 20,000 soldiers, suffering heavy losses.

Kuroshima Morita immediately looked to both sides and felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he couldn't see the terrain on either side clearly, he could tell from the fact that all the Japanese cavalrymen were carrying torches that the terrain was treacherous.

Kuroshima Morita immediately chimed in, "The Eighth Route Army is only relying on the fact that they have more soldiers and better weapons than our First Army."

"Don't even mention the exchange of weapons and equipment between the Locust Army and the Eighth Route Army. As long as the Locust Army is equipped with the same equipment as the Eighth Route Army, the Locust Army can defeat the Eighth Route Army in a rout."

“That’s true.” Yoshio Shinotsuka nodded in agreement, “The individual soldier skills of the Locust Army are unparalleled.”

"I heard that General Staff is going to change tactics and revamp army equipment recently."

"Our First Army will definitely prioritize the innovation of tactics and the innovation of army equipment."

"At that time, the Eighth Route Army's advantages will be completely gone!"

Kuroshima Morita replied expectantly, "I'm really looking forward to it!"

Although the Black Island Cavalry Regiment was almost always stationed in Taiyuan, it had clashed with the Eighth Route Army several times. One of these clashes took place on the Zhengtai Railway, where the Black Island Cavalry Regiment experienced the powerful firepower of the New First Regiment, which crippled the entire regiment.

The First Army and even the entire North China Front Army urgently need to upgrade their equipment in order to have the strength to fight the Eighth Route Army.

suddenly.

"Da da da……"

"Boom boom boom..."

Gunshots and explosions rang out from both sides of the road, and a dense barrage of bullets and shells rained down on the road.

One by one, the Japanese cavalrymen were hit by bullets, screaming as they fell from their horses.

The Japanese soldiers were already demoralized, and when they were suddenly ambushed, the entire cavalry unit was thrown into chaos and panic.

"Baga, enemy attack!"

"Protect the general and help him break through the encirclement!"

Kuroshima Morita's expression changed drastically, and he immediately gave orders to the surrounding Japanese cavalry:
"1st Cavalry Company, fight your way out!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka and the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment were in the first echelon, directly in front of the entire cavalry column.

Two cavalry regiments created a three-kilometer-long trail of fire on the highway.

When he had free time, Yoshio Shinotsuka enjoyed studying Chinese culture and naturally read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

At this moment, Yoshio Shinotsuka really wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to be so talkative like Cao Cao?
Li Yunlong is truly remarkable!
No wonder they didn't send troops to pursue them; instead, they deployed an ambush force here, showing their deep understanding of military strategy.

We must eliminate Li Yunlong at all costs. Otherwise, he will eventually become a major threat to the Locust Army.

No, this person has now become a major threat to the Locust Army.

It's a pity that when Li Yunlong first rose to power, he didn't gather the entire main force of the First Army to completely annihilate him.

While Yoshio Shinotsuka was distracted, the 1st Cavalry Company of the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment had already charged out.

The Eighth Route Army had laid many landmines on the highway. Some of their military horses stepped on the mines, causing them to explode with great bangs. One by one, elite Japanese cavalrymen and their horses fell in the smoke and flames.

However, after suffering more than 100 casualties, several dozen riders from the 1st Cavalry Squadron charged out despite machine gun fire and explosions.

"Chase after them!" Upon seeing this, Kuroshima Morita made a decisive move, leading the 2nd Cavalry Company to escort Yoshio Shinotsuka forward.

"Da da da……"

"Boom boom boom..."

On both sides of the hillside, machine gun fire swept across the area, and shells flew in one after another.

The Japanese cavalrymen quickly rushed to the sides of Kuroshima Morita and Shinotsuka Yoshio to shield them from bullets and shells.

By the time they caught up with the remnants of the 1st Cavalry Squadron, the 2nd Cavalry Squadron had already suffered heavy casualties.

Looking back, Kuroshima Morita saw that the main force of the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment and the main force of the 28th Cavalry Regiment had failed to break out of the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army.

“My two cavalry regiments…”

Yoshio Shinotsuka felt dizzy and almost collapsed on the spot.

He wasn't heartbroken about losing two cavalry regiments.

Since the start of the Third Battle of Taiyuan, the First Army has suffered tens of thousands of casualties. The casualties of less than 3000 cavalry units are nothing to worry about.

The old Japanese soldier was worried that he would only have a few dozen cavalry guards left before he even left Shanxi.

The road ahead may not be easy, as eastern Shanxi has now become the territory of the Eighth Route Army.

"General, there may be an ambush ahead. I suggest we take the side road instead."

Kuroshima Morita said with a grim expression.

"Taking the back road will add at least two days to the journey."

Yoshio Shinotsuka frowned slightly. He had been studying breakout routes recently and was quite familiar with the routes in Jindong.

“That’s better than losing our lives,” Kuroshima Morita said. “We’ll detour through Heshun, cross the Taihang Mountains and enter Hebei. Then we’ll send a telegram to the 12th Division to provide support.”

Yoshio Shinotsuka asked, "What if we get spotted by the Eighth Route Army planes?"

Kuroshima Morita said, "It's simple, we'll find a way to get a set of Eighth Route Army uniforms along the way."

"Alright." Yoshio Shinotsuka nodded. "Then let's do it this way. Let's take the back road right away."

However, Yoshio Shinotsuka was quite familiar with the Jin-Dong route.

But in the pitch black, it was impossible to find any path.

After walking only a few kilometers, Yoshio Shinotsuka, Morita Kuroshima, and the others were ambushed again.

This time, Yoshio Shinotsuka and Morita Kuroshima were not so lucky.

Flares shot up from the earthen slopes on both sides of the road, illuminating the dozens of Japanese cavalrymen and their surroundings as if it were daytime.

Bullets rained down, and Yoshio Shinotsuka and Morita Kuroshima were riddled with bullets on the spot.

……

Early the next morning.

"Report to the regimental commander, the cavalry column headquarters has sent a message that two Japanese cavalry regiments have been completely annihilated, and the commander of the Japanese First Army, Yoshio Shinotsuka, has been killed. The cavalry column is currently encircling and suppressing a Japanese infantry regiment."

Li Yunlong, who was leading his troops in pursuit of the main force of the First Army, received a telegram from Ma Renxing.

Li Yunlong's expression brightened: "Are you sure it's Yoshio Shinotsuka?"

"Confirmed." The communications officer nodded. "The cavalry said the body looks exactly like the one in the photo, and they even captured the old Japanese general's sword!"

Li Yunlong looked very satisfied: "Haha, well done!"

Li Yunlong's two missions in this battle were to annihilate the First Army and kill Yoshio Shinotsuka.

Now that the mission of killing Yoshio Shinotsuka has been completed, all that remains is to annihilate the First Army.

Xing Zhiguo moved along the Zhengtai Road towards Taiyuan, and the remaining main force of the Japanese First Army could not escape.

Li Yunlong cursed:
"Damn it, that old Japanese devil Yoshio Shinotsuka ran away too fast. I wanted to exchange a few blows with him and chop that old devil to pieces with my own hands."

(End of this chapter)