Chapter 105: Iron Smelting Plant
Heyuan Japanese Gendarmerie
“Captain, urgent news just came in!”
A confidant quickly ran up to Captain Fujita Ichi, his tone grave: “Eighth Route Army troops are attacking the Third Regiment.”
Eighth Route Army attacking the Third Regiment?
Captain Fujita Ichi heard this and was completely baffled.
This Third Regiment is not No. 9 Concentration Camp, nor No. 9 Mine; it’s combat troops’ turf.
Although the Third Regiment’s original Regimental Commander Sakada Shinzhe died in battle, the Third Regiment’s combat power is still top-notch.
The new Regimental Commander Mita Taro is also an excellent commander with illustrious meritorious service; his command ability is not inferior to Sakada Shinzhe’s at all.
In other words!
The Third Regiment is now a solid iron plate!
These Eighth Route dare to attack the Third Regiment; aren’t they tired of living?
Moreover!
This doesn’t sound reasonable either.
Logically, after taking No. 9 Concentration Camp and No. 9 Mine, the Eighth Route should immediately flee into the mountains, because our encirclement troops will surely reinforce.
But not only did they not flee into the mountains, they continued attacking.
Even if they continued attacking, shouldn’t you Eighth Route continue targeting important military objectives like No. 9 Mine?
Yet you chose to attack combat troops; no matter how you think about it, it’s incomprehensible.
“Has the news been verified? It’s really the Eighth Route?” Captain Fujita Ichi questioned. “Even the Jin Sui Army and direct line troops don’t dare provoke the Third Regiment; where do these Eighth Route get the guts!”
“Captain, it’s precisely because the Jin Sui Army and direct line army don’t dare provoke the Third Regiment that the enemy attacking it can only be the Eighth Route,” the confidant replied. “I’ve verified it; it’s indeed the Eighth Route without a doubt!”
“Why are the Eighth Route doing this?” Captain Fujita Ichi scratched his scalp. “They clearly know our encirclement troops are out, yet they still defy us, not choosing other important military targets but attacking the Third Regiment?”
The confidant replied: “Captain, we’ve only just arrived here and aren’t too familiar with the situation yet. I just checked with Hirata Ichiro’s subordinate from the previous captain; there’s an important military target in the Third Regiment area?”
“What important military target?”
“Iron Smelting Plant.”
“Baka, what, Iron Smelting Plant!” Captain Fujita Ichi’s eyes immediately widened upon hearing this.
No wonder these Eighth Route dared to risk attacking the Third Regiment’s jurisdiction; they had their eyes on the Iron Smelting Plant.
Iron is one of the most important supplies in war!
Without iron, there are no guns, cannons, warships, airplanes, tanks; even bayonets can’t do without iron.
If this Iron Smelting Plant is lost, the impact on the Empire’s plundering plan… oh, no, it won’t!
Captain Fujita Ichi quickly dismissed this thought; the Third Regiment is an iron plate, and the Eighth Route won’t gain any advantage so easily.
As long as he immediately turns the encirclement troops around to reinforce the Third Regiment, this bunch of Eighth Route will eventually vanish into thin air due to their own arrogance!
Captain Fujita Ichi immediately said to the confidant in front of him: “You immediately send a telegram to Regimental Commander Mita of the Third Regiment, tell him to hold onto these Eighth Route; I’ll have Regimental Commander Kuroshima and the others reinforce the Third Regiment right away.”
“Captain, Regimental Commander Mita has already perished,” the confidant said.
“Baka, Mita-kun perished; how is that possible!” Captain Fujita Ichi was greatly shocked, even more so than the Eighth Route attacking the Third Regiment’s jurisdiction.
Are the Eighth Route this fierce?
Mita-kun leading the Third Regiment, yet still killed by the Eighth Route?
“Regimental Commander Mita had some urgent matter and went to Regimental Commander Kasahara’s jurisdiction to handle it; he was ambushed by the Eighth Route on the way out,” the confidant explained. “I also judged that the Eighth Route killed Regimental Commander Mita and, taking advantage of the Third Regiment being leaderless, dared to immediately attack the Third Regiment.”
“Baka, baka, baka!” Captain Fujita Ichi stomped hard upon hearing this, cursing baka three times in a row!
He originally thought the Third Regiment could hold the Eighth Route until the encirclement troops could encircle and wipe them out.
But with the Third Regiment successfully decapitated by the Eighth Route, falling into the dangerous situation of being leaderless,
If things go wrong, this Third Regiment might get pinned down and rubbed on the ground by the Eighth Route again.
On Cangyun Ridge, the Third Regiment was rubbed once.
Now rubbed again; people unfamiliar with the situation might think the Third Regiment is a soft persimmon.
“Still contact the Third Regiment side, tell those battalion captains to hold on; I’ll have Regimental Commander Kuroshima and the others reinforce immediately,” Captain Fujita Ichi ordered.
“Yes.” The confidant quickly ran off.
Bang!
Captain Fujita Ichi slammed his fist on the table, cursing: “Baka, these Eighth Route’s guts are getting bigger; they even dare attack combat troops. At this rate, before long, they’ll probably hit Taiyuan; this can’t happen, I need to hurry…”
Before Captain Fujita Ichi could finish, another confidant rushed over hurriedly, saluting him: “Captain, just got news that the 22nd Regiment area is also under attack by the Eighth Route?”
The 22nd Regiment’s jurisdiction also under Eighth Route attack?
Captain Fujita Ichi was stunned again, completely baffled once more.
Even if the Eighth Route successfully decapitated Mita Taro, making the Third Regiment leaderless.
But the three battalion captains of the Third Regiment are no pushovers; not that easy to deal with.
Shouldn’t the Eighth Route put all their forces on the Third Regiment?
How could they still split troops to attack the 22nd Regiment’s jurisdiction?
Yes!
The 22nd Regiment area is now short on troops because Kasahara Koizumi took the main force out.
But there’s not much profit in the 22nd Regiment area.
Why would the Eighth Route split forces; why not concentrate superior forces to fully attack the Third Regiment?
“Run to the radio room, tell the operator that the Eighth Route has another force attacking the 22nd Regiment’s jurisdiction; have Regimental Commander Kuroshima and the others hurry back to defend,” Captain Fujita Ichi couldn’t figure out the Eighth Route’s operation and could only suppress his doubts.
“Yes.” The confidant withdrew.
“Baka, what medicine is in these Eighth Route’s gourd?” Captain Fujita Ichi sat down clutching his hair, racking his brains but unable to figure it out.
He even began to suspect if his fishing operation was stupid.
These Eighth Route aren’t biting the bait at all.
If he hadn’t done the fishing operation, and the Eighth Route didn’t play Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain, there wouldn’t be all this trouble!
……
No. 9 Mine ruins
Kuroshima Morita’s cavalry troops and Ueno no Mura’s mechanized troops were relatively fast, so they arrived at No. 9 Mine first.
Looking at the mine reduced to ruins, with equipment gone and mine shafts filled, Ueno no Mura cursed loudly: “Baka, we’re still too late; the Eighth Route have already run.”
Kuroshima Morita was also furious: “How does it feel like we’ve been played for monkeys again.”
They clearly set bait, but the Eighth Route wouldn’t bite the hook; instead, they attacked other targets, leaving them running around exhausted, truly infuriating.
“Regimental Commander, urgent telegram from Captain Fujita!” The radio operator handed the new telegram to Kuroshima Morita.
Another urgent telegram from Captain Fujita Ichi?
Kuroshima Morita and Ueno no Mura both looked puzzled upon hearing this.
From the looks of it, after snatching No. 9 Mine, the Eighth Route didn’t stop but continued causing trouble?
Grabbing the telegram from the radio operator, Kuroshima Morita looked down and his face turned pig-liver colored: “Baka, these Eighth Route really don’t know death.”
“Kuroshima-kun, what did the Eighth Route do this time?” Ueno no Mura asked suspiciously.
“See for yourself; not only did the Eighth Route not hide, they split into two routes: one attacking the Third Regiment, the other already entering Kasahara-kun’s jurisdiction,” Kuroshima Morita gritted his teeth as he handed the telegram to Ueno no Mura. “These Eighth Route truly don’t take you, me, or Kasahara-kun seriously; they know we’re out to get them, yet they still defy us, even daring to hard-attack the Third Regiment. Do they really think they’ve become invincible and unstoppable from now on? Treating us as trash, treating us as monkeys!”
“This happened?” Ueno no Mura took the telegram, read it, and gritted his teeth: “Eighth Route hard-attacking the Third Regiment frontally; they’ve got leopard’s gall. They even entered Kasahara Koizumi-kun’s jurisdiction; this is clearly further provocation.”
“Ueno-kun, this time, no matter what, we can’t let the Eighth Route escape again,” Kuroshima Morita was so angry his lungs nearly exploded. “You and I turn back immediately to reinforce; send a telegram to Kasahara-kun too, tell him to return to defense.”
“If we let the Eighth Route escape again, you and I will become a big joke,” Ueno no Mura’s face was extremely grim.
The Eighth Route weren’t eliminated; instead, they kept wreaking havoc, and we were played for monkeys.
If they can’t be wiped out, we’ll be nailed to the pillar of shame.
“Go!” Kuroshima Morita waved his hand, turned his warhorse around, and immediately led the cavalry regiment back; Ueno no Mura’s mechanized regiment also turned around and followed back.
……
22nd Regiment
“Regimental Commander, we can’t run anymore; the soldiers are exhausted.”
The adjutant came up to Regimental Commander Kasahara Koizumi, panting as he spoke.
“Baka, even if you can’t run, you must; No. 9 Mine is important, we absolutely can’t let the Eighth Route escape,” Kasahara Koizumi was also quite tired.
No choice; the 22nd Regiment is infantry, can’t have mounts like cavalry, nor ride vehicles like mechanized troops.
Can only march on two legs; it’s really exhausting.
What’s more.
They had already been slipped twice by the Eighth Route earlier; the troops hadn’t rested well, then rushed out on forced march; how could they not be fatigued?
“Regimental Commander, urgent telegram from Regimental Commander Kuroshima,” the radio operator handed the new telegram to Kasahara Koizumi.
Urgent telegram from Regimental Commander Kuroshima?
Kasahara Koizumi’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
Could it be that Kuroshima Morita’s side was attacked?
Kasahara Koizumi quickly opened the telegram and looked down.
“Baka, these damned Eighth Route have already fled from No. 9 Mine,” Kasahara Koizumi read the content and cursed loudly. “Not only did they not hide, they attacked the Third Regiment and even killed into our regiment’s defense zone; this is simply slapping my face!”
They know we’re out to kill you, yet you Eighth Route boldly continue jumping around and even raid my lair; utterly intolerable!
Kasahara Koizumi immediately told this news to his Japanese soldiers; upon hearing their lair was raided, they were filled with righteous indignation:
“Baka, unbelievable; the Eighth Route actually killed into our defense zone; this is like shitting right on our faces.”
“The Eighth Route are too despicable; taking advantage of our absence, what kind of skill is that.”
“Baka, let’s go back now and drown this bunch of Eighth Route one by one in the latrine.”
……
The 22nd Regiment’s Japanese soldiers were already extremely fatigued, but with their home raided, they turned anger into strength one by one!
Feet like the wind, they quickly turned back.
