Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"Yes."

"Also send a telegram to the North China Front Army to report the situation here. Say that the combat purpose of the 8th Column is unknown, but the main forces of the 8th Column, the 16th Regiment and the 18th Regiment, have all been dispatched. The Mongolian troops are short of manpower and unable to cope with the 8th Column's attack this time. Request the Front Army Command to send troops to support as soon as possible. Otherwise, Zhangjiakou will be in danger." Okabe Naozaburo tried his best to make the situation sound more serious.

In fact, although Okabe Naosaburo said Zhangjiakou was dangerous, he was not very worried. Because the Eighth Route Army lacked heavy weapons, it was difficult to attack those county towns, let alone a big city like Zhangjiakou.

But he had to be serious.

Only in this way could the North China Front Army draw troops for support.

Chapter 215: The Response of the North China Front Army

Beiping.

Japanese North China Front Headquarters.

Tada Shun, newly appointed commander of the North China Front Army, is currently familiarizing himself with the situation in North China. He hasn't had a good rest in the intervening period. As an avid warmongerer, he was one of the representatives of the Japanese military advocating for an invasion of China. He had been waiting for this opportunity, and now that he had finally arrived in China, he was extremely excited.

From being the president of the Army University to being the commander of the North China Front Army, Tada Shun was ready to do something big.

However, after assuming command of the North China Front Army, Tada Shun discovered that the situation in North China was far more serious than he had imagined. Previous commanders of the North China Front Army, Terauchi Hisaichi and Sugiyama Motobu, had both frequently requested reinforcements from Imperial Headquarters. Terauchi Hisaichi, in particular, demanded at least five additional divisions.

When Tada Shun, who was in China at the time, heard the news, he was shocked.

Although due to seniority issues, he dared not make sarcastic remarks outwardly. After all, Terauchi Juichi and Sugiyama Moto are both bigwigs in the Japanese military, as can be seen from their military ranks. They are both generals, while Tada Shun, who is currently the commander of the North China Front Army, is only a lieutenant general.

But the heart is seeing.

The Imperial Japanese Army was invincible and unstoppable. After the July 7 Incident, the Japanese army was unstoppable. They defeated millions of Nationalist troops and dominated the battlefield. A single Japanese division could chase down several Nationalist armies. North China was currently lacking any major Chinese forces, and with so many troops already at hand, they were actually demanding five divisions from the Imperial Headquarters.

In Tada Shun's view, this is a sign of incompetence.

Although Japan is also an industrial country, its foundation is far inferior to that of Europe and the United States. In preparation for this war, the Japanese army has expanded to a million people. Maintaining such a large army is not an easy task.

So Tada Shun couldn't understand why the North China Front Army kept asking the headquarters for reinforcements.

It wasn't until he became commander of the North China Front Army that Tada Shun realized it was truly short of manpower. Take, for example, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's Beiyue District. The total number of troops deployed by the North China Front Army to sweep through the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's Beiyue District over the past year was no more than 40,000. This included troops temporarily deployed. Normally, the number of troops deployed against the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue District was less than 20,000.

But what about the Beiyue District of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region?

The military region alone has over twenty main force regiments, and when you add in other local forces, the total is 20 to . Furthermore, the Central Hebei Military Region, under the jurisdiction of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, has also grown rapidly over the past year, commanding nearly main force regiments. Adding in the local forces also has a similar number of troops. In total, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region now has main force and local forces.

How could the Japanese army have sufficient manpower to deal with so many people? The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region is just one example.

The other Eighth Route Army bases developed too quickly.

Far exceeded the speed at which the Japanese army increased its troops.

In fact, after the July 7 Incident, the Japanese army expanded rapidly.

By now, the Japanese army had increased its divisional strength to 41, with 16 independent mixed brigades, as well as cavalry groups and other units. Currently, the Japanese army has deployed more than one million troops to the Chinese battlefield.

But with so many troops, why is the Japanese army still short of manpower?

Besides the fact that the Japanese army had conquered too much territory, another reason was the presence of the Soviet Union to the north. More and more Japanese troops were heading north, with seven divisions deployed in Heilongjiang and Hulunbuir alone.

For Japan, the Soviet Union was obviously a greater threat.

However, the good news for Tada Shun was that, despite its rapid development, the Eighth Route Army also had significant flaws. Its weaponry was outdated, especially with a severe shortage of heavy weapons, making it difficult to fight offensive battles. As long as the Japanese army stationed large forces in cities and key transportation routes, the Eighth Route Army would be helpless.

"Commander, aircraft reconnaissance reports indicate the movement of a large contingent of the Eighth Route Army. However, it's difficult to determine the exact number of troops involved or where the main force is currently hiding. It appears the main force of the Eighth Route Army hides during the day and emerges at night, making it difficult for aircraft to detect."

"forget about it.

Tada Shun waved his hand.

Like the commander of the Mongolian army, Naosaburo Okabe, Tada Shun had just taken office and was also troubled by this incident.

The troops stationed in Mongolia are short of soldiers, but the North China Front Army is not short of soldiers?

But this matter couldn't be ignored. Zhangjiakou's position in North China, while not as important as Peking and Taiyuan, was still a key city in the north. If Zhangjiakou were truly lost, he, the commander of the North China Front Army, would be held accountable before he even had time to warm his seat.

But how to save him?

Now each unit of the North China Front Army has its own mission.

Map by Tada Shuncho.

Standing next to Tada Shun, Yamashita Tomoyuki, the Chief of Staff of the North China Front Army, said softly, "Commander, we don't have many troops we can mobilize right now. And the troops close to Zhangjiakou are even fewer."

"Which unit do you think is suitable?"

"The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade in Taiyuan was originally intended to be incorporated into the Mongolian garrison. Although they were only formed a month ago and still had many unresolved issues, they were no longer needed. The troops could take a train from Taiyuan to Datong, and then from Datong to Zhangjiakou. The vanguard would only need three days to reach Zhangjiakou.

"The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade has just been formed and isn't even fully equipped with weapons and ammunition. It would be difficult for them to solve the problem alone."

The 1939th Independent Mixed Brigade, along with the seven other independent mixed brigades recently established by the Japanese Army in China, was formed in January 1. The units were newly formed, lacking in personnel and equipment, and even less in weapons and ammunition. They should have waited at least two or three months after formation before they were combat-ready and ready to carry out their missions.

But now the situation is urgent, so we have no choice but to let them go on stage early.

However, such a newly formed force was short of weapons and ammunition and could not completely resolve the situation.

Yamashita Tomoyuki pointed to Gubeikou on the map and said, "Commander, the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade is located here, and it's also very close to Zhangjiakou. If we were to talk about troops that can be mobilized, this is the only one."

"This is prepared to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army in eastern Hebei."

The 8th Independent Mixed Brigade is also a newly formed unit this time.

The troops are stationed in Gubeikou.

The main purpose was to deal with the Eighth Route Army troops currently active in Jidong. After the Jidong Uprising, in addition to the troops that withdrew to the Eighth Route Army base, many of the troops from the East Uprising remained in Yidong. Furthermore, when the Eighth Route Army's Fourth Column withdrew from Jidong, it also left behind some of its main force squads.

Despite their small size, the remaining contingents from the Pingxi Detachment were a crack team. Many of them were veterans of the Long March. Their greatest strengths were guerrilla warfare, the development of bases, and the expansion of military forces.

They joined forces with the troops from the Jidong uprising and pulled out several units capable of fighting tough battles in Jidong. After the Ji-Rehe-Cha Advance Army was established, these units in Jidong were reorganized and formed into three detachments.

These three detachments are all organized at regimental level.

They have indeed developed well, and each detachment currently has more than a thousand people. The combat effectiveness of these detachments is much stronger than the troops that participated in the previous Jidong uprising.

Many of the Japanese troops previously deployed to suppress the Jidong uprising were drawn from other battlefields. After resolving the Yidong uprising, they all returned to their home territories. To suppress the increasingly active Jidong troops, the newly formed 8th Independent Mixed Brigade was stationed in Miyun, near Gubeikou.

In fact, the situation of the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade was the same as that of the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade. Having been formed only a month ago, the troops had not yet formed combat effectiveness and were short of weapons and ammunition.

However, the only troops that the North China Front Army can mobilize now are these newly formed troops.

Yamashita Tomoyuki asked, "Should we redeploy the 109th Division?"

"Ah."

Tada Shun nodded.

But he still frowned and said, "But this is just robbing Peter to pay Paul, it's useless. Our North China Front Army is seriously short of troops. I sent a telegram to headquarters, saying that our North China Front Army is short of troops. I hope headquarters will support us and add two more independent mixed brigades to the North China Front Army. As for the vacancies caused by the war some time ago, they must be replenished as soon as possible."

Tada Shun now particularly understands Terauchi Juichi and Sugiyama Hajime.

It always feels like there aren't enough troops.

"Reconnaissance planes must be sent out at all times. As soon as the main force of the Eighth Route Army is captured, the planes will be sent to bomb them immediately.

"Yes."

"Also, contact the Kwantung Army. Have the Manchurian National Defense Army in Rehe dispatch two brigades to support Zhangjiakou."

Tada Shun had served in the Kwantung Army for many years, so he had a good relationship with the Kwantung Army's top brass. This time, Tada Shun was truly short of men, so he asked the Kwantung Army for them. The main force of the Kwantung Army was confronting the Soviet Union and encircling the Anti-Japanese United Army in Heilongjiang. In Rehe, apart from some police units, the rest of the Kwantung Army was composed of puppet Manchukuo troops. It was these puppet Manchukuo troops that Tada Shun wanted.

If one or two brigades of the puppet Manchukuo army were transferred, there would be about three to four thousand people.

"Yes."

Chapter 216: Conquering the Lower Garden

1939 2 Month 26 Day.

When the Mongolian Army, including the North China Front Army, set their sights on Xuanhua and Huailai, the 8th Column Independent Regiment suddenly launched an attack and captured Xiahuayuan. Xiahuayuan originally had a Japanese squadron, but for the safety of Huailai County, the Mongolian Army transferred the Japanese squadron from Xiahuayuan to Huailai.

The independent regiment's sudden attack on Xiahuayuan was something the Mongolian troops had never expected.

In order to ensure the safety of this trip, the independent regiment truly hid during the day and moved at night.

It's cold.

The snow hadn't melted yet. Marching under these conditions was extremely difficult, and hiding in the mountains without being noticed was even more challenging. Why did many generals favor rural soldiers? It's because soldiers from rural areas, having grown up in poverty, are incredibly hardworking. As long as it wasn't unbearable, they'd persevere.

In such cold weather, in the ice and snow, the independent regiment managed to sneak into Xiahuayuan.

Then they attacked the lower garden under the cover of night.

Win in one battle.

Xiahuayuan had 160 Japanese special forces, over 400 mining area guards, and over 300 Xiahuayuan police. Considering the number of armed personnel, there were quite a few. However, these troops were not combat troops; they were there to monitor the miners.

To the northwest of Qiexiahuayuan is Zhangjiakou, to the west is Xuanhua, to the south is Zhuolu, and to the east is Huairou.

Since the Japanese army arrived here, there has been no battle, and no anti-Japanese forces have been active here. So after losing a squadron of field troops, there was no reaction at all.

After the independent regiment rushed into Xiahuayuan, except for the resistance of the Japanese special forces, the mining area guards and police teams all fled.

"Secretary Wei, I'm Li Chaofeng."

"Hello, Comrade Chaofeng."

There were no anti-Japanese military activities in Xiahuayuan.

But underground organizations still existed. In other words, underground Party organizations were developing in various areas of Chahar. Li Chaofeng was the person in charge of the underground Party organization there. This time, the Eighth Column came to Xiahuayuan with the intention of emptying it out.

Therefore, the support of these local party organizations is needed.

Wang Qiuyun led his troops to deal with the remaining troops in Xiahuayuan, as well as the traitors and their armed forces, while Wei Hongjun led his men to meet with the leaders of the local party organization.

"We have limited time in Xiahuayuan and must evacuate as soon as possible. Let me make this short: do you have any connections among the miners and prisoners? Can you organize these people to obey orders in a short time?"

"Yes. Before the troops took action, some miners and prisoners in Xiahuayuan also began to organize a riot. Among them were our own comrades."

"Okay. Contact them as soon as possible."

"I've already sent someone to contact them. I'll brief Secretary Wei on their situation.

"it is good."

"There are currently about 3200 miners in Xiahuayuan. Apart from the captured laborers, the rest are mainly prisoners. These prisoners are mainly divided into four groups. Most of them are prisoners of the National Army who fought on the Pingsui Road. The largest group is the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, with about 300 people. Then there is Liu Ruming's unit of the 400th Army of the Northwest Army, with about people. The remaining two groups are Tang Enbo's Central Army and Gao Guizi's Shaanxi Army. The number of people in each group is not large, with about people in the Central Army and more than people in the Shaanxi Army. Among them, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is mainly composed of people from Shanxi, and the th Army is mainly composed of people from Hebei, Shandong, Rehe, and Chahar. The other Shaanxi Army units are mainly from Shaanxi and Hebei. The prisoners on the Central Army side are mostly from the two lakes region. As for the captured laborers, they are mainly from the Northeast and Chahar."

Li Chaofeng introduced the composition of these miners to Wei Hongjun.

Very complicated.

There are people from all over the place and from all units.

"In addition to the miners, a large number of transport workers are also mainly prisoners. This group of people is not small, nearly 1700 people. However, this is not all the prisoners. The Japanese army also has a prisoner-of-war camp here, which holds about prisoners. The composition of the prisoners is similar to that of the miners, mainly from these units. However, in recent times, the number of our Eighth Route Army prisoners has also increased significantly. There are also nearly of our Eighth Route Army prisoners in the prisoner-of-war camp.