Shinta Kono could not answer this question, because he was not sure whether the Eighth Route Army had such a plan.
But Shinta Kono is more inclined to deny it.
He replied: "This is unlikely, General! Although it sounds reasonable, we have two brigades at the steel plant. How could the Eighth Route Army occupy the steel plant and put the airport into use in such a short period of time?
?”
Shinta Kono made his judgment based on the fact that the Eighth Route Army fighter planes took off.
Assume that the Eighth Route Army fighter planes stayed in the air for only more than an hour... This is the average flight time of the Mao Xiong fighters. Kono Shinta relied on Hans's intelligence data to make this judgment.
If the Eighth Route Army were to occupy the steel plant and use its airport as a landing point, it would mean that the Eighth Route Army would occupy the steel plant and make all preparations in about an hour.
And this is almost impossible.
Two brigades of imperial troops were stationed in strong fortifications. How many troops did the Eighth Route Army need to do this?
If it were in the past, even if we could pull all the main regiments of the Eighth Route Army forward, we wouldn't be able to do it.
This is not to say that all thirteen main regiments of the Eighth Route Army cannot defeat the two Japanese brigades, but that it is impossible to capture the fortifications stationed by the two brigades within one hour.
Now, although the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness has made great progress, can it improve to this extent?
Kono Shinta couldn't believe it.
Okamura Neji wasn't too sure, he hoped in his heart that this wouldn't happen.
However, just when they were still thinking about this problem, the anxious shouts of the communications soldiers came from the telecommunications room: "Your Excellency, the Eighth Route Army is attacking the airport. Liuyuan Zhongzuo is asking for reinforcements!"
Yanagihara Nakazuo is the airport commander, responsible for the command and operation of the steel plant airport.
Okamura Neiji angrily yelled: "What's going on with Asada? He actually let the Eighth Route Army attack the airport?! Order them to send troops for reinforcements immediately, and they must protect the safety of the airport!"
Okamura Neiji took this order for granted. He thought that the focus of the Eighth Route Army's attack was the airport, so he took it for granted that the two brigades of the steel plant did not use their full strength.
However, after a while, the signal force again heard the voice: "General... Your Excellency, the steel plant has been lost. Asada Zhongzuo cannot contact him. Yanagihara Zhongzuo reports that there are gunshots and explosions everywhere in the steel plant, and there are many more
Imperial soldiers escape from the steel factory!"
"What?" After hearing this information, Okamura Neji and Kono Shinta looked at each other, and they both saw shock in each other's eyes.
"This...how is it possible!" Shinta Kono looked at his pocket watch. It was only half an hour before the airport was attacked. Could it be that the Eighth Route Army could capture the steel plant in half an hour? The steel plant where two brigades were stationed?
Kono Shinta hesitated and said, "Could it be that the information was wrong?"
Okamura Neji looked gloomy and did not answer.
He estimated that this was true, because Asada had not sent a telegram or any news until now.
This shows that the Eighth Route Army captured Asada's headquarters before he could react, preventing him from reporting to his superiors.
If the Eighth Route Army had the ability to do this, then it would be possible for the steel plant to fall within half an hour.
At this time, Okamura Neiji did not know that the Eighth Route Army had repeating rifles. He thought that the Eighth Route Army might have made arrangements in the steel plant before withdrawing, such as digging tunnels around the wall, and at this time they were unaware of the enemy.
He got in and captured the headquarters immediately, causing the imperial army to lose its command, and then attacked the steel plant from both inside and outside.
It is reasonable for Okamura Neji to think this way.
Because digging tunnels is something that the Eighth Route Army often does. On the other hand, if a core can be penetrated into the steel plant from the tunnels, it can indeed plunge the Japanese into chaos and win.
However, even so, they were two large groups of imperial troops.
Moreover, the battle took place at dawn and there was a certain degree of visibility. Under these circumstances, it was impossible for the Eighth Route Army to capture the steel plant in half an hour.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that Okamura Neji truly understood what was going on.
Because while the steel plant was being occupied, the Eighth Route Army was still launching fierce attacks in other directions.
In Wang Xuexin's battle plan, he mainly allocated troops to the independent regiment. In principle, other troops were like the Long March Regiment. Their mission was to follow up the occupation, or to ensure the independent regiment's logistical supply line.
The five battalions of the independent regiment were divided into three parts by Wang Xuexin:
The first part is the 1st and 2nd Battalions. They are responsible for seizing the steel plant and the airport and ensuring the surrounding defenses to prevent enemy ground troops from penetrating into the steel plant defense circle and posing a threat to the airport.
The second part consists of three and four battalions, each leading two regiments of troops to attack to the east... This is to expand the living space for the steel plant and airport.
The occupation of the steel factory airport does not mean that it is not dangerous, because the Japanese only need to move long-range artillery to the front line to easily block the airport with artillery.
This is a big problem.
Because the Japanese long-range artillery can hit more than ten kilometers at a time, and it is a straight-line distance.
This means that the Eighth Route Army must advance at least ten kilometers eastward from the steel plant.
The third part has only one battalion and one main regiment.
The mission of this unit is to fight westward.
Because to the west of the steel plant, there were Japanese troops and artillery that crossed the steel plant and penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Eighth Route Army.
This task is relatively simple, because it is a purposeful attack based on knowing the location of the Japanese artillery positions and the "man-operated missile" base... As long as the Japanese artillery is eliminated, the infantry will not have heavy artillery.
Too likely to threaten the airport.
As soon as the battle in these two directions started, the commander of the imperial army exclaimed:
"How could the Eighth Route Army have such firepower?"
"Did they change any equipment? This can't be the Eighth Route Army!"
"The Eighth Route Army must have received Mao Xiong's equipment. I guess it should be a Bobosha submachine gun!"
…
No wonder the Japanese thought it was a Bobosha submachine gun. The Army could produce such firepower, but even Yingjiang couldn't do it... At this time, Yingjiang was not all equipped with semi-automatic weapons, so of course it couldn't compare with the firepower of a fully automatic rifle.
.
However, after daybreak, the Japanese finally saw clearly in the telescope that it was a new type of rifle that was different from all the firearms they knew.
Okamura Neji's headquarters soon received this information.
"A new rifle?" Shinta Kono asked, "Is it Mao Xiong's technology?"
Neji Okamura asked with a stern face: "Kono-kun, Hansna, have you ever heard of a bear using this kind of rifle?"
Shinta Kono shook his head.
Okamura Neiji took a deep breath and said: "That is not the technology of Mao Xiong, but the technology developed by the Eighth Route Army itself!"