Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Feng Mulin shook his head.

He said: "Attack Jining, with the few weapons we have, how can we attack Jining?"

Feng Mulin started out as a guerrilla fighter in northern Shaanxi.

Don't do money-losing business.

The Chabei Detachment was the worst-equipped unit in the 8th Column, lacking heavy weapons. Not to mention infantry artillery, they didn't even have many heavy machine guns. With such weapons and equipment, how could they attack Jining? Feng Mulin pointed to the map and said, "I'm considering that Jining currently has few people. If we make a move to attack Jining, what will the Japanese army do?

"I will definitely come back for help."

Zhao Junyou replied.

He said with certainty, "Jining, Guisui, and Baotou are the most important cities in Suiyuan. Guisui is the center of Suiyuan, Baotou has been blocking Fu Zuoyi's troops, and Jining is an important city connecting Zhangjiakou, Datong, and Suiyuan. Once Jining is captured, we will cut off the Japanese army's connection between Zhangjiakou, Datong, and Suiyuan. This will change the situation in the entire northwest of Shanxi. The Japanese army will never allow us to take Jining."

"I think so too. Jining is as important to northwest Shanxi as Zhangjiakou is to Chahar. Once we attack Jining, the Japanese will inevitably return to support us. My idea is to set up an ambush on the route the Japanese must take to return and ambush them.

The wisdom of our ancestors is all here.

Sun's "Besiege Wei to Save Zhao" is a classic battle example that will go down in history.

Many classic tactics of the Red Army and the Eighth Route Army were derived from this. Feng Mulin was closely following Jining, also wanting to play a "siege Wei to save Zhao" strategy. Huang Yanjun, the commander of the Sixth Independent Regiment, frowned and said, "Commander, this is a good idea. Once we attack Jining, the Japanese will definitely come to our rescue. We can set up an ambush in the middle. But we don't have enough troops to attack Jining and ambush the Japanese at the same time."

To complete this strategy, at least seven or eight thousand people should be dispatched.

After all, with fewer men, they couldn't intimidate Jining, and how could they force the Japanese to return for reinforcements? An ambush would also require three or four times the number of troops. The Chabei Detachment, in particular, wasn't as well-armed as the Chanan, Chadong, and Pingbei Detachments, and was far inferior to the Chaxi Detachment.

The entire detachment did not have many heavy weapons.

If they wanted to ambush an infantry battalion of 700 to 800 men, how could they destroy it without 3,000 troops? However, the Chabei Detachment currently didn't have that many troops in Shangyi County, and they couldn't transfer all of its main forces there.

Feng Mulin smiled and said, "Yanjun, you've fought for so many years and are so experienced, why can't you adapt? It's hard to deploy troops when we have one false and one real. Have you forgotten what our Eighth Route Army's greatest advantage is? The people in our base area who support us. To attack Jining, let the Cavalry Regiment, the 1st and 2nd Self-Defense Regiments, plus the local troops we've formed in Shangyi County, go. Make a big show of force and make the force look like 7,000 to 8,000. As long as we can trick the Japanese troops in Jining, we'll be halfway to victory. The 6th and 7th Independent Regiments will be responsible for ambushing the Japanese."

The Eighth Route Army's "siege of the city and attack on reinforcements" were both real and fake.

Because there are not so many troops, a large number of local troops and militias are mobilized to pretend to be the main force.

After the Chabei Detachment decided to fight a "Besiege Wei to Save Zhao" campaign, it appointed Zhang Zhiguang as the commander-in-chief of the attack on Jining, and Wei Ziyun, the head of the First Self-Defense Regiment, as the deputy commander-in-chief. They were fully responsible for the battle accompanying the attack on Jining.

Three months had passed since the Chabei Detachment entered Shangyi County. Zhang Zhiguang had witnessed firsthand how the Eighth Route Army established its base, how it developed, and how it gained the support of the people of Shangyi County. The more he observed, the more he admired the Eighth Route Army and the more confident he was in victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan.

Zhang Zhiguang had seen countless different armies since he joined the Xinhai Revolution. The Eighth Route Army was the only one that truly obeyed orders and integrated itself with the people of the base area. In Zhang Zhiguang's view, even the historically famous "Yue Family Army" was no better.

If such an army cannot accomplish great things, who can?

Therefore, after he came out of retirement, he actively gave advice to the Eighth Route Army and also actively advocated for the Eighth Route Army.

The Chabei Detachment's efforts in Shangyi County to reduce rent and interest, establish a local government, eradicate opium cultivation, and recruit soldiers went smoothly. Originally, the Chadong Detachment only intended to recruit around 2,000 men in Shangyi County, as the weapons they possessed were insufficient to equip more than 2,000 men. However, the residents of Shangyi County were so enthusiastic, and so many young and middle-aged men signed up, that they ultimately recruited over 3,000 men.

The First and Second Self-Defense Regiments were originally planned to be small regiments of 1400 men, but in the end they were reduced to medium regiments of around men. The excess troops were reorganized by the Chabei Detachment into the Shangyi County Brigade.

However, the First and Second Self-Defense Regiments were newly formed, so their combat effectiveness was relatively low. However, as accompanying forces, they were not a problem. Furthermore, a cavalry regiment was dispatched just in case.

The First and Second Self-Defense Regiments, the County Brigade, the Cavalry Regiment, and the mobilized Shangyi County militia totaled about 5700 people. Of course, in order to put more pressure on the defenders in Jining City, the troops were deliberately exaggerated to make it look like there were to people.

"Where did this Chinese army come from?"

The Eighth Route Army's large-scale actions quickly alarmed the Japanese troops in Jining City. Saito Jiro, the colonel commander of the 26th Regiment of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army, immediately came to the city wall and was surprised to see the densely packed Eighth Route Army troops outside the city.

There are just too many people.

Just a simple estimate, there are about 3,000 people visible at the East Gate.

"Your Excellency, besides the Eighth Route Army Chaxi Detachment, the only other unit around Jining is the Eighth Route Army Chabei Detachment, which is in Shangyi County. This unit should be the Eighth Route Army Chabei Detachment, and they came to Jining from Shangyi County.

The 13th Regiment's Chief of Staff, Kazuaki Furukawa, spoke.

The 13th Regiment was in Jining, with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army to the west, and the Chaxi and Chabei Detachments of the Eighth Route Army's Jin-Cha-Ji th Column to the east.

The Chaxi Detachment was currently being held in Xinghe County by two battalions of the 13th Regiment, so how could it possibly muster so many troops to attack Jining? The only unit capable of mustering so many troops under the noses of the Japanese army was the Chabei Detachment.

The Chabei Detachment had been in Shangyi County for nearly three months, not just a day or two. The Japanese army was well aware of the Chabei Detachment's situation. The Chabei Detachment's troops, including the 6th and 7th Independent Regiments, and the Cavalry Regiment, had also formed the 1st and 2nd Self-Defense Regiments in Shangyi County. The Chabei Detachment had sufficient strength to deploy so many troops.

"idiot."

Saito Jiro was very angry.

"I've said it before, we're in a situation where we need to stay still. We should just defend the city and wait for all the troops to be replenished with new recruits, complete their training, and recover their strength before we wipe out the Eighth Route Army. But the higher-ups gave us such a hasty order to send troops to sweep, completely exposing our weaknesses. The Eighth Route Army attacked Jining because they saw that we were short of manpower. Look at how many people we see right in front of us, and who knows how many are hiding in other places.

Originally, Saito Jiro was opposed to this raid.

The Japanese army in Suiyuan and Chahar was not just under-strength, but severely under-strength. Holding onto several important cities was already a challenge. However, Okamura Neiji ordered his troops to attack.

It simply ignores the objective situation.

The 13th Regiment's situation in Jining was particularly dire. Despite the support of the 120th Independent Mixed Brigade, Fu Zuoyi's forces in Suiyuan were growing stronger. He maintained a strong force of around 120 men, and combined with the incorporation of various surrounding armed forces, Fu Zuoyi's forces numbered over men. Furthermore, the th Division was also gaining strength in Suiyuan, and the th Independent Mixed Brigade alone was no match for Fu Zuoyi and the th Division.

Fu Zuoyi was a figure who could completely annihilate even a cavalry brigade. Although Fu Zuoyi's troops had suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Baotou and had been recuperating, given enough time, Fu Zuoyi's troops would be able to recover.

The 13th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 120th Regiment were already struggling to cope with Fu Zuoyi and the th Division. Furthermore, they had to contend with the Chaxi and Chabei Detachments to the east. These two detachments were also rapidly expanding, with their main forces alone numbering nearly men.

At this time, the best thing for the 13th Regiment is to stay in Jining and wait for the 26th Division, which suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, to recover its strength, and the nd Independent Mixed Brigade, which was severely hit by the th Column, to recover its strength, and then do other things.

But he had no choice but to obey Ningji Okamura's orders.

Therefore, they had to send two battalions to sweep Xinghe County.

See what the result is?

The Eighth Route Army has concentrated its forces to attack Jining.

Furukawa Kazuaki consoled him, "The Eighth Route Army's Chabei Detachment is poorly equipped and likely doesn't have many siege weapons. Although we're outnumbered in Jining, we can still stop them."

"It's not that simple. Look over there, isn't that the cavalry?"

"Yes."

Furukawa Kazuaki looked southeast and saw a large number of cavalry through the telescope. His face turned ugly instantly because it was not just one or two cavalrymen, but an entire cavalry unit.

At first glance, there were hundreds of cavalrymen.

Behind this cavalry, a number of infantry troops could be vaguely seen. Although they were not clear, they looked to be several hundred strong.

"I've heard for a long time that the Eighth Route Army's Chabei Detachment has a cavalry unit. It seems this is the unit. It is the main force of the Eighth Route Army's Chabei Detachment.

The Eighth Route Army is trying to take advantage of our small number of troops in Jining and swallow it up in one gulp."

"Colonel, should we let the second and third battalions return?

"this?"

Saito Jiro couldn't make up his mind.

If he called the troops back, then this mopping-up operation would have been a complete failure. After Ningji Okamura took office as the commander of the North China Front Army, apart from the victory in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, he had not achieved any real results against the Eighth Route Army.

If I withdraw my troops like this, will there be any impact?

"Colonel, look over there, is that a cannon?"

Saito Jiro immediately turned his attention to the Eighth Route Army in front.

It is indeed a cannon.

The Eighth Route Army troops on the opposite side pushed some cannons forward. However, after looking at it for a while, Saito Jiro frowned and said, "This seems to be a very ancient cannon."

Very old cannon.

Zhang Zhiguang and his men lacked heavy weapons, not even heavy machine guns. But since they were going to attack Jining, they couldn't just sit there and do nothing. So the Chabei Detachment collected artillery used by the Qing army.

Pulled to the foot of Jining City.

"boom"

"boom"

The cannons used by the Qing army in the late Qing Dynasty were inferior in many aspects.

But it can still fire shells.

Although it didn't hit the target, it still had an effect. After all, it was a cannon, and the shells would explode when fired. Saito Jiro looked to the north again and also spotted the Eighth Route Army.

Although this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers were dressed in a variety of uniforms, their numerical advantage was so great that it still put a lot of pressure on Saito Jiro.

Now they even bring in cannons.

Saito Jiro made up his mind and said, "Send a telegram to the Second and Third Battalions and ask them to withdraw."

Chapter 381 Bloody Battle

Feng Mulin's tactics of "besieging Wei to save Zhao" and "attacking them and forcing them to rescue" were very successful.

Saito Jiro, the colonel commander of the 13th Regiment, faced an increasing number of Eighth Route Army troops and was ultimately unable to hold out. After all, Eighth Route Army troops appeared on all three sides of Jining, numbering around six to seven thousand.

There were even shadows of more troops outside. Of course, it wasn't just because the Eighth Route Army had too many troops, but more importantly, because the Japanese troops in Jining were too few. The Japanese troops in Jining, including all the other miscellaneous armed forces, only numbered about a thousand.

It’s not that Saito Jiro lacks confidence in keeping Jining.

Although there were 6,000 to 7,000 Eighth Route Army troops outside the city, it would still be difficult for them to succeed due to the lack of siege weapons. Saito Jiro was well aware of this.

But he still wanted to be on the safe side.

After all, no one can guarantee this.

While they also bear responsibility for the failure of this mopping-up operation, the problem isn't too serious. After all, the entire North China Front's mopping-up operations weren't going smoothly. In recent years, the Japanese army had suffered numerous defeats in the Chahar and Suiyuan areas. Therefore, if the mopping-up operation failed, the consequences of any consequences wouldn't be borne solely by one person.

But it’s different if we lose Jining.

If such an important city as Jining was lost, even if he didn't die on the battlefield, he didn't know what the outcome would be when he returned home for trial. He was just a small colonel, and he couldn't bear the responsibility for losing Jining.

So he finally decided to withdraw the 13th Regiment's troops outside.

Zhang Zhiguang not only wanted to accompany the attack on Jining, but also pretend to be the main force of the Chabei Detachment. This was also a deception to make the Japanese believe that the main force of the Chabei Detachment was under the city of Jining.

Actually?

The main forces of the Chabei Detachment, the 6th and 7th Independent Regiments, are currently quietly lurking in the middle section of the road between Jining and Xinghe County.

Feng Mulin couldn't guess which army would pass through here. However, he knew this was the shortest section of road from Xinghe County to Jining. Knowing that Jining was under attack, the Japanese army must be racing against time to return, so they would definitely pass through here.

Feng Mulin hid his troops here, quietly waiting for the Japanese army to pass through.

The Japanese army was indeed returning at full speed.

But only the 13rd Battalion of the th Regiment returned. Although the nd Battalion also received the order, it was entangled by the Chaxi Detachment. Gao Wei invited the Chabei Detachment to go south to help Xinghe County's anti-mopping-up operation.

Of course, the Chabei Detachment will not bear all the risks.

Feng Mulin, planning to ambush the Japanese, had already established contact with the Chaxi Detachment via radio. The Chaxi Detachment sent one battalion of Japanese troops back to tie down another. Sure enough, after three days of lurking, the Chabei Detachment spotted the retreating 13rd Battalion of the th Regiment.