Chapter 40: Even the Eighth Route Army Has Been Mobilized!

Toshion Nishimura suggested, "Division Commander, according to intelligence, the main force of the enemy's 14th Group Army has arrived. Should we issue an immediate order to turn back?"

Seishiro Itagaki naturally harbored the same thought. Currently, the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade was already in a state of encirclement, while the main force of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade was still reorganizing in Guo County. Although the distance was not great, reinforcements would inevitably take time to arrive.

In reality, Itagaki preferred to use the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade as bait to annihilate the 358th Regiment and even the Xinkou defenders in an open field engagement. The terrain at Xinkou was easy to defend and difficult to attack; if given a choice, he would much rather fight in the open at Yuanping. However, this required assuming the risk of the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade being surrounded and wiped out.

Just as Itagaki was hesitating, a sudden burst of gunfire and shouts erupted outside the headquarters. His expression changed instantly. "What is going on!"

"Report, Division Commander! A group of Shanxi-Suiyuan Army troops is raiding our headquarters. Please evacuate immediately!"

"Baka! Order the guard company to crush them at once!"

"Hai!"

This group of Shanxi-Suiyuan troops was not a main force, but rather the remnants of the 61st Army that had been scattered earlier. They had stumbled upon the Japanese headquarters by chance. Thinking, "Since we're here anyway," they unleashed a volley of fire. After taking down a few of the enemy, they charged into the village, howling as they went.

Regrettably, shortly after charging into the village, most of these dozen or so soldiers were wiped out by the responding Japanese company. Two soldiers were wounded and lost their combat effectiveness, becoming prisoners of war. After some interrogation, the Japanese, showing a rare moment of "conscience," gave the two soldiers a quick death.

"Report!"

Itagaki’s voice carried a hint of anger. "Enter!"

"Report, Division Commander. After interrogation, these Shanxi-Suiyuan soldiers were remnants of the rout at Tianzhen... It is said they were short of food and water, which is why they intended to raid our army for supplies..."

Itagaki frowned upon hearing this. These stragglers had not yet been rounded up... If they could be utilized, wouldn't it help replenish some of the lost manpower?

"What about the two prisoners?"

The Major reported truthfully, "They were killed."

Itagaki slapped the man across the face. "Baka! Who gave you permission to act on your own authority?"

"My deepest apologies, Division Commander. They were already wounded, and I did not wish to waste medical supplies... so!"

Itagaki scolded him again, "You fool! What was their status?"

"Just ordinary soldiers..."

Upon hearing this, Itagaki stopped fussing and merely waved his hand. "Do not act on your own initiative next time!"

"Hai!"

Colonel Toshion Nishimura, standing beside Itagaki, asked in a low voice, "General, do you intend to recruit these stragglers into the Collaborationist Army?"

Itagaki nodded noncommittally. "There have been precedents in the four northeastern provinces; this could just happen to compensate for our loss in strength. This matter will require careful planning and long-term consideration."

Having originally intended to order the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade to retreat, Itagaki now abandoned the idea. He immediately issued an order: "Order the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 26th Division of the Mongol-Border Cavalry to rush to the aid of Yuanping City!"

"Hai!"

...

During this battle of encirclement, it was not only the Japanese who were deploying urgently; the 14th Group Army was doing the same. Even the various units of the Eighth Route Army operating behind enemy lines had received orders to coordinate with the Battle of Yuanping.

386th Brigade, New First Regiment Headquarters.

Late at night, Li Yunlong was resting, slumped over his desk.

"Ring-ring!"

As the telephone rang, Li Yunlong sprang up as if triggered by a spring and flew to the phone.

"Hello, New First Regiment!"

"Li Yunlong!"

"Oh, Brigade Commander, you haven't rested yet? Is there a combat mission?"

"You guessed right, you rascal. The Commander-in-Chief has issued an order: to coordinate with the main forces of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Central Army at the Xinkou front, the 772nd Regiment and the New First Regiment under my 386th Brigade will undertake the task of harassing the enemy's logistics supply lines. According to intelligence, a supply company of about three hundred men will enter the pass from Yangfangkou in the next two days to supply a portion of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade in the Daniu Dian area. Higher command has ordered our 772nd Regiment and your New First Regiment to execute this ambush. Your unit must move to the Wangdong Village line to set an ambush by 4:00 PM tomorrow. The 772nd Regiment will be deployed along the Bajiao Village line to serve as the main ambush force, while you will be responsible for mopping up any remaining enemy forces that break through."

Li Yunlong frowned, feeling quite puzzled. "Brigade Commander, that's only three hundred-odd Japs. The 772nd Regiment has over two thousand men. What do they need us for?"

"What do you know? The Japs' combat effectiveness is incredibly strong. Even their supply units consist of systematically trained veterans, and they are equipped with heavy weapons like grenade launchers! Moreover, this mission is to coordinate with the main encirclement operation at the Xinkou front; cutting off their logistics supply line is of vital importance. You better take this seriously!"

"What’s this? An encirclement?"

Li Yunlong, seemingly curious, asked, "Does the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army even have the capability to encircle the Japs now?"

"It’s the plan cooked up by Chu Yunfei of the 358th Regiment, the one you dealt with before. Come to think of it, he is my junior from Whampoa; he had excellent grades, and many of our officers were his classmates."

Hearing news of the 358th Regiment, Li Yunlong instinctively felt unconvinced. He questioned, "The 358th Regiment wants to encircle the main force of the Japanese? You're not joking, are you?"

"I don't want to chat nonsense with you. Get ready to execute the mission!"

"Yes!"

Hanging up the phone, Li Yunlong sat back down and opened the only operational map he had. The map was quite sloppy, even crude. If he hadn't asked the local villagers to clarify the situation nearby, he wouldn't even have known where Wangdong Village was. A simple calculation on the map showed the distance was only about twenty kilometers; leaving early tomorrow morning would be fine.

Perhaps because Li Yunlong’s voice was too loud, it woke up Zhong Zhicheng, who was resting in the next room. He walked over, half-dressed in his uniform. "I attended a meeting at the brigade headquarters last time and heard the Brigade Commander talk about Chu Yunfei."

As he buttoned his uniform, Zhong Zhicheng explained, "The rhetoric he used to win us over at the ferry camp previously was actually flawless. Chu Yunfei is indeed the apple of Yan Xishan’s eye. The 358th Regiment is the elite of his personal troops, and their combat effectiveness is extremely fierce. Their Chief of Staff, Fang Ligong, who you met last time, is also a top graduate of the Shanxi Military Academy and has always been known for his resourcefulness."

Li Yunlong raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed.

Zhong Zhicheng chuckled and continued, "They also have an artillery battalion with eight large-caliber guns. These aren't little toys like grenade launchers; a single shell can blast a crater a dozen meters wide!"

Li Yunlong spat. "Damn it, they're rich as hell. With all that, they still need us to help them stage an ambush?"

"It's a Red-Blue cooperation now, united against Japan. Besides, even if you captured those cannons, you wouldn't know how to use them. Assemble the troops; let's head over early to set up the ambush position..."