After daybreak, the battlefield situation in the guerrilla zone gradually became clearer.
The sound of gunfire also completely fell silent as the plane arrived on the battlefield.
Groups of Japanese and puppet troops left their strongholds under the cover of aircraft to investigate the enemy's situation and collect the corpses of Japanese and puppet troops on the battlefield.
Battle losses also began to be collected gradually to the brigade headquarters.
Nakata Yamaro's face was terrifyingly gloomy. Every time the combat staff reported a string of numbers, his face would become gloomier.
"General, all casualties, including those of the Imperial Alliance Army, have been counted." The chief of staff picked up the statistical list and reported bravely.
"read!"
Nakata Yamaro's expression did not change, he was as gloomy as before, and he asked straightforwardly.
Although he only said one word, the anger contained in it was very strong.
The chief of staff felt it, and his already solemn expression became even more ugly at this time.
Take a deep breath, force yourself to calm down, and answer in as calm a tone as possible: "According to statistics, we died in battle last night, 2,049 imperial soldiers were missing, and 219 people lost combat effectiveness with light and heavy guns."
"Among them, the lightly and seriously wounded are mainly distributed in the three strongholds that were attacked."
"Among the 2,049 people who were directly lost, 1,892 corpses were found. The remaining Imperial Army soldiers have no living or dead bodies and are temporarily judged to be missing."
"But we judge that most of these imperial troops were destroyed by artillery shells on the battlefield."
"According to reports from various defense zones, the main force of the garrison in our occupied area not only consists of three reinforced battalions, the strength of which greatly exceeds our estimate, but is also equipped with a large number of heavy mortars and torpedo cannons."
"These heavy weapons are extremely powerful on the field battlefield. As long as they explode at close range, they will definitely be wiped out."
"boom……"
Nakata Yamaro punched the table in front of him, gritted his teeth, and wanted to curse but couldn't.
This loss is too great.
Although more than 10,000 troops were stationed in the entire occupied area, the imperial army only accounted for one-third and less than 5,000 troops.
Losing 40% of the imperial army overnight was definitely a slap in the face for a newly appointed brigade commander, and a very loud slap at that.
"General..."
The chief of staff suddenly spoke, pulling Nakata Yamaro out of his anger, and then showed an expression that was hesitant to speak.
The brigade commander was very familiar with this expression, having seen it on his subordinates' faces more than once in the past few days.
And every time you see it, there will definitely be bad news waiting for you.
From last night to now, he has received a lot of bad news, and this one is not lacking.
He asked with a stern face: "If there is anything else, please report it together!"
The chief of staff no longer hesitated: "General, the direct losses of more than two thousand people were only the casualties of the imperial army last night."
"For more than a month in the past, there were battles every night in the occupied area. Although the scale was small, the casualties of the imperial army were also very small. The losses in a battle could be counted in one slap. Therefore, the brigade headquarters and the commanders of each defense area
Officials have never paid attention to it and have not conducted statistics."
"It wasn't until last night that we realized we were wrong and forgot a word: a little adds up to a lot."
"A few imperial troops were lost in one battle, and the total number in a hundred battles was four to five hundred."
"In more than a month, the number of firefights between garrisons, guerrillas, and garrison troops in various places was obviously more than a hundred times."
"We have not counted these sporadic casualties before."
"It was only when the losses at each stronghold were summarized today that the commanders of each defense area realized something was wrong, and then reported it to the brigade headquarters."
Nakata Yamaro suddenly interrupted: "Bagaya Road, I don't want to listen to this nonsense."
"You just need to tell me how many royal troops we lost during this period."
"Hi!"
The chief of staff responded quickly.
"This sporadic fighting started a month and a half ago. We lost a total of 1,259 imperial troops, with an average loss of thirty imperial troops every night."
"Among all the garrison troops currently in the entire occupied area, the total strength of the imperial army has been reduced sharply to 2,000."
"And the Imperial Alliance Army."
"A month and a half ago we had nearly 10,000 Imperial Army soldiers."
"During the entire guerrilla war and sporadic firefights, we lost a total of more than 1,800 people."
"Last night's battle was confirmed by reconnaissance. The garrison not only dispatched a large number of main troops to sneak into our occupied area secretly, but also dispatched many local troops."
"Because their combat effectiveness was too poor, they did not participate in the attack on the Imperial Army's mobile units."
"But they did not sit idle, but cooperated with the guerrillas and our proactive Imperial Army to fight."
"The twelve mobile troops we attacked last night were all equipped with at least one battalion of the Royal Association Army, and there were even mobile troops to reinforce two battalions of the Royal Association Army."
"More than four thousand Imperial Alliance troops were dispersed into this area in company units to fight the enemy."
"Although those local troops have poor combat effectiveness, they are no match for the Imperial Army. But compared to the Imperial Association Army, especially those that have been newly formed for a month or two, their combat effectiveness is definitely better."
"Up to now, only more than a thousand of the Imperial Alliance troops who participated in the war have returned safely to their respective strongholds after dawn, and all other Imperial Alliance troops have disappeared."
"Reconnaissance troops, intelligence personnel, and aviation troops have found many of their corpses in the fighting area, so we judge that the remaining three thousand Imperial Army troops were either killed by local troops and guerrillas from the garrison regiment, or were captured.
"
"Finally, there are the weapons and ammunition hoarded in each stronghold!"
"After one and a half months of sporadic firefights and the bloody battle last night, the ammunition reserves in each stronghold have been exhausted."
"At least half of the strongholds have used the ammunition prepared by the headquarters for the independent mixed brigade without requesting instructions in order to ensure the combat needs, and a lot of it has been used."
"Plop..."
Nakata Yamaro suddenly slumped in his seat, and the solemn expression on his face was replaced by despair at some point.
He held his head high and stared at the roof with a pair of big, shocked eyes. It took him five minutes to come back to his senses.
Then he shouted with a look of sudden realization.
"I understand, this matter was a conspiracy from the beginning."
"We all underestimated the opponent of the garrison."
From the beginning to the end, it was believed that the garrison regiment sent troops deep into the areas occupied by the imperial army to fight guerrillas for the purpose of training the troops."
"There are certainly reasons for this, but it's just one of them."
"Through guerrilla warfare, we can accumulate small gains into large gains without attracting our attention, and invisibly and slowly consume our troops and ammunition."
"By the time we reacted, there were already large manpower and ammunition gaps in the frontline garrison."
"As for their purpose of training, they have definitely achieved it. Last night's battle is the best proof."
"On the battlefield, others are killing two birds with one stone, but the garrison has killed three birds with one stone for us. It's so... skill..."
Nakata Yamaro almost yelled out these last few words through gritted teeth.
There are three things a new official needs to do before taking office, and only then can he build up his prestige.
As a result, before the three fires were ignited, he was slapped loudly by his opponent.
He was parachuted directly from China and was specifically responsible for military operations against the garrison.
Within the North China Front, his position was very popular, and many people were keeping an eye on him.
If he cannot properly resolve this crisis and the news spreads, he will not only embarrass the family, but also be attacked by many political opponents who are jealous of this position. He will become the laughing stock of the front army, and then he will pack up his bed and leave in despair.
By then, this defeat will always follow him and become a failure in his military career.
You can be sure that when you return to China, you will be completely frozen. Your military career will also end at the position of major general, and there will be no possibility of turning over.
Thinking of this, Nakata Yamaro no longer hesitated, and directly shouted with murderous intent: "Bageya Road, we must avenge this."
"Chief of Staff, order the independent mixed brigade already in place to join the battle immediately, and the staff department will formulate a specific combat plan."
"This occupied area hides the main force of 3,000 garrison troops. We still have more than 7,000 garrison troops. Adding the troops already in place in the independent mixed brigade, the total strength is at least 15,000 people. We will use five times the strength advantage to encircle and annihilate them.
"
"Even if these Eighth Route Army soldiers are walnuts, I will smash them and eat them."
"The intelligence department, as well as our agents lurking in this occupied area, take action immediately."
"Find out the specific location of the main force of the garrison, and then target them."
"As soon as the independent mixed brigade is in place, attack immediately. We must not let them slip away."
"The troops stationed at eight strongholds in the garrison base area and blockade line are also ready to participate in the war."
"When the independent mixed brigade moved, they also took action, rushing into the garrison base and destroying their base."
"Contact the aviation force to increase patrols in the occupied areas. We will attack the enemy directly without asking for instructions when we find it, without giving the Eighth Route Army a chance to assemble and push out of our occupied areas."
Having said this, Nakata Yamaro paused for a moment, then turned into a threatening tone and continued to order.
"Tell all commanders on the front line that we can only win this battle, not lose!"
"Everyone is happy to win. All the officers and soldiers who participated in the war have made meritorious service, and they will definitely be promoted to higher ranks when the time comes."
"If we lose, I, the brigade commander, will definitely become the shortest-lived brigade commander in the empire. I will pack up my bed and leave in despair."
"However, before I leave, everyone will not be much better. I will hold anyone responsible for any problems."
"Even if nothing goes wrong, the joint responsibility for the defeat will definitely not go away."
"So don't think about dawdling, muddle along, or that even if you lose this battle, there will still be a tall man to support you. It has nothing to do with you."
Nakata Yamaro's purpose is obvious. He wants to tie all his more than 10,000 men to his chariot and advance and retreat together.
There is no need for the brigade commander to remind the chief of staff to know the consequences he may face if he loses this battle.
The brigade leader has a background and has the opportunity to pack up and return to the country.
I have no background, no power, and in the end I am probably the one who takes the blame.
When the time comes, having a caesarean section to apologize will definitely be your only way out.