BSI Chapter 100, 4th Brigade
Chapter 100, 4th Brigade
Zhou Huaiqi was shocked!
He truly admired Wang Yousheng's courage, that a single company dared to penetrate deep into enemy territory.
Wang Yousheng then said, "Old Zhou, hurry up and tell us about the current situation with the Japanese!"
When Zhou Huaiqi saw that the other party had changed how they addressed him, he thought to himself that the Eighth Route Army had accepted him.
He then began to explain: "This morning, a large number of Japanese soldiers came out of Yangquan County. I found out that the commander of the Japanese 4th Brigade, Iguchida, is going to set up a field hospital and logistics base in Daxia Village to provide meals for the soldiers fighting on the front lines."
"Oh? A field hospital?"
Wang Yousheng had a sudden inspiration. He knew from watching the aftermath of Zhou Huaiqi's battle in the enemy-occupied area that he originally wanted to destroy the Japanese logistics base, but he didn't expect there to be a field hospital there.
Wang Yousheng then asked, "Has the entire Fourth Brigade arrived?"
"I don't know, but there were definitely a lot of Japanese soldiers, at least several thousand."
Wang Yousheng murmured, "That must be the Fourth Brigade."
According to the map, the Fourth Brigade belonged to the Sixth Division, which was sent to sweep through northwestern Shanxi.
Zhou Huaiqi added, "Battalion Commander Wang, it's not just the Fourth Brigade, but also a regiment of puppet troops. They will cooperate with the Japanese in the mopping-up operation. I heard the Japanese have even brought tanks and armored vehicles."
"If Battalion Commander Wang and his comrades hide in the tunnel in my house, they can at most avoid danger, but they must not come out."
Wang Yousheng pondered, offering no response.
Zhou Huaiqi was clearly scared. Iguchida wanted to set up Daxia Village as a "field hospital". All units of the Fourth Brigade would set up a blockade around Daxia Village, and all kinds of logistical supplies would be transported from Daxia Village to various units.
Logistics bases were generally the responsibility of the Japanese supply units. In the past, the Eighth Route Army often targeted the Japanese supply units. Although the supply units were less effective than the front-line troops, most of them were reserve soldiers. If the Japanese suffered heavy casualties on the front lines, the supply units would be sent to fill the gaps.
The field hospital and logistics base together have over a thousand people, and Wang Yousheng only has one company, which is indeed insufficient.
However, if you play it right, it's not impossible. Even if you die, you have to snatch it from the tiger's mouth!
"Let's go, wait in your tunnel first, we'll make our move when we have the chance."
"it is good."
Zhou Huaiqi immediately led his troops back to the village in secret. Of course, Wang Yousheng had already had the soldiers change into civilian clothes, since the Eighth Route Army uniforms were too conspicuous.
Although he could observe the aftershocks of the battle within 2000 meters, the Japanese reconnaissance planes were not to be underestimated, and they could be exposed at any time.
The team arrived at the Zhou family's residence in batches. The Zhou family's secret passage was located under an abandoned dry well in the backyard, where the entire company of soldiers hid.
The secret passage under the dry well was still quite spacious. Zhou Huaiqi originally intended it for his own unforeseen needs, but he never expected that one day he would lend it to the Eighth Route Army.
You know, just a short time ago he was a traitor...
……
In the Guanxiang area outside Yangquan County, the Japanese 4th Brigade had completed its assembly. Since the Sakata Regiment was annihilated, the 4th Brigade was left with only one regiment.
In order to coordinate with the large-scale mopping-up operation in northwestern Shanxi and to balance and strengthen the mopping-up combat capabilities of the 4th Brigade, Yoshio Shinotsuka specially transferred two infantry battalions and two tank companies from the 16th Division.
Therefore, the Fourth Brigade is now extremely powerful!
The Fourth Brigade now has a total strength of six or seven thousand men. Although it has not yet reached ten thousand, with the addition of the two puppet army groups, each with three regiments, the two armies have more than six thousand men. In addition, there are several puppet army security regiments and traitor detective teams in Yangquan County, and other miscellaneous armed forces. In total, there are twenty thousand men...
That's not all. The Fourth Brigade was led by the Sixth Division, which was mainly responsible for the large-scale mopping-up operation in northwestern Shanxi. The Fourth Brigade would serve as the vanguard and advance towards the Taihang Mountain base area.
Brigade Commander Iguchi's sweeping direction was west of Wanjia Town, which is the jurisdiction of the 386th Brigade.
"Warriors of the Empire! Embroidered Patz (Departure)!"
Before the troops lined up, Brigade Commander Iguchida raised his general's sword and gave orders in a pig-like roar.
"Hai, hai!"
Thousands of Japanese soldiers responded, and soon after, the sweeping force set off.
The Japanese sweeping tactics were basically the same: first, the air force would bomb the enemy area, and then the infantry would spread out and encircle the enemy based on various strongholds, with the troop line stretched extremely long, at least several hundred kilometers, forming a semi-circle.
After the infantry line was deployed in a semi-circular shape, they began to advance with the help of tanks and armored vehicles, quickly completing the task of dividing the enemy territory.
Next, field outposts were established at various dividing points, and then infantry divided the territory, slowly tightening the encirclement.
The Japanese used this tactic specifically to deal with the Eighth Route Army. Yoshio Shinotsuka knew that the Eighth Route Army loved the local people and would prioritize the evacuation of the people. If the Japanese army was fast enough to complete the encirclement plan before the Eighth Route Army withdrew from the defense zone, the Eighth Route Army would be like a wild beast trapped in a cage, at their mercy.
Getting back to the main point, the Fourth Brigade was moving forward, and wherever they went, dust and smoke rose everywhere.
The marching troops' flags stretched for more than ten kilometers from the entrance of the county town.
Centered on Wanjia Town, two tank squadrons of the 4th Brigade, with the support of the air force, rapidly advanced in the north and south directions.
In just half a day, the encirclement from the north and south was completed. Then, a large number of infantry followed behind. The Fourth Brigade was divided into three parts, with three main blockade lines to the south, west and north of Wanjia Town. The three lines eventually converged in front of the Taihang Mountains, and then the encirclement was counter-encircled.
The hundreds of thousands of people in the base area will face a bloody storm.
Wang Yousheng had a complete view of the entire battle situation.
Although he had some understanding of the Japanese army's large-scale mopping-up operations, when he actually encountered them, the pressure of fighting the enemy was still immense.
Now he has led a company of soldiers to outflank the enemy. If he is not careful, he will lose everything.
[Intermediate Detection: Aftershocks of combat detected within 2000 meters...]
Two infantry companies of the 4th Brigade have completed the encirclement of Daxia Village and established a logistical base.
The 4th Brigade's field hospital has arrived and is located in an open area west of Daxia Village.
[The 4th Brigade's tank squadron has returned to defend the area. Daxia Village has fallen into enemy hands. Daxia Village's danger level: five stars]
The enemy's firepower is fierce, and the ratio of enemy to friendly forces is 1:100. Please take precautions.
"More than a thousand people?!"
Wang Yousheng was surprised and thought to himself that something was wrong!
Although the Japanese field brigade was very strong, its strength was only a few thousand men. If you exclude the three infantry battalions, artillery companies, etc., the logistics troops would only number a few hundred at most. However, Daxia Village actually gathered a logistics base with more than a thousand men.
And they were escorted by two infantry companies, along with armored vehicles and tanks! The 4th Brigade is this tough even with only a logistics base?!