Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

“On November 15th, I didn’t do women’s clothing in the comment area. I used this as a bet, and it was very stable.”

The perspective comes to the 110th Division forward command post eight kilometers south of Yangmingbao.

“Your Majesty Lieutenant General, we still can’t contact Major General Ishii and his adjutant! The command system of the 108th Brigade seems to have suffered a devastating blow!”

“The communications team and the cavalry brigade have sent out three waves of soldiers, but so far no reliable information has been sent back. Please wait a moment.”

 The continuous bad news brought the atmosphere in the entire conference room to freezing point.

Everyone kept their heads down and said nothing, pretending to be very busy, for fear of getting angry with unnecessary actions.

The most embarrassing department among them is the division communications team. After all, it is their job to maintain contact with lower-level units.

There is now no news from the 108th Brigade, and even completely lost contact with the forward command post. According to the traditional customs of the Honko Army, it would not be too much even if Iimorinuma asked the entire squadron to commit seppuku.

As if for the sake of his own life, Captain Yutaka Nomura of the communications team stepped forward amidst the astonished gazes of everyone and took the lead in speaking to break the silence.

 “Division commander, a call from the rear.”

“In response to our request for help, Commander Amakasu immediately dispatched Army Aviation.”

“The flying team supporting the battlefield is led by Major Heijiang. With the flying speed of Type 1 Fighting Falcon and Type 2 Fighting Zhongkui, they can reach the front line in less than an hour.”

 Hearing the rare good news, Iimorinuma breathed a sigh of relief for the time being.

Logically speaking, places with potential security risks such as forward command posts are usually composed of a major general and a chief of staff led by some staff members.

As the commander of the Lieutenant General Division, there is absolutely no need for the old Japanese to put himself in danger.

The reason why he went to the scene in person in violation of regulations was simply because he was concerned about the development of the war situation and the safety of the troops. After all, only by obtaining timely information can he make the most correct deployment.

  Facts have proved that Iimorinuma was right.

Whether it was the formation of dive bombers domineering in the sky or the monstrous fire caused by napalm bombs, they all confirmed his suspicion: Kaho Ishii and the 108th Brigade were most likely ambushed by the Eighth Route Army.

 Fortunately, the Japanese were not completely without support. The upcoming arrival of Army Aviation gave the lieutenant general the courage to continue fighting.

What's more, the superiors gave a fatal order to let the 110th Division and the two divisions of the Mongolian Army capture Taiyuan. If you abandon your friendly forces and escape before the battle now, you will definitely be held accountable after the war.

After thinking for a moment, Iimorinuma said to the staff beside him:

“Pass my order to send additional search squadrons from the division to the front line. First, find out the situation of the 108th Brigade, and then find out the enemy’s artillery positions.”

“The Eighth Route Army’s body-barrel artillery has a range of only eight kilometers. Once a target is discovered, it can be easily counterattacked. Long-range artillery is our trump card.”

“Tell Tsuda Takemi to prepare his 133rd Brigade for battle and mobilize the troops to the northwest of Haradaira. Once the division’s artillery fire ends, it will be their opportunity to launch an attack.”

 Until now, Iimorinuma feels that this battle is just a small headwind and can be fought.

In the old devil's view, the Eighth Route Army's firepower is indeed very strong, but heavy weapons cannot cover up the uneven quality of its soldiers, otherwise they would not lose Datong.

As long as we can close the distance between the two sides and have a hearty hand-to-hand fight, there will definitely be a chance to pierce the enemy's line.

 No matter how strong the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region is, it cannot cope with the attacks of three divisions at the same time. This is the truth that has been summarized since 1937.

As for letting the 133rd Brigade move closer to the northwest, it was because before the war, based on the mission, enemy situation, terrain and troop strength, he set the width of the frontal battlefield to 9,000 meters and the depth to 6,000 meters. Although this arrangement is too scattered for a B division, it is difficult to establish a troop advantage on the offensive path.

But the advantage is that the deployment density is small, which can effectively shorten the firepower gap and prevent the troops from being wiped out by the Eighth Route Army's air-ground coordination tactics.

Now that our side wants to take the initiative to launch an attack, of course we must first gather the scattered troops.

Just as Iimorinuma was about to contact the friendly forces on the left and right wings, a staff officer hurriedly ran into the command post.

“Reporting to the division commander, we have successfully restored communications with the 108th Brigade and reconnected the new telephone line.”

As soon as these words came out, Yutaka Nomura felt relieved and regained the right to breathe. Without saying a word, the Japanese captain took the initiative to lead his division commander to the communications room.

　　Seemingly aware of an abnormal sound on the other end of the receiver, Iimorinuma heard a sound as soon as he picked up the phone.

“Division Commander? Your Excellency, Division Commander!”

“Our unit has suffered air strikes and artillery attacks from the Eighth Route Army. We request tactical guidance! We request troop support!”

 The unfamiliar voice made Iimorinuma slightly stunned.

 There are so many junior officers below the rank of colonel in a division, at least close to a hundred here and there. These people are not even qualified to participate in meetings most of the time. How can I, a lieutenant general, remember this?

A few seconds later, Taketa Aihara realized what the problem was. He first added a self-introduction, and then continued to report: "Your Excellency, the division commander, the brigade commander and the regiment commander have all been killed one after another. Where should we go next?"

Although the old devil was mentally prepared, such shocking news still made him unable to calm down for a long time.

 Less than half an hour into the war, our side lost a senior officer. No one could accept such casualties.

However, this is not a distressing moment. The enemy may launch a second wave of attacks at any time. Iimorinuma quickly adjusted his mentality and asked in a deep voice:

“Have you found the artillery positions of the Eighth Route Army? Approximately how many barrel guns did they use?”

Facts have proved that the army's strength in 1941 has not yet reached its peak.

The shelling just now indeed made Taketa Aihara very embarrassed, but he still did not forget to observe the general direction while avoiding in all directions.

“I don’t know the specific location, but the enemy’s artillery shells were fired from the southwest, and the number should be between eighty and one hundred.”

“The reason why it is a range is because the Eighth Route Army is equipped with a new and more powerful howitzer. I don’t know the rate of fire of that unknown barrel gun.”

“According to my estimation, its caliber is most likely 105 mm, and its range is not inferior to the Type 91 howitzer directly under the division.”

 This important piece of information immediately aroused the old devil's vigilance.

In the original plan, he planned to use the range difference between the enemy's and our artillery to counter the Eighth Route Army's artillery. Without Aihara Taketa's report, our artillery regiment might have strayed into the enemy's range.

The remaining field artillery pieces are the last assets of the 110th Division. If something goes wrong, the mission will basically be declared a failure.

“I understand, the information you just provided is very important, I now appoint you as the temporary commander of the 139th Regiment.”

"Now you lead the regiment forward immediately. Staying where you are is a slow suicide. The 133rd Brigade and a flying team of the Army Aviation will go to support you, and the division's artillery wing will also counterattack as soon as possible."

"Hi!"

 “Thank you, Lieutenant General, for your cultivation!” (End of this chapter)