Chapter 309: Wei Lihuang Is No Pushover
The airport is not far from Taiyuan, or rather, the airport is not far from First Army Headquarters.
When the airport experienced a massive detonation, Shinozuka Yoshio also felt the ground shaking.
Running to the window and looking at the night sky illuminated in the direction of the airport, that massive mushroom cloud slowly rising, Shinozuka Yoshio’s expression was as silent as death!
Not just Shinozuka Yoshio, but also the Japanese Invaders in Taiyuan City, and the Japanese Troops nearby.
They stared at the massive fireball mushroom cloud over the airport, each one dumbfounded.
On the surface, the airport has been lost, many of our airplanes have been destroyed, and our already strained air power will likely become even worse.
In reality, the enemy has charged into the heartland of the First Army!
The enemy’s knife has stabbed into the First Army’s vital hub.
For the First Army, this is absolute shame!
“Commander, bad news, bad news.”
A staff officer rushed over hurriedly and shouted wildly at Shinozuka Yoshio: “The Jin Sui Army is charging fiercely toward the Taiyuan Arsenal like they’ve been fed gunpowder. It looks like they want to seize back the Taiyuan Arsenal.”
Shinozuka Yoshio’s dazed gaze shifted back from the sky over the airport and fell on the staff officer’s face. Shinozuka Yoshio squeezed out words through his teeth: “Recall the poison gas shells to defend the Taiyuan Arsenal. Also, have the nearby strongholds rapidly close in on the Taiyuan Arsenal, form an encirclement centered on the Taiyuan Arsenal, and surround the Jin Sui Army.”
The staff officer listened and questioned: “Commander, although we can surround the Jin Sui Army, our troops are insufficient. How will we trap and kill the Jin Sui Army then? What’s more, our airport has been destroyed, and we’ve lost important air support.”
“The airport is lost, but the Taiyuan Arsenal absolutely cannot be lost again!” Shinozuka Yoshio roared. “Pass the order: mobilize all available troops immediately to surround them first.”
“Hai.” The staff officer hurried off.
Shinozuka Yoshio picked up the microphone: “Connect me to Commander Matsui of the First War Zone.”
The call connected, and Matsui Iwane’s voice came through: “This is Matsui Iwane.”
“Matsui, this is Shinozuka Yoshio.” Shinozuka Yoshio quickly identified himself and said rapidly, “Just now, the airport here was destroyed by the Chinese People. Airplane losses are heavy, and the Jin Sui Army of the Chinese is charging toward the Taiyuan Arsenal. My troops are seriously insufficient. Haven’t the battles on your side just eased up? Please immediately dispatch forces to reinforce me—ground troops and air power, I need both.”
The reason Shinozuka Yoshio had the confidence to surround the Jin Sui Army was that he had just learned the battles in the First War Zone had eased.
This way, he could quickly borrow reinforcements from Matsui Iwane.
Matsui Iwane on the other end of the phone was stunned upon hearing this: “Shinozuka, you’re not joking with me, are you? Your airport had over fifty airplanes, right? All gone?”
The Army’s airplanes are not numerous; over fifty is no small number.
All gone in one go—that’s too exaggerated.
The enemy attacked the airport; were your pilots just eating rice and doing nothing? They couldn’t pilot the airplanes… Oh, right, Shinozuka Yoshio said the airport was just destroyed.
At night, the airplanes indeed cannot forcibly take off.
“Not only the over fifty airplanes at the airport are gone, but even the thirty airplanes just borrowed today from the Kwantung Army are gone too.” Shinozuka Yoshio’s tone was extremely annoyed and grave. “Matsui, the Chinese Jin Sui Army is already attacking toward the Taiyuan Arsenal. This Taiyuan Arsenal also supplies you with weapons and ammunition. If anything happens to the Taiyuan Arsenal, you’ll lose important ammunition supplies, and I’m afraid you might not be able to defeat Wei Lihuang.”
The top Chinese commander in the First War Zone is Wei Lihuang, a formidable enemy.
Whampoa graduate, one of the Bald One’s direct lineage, even hailed as one of the direct lineage “Five Tiger Generals”!
Matsui Iwane has suffered many losses at Wei Lihuang’s hands. If logistics ammunition has problems, Wei Lihuang is very likely to seize the opportunity for a strategic counterattack—this is no joke.
This is also the important reason Shinozuka Yoshio did not first ask Okamura Neiji for reinforcements but instead asked Matsui Iwane.
Matsui Iwane did not hesitate and immediately said: “No problem. I’ll have a military train transport a brigade to you right away, and I can send ten airplanes.”
Wei Lihuang is tough to deal with; Matsui Iwane dared not draw too many troops from the First War Zone.
What’s more, the battles between Matsui Iwane and Wei Lihuang had just eased, with both sides temporarily in emergency rest status.
This does not mean the fighting is over, but that it could resume at any time.
If Matsui Iwane draws too many troops, it’s easy for Wei Lihuang to catch the opportunity.
“Good, thank you, Matsui.” Shinozuka Yoshio was overjoyed to get a brigade and ten airplanes as reinforcements.
A brigade and ten airplanes is already quite a lot.
Immediately after, Shinozuka Yoshio still asked: “Do you have any poison gas shells left? Give me some too?”
“Sorry, I don’t have many left; I need them for emergencies.” Matsui Iwane apologized for this.
“No problem, I understand.” Shinozuka Yoshio expressed understanding of Matsui Iwane’s pressure, after all, Wei Lihuang really is tough to deal with.
The call ended, and Shinozuka Yoshio immediately called North China Area Army Commander Okamura Neiji.
“Baka, Shinozuka, you idiot!” Okamura Neiji was furious upon learning that Taiyuan Airport was destroyed and heavy Jin Sui Army troops were charging toward the Taiyuan Arsenal. “The Kwantung Army lent you thirty airplanes, how did you guarantee me? They just arrived today and are gone.”
“Commander Okamura, the supplies for the Kumamoto Division army are already loaded. Without airplane escort, they can’t reach the Kumamoto Division army. Please borrow airplanes from the Kwantung Army again for escort.” Shinozuka Yoshio hung his head. “As for Taiyuan here, I’ll handle it well.”
Shinozuka Yoshio of course hoped Okamura Neiji would also send troops as reinforcements.
But the distance was too far; distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.
Fine!
The main reason was that the damn Eighth Route Army had destroyed the Jingtai Line railway too badly; military trains could not smoothly transport troops.
“At all costs, you must hold the Taiyuan Arsenal for me—even if Taiyuan City is lost, the arsenal cannot be!” Okamura Neiji angrily hung up and immediately contacted the Kwantung Army again—airplanes to borrow, and poison gas shells too.
Especially the latter; without sufficient poison gas shells, it would be very difficult for Shinozuka Yoshio to hold the line.
Even if the poison gas shells were hard to get, he had to swallow his pride.
After ending the call, Shinozuka Yoshio summoned someone and ordered: “Draw half of Taiyuan City’s garrison troops to reinforce the Taiyuan Arsenal.”
“Yes, Commander.”
……
“Regimental Commander Li, just received news.”
Li Yunlong was handing over the captured supplies from the airport to the underground comrades when an underground eyes and ears rushed over hurriedly and said to Li Yunlong: “Half of Taiyuan City’s garrison Japanese Invaders have also been mobilized.”
Li Yunlong had not yet responded when Gao Liujin teased from the side: “Li Yunlong, how about we attack into Taiyuan and have some fun?”
Li Yunlong shook his head: “Gao Liujin, now the Jin Sui Army is charging toward the Taiyuan Arsenal, all routes of Japanese Invaders are reinforcing there. In a sense, we can indeed plunder profits from soft targets in the Japanese Invaders’ rear at will, but!”
Li Yunlong paused, then continued: “But for us, the biggest profit is still the equipment for producing seamless steel pipes at the Taiyuan Arsenal! No matter what, even if Shinozuka Yoshio empties all of Taiyuan City’s garrison troops, I still won’t bother going.”
Ding Wei said: “Gao Liujin, don’t underestimate this little Japanese Invader Shinozuka Yoshio. Although we’ve taken the airport, attacking Taiyuan City even after half its troops are drawn away isn’t that easy. Taiyuan City is too fortified; it will consume all our remaining ammunition. Then, what will we use to seize the Taiyuan Arsenal’s equipment!”
“I’m thinking, if we could capture Shinozuka Yoshio alive, maybe we could force the Japanese Invaders to…” Gao Liujin did not finish his words.
Li Yunlong interrupted: “Gao Liujin, don’t think about useless things. Let’s hurry and hand over the supplies, cooperate with the underground comrades to hide them, then bide our time. Watch: if I’m not wrong, Japanese Invader reinforcement troops will arrive tomorrow daytime quickly. The Jin Sui Army and Japanese Invader reinforcements will still have to fight fiercely; worst case, we rest for a few days.”
“Then let’s see how the Jin Sui Army and the Japanese Invaders fight.” Gao Liujin shrugged.
……
Jin Sui Army 358th Regiment
“Regimental Commander, the pilots’ corpses have been handed over to superiors, and they are very pleased.” Fang Ligong returned and happily said to Chu Yunfei, “Superiors said that after the warfare ends and we return, Shancheng will surely reward heavily. You and I might even get the chance for top merit.”
Originally, Fang Ligong was a bit conservative: taking out so many Japanese Invader pilots guarantees first-class merit.
But thinking about it, superiors were right.
This was several dozen Japanese Invader pilots—value beyond measure.
Enough for the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal.
“Ligong, set merits aside for now.” Chu Yunfei’s expression was solemn: “Before dawn, we must seize the time and charge into the Taiyuan Arsenal as much as possible before daybreak. Otherwise, when Japanese Invader airplanes come, we’ll be bombed.”
As long as the troops enter the Taiyuan Arsenal, the Japanese Invaders will likely not bear to drop bombs on the arsenal.
Fang Ligong questioned upon hearing this: “Regimental Commander, hasn’t Taiyuan Airport been taken by the Eighth Route Army? Will there still be Japanese Invader airplanes in the daytime?”
“Taiyuan Airport is gone, but the Japanese Army has other airports. This little Japanese Invader Shinozuka Yoshio, seeing us eyeing the Taiyuan Arsenal, will definitely call airplanes from other airports for reinforcements.” Chu Yunfei hit the nail on the head. “Maybe not many, but we have no anti-aircraft weapons. If these airplanes bomb our important artillery fire, it will hugely impact our combat power.”
“True enough.” Fang Ligong nodded and said, “By that logic, even if we take the Taiyuan Arsenal, withdrawing later won’t be easy.”
We’ll be transporting the Taiyuan Arsenal’s equipment; the Japanese Invaders will definitely pursue and intercept.
“Not easy, but we still have to try.”
