Chapter 1038 Okamura Neji: The only chance to make meritorious deeds
Faced with repeated suggestions from his subordinates and Colonel Fujiha, Colonel Oda still did not make an immediate decision.
After all, he is just a captain of the Major Corps.
Not only does he have two infantry regiments of the dissatisfaction formation, but he also has two artillery regiments and two independent heavy artillery brigades. The only one regiment of the dissatisfaction formation is really under his command, and the other units are temporarily under his command.
If an accident happens to them due to his reckless decision, he cannot apologize even if his belly is broken.
Although everyone thought that abandoning the station and breaking out immediately was the best option, Colonel Oda still did not dare to make the final decision on his own.
He turned to the operator and asked, "Your Excellency, Commander, haven't called us back yet?"
"Whether the troops break through the encirclement or not is related to the safety of more than 7,000 imperial troops and the safety of nearly a hundred mountain field guns and heavy artillery. We can only make decisions with the order of the Commander."
Seeing the operator shaking his head, Colonel Oda quickly ordered: "Send another telegram to the former enemy headquarters..."
"The Eighth Route Army not only dispatched a large number of aircraft to bomb our military base, but also dispatched thousands of Eighth Route Army troops to storm our base under the cover of aircraft and artillery."
"The retreating troops suffered heavy casualties, and the artillery troops were unable to launch a counterattack against the Eighth Route Army's attacking troops because of the devastating strikes they suffered from aircraft..."
"We hope that the retreating troops will immediately abandon their base, fight their way out of the Eighth Route Army encirclement, and avoid bombing by enemy aircraft. Please agree with your Excellency, Commander..."
…………
Japanese Army Baoding Garrison Headquarters.
Okamura Neiji was killed by the deputy chief of staff on duty in his sleep.
Before he decided to withdraw his troops, Okamura Neiji had not slept for several nights. He had a pair of dark circles under his eyes and his eyes had turned red. He was so tired that he almost fell asleep on the bed.
After the frontline troops were merged into one place, each retreating force had seven to eight thousand men, and nearly a hundred mountain field guns and heavy artillery to assist them. Their strength was so strong that even if all the remaining troops of the Sixth Army Division were dispatched, they would not be able to do anything to them.
In addition, he has strictly ordered the retreating troops to be on alert and cannot relax their vigilance.
So everyone believed that the frontline mopping up troops would successfully withdraw from the Eighth Route Army base area, and Okamura Neiji was no exception.
Not long after it got dark, I went back to my room to catch up on my sleep.
As a result, something happened to the retreating troops on the front line.
"Your Excellency, Commander, the retreating troops sent another urgent message from Longkou Town."
"They were bombed by at least twenty unknown aircraft. The troops suffered heavy losses. The artillery troops were also unable to provide artillery support to the infantry during the bombing..."
"Moreover, thousands of Eighth Route Army troops suddenly appeared around the Longkou Town garrison."
"We are storming our military base under the cover of mortars and field artillery."
"There are plane bombings overhead, and the Eighth Route Army is besieging the ground..."
"Colonel Oda and Colonel Fujiba jointly sent a telegram requesting instructions: I hope the headquarters will agree to their immediate breakout and retreat...to get rid of the aircraft bombing and the Eighth Route Army's attack, and reduce losses."
Okamura Neji's eyes turned red with anger because of this accident. He clenched his fists, slammed them on the table in front of him, and cursed loudly: "The intelligence department is a bunch of trash."
"After so long of reconnaissance, we still haven't found the newly established flying regiment and airport of the Eighth Route Army."
"The planes that bombed Longkou Town must have come from the Eighth Route Army Flying Group, because no other army in North China had planes."
The frontline troops were being bombed, and if Neji Okamura's decision was made one minute late, hundreds of soldiers might have died in Longkou Town.
Although Okamura Neji was still full of anger, the deputy chief of staff still reminded him: "Commander, please calm down..."
"The top priority now is to help the retreating troops break the situation, reduce their casualties under the siege of the Eighth Route Army, and evacuate as many troops as possible from the Eighth Route Army base area."
"It won't be too late for us to hold the intelligence agencies responsible for their ineffective actions until the battle is over..."
As the commander of the North China Front, Okamura Neiji would certainly not be carried away by anger.
Although he kept cursing, he was very calm in his heart and his brain was working rapidly, thinking of ways to break the situation.
After the deputy chief of staff finished speaking, he frowned and began to give orders: "I agree that they should break out and retreat immediately to get rid of the siege and bombing of the Eighth Route Army and go faster."
"The heavy weapons equipped by the troops can be taken away if they can. If they cannot be taken away, they will be blown up. We must not let them fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army."
"Tell the intelligence department..."
"The sudden dispatch of the Eighth Route Army Flying Group is the best time for them to follow the clues and find the flying group's location."
"I want to know the specific location of the Eighth Route Army Flying Group and the airport before dawn."
"This is their only chance to get away with their crime and make meritorious service."
"If you miss it, don't blame me for sending them to a military court."
"The aviation force is ready to take off immediately."
"The Eighth Route Army Flying Group's first military operation caused us huge losses, and they must be nipped in the bud."
"Otherwise, as they become stronger and stronger, the losses they will cause to the North China Front will definitely become greater and greater."
"Our troops will also face considerable air defense pressure in future operations."
"Send another telegram to the Chief of Staff."
"Ask him to immediately dispatch two squadrons from Peiping Airport to reinforce Yi Zhong."
"We lost a large number of aircraft during the military operation to bomb Yinmagou, and we could only dispatch a dozen or so aircraft to participate in the bombing operation around the battlefield."
"As the darlings of the Eighth Route Army, the airport and the flying regiment must have far more air defense than Yinmagou."
"There are too few aircraft participating in the bombing. Not only will they not be able to complete the bombing mission, they may also get themselves involved."
…………
Japanese Army Regiment Headquarters in Longkou Town.
The long-lost sound of sending and receiving telegraphs finally sounded in the room.
Colonel Oda suddenly became very nervous, fearing that Okamura Neji would not agree to their breakout and retreat.
He walked quickly behind the operator, stared at the operator's right hand which was writing a telegram, and translated each word.
Three minutes later, Colonel Oda quickly flashed a smile on his nervous face and said happily: "Your Excellency, the Commander, agreed that we should break out and retreat."
"Pass my order, and all the troops in the garrison will immediately break out and retreat in groups, rush out of the garrison as quickly as possible, and get rid of the Eighth Route Army's bombing and siege."
"Artillery units and baggage troops must carry all heavy weapons and baggage ammunition that they can take away."
"If you really can't take it away, you must destroy it before you can retreat."
"All the messengers from the headquarters went to give orders..."
"If some troops are scattered during the bombing and cannot find their respective captains, there is no problem in breaking out in squadron units."
"In a word, all the remaining troops stationed in the station must fight their way out of the station in the shortest possible time."
"We also break out and move."
"In order to prevent the headquarters from being taken over by the Eighth Route Army, which would cause thousands of imperial troops to lose their command."
"Fujiye-kun and I split up our forces to break out and retreat. Each of us will lead two infantry squadrons."
"As soon as we get out of the station, we start to gather our troops and move towards Baoding."
