As the commander of the 3,000 reinforcements that went to Shichigen Village to assist the brigade, Ryo Ikeda was actually very depressed.
Unlike Lieutenant Colonel Hatori, an infantry captain who wants to work hard to climb up, Major Ryo Ikeda, who is nearly 40 years old, hopes to finish the war with the Chinese and then return to China safely, support his parents and accompany his wife through this life.
.
To put it bluntly, the captain of the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the 79th Infantry Regiment is a rare "decadent" in the Japanese army. He does not seek merit but seeks no faults. Being ordered to stay at the logistics base is definitely in line with his style.
work.
But I didn't expect that the powerful infantry brigade would fall into a Chinese ambush. Not to mention that it needed reinforcements. Did the captains of the other four infantry brigades all grow up eating shit? I brag every day that an infantry brigade can do it
They were facing off against an infantry division of the Chinese, but now there was only one infantry division ambushing them. Are they scared?
After receiving the order from the division headquarters to lead the infantry brigade and four baggage squadrons for reinforcements, Ikeda Ryo cursed his colleagues who were so awesome all day long. But the scolding continued because he didn't want to fight.
After a military order from the division headquarters, Ikeda Ryo had no choice but to lead his troops on the road no matter how unwilling he was. Moreover, this time, the highest rank of the squadron captains of the four baggage squadrons was no more than captain. He was the only infantry brigade captain with the rank of major, and there were more than 3,100 reinforcements.
He can only be the supreme commander of the team.
Although the Japanese major who did not want to earn much military merit and just wanted to live in peace and quiet was decadent, he could not be said to be a fool, especially the more he wanted to live in peace and security, the more cautious he had to be. As soon as he left Jingxing County, Ryo Ikeda dispatched
An entire infantry squadron serves as the vanguard and is at least six miles ahead of the main force. This is enough to ensure that the Chinese mortars cannot hit the main force.
Not to mention taking the 200-man infantry squadron as the vanguard, and once encountering a dangerous terrain, this person will send a second infantry squadron to climb the mountain ridge to see if there is no danger before ordering the troops to continue advancing. This does not mean that only a few infantry squadrons will be sent.
The kind where a soldier stabs the bushes on the hillside with a bayonet and fires a few shots, and then the whole thing is done without finding anything unusual.
Their caution made the Niu Er Special Forces Team, who had been accompanying them about 500 meters away from them in the forest, gasp in surprise. It was really not easy to defeat these cautious little devils.
Caution can avoid ambushes and sneak attacks, but the corresponding marching speed will be slower. In the first three hours, the 3,000 Japanese troops only walked 20 miles, and the marching speed of 7 miles in an hour was like a snail. Every hour, they marched towards the division.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi almost stared at the location reported by the regiment headquarters when he looked at the map. If he hadn't been holding a magnifying glass, he wouldn't have been able to find the location of the reinforcements he sent out.
As time passed and the longer contact with the 40th Brigade was lost, Kawagishi Bunzaburo's telegram to the reinforcements became more and more intense. Especially three hours ago, the telegram clearly told Major Ryo Ikeda that if he returned,
If he couldn't report the situation of the 40th Infantry Brigade to the division headquarters in three hours, he wouldn't have to go back to the 20th Infantry Division.
An army lieutenant general issued such a military order directly to a major-level officer. You can also imagine the anxiety in the heart of the division commander. The 40th Infantry Brigade is really too important, and the reinforcements are marching too fast.
slow.
There was no other way, Ryo Ikeda had no choice but to issue a military order to speed up the march. In addition to the vanguard squadron continuing to maintain search alert along the way, the large army did not have time to check two steps and take one step as before.
Even so, after letting go of an infantry squadron that advanced ahead of the main force of the Japanese army, when the main force of the Japanese army finally arrived at the forefront observation post, all the officers and soldiers of the 129th Division and the Independent Regiment had to wait a full hour longer than previously expected.
Long.
If it weren't for Liu Lang's secret message from the special team that the Japanese troops would definitely arrive, the two leaders of the 129th Division would have almost thought that the Japanese reinforcements had discovered something was wrong and would not have dared to come.
At this time, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, two hours after the "Dawn" operation had ended and the battlefield had been cleaned. It was less than half the deadline given by His Excellency Bunzaburo Kawagishi of the 20th Division to a certain "Decadent Style" major.
Hours.
"The whole army has stopped advancing." Ikeda Ryo, who had been patrolling the mountains ahead for a long time with a telescope, waved his hand on his tall horse and ordered. There was some hesitation in his eyes, and he looked at the deputy captain who had already bypassed the vanguard of the mountain peak and ran over.
, "Takahashi-kun, what's the news about Lieutenant Cang Yue of the 2nd Infantry Squadron?"
"Your Majesty, Major, there is a river valley ahead, and the terrain is relatively wide. The messengers of the 2nd Infantry Squadron have returned, and Lieutenant Cang Yue has led the entire 2nd Infantry Squadron through. Everything is normal." The deputy captain with the rank of captain replied respectfully.
"Everything is normal?" Ikeda Ryo was not relieved, but became more suspicious, "Baga, this place is getting closer and closer to the battlefield. How could the Chinese not block the deployment of my reinforcements? This is not normal. Order...
"
Just when Ryo Ikeda was about to give an order to another infantry squadron under his command to enter the valley and conduct a detailed search again as before, he heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the mountain road.
The Japanese troops hid on the side of the mountain road to escape.
A Japanese sergeant jumped off his horse and said, "Report to your Excellency, Major, that our 2nd Squadron discovered enemy conditions on the mountain road one mile out of the valley. The Chinese have built positions on both sides of the mountain road. Lieutenant Cang Yue requested tactical guidance."
Hearing that the enemy situation had been discovered, Ikeda's eyes lit up, "Hey? Have you discovered the Chinese army? How many people are there and how are their firepower and equipment?"
"The number should be no less than a thousand, and the firepower of light and heavy machine guns should be no less than ten. Since there has not yet been a large-scale firefight, no heavy equipment such as artillery has been found." Sergeant Cao replied at attention.
"Yo Xi, all the Chinese troops should be besieging our 40th Brigade Imperial Army. They actually used almost two infantry battalions to resist the reinforcements. Moreover, this position is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Chinese commander
He is considered very good." Ryo Ikeda looked at the map and listened to the sergeant's report, but a smile appeared on his face. "Order Lieutenant Cang Yue to quickly seize the commanding heights in front of the Chinese position.
No large-scale exchange of fire with the Chinese is allowed before the main force arrives."
"Hi!" Sergeant jumped on his horse and ran towards the road.
"Major, why are you..." The deputy captain of the infantry brigade standing on one side obviously didn't understand his commander's reaction.
Of course, some of this is similar to the meaning of "Why is the general laughing?" when a general in ancient China laughs.
Since the Tang Dynasty, Japan has been learning from China about cooking, making knives, and dressing. Japan has learned everything it can, so it is only natural for Japan to follow suit.
"Takahashi-kun, if it were you, knowing that your opponent would have strong reinforcements, how many people would you station in a dangerous area to stop them?" Ryo Ikeda looked relaxed and discussed with his deputy.
"If I were the Chinese commander, I would send at least one infantry regiment. Even if all the members died, the battle would still be delayed until the battle on the main battlefield was over." This Japanese captain was also a wonderful man, with a determined expression on his face.
He discussed the battlefield situation with his superiors without caring whether his brigade commander and regiment commander were still in dire straits.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with this. The county magistrate is not as good as taking charge now, and following his own leader closely is what a small captain should do.
"Yo Xi! The Chinese were able to ambush our 40th Infantry Brigade here. Its commander is very bold and excellent, but why did they only send two infantry battalions to block possible reinforcements? That only explains one problem.
, the battle on the main battlefield was fierce, and they could not take down the 6,000 troops of our 40th Infantry Brigade in one bite, resulting in a serious shortage of troops. This fully proves that our Imperial Army is still fighting bravely and is not as critical as imagined."
Ryo Ikeda's face was full of relief, "So, I ordered the 2nd Infantry Squadron to quickly seize the commanding heights before the Chinese blocking position. When my main force arrived, I used infantry artillery and mountain artillery to focus on the fire points on their position. Even if the terrain is
It is beneficial to them, and our army will be able to attack and defeat them. Once the position here is defeated, the siege of the brigade commander and the regiment commander will also be solved. If the Chinese are not so stupid. Do you understand?"
"Hi! Your Majesty, Major, is wise." The Japanese captain had a hint of admiration on his face.
"Order the entire army, with the 1st Infantry Squadron as the first order, the 4th Infantry Squadron at the rear to protect the baggage squadron, and the four squadrons of the baggage company in the middle, to quickly pass through the river valley and reach the battlefield." Ryo Ikeda, who stood up and sat on his tall horse again, gave the order with high spirits.
Military orders.
This battle was not difficult at all. Ever since the 2nd Squadron of the Leading Soldiers discovered the enemy's situation, Ryo Ikeda, who had always been extremely cautious about saving his life, the big rock that had been hanging in his heart since he came out of Jingxing County finally fell to the ground.
He was not afraid of fighting the Chinese, but he was afraid of being ambushed by the Chinese like several other superiors. There were mountains on both sides, and it was easy to shoot down from the mountains. He did not notice the cautious Major Major, and his horses were all gray.
Liu Qiu is not outstanding at all? He is just afraid of being ambushed by the Chinese and used as a target.
"Takahashi-kun, please send a message to the division commander, saying that our army has arrived near Shangling Village. It is still 7 miles away from the place where Major General Yoshio and others were ambushed last month. Although I don't know the specific situation, the sound of artillery is very loud and the battle is going on.
The situation must be extremely urgent, and our army should fight bravely to kill the enemy and save our friendly troops from fire and water."
...
This is definitely a lie with open eyes. The sound of artillery from Baga was very loud? The Japanese captain who had just finished flattering his direct superior officer went to the signal corps with a sad face. He really didn't want to take the blame for lying about military orders!
However, your Majesty Major’s conjecture may be true? The probability is at least 99%!
If more than 6,000 people of the 40th Infantry Brigade were wiped out by the Chinese in six hours, it would be better to say that they can counterattack Jingxing County and Shimen now!
The Japanese captain who was given the command to deceive another superior did not know that in the forest 500 meters away from him, a pair of eyes were staring at him, watching him run towards the signal soldiers who had been protected.