Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

Chapter 236 129th Division, 8 brigades and 25 regiments

“I’ll read it again later and I’ll draw a picture. I can’t understand this chapter without a picture.”

As we all know, the Eighth Route Army has three main divisions.

 Before entering Shanxi in the early stage of army reorganization, the three divisions were almost the same in all aspects. The establishment of the C Division in the 19th year of the Republic of China was also adopted. Each division was under the jurisdiction of two brigades, and the brigade was under the jurisdiction of two regiments.

 After including the troops directly under the division, the troop strength is generally between 13,000 and 15,000.

 But the subsequent developments are each exciting in their own way, and the experiences of the three divisions are completely different.

As we said before, the 120th Division currently has no more than 100,000 troops due to different tasks and inherent deficiencies, as well as its development being restricted by geography.

 In the original timeline, compared with the remaining two divisions, the conditions of the 115th Division would be better than those of the 129th Division.

 Because the latter's activity range is mainly in North China, which is the area where wars with the Japanese are most frequent. What's more, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army is still in southeast Shanxi, which is a key target for the enemy's attack.

 After years of fighting, the 129th Division naturally did not develop as well as the 115th Division.

However, things are different now!

 Due to Huang's intrusion, the logistics department in the southeastern Shanxi base area has undergone earth-shaking changes. Under the first-come-first-served approach, the 129th Division can be said to be extremely rich.

  The style of painting was quite normal at the beginning. At that time, Huanghe used civilian factories in exchange for some resources to improve the food and living conditions of the frontline soldiers.

 Due to the difficult conditions, his improvement in the combat effectiveness of the troops was very limited. That means getting back some Mosin-Nagant and French weapons from World War I, and improving the power of bullets and grenades.

 Last May, the 129th Division was reorganized. The regular troops under the division's jurisdiction include 9 brigades and 28 regiments.

　In addition, coupled with the decisive columns and local troops under the command of the division, the total number of troops in the entire system exceeded 100,000, which was no different from the original timeline.

But after June last year, as soon as the European hegemon Gallic France surrendered, the development speed of the entire division made a qualitative leap as if it was cheating.

The 129th Division was not only the first of the three main forces to be equipped with a full set of weapons. Moreover, because of the various military production lines of the Logistics Department, we have the confidence to vigorously expand the army.

The Eighth Route Army has always adhered to the principle of ideological mobilization and voluntary participation in the army, and from time to time it carries out mobilization propaganda for qualified young adults.

However, as the grassroots construction of the southeastern Shanxi base area has begun to take shape, its influence is no longer what it used to be.

 Coupled with the good treatment provided by the 129th Division to soldiers and their families, as well as the attraction brought by advanced equipment, there is an endless stream of ordinary people joining the army.

Even though the requirements for enlistment have been raised, the number of troops at all levels has still increased explosively.

 At present, the division has 15 regular army brigades and 47 regiments.

Including local armed forces and militias, 150,000 people can be deployed to fight when necessary, which has laid an indestructible foundation for the independent war in North China.

  ·······

 In this battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the units of the 129th Division were not far from Gaoping and Yangcheng areas and were responsible for supporting the northeastern battlefield.

Although Wuxiang is only more than a hundred kilometers away from the enemy's 33rd Division's garrison, the troops cannot launch an attack first.

We have to wait for the comrades from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to be in position and be prepared to intercept the enemy reinforcements from Hebei, Chahar, and parts of Suiyuan. We also need to wait for the comrades of the 120th Division to contain the 36th Division and the 37th Division.

What's more, the troops also have to take care of the artillery, and it's not very convenient to move.

 At this time, there was still half an hour before the scheduled start of the battle. The division commander was working intensively with the staff to check and fill in the gaps to make sure that all the plans were foolproof.

Suddenly, there was a dense sound of footsteps outside the combat conference room.

The brigade commander walked into the room with a smile on his face and a telegram in his hand. As soon as others saw it, they knew that something good must have happened.

“Commander, I have a very interesting telegram here.”

“Some people in our Eighth Route Army are quietly making a fortune behind enemy lines, making everything prosperous!”

As soon as these words came out, they immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

This feeling of being in the spotlight extremely satisfies the "vanity" of Lezi people.

It's a pity that the division commander didn't follow the routine and grabbed the telegram, adjusted his glasses and started reading. But the first line of the message made him look like an old man on the subway looking at his phone.

It clearly states that the remnants of our 98th Army, the 17th Army, and the 43rd Army will, under the leadership of Commander Li of the Eighth Route Army, cooperate with the 129th Division to encircle and annihilate the enemy's 33rd Division and 41st Division.

The division commander, who had been busy for a few days, was a little overwhelmed. The words "Sir. Li" immediately made him confused.

“Is there something wrong with my last eye? Or was the message decrypted wrong?”

"When did our Eighth Route Army have a division commander named Li? If I remember correctly, there is no comrade named Li among the deputy division commanders."

 Although it was a question, the teacher quickly thought of one thing. The 1st Marine Regiment led by Li Yunlong was the Eighth Route Army's armed force that entered Zhongtiao Mountain first.

 Counting the time, they have been fighting behind enemy lines for nearly six days.

“Has the authenticity of the information been confirmed?”

 After hearing the question, the brigade commander nodded.

As a former intelligence chief, he used the method discussed in advance to determine the identity of the other party as soon as he received the message. Just in case, someone was sent to verify the authenticity of the intelligence.

After seeing the division commander’s expression of realization, the brigade commander immediately said:

 “As you expected, it’s Li Yunlong.”

"I have just made contact with the other party. He began to collect the defeated troops of Guozuo on the day he set off. As of today, he has 6,000 people under his command."

"But the title of division commander is not what he calls himself. It is the title of the candied soldiers to him."

 Due to the insufficient power of the radio station of the 1st Marine Regiment, it was unable to contact the higher-level troops. In order to get in touch with the division headquarters, we can only use the radio station of the 98th Army to make circular calls.

 But the operating communications soldier had only joined the army for seven hours and didn't even know Li Yunlong's full name. In a self-defeating move, I directly used my last name and my perceived position.

The person who loves Lao Li the most is always the brigade commander. In order to reduce unnecessary misunderstandings, he specially emphasized a sentence at the end of the sentence to explain it to his beloved general.

 After hearing the specific reasons, everyone in the combat conference room laughed out loud.

Everyone here is an acquaintance of Commander Li Da, although the New Second Regiment has become independent from the 129th Division and has become the First Marine Regiment directly under the Eighth Route Army.

But the old friendship between everyone has not faded. Even if Lao Li really dared to call himself division commander at the division headquarters, everyone would just look at who gave him the heart and courage of a leopard.

“Okay, with the addition of that boy Li Yunlong, we will be more confident in this battle.”

"As long as he can block the enemy's retreat, this battle can definitely wipe out the enemies of the two divisions. After eating the entire First Army, there will be no war in Shanxi!"     "Pass my order and let the First Division find a way. Airdrop a batch of weapons to them and fight for five or six days. It is estimated that the Marine Corps will almost be full of troops. "

 This attack plan was made together by the deputy commander-in-chief and the division commander. They decided to send half of the 129th Division's troops, that is, eight brigades and twenty-five regiments, to surprise the Japanese.

 In such a large-scale operation, how to avoid the enemy's eyes and reconnaissance planes is a difficult problem.

If the enemy discovers our own movements, the opponent will definitely give up attacking the northeastern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain and instead flee to the Jincheng area.

 Fortunately, the 1st Air Division has gained air superiority over the battlefield, eliminating the most troublesome link of reconnaissance aircraft. The troops only need to ensure that they are not discovered by humans during the march.

 After departure, troops at all levels strictly control fireworks. Everyone marching must wear camouflage, radio silence is maintained at the brigade level, and the use of portable communicators is prohibited at the regimental level.

Every day, we start marching after the sun goes down. We stop marching at dawn and hide in the mountains and forests.

Hundreds of M1897 75mm cannons from the three artillery regiments are all scattered among the brigades, and will be used intensively after arriving at the first stage destination.

Under strict discipline, tens of thousands of troops were marching, but the Japanese were not even aware of it.

 After arriving at the scheduled assembly point, the division commander will send eight brigades to the north of Qinshui, east of Yangcheng, and west of Henghe to form a pocket formation.

 As long as the time is right, all troops will launch an attack with the cooperation of the three artillery regiments and the 1st Air Division.

This is a classic roundabout tactic. Coupled with Li Yunlong's division in Shaoyuan, the two Japanese divisions can definitely be wiped out in one fell swoop!

  ·······

 On the northeast side of Zhongtiao Mountain, Dong Feng.

 In the joint headquarters of the 33rd Division and the 41st Division, Lieutenant General Sakurai Shosan and Lieutenant General Shimizu Nori were not in a good mood at this time.

There is a piece of paper on the table in front of the two of them, which is a telegram just sent from the North China Front Army Headquarters. They looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the room was very awkward.

“Qingshui-kun, Commander Gangcun may be a little too hasty.”

“Forget it about our division. After all, a serious battle only lasts one day and one night. Your division has not had a rest since the afternoon of the 7th. Fighting for six days in a row must be too hard.”

Qingshui shook his head helplessly. After all, being a high-ranking official is overwhelming, and he also offended his immediate superior.

They also received news that two divisions on the Western Front had been annihilated. Neji Okamura did not intend to stop the loss in time, but chose to risk all his troops and give it a try.

 In the telegram, he prepared for the troops on the northeastern front to adopt a super-large pincer offensive.

 The task of the 41st Division is to immediately go south, pass through Shaoyuan, occupy all the ferries on the east side of Zhongtiao Mountain, and completely cut off the connection between the north and south banks of the Yellow River.

The 33rd Division and the Independent Mixed Fourth Brigade need to be divided into two groups. One group goes directly to Jiyuan along the Qinhe River, and the other group goes directly to Fengmenkou via Henghe River.

 The purpose of this is to combine the forces of the three divisions and defeat the 9th Army and the 93rd Army in the shortest possible time.

 Only by liberating the 21st Division and the 35th Division on the Eastern Front, Okamura Neiji was confident that he could fight the sudden Eighth Route Army in a decisive battle on the plains.

 “There is no way, everything is just to gain time.”

“Once the 129th Division on the Western Front arrives on the Eastern Front, the Battle of the Central Plains will be in vain. Not only will Zhongtiao Mountain not be captured, there may even be problems with the safety of our two divisions.”

 That's right, until now, the North China Front still believes that the enemy appearing on the Western Front battlefield is the 129th Division.

The Japanese conducted reconnaissance in the southeast of Shanxi. They found no sign of any large-scale southward mobilization of the Eighth Route Army.

Combining the fighting time and fierce firepower on the Western Front, Okamura Neiji judged that the Eighth Route Army there should be the main force of the 129th Division detoured to support.

 After all, everyone knows that the 120th Division is responsible for guarding the border area and preventing the enemy from crossing the Yellow River westward.

 It can only be said that empiricism kills people. No one expected that the strength of the northern Shanxi base area was already so strong and that such a large force could be mobilized without affecting the original mission.

I didn’t expect that the 129th Division had a big plan and was very patient.

 After thinking for a moment, Sakurai Shozo walked to the map. He clicked through all the towns he was passing through with his fingers, and then complained to his colleagues behind him:

“It’s true that just because the superiors are talking, the people below will lose their legs. Those of us who lead the troops are all working hard.”

“I hope I won’t encounter the Eighth Route Army’s air force on the road. Those fighter jets are really too brutal. With the few people I have, I can’t withstand more than two rounds of attacks.”

 When it comes to the Kongyi Division, Qingshui Ruijie feels a chill down his spine.

 Although the 98th Army was successfully killed in last night's battle, two of them also suffered losses. What's more, the 41st Division was already divided into two, and now only more than 6,000 people are left.

Once you encounter the enemy's air force, you may not have all the corpses.

 As he said it, the hum of a piston engine sounded in the sky. Their expressions changed and they immediately ran out of the headquarters to check the number of enemy planes.

At the same time, nightmare-like horn sounds sounded around Dongfeng Village.

 You don’t need to guess to know that the enemy is the Eighth Route Army. After all, the preserved fruit troops were defeated by them just last night.

The two Japanese lieutenants looked at each other, and they both remembered a sentence, that is, those who are good at attacking move in the sky.

Until now, they have not understood that the Army Aviation took risks just an hour ago and sent six reconnaissance planes to conduct reconnaissance in the direction of the Eighth Route Army's base area in southeastern Shanxi.

 Obviously no traces of any large army movements were found, but which army is the enemy in front of us? How did the other party quietly reach near us?

 Doesn’t the Eighth Route Army not need logistical supplies to fight a war?

 Although there are countless confusions in my heart, there is no time to think at this time.

 The two of them did not choose to enter the air raid shelter. If there was no overall command in the current encounter, they would definitely lose. They returned to the command post in the shortest possible time, picked up the phone and issued orders to their respective subordinates.

“The troops were organized into regiments and quickly deployed on the positions of the original preserved fruit defenders. Make use of the height advantage and terrain advantage to block all the enemies!”

“Send all the scouts out to find a suitable direction for a breakout. If the enemy dares to attack in such a big way, their troops and heavy firepower must be several times stronger than ours.”

“Send a telegram to the headquarters and request tactical guidance! Tell Commander Gangcun that we need support from the Army Aviation!”

As soon as he finished speaking, several artillery shells flew from the north.

That sparse number must be the enemy's test firing, and the next two divisions will inevitably face a baptism of artillery fire.

This tactical inspiration comes from the siege of the First Marine Division.

Back then, 100,000 men from the Ninth Corps quietly surrounded Changjin Lake. I think it’s not too much to surround two Japanese divisions.

It’s so hard to think of tactics, and the work is not that tiring.

 (End of this chapter)