20demayo Chapter 66 An Audacious Opponent
Chapter 66 An Audacious Opponent
Meanwhile, in Xiyang County, at the headquarters of the Japanese garrison.
Tian An's face was pale from lack of rest. He sat quietly in his seat, as if waiting for something.
After a while, a person rushed in.
"Major, it's been confirmed. Something did happen on the Black Rock Ridge railway section!" His adjutant's voice was hoarse, filled with fear and unease.
"What's going on!" Tian An-yi tried his best to keep his voice calm.
"The entire Black Stone Ridge detachment was silently annihilated by the enemy in the early morning. Then... all personnel on the grain train and the armored vehicles escorting it perished, and a large quantity of grain was burned!"
Tian An's heart sank completely. He braced himself on the table, trying to stand up, but found himself utterly powerless.
It took him a long time to recover, but a surge of anger, born from fear, erupted from his heart.
"Baka!!"
With a roar like that of a wild beast, Tian An's forehead veins bulged and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
Grain train!
That train was loaded with 240 tons of grain forcibly requisitioned from several surrounding counties and prepared to be transported to Shimen to support the front-line operations! Enough to supply a regiment with grain for a month and a half!
But now, something has happened right in his defense zone!
"Useless! Idiots! What are the guards good for! Are armored vehicles just scrap metal?! Why did this happen?" Tian Anyin kicked over the low table in front of him, and the tea set shattered into pieces.
He was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, like a wounded wild beast trapped in a cage.
The adjutant remained silent, head bowed, even his breathing was barely audible.
The rage lasted for nearly a minute before Tian An-yin managed to suppress his almost explosive emotions.
He took several deep breaths of the cold, dusty air, his voice turning icy and hoarse: "Immediately! Summon all the company commanders—Takeuchi, Matsumoto, Yamashita, and the puppet army's regimental commander, Li—to command post! Now! Immediately! Right now!"
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant, as if granted a pardon, bowed and withdrew, then quickly ran away.
Tian An-yi hurriedly put on his military jacket and walked to the slightly rough map of Xiyang area on the wall.
His finger pointed heavily to the location of "Black Stone Ridge," which was only about thirty miles from the county seat. The Changning Village area was located behind the mountains to the northwest of Black Stone Ridge.
That's the Eighth Route Army!
It must be them!
From initial skirmishes at the squad level to ambushing and annihilating an entire infantry company, they have now become even more audacious, looting military trains and burning vital empire supplies!
The commander of this Eighth Route Army... was an extremely cunning and audacious opponent.
They are like venomous snakes in the mountains, approaching silently time and time again, only to bite down with a fatal blow.
Previously, he had sent the Yoshida Company to cooperate with a battalion of puppet troops to wipe out the enemy, but they had no news of them and only a few terrified soldiers escaped back, bringing back the bad news of the annihilation of the entire army.
Therefore, he had to request tactical guidance from the brigade headquarters.
However, Major General Katayama Shotaro, the brigade commander stationed in Yangquan, was busy cooperating with the army group in the mopping-up operation in southern Shanxi and was short of troops.
He only agreed to allocate some troops to assist in the cleanup operation after it ended, and strictly ordered him to guard the county town and transportation lines to ensure the safety of the logistics channels.
But now?
In just a few days, the logistics corridor was completely ripped open, leaving a bloody gash! An entire trainload of military rations was hijacked and burned!
How could Tian Anzhi bear this responsibility? The Katayama Brigade was notoriously strict in its military discipline…
Thinking of this, Tian An-yin felt a chill rise up his spine, colder than the autumn wind outside the window.
This Eighth Route Army unit must be wiped out before the brigade commander investigates; only then can we atone for our mistakes…
People quickly gathered in the command post.
The three infantry company commanders, Takeuchi, Matsumoto, and Yamashita, along with Li Shoucai, the commander of the Xiyang Security Regiment of the puppet army, all wore expressions of surprise and uncertainty.
"Gentlemen," Tian An's voice was as cold as ice as he swept his gaze across the crowd, "just a few hours ago, on the Black Stone Ridge railway section, a special train carrying important supplies for the Empire was ambushed by the main force of the Eighth Route Army!"
The train was destroyed, the escort team died a martyr, and all supplies... were either looted or burned!
"What?!"
"The main force of the Eighth Route Army? How dare they!"
"Baka! It's that Eighth Route Army squad again!"
A suppressed gasp and curses immediately erupted in the command center.
Commander Li Shoucai's fat face instantly turned pale, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his lips trembled as he wanted to say something but dared not.
Tian An slammed his hand on the map and shouted, "Quiet! This is not the time to discuss whether they dare to or not! The deed is done!"
This is a serious provocation and a huge humiliation to our Imperial Army and our Tian'an Garrison! It is also a blatant disobedience to Brigade Commander Katayama's strict orders!
When the name of Brigade Commander Katayama was mentioned, everyone fell silent; the air in the command post almost froze.
"This Eighth Route Army unit, entrenched in the Changning Village area, is like a malignant tumor!"
Tian An-yin's finger slammed into the location of Changning Village on the map. "They are familiar with the terrain, operate stealthily, and their combat strength should not be underestimated. We underestimated them before, and we also underestimated the cunning of that Eighth Route Army commander!"
But now, their looting of a military train and the committing of such a serious crime will surely alarm the brigade headquarters and even higher levels!
We must completely and utterly annihilate this stubborn enemy before His Excellency the Brigade Commander's thunderous wrath descends! Let their blood wash away the shame of the Imperial Army and give our superiors an explanation!
Matsumoto, being more cautious, spoke up: "Major, this Eighth Route Army unit is indeed troublesome. Their ability to successfully ambush multiple times and their audacity in attacking the special train suggests their strength and firepower are likely greater than we anticipated. Should we... request reinforcements from the brigade headquarters again? At least..."
"It's too late!" Tian An interrupted him, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Wait for reinforcements from the brigade headquarters? By then, the telegram demanding accountability will probably arrive first! We must act immediately and come up with a concrete plan to wipe them out! Takeuchi-kun!"
"Yes, sir!" Takeuchi suddenly stood at attention.
"You're familiar with that mountainous area, what are your thoughts?"
Takeuchi stepped forward, staring at the map, and slowly said, "Major, gentlemen! Judging from what has happened before, this Eighth Route Army is very good at using the terrain to set up ambushes."
Moreover, the Changning Village area is located in a mountainous region with difficult roads, making it hard for a large force to deploy. I believe we cannot simply send troops in to sweep through the area as we did last time.
A large number of plainclothes officers and reliable puppet army guides must be mobilized to conduct reconnaissance in advance, ascertaining their specific troop strength, sentry positions, and possible retreat routes.
Upon hearing this, Commander Li Shoucai immediately nodded and bowed, "Don't worry, sir, I will cooperate fully! I have a few locals under my command who are familiar with the mountains; I'll send them to inquire right away!"
P.S.: Thanks again to Hellcat's godfather for the generous donation.