Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 303 Awe
In Yoshio Shinotsuka's office in Taiyuan
The oppressive atmosphere made people particularly anxious. Yoshio Shinotsuka sat behind his desk with a furrowed brow, holding a fountain pen in his hand, the nib of which remained stiffly still on the document.

At this moment, he was extremely agitated. The offensive of the Shanxi militia and the Eighth Route Army was becoming increasingly fierce, but the reinforcements were slow to arrive. For the past two days, a strong sense of unease had enveloped him.

"boom!"

The office door was suddenly and forcefully pushed open from the outside, making a jarring slamming sound.

Chief of Staff Ryukichi Tanaka stumbled in, almost in a rude, even intrusive manner.

He, who was usually so meticulous, looked disheveled at this moment. His military cap was askew, his face was pale, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Yoshio Shinotsuka frowned even more, about to explode.

However, before he could even utter a curse, Tanaka Ryukichi spoke first, his voice trembling and choked with sobs, incoherently saying:
"Commander, something terrible has happened!"

He was out of breath from running, and after catching his breath a few times, he continued, "The 27th Division... the 27th Division just sent a telegram... the Shanxi militia's flight squadron... they just bombed the 27th Division."

The 27th Division has suffered heavy losses! Now... now it is no longer able to advance to support Taiyuan..."

"Bah…"

As Tanaka Ryukichi reported, the pen slipped weakly from Yoshio Shinotsuka's fingers and fell onto the hard desk with a crisp, faint sound.

He froze completely. Although he had been tormented by a sense of foreboding for a long time, he still felt dizzy when the bad news actually came.

"Then... what about the Independent Mixed 7th Brigade?" Yoshio Shinotsuka's voice was hoarse as he asked, trembling as he clung to his last shred of hope.

Tanaka Ryukichi's body trembled slightly, his eyes dimmed, and he shook his head in despair: "The situation is similar for the Independent Mixed 7th Brigade..."

He swallowed hard, his voice growing even lower and more weary: "The 7th Independent Mixed Brigade was also bombed by Chinese planes. Almost all of their vehicles were destroyed, and they lost 30% of their mules and horses! Their mobility has been greatly reduced, and I'm afraid... I'm afraid they won't be able to reach Taiyuan on time."

Yoshio Shinotsuka leaned back abruptly, slumping heavily into his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Taiyuan... Taiyuan... He seemed to hear the sound of the city walls collapsing and see the imperial army being torn apart on that land.

As an experienced general, he knew very well what the figures Tanaka Ryukichi reported meant.

Almost all the vehicles were destroyed, which meant that nearly half of the supply chain was completely cut off; and the loss of 30% of the mules and horses meant that another 10% to 20% of the material transportation capacity was wiped out.

This means that most of the supplies and transportation capacity were completely destroyed, and even the remaining supplies could not be effectively transported due to a lack of transportation capacity.

An army that has lost its supplies is simply unable to function on the battlefield.

The 27th Division and the 7th Independent Mixed Brigade had become two toothless tigers, making it impossible for them to arrive in Taiyuan on time, let alone join the battle.

The thought of this sent a chill down his spine, his heart pounding like a drum.

"We can't wait any longer..."

Yoshio Shinotsuka abruptly stood up from his chair and slammed his fist heavily on the desk with a dull thud. A hint of determination and madness flashed in his eyes.

"Immediately order the 37th and 41st Divisions to each dispatch two infantry regiments, along with all artillery units, to rush to Taiyuan to provide reinforcements."

We rushed to Taiyuan's aid at the fastest speed and at all costs.

"We have to be quick! Otherwise... otherwise it will really be too late!" His voice was low and hoarse, each word sounding like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Your Excellency Commander!"

Upon hearing this, Tanaka Ryukichi suddenly raised his head and cried out in disbelief.

He involuntarily took a half step back, his lips trembling, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin.

As of this year, the total number of personnel in the First Army is only around 50,000 to 60,000, which includes field divisions, independent mixed brigades, and various auxiliary units.

Previously, in order to protect Taiyuan, Yoshio Shinotsuka had already transferred the entire 36th Division, which had made the First Army's troop deployment in other parts of Shanxi very tight, with its forces stretched to the limit.

Now, Commander, you actually want to forcibly pull out four infantry regiments and all the artillery from the remaining troops? This is practically wiping out all the troops from other parts of Shanxi!

If at this time, those covetous Jin-Sui Army, Eighth Route Army, or even other Chinese troops such as the Central Army take the opportunity to cause trouble and swarm in from all directions like venomous snakes, wouldn't the entire Shanxi front immediately fall into chaos and completely collapse?

Tanaka Ryukichi felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart; he seemed to have already foreseen that tragic scene.

"Tanaka-kun, you must think I'm crazy, right?" Yoshio Shinotsuka smiled bitterly. "You need to understand that there are priorities, and Taiyuan is the center of Shanxi. As long as Taiyuan is in our hands, we still hold the initiative in Shanxi. Once Taiyuan falls, we'll be on the defensive. Do you understand?" "Hai!"

Tanaka Ryukichi bowed deeply. "Understood. I will issue the order immediately!"

After saying that, he quickly left the office.

"Wow..."

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, and soon a light drizzle began to fall. Yoshio Shinotsuka looked out the window with some concern. It was already August, so why was there still so much rain? Was this the special climate of the hilly area?

The sudden autumn rain made the weather in Shanxi even colder and gloomier. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and large raindrops pattered on the muddy fields, splashing up bursts of water.

In such damp and cold weather, more than a dozen massive tanks, like steel behemoths, wantonly crushed the weeds in the fields. Their heavy tracks rolled and turned up dark tracks, mixing mud and weeds with rainwater, and large amounts of yellow silt were thrown around.

Each tank carried several fully armed infantrymen, whose figures looked particularly grim in the rain.

On one of the tanks, the hatch of the commander's cupola was half-open, revealing half of Zhuang Xiaoman's muscular body. He let the cold rain lash his face and body, but made no attempt to close the hatch.

Rainwater streamed down his tank helmet and camouflage uniform, gathering into thin streams that slid down his chin.

This tank gunner, who followed Su Yaoyang during the breakout from Nanjing, has now grown into an outstanding captain and company commander.

From the fierce battle that morning until now, the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Armored Regiment, which he led, has basically never stopped advancing. Although the continuous fighting and maneuvering have made them feel quite tired, they feel an indescribable excitement and sense of accomplishment.

"Brothers, patrol this area again, then we can go back for dinner!" The rough and energetic voice of the tank commander of tank number 278 came through the tank crew's helmet headset.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Zhuang Xiaoman's lips. He knew all too well that, since the founding of the Shanxi militia, armored forces had always been Su Yaoyang's sharpest offensive force, and that had never changed.

For this reason, they undertook the most important strike mission in this campaign to encircle and annihilate the Japanese reinforcements.

In the afternoon, the main offensive mission had been handed over to the ground troops of the Eighth Route Army, which gave them time to spare their armored forces to patrol the surrounding area and mop up the remaining Japanese troops who had scattered and fled under the air and ground attacks.

"Sir, this is Sparrow! A cavalry unit has been spotted at the three o'clock position on the right flank. It should be... it should be Japanese cavalry!" The urgent voice of the search platoon came through the headset, tinged with excitement.

Zhuang Xiaoman quickly picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck and aimed them in the direction reported through his earpiece. Through the rain, he indeed saw a troop of cavalry slowly advancing along a muddy country road.

The cavalrymen, seemingly unaware of their presence, continued their leisurely march, their hooves splashing mud, and the Japanese flags fluttering in the wind on their flagpoles were clearly visible.

A bloodthirsty, mocking smile involuntarily crept onto Zhuang Xiaoman's lips. These unlucky fellows had actually delivered themselves to her doorstep.

"Attention all units! There is a Japanese cavalry force of over a hundred men! All units, form battle formations and encircle them."

"Give them a good beating! Leave no one alive!"

Zhuang Xiaoman's voice was transmitted to the headsets of every tank crew member via radio, carrying an unquestionable command and a hint of chilling killing intent.

"Understood!" came the unanimous reply from the tank commanders over the radio, their voices filled with the desire for battle.

Meanwhile, the Japanese cavalry unit on the right flank, ordered to conduct a search, was also struggling through the mud. Captain Henjo, the commander of this cavalry unit, was impatiently waving his whip as he rode a gray warhorse. Suddenly, he seemed to catch something out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Retreat! Retreat now! It's Chinese chariots! Chariots!" Captain Heiji's face turned deathly pale instantly. He let out a terrified scream and almost reflexively turned his horse around, shouting at the top of his lungs for the cavalry to retreat.

However, it's too late.

"Brothers, aim! Fire hard! Don't let a single one escape!" As soon as Zhuang Xiaoman finished speaking, the guns and cannons on each tank roared in unison, like giant beasts that had been awakened.

The coaxial machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns on the tank turrets spat out tongues of fire, and a dense rain of bullets poured down like a storm, covering the panicked Japanese cavalry.

Captain Bian Tiao whipped his horse desperately, trying to make it run faster, but before he could turn around completely, he felt a sudden jolt in his head, and a sharp pain instantly spread throughout his body.

A 7.62mm bullet struck him precisely in the head, tumbling and bursting inside his skull, instantly ripping open most of his head. A mixture of red and white fluid, mingled with rainwater, gushed out, foul-smelling and viscous.

Captain Bian Tiao, who had lost most of his head, suddenly went limp and fell off his warhorse with a thud. He didn't even have time to utter a complete scream before the heavy hooves of the warhorse following behind mercilessly trampled over him, crushing his body into a bloody mess in an instant, leaving only a dark bloodstain on the ground.

"Vulnerable!"

Zhuang Xiaoman, with half her body exposed, looked at the Japanese cavalrymen who had been completely defeated, and a hint of contemptuous mockery appeared on her face.

As the strength of the Shanxi militia grew, both soldiers and officers no longer held the former awe for these once invincible Japanese troops; instead, they regarded them with absolute contempt and disdain.

(End of this chapter)