Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

After capturing Huaian and Wanquan, the 8th Column began digging trenches outside Zhangjiakou. This was partly to attack Zhangjiakou, and partly to prevent the Japanese from escaping. Of course, the trenches were also designed to protect against bombing raids by Japanese aircraft. Zhangjiakou, unlike Xuanhua, was a crucial city in North China and the heart of the Mengjiang region. Although the North China Front Army was unable to send in reinforcements, bombing raids from aircraft were still common.

Under such circumstances, the troops braved the Japanese artillery fire step by step and approached Zhangjiakou. In order to reduce casualties and speed up the digging of trenches, the troops basically dug trenches at night.

After all, it was March, the weather was cold, and the ground was frozen, so digging trenches was very difficult.

Fortunately, the soldiers were very excited about the attack on Zhangjiakou. Wei Hongjun's mobilization efforts across various units had been very effective. Everyone understood the significance of capturing Zhangjiakou, and therefore, they braved all odds. The surrounding peasants, upon hearing that the Eighth Route Army was about to attack Zhangjiakou, were even more excited than anyone else. The peasants around Zhangjiakou had been severely oppressed by the Japanese army.

The Japanese colonists arrived in Zhangjiakou, evicting local farmers and seizing the land of surrounding farmers. Many farmers who refused to give up their land were beaten to death by the Japanese colonists. Some of the farmers cultivated the land they seized themselves, while others rented the seized land to Chinese farmers, enlisting them to help cultivate it and charging exorbitant rent.

Under such circumstances, how could the farmers not hate the Japanese?

Their own land was directly taken away by others. Good self-cultivating farmers and semi-self-cultivating farmers were reduced to poor farm laborers, working for the Japanese to survive. This was absolutely tragic for them.

Even if the colonization group did not occupy their land, the Japanese forced them to grow opium. If opium could make money, perhaps these farmers would not hate the Japanese so much, and perhaps they would grow opium on their own without being forced. But after the Japanese forced them to grow opium, they stipulated that they must hand over a certain amount of opium, and also collected heavy taxes on opium. As a result, not only did opium cultivation not make money, many farmers had to pay for it themselves. Moreover, due to the large-scale cultivation of opium, the local food production was seriously insufficient. No matter how much the food production decreased, the Japanese would not starve. Because the Japanese were short of food, they would send soldiers to rob the farmers of their food. Therefore, the only ones who starved to death due to lack of food were the local farmers.

Therefore, the people here hate the Japanese and puppet troops very much.

Now that the Eighth Route Army was about to attack Zhangjiakou and dig trenches, these people came to help. They brought all kinds of farm tools, and at night, tens of thousands of young and strong men helped the Eighth Route Army dig trenches.

The Japanese army discovered Zhangjiakou.

After all, how could such a large-scale trenching be defeated by the Japanese? The Eighth Column dug trenches from Huaian, Xuanhua, and Chongli, gradually approaching Zhangjiakou. As for the Wanquan side, only a small number of troops were active.

Surrounded by three and missing one?

The Japanese army did not dare to be careless at all.

Therefore, although the troops were mainly concentrated in Huaian, Xuanhua and Chongli, the Japanese army still left a lot of troops on the Wanquan side. Although the Eighth Column was fierce, Shigetaro Amakasu still had some confidence. After all, he currently had about 4000 people in his hands, including armed expatriates, more than 2000 puppet troops, and more than 1000 puppet guards and police teams. The total strength of the Japanese and puppet troops in Zhangjiakou was more than 7000. With so many troops in hand and the Zhangjiakou city wall blocking it, Shigetaro Amakasu did not think that the Eighth Route Army could take Zhangjiakou.

But after the Battle of Zhangjiakou broke out, Shigetaro Amakasu no longer had this confidence.

The Eighth Column's offensive during the day was not very strong.

They just used the method of cold shooting. At the beginning, the Japanese army was not prepared and suffered heavy casualties from the cold shooting of the Eighth Column. Then, when attacking, they would not deploy too many troops. However, the problem during the day was not that big after all. Because during the day, the weaponry and equipment advantage of the Japanese and puppet troops was obvious.

Moreover, the field of vision was wide during the day, and if the Eighth Route Army wanted to attack, they would have to brave the hail of bullets from the Japanese army. In addition, Japanese planes would come to assist during the day, so although the Eighth Route Army attacked during the day, the attack was not so fierce.

But at night, the Eighth Route Army became very active.

Using trenches, they moved infantry guns, flat-fire guns, and mortars to the forefront. Then, following the angles marked during the day, they launched an attack on Zhangjiakou. Zhangjiakou's walls were certainly much stronger than Xuanhua's.

However, the 8th Column also gained experience after the Xuanhua Campaign.

During the day, they marked targets, and at night, the infantry artillery would bombard them. If one day wasn't enough, they'd fire for two days, and if two days weren't enough, they'd fire for three days. Furthermore, the Eighth Route Army took advantage of the darkness to blow up the city walls with explosive packs. At night, it was pitch black, making it inconvenient for both sides.

The 8th Column also encountered many difficulties in its night battles.

But the 8th Column preferred night battles. During the day, the Japanese army had too many heavy weapons. They had too many artillery pieces, mortars, and ammunition cannons. Heavy machine guns alone could be lined up in rows on the city walls. With so many heavy machine guns firing down, a daytime attack would be difficult. Even at night, having so many heavy machine guns on the city walls posed a significant threat to the attacking forces. Amakasu Shigetaro was truly determined to go all out.

A large number of heavy weapons were pulled out from the arsenal, and the thing Zhangjiakou had the most was ammunition.

Use it however you like.

Therefore, the Eighth Column was at a significant disadvantage during daytime operations. Only at nightfall would the Japanese advantage be greatly suppressed, as the pitch-black darkness would affect visibility.

More importantly, there are many people in the Eighth Column.

As each regiment followed, the other had ample rest. At night, each regiment would attack in battalion units in rotation. But the Japanese and puppet troops were different. Under these repeated attacks from the Eighth Column, they couldn't sleep well, day or night.

It was fine in the first few days, but after three or four days, the Japanese and puppet troops were exhausted.

Especially in the Xuanhua direction.

The Xuanhua-bound troops included the 37th, 38th, 26th, and New st Regiments, all key elements of the Cha'nan and Cha'dong detachments. These troops were well-equipped and highly combat-capable. During the nighttime attack, the Xuanhua-bound troops used explosive packs to blast the city walls several times, even opening a small gap on one side.

Because the Eighth Route Army was too strong in the Xuanhua direction, Gan Shigetaro had to draw troops from other places to strengthen the defense on this side.

But this is not a long-term thing.

The Eighth Route Army had ten regiments participating in this battle. These regiments took turns participating in the attack, allowing the other regiments to rest adequately. However, the Japanese and puppet troops could no longer withstand such pressure.

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army is trying to use fatigue tactics on us."

Toyojiro Inamura was very angry.

After a few days, he already understood what tricks the Eighth Column was playing.

The Eighth Route Army is not ready to launch a general attack on Zhangjiakou.

If it was a general offensive, it wouldn't be like this. The Eighth Route Army clearly relied on its large force and used fatigue tactics to prevent the Japanese and puppet troops in the city from resting.

Amakasu Shigetaro said nothing.

Inamura Toyojiro was very angry and helpless when he saw the look on Amakasu Shigetaro's face. The Eighth Route Army had already started to attack the city, but Amakasu Shigetaro was still like this. He was a little spirited at the beginning, but seeing the current situation, he was no longer spirited. He did not show the bravery he had when he was the commander of the 32nd Division. When Amakasu Shigetaro was the commander of the 32nd Division, he was also a fierce general under Okamura Neiji. It was precisely because of his outstanding performance under Okamura Neiji that Okamura Neiji recommended Amakasu Shigetaro to be the commander of the Mongolian Army.

But after a year of setbacks in his position as commander of the Mongolian army, he had completely lost his former spirit. Now he was completely resigned to his fate and would do whatever he wanted.

"Commander, if the current situation continues, our troops will not be able to fight in a few days.

Only then did Gan Shigetaro raise his head.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Then what do you say? Withdraw the troops?"

"Commander, my idea is to arm all the expatriates in the city who can hold a gun. Regardless of whether they can fight or not, they can at least help defend the city walls. This will allow our troops to rest."

"Aside from the elderly, the sick, and the disabled, as well as women, there are no young and strong men left in the city. And look at the way those people look. Do you think they can fight? If they're the first to flee during a battle, it will further damage the morale of the troops."

Shigetaro Amakasu was helpless.

If these expatriates were really able to fight, Gan Shigetaro would have reorganized them long ago.

Zhangjiakou really has no shortage of weapons.

Even reorganizing three divisions would be more than enough. But the situation was that there weren't that many people. The entire Japanese expatriate population in Zhangjiakou totaled less than 2500. Excluding the elderly, the sick, and women, there were only a few young and middle-aged people. These Japanese expatriates had all arrived in Zhangjiakou with their families, so to young and middle-aged people were considered a good number. Of these to , the Mongolian garrison had already captured over .

Where are the people now?

Even if they really ignored it and incorporated the old, weak, sick and disabled into the army, what good would it do? These people might even hinder the army on the battlefield.

"Then we expand the security regiment? There are plenty of people in Zhangjiakou. Can we capture two or three thousand people and expand the security regiment into a security brigade?

"The Chinese can't be trusted. Even the security corps can't be trusted, and you still want to expand the security corps? Are you afraid that we won't die quickly?

Ganryo Jutaro sneered.

There have been many battlefield uprisings by puppet troops in recent years.

There was even a puppet army unit that revolted on the Wanping battlefield and killed a Japanese brigade commander. If the Mongolian Army was strong, Gan Shigetaro wouldn't have worried. But now the Mongolian Army is in such a state of decline, surrounded by the Eighth Route Army in Zhangjiakou. Who knows what these puppet troops are thinking?

Anyway, Amakasu Shigetaro doesn't trust them.

Shigetaro Amakasu was somewhat disheartened, seeing no hope, even reaching despair. But he wasn't as panicked as Toyojiro Inamura. After the Eighth Route Army laid siege to Zhangjiakou, the entire city began to destabilize.

Countless traitors are now desperately trying to contact the Eighth Route Army, hoping to mitigate their crimes. Even high-ranking officials of the puppet Mengjiang United Autonomous Government are seeking connections with the Eighth Route Army. Amakasu Shigetaro doesn't trust the Guard Corps, so perhaps they too are trying to contact the Eighth Route Army. How can the Chinese be allowed to obtain more weapons at this time? If the Guard Corps were to be expanded, they might surrender tomorrow.

"But what now?"

Toyojiro Inamura didn't want to die in Zhangjiakou.

Although they could escape by plane at the last moment, as long as they lost Zhangjiakou, their fate would definitely not be good.

"Hold on. Hold on as long as you can.

Our troops have a lot of heavy weapons, and we have built heavy machine gun positions behind the city walls. Even if we lose the city walls, we can still rely on these fortifications to stop the Eighth Route Army from entering the city."

Kanryo Shigetaro didn't have much of a choice.

All we can do is delay the time as much as possible and see if there will be any turning point.

"Okay, I'll go and make some arrangements." Toyojiro Inamura nodded.

The lack of manpower in our own troops is an objective situation and cannot be changed in a short period of time.

Chapter 420: Intensify the Attack

Shigetaro Amakasu is a man who has given up everything.

He didn't really care about the previous battles. Whatever happened was what happened. Because Amakasu Shigetaro realized that it was difficult for him to defend Zhangjiakou. If he couldn't even defend Zhangjiakou, why bother with all that effort?

Only Inamura Toyojiro was extremely busy, constantly going to the front lines to observe the situation.

Fortunately, the Eighth Route Army was wary of the Japanese's heavy firepower and did not dare to attack too fiercely. The Japanese and puppet troops had deployed so many light and heavy machine guns on the city walls, as well as a large number of grenade launchers, that their firepower was quite formidable. A head-on attack would have resulted in staggering casualties. However, despite the Eighth Route Army's cautious approach, they still managed to complete their attack step by step.

The trenches were dug to a depth of four or five hundred meters.

And it’s still moving forward.

At night, the Eighth Route Army's attacks would be much more intense. Using infantry artillery, they had already knocked down several sections of the city wall. Even the city gates had been blasted open by the Eighth Route Army. Furthermore, at night, the Eighth Route Army would organize demolition teams to continue blasting through the city walls with explosive packs.

Several holes were torn in the city wall.

The Japanese and puppet troops immediately deployed defensive fortifications behind these openings to prevent the Eighth Column troops from breaking in through these openings.

Such efforts were able to keep the Eighth Route Army out. But the Japanese and puppet troops also paid a heavy price. In particular, they lacked adequate rest for a long time, and their spirits and concentration were declining.

Tired. The Japanese and puppet troops now have only one feeling, that is, they are too exhausted.

"Commander-in-Chief, is it true that General Okamura Neiji hasn't sent any reinforcements yet?"

"Ah."

Ganryo Jutaro sighed.

There is no hidden fullness either.

He said directly, "After the war with the Americans, the headquarters pulled too many troops south. General Okamura Neiji doesn't have that many troops at his disposal now. If we send too few troops, it will be of no use to our current situation. Besides, many troops are still being recruited."

"what?"

Inamura Toyojiro's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but say, "What the hell is going on? How is it possible that the new recruits haven't been replenished yet?"

This is how long it has been taking to recruit new soldiers.

Are there any troops currently recruiting new soldiers?

Damn it. If he hadn't been in front of Shigetaro Amakasu, he would have wanted to curse out all the generals of the Imperial Headquarters, the China Expeditionary Army, and the North China Front Army. How on earth did they do things?

The North China Front Army was so short of troops that it didn't even rush to replenish its forces.

Still dilly-dallying.

"But General Okamura Neiji promised us that if we can hold Zhangjiakou for a month, he will definitely send a division to help us out."

"A month?"

Inamura Toyojiro asked, "Should we hold on for a month from now, or a month from the start of the Eighth Route Army's attack?"

The Eighth Route Army has been attacking for almost ten days.