I am helping

Kazuki Yamamoto glanced at Huaguzheng lightly, his eyes were full of aloofness and coldness.

Except for Yoshio Iwamatsu, in this headquarters, Kazuki Yamamoto has not put other people in his eyes.

Especially Hua Guzheng, Yamamoto Kazuki evaluated him as brave and intrepid, and he became the chief of staff of the First Army only by virtue of his seniority.

When Hanaya was planning the September [-]th Incident with Tojo Hideji, Doihara Kenji, Itagaki Seishiro, Ishihara Kanji, and Honjo Shigeru, they were judged as more than a failure.

Now Itagaki and others are at the rank of lieutenant general at worst, Hideji Tojo is under one person and above ten thousand people, and Hanaguzheng is just a major general with little real power.

This is enough to see how bad Hua Guzheng really is.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, isn't there no basis for your statement? How can you say that my guess is wrong?"

Kazuki Yamamoto said without showing mercy to Hanaya Masa.

Hua Guzheng squinted his eyes, and Kazuki Yamamoto was fighting with him, and he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.

In terms of seniority, I followed Kenji Doi, Seishiro Itagaki, and the Prime Minister to plan the September 11th Incident [-] years ago.

At that time, you, Kazuki Yamamoto, were probably still studying special operations at the German Military Academy, right?

He has no record at all, and relying on the support of Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka and Commander Yoshio Iwamatsu, he became a major general with no real power.

What qualifications do you Kazuki Yamamoto dare to question my analysis of the battle situation?
Although he is quite dissatisfied with Kazuki Yamamoto, Hanaya will never quarrel with Yamamoto in front of Yoshio Iwamatsu.

However, Hua Guzheng's face suddenly became a little unsightly: "Yamamoto-kun, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes slightly: "What are you betting on?"

"Just bet on whether the Eighth Route Army really wants to attack Taiyuan. If the Eighth Route Army attacks Taiyuan, I lose. If the Eighth Route Army does not attack Taiyuan, you lose. The bet is that our respective major generals will command the sabers."

There was a hint of mockery in Hua Guzheng's expression:
"Yamamoto-kun, do you dare to make this bet?"

Kazuki Yamamoto frowned slightly, and was about to refute, but Yoshio Iwamatsu slammed the desk with a snap.

Yoshio Yanmatsu said coldly: "The enemy is now, you two still have the leisure to bet here, do you take me as the commander seriously?"

"If the Eighth Route Army attacks Taiyuan, you Yamamoto-kun, your Hanagu-kun, and I, Yoshio Iwamatsu, may all be killed by the Eighth Route Army, Yu Sui."

"When the time comes, Yamamoto-kun's major general commanding the saber, Hanagu-kun your major general commanding the saber, and my Lieutenant General's saber bestowed by the Heavenly Locust, will all become trophies of the Eighth Route Army."

Kazuki Yamamoto said to Yoshio Iwamatsu: "Your Excellency, Commander, I suggest that you immediately order the 33rd and 37th Divisions to approach Taiyuan overnight to strengthen Taiyuan's defense."

"The 1st Cavalry Brigade, the 4th Cavalry Brigade, and the 21st and 35th Divisions directly under the North China Front Army have already sent reinforcements to the 1st Division."

"If the Eighth Route Army attacks Taiyuan with heavy troops at this time, our First Army will be in a dangerous situation!"

Yoshio Iwamatsu frowned slightly, and I have to say that Kazuki Yamamoto's words made sense.

He was afraid of death and worried that the Eighth Route Army would attack Taiyuan. Hearing Kazuki Yamamoto's words, he immediately had the intention of transferring the 33rd Division and the 37th Division back to Taiyuan.

Hua Guzheng said: "I still reserve my opinion. The Eighth Route Army will not attack Taiyuan. Please think about it carefully, Commander. The main force of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army going north from Baijin Road can only carry 20 shells at most. The Gu defense line has fired more than 15 shells, and the Eighth Route Army has only tens of thousands of shells left at most, what will the Eighth Route Army use to attack Taiyuan?"

"What's more, the 37th Division and the 33rd Division were transferred back to Taiyuan at this time."

"Isn't it tantamount to handing over the Zhengtai Railway and its important military sites such as Yangquan, Niangziguan and Shouyang to the Eighth Route Army?"

"Once the Zhengtai Railway is lost, our first army will be alone, and that is the most dangerous situation."

Yoshio Iwamatsu nodded. Hearing such a wave of analysis by Hua Guzheng, he suddenly felt that what Hua Guzheng said made sense.

The Zhengtai Railway is too important to the First Army. If the Zhengtai Railway is completely occupied by the Eighth Route Army, then the First Army will be the meat on the cutting board of the Eighth Route Army, and they can cook it whenever they want.

See Iwamatsu Yoshio hesitated.

Hua Guzheng continued: "Your Excellency, Commander, I dare to conclude that the Eighth Route Army bombarding Taigu's defense line will soon run out of shells."

ding ding ding-

Not long after Hua Guzheng's voice fell, the phone on the table rang.

Yoshio Iwamatsu picked up the phone: "Moshi Moxi, this is the office of the Commander of the First Army."

Then, Masao Miyazaki's voice came from the receiver: "Your Excellency, Commander, I am Masao Miyazaki, Deputy Chief of Staff. The Eighth Route Army has stopped shelling the Taigu line of defense!"

"Yo Xi!"

Yoshio Yanmatsu's expression changed, he glanced at Hua Guzheng, and said:
"Mr. Miyazaki, the Eighth Route Army must not have many shells. You order the 14th and 18th Brigades to dispatch elite squads at night to touch the artillery positions of the Eighth Route Army and blow up the artillery positions of the Eighth Route Army. How much to fry."

"Hi!" Masao Miyazaki responded, "The 14th Brigade and the 18th Brigade have a lot of wounded. Please, Commander, send over the field hospital of the 41st Division."

Yoshio Iwamatsu said, "There is no need to go to the field hospital of the 41st Division. Miyazaki-kun, how many wounded are there?"

Masao Miyazaki said: "Not counting the wounded of the Locust Alliance Army, there are at least 2500 wounded in the Locust Army!"

Yoshio Iwamatsu couldn't help taking a breath when he heard the words. Although he had expected that the casualties would not be small, he still felt a pain in his heart when he heard the data.

The 14th Brigade and the 18th Brigade had at least 2500 wounded, so there were at least 1500 dead!
The total number of the two brigades was only [-], and the casualties in a few hours were nearly half.

And how many casualties did the Eighth Route Army have?
At most a few hundred, probably not even a few hundred.

Because the Eighth Route Army did not have a serious attack, it was all a tentative attack, using infantry to draw out the firepower of the Japanese army, and then shelling the Taigu defense line with artillery fire coverage.

This battle loss ratio...

The good news is that the artillery shells carried by the Eighth Route Army are almost exhausted, otherwise the Locust Army of the 14th and 18th Brigades and the 3rd Division of the Locust Alliance Army would all have to be fed the shells of the Eighth Route Army.

Yoshio Iwamatsu said: "With so many wounded, the field hospital of the 41st Division was useless in the past. I will send a convoy to the Taigu defense line to take the wounded soldiers to the hospital in Taiyuan for rescue."

Masao Miyazaki said: "I thank you, Commander, for the wounded soldiers."

After Masao Miyazaki finished speaking, Yoshio Iwamatsu hung up the phone.

"Did you all hear that?" Yoshio Iwamatsu said, "The Eighth Route Army's bombardment of the Taigu line of defense has stopped. It seems that Mr. Huagu's analysis of the battle situation is correct."

"Mr. Huagu, please arrange immediately and order all the cars in Taiyuan City to go to the Taigu defense line to pull the wounded!"

"Hi!"

Huagu lowered his head suddenly.

When she raised her head, Hanagu was looking at Kazuki Yamamoto proudly.

Kazuki Yamamoto's expression did not fluctuate.

Then Hanagu was walking out the door, and Kazuki Yamamoto nodded to Yoshio Iwamatsu, then turned and left quickly.

Kazuki Yamamoto, who returned to the office, still felt uneasy.

Even though the Eighth Route Army stopped shelling the Taigu line of defense, Yamamoto still insisted on his own analysis of the battle situation.

From the North China Front Army Command, the Eighth Route Army was going to gather heavy troops to attack Taiyuan, to the Xinyi Regiment attacking the 1st Division stationed in Datong, and then to the 129th Division's main bombardment of the Taigu defense line.

All this is really abnormal.

After receiving the information that the Eighth Route Army's Xinyi Regiment was attacking the 1st Division in Datong, everyone in the First Army Headquarters agreed that the information that the North China Front Army Headquarters had obtained before that the Eighth Route Army was going to gather heavy troops to attack Taiyuan was false.

but…

What if that information is true?

Thinking of this, Kazuki Yamamoto said to the door: "Come here!"

Lieutenant Xiaolu Goro, the adjutant and correspondent of the secret service team, walked in, bowed his head and said, "Major General Yamamoto!"

Xiaolu Goro was originally a warrant officer, but after Yamamoto Kazuki became a major general, he raised Xiaolu Goro's rank to lieutenant.

"Immediately order the entire city to be under martial law." Kazuki Yamamoto ordered in a deep voice: "If you find suspicious persons, immediately arrest them in the gendarmerie and order the special service team to protect the headquarters 24 hours a day."

"Hi!"

Xiaolu Goro suddenly lowered his head, turned and left.

If the Eighth Route Army were to attack Taiyuan, they might send special forces into Taiyuan to behead Commander Yoshio Iwamatsu.

Yamamoto has learned more than once how powerful Li Yunlong's special forces are.

Yamamoto knows that people speak lightly and cannot influence Commander Yoshio Iwamatsu's decision, but he can protect him.

Once something is wrong, Kazuki Yamamoto will immediately protect Yoshio Iwamatsu to break out from Taiyuan.

……

More than 20 kilometers north of Yangquan.

Tens of thousands of people from the New First Regiment of the Eighth Route Army are marching towards the First Army under the leadership of Li Yunlong.

According to the combat plan, the main force of the new regiment is from north to south, and the center attack group and right attack group of the 129th Division will complete the encirclement of the Japanese 33rd and 37th Divisions before dawn.

According to intelligence, the 33rd Division and the 37th Division have assembled in Shouyang County and Yangquan City respectively.

Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang and Wang Dehou were walking forward with the soldiers when a telegraph operator chased them up on horseback.

"Report to the leader, the telegram of the attack group from the left!"

The telegraph operator got off his horse, came to Li Yunlong, and saluted him with a military salute.

Li Yunlong took the telegram, and Zhao Gang next to him took out a flashlight and read the telegram with Li Yunlong from the teacher.

"Our department is attacking the Taigu defense line, and has fired two and a half base shells to the Taigu defense line, requesting airdrops of supplies on the battlefield, the commander of the 2th division..."

While reading it, Li Yunlong read out the content of the telegram word by word.

After reading the telegram, Li Yunlong couldn't help admiring it.

Li Yunlong laughed and said: "Haha, as expected of our old Li's teacher, he insisted on making cover and assists the main attack!"

Zhao Gang’s tone was worried: “Will the Japanese army mistakenly think that our Eighth Route Army is going to attack Taiyuan because of such a big commotion by the left-wing attack group, and then transfer the 33rd and 37th Divisions back to Taiyuan? It was useless to fetch water from the bamboo basket. Is it a waste of work?"