Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 269 is utterly absurd.

"Hahaha, yoshi!"

"Yoshi, hahaha."

"I've recovered all five truckloads of tungsten ore that were lost, haha."

The division commander grabbed a handful of tungsten sand in front of him, his face beaming with a smile.

Muto Juichi laughed and said, "Now that we've retrieved five cartloads of tungsten ore, we've finally regained our dignity."

While Major General Gongjing was pleased, his tone still carried some regret: "The tungsten ore has been recovered, but the main force of the Eighth Route Army failed to take the opportunity to inflict heavy damage and let them escape, which is a great pity."

Muto Eleven said, "Miyai-kun, there's no need to regret it. If the Eighth Route Army is hiding in Yang'er Mountain, then their arsenal can't be far away; it must be nearby."

Division Commander Kumamoto nodded and said, "A thorough search around Yang'er Mountain will surely lead us to the Eighth Route Army's border arsenal. Once we have the Eighth Route Army's border arsenal under our control, we won't have to worry about the main force of the Eighth Route Army..."

Before the Kumamoto Division commander could finish speaking, a communications soldier rushed over with a newly arrived telegram: "Commander, something terrible has happened! Colonel Kitano has sent an urgent telegram saying that all our logistical supplies are gone."

All the logistical supplies are gone!!!
These words were like a bolt from the blue, completely stunning the three commanders of the Kumamoto Division.

Kitano is such a chuunibyou, what a joke!

He has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command.

With so many people, surely they can keep an eye on the logistics and supplies?!

The division commander, Kumamoto, angrily grabbed the telegram and quickly looked at it.

Upon reading the contents, the Kumamoto Division Commander was so angry his nose almost twisted: "Damn it, that damned Kitano, how on earth did he lose the supplies?"

The telegram only stated that the logistical supplies were missing, but did not specify how they were lost.

Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai both grabbed the phone and looked at it. The former said angrily, "We got the tungsten ore, but before we could even celebrate for two seconds, our logistics and supplies are gone. Without supplies, how can we keep the tungsten ore? Let alone the tungsten ore, I'm afraid we can't even keep our army."

Major General Miyai angrily rebuked, "That damned Kitano! He messed up at the crucial moment, dragging us down! Without logistical support, we'll have to stop our sweep of the Eighth Route Army. And if we're cut off from supplies, the Eighth Route Army might take the opportunity to turn the tables on us."

"Immediately send a telegram to Commander Shinotsuka, telling him that our army's supplies have run out and that he should quickly find a way to send supplies to us." Division Commander Kumamoto immediately ordered the communications officer, "Also, send a telegram to Major General Kawashima, telling him to leave some troops to hold back the Eighth Route Army and the Jin-Sui Army, and ask him to quickly transfer some of his supplies to us."

"Yes, sir." The communications soldier hurriedly ran to generate the generator.

"Gentlemen, we have enough rations for one day." Division Commander Kumamoto forced himself to calm down and said, "The troops should quickly switch to a defensive posture. Conserve the rations and divide them into three days' worth."

Because of the need to sweep away the Eighth Route Army, which adopted a scorched-earth policy, the army was unable to obtain supplies locally.

Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai exchanged serious glances: "From now on, the Eighth Route Army will probably keep harassing and attacking us. They won't stop and will wear us down."

"Let the puppet troops hold them off. Even if they suffer heavy casualties, it's the puppet troops who will bear the brunt of the losses," the Kumamoto Division Commander said cruelly. "If even more puppet troops die, won't we save some of our rations?"

"Hmm, that makes sense." Both Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai nodded.

Division Commander Kumamoto reminded them, "Remember, make sure the supervisory team keeps a close eye on things and doesn't allow any of the puppet troops to surrender. We absolutely cannot let this precedent be set."

The puppet troops are spineless; without food, they are very likely to surrender.

Once this path is opened, it's easy to lose control.

If all the puppet troops surrender, that would be really bad.

“Of course.” Both Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai nodded emphatically, clearly understanding what it meant for the puppet army to defect to the enemy on the battlefield.

The three men quickly gave the order, and the team immediately switched to a defensive posture.

Of course, many people below were puzzled: since the tungsten sand had been recovered, why was a defensive posture still being adopted?

Even if we don't need to continue the campaign against the Eighth Route Army, at least we should send someone to quickly return the tungsten ore.

The strategy of defending in place left those below confused.

The news of the supply train being cut off was naturally kept strictly confidential by the Kumamoto Division Commander and his men.

It's just about having subordinates carry out orders.

The three had only been busy for a short while when the communications soldier came over again with a newly arrived telegram: "Division Commander, Colonel Kitano has sent another urgent telegram."

Is Kitano Chuuji sending another urgent telegram?

When the commander of the Kumamoto Division heard this, he was still somewhat stunned.

You, Kitano Chuuni, have destroyed my logistics and supplies. What urgent telegrams can you possibly send from your side now?

Upon receiving the urgent telegram, the Kumamoto Division Commander was so enraged that he tore the telegram to shreds on the spot, roaring, "Damn it! Kitano, that idiot! The supplies and logistics are gone, and he gives me such a ridiculous excuse! He deserves to die!"

Both Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai looked at Division Commander Kumamoto with suspicion: "What did Colonel Kitano say in the telegram?"

"He said the supply and logistics were destroyed by a secondary explosion caused by artillery fire from the Eighth Route Army," the division commander of Kumamoto said angrily. "He said the Eighth Route Army's shells were fired from craters, without even needing gun barrels. He also said I should be careful that the Eighth Route Army doesn't use these kinds of shells to play guerrilla warfare against me!"

The Eighth Route Army placed the shells in the pit and fired them.

Upon hearing this, both Muto Juichi and Major General Miyai's expressions instantly turned blank.

Can a shell be fired from a pit? Without chamber pressure, how does it gain energy to fly out?
Even the cannons carried on the shoulders of the Eighth Route Army had cannon barrels.

Even the homemade cannons that the Eighth Route Army used to have cannon barrels.

No need for a cannon barrel, just dig a hole and you can fire a shell. I really can't understand why Kitano Chuuni would come up with such an absurd reason.

Even if you say that the supply and logistics were bombarded by the Eighth Route Army's hell cannons, causing a secondary explosion, that would be fine too.

It's utterly absurd that the Eighth Route Army would fire artillery shells from craters!
"Send a message to that idiot Kitano Chuuni immediately!" Division Commander Kumamoto was furious. "Tell him to stop dawdling and go make contact with Brigade Commander Kawashima immediately. Have him bring over the supplies that Brigade Commander Kawashima has allocated."

Even though Commander Kumamoto wished he could chop Kitano into a pulp right now, he couldn't let anger control his brain.

Kitano Chuji still has tens of thousands of troops on his side. The right thing to do is to send him to pick up the supplies and provisions for Major General Kawashima's side as soon as possible, instead of wasting time looking for the Eighth Route Army there.

The Eighth Route Army succeeded and destroyed the supplies. Do you think they'd be stupid enough to stay and let you search for them? They would have run away long ago.

"Yes." The communications soldier nodded and quickly went to generate the signal again.

……

Taiyuan First Army Headquarters
"Goodness, the five carts of tungsten ore have been recovered. At least the anger of the domestic cabinet can be appeased."

The First Army Commander Yoshio Shinotsuka felt somewhat comforted upon reading the telegram from Division Commander Kumamoto.

But this comfort was quickly shattered by the arrival of a new staff officer.

The staff officer handed Yoshio Shinotsuka an urgent telegram, his tone grim: "Commander, a telegram has arrived from Division Commander Kumamoto, saying that his supply lines have been attacked and that you must immediately find a way to send supplies to him."

Kumamoto's supply and logistics were attacked?
Upon hearing this, Yoshio Shinotsuka's smile vanished instantly, and he quickly took the telegram.

After reading the contents, Yoshio Shinotsuka slammed his hand on the table: "Baka! Are you kidding me?!"

They managed to seize tungsten ore, but their supplies were attacked.

How could Kumamoto make such a basic mistake?

Now that the Eighth Route Army has damaged the Zhengtai Railway so badly, and the railway hasn't been repaired, supplies and provisions for the rear in Taiyuan can't be sent up.

unless!

Unless they communicate with Commander Okamura of the North China Expeditionary Army and ask him to send supplies via military train from the other side of the Zhengtai Railway.

But even so.

The supplies needed to be loaded onto the trains, and it would take time for the military trains to come from the north.

In just one day, it was simply impossible to deliver supplies to the Kumamoto Division.

The staff officer reminded him, "Commander, the Kumamoto Division Commander only has one day's worth of rations left. We must hurry up with the supplies."

"The problem is that the supplies still need to be loaded onto the trucks, and there's not enough time," Yoshio Shinozuka said, quite annoyed.

Now is not the time to be angry at Kumamoto for making such a basic mistake.

That's a team of sixty or seventy thousand people.

We can't let the enemy take the opportunity to wipe us out just because we've run out of supplies.

"We can have Commander Okamura communicate with the Kwantung Army," the staff officer said. "We can have the Kwantung Army's planes airdrop supplies."

Yoshio Shinotsuka stared wide-eyed: "Are you kidding me? That's sixty or seventy thousand men, consuming nearly two hundred thousand catties of food every day. The Kwantung Army doesn't have many transport planes, and its fuel reserves are also limited..."

Before Yoshio Shinotsuka could finish speaking, the staff officer said, "We can't just stand by and watch Commander Kumamoto and his men get into a desperate situation. Even if Brigade Commander Kawashima sends supplies, it won't be a one-day trip. Letting the Kwantung Army's transport planes airdrop supplies will at least allow Commander Kumamoto and his men to hold on a little longer."

"It seems that we really need to have Commander Okamura communicate properly with the Commander of the Kwantung Army." Yoshio Shinozuka finally nodded.

He picked up the telephone receiver on the table: "Connect me to the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters."

The call was connected, and an aide answered it. Yoshio Shinozuka said directly, "I have an urgent matter to discuss with Commander Okamura."

Before long, the voice of General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the North China Expeditionary Army, came through the telephone receiver: "This is Okamura Yasuji."

"Commander Okamura, I have some very bad news that I need you to communicate with the Kwantung Army immediately," Yoshio Shinozuka said, forcing himself to speak. "The logistics and supplies of my troops sweeping away the Eighth Route Army have been destroyed. They only have one day's worth of rations and urgently need supplies to be airdropped."

"Baka! Shinotsuka, how did you fight this battle?!" Okamura Neiji cursed angrily.

Recently, the performance of this first team has been getting worse and worse, and more and more disappointing.

Okamura Neiji cursed Shinozuka Yoshio a few more times before hurriedly hanging up the phone to quickly communicate with the Kwantung Army.

As Yoshio Shinotsuka put the telephone receiver back on the shelf, he said to the staff officer in front of him, "Tell Kawashima to leave some troops to hold back the Eighth Route Army and the Jin-Sui Army. Make sure to bring supplies and meet up with Division Commander Kumamoto."

"Hai!" The staff officer nodded and went off.

Yoshio Shinotsuka kicked the table over: "Baka! Damn it!"

(End of this chapter)