This problem came not only from the independent regiment, but also from the fierce attack of the 91st regiment, especially the duel with the Type 92 infantry artillery.
Kazuo Takeda's idea was that the Eighth Route Army did not have heavy equipment. Even if it did have heavy equipment such as infantry artillery, it was captured from the Japanese army. There was a serious shortage of artillery shells, so it was not a cause for concern.
In this case, his troops will naturally have an absolute advantage in the artillery battle and cannot lose to these "bandit troops".
However, this is not the case...
The situation of the 91st Regiment was indeed as Kazuo Takeda thought. Although there were two infantry guns, there were only eleven rounds of artillery shells, which was not enough for an artillery battle.
However, there are endless ways to play.
The 91st Regiment did not engage in a conventional artillery battle with the Japanese, but used infantry artillery as bait to draw out the enemy's infantry artillery.
To put it simply, it is to use infantry artillery to fire a few rounds outside the enemy's grenade range to deliberately expose the position.
The Japanese army did not think much and immediately used infantry artillery to fight back in an attempt to destroy the enemy's few long-range firepower.
But soon the Japanese army discovered that they had been fooled...
The Eighth Route Army had already arranged several grenade launchers to ambush them at close range. As soon as the Japanese infantry artillery opened fire, these hidden grenade launchers would follow the direction of the sound and smoke and start shooting at random.
As a result, two of the Japanese's three infantry cannons were knocked off, leaving only one that they dared not use easily.
Because if this door was knocked down again, the Japanese army would have no choice but to watch the enemy's infantry artillery bomb randomly outside the range without the ability to fight back.
Staff officer Harada counted the data and reported to Kazuo Takeda: "Our army's grenades are consumed at an alarming rate. It can only last for one hour if this continues, and the bullets can barely last until dark. In addition, we also need two infantry guns and artillery shells... because
We are not sure how many infantry guns and artillery shells the enemy has in hand. If the enemy's artillery fire cannot be suppressed, the east side may not be able to prevent the enemy from entering the village!"
Takeda Kazuo remained silent.
He knew what would happen if the enemy from the east also entered the village.
The enemies in the east are different from those in the west.
The Eighth Route Army in the west was poorly equipped and had fewer troops. This was one of the reasons why Takeda Kazuo dared to let the enemies in the west enter the village to fight.
Of course, the smoke also forced Takeda to release it.
But it's different in the east. These enemies are well-equipped, have more troops, and their overall quality is obviously better than those in the west... If they are brought in, the Japanese army's living space will be further compressed, and the Eighth Route Army's strength advantage will be
If fully used, Takeda Kazuo and his brigade will soon be submerged in the sea of people of the Eighth Route Army.
Therefore, the west side can be moved in to fight and use grenades to deal with its mine offensive, while the east side must suppress the enemy outside the village, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.
Thinking of this, Takeda Kazuo decisively ordered: "Request airdrop to generate electricity. We need two infantry cannons, fifty rounds of shells, grenades and as many bullets as possible!"
"Yes!" Staff Officer Harada responded and went to send a telegram.
Takeda Kazuo was a little frustrated. He didn't understand why this battle was so difficult. The opponent was not at the same level as the Japanese army in terms of equipment, quality or supplies, and even the military strength was not much different...
In fact, the gap in military strength is still very large: the main force of the Eighth Route Army plus an independent regiment has a total strength of more than 3,000 people, while the Japanese army only has more than 1,000 people, which is about three times the strength comparison.
However, all the Japanese soldiers during this period were very capable, and a threefold strength comparison was considered normal for them.
In particular, Takeda Kazuo had fought against the National Army in the Class A Division before. There were many battles in which a Japanese army group defeated an enemy division, and even a few cavalrymen occupied a city. The equipment of those National Army troops was even better than that of the Eighth Route Army in front of them.
Much more.
This is what Takeda Kazuo cannot figure out.
Why is this happening?
After much deliberation, Takeda Kazuo believes that this may be related to two aspects:
First, the Eighth Route Army has a stronger will to fight and a fighting spirit that is not afraid of death.
The other is that they will use some simple but practical tactics, such as releasing smoke in the direction of the wind, advancing mines layer by layer, and mines modified with bullets... These tactics are difficult for Takeda to adapt to.
.
But no matter what, Takeda Kazuo firmly believes that he will not lose to his opponent.
However, he still cursed in his mind: "Asshole, where is the ninth brigade? They should have appeared long ago!"
What Takeda Kazuo didn't know was that the Japanese Ninth Independent Mixed Brigade responsible for reinforcing him was also in trouble at this time.
The so-called "mixed brigade" is an organization set up by the Japanese army based on combat needs, with a number of approximately 5,000 people.
It is not affiliated with any division, and is mainly designed to adapt to certain special tasks on the battlefield, such as security in occupied areas, guarding and responding to guerrilla operations behind enemy lines...
The characteristic of these tasks is that they do not require too large troops or too much heavy equipment, such as large-caliber artillery, tanks, etc. These equipment are basically ineffective against guerrillas or can be said to be a waste.
However, fighting against guerrillas requires mobility, mine clearance, etc., so combat units such as light artillery, engineers, and even puppet troops who are familiar with the terrain are incorporated as needed.
This determines that mixed brigades are more often used for operations behind enemy lines.
This is actually learned from the German army.
The German army's style of play is that the regular army captures cities and territories in the front, and every time they occupy a place, they throw it to the SS special operations team.
The German army has special operations teams, and the Japanese equivalent is a mixed brigade.
The Germans had the Gestapo, and the Japanese had the Gendarmerie Brigade.
…
The ninth mixed brigade of the Japanese army, codenamed "Yi", was one of the earliest brigades established in China. The commander, Major General Rikishi Shigekawa, was looking at the road ahead with his binoculars.
Behind him are the wounded engineers waiting for treatment... There are a total of 178 people in the engineering team of the 9th Mixed Brigade, and now they are all lying beside the road.
They were all injured by the Eighth Route Army's wooden mines, which were completely undetectable and therefore also known as "engineer killers."
"Your Majesty the Major General!" At this time, the staff officer handed over a telegram and said: "The Lieutenant General's order, he asked us to speed up the march and make sure to arrive at Xue Ququan Village before dark!"
Shigekawa Rikishi did not answer the telegram.
He knew what the order was without looking.
But... on this road covered with mines, we can't reach our destination even if we wait until tomorrow, let alone before dark.
Shigekawa Rikishi slowly retracted the telescope, with a look of thought on his expressionless face.
It didn't take long for Rikishi Shigekawa to make up his mind. He coldly waved to the staff officer. When he came up, Rikishi Shigekawa squeezed out a few words through his teeth: "Go and bring up the Manchukuo Army!"