Beiping.
Iron Lion Alley.
Operations Department of the North China Front Army Headquarters.
Okamura Neiji, Tanabe Moritake, Miyano Michichi and other Japanese officers looked at the trumpet-like weapon on the table and fell into deep thought.
This rocket launcher was brought from Taiyuan by a special plane arranged by Yoshio Iwamatsu, and was escorted by a center left.
"Did the Eighth Route Army use this weapon to defeat the reinforced concrete bunkers and gun towers of the Imperial Army?"
Looking at the weapon that looked like a loudspeaker in front of him, Okamura Neji's expression and tone were as confused as Iwamatsu Yoshio's.
"Hi!"
Japanese Zhongzuo lowered his head and reported: "Although it is light in weight and looks simple in structure, according to Yamamoto Daizuo, the power of this weapon is about the same as a 105mm howitzer."
"Yamamoto Daisaku?" Miyano Michichi looked stunned and asked, "Is it Yamamoto Kazuki Daisaku?"
The Japanese Zhongzuo lowered his head and said: "Yes! This weapon was snatched from the Eighth Route Army by Yamamoto Daizuo himself, who led a special agent team."
"Oh?" Okamura Neji was also surprised, "Miyano-kun also knows Yamamoto Daizao?"
Miyano Michichi said: "I met Yamamoto Daizuo at the First Army Headquarters."
"Yamamoto Kazuki Daizuo is a top student at the Imperial Army University. He also went to Germany for further study, specializing in special operations."
"I'm very impressed with what an elite team he has."
"Although Yamamoto Daisaku's several attempts to behead the Eighth Route Army failed, Yamamoto Daizuo was an excellent soldier and was deeply loved by General Shinozuka."
Okamura Neiji nodded. It seemed that Yamamoto Kazuki did have something. Even Iwamatsu Yoshio, Shinozuka Yoshio and Miyano Michichi praised him.
Then, Okamura Neiji looked at the man on the left: "I will arrange a special plane. You will escort this weapon to the mainland and hand it over to the Ordnance Department."
"Hi!" The Japanese Zhong Zuo paused.
Then, Okamura Neiji waved his hand, and several guards walked in and took away the rocket launchers and rocket grenades, and the Japanese left behind followed suit.
After the Japanese guards and the Japanese left, only a few senior Japanese military officials such as Okamura Neiji, Tanabe Moritake and Miyano Michichi were left in the operations hall.
North China Front Army Staff Officer Tanabe Moritake said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the aviation reconnaissance troops have been conducting reconnaissance in northwest Shanxi in the past few days and discovered some new situations."
"What's new?" Okamura Neji asked.
Tanabe Moritake said: "The New First Regiment, the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment of the Northwestern Shanxi Eighth Route Army began to build a large number of positions on the key roads entering the bandit areas."
While speaking, Tanabe Moritake took out some black-and-white photos from his armpit folder and handed them to Okamura Neji.
He just entered the operations hall just to report the matter, but Okamura Neji's eyes had been focused on the rocket launcher sent by the First Army, and he had not had time to report it.
Okamura Neji picked up the photo and looked at it.
These photos were all taken by reconnaissance aircraft at high altitudes, and they look a bit blurry, but you can make out the civil trenches and other fortifications in the photos.
There is no way to let Japanese reconnaissance planes detect the situation in the base area.
Although the new group's anti-aircraft firepower is powerful, it does not have air superiority after all.
However, precisely because of the new regiment's anti-aircraft firepower, the Japanese reconnaissance planes did not dare to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance.
The Japanese reconnaissance planes could only take pictures from a high altitude, so the Japanese only knew that the Eighth Route Army was building fortifications, but did not know the details.
As for Chen Feng's transportation of weapons, ammunition and food to the base area, it was usually done at night, and the Japanese reconnaissance planes did not detect it.
"Li Yunlong also knows how to be afraid?"
A sneer appeared on Okamura Neiji's lips, and his tone was disdainful: "When the imperial army's soldiers press the border, he will know what despair is."
"This is expected." Deputy Chief of Staff Youmo Jingsan said, "The Eighth Route Army could guess that the Imperial Army would launch a retaliatory operation."
Tanabe Shengwu smiled arrogantly and happily: "So what if the Eighth Route Army guessed it, they still can't escape the fate of being wiped out."
Now the North China Front Army has no way to take down Li Yunlong, mainly because of the lack of troops. At present, some of the troops transferred to North China by the Kwantung Army have already boarded the train. Once the troops arrive to stabilize the communication lines, and then transport the combat materials in place, they can completely destroy them. base area.
"But... we can't let these mud-legged people build the fortifications too easily."
Okamura Neiji said in a condensed voice: "Tanabe-kun, immediately send the 66th Flying Squadron that just arrived to Taiyuan and hand it over to the command of Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu. It will be used to disrupt the progress of the Eighth Route Army's defense fortifications. Remember not to make low-altitude dive attacks. , to avoid being shot down by eight-way anti-aircraft weapons.”
The 66th Flying Team is affiliated to the 2nd Flying Group of the Kwantung Army and is a bomber flying team.
It is affiliated with the 6th Flying Regiment along with the 66th Flying Team, the 70th Flying Team and the 32nd Flying Team.
However, the 32nd Flying Group last supported the North China Front in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, and was shot down by the Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft weapons in the Battle of Taiyuan.
This time, in order to deal with the Eighth Route Army in northwest Shanxi, the Japanese army not only mobilized three infantry divisions, but also prepared to mobilize more than a hundred aircraft from the main force of the 2nd Flying Group.
As for why the 66th Flying Squadron was transferred to the command of Yoshio Iwamatsu.
The main reason is that Ning Okamura now has to direct the mopping up operations in central Hebei and has no time to take care of northwest Shanxi.
"Hi!" Tanabe Shengwu lowered his head, turned and left.
After Tanabe Moritake left, Miyano Michichi asked expectantly: "Your Excellency, General, when will the Tiegun raids in the central Hebei region begin?"
"The first phase of the operation has begun, but the main event will have to wait a few more days."
Seeing that Miyano Michichi was impatient, Okamura Neji smiled slightly.
The first stage of the operation was the iron wall encirclement. The main purpose of the operation was to drive the Eighth Route Army and ordinary people to a certain area by Japanese and puppet troops from all directions.
After the Eighth Route Army and the people are driven to a small area, elite troops are sent back and forth to attack until the Eighth Route Army and the people are completely wiped out.
Immediately afterwards, Okamura Neiji added: "At that time, Miyano-kun can take the Hayate armored train and go to the battlefield to observe."
Riding the Hayate armored train will ensure your own safety. Miyano Michichi is in a happy mood: "Thank you, General."
…
New group.
night.
Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, Xing Zhiguo and Wang Dehou were in the outer room of the regiment headquarters.
Everyone frowned, brainstorming strategies to kill Miyano Doichi.
Li Yunlong read the intelligence, data and maps in his hand over and over again.
The map shows all the forces and terrain leading from northwest Shanxi to Baoding. In another atlas, even villages and bandit forces are standardized.
This map alone is of great value, even the little devil's military map is not so detailed.
The method of asking Zhao Gang to snipe Miyano Doichi has been rejected.
The success rate is too low, and it may not be possible to come back.
"Otherwise, we should use the same method as the last time we bombarded Niangziguan. We should arrange mountain cannons in the distance and let the sword squadron accurately shoot Zhuyuan."
"Call long-range artillery to blow up this armored train."
Wang Dehou proposed a way.
He was deeply impressed by the New Regiment's bombardment of Niangziguan. In that battle, Zhao Gang killed Hirata Masahiro, deputy chief of staff of the North China Front, and Muto Akira, commander of the 2nd Guards Division.
At that time, the news reached the headquarters, and almost all the combat staff ruled out the correct answer. Only he guessed that Li Yunlong led the new regiment.
The result was as he expected.
"This is also a way."
Li Yunlong did not raise his head and continued to stare at the map on the table: "Last time we used 26 mountain cannons to blow up Niangziguan and the Japanese armored trains. If we want to conduct a long-range bombardment this time, we will need at least 12 mountain cannons and hundreds of rounds of artillery shells. But... this is a mountain artillery camp. We are 300 kilometers away from Baoding, so it’s not easy to get there."
Although the new regiment is equipped with two caliber howitzers, 105 mm and 150 mm.
The power of the howitzer is much greater than that of the mountain cannon, and it is an excellent choice for bombarding armored trains. However, the howitzer has too high requirements on roads. Many road sections have to pass through the Japanese defense zone and cannot be carried through at all.
Only by dismantling the mountain cannon for transportation can it be possible to bring the mountain cannon over.
But the risk is very high. After all, a team of a mountain artillery battalion has a very large target even if the mountain artillery is dismantled and transported by mules and horses.
Zhao Gang put forward an idea: "If we ask Boss Chen for help, ask him to arrange for a plane to transport mountain artillery and artillery shells to Baoding for airdrop at night. Our artillery troops will go over lightly, set up mountain artillery positions before dawn, and wait for the Japanese armored trains to arrive. , and then fire to kill it."
"Given my relationship with Boss Chen," Li Yunlong said, "If I ask him for help, he shouldn't refuse. Moreover, these mountain cannons will be blown up directly after use. After completing the business, I can ask Boss Chen for reimbursement."
Although the New Regiment now has more than 80 75mm mountain guns, these 12 mountain guns are also the size of a mountain gun battalion.
But then again, even if there is no reimbursement, if these 12 mountain guns can be exchanged for 2 tank battalions, Li Yunlong will naturally be happy.
The one who spoke was Xing Zhiguo, who sounded worried: "This is a long-range artillery strike. Although the artillery fire coverage is very effective, I'm afraid the accuracy cannot be guaranteed."
"What if the previous rounds of shelling failed to blow up the rails and the armored train just ran away?"
"In addition, even if a mountain artillery battalion conducts long-range shelling, there is no guarantee that it will kill Miyano Michichi."
"You can let the Sword Squadron plant explosives on the railway tracks." Wang Dehou said, "When the Japanese armored train comes, blow up the front and rear tracks. This way, the armored train that planted Miyano Michichi cannot escape and can only be destroyed. Our mountain artillery was covered by artillery fire."
Li Yunlong's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this, as if he had caught something.
He picked up the information and read it over and over, studying the Japanese's Type 94 armored train.
Why don't you blow up the armored trains instead of blowing up the railway tracks? Wouldn't that be like taking off your pants and farting, which is unnecessary?
Then, Li Yunlong said in a decisive tone: "No need for mountain cannons. Let's just plant explosives on the railway tracks and blow them up!"
"Burying explosives?"
Everyone looked at Li Yunlong with slightly stunned expressions.
Xing Zhiguo said: "To blow up such a large armored train, I'm afraid it would take at least hundreds of thousands of kilograms of high explosives. The railways are usually patrolled by Japanese troops. Our people don't have that much time to bury explosives. Hundreds of thousands of kilograms of explosives are needed." It’s not easy to bury it on the railroad tracks.”
Zhao Gang and Wang Dehou nodded, both feeling that what Xing Zhiguo said made sense.
"You don't need hundreds or thousands of kilograms of explosives."
Li Yunlong pointed to the photo information on the table and said: "Look, this Type 94 armored train has a total of 8 carriages. That old Japs Miyano Michichi will definitely be in the command carriage. We just need to blow up the command carriage. Although the Japs armored train The sides and top are made of steel plates, but the bottom structure is made of wooden boards, which cannot withstand the shock wave of explosives."
"Still the old method, let the Sword Squadron bury explosives, then use wires to detonate them, blow up the command car and retreat immediately."
Zhao Gang thought carefully and felt that this method was more reliable. His eyes lit up: "Haha, Lao Li, you still have more ideas!"
