Chapter 161: Better Safe Than Sorry
Wutai County Militia Headquarters
A combat staff officer was speaking leisurely to Su Yaoyang, Pi Ruoyu, Huang Guantao, and a group of other officers.
“Gentlemen officers, according to our plan, the Japanese 20th Division is one of the most elite four-regiment Type A divisions, with a total strength of around 25,000 men.
It possesses 15,000 rifles, 300 to 400 machine guns, about 100 artillery pieces, and 500 vehicles.
From this, we can calculate that the Japanese army’s daily operational material consumption is approximately 200-300 tons. This time, the Japanese have stockpiled enough operational supplies in Xincounty to sustain them for about half a month, totaling 3,000-4,500 tons.
Of which ammunition accounts for about 40 to 50 percent, around 1,400 tons. As long as we blow up these supplies, the Japanese 20th Division will be like a toothless tiger, unable to pose any threat to us.”
Su Yaoyang thought for a moment and asked, “How do you plan to blow up these Japanese supplies?”
The staff officer replied, “Since Xincounty is a densely populated large county, using heavy artillery carries too high a risk of civilian casualties, so we plan to send an elite reconnaissance squad to infiltrate Xincounty. Once the location of the Japanese ammunition depot is confirmed, we will use 60mm mortars to fire incendiary rounds and destroy the Japanese armory.”
“What if the infiltration fails? Do you have any backup plans?”
“No.” Pi Ruoyu shook his head. “In any dynasty, supply depots and grain stores are the most heavily guarded places in an army. The Japanese are no fools, of course.
Being able to infiltrate within a few li of the armory is already extremely fortunate. How could we ask for more?”
“Are you confident?”
“Who can guarantee this? We can only say that man proposes and heaven disposes.”
Su Yaoyang said nothing, just lit a cigarette. “Send a telegram to Li Gaoyuan: report to headquarters immediately if there’s any news.”
………..
Zhang Wenshan crouched in the shadows at the corner of a blue brick wall, gripping his Springfield rifle tightly.
In the distance, Japanese searchlights swept by, illuminating the coarse cloth clothes fluttering on the clothesline at the alley entrance… those were the livelihoods of the civilians that hadn’t been taken in time.
The damp alley carried the smell of cheap tobacco, mixed with the oily scent from the armory’s iron gate, making it particularly unpleasant.
He stared at the blue brick building thirty paces away with a “Ren Dan” advertisement plastered on it; the faint outline of a machine gun was visible at the second-floor window.
Sparrows under the eaves suddenly flew off in fright, their wingbeats startling cold sweat out on his back.
Yes, that blue brick building and the row of bungalows behind it were the Japanese armory, stockpiled with enough weapons, ammunition, and food to sustain a division for half a month.
Logically, as long as they destroyed the weapons and ammunition here, the entire 20th Division would lose its ammunition resupply, and they would have won half the battle ahead.
But a plan is just a plan after all. When it came to actual implementation, they discovered a previously overlooked flaw: the Japanese ammunition depot was actually built in the center of a residential area. Now this special attack squad was in a bind.
You have to know, this place was stocked with enough munitions to support a division in combat for half a month.
Just the ammunition alone was no less than 1,000 tons. Once it exploded, half the county town would be sent skyward, yet the Japanese had built the ammunition depot in a residential area. This was tantamount to tying all the nearby civilians to their war chariot!
Sporadic dog barks came from the base of the city wall, and farther away, an infant’s cry abruptly stopped, as if someone’s mouth had been covered.
Zhang Wenshan turned to look at the captain behind him.
“Captain… are we still carrying out the mission?”
“Carry out my ass.” The captain only felt a damp sensation spreading from his back.
He could no longer suppress the roar in his heart: “There are at least 10,000 civilians in this area. It’s easy for us to fire those few incendiary rounds, but the tens of thousands of nearby civilians would be done for too.”
“Captain… we’ve come all this way with great difficulty. How can we…”
“Shut up… listen to me, withdraw…”
The captain cursed angrily: “That’s an order!”
“Yes!”
Under the captain’s order, this reconnaissance squad of more than twenty men withdrew the way they came, without alerting the Japanese patrols from start to finish.
An hour later, the news of the reconnaissance squad’s failure to blow up the armory reached Su Yaoyang.
“Heh… the little devils have gotten clever!” Looking at the telegram in his hand, Su Yaoyang was so angry he laughed. He hadn’t expected the Japanese to build the armory in the most densely populated residential area. This was dragging the residents into a binding game.
“Sir, this was my oversight. Punish me.” Pi Ruoyu was furious but also deeply guilty; such a huge flaw had been overlooked by him.
“This isn’t your fault.”
Su Yaoyang had no intention of blaming him. “After all, we are humans, while the little devils are beasts. It’s normal to misjudge how beasts operate.”
Pi Ruoyu took a deep breath: “Sir, since blowing up the armory won’t work, we’ll have to go head-to-head next… we…”
Su Yaoyang patted his shoulder with a smile: “War is inherently a contest of strength. Even going head-to-head is nothing to fear. Let’s just do it.
Even if we lose, worst case we retreat to the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare. I guarantee that in less than a year, we’ll build an even larger force!”
If anyone else said this, Pi Ruoyu would think they were bragging, but no one questioned Su Yaoyang saying it, because this guy had gone from a penniless down-and-out young master to militia general commander with over 10,000 troops in less than a year.
No one knew how many more miracles he could create.
Pi Ruoyu pondered for a moment. “In that case, we need to prepare for the worst.”
“For example…”
“For example, we need to be ready to withdraw at any time. Hospitals, supply, and logistics personnel should evacuate to the rural mountainous areas first. But the problem is, where do we find such a large territory to recuperate on short notice?”
Su Yaoyang fell silent for a moment: “Looks like we’ll have to ask the Eighth Route Army for help.”
Pi Ruoyu sighed: “That’s feasible. After all, you just forged a good relationship with them. Asking for a favor shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You don’t need that expression.”
Seeing Pi Ruoyu’s somewhat depressed look, Su Yaoyang patted his shoulder: “This is just the worst-case scenario. The 20th Division is formidable, but we’re no pushovers.
If they really piss me off, don’t blame us for flipping the table.”
“Flipping the table, you mean…”
“Can’t say yet.” Su Yaoyang just smiled mysteriously and turned to look out the window, thinking to himself.
“If it really comes to that, don’t blame me for pulling out the big move. But if I do that, will it cause some unpredictable changes due to massively altering the historical process of this spacetime?
That’s something to guard against!”
