Major General Shibasaki said nothing with a sullen face.
The deputy's analysis was very reasonable, and he told the truth. However, he was unwilling to give up the order to break out and retreat, which meant failure. His first battle with the new regiment ended in failure, and he suffered a loss of troops.
How would Okamura Neiji, who was very fond of me, think of him? What would the division commander who had not yet met him think of him? Would he look down on himself?
This series of reasons and pressure made him hesitate, frowning and lost in thought, not knowing how to answer.
It wasn't until a lieutenant rushed in with panic that he finally made a decision!
"Sir, the artillery is finished. The Eighth Route Army armored forces attacking from the north have just raided our artillery position!"
"The imperial troops of the two mountain artillery brigades were no match for the armored vehicles. They were dying and running away. All the mountain artillery was lost!"
"Sir, the Eighth Route Army attacking from the west seems to have known that this is the headquarters, so they sent out a tank, three armored vehicles, and a company of infantry to attack us directly!" the deputy captain of the guard rushed in and reported.
"The guard troops are resisting desperately, but we have no anti-tank artillery or mountain artillery, so we can only organize suicide squads to launch suicide attacks to blow them up. The troops have suffered heavy losses and they will definitely not be able to hold on for too long!"
The deputy reminded again: "General, we can't wait any longer! Without the rapid-fire artillery squadron and the two mountain artillery brigades, it is almost impossible to turn defeat into victory! Only by breaking through can we survive. The longer we delay here, the more losses we will suffer."
It will get bigger too!”
"Then break out~" Major General Shibasaki finally made his decision.
And the moment these words were spoken, the whole person's strength seemed to be drained out in an instant, and he slumped down on the chair, and his face turned pale.
Seeing this, the deputy immediately ordered: "Contact the division commander in Linfen City immediately. We were attacked by the Eighth Route Army. They dispatched tanks and armored vehicles. The troops suffered heavy losses. We are preparing to break out. Please send troops to respond and maintain radio contact!"
"Order all troops under the brigade to assemble immediately and prepare to break out!"
Then he walked up to Major General Shibasaki and asked: "General, from which direction shall we break out?"
"Although the south side of the station was not attacked, the Eighth Route Army is too cunning. No one can guarantee that they will prepare a pocket formation for us in the south and then kill us!"
"Contact the commander of the Fujino Division, report our situation to him, and let him give us an idea!" Major General Shibasaki, who regained some composure, unexpectedly ordered.
The deputy had an expression of disbelief on his face.
Major General Shibasaki, who had always been particularly arrogant in front of his subordinates, was gone, and was replaced by a Shibasaki who had lost the battle and lost his fighting spirit.
Shibazaki saw the confusion on the chief of staff's face, and then explained.
"Do you know why we lost tonight? And we lost so miserably!"
"We underestimated the enemy too much and did not understand the opponent at all!"
"I originally thought that the more than twenty mountain cannons were the weapon that gave the New Regiment the courage to attack us tonight, and they were the trump card in their hands. But I didn't expect that these mountain cannons were just an appetizer prepared by the New Regiment for us."
"The real trump card is tanks and armored vehicles that we have never thought of, advanced weapons that even the elite government troops are not equipped with!"
"There is also the explosion just now. So many of our troops are actually stationed on a powder keg that can kill us at any time! If this matter spreads, I, Shibazaki, will definitely become a laughing stock in the mouths of all the generals in the empire!"
"I don't know if there is a pocket formation of the Eighth Route Army south of the station. Only the division commanders in Linfen City know. They know the New Regiment and its true strength. They can see the exposed strength and other strength of the New Regiment on the battlefield.
We will mobilize local forces to determine whether there are other troops in the new regiment to prepare pocket formations for us in the south!"
"Contact the division commander now, report our current situation to him, and ask him to determine the direction for our breakout!"
"The general is wise!" the deputy complimented with a look of realization on his face.
Then he replied: "I will send a telegram to Linfen City now and ask for tactical guidance~"
The reinforcements transferred to him by the front army will arrive tomorrow night. Lieutenant General Fujino seems to have seen the scene of the new regiment of the Eighth Route Army being beaten to pieces under his attack!
With this idea in mind, Fujino slept very soundly at night, with a smile on his lips in his sleep.
"Division commander, something happened. Something happened to the mixed brigade that was reinforcing us!" The chief of staff broke into the room and reported without even knocking on the door.
Fujino could tell the urgency of this matter from his voice.
After a while, he sat up from the bed: "The cunning new regiment, the artillery did not miss the only night when the mixed brigade stayed at their base!"
"How is the situation? The mixed brigade alone has more than 8,000 people from the Imperial Army, and it is also equipped with a large number of artillery. Our opponent, the New Regiment, has shown no signs of mobilizing large-scale troops. Therefore, they are under heavy pressure.
The attack by the new group of small troops and guerrillas should not cause any major problems!"
The chief of staff shook his head and replied: "No, division commander, we all made a mistake!"
"The Eighth Route Army attacking the mixed brigade has at least 5,000 troops, and there are also a lot of artillery. I really don't understand where the new regiment can draw so many troops!"
Fujino shook his head and replied: "Even if the new offensive force has 5,000 people and is well-equipped, our mixed brigade is not a vegetarian!"
"Although I have never interacted with Major General Shibasaki, if he is entrusted with such an important task by the Commander, there must be no problem with his commanding ability!"
"I believe that we may not be able to command the mixed brigade to repel the new group's attack. If we don't launch a counterattack, it is possible to severely damage or completely annihilate the Eighth Route Army!"
"Didn't we prepare two brigades? Send a telegram to Major General Shibasaki and ask him if he needs reinforcements. Attack them from both inside and outside to kill the Eighth Route Army attacking them!"
Having said this, Lieutenant General Fujino's face showed a very relaxed and confident expression of victory.
The chief of staff, who finally got a chance to speak, quickly denied: "Division commander, in addition to a large number of infantry and artillery, the new regiment attacking them also has dozens of armored vehicles!"
"Because Major General Shibazaki didn't understand the opponent, he lost a large number of troops because he underestimated the enemy from the beginning, and he also lost artillery and rapid-fire artillery units that could kill armored vehicles!"
"Now the troops have suffered heavy losses. In order to reduce casualties, they have decided to break out. Please help them determine the direction of the breakout, division commander!"
"What?" Lieutenant General Fujino couldn't sit still.
He put on a military coat and rushed to the war room not far away.
As he walked, he asked: "This Major General Shibasaki has not lost his cool yet, very good!"
"Knowing that you don't understand the New Regiment, you're afraid that you'll fall into another trap, so you come directly to ask us about the direction of our breakout, because we know the New Regiment better!"
"If I'm not wrong, he must have sent all the battlefield conditions and report them immediately. The sooner the better!"
"This mixed brigade is our hope to counterattack the new group, and it is also the hope of the Commander of the Front Army. There must be no accidents!"
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