Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

Chapter 253 A logistics support team of 220,000 people

 Taiyuan, along the Nantong-Pu Railway.

 “Boom~Boom, boom, boom!”

  Accompanied by a long whistle, a train pulled ten carriages loaded with goods from a distance.

Such scenes are very common in Jin Province. After all, the Japanese used the Tongpu Railway to plunder countless resources, and even relied on trains to transport countless soldiers.

 But the situation today is different. The train that was supposed to go to Taiyuan stopped in the wild ten kilometers away from the city.

As soon as the train stopped, the carriage was suddenly opened from the inside.

Dozens of soldiers in gray military uniforms jumped down and immediately began to perform their duties.

Comrades cooperated tacitly, and after getting off the car, they picked up various boxes and went straight to the target warehouse. The whole set of movements is smooth and smooth, and you can tell that he is an expert at a glance.

 After delivering a box of cans to the destination, Zhang Wanhe turned around and retreated, preparing to return the same way to continue unloading. But after only walking 200 meters, severe pain came from my waist.

As an old comrade who is on his fourth year of work, he has been working at high intensity for two consecutive weeks, and his body has already issued a warning.

Seeing that there seemed to be an Eighth Route Army soldier twisting his waist in front of him, a young man dressed as a civilian hurriedly put down the cart in his hand and ran over quickly.

“Ah! Minister Zhang! Why don’t you listen to my advice?”

“Don’t we ask you to stay in the logistics department and take charge of the overall situation? Why do you have to go to the front line yourself?”

“If you have three shortcomings, the backbone of everyone will be gone! Come on, let’s go to the tree in front to rest for a while.”

 This young man is from Yangquan, and his family has lived in the county town for generations.

After the Fourth Independent Mixed Brigade was completely wiped out, he always wanted to repay the Eighth Route Army for its life-saving grace.

 After learning that the 129th Division's transportation team lacked manpower, he took the family's mules to the base area with the permission of his parents.

Since Zhang Wanhe has been leading the comrades of the Logistics Department to stay on the front line recently, most of the villagers have gotten to know this head of the Logistics Department who has no airs.

Originally, Lao Zhang wanted to struggle, but his waist was completely out of control and he couldn't use any strength. In desperation, he could only be helped by the other party to the big tree 200 meters away.

 Five minutes later, Zhang Wanhe barely regained his mobility. He took off the water bottle from his waist and took a slow sip of water.

“Boy, this is the final step to regaining the province, and I, the Minister of Logistics, must do it myself.”

“The Eighth Route Army is different from the Guozhou and Shanxi-Sui Army. Everyone in our army is equal. And as a minister, I have to take the lead.”

"Okay, leave me alone. Go to work quickly. I'll just rest for a while."

Looking at Zhang Wanhe’s determined eyes, the young man seemed to have a little unknown faith in his heart. He nodded seriously and then returned to the transportation queue.

 Two weeks after the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the entire logistics department was really exhausted.

Since most of the Japanese soldiers in the First Army chose to resist stubbornly, they did not forget to destroy Nantong-Pu railways, roads and bridges before they died.

Although many road sections are not difficult to repair, Zhang Wanhe followed comrades from the Engineering Office to visit the site in person every time.

With the encouragement of his own minister, in just one week, all transportation lines in southeastern Shanxi were open, and everyone even reinforced some bridges.

Considering that there are ten brigades attacking Taiyuan, a large amount of ammunition and food will definitely be needed. Zhang Wanhe took precautions and prepared various supplies before the deputy commander-in-chief issued an order.

 Subsequently, the transportation problem gave him another difficulty. Now the Eighth Route Army does not have many modern transportation tools at its disposal.

 The transportation capacity of the trucks and trains captured from the Japanese alone is simply not enough. It was almost impossible to deliver all supplies to the Taiyuan front line before the scheduled attack time.

 Fortunately, the villagers from all over the province extended a helping hand in time. At the critical moment, they spontaneously went to the base area in southeastern Shanxi.

 A full 220,000 ordinary people prepared their own dry food and actively participated in the transportation work of this battle, which is equivalent to two fellow villagers behind each combatant to provide logistical support.

This week alone, an average of 20,000 mules and carriages and 100,000 handcarts have been sent to the front line every day, greatly improving transportation efficiency.

 After fully recovering, Zhang Wanhe stood up holding his knees. He stamped out the cigarette **** he had just finished smoking, then looked at the side area and cursed with a smile:

 “The Yellow River is like a dog’s day, you have to be a hands-off shopkeeper wherever you go.”

“The M1897 75mm cannon is good in everything, but it’s not very friendly to the logistics department. Whose good cannon can fire an average of fifteen rounds per minute? Isn’t this going to force me to die?”

“When he comes back next time, I’ll have to give him a good meal.”

  ·······

 Eighth Route Army 129th Division, field command post.

 After two weeks of logistical preparations, troops at all levels finally received sufficient ammunition and supplies. According to Zhang Wanhe's preparation, ten brigades can surround Taiyuan for at least a week.

At this time, the two brigade commanders, division commander, captain Wang Hai, deputy commander-in-chief and deputy general staff officer gathered together. Beside everyone, several staff officers were busy hanging several maps on the wall of the command post.

 The most obvious of them is the city defense map that was blown up by the Japanese as Taiyuan Maginot, as well as the distribution map of the garrison strength and garrison situation.

These three pictures are provided by the First Air Division. Captain Wang Hai will send out reconnaissance aircraft detachments every hour. The Japs in the First Army did not have any decent anti-aircraft weapons and could only be observed by the soldiers.

 The other part is a topographic map of the entire North China region, with the locations of the Kwantung Army, the Army Garrisoned in Mongolia, and the units directly under the North China Front marked on it.

 “Have all the ministries reached their designated preparation positions?”

After hearing the questions from the Deputy General Staff Officer, the youngest Brigade Commander Chen stood up on his own initiative. He pointed at the map of Taiyuan with a small stick and began to report:

“The New 11th Brigade has been assembled on the west bank of the Fen River. We only need to wait for the order of the general offensive to act according to the original plan.”

“The three brigades on the northern line also successfully reached the designated coordinates. Among them, the New 10th Brigade also captured the steel mill and rescued hundreds of workers, while the other two brigades were stationed at Crouching Tiger Mountain.”

“The southern and eastern fronts are also ready for battle. Six brigades have gathered in the Dayingpan and Dongshan areas respectively and are ready to go into battle at any time.”

Although the map in the command post has not yet been hung up, everyone here is a senior commander who has no map in his hand but only one in his mind. Everyone can use the report just now to make up for the complete battlefield information.

 After seeing Brigadier Chen’s report, Captain Wang Hai stepped forward and took the small wooden stick. There was a faint smile on his face, as if he had encountered something happy.

“All members of the First Air Division have been assembled, and 297 fighter jets of various types have participated in the battle.”

“Our airport is in Wusu. If necessary, we can provide 1,500 ground attack sorties in a single day.”

Wusu Airport is in the southeast corner of Taiyuan, with only 20 kilometers between them. The 1st Marine Regiment had captured such an important airport ten days ago.

 After a week of temporary expansion, the airport can barely accommodate all the fighters of the First Air Division.

It’s a pity that the take-off and landing process is a bit troublesome. After all, the runway and apron are too crowded, and each formation needs to proceed in an orderly manner within the specified time.

 For the First Air Division, this battle can be called a flying dragon riding on the face.

Had it not been for the fact that there were still a large number of Republic of China people living in Taiyuan City, Captain Wang Hai would have had to lead his comrades from the First Division to bomb the entire city.

 After hearing the horrifying figure of 1,500 sorties, everyone took a breath. Although there are not so many fighter jets, who would think that their close ground support is too powerful?

 The next time is the brigade commander’s personal show.

 At present, all communication lines from Jin Province to Suiyuan and Hebei Provinces have been cut off by the 120th Division and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. The First Army is already isolated and helpless.

From a topographic point of view, Taiyuan city is located in the center of a basin.

It is surrounded by mountains to the east, west and north, and is sandwiched between the branches of the Taihang Mountains and the Luliang Mountains. There is also a Fen River to the west of the city.

ˆBased on the above conditional analysis, the most suitable direction to attack is naturally the south. There is a vast plain with no danger to defend, which is very suitable for infantry and artillery coordination and air-ground coordination tactics.

 At present, the 129th Division has assembled ten brigades with 110,000 troops, which is ten times the number of the First Army. And comparing the two, whether it's quantity or quality, it's all crushed by our own side.

 The main offensive task of this operation fell on the Southern Group, with the 386th Brigade as the main force, and three brigades under its jurisdiction from south to north as the first main attack direction.

The candidates for the second main attack were handed over to the Eastern Group headed by the 385th Brigade. Brigadier Chen would lead the three brigades from east to west to make the First Army exhausted.

 The three brigades headed by the New 10th Brigade are the Northern Group, and they will feign attacks to put enough pressure. Once the enemy shows obvious decline, Brigadier Fan will feint and switch to the main attack.

 Among the four directions, the West Group has the lightest task.

The New 11th Brigade is guarding the west of the Fen River with four regiments. If they dare to try to break through to the west, 12,000 soldiers will let them know what cruelty means.

 After hearing the tactics prepared this time, the deputy commander nodded with satisfaction. Our own side has great advantages in this battle, and having a rigorous plan is the icing on the cake.

"Okay, there is nothing wrong with this combat plan. I will report it to the border area in a moment."

“But, I have a request. After the general offensive begins, the artillery must kill Yoshio Iwamatsu’s headquarters as soon as possible!”

After speaking, the deputy commander looked at the brigade commander, and he said half-jokingly and half-seriously:

“The army morale wizards only gave us three days. The Japanese support troops are coming fiercely. How many days will it take for you to conquer Taiyuan?”

 This is serious business, and the brigade commander is not one to joke around. He looked at the map and then said seriously:

“Thirty hours, nothing less! The strength of Iwamatsu Yoshio and I is ten to one. I have the advantage in every aspect, and I will win this battle.”

 “There is no joke in the army.”

 “I dare to issue a military order!”

There is one more chapter, I will write it tomorrow morning and strive to be a healthy brother!

From now on, try to get 3,000 for two chapters, or 6,000 for one chapter.

By the way, you’ve swallowed the last few comments I’ve made? Captain Jia has a lot of comments, it would be a pity if they are gone!

 (End of this chapter)