Not all of these people were lost in the Battle of Xuzhou. The two divisions of the 41st Army that left Sichuan in the previous Battle of Taiyuan also participated, and the losses were not small.
Before the reason could be recovered, they were engaged in the Battle of Xuzhou again, so the losses were even greater.
Of the two divisions and soldiers who originally left Sichuan, only 20 to 30 percent are alive now.
That night, Li Hang rested at the 41st Army's station and found a slightly better room for him.
As for food, we can only make do with it.
Even the brigade commander and division commander may not eat as well as he usually eats.
But because of the shooting down of his plane, things started to ferment.
. . . . . .
"Li Hang, that Chinese devil, died in Xuzhou? Can the news be confirmed?"
On the evening of March 27, Nanjing, the headquarters of the Japanese Central China Dispatch Army.
When he heard the news, Hata Shunroku was a little surprised.
"It's the news from the North China Front. Their pilots saw Li Hang's plane shot down with their own eyes. They should not be able to fake it. Neither Lieutenant General Tokugawa nor General Terauchi would make fun of this matter." Kawabe Shozo explained.
"It's just that the plane was shot down. Where are the people? Have you ever seen them really dead?" Shunroku Hata hesitated for a while and heard other meanings in the words.
"Commander, even if no one is killed, being able to shoot down Li Hang's plane is a good thing for the imperial army, especially for our army." Kawabe Shozo reminded.
Of course Hata Shunroku knew the reason.
Because this time it was an Army plane that shot down the plane piloted by Li Hang. This alone could overwhelm the Navy.
The navy organized many air strikes, and Li Hang participated in many, but the navy failed to shoot down Li Hang's fighter planes.
"You mean to increase publicity?" Shunroku Hata understood.
"It is necessary to increase propaganda in the occupied areas. In addition, leaflets can also be printed and air-dropped to the front lines of the Jinpu Line battlefield and Wuhan, Nanchang, Xuzhou and other places to undermine the morale of the Chinese army." Kawabe Masami thought of an idea .
"This is a good idea. You can give it a try. You should take charge of this matter and find a suitable printing house in Nanjing and Shanghai. We will try to have this matter published in the newspaper and the leaflets printed tomorrow morning." Shunroku Hata thought for a while and agreed. This suggestion.
"Hi!" Hebian Zheng triple nodded.
Seeing that the commander seemed to have more instructions, he did not turn around and leave immediately, but curiously waited for the commander's next inquiry.
"What are the losses of the Provisional Aviation Corps?" Shunroku Hata said and looked at Kawabe Shozo.
"Returning to your Excellency, Commander, it is said that the Provisional Aviation Corps suffered heavy losses.
In the previous air battle, 20 fighters were shot down. Later, they were pursued by the China Aviation Force and more than 10 fighters were damaged in the air and at the airport.
And six new fighter planes were shot down. "Hebian Zhengzo replied,
"Where are the Chinese people?" Hata Shunroku couldn't help but frown.
"The Provisional Aviation Corps said it shot down 15 enemy planes, but according to information obtained by subordinates, there should be no more than 10."
"Is the loss so big? Could it be that the Imperial Air Force couldn't even achieve a one-to-one battle loss against the Chinese who had little industrial capability?
The empire's face has been completely disgraced by the aviation group.
The Navy does it, and so does our Army. "Speaking of this, Shunroku Hata was a little angry.
On the ground and at sea, they are winning steadily. Even if they encounter obstacles, they can quickly defeat the Chinese army.
Moreover, the battle damage ratio of ground troops can generally be one to five, or even more exaggerated.
Compared with the ground forces, the aviation forces are somewhat exhausted.
Hebian Zhengzo was also helpless, "Commander. Although the Chinese people have poor industrial strength, they can get assistance from the Soviets. It is said that a large amount of materials are shipped from Xinjiang every day."
And there is Guangzhou. . . "
"This is indeed a nuisance."
. . . . . .
"The Chinese demon died in the battle? How could it be?"
Hangzhou Cambridge Airport, Japanese Naval Aviation Station.
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was a little surprised when he saw the report in the newspaper early in the morning.
"Really? The Chinese demon died in battle? Who shot it down? So powerful?"
"It seems to be Lu Hang?"
"Baga, can those idiots from the Army shoot down the China Devil's plane? Their Type 95 fighter jets are so poor."
"Li Hang is a pain to our navy. We should take revenge, but he was robbed by the army. Who shot him down?"
"Lieutenant Takeo Kato, who among you has heard of this?"
"I think I've heard of him. He should be one year older than me, but I haven't seen him much, but I haven't heard that he is so powerful."
"Baga, what are you doing? Not going to train?" At this time, a captain came over angrily.
"Your Excellency, Captain, this morning's newspaper stated that China Demon Li Hang's plane was shot down by the Army." Iwamoto Tetsuzo immediately picked up the newspaper and handed it to his commander, Captain Kuroiwa Toshio.
"Nani?" Toshio Kuroiwa picked up the newspaper in surprise. When he saw the content in the newspaper, he frowned slightly, "Can those idiots in the Army shoot down that demon's plane?"
"Could it be the Army's new aircraft? I heard that the Army's Type 97 fighter jet produced by Nakajima Aviation Co., Ltd. has already entered service. It is very similar to our Type 96 carrier-based fighter jet." Tetsuzo Iwamoto thought. One thing, just a reminder.
"Baga, those idiots in the army know how to copy our navy." Kuroiwa Toshio cursed.
The Type 97 fighter and the Type 96 carrier-based fighter are very similar in appearance. Although there are many differences, who knows whether Nakajima copied some of Mitsubishi's designs.
"Heiyan Lord, if Li Hang's plane is really shot down by the Army, wouldn't it prove that we are inferior to the Army's group of red deer?"
"How is that possible? Even if those idiots from the Army Red Deer shot down Li Hang's plane, it was just a coincidence."
Perhaps knowing that his pilots were very interested in this matter, Major General Michutaro Totsuka of the First United Air Force came out to explain.
"Don't argue. Li Hang did not die. He parachuted to escape, and the Army Air Force pilot Kato Takeo who shot down his plane was also shattered. In this matter, our navy is already one step behind. I hope you can do it next." Bring glory to the Navy in air strikes."
"Hi!"
Many people felt a pity when they heard that Li Hang was not dead.
For these naval pilots, Li Hang's existence is a thorn in their hearts that cannot be removed.
However, more people think that Li Hang belongs to their navy. Since the army failed to complete this task, they must rely on their navy.
"Yoshi, since Li Hang is not dead, just wait for me to avenge the navy." Iwamoto Tetsuzo secretly clenched his fists after hearing this, his eyes glowing with different colors.
This group of Japanese pilots knew that Li Hang was not dead, but more Japanese soldiers and Chinese soldiers and civilians did not know.
