Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1096 Crow's Mouth!
The news that China's more than 7 elite troops had left Taihang Mountain shocked the Japanese army in North China the next day.

This time, it was different from the last time the [-]th Army used the main mixed militia to feint, it was real.

8 Month 31 Day!
The Four Elements Regiment destroyed the road from Licheng to Shexian for more than 5 kilometers. The defenders of Licheng and Shexian occupied the city and waited for it. The defenders of Changzhi and Lucheng assembled two infantry regiments. For assistance, they dared to send a light cavalry squad to scout along the road.

9 Month 1 Day!
The main force of the 921st Division, nearly 6000 people, appeared on the outskirts of HD City, stationed in the 108th Infantry Regiment under the command of the HD105th Division, Kudo Town, the commander of the [-]th Infantry Regiment, was horrified and asked for help from friendly forces in the Xingtai area.

This is the first time that a Japanese infantry regiment with the power of a city and as many as 3000 soldiers has been so weak because of the threat of a Chinese army composed of only [-] people.

It takes time for the reinforcements to arrive, which also led to the "looting" of the mining area under the control of the Krupp company of the Germanic Empire in the outskirts by the Chinese army. Minerals and food were transported away, and various machinery and equipment were damaged. It is said that the loss was as high as hundreds of thousands. beautiful knife.

Of course the Japanese would not accept this account, but the Chinese also announced that this was not their doing, but the loss directly caused by the Japanese bombardment of the area.

In a rage, Krupp simply sent a note to the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministries through the embassy, ​​claiming millions of dollars from China and Japan.

Just when the Three Kingdoms were arguing over this matter, the main force of the 921 Division miraculously appeared on the outskirts of Xingtai, a major city in Hebei Province, more than 60 kilometers away from HD, on the third day after it appeared in HD. A certain infantry regiment of the 20th Division was terrified.

Because of the order of the front army headquarters, they transferred an infantry brigade to join the two infantry brigades of the 14th Division to reinforce HD. Why did the 921st Division come here again?

The 921st Division had no intention of attacking the city, but the damage to the Ping-Han Line was enormous. The rail tracks exceeding 15 kilometers were either pried away by the Chinese army or completely destroyed by explosives.

People have to suspect that the Chinese are poor and crazy. Steel rails are steel, and they can be pulled back to make bayonets or something, but you want to mess with those sleepers!Is it firewood?
As everyone knows, Division 921 has the simplest consensus from the division commander to the brigade commander and then to the regimental commander. They don't have much use for sleepers, but the four-element regiment needs them!As long as this kind of anti-corrosion wood is brought back, it can be deducted from the bill just like the steel rails, and it is almost as valuable as the ocean.

What's more, isn't destroying the railway one of the goals of this attack?Since it is going to be destroyed, it should be done thoroughly, leaving no steel rails and not a single sleeper for the little devil.

I am afraid that even the officers and soldiers of the 921st Division did not expect that these rail ties, which they thought could be replaced with equipment, would play a huge role in future battles with the Japanese army.

The combination of these things and sandbags can quickly form a strong enough fortification.

In order to protect the line of communication, the 20th Division of the Division Headquarters in Shimen, under the command of Lieutenant General Saburo Kawagishi, mobilized 5 infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade, one engineering brigade, two artillery brigades, two Nearly 921 people in the chariot squadron and the [-]st division who took the initiative to attack were doing a hard 'struggle'.

It is true that the five infantry regiments dispatched by the 921st Division were too slippery. They never stayed in one place for a long time. If the main force of the Japanese army did not show up, they would sabotage them.

HD, there are mountains in the plains around Xingtai, but tens of thousands of people hid in the mountains, and the Japanese army did not have an infantry brigade or more.

It’s true that the Japanese army themselves can’t believe their own reconnaissance pilots. Those idiots were shot down and injured three by Chinese anti-aircraft machine guns in three days. Now they only dare to stay at an altitude of 1500 meters and use binoculars Looking down, it is easy to be fooled by the Chinese.

On September 9, the pilot of the Japanese reconnaissance plane reported the discovery of a Chinese infantry regiment fighting in the mountainous area. As a result, the captain of a certain infantry regiment who rushed there was eager to win, and took less than 3 people to fight against others.

Then, in fact, there were four Chinese infantry regiments in that area. Good guy, 1 people surrounded the infantry regiment that could have chased a Chinese infantry division and beat them fiercely.

Although the Chinese do not have heavy firepower such as mountain artillery and field artillery, they are equipped with a large number of mortars. The shells of more than 20 82-caliber mortars, which are extremely suitable for mountain warfare, rained down on the infantry artillery and heavy artillery of the Imperial Army. On the machine gun position, even the brave imperial infantry and artillery will cry!
When another infantry regiment came to reinforce in the evening, the infantry regiment had been pressed and beaten for more than 8 hours, and the battle damage was as high as 50.00%. It was really the kind that was beaten and cried.

This is because the 921 Division was afraid of being entangled by the main force of the Japanese army and did not beat it hard. Otherwise, the captain of the Tai Zuo Lian would have almost no chance of being scolded bloody by the head of the Lieutenant General Saburo Kawagishi.

This kind of hide-and-seek style of fighting with you in the mountains and fields is the most troublesome for the Japanese army, but you can't ignore it in this special period. Saburo Kawagishi must continue to mobilize the main reinforcements under his command. As for calling other divisions, forget it!
Now it's not just his family that suffers!
The 108th Division stationed in the area from Licheng to HD has long been frightened by the Chinese army in the Taihang Mountains. It is good to be able to defend the county where they are stationed. The 109th Division that could have reinforced them was also threatened by a Sichuan army. .

It is also unreliable to count on the First Army and the Fifth Division, which are confronting the main forces of China's second theater in the west of Shanxi. Not only are there 20 Chinese troops in front of them, but also two elite Chinese infantry divisions are also sent by Hongdong County. The troops were dispatched from the left, and the fronts of the soldiers pointed directly at Pingyao and Jinzhong.

Moreover, these two infantry divisions are not interested in fighting at all. They play almost the same tactics as the 921 Division. They fight when they can, and withdraw when they can’t. His real intentions.

Perhaps, they were just a kind of support for the tens of thousands of Chinese troops that had changed in the southeast of Shanxi, and they had no substantive tactics, but strategically speaking, they were successful.

The 15 Japanese troops in western Shanxi and southwestern Shanxi were unable to spare a single soldier to support the battered eastern Shanxi.

As for waiting for the main support of the North China Front Army stationed in Pingjin and other places, Saburo Kawagishi will not be so stupid. When those troops arrive in a hurry by train, the railway lines in Han, Xing and even Shimen will not be stripped. all.

I can only grit my teeth and resist!

However, with the development of the war, when the 921 Division was disrupted at the junction of the two provinces, a piece of news was placed on Kawagishi Saburo's desk like a bolt from the blue.

On the evening of September 9, a Chinese army appeared in front of Niangziguan.

No one knows how they got there. Most likely they just walked around day and night. These are not important. The important thing is what the Chinese want to do?
Niangziguan is the most important gateway in eastern Shanxi. From here, you can go straight west through the vast Taihang to Yuancheng, the capital of Jin Province, and you can also go east to Shimen, the heart of Hebei Province, through the North China Plain.

There, it is less than 80 kilometers away from Shimen!

What's more terrible is that as the large cities of Jin province in northern, central and eastern Shanxi were occupied by the imperial army, China's second war zone retreated to southeastern and western Shanxi, and only a small number of cities were still in their hands. No matter how dangerous this position, which can be called the gateway to Jin Province, does not need to be heavily guarded.

An infantry brigade stationed at Niangziguan and Jingxing County, 35 kilometers away, is already very important.

But now, obviously not enough!

But Saburo Kawagishi didn't have many troops. Ten thousand people had been dispatched before, and apart from the thousands of people stationed in several big cities, the troops that could be drawn out were no more than one infantry brigade.

Just as distress telegrams from Niangziguan continued to fly to the headquarters of the 20th Division stationed in Shimen, the two Chinese infantry divisions, which were originally 200 miles away from Niangziguan, turned in unison and performed a 90-degree drift. In the early morning of September 9, it suddenly appeared in the eastern Jin area.

The infantry division of the Sichuan Army, which had not been seen for more than 2 days, and the main force of the 921 Division, which was playing hide-and-seek with more than [-] Japanese troops, also appeared in the field of vision of the Japanese reconnaissance plane.

"The target of the Chinese is actually Jingxing?" When the chief of staff of the 20th Division summarized all the information obtained by the staff in the past two days, and marked its approximate location on the map, he couldn't help but gasped. .

Originally, the Chinese army seemed to be chaotic and chaotic, like a marching track purely for sabotage, but now it could not be clearer, and it was all pointing at Jindong.

"No, what they are looking for is not Jingxing, but Shimen!" Saburo Kawagishi said with a gloomy expression, his eyes gleaming.

"That's impossible. They're not afraid that the empire will use our 20th Division as a shield to block their soldiers, and then deploy the front-line troops to surround them, so that they can't leave the plain?" Chief of Staff Dazuo exclaimed.

In the current situation, at least more than tens of thousands of Chinese troops are far away from the main force in the theater and have entered the Japanese occupied area. However, the Japanese side suffers from the fact that the army line is too long, and each city must keep garrisons, and there are nearly [-] main forces remaining. On the North China Plain, these Chinese armies are like the Monkey King who got into the belly of the Iron Fan Princess, tossing around!

But as long as the Chinese army has a clear goal, especially if they dare to walk out of the Taihang Mountains and point their swords at Shimen, the core city of the North China Plain, as Lieutenant General Saburo Kawagishi said, then they really don't know how to die.

It only takes 20 divisions to stand firm for a few days, and another 3 troops are sent to block the gates of eastern Shanxi. After Pingjin sends one or two divisions, these tens of thousands of Chinese troops are seeking their own death.

"Do you think the Chinese are stupid? The Chinese army on the western front of Shanxi must have made frequent changes, and even made a counterattack gesture. Even if it is fake, the imperial army must not dare to ignore it. How dare you take out a soldier? 108, 109 Those two idiot divisions are good enough to keep their current garrisons, so you and I can count on them?" Saburo Kawagishi said coldly.

"Furthermore, the Imperial Army has just sent two divisions to go south to support the Central China Dispatch Army. The mobile forces in Pingjin are already insufficient, and then they came.

It can only be said that the timing of the Chinese is very good, and this is their long-planned tactic. "

Standing up slowly, Saburo Kawagishi gently rubbed his frown that was already frowned with pain: "I also believe that with the Chinese mind, the Chinese troops who attack must be all the elites that China can gather. When the front army mobilizes the army, break through our Shimen and then return to the vast Taihang Mountains to escape!"

"They lack heavy weapons, how can they pose a threat to my city's heavy defense? Even though my division now only has two infantry regiments, there is still an artillery brigade and a tank squadron in the city, and all the attacking forces can be mobilized immediately If the army returns to defense, no matter how many of them there are, it will be futile." After listening to the analysis of his division head, the chief of staff was still full of confidence.

"Mr. Jiuzang, have you forgotten how the second mixed brigade was completely destroyed in the southeast Shanxi campaign three months ago?" Saburo Kawagishi, who is nearly sixty years old, glanced at his chief of staff gloomily. glance.

It wasn't until the Japanese commander immediately stood up respectfully and said nothing more that he tried his best to slow down his tone: "Mr. Jiuzang, the offensive of the imperial front army and divisions was too smooth, which caused the imperial officers and soldiers to be arrogant, but you as a division Regiment-level senior officers must have enough respect for their opponents, otherwise our division will be followed by the imperial army!"

"Hi! Thank you, Your Excellency, Head of the Division, for your teaching!" The Japanese Chief of Staff respectfully bowed his head and said yes.

Also took the opportunity to hide the coldness that flashed in his eyes!
Saburo Kawagishi is over 56 years old. He is considered older among the commanders of the North China Army Division. He did not show anything special on the Chinese battlefield. He should have been transferred from the 7th Division to return to his hometown in July. of.

As a result, due to the frustration of the Shanxi Southeast Campaign, in order to stabilize the situation, the base camp suspended the change of the first-level senior general of the North China Front Army division commander.

Even Lieutenant General Xiangyue Aoshi, who was about to resign due to the defeat in the Jindongnan Campaign, Lieutenant General Xia Xiongyuan, who made a major mistake in judging the enemy, and Lieutenant General Saburo Okabe, the Chief of Staff of the Front Army, who was about to be transferred, were still in their current posts.

Kyuzo Kitamura was sent to the 20th Division as the chief of staff by the Front Army Command. He originally came with a gilded mission. If there is no accident, he will be transferred from the 20th Division before the end of the year and promoted to major The post of head of the brigade may even be promoted on the spot, if Saburo Kawagishi 'walks' in time enough.

Such a person would put too much emphasis on the head of the Lieutenant General who is about to leave his post, especially when that old guy criticizes him with a superior attitude.

However, the Japanese army has a strict hierarchy, and no matter how upset the Japanese army commander is, he will never dare to slack off on Saburo Kawagishi.

Saburo Kawagishi may not be promoted to his military position, but it is easy to ruin him.

Saburo Kawagishi, who has entered his twilight years, is satisfied with the respect of his subordinates, and his voice softened by two points: "As for the heavy firepower you mentioned, Mr. Jiuzang, Yu Sui's second mixed brigade originally carried 24 75 mountain cannons! "

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, you mean that this group of Chinese troops may have seized these 24 mountain cannons and put them into the army?" "No, they can defeat the 24nd Mixed Brigade with [-] mountain guns, then they"

"That's right, they can defeat the Second Mixed Brigade, how could it be that they don't have enough artillery?" Saburo Kawagishi's face was full of indifference. "If you add the mountain cannons they seized, maybe they have more cannons than you and I imagined! Even if they didn't show it in the previous battles."

"I will now order the division's attacking army to return with all its strength! At the same time, I will order the 7th Infantry Battalion to reinforce Niangziguan and hold on for at least three days! Provide enough time for our division to gather troops." The face of the Japanese army commander changed drastically.

"It's too late. The returning troops will be stopped by the Chinese army, and Niangziguan must have been heavily besieged. It will be a matter of time before they are broken." Saburo Kawagishi sighed.

If possible, the Japanese army commander would like to step forward and cover the crow's mouth of his head of the division immediately. If his memory is correct, he predicted when the Second Mixed Brigade was surrounded in the Battle of Southeast Shanxi three months ago. Passing the second mixed brigade will cause serious damage to the Chinese side.

Fortunately, the Second Mixed Brigade was directly shot to death by the Chinese, and there were hardly a few left.

Now, come to predict your own division again?The commander of the Japanese army was already in a panic at this time, even more panicked than seeing five Chinese infantry divisions pointing their swords at the division headquarters with only ten thousand people defending.

As if to verify the crow's mouth of a certain division commander in the fastest time, Saburo Kawagishi's voice had just finished speaking, and Kuzang Kuzang's little heart began to beat violently when there was a report from the staff of the Communications Department outside the room.

It was sent by the headquarters of the 7th Brigade stationed in Jingxing.

"The 7nd Squadron of the 1st Squadron of the [-]th Infantry Battalion, the [-]st Squadron of the Heavy Machine Gun, the Infantry Artillery Squad, Yusha Niangziguan!"

The dazzling "jade broken" telegram made the Japanese general's face extremely ugly.

They all thought that Niangziguan would be lost, but no one thought that it would be so fast, not even a certain crow's mouth.

With superior geography and strong fortifications, there are 2 infantry squadrons with nearly 400 people, 4 heavy machine guns and 2 infantry artillery positions. It took less than 3 hours to fall into the enemy's hands.

This speed far exceeded the most pessimistic estimate of Saburo Kawagishi.

Saburo Kawagishi's nickname of Crow's Mouth has been fulfilled.

If possible, the Japanese army commander would never want to hear any bullshit predictions from a crow's mouth.

The good ones are not many, but the bad ones are [-]% fulfilled, which is absolutely amazing.

"Immediately ask for help from the Front Army Headquarters. I need reinforcements from at least one division in the direction of Shimen to ensure peace of mind!" Saburo Kawagishi no longer hesitated.

The Colonel of the Japanese Army has not bowed his head to take orders.

There was another report from the communications staff outside the house, and the Japanese generals looked at each other, their faces turning green.

The current situation is already very bad, is it possible that there is still worse news to be delivered?

Fortunately, this time it's good news.

Can't wait to unfold the telegram signed by Daimyo Sugimoto, Commander-in-Chief of the North China Front Army, Saburo Kawagishi finished reading the telegram as quickly as possible, his face quickly changed from gloomy to brilliant.

"Haha! Your Excellency, Commander, Zhuge Kongming is still alive! This will make the Chinese lose their wives and lose their soldiers!" Saburo Kawagishi laughed loudly and handed the telegram to his confused subordinates.

Really, the Japanese army chief is a little scared, Zhuge Kongming has been dead for more than 2000 years, okay!
(End of this chapter)