Chapter 1 Commanding the Troops

With the air of someone newly in power, Commander Yamabo Jiro strode into the conference room set up in the headquarters of the Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade.

But as soon as he entered, his expression changed. The only person in the entire room was a Japanese soldier sitting upright, waiting for him.

Seeing him enter, the soldier quickly stood up and reported loudly, "Commander Hyakutai Munefumi of the 4th Cavalry Brigade reporting to Commander Yamabo!"

Yamabo Jiro gestured amiably, "Hyakutai-kun! Sit down! Sit down! Where are the other two brigade commanders?"

Brigade Commander Hyakutai Munefumi was now in an awkward position. He couldn't exactly say that the other two brigade commanders were unconvinced and hadn't arrived yet.

After gathering his thoughts, Brigade Commander Hyakutai Munefumi replied, "Reporting to the Commander, the other two brigade commanders had urgent business and just left. They should be back soon."

Commander Yamabo Jiro remained expressionless and ordered the guards outside, "Go and see! Have the two brigade commanders finished their urgent business yet?"

After issuing the order, he stood in the command post, gazing with interest at the map of Xuzhou hanging on the wall of the 3rd Brigade.

His actions made Hyakutai Munefumi extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't possibly leave at this point; it was just the two of them in the entire operations command center.

His superior was engrossed in the map, not saying a word, while he sat there restless and uneasy. It was an unpleasant situation.

Half an hour later, Brigade Commanders Inoue Munetake and Saito Takeo finally arrived, having kept everyone waiting. They arrived together, seemingly discussing something as they walked.

They appeared very close!

The two brigade commanders entered the operations command center and, seeing Commander Yamabo Jiro, acted as if they had just realized they were late.

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake reported blandly, "Commander Yamabo! I had some urgent business to take care of just now."

"The 4th Brigade also had urgent business to deal with!" Brigade Commander Saito Takeo added, without even addressing him as "Commander."

Seeing that all three brigade commanders had arrived, Commander Yamabo Jiro then ordered the guards who had followed him, "Hang it up!"

The three brigade commanders watched as two guards entered, took down the map of Beiping that had been hanging on the wall, and hung up a map of Xuzhou.

Commander Yamabo Jiro dismissed the guards, instructing them to stand guard outside. He then personally used a pointer to tap Xuzhou on the map and said, "Gentlemen! What is Commander Terauchi Hisaichi's goal in establishing the Xuzhou Task Force?

I imagine you all have your own guesses. Now, I will tell you, but it must be kept secret to avoid causing panic.

Here, 150 li northeast of Xuzhou, is Huangtuling, a small place that can't even be found on the map.

The Fukagawa Battalion of the 10th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade has been surrounded there by guerrillas for three days.

Commander Soratani Shunji of the 10th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade committed suicide to atone for his sins. The entire 10th Brigade sacrificed two infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, one tank company, and two puppet infantry regiments in an attempt to rescue the Fukagawa Battalion.

None of these units survived! The Fukagawa Battalion is now the last organized battalion in the 10th Brigade.

Our first mission is to rescue the Fukagawa Battalion!"

The three brigade commanders listening to his explanation were shocked when they heard that Commander Soratani Shunji had committed suicide.

Upon hearing that Commander Soratani had squandered the entire brigade, they could understand his choice. In such a situation, a brave suicide could leave behind a good reputation. Otherwise, even if he survived, he would face a military court, and his fate would be uncertain.

When they heard that such a powerful task force was being assembled just to rescue people, Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake immediately said, "A small guerrilla force? The 3rd Brigade alone could complete the mission.

There's no need for such a large-scale operation."

Brigade Commander Saito Takeo also wanted to speak, but Commander Yamabo Jiro stopped him with a gesture. He explained gently, "Three days ago, Commander Soratani Shunji thought the same way. Now, he has returned to the embrace of Amaterasu.

Brigade Commander Inoue! How much do you know about the guerrillas surrounding the Fukagawa Battalion?"

Yamabo Jiro was about to give Brigade Commander Inoue a dressing down.

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake sneered, "I don't care who the enemy is or how many there are. My brigade will only advance! Advance! Always advance!

There is no opponent that the 3rd Brigade cannot defeat."

Yamabo Jiro sneered, "Brigade Commander Inoue has unwavering confidence, which is a good thing. But as a commander, especially one who holds the lives of over ten thousand Japanese soldiers in his hands,

Never forget that your rash command could lead to the destruction of thousands of brave warriors.

A mere brigade dares to underestimate the world!

Are you saying that all the commanders and hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers in the North China Area Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army are inferior to your one brigade?

The Battle of Wuhan has been raging until now, and it's still at a stalemate. In Brigade Commander Inoue's opinion, is that because the commanders are incompetent or the soldiers are fighting poorly?"

Inoue Munetake immediately became afraid to answer, stammering, "How can the guerrillas operating in our occupied territories be compared to the National Revolutionary Army fighting on the front lines?"

Yamabo Jiro sneered again, "Does Brigade Commander Inoue never read the Imperial war reports? The myth of the invincible Imperial Army was broken at Pingxingguan.

Was that myth broken by a frontal assault?

The guerrillas currently surrounding the Fukagawa Battalion have already occupied more than twenty counties in the southern Shandong region.

We don't know how many troops they have, or even how many people live in those twenty-plus counties they occupy.

We know nothing about them, except for one thing: they are quite strong in combat and are related to the Special Operations Brigade stationed in Jurong."

Inoue Munetake was still putting up a last-ditch struggle: "Our intelligence network is spread all over the place. The information they gather can be analyzed to determine the strength of this guerrilla army.

We have so many sympathizers in the upper echelons of the National Revolutionary Army. Just asking them will reveal the strength of this guerrilla force."

Yamabo Jiro sneered once more, "The intelligence that those local informants can gather is only fragmented and superficial, and it's useless for our analysis.

Even the top brass of the National Revolutionary Army are not clear about the size and equipment of this guerrilla force. The information that they are related to the Special Operations Brigade was leaked by our people in the upper echelons of the National Revolutionary Army."

This time, Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake remained silent. Brigade Commander Saito Takeo had long since dared to say a word. In any case, Yamabo Jiro had taken office with the orders of the North China Area Army, and those brigade commanders had no choice but to obey.

Seeing that Inoue Munetake had surrendered, Yamabo Jiro continued, "Commander Terauchi Hisaichi has ordered us: starting now, to rescue the trapped Fukagawa Battalion in Huangtuling within five days;

To sweep all the guerrilla bases in southern Shandong within a month;

And to recover all the occupied areas of the Jiangbei Imperial Army, including Hefei, Tianjia'an, Liu'an, Huoshan, Tongcheng, Lushan, Chaohu, and Qianshan, within two months.

Gentlemen! Our mission is very important, as it concerns the Empire's rule and long-term stability in the occupied areas of Jiangbei.

Now, everyone, look at the map. How are we going to complete the first task?"

This time, Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake did not argue. He pointed to the map and asked seriously, "Commander! We have only occupied the areas around Xuzhou for less than six months. How have all these areas been occupied by guerrillas?

Liu'an, Huoshan, and Hefei are strategic locations, the lifeline of the Second Army Group. How did the Special Operations Brigade occupy them as well?

The situation on the front lines isn't as good as the newspapers are making it out to be?"

Yamabo Jiro was pleased that he was addressed as "Commander." "The news in the newspapers is for propaganda purposes.

The actual situation on the battlefield sometimes needs to be processed and embellished, otherwise it will easily cause unrest among the people.

The content of our conversation here today must not be leaked in the slightest.

Commander Terauchi Hisaichi has ordered us to concentrate our forces and be prepared for guerrilla attacks at any time. Da Feng Novel

The Commander has more information and can remind us in this way, indicating that those guerrillas have the power to threaten us.

At the very least, the 10th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade has proven that the enemy has the strength to wipe out an infantry battalion."

Hearing this, the three brigade commanders had their own thoughts. Inoue Munetake thought: The 10th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade only cared about making money in Xuzhou and neglected training. That's the only reason it could be wiped out by a guerrilla force.

Saito Takeo's thoughts were similar to Inoue's. He didn't believe that his infantry battalion could be defeated by a guerrilla force.

They had both witnessed and heard about the combat power of the National Revolutionary Army's elite troops: an Imperial infantry battalion could defeat an entire formal NRA army group of forty or fifty thousand men.

If they wanted to avoid being wiped out by the guerrillas, each unit would have to operate at the regimental level.

His brigade only had two regiments. If they operated at that level, the area they could cover would be much smaller.

If the war was fought that way, it would greatly increase the time it took to complete the mission.

Hearing the news that Commander Yamabo had revealed, Brigade Commander Hyakutai Munefumi had already made up his mind: his brigade must be used as a whole and never separated again.

Inside the operations command center, the four Japanese officers discussed how to rescue the Fukagawa Battalion trapped on Huangtuling.

The commander of the trapped Fukagawa Battalion received a telegram from the Xuzhou Task Force, instructing them to hold out for another five days.

On the first day of their entrapment, the Japanese soldiers of the Fukagawa Battalion were still killing chickens and slaughtering sheep on the mountain, living a life of leisure.

They killed all the pigs on the mountain that day. At the time, these Japanese soldiers believed that the rescue team from Xuzhou would be able to rescue them the next day.

Therefore, they had no intention of holding out for long, and they ate and drank their fill, indulging in feasting.

The next day, the rescue team did not arrive. The Japanese soldiers, aside from sending out some forward sentries, continued to eat and drink.

On the third day, all they could eat was the food in the mountain fortress. All the meat, vegetables, and alcohol had been consumed.

They had been eating this kind of food for two days now, and now they heard that they had to hold out for another five days. The Fukagawa Battalion Commander's head suddenly grew bigger.

He quickly inquired about the 10th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade. Weren't two infantry battalions sent by his brigade commander coming to rescue them?

He learned the current situation from the received messages. The Fukagawa Battalion Commander suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. The reinforcements were actually coming from Beiping.

Would they arrive in time?

He now understood why the troops surrounding them had not launched an attack all these days.

It turned out that they were using his unit as bait to hook the rescue teams that came to their aid.

When would his bait no longer be tempting? When no Japanese soldiers came to rescue them, it would be the time for the entire battalion to be destroyed.

But now: the North China Area Army was forming a task force in Beiping. If the opposing troops didn't know this information, they would probably attack Huangtuling immediately.

Thinking of this, the Fukagawa Battalion Commander felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't let this happen. He had to save himself.

As he racked his brains for a solution, he consoled himself: he was doing this to save the lives of more than seven hundred Japanese soldiers in the entire battalion, and whatever he did was right.

Whatever he did was right: the enemy didn't know that Beiping had already formed a task force to rescue them.

Then he should proactively tell the troops surrounding him this information. But if the enemy believed this information,

And were afraid of not being able to defeat the reinforcements, and immediately began to attack.

Wasn't he just courting death? The Fukagawa Battalion Commander was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.

He had no choice but to call his company commanders together to brainstorm.

The four surviving company commanders of the entire battalion were stunned when they heard that the reinforcements were far away in Beiping and would need five days to rescue them.

These days, they had been hoping that the fully mechanized infantry battalion that had set out the day before yesterday would arrive.

That was the elite of the 10th Brigade. Although they had traveled for two days and had not yet arrived on a road that was less than 200 li, these company commanders still held a glimmer of hope that a miracle would happen.

Commander Yamabo's telegram completely dispelled their last bit of hope, and the company commanders' expressions immediately darkened.

They didn't care much about the question that the Fukagawa Battalion Commander had raised. In the opinion of these companies: five days! In five days, their corpses would already be maggot-ridden.

There was no point in discussing this now!

"Battalion Commander! We should break out!" Company Commander Hatada Shichiro suggested loudly.

His suggestion was immediately supported by the other three company commanders. The Fukagawa Battalion Commander sighed, "If you had just opened your eyes and looked down the mountain, you wouldn't have made the suggestion to break out."

What he said was true. The South Shandong Detachment now had a main regiment and a security regiment down the mountain. The two regiments were just digging trenches every day.

For three days, the entire Huangtuling had been dug into a defensive ditch by the soldiers of the two regiments. How could they break out in this situation?

The four company commanders fell silent. It wasn't that they hadn't seen it, but the thought of having to hold out for five days was too difficult for them.

The Fukagawa Battalion Commander analyzed, "This army clearly wants to surround us and strike at the rescue teams that come to our aid.

As long as there are still reinforcements coming, they won't attack in earnest. Isn't that what the past few days have proven?

It's clear that they have plenty of troops and supplies, but they haven't attacked. They've just been sending people to snipe at us all these days.

If we want to continue to hold out for five days, we just need to let them know that we still have value, that there is still an army in Beiping heading here.

As long as they know that the army in Beiping is coming to rescue us, there will be no problem in holding out for another five days.

There is enough food on Huangtuling to last for three months, and there is also a water source. There is no problem in holding out for a few more days."

"But we're out of vegetables!" Company Commander Takahashi weakly reminded.

"That's a detail that can be ignored. In this situation, the most important thing is to be able to live." The Fukagawa Battalion Commander said loudly.

"In that case, we can write the news of the Beiping reinforcements on paper and let them blow down the mountain with the wind." Company Commander Nakamura suggested with an open mind.

"Three brigade's worth of troops is too much, it will scare them. Just say that two infantry battalions have set out from Beiping to rescue us.

That's not a lot of troops. They have experience in wiping out two infantry battalions in front of them. The troops down the mountain won't be afraid." Company Commander Yamashita also offered his opinion.

"Great! Great! The Great Villa is great!" The company commanders and the Fukagawa Battalion Commander said in unison.

They immediately adopted this suggestion. The Fukagawa Battalion Commander strictly ordered the company commanders not to reveal the news that the reinforcements were delayed.

The newly formed Xuzhou Task Force of the Japanese army was still continuing its first military meeting in Beiping.

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake proposed, "The 4th Cavalry Brigade travels much faster than the infantry. We can let the cavalry go first.

A brigade of cavalry is enough to rescue the Fukagawa Battalion on Huangtuling."

This proposal was very feasible. Even Commander Yamabo Jiro, who wanted to be cautious, felt that this plan was good.

Brigade Commander Hyakutai Munefumi righteously refused this plan, "Commander! Although the cavalry is as swift as the wind, the army in southern Shandong has annihilated a cavalry battalion before.

I'm afraid that my brigade will be overwhelmed! Moreover, the speed of the infantry is similar to that of the cavalry on a long march.

In order to ensure the physical strength of the horses, we will not travel too long each day. Short bursts are followed by long periods of rest."

Yamabo Jiro looked at this brigade commander who was most obedient to him and decided to give him a helping hand.

So he said to Inoue Munetake, "The 3rd Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade and the 4th Cavalry Brigade will move together and advance towards Huangtuling at the same time."

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake had no objection to this. He just said lightly, "Is the transportation keeping up?"

Ah! Transportation is a big problem. The 4th Cavalry Brigade alone has more than 6,000 Japanese soldiers, plus the baggage train transporting horse feed.

There are 10,000 horses and more than 8,000 Japanese soldiers. How many carriages would so many people need, and how many trains would have to be arranged?

If you add the more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers of the 3rd Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade, the supporting weapons and equipment, and the baggage train carrying the baggage, the number exceeds 15,000.

Thinking of this, Yamabo Jiro suddenly felt that the most important thing now was still the railway.

He couldn't waste any more time here! Yamabo Jiro stood up, "The 3rd Independent Infantry Brigade will depart first and head to Xuzhou;

The 4th Infantry Brigade will depart afterwards and head to Xuzhou;

The 4th Cavalry Brigade will depart last, still to Xuzhou.

After you arrive in Xuzhou, gather your troops and be ready to strike Huangtuling at any time."

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake asked, "When will we depart?"

"Be prepared and depart at any time!" Commander Yamabo Jiro didn't know if the railway had been contacted yet.

He decided that he had to personally station himself at the train station. One thing Yamabo Jiro was very clear about was that there were many high-ranking Imperial officials in Beiping, and the railway transportation was being fiercely controlled by various families.

Even if the military situation on the front lines was urgent, many freights had to be guaranteed.

At this time, he realized that he was too careless to give himself five days. He should have spent five days rescuing the Fukagawa Battalion after arriving in Xuzhou.

Commander Yamabo Jiro was in the dispatching office of Beiping Station, watching the dispatcher nervously arrange the trains entering and leaving the station.

Regarding his request to transport 50,000 troops from Beiping to Xuzhou at the same time, the dispatcher only said coldly, "With so many troops, it will take at least ten days to get them from Beiping to Xuzhou."

Ten days! The enthusiasm that Yamabo Jiro had just had when he became commander was poured cold water on. The troops would not have gathered in ten days, and he would not be able to become the commander of this task force.

Yamabo Jiro was furious. He roared, "The battle on the front line is tight, and the warriors are waiting eagerly. You're telling me that these 50,000 troops will not be able to arrive for ten days. Are you trying to aid the enemy?"

"Don't try to scare me! This is the train manifest for the past month. It is precisely because the battle on the front line is urgent that 50 special trains can be arranged for you military in ten days.

Do you know how many trains transporting ammunition and supplies to the front line have to be stopped to provide five special trains every day?

Do you know how much less ore will be transported from the Empire's factories and mines in the northeast by providing five special trains every day?

We are providing you with five special trains every day at the cost of huge economic losses. Take it or leave it.

The first special train will depart at 3:00 a.m. tomorrow. The subsequent special trains need to be adjusted temporarily."

Commander Yamabo Jiro's arrogance was immediately suppressed. He asked stubbornly, "Can't you arrange 50 special trains in one day to transport all my 50,000 troops over there?"

The dispatcher laughed arrogantly, "No one can send 50,000 troops thousands of miles away in one day.

If that could really be done, the Imperial Army would have been invincible long ago.

The Imperial Army was still thousands of miles away yesterday, and it has already appeared on the battlefield today.

It can increase the troops on the battlefield by 50,000 in one day. Who can withstand that?"

It could not be seen, that he was still a military strategist, and even knew the saying that speed is essential in war.

Yamabo Jiro had no choice but to accept reality. He could only return to the 3rd Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade and order Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake, "The first special train will depart at 3:00 a.m. There are 25 carriages.

There will only be a total of five special trains tomorrow. Immediately arrange the personnel and equipment for departure."

Brigade Commander Inoue Munetake immediately began to get busy. With 25 carriages, he planned to send two infantry battalions first, along with their equipment.

As for the supplies for these two infantry battalions, the Japanese soldiers could only carry some with them.

The Asou Akito Battalion and the Sakai Yuto Battalion were the strongest in the 3rd Brigade, and they were arranged to depart in the first batch.

Because the special train transported so many Japanese soldiers at once, not much equipment could be loaded. According to orders, the Japanese soldiers of the two battalions all carried two base ammunition.

They were getting ready for the next battle.