Chapter 323: The Japanese army rebelled again?

"What? A squadron is gone?" Major General Kato Akira, commander of the 8th Independent Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army, shouted in disbelief as he looked at the news sent by his subordinates.

"Yes." The subordinates could only respond reluctantly.

"What on earth was the Murata Battalion doing? A squadron facing a regiment of the Chinese Army? And they were completely wiped out?" The expression on Major General Kato Akira's face was extremely angry.

You should know that his independent brigade is an independent infantry brigade, not an independent mixed brigade.

He had only five independent infantry battalions, which were second-line security forces and were specifically responsible for clearing out guerrillas.

This time we lost an entire squadron, which is very painful.

And it was only half an hour, and it was gone?

This is really outrageous.

You should know that the information given by Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka was that it was the Fourth Army that came to attack Yangcheng this time.

Although the Fourth Army once had the title of Iron Army, that was only in the past.

Now it is just a ragtag army, and after several years of attrition, it has long lost its previous sharpness.

Even though his brigade is a second-line force responsible for public security, its combat effectiveness cannot be shaken by a ragtag army.

This is a squadron.

At the beginning of the war, it was a squadron fighting against an entire regiment.

Now, all of them have been destroyed.

He really couldn't accept this result.

"The other side is fully equipped with American weapons and has very strong firepower. The Murata Battalion can't stop their attack at all." The subordinate explained hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Major General Kato Akira's face turned pale and he continued to look at the telegram.

When he received the tactical guidance, he was a little annoyed that the loser Jiro Murata was beaten by a group of Chinese soldiers and had to ask for help.

As a result, when the word "urgent" was used in the second telegram, his heart sank.

He knew Jiro Murata and knew that he would never use the word "emergency" unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Do you suspect that the enemy is the Central Army in disguise? Is it the Central Army that has been equipped with American weapons?" asked Major General Kato Akira.

Although his infantry brigade is a second-line unit, it has a large number of Type 90 mm light mortars.

The firepower is far beyond that of the ordinary Central Army.

Of course, it cannot be compared with the Central Army after it was refitted.

But it is impossible for such elite troops to appear here.

Could it be that Shancheng has figured it out?

Want to help the Fourth War Zone retake Guangzhou?

If it weren't for this.

It was impossible for one of his squadrons to be destroyed in such a short time.

If this were to get out, wouldn't the 13th Independent Infantry Brigade laugh at him every day?
"Mr. Commander, could it really be the Central Army of the Chinese Army?" asked the chief of staff.

Upon hearing this, Major General Kato Akira shook his head and denied it.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. The central army of Shancheng is thousands of kilometers away from here. There is absolutely no way they can rush here to help."

"Moreover, most of the troops in the Fourth War Zone are ragtag troops. It is impossible for the Central Army to rescue the ragtag troops."

Before the war, these senior Japanese officers had already used their intelligence departments to gain a clear understanding of the military relationships in China, and they also knew about the dirty relationships between their own troops and the miscellaneous troops.

Therefore, they dared to launch wars recklessly because they were sure that the other side would not support them.

In fact, his guess was correct. How could Shancheng send its own troops, which had just been re-equipped, to the Fourth War Zone to help them recapture Yangcheng?

However, this time they met an outlier named Cun Yunsheng, who supported them generously.

That’s why the Fourth War Zone has American equipment.

Otherwise, given Shancheng's stinginess, it would be absolutely impossible for them to replace the uniforms of the ragtag army.

More importantly, the regular troops had also suffered heavy losses at this time, Shancheng had lost its money bag, and the US military aid would not arrive for a while, so it was impossible for the regular troops to help the miscellaneous troops.

Kato Akira does have some understanding of this point.

"But, if it's not the Central Army, then who could it be? I know Murata-kun. Although he has some minor flaws, he is still capable. Even if he is caught off guard by the Chinese army's surprise attack at the beginning, he will be able to defeat the enemy once he reacts." The Japanese Chief of Staff thought for a while and said again.

"I know what you said, but the facts are before us. The Murata Battalion already needs tactical guidance." Major General Kato Akira took a deep breath.

"This is a dereliction of duty by the intelligence department. This matter must be reported to Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka. The intelligence department must be ordered to find out why there are so many American weapons and equipment in the Fourth War Zone."

"But for now, we should send reinforcements as soon as possible. Immediately dispatch a Yoshida Battalion to reinforce us. Also, notify Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka that we need artillery support."

"Hai!"

.........

"Major, the brigade commander said that he has sent a battalion to support us. He has also sent a telegram to the commander, asking him to mobilize artillery support. The brigade commander hopes you can hold on for another hour." The words of the signalman reached Major Jiro Murata's ears, making him so angry that he cursed.

"Baga, one hour?"

"Are you sure you heard it right?"

"When it's daybreak, the planes will be here by then, why would I need reinforcements?"

"And can we last an hour now?"

If the squadron led by Captain Kawamoto had not arrived in time, the position would probably have been lost.

Even so, most of the frontline positions had already been lost.

Now Kawamoto's squadron is fighting with the enemy.

But the Chinese army on the other side had powerful firepower and they were completely defenseless.

As for Li Youquan's Imperial Army, they simply fled halfway and no one knew where they went.

The so-called plan to raid the artillery positions was declared bankrupt.

With such powerful firepower, how can he fight? How can he defend?
One more hour?
In just ten minutes, he lost nearly three hundred people, almost half of a battalion.

If the fighting continues, I'm afraid an entire battalion will be completely wiped out.

"Major, the Chinese attacks are getting more and more fierce. It's difficult to defend this place. Why don't we move temporarily and wait until daybreak to retake the position with the help of planes?" the lieutenant next to him advised.

The Japanese army called their request for help tactical guidance and their retreat a transition. In any case, they had to give themselves a fancy excuse.

They would only ask for help and retreat unless they were really badly beaten.

To be honest, Jiro Murata was indeed a little tempted. If he could hold out until daytime, under the cover of artillery and aircraft, he had absolute confidence that he could recapture the position.

But when he thought of Kato Akira's order, he said with a wry smile.

"No, without the brigade commander's order, if I retreat without permission, I will only commit suicide."

If we retreat and lose our defense line, the morale of the army will be shaken.

Moreover, the brigade commander has said that Yoshida Battalion should be dispatched for support.

If he retreats without permission now, he might not die at the hands of the enemy but at the hands of his own knife.

"What should we do? It's clear we can't last an hour."

"Baga, why are you so timid? As warriors of the empire, we should not be afraid of sacrifice." As he said that, Major Jiro Murata immediately drew out his command knife and shouted loudly.

"Pass on my order. Everyone, get involved in the battle. We must not let the Chinese army break through the position."

"Yes!" Seeing that Major Murata was so determined, they could not persuade him anymore. They could only bite the bullet and join the battlefield to fight the Chinese army to the end.

"Give me the assault!"

"Kill him!"

With the order, the Japanese army also began to go crazy. Since they couldn't retreat, they would kill.

The two sides continued to fight, but it was obvious that the 176th Regiment, which had the firepower, was not afraid of the Japanese army's madness. It still pulled the trigger and shot the Japanese soldiers who rushed in front of them.

Some soldiers who had run out of bullets began throwing grenades.

Browning heavy machine guns and light machine guns provided suppressive fire.

The Japanese army's Type 92 heavy machine guns and crooked lances were hit so hard that they had no power to fight back.

Finally, just when Major Murata was about to despair, the sharp sound of artillery fire was heard from behind.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Mountain artillery and field artillery began to join the battlefield, continuously bombarding the 176th Regiment's attack route.

"Send a telegram to the brigade commander, requesting artillery support."

"Yes."

Tang Lian was not surprised by the Japanese artillery. He had even guessed it long ago. He had been waiting for the Japanese field and mountain artillery to open fire.

This is why he ordered his troops to speed up the attack from the very beginning and try to blend in with the Japanese army.

In that case, their artillery would be afraid of hitting their own personnel and would not fire.

However, unexpectedly, the Japanese artillery level was very high, and the two sides were fighting at a very close distance, sometimes only 50 meters away, but the Japanese artillery was still able to bomb them.

This shows that the Japanese artillery was indeed very powerful.

With this level of skill, even Tang Lian had to give a thumbs up.

"I wish our artillery could reach this level someday."

Zhang Deneng in the rear received Tang Lian’s telegram and asked directly.

"Where is the division's artillery battalion? Can their 105mm howitzers be used in combat?"

It was supposed to be equipped with a 155mm howitzer, but even Cun Yunsheng didn't have many of them.

According to Cun Yunsheng's idea, at least 1,800 doors should be collected. He really couldn't bear to give away those few hundred doors.

"They should still be in the rear. It will take some time to reach the designated location." The combat staff officer beside him immediately gave an answer.

"Too slow. Let them speed up and provide artillery support within half an hour." Zhang Deneng glanced at his watch and spoke.

"Yes."

……

At the Yangcheng Command, Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka frowned deeply as he looked at the telegram sent by Kato Akira.

The Fourth Army equipped with American weapons?

How can this be.

The troops in Yamashiro were re-equipped, which was no secret at all to the senior Japanese generals.

So they have always paid close attention to these elite troops.

According to intelligence, these central troops are still staying in the rear and have not left the mountain city at all.

There would be no support for the Fourth War Zone.

But Kato Akira would never lie.

Because a squadron was gone in a very short time.

This simply didn't exist in the past.

The only explanation is that the Fourth Army really did replace its equipment with American weapons.

"What on earth do those people in Yamashiro want to do?" Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka murmured.

Hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Naoaki Tomita, a senior staff officer standing beside him, spoke up.

"It shouldn't be the American equipment given by Shancheng. According to our understanding, the people in Shancheng are not so generous."

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka nodded subconsciously. According to their understanding, the people in Yamashiro were indeed not so generous.

"Could it be the Sichuan Army?" Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka said uncertainly.

"It is very likely that, apart from Yamacheng, they are the only ones who possess a large amount of American weapons and equipment." Naoaki Tomita thought about it and realized that currently, the only one who could produce a large amount of American weapons and equipment was the Sichuan Army.

"Have they really joined forces?" Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka has not forgotten the previous humiliation. He is now extremely worried. If the Sichuan Army really joins forces with the Fourth War Zone, it will probably be a huge trouble for them.

"Commander, I think we must take the Sichuan Army into consideration. I have studied the Sichuan Army during this period. They are not as weak as we know. On the contrary, they are very strong." Before Tomita Naoaki could finish his words, he got a cold eye from Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka.

Or not very powerful?

Did he lose more than thirty fighter planes?
He still hasn't figured out what the silver-white fighter jet is.

Why is the speed so fast?

"According to my understanding, in addition to more than ten infantry battalions, the Sichuan Army also has an armored regiment and an artillery regiment."

"Especially their armored regiment, which is equipped with all American M3 and M4 tanks. Their performance and firepower far exceed ours. If they join the battle, it will cause us great trouble." Naoaki Tomita continued to analyze.

"At present, the means we have are simply unable to penetrate these tanks."

"Of course, if our air force can gain air superiority, there is still hope."

This sentence made Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka's face a little gloomy, but he was not someone who would not listen to advice.

Instead, he signaled the other person to continue speaking.

"In addition, there is the artillery regiment of the Sichuan Army Corps, which is not the kind of artillery regiment that only has mortars."

"Instead, they are all 155mm howitzers. It is said that there are hundreds of them, which is comparable to our heavy artillery division." As soon as Tomita Naoaki finished speaking, the entire headquarters took a breath of cold air.

If this were to be added, I'm afraid the entire Guangzhou City would be reduced to ruins.

Even Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka couldn't help but change his expression at this moment.

This idiot Kawabe Masamitsu actually made the Sichuan Army powerful?

Those Confederate idiots.

Why hasn't action been taken yet?

In fact, the Southern Army was also wronged.

How do we act?

The Navy did not support it.

How can we fight relying solely on the army?
Moreover, elite troops were also transferred to India.

The newly recruited soldiers had a hard time suppressing the guerrillas.

Still attacking the Sichuan Army?
Isn't this a joke?
While Lieutenant General Nakazono Moritaka was having a headache, Cun Yunsheng on the other side was staring at the map, weighing the pros and cons.

"Sir, what are you looking at?" Meng Fanle asked puzzledly.

"Do you think that if the Japanese 104th Division in Chaozhou rebelled, would the Battle of Yangcheng go more smoothly?" Cun Yunsheng did not answer the other party's question, but asked back.

"What?" Meng Fan was confused. What kind of conspiracy was this?
　I beg you to collect my new book. It’s still in the group leader sequence, but it’s been pushed forward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)