Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"It's impossible. They won't let such a good opportunity go. If the main force of the 8th Column hadn't gone south to participate in the Zhengtai Road battle, they would still have a lot of troops. It wouldn't be a problem to mobilize more than 10,000 people. Send a telegram to Jianjun, asking the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade to reduce its forces. Some unimportant strongholds and bunkers can be abandoned, and the troops are mainly used to protect the county town and important strongholds.

Naosaburo Okabe was very unwilling.

It is extremely shameful that I have become so cowardly that I have to avoid the attack of the Eighth Route Army.

But he could only choose to take a step back.

Because for him, since he couldn't hold some places, he had no choice but to give up some places. If the troops continued to be dispersed as they were now, they would be easily defeated by the Eighth Route Army one by one. The Eighth Column had destroyed more than 50 bunkers in a few days.

The casualties of the Japanese and puppet troops rose sharply.

Okabe Naozaburo's biggest concern was the Eighth Column's aggressive tactics. Not content with destroying a few blockhouses, they were now targeting the county towns in Chahar. Losing a few blockhouses was a completely different matter from losing an entire county town. So he had no choice but to make a choice. After seeing off Tanaka Shinichi, Okabe Naozaburo felt his eyelids twitching.

His predecessor, Hasunuma, was dismissed due to heavy losses suffered by the troops stationed in Mongolia and returned to face questioning by the headquarters. If there were any problems on his side, he would probably be held accountable as well.

Why did I come to garrison the Mongolian army?

He was previously the Chief of Staff of the North China Front Army, and actually had many other options. Even serving as a division commander in the field army would be much better than being the commander of the Mongolian Army.

"Commander, something serious has happened. The 16th Regiment of the th Column has appeared outside Huailai City and has begun attacking several strongholds in Wangjiaying Village, Yushuwan, and Mashangtun."

Chief of Staff of the Mongolian Army, Shinichi Tanaka, who had gone out to convey orders, hurried in.

Okabe Naosaburo also stood up.

Came to the map.

Looking at the map, he muttered, “The 16th Regiment is going to attack the city.

Okabe Naosaburo's face turned grim.

Because Wangjiaying Village, Yushuwan, and Mashangtun were important Japanese strongholds outside Huailai County, the 16th Regiment chose to attack these strongholds, which was obviously for the purpose of siege. As long as these strongholds and forts were eliminated, the next step would be to directly face Huailai County.

“What is the situation in the Sanggong area?

Naosaburo Okabe's gaze shifted from Huailai County to Sanggong area.

This is an important grain-producing area in Huailai. To control it, the Japanese established strongholds and bunkers southward from Huailai, extending all the way to the Sanggong area. In Sanggong, fierce competition between the Japanese, the 16th Regiment, and local forces was fierce.

Because neither side wants to give up this grain-producing area.

"We've also received a call for assistance. A force from somewhere has already begun attacking the stronghold in the Sanggong area. And they're quite large, with no fewer than a thousand men. They even have some infantry artillery. The bunkers we set up there can't stop them at all."

"What does Renjianjun mean?"

The Major General and Commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, Hitoshi Yoichi, is currently in Huailai.

Therefore, there are still quite a few military forces in Huailai County.

"He said he was powerless to do anything about the situation outside the city. Although he has a large number of troops in Huailai County, most of them are special forces. The only thing he can guarantee now is that Huailai County will be preserved."

"let it go."

Okabe Naosaburo shook his head.

Without troops, nothing can be done.

"Tell Ren Jianjun that there must be no problems in Huailai County. As for the strongholds outside the city, have those troops that can be withdrawn withdraw to the city."

Chapter 334 Battle of Zhuolu

The Mongolian garrison was in a difficult situation and Okabe Naosaburo, who had no troops at his disposal, could only choose the most conservative strategy.

Go out and raid?

What are you thinking about.

It is now a question whether the troops stationed in Mongolia can maintain their own territory, so how could they dare to go out of the city to carry out a raid?

Therefore, Okabe Naozaburo chose to abandon those unimportant strongholds and bunkers and began to concentrate his troops. He headed towards the county town and some important strongholds. It can be said that after the July 7 Incident, this was the first time that the troops stationed in Mongolia were so cowardly and avoided the Eighth Route Army's attack.

But Okabe Naozaburo's seemingly cowardly choice was actually a very correct one. If the Japanese and puppet troops were to disperse, they would be defeated piecemeal by the Eighth Route Army. The Chanan Detachment currently had five main regiments deployed: the 16th, 18th, and 25th Regiments, which were affiliated with the Chanan Detachment, as well as the 37th and 38th Regiments temporarily assigned to the Chanan Detachment by the Column.

There are 5 main regiments with a total number of about 13000 people.

They are all top-notch troops with strong combat effectiveness in the current column.

And they are all troops that have fought big and tough battles.

The Xuanzhuohuai base was one of the Eighth Column's most important bases, and its local forces were exceptionally strong. Zhang Zihua, in particular, had always prioritized developing these forces. Consequently, the Chanan Detachment currently comprised two guerrilla detachments, three county battalions, and 2 district squads, totaling over seven thousand personnel.

This time, Zhang Zihua was fully in charge of the Cha'nan Detachment and was responsible for breaking up the attack on Xuan Zhuohuai's side.

His plan was to launch a comprehensive and multi-faceted attack throughout the Xuanzhuohuai base area in order to mobilize the Japanese army. It would be best to tire the Japanese army out while he ambushed them during their movement and inflicted heavy damage on the troops stationed in Mongolia.

Therefore, the 16th Regiment attacked the outskirts of Huailai County and organized local forces to attack the Japanese strongholds in the Sanggong area. In order to support the local forces in capturing the Japanese strongholds in the Sanggong area, even the few infantry guns of the Chanan Detachment were deployed to them.

Troops from other places also dispersed to attack the strongholds and bunkers on the Xuanzhuohuai Highway.

Zhang Zihua particularly hoped that the troops stationed in Mongolia would send reinforcements.

Only when the Japanese troops left those counties could the troops ambush the Japanese and puppet troops.

Rather than hiding in the city, it would be best for the Mongolian garrison to send troops out. Ambushing them en route to reinforcements is the Eighth Route Army's forte. Furthermore, if the Japanese reinforcements arrive, the already undermanned Mongolian garrison will be further weakened elsewhere, giving the Chanan Detachment an opportunity. Unfortunately, Okabe Naosaburo didn't follow Zhang Zihua's wishes. Instead, he chose to play coward, leaving the Japanese and puppet troops stationed in the outer strongholds and forts to fend for themselves. Those who can retreat now should do so quickly. As for those already surrounded by the Eighth Route Army and unable to retreat, they can only leave it to fate.

Since the Japanese army did not move, the Chanan Detachment could only deal with the forts built by the Japanese army in the Xuanzhuohuai base over the past year.

But Zhang Zihua was not satisfied.

How can we just solve these problems?

The Chanan Detachment possessed the most powerful troops of the Eighth Column. Now that the Chadong and Chaxi Detachments were both in turmoil, it would be a disservice to the powerful fighting force if the Chanan Detachment did nothing.

Zhang Zihua now has about 20,000 troops at his disposal.

Zhang Zihua wants to fight a battle that can change the situation in Xuanhuai.

"Hello, Secretary Zhang."

"Comrade Wang Hongsheng, hello."

Zhang Zihua wants to do big things.

Because the matter was so serious, he personally stepped in. Zhang Zihua, or rather the Chanan detachment, had been working on this matter for some time. However, they had never had the opportunity, or perhaps the timing was not right, so they had not yet activated it.

But today it is finally coming to fruition.

"Comrade Wang Hongsheng, what is your brother's attitude?"

Wang Hongsheng was an underground party member sent to Zhuolu by the Chanan Detachment.

It was Zhang Zihua who personally took charge of the underground party, and the detachment's enemy work department had a direct line of contact. He was sent to Zhuolu because his family was a large family in Zhuolu with many children. Of course, more importantly, his eldest brother was the current head of the Wang family.

After the Japanese army arrived in Zhuolu, they had been trying to win over the Wang family.

Or it could be coercion or inducement.

In the end, Wang Hongsheng's eldest brother decided to take his people to join the Zhuolu Self-Defense Corps, which was actually a puppet army unit created by the Japanese army in Zhuolu.

Because the Wang family was a large family in Zhuolu, with many members, and the family had money and land, the eldest son of the Wang family served as the battalion commander of the Zhuolu Self-Defense Corps.

Zhang Zihua knew the eldest brother of the Wang family.

The eldest of the Wang family, Wang Hong and Wang Liang, had studied in Japan and served for a time as an officer in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. However, he later left the army and returned to his hometown to inherit the family business. Because he had studied in Japan, the Japanese army was particularly interested in him. He was unwilling to serve in the puppet army and initially rejected the Japanese's offer. However, the Japanese army became increasingly powerful, and his family was in Zhuolu.

Therefore, under the coercion and inducement of the Japanese army, he finally joined the self-defense corps with some of his tribesmen.

There are many people like this in this era.

If you treat them all as enemies, you won't be able to fight behind enemy lines. Many people couldn't leave their homes and lived under the Japanese occupation. As long as these people had no blood debts and weren't determined to be traitors, they could be won over. Zhang Zihua had been trying to win over this person, so he sent Wang Hongsheng to Zhuolu. He had Wang Hongsheng do Wang Hongliang's work.

Wang Hongliang's attitude has been changing.

They were reluctant to join the puppet army at first, after all, they would be branded traitors. But as the Japanese army grew stronger in China, they felt a little happy and satisfied with their choice. If the Japanese truly took control of China, they would be considered the new "founding heroes."

But after Wang Hongsheng did Wang Hongliang's work, Wang Hongliang became a little hesitant again.

Anyway, it's a very complicated emotional fluctuation.

Later, the Eighth Route Army's performance behind enemy lines became increasingly impressive, even overwhelming the troops stationed in Mongolia. This caused Wang Hongliang to waver again. This was primarily due to the realization that the Japanese army no longer had the initial strength it had, and it seemed unlikely that they could truly control China. Furthermore, his younger brother was persuading him. Furthermore, while Wang Hongliang had his own concerns, he certainly didn't want to become a die-hard traitor if he could help it. Therefore, the two sides maintained contact over the past few months.

Zhang Zihua was planning to let Wang Hongliang's troops rebel.

But Wang Hongliang hesitated.

His family was in Zhuolu, and he was worried that if he did something wrong, his family would be in danger.

Zhang Zihua also thought that the time was not right, so he did not force it.

The situation has changed a lot now.

The troops stationed in Mongolia were understrength, and the Eighth Column had already begun advancing towards the counties of Xuanhua, Zhuolu, and Huailai. Zhang Zihua believed that the time was ripe.

This can be seen from the end of the Anti-Japanese War.

Anyway, the Eighth Route Army had already established contact with these puppet troops. However, the puppet troops were still hesitant, worried about making the wrong choice, so they kept sitting on the fence, waiting to see how the situation would develop.

It was not until the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan that they saw that the Japanese army was really defeated and decided to rebel.

The situation in Chahar region is similar now.

Facing the Mongolian troops, the Eighth Route Army had the upper hand. Seeing this, those who were not die-hard traitors secretly contacted the Eighth Route Army, hoping to leave a way out for themselves.

"Secretary Zhang, my brother agreed to lead the troops to rebel. The day after tomorrow, the East Gate will be guarded by a Japanese detachment and my brother. My brother said he can control the Japanese troops and then open the East Gate.

This is Zhang Zihua’s purpose.

On September 1940, 9, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters issued an order, officially ending the Zhengtai Road Campaign, the first phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign, on September 2. The Hundred Regiments Campaign then entered a new phase, which was to evacuate the Zhengtai Road, with the main force clearing out Japanese strongholds on important roads within the base area.

It can be said that the Hundred Regiments Campaign's attack on Zhengtai Road was a huge success.

The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and the 129th Division dispatched more than 50 regiments.

Compared with the historical period, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and the 129th Division dispatched more main forces, with stronger combat effectiveness and better weapons and equipment. They destroyed the entire Zhengtai Road.

In particular, the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade and the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade were almost completely wiped out.

Five independent battalions were originally dispatched south from these two units, and the remaining units were almost completely annihilated by troops from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and the 129th Division. The 129th Division's 386th Brigade even killed Major General Yoshizawa Tadami, the commander of the rd Independent Mixed Brigade.

Yoshizawa Tadami also became the first Japanese general killed by the Eighth Route Army during the Hundred Regiments Campaign.

However, the North China Front Army began to dispatch large troops into the Zhengtai Road.

26师团、35师团、36师团、37师团、41师团、110师团、独立混成第十五旅团、独立混成第十六旅团都抽调部队进入正太路。足足抽调了四万多人，加上伪军部队，有七万人左右。

Although the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Army and the 129th Division had more than regiments on the Zhengtai Road, facing so many Japanese counterattacks, they chose to avoid the attack and proceed to the next battle.

But for the Eighth Column, this is just the beginning.