Chapter 300: Borrowing Airplanes From The Kwantung Army
As the sky darkened, Cheng Xiazi immediately led his troops to set off.
They arrived at the military train at the fastest speed, and the military train was still intact on the railroad track.
Cheng Xiazi laughed, “It seems the scholar’s prediction was right. These Japanese invaders’ aircraft still couldn’t bear to bomb the military train after all. Move it, transportation team, hurry up and move, disassembly team, get to work quickly.”
The transportation team swarmed over like an ant colony, the carriage doors were opened, the remaining supplies inside were unloaded piece by piece, then loaded onto wheelbarrows, carts, livestock trucks, and so on to be transported away.
The disassembly team also immediately brought tools and hurried to disassemble the locomotive of the military train.
Of course, there was plenty of manpower.
Besides unloading supplies and disassembling the military train locomotive, the carriages also began to be dismantled, and the disassembly work on the railroad track proceeded simultaneously.
Even those two bombed-out iron turtles were not overlooked.
Someone remembered something and said to Cheng Xiazi, “Regimental Commander Cheng, weren’t we supposed to get two military train locomotives for the Border Region Arsenal? We only have one now; we’re still short one.”
Cheng Xiazi was very calm: “What’s the rush? As long as these Japanese invaders’ army can’t get food, their military trains will have to keep sending supplies later. When the time comes, we’ll seize the chance to work again, and won’t we have the locomotive then?”
With this military train seized, the Kumamoto Division army had no supply replenishment, and Shinozuka Yoshio and the Japanese Military Headquarters couldn’t just watch them starve to death.
So, there would definitely be more military train transportation later.
In short, as long as their Japanese invaders’ military trains still needed to run on the railway, we wouldn’t lack military train locomotives.
“That’s true, but I reckon Regiment Commander Liu’s blocking battle over there won’t be easy to fight, since we all saw two Japanese aircraft head that way.” The man continued, “This time, if the Japanese invaders suffer another big loss, and if they slow down the front lines on other battlefields to free up more aircraft, it won’t be so easy to rob military trains in the future.”
“Not easy? Does that mean these Japanese invaders won’t fight anymore!” Cheng Xiazi glared, “Which battle in this war did we want to fight? Weren’t we all forced into it? Yes, I admit Japanese aircraft are hard to deal with; we have no anti-aircraft weapons and no way to counter them. But I believe Factory Director Li definitely won’t hold us back. As long as someone can get him the equipment for manufacturing seamless steel pipes, he can definitely provide us with anti-aircraft weapons as soon as possible. With anti-aircraft weapons, we won’t fear their Japanese invaders’ aircraft anymore.”
Although Cheng Xiazi said this, he was still very worried inside.
The scholar had read a lot of books and had a quick mind.
But he had no anti-aircraft weapons on hand after all; even if only two Japanese aircraft went over, blocking wouldn’t be that easy.
Cheng Xiazi could tell that Liu Weidong’s side must have suffered significant losses.
“Mm, as long as Factory Director Li is there, we’ll eventually get to use anti-aircraft weapons!”
The transportation team had plenty of manpower; in just over half an hour, all the remaining half of the supplies on the military train were cleared out.
They worked until late at night, the locomotive was fully disassembled, the carriages were all dismantled and hauled away by vehicles.
A large section of the railroad track was also dismantled, along with the parts from the two iron turtles taken together.
“Go, pass the word to Liu Weidong that we’ve finished the task here.” Cheng Xiazi sent someone to notify Liu Weidong.
With the task done, Cheng Xiazi promptly notified Liu Weidong, so Liu Weidong no longer needed to fight desperately or clash head-on with the Japanese invaders.
He could fight while withdrawing, delaying the enemy’s speed and reducing their own casualties.
Once the transportation team entered the mountains, Liu Weidong could find a way to shake off the enemy and withdraw.
“Yes.”
……
On Liu Weidong’s side, as expected.
Even though Major General Miyai had fallen into a coma, the remaining Japanese invaders’ remnant troops urgently organized their forces and turned back to kill again.
This time, without aircraft support and having consumed a lot of ammunition in the previous battle.
So the offensive momentum of the Japanese invaders’ remnant troops was much weaker this time.
Liu Weidong relied on the repaired fortifications, using grenade launchers, mortars, and light and heavy machine guns to stubbornly block the enemy.
When Japanese invaders’ armored vehicles came up, they used Molotov cocktails.
In this battle, both sides could be said to be evenly matched, with neither gaining a clear advantage.
“Regiment Commander, this is the liaison from the 772nd Regiment.” The Battalion Commander brought Cheng Xiazi’s man to Liu Weidong.
“Greetings, Regiment Commander Liu.” Cheng Xiazi’s liaison quickly stood at attention and saluted Liu Weidong, his voice trembling slightly: “Our regimental commander told me to inform you that he has dismantled the military train and transported away all the supplies.”
The liaison was trembling because he saw how fiercely Liu Weidong’s troops were fighting the Japanese invaders.
Even the Hell Cannon was damaged, the Type 92 Infantry Gun was broken, and few rocket launchers were left intact.
One could imagine how immense the pressure was on Liu Weidong fighting against Japanese aircraft and mechanized troops during the day.
If it had been the 772nd Regiment’s troops with headquarters leaders’ support, they probably would have been overrun by the Japanese invaders already.
Yet Liu Weidong’s troops were still firmly holding the position, not letting a single Japanese invader through.
“Got it.” Upon hearing Cheng Xiazi had finished the task, Liu Weidong relaxed and turned to the orderly, “Pass the order: no more head-on fights with the Japanese invaders, alternate cover, fight while withdrawing, just delay the Japanese invaders.”
The order quickly reached the lower units, but many soldiers down there had bloodshot eyes from killing.
The company and platoon cadres, upon hearing the order, nearly couldn’t steady their emotions.
The troops ended up clashing hard with the Japanese invaders for nearly another half hour before gradually withdrawing from the battle.
Seeing the Eighth Route Army withdrawing, the Japanese troops didn’t let up.
They continued their frenzied assault, determined to wipe out these damned Eighth Route Army completely.
But in the end, the Japanese invaders didn’t get their wish.
Liu Weidong’s troops fought while withdrawing and finally shook off the Japanese invaders using their familiarity with the terrain.
The Japanese invaders’ troops arrived at Wolf Forest, discovering it was just a decoy with a fake transportation team, and they were furious.
They quickly arrived at the attacked military train site.
Looking at the bare roadbed, with no sleepers, no railroad track, and even the military train gone.
The Japanese invaders went berserk one by one, shouting and yelling chaotically.
……
Taiyuan First Army Headquarters
“Your Excellency Commander, this is the urgent telegram from the Ninth Brigade!”
A staff officer tremblingly handed the newly arrived telegram to First Army Commander Shinozuka Yoshio.
Ninth Brigade Commander Major General Miyai had led two mechanized regiments and two cavalry regiments to reinforce and retake the military train supplies robbed by the local Eighth Route Army.
As a result, they encountered stubborn sniping from Eighth Route Army Troops midway, suffering extremely heavy troop losses, and even Ninth Brigade Commander Major General Miyai was severely wounded and in critical condition.
When the news reached the commander, he was so angry he nearly couldn’t catch his breath.
The commander issued a death order again, commanding the remaining troops to spare no effort to seize back the supplies and military train.
This urgent telegram contained the results from the remaining troops.
They had failed.
Not only were the supplies lost, but even the military train transporting the supplies had mysteriously disappeared again.
Seeing the staff officer’s expression, Shinozuka Yoshio immediately guessed the outcome and exploded in rage: “Baka! They failed again, the supplies are gone, is that it!”
These were lifeline supplies for the Kumamoto Division army, urgently allocated by Commander Okamura from the North China Area Army’s logistics warehouse.
They hadn’t even arrived, yet they were robbed; how was he to explain to Commander Okamura.
Tens of thousands of Emperor’s soldiers in the Kumamoto Division army were still going hungry.
The staff officer trembled even more: “The telegram says not only are the supplies gone, but, but, but…”
“But what!” Shinozuka Yoshio slapped the staff officer hard across the face, as if he had lost the supplies himself, “Idiot, you can’t even speak clearly; what use are you!”
The staff officer spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his swollen face, and stammered no more: “The telegram says the military train disappeared along with the supplies.”
“Baka!” Shinozuka Yoshio kicked the staff officer over, his mind exploding.
Another military train gone, this one disappeared too!
Undoubtedly, it had been disassembled and taken by the damned local Eighth Route Army.
Damn it, truly damn it!
Yesterday, the intelligence department had provided Shinozuka Yoshio with a report.
The report explained that the power source for the Eighth Route Army Arsenal’s weapon and ammunition manufacturing was very likely modified from disassembled military train locomotives.
Now another locomotive had been disassembled and taken, surely to be used for power in the local Eighth Route Army Arsenal.
The raid on the Eighth Route Army had failed, the Kumamoto Division army was in crisis again, and the damned Eighth Route Army could develop their military industry; it was intolerable!
“Your Excellency Commander, although the Ninth Brigade’s operation failed, their report is still useful.” The staff officer crawled up from the ground and braced himself to remind, “With support from two aircraft, the Ninth Brigade heavily damaged the blocking Eighth Route Army Troops, which once again highlights the weakness of the Eighth Route Army Troops—and the uniform weakness of all Chinese Troops: they have no anti-aircraft weapons. I suggest you communicate with Commander Okamura again, request more supplies, and be sure to send more aircraft for escort; borrow aircraft from the Kwantung Army. The Kwantung Army isn’t fighting now, so their aircraft can definitely be borrowed.”
“You go send a telegram to the Kumamoto Division Commander, tell him I’ll secure more supplies for him again and urge him to hold on.” Under the staff officer’s persuasion, Shinozuka Yoshio finally suppressed his rage.
At this point, losing his temper was useless.
The tens of thousands in the Kumamoto Division army still needed supplies delivered somehow.
A lesson learned, wisdom gained.
It seemed they absolutely had to borrow aircraft from the Kwantung Army.
Without enough aircraft escort, delivering the supplies smoothly was too difficult.
Moreover, once the aircraft were borrowed, they could be returned later.
With supplies secured, emergency rest, and aircraft support, have Kumamoto return to raid the Eighth Route Army.
The strategic threat from the Border Region Arsenal was growing; they absolutely could not be given room to grow.
“Yes.”
