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

Chapter 335 Humility is a Good Thing

Taiyuan First Army Headquarters
"General, you shouldn't have dropped bacteriological bombs on the Eighth Route Army's base area."

When Major General Miyano Michiichi, Chief of Staff of the North China Expeditionary Army, heard that Shinotsuka Yoshio had requested bacteriological bombs and had dropped them towards the Eighth Route Army's base area, he rushed over to dissuade him, saying, "If these bacteriological bombs are accidentally dropped into the Eighth Route Army's arsenal and infect the Eighth Route Army's military experts, given the Eighth Route Army's dilapidated medical conditions, I'm afraid they won't be able to save them. If these Eighth Route Army military experts die, it will be a huge loss for us."

The Eighth Route Army is despicable; I wish I could wipe them all out.

Dropping bacteriological bombs on their strongholds might have been satisfying, but it also had significant drawbacks.

Generally, bacteriological bombs were only used in China, which the Imperial Army disdained to occupy, and were mainly used to deter, kill, and paralyze the enemy's logistics.

Our army still needs to sweep through these Eighth Route Army base areas.

We need to retrieve all those military raw materials and equipment, and we also need to rescue the workers who were arrested.

We still need to capture that military expert from the Eighth Route Army alive.

On the surface, this person's value is equivalent to several of our Class A divisions, but if we were to use him for our military industry, his value would be even more immeasurable.

Dropping bacteriological bombs on the Eighth Route Army's base at this critical juncture is just asking for trouble.

When we attack, the Eighth Route Army's base area will be ravaged by a major epidemic, leaving us in a dilemma.

Let's go in, I'm worried the Imperial Army might also get infected.

If they don't go in, they won't be able to get the goods back. This gives the Eighth Route Army's arsenal a valuable production time.

Right now, what the Eighth Route Army's arsenal lacks most is production time.

"Baka! Stop it! Those bastards from the Eighth Route Army deserve to be wiped out by the plague, to suffer immense pain before they die!" Yoshio Shinotsuka was still seething with anger. "Even now, the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal hasn't been found, and the Eighth Route Army troops have vanished without a trace. They must have retreated successfully. The pursuers and the elite troops fought them off, but to no avail. I think there must be something wrong with our thinking. The equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal probably wasn't hidden by the Eighth Route Army; they must have transported it to their base using some other method. Those damned peasants, if we don't drop a few more bacteriological bombs to spread the plague even more, I won't be able to quell my hatred."

“General, I understand your feelings, but anger won’t solve anything. Yes, the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal may have been transported back by the Eighth Route Army in other ways, but one thing is certain: the equipment is still there, and the Eighth Route Army won’t destroy it. As long as we can take down the Eighth Route Army with our superior forces, we can still retrieve the equipment.” Miyano Michiichi persuaded again, “I also know that the Cabinet is furious, but they have still given us a chance. As long as we can retrieve the equipment and eventually capture that military expert from the Eighth Route Army alive, that will be our chance to redeem ourselves.”

“Miyano-kun, these Eighth Route Army soldiers are much smarter than the Jin-Sui Army.” Yoshio Shinozuka shook his head. “Once this equipment is in their hands, it will probably be hard to get it back.”

The Eighth Route Army was a bunch of desperate thugs who would smash their guns to pieces when they were in dire straits on the battlefield.

Even though the broken guns they had were given to the Imperial Army for free, the Imperial Army still disliked them, considering them a burden.

But we have to take their spirit seriously.

If the Eighth Route Army were truly pushed to that point, they would surely perish along with the equipment.

They wouldn't be as foolish as the Jin-Sui Army, leaving their equipment intact for us.

“Yes, the Eighth Route Army isn’t stupid, but as long as Amaterasu Omikami is still protecting us, perhaps we still have a chance,” Miyano said.

"Perhaps." Yoshio Shinozuka rubbed his temples and asked Miyano, "How are the preparations going with the North China Expeditionary Army?"

To sweep through the Eighth Route Army's base areas again, the Kumamoto Division's combat strength has been restored, but that's not enough; more troops need to be dispatched.

The Eighth Route Army is developing too fast, causing increasing trouble for the Imperial Army. We must strike hard and completely crush them.

Therefore, the North China Expeditionary Army was also mobilizing troops and even considering borrowing more troops from the Kwantung Army.

The total force used to sweep through the Eighth Route Army this time will be no less than that of a large-scale battle.

The fact that the Eighth Route Army could wipe out this group of peasants with such a large force is considered the highest honor the Imperial Army could bestow upon them as a send-off to the King of Hell.

“Commander Okamura will need some more time. As you know, General, the loss of Taiyuan Airport has caused setbacks in the Ninth War Zone. Commander Okamura is considering halting the fighting there and redeploying troops here. This will take time,” Miyano Michiichi replied.

"We still need to urge Commander Gangcun. We can't give the Eighth Route Army time to produce weapons and ammunition." Yoshio Shinotsuka's tone was not good. "For some reason, the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal can't be found. I feel that the Eighth Route Army's military expert can use this equipment to create something even more terrifying. This feeling is too scary. We must intervene as soon as possible."

“General, you’re overthinking it,” Miyano Michiichi said. “Even if the Eighth Route Army’s military experts create something even more terrifying, they will eventually turn to dust under the overwhelming force of the Imperial Army. There’s a Chinese saying: in the face of absolute disparity in strength, any struggle is futile.”

"I hope you're right," Yoshio Shinotsuka said, suppressing his suspicions.

Miyano Michiichi, as if remembering something, continued, "As for Brigade Commander Kawashima, I think it's time for him to withdraw. Continuing to fight the Jin-Sui Army is pointless. We should let him withdraw quickly to rest and regroup, then join our sweeping army to wipe out the Eighth Route Army together..."

Before Miyano Michiichi could finish speaking, Shinotsuka Yoshio interrupted him, waving his hand: "No, we can't let Kawashima's side retreat. Those defeated Jin-Sui Army soldiers dared to lay their hands on the Taiyuan Arsenal. If they hadn't moved the equipment out of the Taiyuan Arsenal, the Eighth Route Army might not have succeeded. These bastards need to be taught a lesson, and Kawashima's side needs to work hard to drive them out of Shanxi Province. Then, when we sweep through the Eighth Route Army, we'll have one less threat from the Jin-Sui Army behind us."

"They didn't manage to loot much of the supplies over at Kawashima," Miyano Michiichi pointed out.

"He just sent me another telegram. Those idiots in the Jin-Sui Army left him several warehouses of supplies again, and he's been replenished," Yoshio Shinotsuka pointed out.

Upon hearing this, Miyano Michiichi was stunned: "The Jin-Sui Army has left several warehouses of supplies for Brigade Commander Kawashima again. Are these guys really that stupid?"

In the past, you refused to destroy the Taiyuan Arsenal, which was fine.

You moved the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal out, and basically left it to us, although in the end it benefited the Eighth Route Army.

Now, Brigade Commander Kawashima is fighting you with his troops. You know perfectly well that Brigade Commander Kawashima doesn't have many supplies left, yet you still refuse to destroy the supplies during the retreat.
How many times do you guys fall into the same trap?

"That Yan Xishan is an idiot. What kind of good troops can he lead?" Yoshio Shinotsuka said disdainfully. "First, we should drive the Jin-Sui Army out completely, and then suppress the elite troops. When we sweep through the Eighth Route Army, we won't have to worry about our rear."

Miyano Michiichi: "General, actually, I think you are overthinking it. The Chinese army appears to be united on the surface, but in reality, there are many internal contradictions. I dare say that when we sweep through the Eighth Route Army, the elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army will definitely stand by and watch. Not only will they not reinforce the Eighth Route Army, but they will also be happy to watch us annihilate it."

The Eighth Route Army was merely a nominal ally of the Jin-Sui Army, a theoretical ally. They all wished to use our Emperor's army to kill the Eighth Route Army.

"That's true, but the Eighth Route Army won't be so easy to wipe out." Yoshio Shinotsuka was very clear-headed. "If we manage to eliminate the Eighth Route Army, our own losses will probably be significant. We're running low on weapons, ammunition, and supplies, and our soldiers' combat effectiveness has decreased. If the Jin-Sui Army and the elite troops join forces and take advantage of the situation, wouldn't we be in big trouble?"

"Hmm, the general's considerations are not without merit." Miyano Michiichi nodded. The elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army must understand that once we really eliminate the Eighth Route Army, we will have to deal with them next.

Therefore, they are very likely to take advantage of the Imperial Army's weakened fighting strength to launch an attack.

"That's settled then. Let Kawashima continue fighting the Jin-Sui Army. You should communicate with Commander Okamura again and try to shorten the time spent sweeping through the Eighth Route Army's base areas as much as possible," Yoshio Shinozuka concluded. "I'll also hurry up and reorganize the scattered Imperial Army troops. We won't abandon the bacteriological bombs for now." The remnants of the Yoshino Regiment need to be gathered and reorganized.

This time, the Eighth Route Army has thrown the First Army into chaos, creating a mess that needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible.

“Hmm.” Miyano Michi nodded.

……

"Old Wu, have you had the translator look at the things I sent you?" The brigade commander called Wu Yaohan on his own initiative.

“The translator is looking at it,” Wu Yaohan replied. “It looks like they’re all trivial matters from the lives of high-ranking Japanese military officers.”

"What kind of mundane daily matters?" the brigade commander asked.

"For example, a high-ranking Japanese officer might be eyeing his superior's mistress, or a superior's mistress might be secretly keeping a gigolo," Wu Yaohan replied.

"I see." The brigade commander paused for a moment and then said, "Then write these down as soon as possible and send the items back to me."

A high-ranking Japanese officer covets his superior's mistress, and the mistress secretly keeps a gigolo; on the surface, this has no value.

In fact, this is quite valuable.

By monitoring the mistresses of these high-ranking Japanese officers, one could have the opportunity to find these officers themselves.

When the time comes, this assassination operation will be carried out, and the beheading of high-ranking Japanese officers will affect the command of the Japanese army.

"You want to take this back?" Wu Yaohan asked suspiciously.

"We got this from Fujita Ichiji. He definitely had to take it with him when he fled," the brigade commander said, pointing. "When these high-ranking officers are beheaded by us, it will serve as a deterrent to Fujita Ichiji, don't you think?"

"Haha, that's true, that's true." Wu Yaohan laughed and said, "Okay, I'll return the things to you as soon as possible."

Fujita Ichiji, that idiot, has returned to the Japanese army camp; there will definitely be times when they need him again.

If he doesn't cooperate, that's his weakness.

"Brigade Commander Chen, the dismantling team from the arsenal has arrived." At this moment, a guerrilla captain came over to report to the brigade commander.

"Alright, Lao Wu, you'd better hurry up over there, I have to get busy," the brigade commander said.

"it is good."

The call ended, and the brigade commander quickly came out.

"Commander Chen, hello, I'm Yu Delin from the arsenal." Old Yu from the dismantling team saw the commander come out and immediately saluted.

"Comrade Lao Yu, did you bring a few more students with you?" the brigade commander asked, noticing the few students in the dismantling team.

This is a battlefield, after all; the students should stay in the rear.

Lao Yu explained, "These are all promising talents for the dismantling team. They'll all be going to the battlefield sooner or later. The sooner they see the battlefield, the sooner they'll grow."

"Hmm, that's true." The brigade commander nodded and said, "Although we can most likely take this natural gas plant without bloodshed, no one can guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen. When the time comes, don't let the students run around; they must follow orders."

Before the brigade commander could finish speaking, Liu Fuxing interjected, "Please rest assured, sir, we guarantee we won't cause any trouble."

"Hmm." The brigade commander nodded and said, "Then come with me right away."

"Yes." Old Yu's dismantling team immediately followed, as did the logistics and transportation team.

Liu Fuxing and his classmates gathered around the brigade commander, their tone respectful yet suspicious: "Commander, are you Brigade Commander Chen of the 386th Brigade?"

"That's me." The brigade commander smiled and nodded, looking at the students, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"Hehe, I just feel that you are a little different from the rumors." Liu Fuxing smiled.

The brigade commander of the 386th Brigade was someone the students greatly admired; he was one of the three outstanding figures of the Whampoa Military Academy.

"What's different?" Brigade Commander Chen asked.

"Rumor has it that you're very fierce. Even someone as formidable as Commander Li has to keep his tail between his legs in front of you..." Before Liu Fuxing could finish speaking, Lao Yu immediately pulled him aside, "Liu Fuxing, don't talk nonsense."

Commander Li is a very capable person now, how can you talk about him like this behind his back?

The brigade commander chuckled and said to Lao Yu, "It's alright, it's alright, it's just the truth."

Then, the brigade commander looked at Liu Fuxing and said, "Student, please continue."

Liu Fuxing turned to look at Lao Yu, who, seeing that the brigade commander didn't mind, acquiesced.

Liu Fuxing continued, "But now I see you as quite amiable, not fierce at all."

"Haha." The brigade commander laughed and said, "You haven't done anything wrong, why would I scold you? Besides, you are all the precious darlings of the logistics department now, and the pillars of our army's military industry in the future. I cherish you too much to scold you."

Liu Fuxing scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "Commander, you flatter me."

"Students, it's good to know how to be humble," the brigade commander continued with a smile. "Director Li of the border region's arsenal is a top-notch military industrial talent that comes along only once in a century. You should learn his skills well while working alongside him. Who knows, one day in the future, my troops might need you to manufacture weapons to fight."

"Don't worry, sir, we promise to learn well from our teacher."

……

(End of this chapter)