The entire two armies of the 108th Division were harassed by the hateful "little mosquitoes" in a non-stop and almost stubborn manner for three days.
I originally thought that the 'dysentery' symptoms that lasted for a day or two would improve after taking the medicine, but the effect may be there, but not much.
And later on, even the lowest-level Japanese infantrymen thought that the reason why those unlucky ones with diarrhea didn't have much diarrhea was because their intestines had been emptied, and it was definitely not because any medicine had taken effect.
The poisonous power of this unknown fruit produced in the Taihang Mountains and used for laxatives can be proved by the later battle reports of the 108th Division.
Due to this sudden 'dysentery' attack on the 20,000-strong army of the 108th Division, 1,200 packhorses had to be killed because they were extremely weak and still unable to walk normally during the final evacuation. Horses can be killed, but people cannot be shot.
In the end, nearly a thousand people were lying on stretchers and being carried out of the vast mountains by manpower. Half of these soldiers, commonly known as "critically ill" patients, were ordered to retire from active service that year because their intestinal function was permanently damaged.
, the food is slightly cold, and it is normal to have diarrhea every three minutes.
In addition, more than a thousand Japanese infantrymen suffered from psychological abnormalities, which were manifested by their faces turning pale and their bodies shaking uncontrollably when they smelled the stench.
In their original words: When you are conscious, your limbs are sound and you can control yourself, but you cannot control your anus, whether you are lying down, sitting or lying on your stomach, you can only let the uncontrollable waves
Do you know how broken your heart is when the heat is all over your crotch and the stench fills the sky, and when the people around you, even your colleagues who are usually as close as brothers, look at you with disgust?
The Japanese soldiers may be cruel, but they also need dignity in front of their compatriots, but the Chinese used an unknown poison to trample their dignity into dust in front of their compatriots.
No matter how they clean up afterwards, the stench seems to never get rid of, and the feeling that their buttocks, thighs, and even heels are covered in feces will last a lifetime.
So much so that the Japanese troops of the 108th Division surrendered after being captured in future battles at a much higher rate than other divisions. The main reason was that they were threatened to be thrown into the cesspit. It was such a terrifying feeling that they no longer wanted to repeat it.
Okay, compared to that, forget about the honor of the Imperial Japanese Army!
It may be simpler and more direct to use the definition of a certain regiment leader after learning about this matter: "Look, the so-called honor of the Imperial Japanese Army is worse than a piece of shit!"
That's not it. Lack of sleep for three consecutive days completely destroyed the morale of the infantrymen of the 108th Division. Many soldiers wrote letters home expressing their boredom and dissatisfaction with this battle.
The 108th Division, which originally planned to pass through the mountains to join the Second Mixed Brigade 40 kilometers away for a decisive battle with the Chinese, fought two infantry regiments of the Chinese army at a mountain pass 20 kilometers away from Wuxiang and lost nearly a thousand people.
Finally, he made an incredible but sensible decision.
With the approval of Xia Xiong Yuan, the 108th Division, which had lost only more than a thousand men and more than a thousand pack horses, was about to withdraw, commonly known as running away.
But Xiong Yuan was not ordered by Xia Jiba. According to the battle plan of the Front Army Headquarters, the combat mission of the 108th Division is to invade Yushe and Wuxiang, sweep the core of the Eightyth Army's garrison, and execute the "Three Lights"
policy', destroying all the people, villages, and materials in the area.
Now, the 108th Division has stayed in Yushe, Wuxiang and other places for more than five days, burning more than 70 villages and 15 mountains and forests in total.
Because no one could be found, and in order to prepare for a sneak attack by the Chinese at night, Major General Nakano Kosan of the 25th Infantry Brigade personally ordered the mountainous areas around the camp to be burned.
Unfortunately, the mountains in some areas of the Taihang Mountains are not small, but the vegetation is not that dense, and it is May now, and the shrubs and trees are green. After all, this man-made wildfire did not really burn much, basically
A few pieces were symbolically burnt black.
However, there is no battle merit to write about, so the 108th Division can only include it in the battle report.
What this means is that our division's combat mission has been completed.
Moreover, the 108th Division only carried seven days' worth of baggage. The original plan of obtaining supplies through fighting was completely in vain after the Chinese retreated like moving houses. There was poison in the water that caused dysentery, and there was a shortage of food. The 108th Division
Is there any reason for the group not to run away?
If you don't run away, why don't you wait for the Chinese to calm down and surround them?
But to be honest, not many people know that the real reason that prompted Xiong Yuan to make up his mind to run away with the entire division was that the two infantry regiments working hard in the two infantry regiments of the Yamaguchi and 108th Division turned out to be the 921st Division of the 80th Group Army.
In addition to the strong firepower of the Chinese who harassed the 108th Division for three consecutive days, there was also a shadow of the Four Lines Regiment in their tactics.
Thinking of these two old rivals, Xia Xiong Yuan felt something bad.
The Si Xing Regiment has not appeared since the beginning of the war, and even senior spies lurking in China's Second Theater Command do not know where the regiment has been mobilized.
What do they want to do by harassing them so hard? Moreover, the 80th Army is gathering its main force to fight the 16th Division. Why do two infantry regiments suddenly appear here?
A fierce battle was going on over there with the Second Mixed Brigade. More than 20,000 Chinese troops and 10,000 imperial elites were fighting inextricably. It was said that in just four days, both sides suffered close to 3,000 casualties.
The bloody battlefield caused the usually proud Major General Yamashita to leapfrog the Telecommunications Army Headquarters and request sufficient air support.
On a battlefield covering an area of 3 square kilometers, the Japanese North China Front Army Aviation launched nearly a hundred bomber sorties and dropped more than 60 tons of bombs.
This may not be worth mentioning for the density of hundreds of fighter planes on the Western battlefield, but for the Chinese battlefield, it is extremely rare. Even the 16th Division has not received such strong air support.
However, the more lively the fight in the second mixed brigade became, the more guilty Xiong Yuan felt.
All this seems to indicate that the Chinese have some bad ideas about their 108th Division.
For example, making an attack in the east and attacking in the west?
Therefore, two sleepy-eyed infantry regiments mustered up their last strength to attack the defense line where more than 5,000 Chinese soldiers were deployed. After being frustrated, Xia Xiong Yuan decisively ordered the entire division to retreat first, and then wait for supplies to fight with friendly forces.
Military orders for coordinated operations.
"Xia Xiongsang, why did the main force of your 108th Division evacuate? According to the previous battle plan, your division should continue eastward, join up with the 2nd Mixed Brigade, and encircle the stubborn enemy with overwhelming superiority."
This military order made the commander of the Japanese First Army in Lucheng, Xiangyue Qingshi, so angry that he directly called Xia Xiong Yuan in Licheng to ask why he dared to withdraw his troops without authorization.
Even though Xiangyue Qingshi was the highest commander of the entire Japanese army in southeastern Shanxi, in terms of military rank, he was only an army lieutenant general. He was on the same level as Xiong Yuan, the commander of the 108th Division. He could not show mercy in questioning.
The most intense way.
"Mr. Qingshi, the reason why our division has temporarily evacuated the area this time is because of the serious shortage of military rations and even drinking water. In addition, dysentery is rampant. Thousands of imperial officers and soldiers have fallen ill. Many imperial warriors have become weak after falling ill.
, but had to get sick and go to the front line, which ultimately resulted in far higher casualties than usual.
Did you know? In yesterday's battle alone, our army suffered 1,600 casualties! As a division commander, I can accept the Empire's warriors to serve the Empire and serve His Majesty the Emperor, but I cannot accept their hunger and serious illness.
body to do such glorious things.
If, Commander, you think I have done something wrong, after the war, I will submit my resignation to the Front Army Headquarters, but I bet Xiong Yuan himself will not admit his mistake."
Although Xiong Yuan wanted to spit out thick green phlegm through the phone at his colleague who was holding chicken feathers as arrows, he still had to give face to General Shanshan Yuan who was in charge of Pingbeicheng and patiently told this 108
The division is currently experiencing difficulties.
Of course, Xiong Yuan's confidence as an army lieutenant general is still there, and he can state his reasons with good evidence. At the same time, he clearly tells his colleague at the same level that he can use the authority of the commander to say that he is wrong, but
He doesn't have to admit it.
But by that time, it may not be the two army lieutenant generals who are at odds with each other, but the camp behind them.
The 108th Division is a second-line division, but it also depends on whose second-line division it is. They are the reserves of the 8th Division, and were reorganized into the 108th Division before the war and entered the Chinese battlefield.
This is a feature of the division numbers of the Japanese invasion of China. For example, the 109th Division is the reserve of the 9th Division, and the 110th Division is the 10th Division. Why is there no 105th Division? It is because of Itagaki Shiro's 5th Division.
The division is composed of regular divisions and reserves, so Mao's Fifth Division is very powerful, because the total strength of the Fifth Division was close to 60,000 when it was at its highest, which was a complete establishment of a Japanese army.
This is what Xiong Yuan means. I have given you a reasonable explanation. We are all lieutenant generals, and we all have backers. You, Xiangyue Qingshi, don’t be shameless.
There are many factions in the Chinese military. During battles, they blame each other and disrespect orders. It is common for them to grease their feet and run away. In fact, the Japanese are not much better, that is, they have the upper hand now, and many conflicts are covered up by the aura of victory.
Well, if they wait until that day when they are beaten to a pulp, the ugliness of those high-level officials will be blinding to others.
Jianghu is a global thing, not just unique to China.
Xiangyue Qingshi, who originally knew the news about the Chinese's "Strong Walls and Clear Wilds" in the area where the 108th Division arrived, was also a little helpless.
It is said in the military book that "before the army moves, food and grass must go first", which shows the importance of logistics support to an army. For the Japanese army, which has completely entered the era of thermal weapons, logistics support is more important than ever.
However, the Japanese Army did a very poor job in this regard. Logistics support in the Western world has already used ships, cars and even airplanes, but the Imperial Japanese Army still uses a large number of pack horses.
Fortunately, there is still the Chinese Army, the underachiever, at the bottom. Many of the Chinese Army's logistical support members don't even have a few donkeys, not to mention pack horses.
But this army lieutenant general ignored one point. Almost all Chinese soldiers can survive as long as they get some potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornmeal, or even none of these. They dig wild vegetables and add some rice paste to their belly. Chinese soldiers use their health.
At the cost, they bear the shortcomings of their own army's weak logistical support.
And what about the Japanese army? Not only do they need to fill their bellies, but they also need enough salt, sugar, tea and other supplies, which are much more expensive than the Chinese. With the same force, the Japanese army's logistical support capabilities are several times higher than that of the Chinese army.
OK.
On the North China Plain or the southeastern plains of China, the Japanese army could barely satisfy themselves with trains and cars. But in the Taihang Mountains, the Japanese army also had no choice but to abandon a large number of cars and use pack horses instead.
Because it was wartime, the ammunition reserves carried far exceeded the food. Ensuring food and drink for the soldiers within ten days was the limit of the Japanese troops entering the mountains to participate in the battle.
It is unavoidable that the 108th Division's soldiers and pack horses suffered from 'dysentery', and the consumption was higher than usual. Besides, they also completed the tasks previously set by the front army headquarters. It seems unjustifiable to accuse this person of disobeying orders because of this.
Thinking about it further, if Xiang Yue Qingshi wants to become the next commander of the front army, doesn't he also need the support of the master leaders? Everyone has mentioned this, and if he pursues it further, he will really offend people.
Of course, these are all secondary. The most important thing is that Lieutenant General Xiang Yue Qingshi has always had an unspeakable thorn in his heart.
Xiang Yue Qingshi was named "Xue Rong" within the front army. At the beginning of the battle, he had already heard from internal channels that the division chief of staff, Saburo Okamoto, was about to be transferred. This battle in the southeastern Shanxi Province also happened between him and General Shanshan Yuan.
With mutual understanding, we were able to quickly formulate a battle plan and implement it smoothly.
But what makes Xiang Yue Qingshi extremely unhappy is that reliable information has rumored that Yamashita, the commander of the second mixed brigade participating in the war, is the most likely candidate to succeed Saburo Okamoto. Normally, this would be just one piece of news at most.
, but Yamashita was ordered to lead the Second Mixed Brigade from the original base of Baoding to participate in the war in southeastern Shanxi. The authenticity of this news instantly rose to more than 90%.
It would have been fine if it had been anyone else, but Yamashita was extremely arrogant. Before the war, he had violated Xiang Yue Qingshi, who was the commander of the garrison army, which made Xiang Yue Qingshi very angry. Especially after Indoor Shroud took office, the major general brigade
The group leader directly hugged Indoor Shouti's thigh, and even ignored Xiangyue Qingshi, who was no longer his direct boss.
Of course, we are all people who have known their destiny, and they keep their disapproval of each other in their hearts. The conflict between the two is not as serious as that of Xiangyue Qingshi and Indoor Shingyi, who are blushing and thick-necked in the war meeting.
They started fighting each other.
But during this battle, Yamashita bypassed Lieutenant General Xiang Yue Qingshi, the commander of the "Snowmelt" campaign, and directly asked General Shanshan Yuan for help, which completely angered Xiang Yue Qingshi.
Xiong Yuan retreated because he had no choice but to explain it to me, the commander, with a smile. Besides, he was still a lieutenant general in the army. You, Yamashita, are just a major general in the army, so you don't take me seriously.
Here, when you become a lieutenant general in the future, you must not trample me to death!
The angry Lieutenant General Xiangyue Qingshi didn't even read the battle report sent by the Second Mixed Brigade these days. Anyway, you like to find the Commander of the Front Army, so your battle report can be sent directly to the Front Army Headquarters.
What, heavy casualties? Well, Xiangyue Qingshi even wanted to give him a slap in the face. The worse he was, the lower his chances of being promoted to Army Lieutenant General, let alone Chief of Staff of the Front Army.
That is a transitional position, but that does not mean that any lieutenant general is qualified to be gilded, especially a defeated general.
You know, up to this point in the battle, even though the 16th Division and the 109th Division have not yet achieved the previously expected combat goals, their two divisions have attracted a Chinese army group and at least three infantry divisions.
80,000 troops, otherwise how could the 108th Division have so smoothly entered the 80th Army's station in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains?
Although the Chinese ran fast and did not kill many Chinese, more than 70 villages were burned down and tens of thousands of Chinese lost their homes. Rebuilding would consume a lot of manpower and material resources. It was also a heavy blow to the Chinese.
This means that there is nothing else in the mountainous area except mountains and trees. Otherwise, if some bridges are blown up, the people's livelihood system in this area will be basically destroyed.
Fortunately, China is a big agricultural country. Otherwise, how many factories and so on are built in these mountains, which would destroy the 108th Division?
But no matter what, Xiangyue Qingshi can find military exploits for every important general under his command, but what is there for Yamashita who is still fighting hard with two infantry divisions in the mountains?
Apart from the heavy casualties, there seems to be no distinguishing feature.
The Chinese suffered at least thousands of casualties. Why, if you fight the Chinese with a one-to-one battle loss ratio, do you still have the face?
Therefore, Xiangyue Qingshi agreed to the 108th Division's request to retreat for supplies, and reported it to the front army headquarters for approval.
This retreat was considered reasonable and legal within the Japanese army.
However, when Yamashita heard this, he almost lost his temper.
Well! I bet he had been waiting for reinforcements for several days, but they were all gone.
Everyone believed that the more than 10,000 elite soldiers under his command were fully capable of crushing two Chinese infantry divisions.
But only someone with personal experience like him knows that the two Chinese infantry divisions in front of him are definitely a tough nut to crack.
Strong willpower is one thing, but their heavy firepower equipment is by no means as small as some people think.
In the last two days of the fighting, the intensity of the artillery fire increased instead of decreasing. At the peak, there were nearly 20 mountain guns firing, as well as a large number of 82 mortars.
If it weren't for the help of aircraft, the future "Malay Tigers" would even want to give up their so-called military exploits and retreat with their men.
But now that the war has begun, what should we do? Should we continue fighting, or should we carry thousands of corpses and run away?
The dilemma made Yamashita, who was holding the Xiangyue Bluestone Telegraph Order, stand still in the open space in front of his field headquarters for at least 10 minutes.
Finally, he chose to pull out his small pistol and shoot it.
"Baga! Baga! Bastards, two damn bastards!"
Yamashita, who kept firing his pistol into the sky to vent his anger, what he wanted to do most now was not to kill the Chinese, but to kill these two idiots, Xiong Yuan and Xiang Yue Qingshi.
