frightfiction Chapter 1151 Powerful Enemy
Chapter 1151 Powerful Enemy
Fuping, Shijiazhai.
Inside the cave dwelling, several middle-aged men were deep in thought.
He had smoked countless hand-rolled tobaccos, filling the entire cave with smoke. When the messenger who came to deliver the telegram opened the door, the smoke almost knocked him out.
The communications officer went to open the doors and windows. “Comrades, how many cigarettes have you smoked? You haven’t even had lunch. This won’t do. Commanders, look, this is a new telegram from Yancheng.”
The leader took the telegram, his expression growing even more grave. He handed it to the others, saying, "The comrades in the Special Branch have gone to great lengths and made countless sacrifices for us this time. We've never seen such detailed intelligence before! Take a look, all of you. The Japanese 110th Division has begun digging a blockade trench along the Fuyang River. They've even taken advantage of the summer rains to create an opening in the Xinhe area. As a result, our plan to break out to the south is probably impossible."
The middle-aged man, who looked like a scholar, read for a moment and nodded emphatically. "This intelligence came just in time! Otherwise, we probably would have already issued the battle order, ordering all regiments and regional teams to disperse and move south. At that time, it would not only be a problem for the headquarters and front-line troops to disperse, but it would also be very likely to put our soldiers in a dilemma."
Another person worriedly said, "The Japanese are coming in a fierce manner this time. They had planned to retreat south to avoid the enemies in the northeast and northwest. If they retreat west, it will be easy for our headquarters, but what about the troops? If thousands of people want to get through, we must open a gap. But the Japanese have probably already deployed defenses along the western railway line. If we confront them head-on now, wouldn't that be playing right into their hands?"
The middle-aged man at the head of the group pondered for a moment and said, "If going south doesn't work, then we can only go west. If we have to pay a price, then we can only minimize the losses. We received the intelligence relatively early, and many crops have already been harvested and the people have been evacuated. The Japanese must have a problem with logistics. If we can hold out against them in central Hebei for a few more days, they will definitely not be able to figure out our intentions. Then we can break through to the west overnight..."
"Commander, then we need to deploy several units to fight them on the outskirts. That way..."
The commander waved his hand, "We definitely have to fight. If we don't fight a single battle, the Japanese will definitely figure out that we don't intend to hold the central area of Shenxian and Raoyang. Then we will be under even more pressure. We haven't been idle these past two years. We've been training our troops and reorganizing our forces. We'll fight as many battles as we can. The Japanese's goal is to trap us. They don't dare to send a large army at us. Instead, they want to disperse and encircle us. In that case, it's hard to say who will win or lose. However, where and how we fight is a problem. We need to come up with a plan as soon as possible!"
The group gathered around the map and continued their discussion.
The communications officer muttered, "Comrades, at least have a bowl of porridge first, okay?"
"Go get some cornbread, let's eat and talk!"
........................
The First Battalion of the Third Regiment of the Military Region arrived at Shenze. This place was on the outskirts of the core area of the base and was of great importance. Zhang Kedi felt a great responsibility to be stationed here.
He constantly arranged for the soldiers to build simple fortifications, not only leading the work himself but also encouraging everyone.
Chen Youdi followed the group all the way here, and far from being discouraged, he became even more excited.
He took off his tattered cloth shoes, used a needle from a jujube tree to prick the blisters on the soles of his feet, winced in pain, and then chuckled.
Xiao Shuanzi, watching from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. "You have land, why are you carrying water bubbles? What are you laughing at?"
"Brother Shuanzi, when I used to work in the fields, I didn't know how to hold a hoe handle properly. I gripped it too tightly and didn't know how to loosen it, so my hands were covered in blisters. My dad told me that once the blisters turned into calluses, I would know how to farm. Now that I'm going with you to fight the Japanese, if I develop a few more calluses on the soles of my feet, will I know how to fight the Japanese?"
Uncle Luo said from the side, "Fighting the Japanese is an art. Putting aside everything else, you have to know how to use a gun. We have all kinds of guns: the old-fashioned Hanyang rifle, the Gongxian-made bald-head rifle, the Fengtian Type 13, the Type 77 from the south, the Russian-supplied Type 38 rifle, and the Japanese Type 38. In short, there are all kinds."
Chen Youdi shouted, "I want to fire the machine gun!"
"You're not getting a chance to use the machine gun! Alright, come with me and lead the mules to haul stones. We're building fortifications up ahead."
Chen Youdi and Xiao Shuanzi worked very hard and didn't know what it meant to slack off. When carrying stones, they would only take a break when their shoulders ached so much that they couldn't lift them anymore.
Neither of them was stupid; they weren't just physically capable. Chen Youdi even peeled off a large piece of bark and sewed it into a cushion with hemp thread, which he placed on his back shoulder.
As evening fell, Zhang Kedi came over to check and called out to Chen Youdi and Xiao Shuanzi, "You two lads, start practicing your shooting tonight!"
Chen Youdi was overjoyed. "Target practice?!"
Zhang Kedi chuckled and patted him on the back of the head. "Where are you going to get so many bullets for target practice? First, practice holding the gun: standing, kneeling, and prone. You want to practice target practice? You'll have to figure out how to pull the bolt first!"
While units like Zhang Kedi were preparing for the upcoming war, Liu Chengzhi's local unit had already crossed the Shide Railway. They received orders from their superiors to garrison in the Shulu area. If the Japanese began to sweep through the core area of the base, they would choose an opportunity to counterattack and try to inflict casualties on the enemy.
Around June 20th, the Japanese had completely completed the blockade of the Fuyang River area and began to advance northward!
The Japanese advance was also very methodical. On the southern front, Shirataki divided his four battalions into three routes. He led one battalion in the middle to be ready to provide support at any time, while the other three battalions headed straight for Hengshui to cut off the connection between Hengshui and Shulu.
The central line will advance towards Shulu, and before reaching Shulu, the direction of advance will be adjusted to the northeast. This will put great pressure on the southern garrison of the Jizhong base area. If the Japanese troops from Hengshui make a westward detour, the garrison will easily be attacked from both sides, especially since the Japanese firepower is strong and the position will be quickly breached.
The western front bypassed the area between Shulu and Jin County, allowing for both advances to penetrate deep into the marshland and retreats to defend Shirataki Rishiro's command post.
At the same time, the 26th Division also dispatched a battalion to advance from the northwest towards the Wuji and Shenze area.
So why were the Japanese so difficult to defeat, and why did we suffer such heavy casualties? It has to be said that they not only had an advantage in weaponry and equipment, but also had a great advantage in strategy and tactics in many situations.
Operational plans are often constantly revised and improved under the guidance of a strategic ideology. Okamura had a large staff team, dozens of radios, well-trained veterans, and senior commanders trained by the Army University.
This is a formidable enemy!