Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 187 Showing a Movie (Part 1)
Everyone was silenced by Li Dengxing's words about using anti-aircraft guns.

This is easier said than done. You have to understand that those anti-aircraft guns are scattered over a radius of more than ten kilometers in Wild Wolf Valley. How easy is it to find those anti-aircraft guns and then destroy them with heavy artillery?
Even if it were possible, the enemy's heavy artillery wouldn't be to be underestimated; they would definitely retaliate immediately.

In fact, the best way to deal with these anti-aircraft guns is to have fighter jets hover in the combat airspace and destroy them as soon as they are exposed. Unfortunately, our fighter jets were almost all lost this morning, with only three of the dozens of aircraft returning.

It can be said that Shanxi's air power has been almost completely destroyed today, and it is estimated that there will be no aircraft to support them in the next few months.

Thinking of this, everyone felt a sense of powerlessness. Was it really impossible to take down Wolf Valley?

After pondering for a long time, Yoshio Ushijima looked at Sanetsugu and said, "Commander, it seems we need to reassess the strength of the Shanxi militia."

“What Mr. Uezuki said makes sense.” Ushijima Minoru nodded slowly: “It seems we underestimated this Shanxi militia.”

This army is not only well-equipped, but also exceptionally brutal; they even went so far as to fire machine guns at point-blank range. We must report this to headquarters and have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemn them.

If Su Yaoyang were here, looking at Ushijima Sanetsu who was speaking so righteously, he would definitely spit on him. Isn't this a typical case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are not allowed to light lamps"?

The Japanese officers present did not find anything wrong with it; on the contrary, they all nodded in agreement.

But wishful thinking is just wishful thinking; after venting, one must eventually return to reality.

The biggest problem facing the 20th Division now is Wild Wolf Valley. If they can't take Wild Wolf Valley, they can't attack Wutai County, and if they can't take Wutai County, they can't complete their mission.

After pondering for a moment, Yoshio Ushijima said to the division commander, "Commander, could you please report our difficulties to Commander Umezu and ask him to order the 108th Division to attack Wutai County from the flank and rear of Hesha County and Nanzhuang, forcing the Shanxi militia to retreat and return to reinforce. In this way, we can occupy Wild Wolf Valley without lifting a finger?"

Ushijima Minoru shook his head with a wry smile: "Do you think I didn't think of this method? But Commander Umezu explicitly rejected my suggestion before we set off."

The area around Qiuling County and Pingxingguan was originally home to a large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers. The purpose of the 108th Division stationed there was to deter the Eighth Route Army and various local armed forces.

Once the 108th Division withdraws its main force from various county strongholds, these local armed forces and the Eighth Route Army, now without suppression, will surely take the opportunity to attack various strongholds and even county towns. At that time, the entire northern Shanxi will inevitably descend into chaos, which will then spread to the whole of Shanxi.

If that were to happen, what would be the point of us taking Wutai County?

Yoshio opened his mouth slightly, but ultimately kept it closed.

On the surface, the Japanese troops stationed in Shanxi consisted of three divisions plus several independent mixed units and auxiliary units, with a total strength of 60,000 to 70,000 men, just like a strong and healthy adult.

The Shanxi militia had a strength of just over 10,000 to less than 20,000 men, but they were well-equipped and tactically flexible, like a nimble young man.

Although the Shanxi militia was no match for the First Army in terms of overall strength, the First Army had to defend against more than just the Shanxi militia. The Jin-Sui Army, the Eighth Route Army, and local armed forces from various regions were all formidable opponents.

If they ever reveal a weakness, these temporarily dormant troops will definitely pounce on them immediately.

In particular, the more than 100,000 Central Army troops led by Wei Lihuang in the Zhongtiao Mountains were watching them intently. If they showed any weakness, they would be the first to pounce on them. As the old saying goes, "pulling one hair affects the whole body," which describes this situation perfectly. So, despite the large number of troops stationed in Shanxi, each unit had its own mission and area to defend. How could they possibly leave their own defense zone to help them?
The officers present were not fools; they certainly understood the difficulties involved.

Yoshijiro Umezu was able to mobilize the 20th Division to attack Wutai County, which was the limit of what he could do. Any more and he would have to ask the North China Area Army for help.

But that's absolutely impossible. If they had to ask the North China Area Army for help even to deal with a local militia, then Yoshijiro Umezu, the commander of the First Army, would probably be out of a job.

Ushijima Minoru, increasingly troubled by the situation, sighed helplessly. He turned to Uetsuki Yoshio and said, "Uetsuki-kun, the 39th Brigade suffered too many casualties in today's battle. Your 40th Brigade will be in charge tomorrow."

"Hai..."

Yoshio bowed deeply and said, "Please rest assured, Commander, we will do our best and live up to the Emperor's and your high expectations."

"That's good!"

Ushijima Minoru solemnly said, "I know that Wild Wolf Valley is very difficult to conquer, but that's precisely why we must take it down."

For the sake of the Empire, for the eternal legacy of His Majesty the Emperor, we, the soldiers of the Empire, must embody the spirit of serving our country to the last man and the spirit of Bushido, and sweep away all obstacles in our path. Do you understand?

"Hai!" Everyone present straightened up and stood solemnly. Everyone understood that another fierce battle awaited them tomorrow.

…………

Daxia Bay, August 6, 1938
As the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, the security here was naturally extremely tight.

But tonight the security is much tighter than usual, with guards every five or ten steps, and the sentries have been set up more than ten miles outside the village.

The reason is simple: today the deputy commander-in-chief is inviting many cadres of the Eighth Route Army to watch a movie.

You read that right, it's about watching a movie, because just yesterday, the movie copy and projection equipment that Su Yaoyang sent finally arrived.

These days, watching a movie is a rare treat, so all the cadres who received the notice rushed over from their respective posts and finally arrived at Daxia Bay in the afternoon.

Although the name Daxiawan contains the word "Da" (meaning "big"), it is actually just a small mountain village with a dozen or so households and a total population of only a few dozen people.

This is why the Eighth Route Army headquarters was located here. In addition to its remote location, which makes it easy to defend and difficult to attack, the small number of villagers also facilitates secrecy and security.

Otherwise, if the headquarters were to be located in a large village with hundreds or even thousands of people, the sheer number of people and the potential for conflicting opinions would be enough to deter them from doing so.

At 8:10 p.m. that evening, it began to get completely dark. Several film projectionists from the Shanxi militia got busy, setting up the screen, projector, generator, and other equipment. Finally, the movie was about to begin...

(End of this chapter)