Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

Chapter 222 Consuming six servings of fried noodles per 100 kilometers

 The 17th Army was not the Central Army. It was initially just a division of the Northwest Army.

This army used to move around the country, similar to the Jiedushi of a vassal town that separated one or two counties. It was a local army that took orders from preserved fruits and was a standard miscellaneous one.

 They inherited the advantages of the Northwest Army. They were very tenacious in fighting against Japan and their internal officers and soldiers were relatively united.

However, a mixed bag is always a mixed bag, and the army has always faced the problem of poor equipment and low-quality soldiers.

But even with its inherent deficiencies, the army still participated in many major battles in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War. All officers and soldiers were heroes who dared to fight.

It's a pity that the hard power is weak. Even though it has rich experience in participating in many wars, it has no outstanding performance and has not achieved any good results.

 Northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, field command post of the 17th Army.

“Commander! Don’t hold on! The 43rd Army next door is all **** gone! Let’s retreat quickly!”

"Our division is not only under great pressure on the frontal battlefield! The enemy may also attack the flanks at any time! If we continue like this, all the soldiers will die on the battlefield!"

“Can you bear to see those brothers who left their hometowns with us and went out to work, to be senselessly bombed to death by enemy aircraft and artillery in Zhongtiao Mountain, only a river away from their hometown?”

　　Listening to the persuasion and complaints of his division commander, Army Commander Gao Guizi sighed helplessly.

Although the elite Japanese team did not kill themselves, they were still forced to cut off contact with the three frontline divisions during the battle.

The corps headquarters was paralyzed, and the defense could only rely on the division commanders to direct themselves. From the actual effect point of view, the enemy's beheading operation can be considered a success.

 Fortunately, he himself is a famous general of the Northwest Army, and his status is earned through hard work in battles.

Coupled with the fact that they usually treated their generals with both kindness and power, they were quite prestigious in the army, which made the division commanders resolutely carry out their orders.

 Otherwise, with the current intensity of the battle, the troops would have given up and withdrawn from their positions long ago.

Unfortunately, Gao Guizi arrived a step too late. When he finally escaped and rushed to the main battlefield, the defeat of the northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain was already determined, and even the Bingxian possessed could not save it.

Since the 43rd Army escaped from the battlefield, the Japanese would not let go of such a great opportunity.

The other side seized the opportunity and quickly concentrated their forces. With an absolute advantage in combat effectiveness, they launched a fierce attack on the major positions of the 17th Army.

The 84th Division was crippled in this way, and its main force, the 251st Brigade, only had 2,000 men. In order to capture this position, the enemy used ten heavy artillery pieces, more than 20 tanks and more than 2,000 infantrymen at one time.

Although the soldiers relied on cluster grenades and explosive charges, they killed several tanks with their lives. However, when the troops and firepower are far inferior to those of the opponent, it is almost difficult to prevent the enemy from advancing.

If the commander of the 84th Division hadn't urgently ordered the reserve team to attack, the position would have been lost long ago!

 Seeing that the army commander didn't reply for a long time, Liu Mingxia, the commander of the 94th Division beside him, couldn't sit still at all. He patted the armrest, stood up from his seat, and said in front of everyone:

“Commander Gao! Please show mercy! Our division was ordered to support us. I cannot bear this responsibility if all my soldiers are killed!”

“In order to reinforce the northern defense line, our troops went north to forcefully cross the Yellow River. The soldiers were already exhausted from the long march.”

“As a result, we faced the Japanese’s independent ninth brigade as soon as possible. The brothers had no time to rest and were caught off guard.”

“The situation is getting worse and worse. Now the morale of the troops is very low and the casualties are high. They have completely collapsed! There are less than 3,000 people left out of a total of 6,000. Please give us a way out!”

"Why!"

Gao Guizi couldn't help but sigh after hearing this. He now regretted not seriously arranging the security system of the military command post. If he could have kept in touch with the 43rd Army, he wouldn't have fallen into this situation.

Moreover, we know our own affairs well, and excluding the 94th Division who came to support us does not count. There are only two divisions under him, the 84th Division and the New 2nd Division.

 The former are troops brought out from their hometown. The overall situation is good, and their combat effectiveness and individual soldier quality are also remarkable.

 The division has a total of three infantry regiments, as well as three division-directed battalions: artillery, engineering, and baggage. Plus a search company, a cavalry company, and a guard company, a total of 6,000 people.

With such a configuration, although it is not the top line of defense in Zhongtiao Mountain, it is definitely no problem to rank in the middle.

 The situation of the latter is very bad. Just by looking at the name, you can tell that they are newly added troops.

 Because the supplies on Zhongtiao Mountain cannot keep up and the conditions are too difficult.

The troops stationed here do not have enough food and clothing, and a lot of people die from illness every year. The soldiers regard this place as a living hell.

Some soldiers couldn't hold on any longer, so they secretly crossed the river on local people's cattle and sheepskin rafts while on guard duty at night, threw away their weapons and fled.

 In this case, the new 2nd Division is not fully staffed and is basically used to make up the numbers.

 A company can only have seventy or eighty soldiers at most, most of them have fifty or sixty, and some even have thirty or forty soldiers. Once a war breaks out with the Japanese, it will be difficult to fill in the lines.

 With two crippled division-level troops and one new division to defend for nearly two days, the 17th Army was already pretty good.

“Get ready to retreat. If Commander Zeng blames me, I will bear the blame. But the three divisions must take turns to cover, and no one is allowed to play tricks at the critical moment!”

“If we don’t unite at this time, we will probably be bitten to death by the Japanese!”

Gao Guizi said this to the 94th Division and the New 2nd Division. After all, they are not his direct descendants, and they will inevitably have some thoughts on the way to retreat.

 It’s enough to grab supplies at ordinary times. If any party loses control at a critical moment, everyone will suffer.

As soon as he finished speaking, a staff officer from the headquarters stood up and expressed his thoughts.

Since the other party was an old man from the Northwest Army and a confidant of Gao Guizi, and was known for his resourcefulness, everyone kept quiet and waited for him to express his suggestions.

“Commander, we not only have soldiers, but also family members and civilian staff. If we bring a lot of burdens with us, there is a high probability that they will be cannibalized by the Japanese one by one.”

“Let’s think about it from another angle. We are just a no-brainer, not the Central Army. The Japanese’s attitude towards us is not as ruthless as it is towards the Central Army and the Eighth Route Army.”

“Before the battle started, the Japanese army sent someone to contact you, so there must be room for maneuver.”

The staff officer became more and more excited as he talked, even ignoring the different expressions of everyone present. A greedy smile actually appeared on his face, as if the good days had come and he was imagining the scene of reaching the sky in one step.

"As long as we show our attitude and go to Wang Wang Wang's side, not only will our lives be safe, but we will also be able to get promoted and make a fortune. Wouldn't it be great to become the commander of a group army?"

 “Now that we have reached the stage of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, I don’t think so.”

Before the other party finished speaking, Gao Guizi pulled out his gun and directly killed the staff officer who had been following him for many years. He was furious and glanced at the people in the command post with his eyes widened.

“Those who disturb the morale of our army will be killed without mercy!”

"I am Chinese by birth! I am Chinese by death! Let me be a slave of the Japanese! You can't do it! It's best if you can escape from danger and go back this time, otherwise I will fight to the end and be loyal to the country!"

  ·······

 North China Front Headquarters.

Several Japanese combat staff were drawing on the strategic situation map. They used their pens to draw red and blue arrows representing the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain and their own side.

 At present, the fighting on the northern front is basically over. The 41st Division and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade have broken through the defense line, and the plan to encircle and annihilate the enemy is progressing steadily.

  Unfortunately, the other directions are a little less interesting and far from meeting the expected requirements.

The 36th Division and the 37th Division were stuck in a quagmire on the western front, facing off against Guo Preserved's 80th Army and the 3rd Army. With the support of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, the two sides fought back and forth in a lively manner.

The 33rd Division on the Northeast Front gradually fell into passivity. Several tentative attacks were defused by the defenders, and now it can only play a diversionary role.

The situation of the 21st and 35th Divisions was even more unexpected. With the strength of two divisions, they were unable to advance a corps.

But it makes sense if you think about it carefully. Although the Ninth Army is a mixed bag, it is a powerful force and has participated in many fierce battles in Shanxi.

 Although after several battles, the loss of troops was very large. But relying on the veterans at the grassroots level, the combat effectiveness is stronger than other troops.

 Coupled with the continuous support from the 15th Army and the 93rd Army, the Japanese will not be able to do anything for a while.

At this time, Okamura Neiji was very ambitious. He looked at the map in front of him and said to everyone in the headquarters:

“Now that we have penetrated the northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, as long as we cut off the supply line of the Preserved Fruit Army, all problems will naturally be solved.”

“By then they won’t have enough food to eat, and they won’t have enough ammunition, so what will they use to fight us!”

“The field anti-aircraft weapons supported by the troops stationed in Mongolia are about to be in place, and the Eighth Route Army’s air force no longer dares to bomb without restraint. When our country’s warriors destroy the enemy, we can harvest the fruits of victory!”

As soon as these words came out, cheers suddenly erupted in the headquarters. Only the chief of staff, Moritake Tanabe, had a solemn expression, showing a hint of uneasiness.

“Your Excellency, Commander, I always feel that something is wrong. None of the air raid teams sent before have responded, and I don’t know what happened to them.”

“I now seriously suspect that there is a mysterious enemy hidden inside Zhongtiao Mountain. They can even kill a thousand elites from my brother country silently.”

This kind reminder was not taken seriously. Neji Okamura just waved his hand indifferently, indicating that the other party should not think too much.

 The poor performance of the air support team in the past made the old devils have no expectations at all. At first, they just made rational use of every resource at hand. Coupled with the fact that his stud command has made a breakthrough in the battle, he is now erratic.

“Tanabe-kun, the air force is just a casual move. The victory of a battle still depends on the progress of the frontal troops.”

"We have conquered most of the Republic of China, what else can stop our brother's progress?"

“Next, I am going to let the independent mixed ninth brigade take the lead. Send them to cut off the enemy’s supply lines and occupy the major crossings of the Yellow River.”

 After being enlightened by someone, Tanabe Moritake suddenly felt that his ideas were much clearer.

Even if Zhongtiao Mountain really has a surprise army, so what? Judging from the current intensity of the war, at least tens of thousands of troops can affect the local situation.

 As for letting a brigade move first, he had no objection. There can't be anyone who can kill a brigade silently.

  ·······

 Southeast Shanxi, the combat conference room of the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

"It's true that mud can't hold up a wall! Without the Seven and a Half Road, wouldn't their Jinsui Army have soldiers who know how to fight?"

"A good situation can be thrown away in one wave! I really wasted so many aerial bombs! I just let the 1st Air Division rest for a few hours, and the defense line was actually penetrated!"

 “That’s ridiculous! That’s ridiculous!”

 The deputy general staff officer and the division commander surrounded the deputy commander-in-chief. After some persuasion, the two men managed to calm down the other's anger.

“Hey, we have been prepared to fight alone in the world for a long time. Neither the Central Army nor the Jin Dynasty can be relied on. The most they can do is contain the enemy.”

“You have to be strong to make iron. Our fastest troops can reach the battlefield in one and a half days. Whether we can liberate the whole of Shanxi depends on this war.”

Starting at noon on May 7, troops at all levels in northwestern Shanxi and southeastern Shanxi set out for Zhongtiao Mountain.

Since the entire province is under the supervision of THT's spies, the comrades can only break into pieces and try to remain as concealed as possible during the march. Fortunately, all the troops of the First Army were concentrated in Zhongtiao Mountain, so the entire journey was considered safe.

After looking at the map, the deputy commander said to the two old comrades beside him:

“Based on the intelligence coming back from the front, I think we should attack the 33rd Division in the Gaoping area first.”

“The enemy there is a lone army, and there are three armies of preserved fruit troops in the front. After the 120th Division is in position to keep an eye on the enemies on the western front, the entire 129th Division can be concentrated to eat the enemy in one go.”

“Now we are competing with the Japanese to see whether they defeat the Zhongtiao Mountain defenders first or we launch a surprise attack first!”

 The camera moves to a mountainous area somewhere in southeastern Shanxi.

At this time, Ding Wei was riding a 28-meter large bar. Judging from the sweat on his forehead, he must have used up a lot of energy.

The sound of breathing was mixed with the sound of the galloping bicycle, which vaguely sounded like tank tracks running over the ground, not to mention how powerful it was.

“Comrades! Hold on for another half hour. When we reach Changzhuang in front, we can take a rest and eat today’s dinner.”

　　After hearing what their group leader said, everyone did not reply, they just gritted their teeth and continued to persevere.

I have to say that bicycles are very suitable for use in Shanxi where road conditions are poor.

 When the road is flat, ride on horseback. Although the speed is not as good as riding on horseback, it is better because there are more soldiers. Each warrior can carry one horse.

 I carry it when the road is muddy. It consumes six servings of fried noodles per 100 kilometers. Soldiers say it is a good idea to use it.

 It is worth mentioning that none of Xinyi Tuan’s bicycles have tires.

 This is because the weather is hot and the ground is hot, so tires often blow out even if they are not full of air. The soldiers simply took off the tires and rode on the steel rims.

　　Try to be as regular as possible tomorrow

 (End of this chapter)