Chapter 58: Friendly Forces Launch a Full-Scale Offensive, Seigo Kasugai Interferes with Itagaki's Deployment!

The answer was undoubtedly no!

After hesitating for a long time, Hitoshi Fushi decided to go to the regimental headquarters in person to report the situation.

"Prepare the warhorses, I am going to the regimental headquarters."

"Hai!"

Hitoshi Fushi decided to make one last effort.

..........

The 358th Regiment.

First Battalion Headquarters.

"Report to the Commander, in this operation, our forces estimate forty soldiers killed, twenty-six wounded, and an estimated sixty enemy soldiers eliminated..."

Chu Yunfei nodded. "Send the severely wounded to the rear for recovery. Do not delay."

"Yes!"

At this moment, there were still five hours until dawn.

Small-scale battles broke out again in the directions of the Second and Fourth Battalions, which quickly ended.

The entire battlefield then fell silent once more.

On the tactical map in Chu Yunfei's mind, apart from the visible troops of Shibuya's regiment from the Fifth Division, there were no traces of Japanese military activity in other areas.

Chu Yunfei simply returned to the regimental headquarters to get some rest.

....

Wutai Mountain region.

Taihuai Town.

115th Division Headquarters.

Division Commander Lin, along with the Chief of Staff and the Political Commissar, synchronized their watches.

He picked up the telephone beside him and issued the order to attack.

A large-scale raiding campaign thus commenced!

The soldiers of the 115th Division pushed down utility poles, severed telephone lines, and blew up bridges.

They dug large pits, set traps, and even planted landmines along the paths the Japanese invaders were bound to take.

Every available tactic was arrayed against the little Japanese devils.

While the 115th Division launched its operations, the 716th Regiment, active along the Yanmen Pass front, under the leadership of Regiment Commander He, launched a night raid on villages garrisoned by two Japanese detachments.

The 386th Brigade of the 129th Division also coordinated with the 115th Division's operations, launching a feigned attack on the outer defense positions around Guoxian County.

For a time, the logistics supply lines of the Fifth Division were turned completely upside down.

Division Chief of Staff Toshio Nishimura, along with other intelligence and operational staff officers, were so busy their scalps went numb.

Reports of attacks, transmitted in various forms via telephone and telegram, poured continuously into the Fifth Division's headquarters.

On the tactical map before Toshio Nishimura, it seemed as though battles were raging everywhere across northern Shanxi.

Everywhere, offenses were being directed against their Fifth Division.

For a moment, even Chief of Staff Toshio Nishimura, with decades of military experience, could not help feeling somewhat nervous.

"Division Commander... Could it be that our forces have already fallen into the enemy's encirclement?"

Seishiro Itagaki shook his head.

Calmly and collectedly, he integrated all the information: "The ones launching the large-scale raids should be the Chinese 115th Division, which previously ambushed our baggage transport team in the Pingxingguan area."

"The troops cooperating with them wear uniforms different from those of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Central Army; they should also be Eighth Route Army troops."

"According to intelligence, their 120th Division is active in northwestern Shanxi, so this force is most likely the 129th Division."

Listening to Seishiro Itagaki's analysis, Toshio Nishimura relaxed considerably.

"Division Commander, according to intelligence from the Home Ministry's Kempeitai, the 129th Division, whether viewed from combat personnel, establishment, or combat effectiveness, is a veritable ragtag army."

Seishiro Itagaki nodded. "Indeed. Against such opponents, if fighting in conventional warfare, our forces would only need two infantry battalions to rout them... But clearly, they refuse to fight us head-on, resorting entirely to sneaky, petty tricks."

"Division Commander..."

Toshio Nishimura frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding in his heart: "Division Commander... this asymmetric warfare model is, for our forces..."

Seishiro Itagaki raised his hand to stop Toshio Nishimura. "I am well aware... However, these are merely minor nuisances; their combat power is insufficient to capture any key strongpoints or county seats occupied by our forces."

"Judging by our current strength, if we do not rout Chu Yunfei's forces in the Yuanping area, our forces will be unable to concentrate power, let alone advance toward the Xinkou front..."

Just as Seishiro Itagaki was about to readjust troop deployments, an operations staff officer rushed in hurriedly.

"Report, Division Commander, emergency situation!"

"Read!"

Seishiro Itagaki had a bad feeling in his heart.

"According to reports, reconnaissance troops of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's 61st Army, Chen Changjie's force, which had previously disappeared, have been discovered in the Ningwu County area..."

"Nani!"

The Ningwu area was located northwest of Guoxian County and had previously been occupied by them.

The forces previously active and fighting in this area were elements of the Eighth Route Army's 120th Division.

The sudden appearance of Chen Changjie forced Seishiro Itagaki to take notice.

Clearly, once Chen Changjie moved toward Yangmingbao Town and Daixian County, not only would the Yangmingbao Airfield be threatened, but the flanks of the main forces of the Fifth Division would also be threatened.

Shibuya's regiment would even face the risk of being encircled by the enemy!

After pondering for a moment, Seishiro Itagaki could not help exclaiming, "Chen Changjie, truly a renowned general of the Shanxi Army. Now that is a real opponent!"

Before he even had time to readjust his deployments, a telegram from First Army Commander Kiyoshi Kazuki arrived at the Fifth Division's headquarters.

Previously, regarding the battle to capture the Xinkou front, Kiyoshi Kazuki had never interfered with Seishiro Itagaki's operational thinking.

As the battle gradually grew tense, especially with the sudden appearance of Chen Changjie's forces, even this renowned "master general" who had studied in France could not help feeling a trace of pressure.

Setting the telegram aside, Seishiro Itagaki issued orders for readjustment: "Order the Independent Mixed 1st Brigade to switch entirely to a defensive posture, hold key nodes, and halt the offensive toward the Baode area."

"In addition, order Shibuya's regiment to break through the enemy's positions no later than noon tomorrow!"

"Hai!"

.................

"Boom~!"

The sound of the explosion awakened Chu Yunfei from his deep sleep.

He quickly rolled over, stood at the observation post, and took the binoculars handed to him by Qian Boyun.

"It's the direction of the forward blocking positions. According to the previous blocking plan, we will abandon the positions after two hours of fighting."

Chu Yunfei immersed his consciousness into the tactical map.

Quickly switching his perspective, he arrived at the front lines.

The forces responsible for blocking here were the Second and Third Companies under the First Battalion.

The Japanese forces were using their old routine.

A force the size of a platoon, after conducting some firepower reconnaissance, immediately called for artillery support to shell the machine gun fire points.

However, the combat experience of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army soldiers was also extremely rich; after firing a magazine, the light machine gunners would immediately change their machine gun positions.

At the same time, the sparsely equipped Shanxi-made Thompsons were also spitting fire serpents.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

"Rat-tat-tat~!"

"Boom!"

For a time, the little Japanese devils of the Fushi Battalion also experienced the pain suffered by their allies.

The attacking Japanese company was unable to effectively allocate its own firepower.

The 90mm mortar shells were exhausted.

And they still could not effectively destroy the defensive fortifications constructed by the soldiers.

At the same time, the blocking positions of the Tenth and Eleventh Companies were also attacked by the Japanese invaders.

The main force of Shibuya's regiment had arrived.

The scale of the battle was growing larger and larger!

At the frontal blocking position, the Third Infantry Battalion Commander, Major Hitoshi Fushi, arrived at the front lines in person to supervise the battle.

Seeing that the attack was still blocked, without hesitation, he immediately requested a telephone connection to the regimental headquarters.

He requested support from the regimental direct-under-command artillery company...