In order to delay the Japanese raids on northwest Shanxi and buy more time for the base area in northwest Shanxi.
Under the orders of the headquarters, the Eighth Route Army of each military region, local armed forces, and the people jointly launched a traffic attack.
The main force and militia of the 129th Division in southeastern Shanxi once again launched an attack on the Zhengtai Railway and the People's Liberation Army.
The main force was responsible for fighting, while the militiamen and civilians were responsible for transporting all the stripped railroad tracks to the Eighth Route Army's steel plant.
The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region launched an attack on Pingsui Road, and the railways and highways were paralyzed.
Li Yunlong also followed the order and sent troops and militia teams from various divisions to launch an attack on the North Tongpu Railway.
The Japs in Datong did not dare to come out to support them at all. Some large strongholds on the railway were removed. A cavalry regiment was dispatched from the direction of Taiyuan along the railway to reinforce them. There was a firefight with the New Regiment. The Japs cavalry was quickly beaten back to Taiyuan. Immediately afterwards, Another cavalry regiment and an infantry brigade were dispatched from the direction of Taiyuan for reinforcements, and then Li Yunlong gave the order to retreat.
However, it was of no use at this time, as the Beitongpu Railway had been severely damaged.
As the Eighth Route Army's artillery firepower became more powerful, it was equipped with infantry artillery, mountain artillery, howitzers, rocket launchers and machine guns.
The masonry strongholds and masonry turrets built by the Japanese along the roads and railways in Shanxi have truly become the coffins of the Japanese and puppet troops.
Unless the Japanese build all the tens of thousands of bunkers and gun towers in North China into thickened reinforced concrete bunkers and gun towers like those of the 36th Division.
But it is a pity that the little devils do not have that many resources. Just building hundreds of thickened bunkers and gun towers in Taiyuan and northwestern Shanxi has already spent all their money.
…
Beiping.
North China Front Army Headquarters.
"Your Excellency, General, Lieutenant General Yansong, commander of the First Army, has sent a summary of intelligence."
At the desk, the communications staff officer held a telegram in his hand, bowed his head to Neji Okamura and reported the report.
"read!"
The expression on Okamura Neji's face did not change at all, but his heart was not as calm as it seemed.
Shortly after the Battle of Northwestern Shanxi ended, the Eighth Route Army began to wreak havoc everywhere again. Railways were ripped off, roads and bridges were blown up, gun towers and bunkers were destroyed, and smoke was everywhere in most of North China.
"Hi!"
The communications staff officer picked up the telegram and read: "In mid-July, the Eighth Route Army organized militiamen and civilians simultaneously launched extremely destructive attacks on the Tongpu Railway, Zhengtai Railway, Baijin Railway, and Pingsui Railway, with a total of 120 kilometers of railway damaged. , a total of 200 kilometers of roads have been damaged, and many bridges and strongholds have been destroyed. Currently, due to the harassment of the Eighth Route Army, emergency repair work cannot be carried out smoothly!"
"In addition, the main force of the Eighth Route Army is still setting up an ambush halfway. Almost every main force of the Eighth Route Army carries heavy firepower such as infantry artillery, mortars, and heavy machine guns. Several supporting troops suffered heavy losses."
"..."
Behind the desk, Okamura Neji's expression did not change at all, but his pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly.
The Eighth Route Army and militiamen were wreaking havoc everywhere, and ordinary people in the base areas were also helping.
Okamura Neji was very angry, and the conscience of those people was greatly broken!
After the Battle of Northwest Shanxi, Okamura Neiji expected that the Eighth Route Army would not sit still and wait for death, but he did not expect the attack to come so quickly.
Now that the strength of the Eighth Route Army has skyrocketed, those brick and stone bunkers and gun towers, as well as the strongholds composed of bunkers and gun towers, can no longer block the Eighth Route Army.
The cage plan formulated and implemented by the previous commander Shun Tada failed completely.
Although the scale of the Eighth Route Army's attack on the Japanese traffic lines was not as large as the Hundred Regiments War, the damage to the traffic lines was not so complete.
But it's not much different. What makes the Japanese more troublesome is that the Eighth Route Army's harassment has continued and will continue.
"I know, get down!"
Okamura Neiji waved his hand, and the communications staff officer put the message on the table, lowered his head with his feet, turned around and walked out.
Then, Okamura Neji turned around and walked to the map, his expression becoming somewhat gloomy.
The railways and roads were so severely damaged that the mobilization of troops and the transportation of supplies would inevitably be affected.
But the impact is not as big as imagined.
The railway cannot be repaired in a short time, but the road is relatively easy to repair. The Class A Division will soon enter the customs. On the one hand, it will send elite troops to protect the road. On the other hand, it can mobilize Japanese cars and mule carts from all over North China to transport to Shanxi. Troops and supplies.
A Category A division is equipped with hundreds of cars and thousands of mule carts, and there is no problem in gathering thousands of cars and thousands of mule carts to transport supplies.
What really annoyed and scared Okamura Neji was the equipment of the Eighth Route Army.
He has received detailed information that the scale of the Eighth Route Army Arsenal in Southeast Shanxi has grown to nearly 10,000 people.
It can even produce infantry guns, artillery shells and bullets on its own, and the output of weapons and ammunition is amazing.
If the Eighth Route Army continues to develop at this rate, in another year or two at most, it is expected that the Eighth Route Army in North China will be capable of large-scale frontal combat with the Japanese army in North China.
In fact, Okamura Neiji's original intention was to mobilize heavy troops to deal with the Eighth Route Army in southeastern Shanxi and destroy the Eighth Route Army's arsenal.
But Li Yunlong in northwest Shanxi was too arrogant. The Army General Staff Headquarters, the base camp of the Japanese army, issued a document to deal with Li Yunlong as soon as possible, and Okamura had no choice but to obey the order.
Okacun snorted in his heart and dealt with Li Yunlong first, and then the Eighth Route Army in southeastern Shanxi.
At this moment, a guard walked in, paused and reported: "General, Lieutenant General Miyano, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, has arrived and is in the reception hall."
"I see."
At that moment, Okamura Neji and the guards went to the reception hall.
When we arrived at the reception hall, we saw the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army drinking tea, and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the North China Front, Yusue Seizo, was there to receive and accompany him throughout the whole process.
That's right, the current Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army is Lieutenant General Miyano Michichi, the former Chief of Staff of the North China Front.
Seeing Okamura Neji walk in, Miyano Michichi quickly stood up and saluted Okamura Neji with a military salute: "Your Excellency, General!"
Okamura Neji returned the military salute: "General Miyano has worked hard all the way."
The two sides exchanged a few words, and soon it was time for dinner. Okamura Neji hosted a banquet in honor of Miyano Michichi, and North China Front Army Headquarters major generals and officers above the rank of colonel were present.
After taking a short break after dinner, Okamura Neiji organized the staff officers to hold a combat meeting in the conference hall, with Miyano Michichi also listening.
Okamura Neji looked at Miyano Michichi and said: "General Miyano, please introduce the three divisions transferred from the Kwantung Army to Kwan."
Miyano Michichi said: "The divisions entering the pass this time are the 10th Division, the 23rd Division, and the 25th Division of the Kwantung Army."
"Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka was the commander of the 10th Division. When the soldiers of the 10th Division heard the news of General Shinozuka's death, they all wanted to avenge Lieutenant General Shinozuka."
"At present, these three divisions are ready to enter the customs and can take the train to enter the customs at any time."
This time the Japanese base camp also spent a lot of money, mobilizing three divisions from the Kwantung Army to deal with the new regiment, and one of the divisions was a Category A division!
Although they had expected it, all the Japanese chiefs of staff looked a little excited when they heard the news coming from the Kwantung Army chief of staff.
Although the total strength of the North China Front Army is more than 10 divisions and independent brigades, with nearly 200,000 troops.
However, the North China Front has to control more than 800,000 square kilometers and a population of about 100 million in North China, and it also has to fight the Chinese army.
In the first two years, the North China Front army was strong, and the North China Front army could still suppress the Chinese army.
However, as the Eighth Route Army grew stronger and severely damaged several divisions of the North China Front Army, the existing strength of the North China Front Army was more than sufficient for defense but insufficient for offense.
The arrival of these three divisions, especially the arrival of the 10th Division in North China, will change the situation and strategic pattern of North China.
The current strength of the Kwantung Army is only more than 10 divisions. After moving three divisions into the Kwantung Army, the pressure on the Kwantung Army will increase. After all, the Soviet Union's military strength in the Far East is still very strong.
Therefore, the Japanese army will mobilize the 2nd Division and the other two second-line divisions from the mainland to fill the vacancies in the Northeast.
After Miyano Michichi finished speaking, he looked at Okamura Neiji and asked: "When will the general prepare to launch a mopping-up operation in northwest Shanxi?"
"The time for the mopping up operation will be in early September." Okamura Neiji pushed up his round glasses.
Miyano Michichi calculated that there is still more than a month left until the beginning of September.
Okamura Neiji pushed up his glasses and said: "I have recently studied a new strategy and am preparing to use it to deal with Li Yunlong and the new group in northwestern Shanxi."
"New tactics?" Miyano Michichi suddenly became interested, "What kind of new tactics?"
Okamura Neiji then said: "This tactic is called Iron Rolling Sweeping. It is a tactic specifically designed by me to target the Eighth Route Bandit Area. First, troops are sent to attack from both wings until the Eighth Route Army is compressed in a narrow strip. The elite and heavy soldiers slowly crush from one end to the other, rolling back and forth, destroying all living creatures in the narrow strip, in order to achieve the tactical purpose of the three lights."
Miyano Michichi took a deep breath and secretly thought that Okamura Neiji was indeed a master tactician, and he was the only one who could come up with such vicious and vicious tactics.
If you want to break this tactic, you can only quickly jump to the enemy's perimeter before the enemy completes the encirclement.
Once the Japanese army completes the encirclement and the elite heavy troops begin to roll in, even the gods will not be able to save them.
Okamura Neiji snorted and said: "The Eighth Route Army recently destroyed part of the railways and roads in Shanxi, causing traffic to be paralyzed. It is just right to test the power of this tactic first."
Miyano Michichi's expression changed and he asked, "How are you going to try, General?"
Okamura Neiji showed a proud look on his face and said: "My public security strengthening campaign has achieved initial results, especially in Hebei Province. The Eighth Route Army's activity area has been compressed. Before the start of the northwest Shanxi campaign, I set the central Hebei area as In the Jizhong Suppression of Communists Experimental Area, the 27th Division, the 110th Division, the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade, and the Imperial Alliance Army troops totaled more than 30,000 people. They have now completed their assembly to carry out an iron roll against the Eighth Route Bandit Area in central Hebei. I’m going to test out the sweep in order to perfect my iron rolling sweep tactics.”
Miyano Michichi said: "Your Excellency, General, I am very interested in your iron gun sweeping tactics. Can I go to the battlefield to observe and learn in person?"
Okamura said in a surprised tone: "Miyano-kun wants to get close to the battlefield to observe?"
"Hi!" Miyano Michichi said, "The anti-Japanese armed activities such as the Anti-Japanese Alliance outside the customs are becoming increasingly rampant. After I learn the tactics of Your Excellency, the general, I can use them to clean up the anti-Japanese armed forces outside the customs and completely eliminate them."
Okamura Neiji felt a little happy when he saw how much Miyano Michichi admired him, and said: "Miyano-kun can naturally go to the battlefield to observe."
Miyano Michichi lowered his head and said in a grateful tone: "Thank you so much, General!"
(End of chapter)
