My client Li Yunlong

"This is fucking..."

August arrived as expected.

On the Eastern Front, the army of the little mustaches was still unstoppable, and the blitzkrieg even made the big mustaches' faces look crooked.

The Japs had mixed feelings about this.

A great victory for the allies is a good thing. The situation in the north will be relaxed, and the pressure on the Kwantung Army will be reduced sharply. Although it has been reduced a lot, it will be further reduced, and more forces can be transferred to the south.

But during the battle, the power demonstrated by blitzkrieg left the Japanese stunned.

It’s so fierce!

Are tanks so powerful?
So they thought of the more than 500 enemy tanks west of the southern Hebei region, in the Taihang Mountains and the Taiyue Mountains.

If the Eighth Route Army, which has more than 500 tanks every month, also rushed in with a swarm of tanks, not to mention the southern Hebei region, even the entire North China region would be lost.

After all, in early August, the other side displayed more than 500 tanks.

This time, it was not only published in the newspapers, but there was even a military parade with more than 500 tanks. The whole world was shocked by the sight of more than 500 tanks marching past.

obviously,
The Eighth Route Army not only had more and more tanks, but also solved the problem of the number of tank crews.

This time, not to mention Ningji Okamura, even the Japanese headquarters began to panic.

The Japanese high-ranking officials did not care about the casualties on the front line.
The empire itself has a population of 70 million, not including overseas expatriates and the three provinces of Manchuria. If all are counted, the total population of the empire is over 80 million.

The population of the Republic of China was only five times that of the Empire, not six times.

As long as the empire wins, the loss of tens of millions of people won't matter.

Therefore, the Japanese high-level officials reached a tacit agreement that even if they lost a million troops in North China, they had to hold on, as they could not do without hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign funds every month.

But if hundreds of tanks of the Eighth Route Army rushed out together, the North China Front Army would definitely not be able to stop them.
Even if it could be stopped, the losses would be beyond what the empire could accept.

How to do?
What should we do if enemy tanks rush over?
The Japanese were in a panic, but the troops in the Taiyue Mountain area and a large number of brigade commanders and regiment commanders were very happy.

In August, the number of tanks remained at 500, no more and no less than in July.

But extra toys.

Yes, toys, lots of them.

Ten Tiger tanks, ten Panther tanks, and five KV2 tanks.

Everyone is familiar with the Tiger style.
This thing is not suitable as a cluster attack tank, but it is very suitable as a troop escort tank. It is a natural mobile bunker with strong firepower, thick armor and decent speed.

This was the first time everyone saw the Panther, but after testing it, everyone found that the Panther was better than the Sherman.

And there are many excellent ones.

Its mobility, firepower, armor, and fire control system are all far superior to the Sherman. The only pity is its weight of 44 tons, the unsuitability of the base roads, and the terrible logistical requirements.

Staggered road wheels are just too difficult to repair.

Besides, there were enough Shermans, so although it was a pity, it was just a pity.

After leaving a few tanks for research in the rear, the remaining five were prepared for the 772nd Regiment south of Ze County. Today, the 772nd Regiment is the experimental regiment for tank tactics of the entire army.

Testing various tank tactics, so tank losses were relatively high.

What amazed everyone were the last five monsters.

A small site with a huge turret.

Yes!

Huge turret.

It really is, the turret is bigger than the chassis.

"How big is the caliber?"

The brigade commander couldn't help but swear.

The Japanese tank's Toudin has a 47mm main gun, the Sherman has a 76mm main gun, and the Tiger tank has an 88mm main gun. According to the brigade commander's speculation, the next tank may be a 100mm or a 105mm.

But when the brigade commander took one look at the huge gun barrel in front of him, he knew that it was definitely more than 105 caliber, or even more than 120.

Because the muzzle is larger than the 120 mortar caliber in the army.

"152."

Li Yunlong spit out a number.

"152?"

"152!"

"152 Ah!"

Finally, the brigade commander repeated the statement with an incredulous tone.

"152 Ah!"

In an instant, everyone, including the boss, looked at this piece of junk tank.

Poor maneuverability.

The body is out of balance.

The failure rate is extremely high.

The armor is not as good as that of the King Tiger.

It's an absolute piece of garbage.

But if you take into account this huge 152 caliber main gun, then the mobility comparable to that of infantry, the extremely high failure rate, and the easy-to-tip-over body are no longer a problem.

Big is beautiful.

More is better.

The so-called heavy artillery brigade of the Japanese made the troops dare not to attack in depth. What blocked the troops' advance were the three heavy artillery brigades of the North China Front Army, with more than fifty 150-caliber artillery pieces.

These artillery pieces are difficult to move. Relocating positions requires hours of preparation, and it takes at least six hours to move them.

And this kind of tank of our own,

It can be maneuvered at any time.

"When will we go to the battlefield?"

The Brigadier took a deep breath.

"next week."

The divisional chief of staff answered the brigade commander.

"it is good."

The one who said this was the CEO, in a loud voice:

"When the time comes, we'll go and observe."

"go together."

The division commander and brigade commander responded in unison.

152 Ah!
They wanted to see how the Japanese could block a 152-caliber tank gun with a mobile 152-caliber howitzer.

···
“When does the observation group leave?”

at the same time.

Shimen.

Ningji Okamura asked this question.

The situation on the front line is becoming increasingly serious.
There were more and more Eighth Route Army tanks and more and more excellent tank crews. One data can illustrate the problem - at the end of July, except for the Yamazaki Battalion, the rest of the Locust Army Battalions basically had to sacrifice 120 people to destroy an enemy tank.

It is obvious that the enemy's tank tactics have also improved, and have improved faster than the Locust Army's anti-tank tactics.

I can understand that.

Tactics refer to a unit's use of weapons and equipment, terrain, etc.

These are the only weapons the Locust Army can use.

There are not even many anti-tank guns.

It's normal that you can't catch up.

Therefore, Ningji Okamura could not wait to promote the observation group plan. In the absence of being able to change the disadvantage of weapons and equipment, he tried to reduce casualties through tactical improvements.

"Leaving next week."

Chief of Staff Komatsu replied.

"next week."

Ningji Okamura breathed a sigh of relief. Next week.

soon.

More than one hundred squadron leaders and battalion leaders, including several major generals, were deployed, which put a lot of pressure on the front-line command. A week went by very quickly.

···
The first week of August went by quickly.

As fast as ever.

The main regiments on the front line lived the same life.

After receiving orders from his superiors every day, the regiment commander would organize his troops to attack after leaving behind a certain number of reserves to prevent a Japanese counterattack. The Japanese had also learned to be cunning, often concentrating their superior forces to ambush two or three marching tanks in complex terrain.

The troops suffered several losses.

Once, three tanks were hit by cross-wired mines and not a single one returned. Due to untimely support, all three tank crews suffered serious casualties.

Therefore, each regiment now leaves behind a mobile tank support company consisting of ten tanks, ready to provide high-speed support to the surrounded troops at any time.

After making preparations, each regiment attacked the target in company and platoon units.

The pace of advancement varies.

Although the tank can cross-country at a speed of 30 kilometers, in this state, if it is hit by the Japanese anti-tank mine, the vehicle will be destroyed and the people on board will die, so a mine-clearing tank is needed in the front.

The infantry is also required to observe carefully and provide fire alert to prevent the Japanese from laying manual mines.

In addition, according to the map, prepare the marching route in advance, try to avoid locations where Japanese anti-tank mines may exist, or use detonating bombs in advance to detonate areas where mines may exist.

This is also the reason why the troops’ tank loss rate has begun to decrease recently, while crew casualties have not increased or even decreased.

Perfection of tactics,
And, the soldiers’ detailed grasp of tactics.

During the attack, each company and platoon advanced steadily, destroyed the Japanese bunkers, cooperated with each other, encircled and annihilated small groups of Japanese troops, and carried out harassment.

Of course, there were also troops that chose to penetrate quickly, driving tanks dozens of kilometers deep into the Japanese positions, while others rampaged through the Japanese positions, mopping up the Japanese's manpower back and forth.

If a tank is destroyed or breaks down, it will be abandoned and retreated.

If not, drive the tank back.

Kill as many Japanese as possible while minimizing casualties in the troops.

Hone your tactics and train your tank crews.

When they returned to the camp at night, those who had personally participated in the battle would gather together and hold meetings to summarize the day's combat experience, study tank tactics, and discuss the Japanese counterattacks they had encountered.

The next day, the regiment commander organized a meeting to summarize the battle records and combat experience.

After the superiors summarize the situation, the attack will continue on the third or fourth day.

Repeatedly.

···
"Observation group."

Position south of Ze County.

After a night, the Eighth Route Army finally retreated. Yamazaki, who was licking his wounds with his troops, sighed and heard a nightmare news.

An observation group is coming.

A week later, an observation group consisting of three major generals, five colonels, regiment commanders, more than twenty major-officer battalion commanders, and more than one hundred squadron commanders and platoon leaders will come to the position south of Ze County to visit the battle between the Yamazaki Battalion and the enemy.

"idiot!"

Suddenly, Yamazaki started cursing:
"We still need to allocate troops to protect those rubbish?"

Now Yamazaki can't get angry at the Eighth Route Army - he can't defeat them.

He was reluctant to get angry with the soldiers - because the service time of the soldiers under his command would not exceed half a month. During that half month, most of them would either die in battle or be seriously injured and sent back for treatment, and it was not even known whether they could survive.

Yamazaki couldn't bear to scold.

So Yamazaki began to curse the senior management in the rear.

It has to be said that the strange operating rules of the Japanese troops, the strict and absolute relationship between superiors and subordinates, the fact that junior officers are absolutely not allowed to disobey the orders of their superiors, and the ghost that always lurks within the junior officers, make the Japanese high-ranking officials feel like a thorn in their throats.

These two contradictory things exist at the same time.

The Japanese high-ranking officials have absolute control over the grassroots officers, but they are also threatened by the ghosts within the grassroots officers.

As the best battalion commander - the officer who destroyed the most tanks and seized the most tank wreckage, the battalion commander who has fought the longest on the front line so far, and the most heroic battalion commander in the empire, Yamazaki has many halos and a great reputation.

It is difficult to change a person's character.

So Yamazaki started to scold the higher-ups, including the battalion commander, the wing commander, and even the division commander.

Call them stupid.

Call them trash.

After being scolded, everyone can do nothing about it.

What else can I do?

Although the old Japanese soldier Yamazaki miraculously survived and was not even injured, he was always on the front line, at the forefront of the position, and they couldn't do anything to him.

"Captain, Brigade Commander Hattori will be here this time as well."

The deputy captain standing by reminded.

"So what?"

'All garbage!'

Yamazaki didn't back down and started to scold:
"Even if Commander Gangcun comes, he's still useless."

"We should have retreated long ago, but we are still here to die."

"This is a waste of the lives of these warriors who are loyal to the Heavenly Locust. This is a meaningless death. It is a suicide."

Although Yamazaki cursed the heavens and the earth, he also knew that he could not curse the locusts in the sky.

However, the observation group was Okamura's plan, which could not be changed by Yamazaki's will. In the end, he had to start preparing.

"Reinforce the position."

"Lay more anti-tank mines."

"Dig more anti-artillery holes and try to increase the thickness of the front. The enemy's 88mm artillery is very powerful. We must be able to block it and take out the steel plate."

Yamazaki gave careful instructions.

Although he cursed everyone from top to bottom, he was also clear that if these three major generals, five regiment commanders, more than twenty battalion commanders, more than a hundred squadron commanders and company commanders all died here, the loss to the Locust Army would be no less than the annihilation of an entire mixed brigade.

Especially recently, the troops have suffered too many casualties and there is a shortage of outstanding officers.

···
As the battle continued,
Yangquan.

Yaoji Soy Sauce Shop.

The Japanese businessman Yuutarou Shiratori arrived here.

As an Osaka businessman, Yuutarou Shiratori has no interest in the locusts or the empire. He only thinks about how to gain more benefits and how to make more money.

After discovering this person, the male Shangzhi quickly pulled him into his hands.

This time, after Nanshangzhi learned about the North China Front Army observation group, he immediately sent someone to notify them, and Shiratori Yuutarou naturally became the best candidate.

"An observation group consisting of three major generals, five colonels, more than twenty captains, and more than one hundred squadron leaders?"

When Shopkeeper Yao heard the news, he immediately narrowed his eyes.

As the army's intelligence capabilities increased, the owner of Yaoji has had a lot more leisure time recently.

He even began to conduct intelligence activities in a brazen manner, because among several high-ranking Japanese officials in Yangquan, one had been bribed by him, and the other three had spies around them whom he had bribed.

It can be said.

He would either know the orders from the Japanese high-ranking officials, and the actions of the Special High Technology Department and the intelligence department at the same time as the Japanese high-ranking officials, or know them before the Japanese high-ranking officials.

'Why, it is true.'

Yuutarou Shiratori confirms the information.

The shopkeeper of Yaoji immediately turned on the radio and passed the message to the headquarters.

As for whether the radio station will bring danger...

Nothing.

The Japanese are special high-tech, but we have people.

·
"An observation group consisting of three major generals, five colonels, more than twenty captains, and more than one hundred squadron leaders?"

Headquarters, after learning the news.

The boss waved his hand and sent out five KV2s, five Panthers, and ten Tigers. (End of this chapter)