"Report to the general, Captain Kuroki of the reconnaissance team has returned."
In the dim night, a Japanese major stepped into Matsuura Junrokuro's division headquarters in a hurry and reported with excitement.
Division commander Matsuura Junrokuro has been feeling uneasy since the reconnaissance team was dispatched, worried that the enemy situation on the front line of Wutailing would change. If this happened, their plan might come to nothing.
Looking forward to the stars and the moon, the reconnaissance team sent out finally came back. He stood up hurriedly: "Let Heimusang come to see me quickly!"
"Hi Yi!" Major turned around quickly and shouted outside the tent, and soon a dark-skinned, short and stocky middle-aged man came in.
This Japanese captain was wearing a coarse cloth shirt and cloth shoes, his feet covered in mud and dust. He looked like an ordinary Chinese person. Although his face was tired, his pair of sinister little eyes revealed a fierce look.
Not a good one.
"General!"
Captain Kuroki, a Japanese soldier disguised as an ordinary Chinese citizen, stood upright in front of Matsuura Junrokuro and raised his hand in a military salute.
Division commander Matsuura Junrokuro saw the dirty captain and said, "Thank you Kuroki-san for your hard work——"
"I will serve His Majesty the Emperor till my death!" Captain Kuroki replied with firm eyes, not caring about the fatigue of the journey.
Matsuura Junrokuro nodded with satisfaction, and without exchanging pleasantries, he couldn't wait to ask: "How is the investigation going this time?"
Captain Kuroki, who was in charge of the investigation, replied: "As expected by the general, there are no traces of Chinese military activities in the Wutailing area. I have repeatedly confirmed with local villagers that there are no Chinese troops from Wutailing to De'an."
Stationed.”
Captain Kuroki and the others disguised themselves as refugees fleeing the war and successfully obtained the desired information from the local villagers.
"Very good!" After hearing the exact information, Matsuura Junrokuro's face burst into a smile.
"This is a simple map we drew along the way. The villages, rivers, and road conditions along the way have been marked." Captain Kuroki took out a folded simple map from his pocket and handed it to Junroku Matsuura.
Most of the Japanese soldiers have a high school education, and it is easy to draw these simple maps. Therefore, every time they perform a reconnaissance mission, they will mark the key villages, rivers, etc. encountered along the way as required, so that the staff can refer to them when formulating combat plans.
.
"Kuroki-san, please go down and rest first." Junroku Matsuura got the information he wanted, so he didn't keep Captain Kuroki around.
"Hiyi!"
Captain Kuroki and the others had not slept a wink all day and night, and they were exhausted at this moment, so they wisely withdrew from the division headquarters.
Matsuura Junrokuro ordered: "Send a message to the Commander and report the investigation situation. Our department is waiting for further orders."
Soon, the situation of the frontline field investigation was consistent with the intelligence from the reconnaissance aircraft. The commander of the 11th Army, Okamura Neiji, did not hesitate at all. He immediately called back to Matsuura Junrokuro and asked their division to penetrate through the gap in the direction of De'an.
Once they are interspersed in place, they will not only be able to relieve the blockage of the troops on Ruiwu Road, but also be able to surround and eliminate the squadrons of more than 20 divisions on the Wushimen and Nanxun lines. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
After receiving instructions from Commander Okamura Neiji, Junroku Matsuura also actively prepared despite repeated setbacks in frontal attacks.
Because the front line of Wutailing passes through the De'an area, there are rolling mountains along the way. In order to adapt to the surprise attack needs of the troops passing through quickly, Matsuura Junrokuro issued a series of effective orders.
"You quickly mark the march route and be sure to bypass the villages and settlements along the way to achieve the effect of concealed march."
"Hiyi!"
The staff officers quickly became busy and quickly began to plan the march route based on the known information.
"Except for the troops staying in the camp, all personnel will be issued six days of field rations to participate in this operation."
"Each infantryman carried two hundred rounds of ammunition and two grenades. The field artillery unit stayed at the camp, and the mountain artillery and mortar units quickly disassembled the weapons and transported them on mules and horses."
Matsuura Junrokuro knew that in order for this operation to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, the entire division must be lightly armed and simple, otherwise it would be discovered by the squadron due to its slow movement, thus greatly reducing the effectiveness of the plan.
Soon, Junrokuro Matsuura, commander of the 106th Division, held an emergency military meeting of the division, with all officers above the captain's level attending the meeting.
"Everyone, this roundabout operation is related to whether our southern front troops can defeat the China Army and change the battlefield situation. It is also related to the honor of our 106th Division. Please work together to complete this operation and pay tribute to His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Hiyi!"
The officers were all in high spirits, high in fighting spirit, and eager to take part in the action immediately.
Their troops were first severely beaten at the Nanxun Line, and then suffered a bloody head-on collision at Wushimen, leaving them unable to raise their heads in front of the friendly forces and feeling very angry.
"The 136th Brigade is the forward force of the division. Your combat mission is to clear out the China Army troops encountered along the way and clear the way for the follow-up troops."
Although the aircraft detected that the front line of Wutailing was not defended by large-scale Chinese troops, once the troops began to take action, the actions of tens of thousands of people could be concealed for a day or two, but they could not be concealed forever.
When the time comes, the Chinese ** team will definitely discover their intention and will definitely send troops to block the attack. Therefore, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the roundabout operation, Matsuura Junrokuro requires the forward troops to quickly break through the opponent's blocking line once encountering blockage.
"Hey!" Major General Kei Aoki, commander of the 136th Brigade, suddenly stood up and accepted the order.
"I will lead the troops to act in the center, with the 111th Brigade as the third echelon, and then follow up!"
"Are the combat missions of each regiment clear?!" After the order was issued, Matsuura Junrokuro looked around at the officers who were sitting at attention, and said with a serious expression.
"Clear!" the officers all replied neatly, their words were money-making and full of murderous intent.
"Start the operation early tomorrow morning! Go down and prepare!"
Matsuura Junrokuro waved his hand, and the officers filed out and rushed back to their respective units in silence.
It was a sleepless night, and the entire Japanese camp was preparing for an offensive.
At dawn, the troops led by Major General Kei Aoki of the 136th Brigade took the lead in leaving the station, bypassing the Wushimen defense line in front of the Chinese Army, and plunged into the Wutailing area in the southwest.
The second echelon led by Matsuura Junrokuro and the third echelon composed of the 111th Brigade followed closely, and a division of 10,000 people with full strength just got into the mist-filled mountains.
Although the Japs' actions were covert, they had already been discovered by the Chinese troops who were secretly investigating, and they were quickly reported.
"How arrogant! You actually want to flank De'an with one division and surround and eat twenty of my divisions! I don't even think they have such a big appetite!"
After receiving a report that the Japanese were moving to the front line of Wutailing, the commander of the First Corps, General Xue Yue, was shocked but still had doubts, fearing that this was a trick by the Japanese to attack the east and attack the west.
Therefore, on the one hand, General Xue Yue ordered the frontier to closely monitor the Japanese movements, and on the other hand, he quickly mobilized troops to block the gap in the defense line.
But now that he saw that the Japanese really dared to go deep into Wutailing as a single division, he calmed down.