Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

"Commander, please forgive me for being blunt, but even though the Imperial Army is not fighting on its home turf, there is no need to worry!"

"The greatest advantage of our army lies in its flexible mobility. With the wheeled trucks and half-track armored vehicles we are equipped with, even in the dark, an hour is enough for reinforcements to arrive at the battlefield!"

"The battle reports submitted by the 132nd Regiment of the th Division and the th Regiment of the Imperial Guards Division during the day are enough to show that although the Chinese armed forces against them are numerous, their combat effectiveness is weak!"

"Night fighting is a common tactic used by the Chinese. It is not surprising. In my opinion, this is an opportunity to annihilate the Chinese armed forces!"

The combat staff officer who spoke was full of confidence and arrogance, and the other Japanese officers in the front command did not take this night battle seriously.

"Mr. Songgu is right. This battle is a good opportunity to destroy the Eighth Route Army on our flank!"

"The Eighth Route Army clearly doesn't dare to engage our army during the day, and can only harass us at night!"

A group of Japanese officers were talking at once, as if the Eighth Route Army could be destroyed with a wave of their hands. Yamashita Tomoyuki turned a deaf ear to them, closed his eyes slightly, and leaned back in his chair.

Staff officers play an extremely important role in the Japanese military system. All previous incidents were inseparable from the promotion of these staff officers. Itabahara Seishirō and Ishiwara Kanji are representative figures.

However, the Japanese army is expanding too quickly, and any staff officer with a little experience and qualifications has been sent to take up actual positions. The Kwantung Army stationed in the puppet state of Manchukuo has often been exploited by the military, resulting in a generational gap in the staff system.

The staff officers of the Second Front Army Command now had little practical experience, but without exception, they all had an abnormal desire and impulse for war.

He did not agree with what the staff officers were excitedly discussing, but he did not discourage the enthusiasm of these younger generations. Instead, no news was good news at this time. The worst case scenario was that they would have to hold on and wait for reinforcements.

The telephone at the headquarters rang, and Operations Staff Officer Matsutani ran to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Yoshi, it looks like the outcome of this battle has already been decided!"

"Nani, Niuwang Lake stronghold? What did you say?"

Song Gu's face turned pale immediately, and his voice trembled.

"Commander, the Niuwang Lake stronghold reports that scattered soldiers of the Guards Division appeared outside the position, and traces of the Eighth Route Army appeared nearby!"

"What? Impossible! Even if we hadn't destroyed the surprise attacking Eighth Route Army, we wouldn't have been defeated so quickly!"

"The Imperial Guards Division has loose discipline. Some soldiers must be afraid of fighting and fled the battlefield. Some soldiers cannot represent the situation of the entire battlefield!"

These staff officers found it difficult to believe the news coming from the Niuwanghu stronghold, and even began to question the authenticity of the news.

A mosquito landed on Yamashita Fengwen's face. In anger, he slapped himself in the face, but the mosquito did not die. Instead, it continued to buzz around him, as if mocking his incompetence.

The Japanese officers in the command center were stunned by this scene. They were so scared that they dared not breathe, fearing that the anger would implicate themselves.

Matsutani finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Commander, what should we do now?"

The main task of the 132nd and th Regiments was to keep an eye on the flanks of the Eighth Route Army, but they also served as bait.

As the combat staff had said before, as long as the Eighth Route Army abandoned its positions and took the initiative to launch a night attack, the Japanese army could use its mobility to quickly reinforce and destroy the attacking Eighth Route Army.

Yamashita Tomoyuki was also unable to determine the specific situation on the current battlefield, after all, less than an hour had passed.

"Contact the 132nd Squadron and the th Squadron via the radio immediately to confirm the current situation!"

Everyone stared at the radio until the radio operator stood up and reported: "Commander, the headquarters radio has lost contact with the front-line troops!"

The command center suddenly became silent. Losing contact meant that all the officers and soldiers would be killed or the command system would be destroyed. Neither of them was good news.

"Contact the reinforcements' radio communication vehicle via radio and give up reinforcing the 132nd Regiment. If the situation permits, the Eighth Route Army pursuing the Guards Division is in a loose formation and should be decisively flanked!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the staff members in the command center started talking about it.

"Commander, I don't understand why we gave up reinforcing the 132nd Regiment. The brave imperial soldiers should not be abandoned!"

Yamashita Fengwen turned his head and said in a grim tone: "I admire your courage to question, but now it seems that you not only don't understand the specific situation of the Eighth Route Army, but also don't understand the current situation of the Imperial Army!"

"Early tomorrow morning, you will be assigned to the frontline combat troops. Go and rest immediately!"

Since Yamashita Tomoyuki had decided to send the Imperial Guards Division to lead the charge after daybreak, the reinforcements sent out were commanded personally by the commander of the 57th Infantry Regiment, Kojima Fumio.

The subordinate units included the 117th Regiment of the th Division, the Search Regiment and two artillery battalions, and nearly Japanese troops were quickly reinforced in wheeled trucks and half-track armored vehicles.

The radio communication vehicle undoubtedly made it more convenient for the Japanese army to communicate on the battlefield, allowing them to communicate anytime and anywhere.

"Ok, I see!"

"Please tell Commander Yamashita that I will be more careful!"

That night, Japanese reinforcements quickly arrived along the railway line, but after turning south, they unexpectedly encountered the 14th Regiment of the 4th Brigade.

After a brief exchange of fire, the 4th Regiment decisively retreated in the direction of the main force of the 14th Brigade.

"Sir, due to the sudden appearance of a group of Eighth Route Army cavalry, the Third Battalion responsible for the flanking maneuver failed to achieve any success!" the adjutant reported.

"Damn it, it seems the Eighth Route Army has been prepared for this. The commander's flanking attack plan will not work. Order all units to stop the pursuit!" Kojima Fumio looked up at the vast night sky and felt that the darkness around him was full of murderous intent. He then pointed to the village that was looming in the distance.

"What's that location?"

"Sir, the map clearly shows Ma Tou Village!"

"We'll camp here tonight!"

"Hi!"

For a moment, there were lit torches outside Matou Village, and several Japanese soldiers riding on war horses were shouting loudly outside the village.

Inside the village, the bronze bells that served as a warning began to clang, and the young and strong men from every household gathered at the village wall one after another.

"It's the devils!"

"There are car lights on behind us, so there must be a large number of devils following us!"

All the villagers gasped and looked at each other, their eyes filled with panic and regret.

"The Eighth Route Army sent someone to notify us to evacuate the entire village, but you refused to listen. What should we do now?"

"If you ask me, it was the Eighth Route Army that lured the devils here. Before that, they just paid money and food. The Nationalist Army did the same thing, and the devils and puppet troops did the same thing. Why don't they pay when the Eighth Route Army comes?"

"Fuck you! It's you who insisted on saying that the Eighth Route Army had set its sights on our Ma Tou Village and encouraged everyone not to leave!"

The two young men who had a dispute started fighting each other, and the middle-aged man who was leading them shouted loudly: "Enough!"

"I was the one who finally decided to stay. I feel so sorry for my fellow villagers and even more sorry for the ancestors who founded Matou Village!"

"Notify each household to prepare meals, and women and children should not leave their homes!"

Matou Village is located in a mountainous area between Xiayi and Luyi. The village is built on the mountain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The only drawback is that there is only one passage in and out.

The local villagers have been tough since ancient times. Several surrounding villages have formed a stronghold to protect themselves. Together, there are about 700 armed personnel. In ancient times, it was called refusing to submit to the king, and now it is called united anti-Japanese resistance.

Zhang Lanfeng's puppet army had tried many times to encircle and suppress the enemy but failed, and finally reached an agreement that as long as the two sides paid taxes and grain on time, they would not interfere with each other.

The Eighth Route Army marched south to open up a base in northern Anhui. The armed personnel from several other villages were gradually incorporated and the villagers moved down the mountain to resettle, but Matou Village remained unmoved.

This mountainous area is where troops are hidden. Before the war, the local government notified the villagers of Matouzhai to evacuate, but now it seems that this had no effect.

As the Japanese troops gathered in front of the mountain and were planning to take action, the gate of Matou Village burst open, and the leader of the village came out holding a white flag and was soon brought before Kojima Fumio.

"What do you do?"

The leader bowed and was about to take his ID out of his pocket, but two Japanese soldiers pointed guns at him.

"Taijun, I am a good citizen, and I have a good citizen certificate issued by the Imperial Army!"

The adjutant roughly took out the certificate of good conduct, flipped through it, and whispered in Kojima Fumio's ear: "Sir, this is a certificate issued by the 4th Independent Infantry Brigade, but I don't know if it's real or not!"

Kojima Fumio stepped on the certificate of good conduct and said impatiently, "The Imperial Army is tired and needs to rest at your place. Do you understand?"

"Taijun, I have asked someone to prepare the meal!"

"Yoshi, you are great, lead the way!"

Not all Japanese troops entered Matouzhai. Their main force was stationed at the foot of the mountain. Apart from sending a part of the Japanese troops to scout out the actual situation, only the command center and some officers went up the mountain.

The young and strong men who were originally on guard on the village wall have been replaced by Japanese soldiers, and about a hundred young and strong men are surrounded in an open space in the village.

When the leader saw this scene, he was panicked and begged, "Taijun, we are all good citizens, what are you doing?"

"You are hiding weapons. You are not innocent people. You are probably the Eighth Route Army!"

The leader wanted to explain but was kicked to the ground. Teams of Japanese soldiers rushed into the stone houses in the village, drove out all the women, children and the elderly, and singled out the women.

"Taijun, we can't do that. We are all good citizens!" How could the leader not understand what the Japanese were thinking at the moment? He could only hold onto Kojima Fumio's thighs and beg bitterly.

Kojima Fumio tried several times but failed to break free. Finally, he pulled out his Type 14 Nambu pistol and pointed it at the leader's head: "Bakayarro!"

"boom!"

After a gunshot, the leader fell to the ground with his head raised, a look of unwillingness on his face.

The Japanese soldiers on guard on the village wall seemed to have received a signal. Several machine guns opened fire in the direction of the young and strong man, and the entire village turned into a sea of ​​blood in an instant.

"Miss Hua will die tomorrow, the others are all dead now!"

"Commander, you are wise!" The Japanese soldiers were all excited. (End of this chapter)