Chapter 396: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 406 Strange Military Observation Group

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The big move Chu Yunfei spoke of was to attack eastward and seize Jiaozuo, further expanding his sphere of influence.

This was naturally not Chu Yunfei's personal decision, but a combat order issued by Lv Muzhi to him.

Jiaozuo, a strategic town located in northern Henan, possesses the highest quality coal resources in all of North China.

Whoever passes through here will fight tooth and nail to claim it.

After the Japanese occupied Jiaozuo, they had already resumed large-scale production, with train after train loaded with coal continuously heading to Pingjin and Manchuria.

Lv Muzhi absolutely would not allow these resources to continue funding the enemy's war machine, and he issued a death order to Chu Yunfei:

Continue advancing east, liberate Jiaozuo, and retake the coal.

The large amount of weaponry and equipment support Lv Muzhi provided to Chu Yunfei through the import of floating bridges was prepared for this counteroffensive.

The forces currently in Chu Yunfei's hands were enough to make any Japanese division tremble with fear.

Twenty thousand elite Youth Army soldiers were converted on the spot into the establishment of a Guerrilla Corps, divided into two guerrilla columns.

30 T26 Tanks, 15 T Tanks, 15 German Panzer III Long-barrel.

48 Rocket Artillery, 24 105mm Howitzers.

Counting various light and heavy armored vehicles and anti-aircraft vehicles, the total number of tanks in Chu Yunfei's hands was nearly a hundred.

Not to mention the large amount of automatic firepower originally equipped by the Youth Army, MG34 General Purpose Machine Guns and M2 Browning Heavy Machine Guns were existences that made the Japanese tremble with fear.

In the eyes of the Japanese 110th Division at Jiaozuo, Chu Yunfei's troops were simply a muscular monster.

Not only was their martial prowess superior, but their logistics supply was also very sufficient.

Once equipment was delivered into Chu Yunfei's hands, Chu Yunfei would hold military exercises every now and then, using martial force to intimidate Lieutenant General Kawabata Shigenari, the commander of the 110th Division.

Chu Yunfei's armored forces often summoned the air force of the Youth Corps at Zhengzhou, flying across the Yellow River to join with Chu Yunfei's armored forces and infantry forces.

At the edge of the control areas of both the Guerrilla Corps and the 110th Division, live-ammunition exercises were held.

In the current situation, if Chu Yunfei did not hold exercises for a day, the 110th Division would not hear the gun and cannon sounds of the Guerrilla Corps for a day, and instead would feel unaccustomed.

Before the formal attack, Chu Yunfei, as usual, launched a live-ammunition exercise.

The Japanese scouts, as usual, reported the scale and location of the exercise to the division headquarters.

After receiving the report, Lieutenant General Kawabata Shigenari put together the Chu Yunfei exercise reports he had received previously—text materials, photographs, and so on—which stacked up to over a meter high.

"Notify all units, follow the plan to conduct alert, other units strictly guard their posts!"

"This coal of Jiaozuo, being able to mine one more day is one day; sooner or later, this huge coal mine will fall into Chu Yunfei's hands!"

Lieutenant General Kawabata Shigenari's words were very pessimistic; Chu Yunfei had taken Jiyuan, Meng County, and Qinyang from him, and losing Jiaozuo himself seemed imminent.

Chu Yunfei threatened with martial force every day, and the North China Area Army also gave some support to the 110th Division.

For example, they dispatched additional Type 89 Medium Tanks, Type 97 Medium Tanks, Type 95 Light Tanks, etc., and reorganized the 21st Division, garrisoning it at Xinxiang, to prop up the 110th Division from behind.

But in Chu Yunfei's view, what stood before him was nothing more than a flock of earthen chickens and broken tiles.

Especially Kizawa Tadamin, who crossed the Yellow River at Yimu, bringing the reorganized 21st Division, shrinking behind the 110th Division, was even more vulnerable to a single blow!

Holding military exercises frequently to intimidate the Japanese was to make the devils numb.

This exercise now would be the last play he performed for the 110th Division.

The Art of War says: Falsehood and truth, truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth.

Chu Yunfei was about to get serious with the 110th Division today.

Half an hour before the action officially began, he sent an assistance notice to the friendly forces around him.

There was only half an hour of time; the time left for the Japanese and friendly forces to react was already very tight.

This was also to prevent news from leaking.

But Chu Yunfei believed the friendly forces nearby could keep up with his actions.

The few friendly forces nearby were all combative guerrilla units capable of fighting.

Once Chu Yunfei made a move, the situation would be in chaos everywhere, and opportunities would abound.

Supplies and military achievements—taking advantage of the chaos to fight a battle would yield them all!

Which unit could refuse such temptation?

Deep in the Taihang Mountains, the garrison of the National Government 95th Division of the First War Zone.

Division Commander Ma Liwu was busy polishing his leather shoes; after seeing the notice sent by Chu Yunfei, he threw away the shoe-polishing cloth in his hand.

Then he walked to the map, looking at the position of Jiaozuo, his eyeballs spinning rapidly.

His 95th Division was said to be a guerrilla unit, but it was very famous locally, nicknamed the Zhao Zilong Division.

To be crowned with the nickname "Zhao Zilong," without some skill, one could not hold up this name.

"Pass the order down, the entire division assembles! Down the mountain to fight the devils!"

"Chu Yunfei is too unscrupulous; only after the feast begins does he notify us in a perfunctory manner!"

"Hurry up! Chu Yunfei eats the meat, the soup cannot all be drunk by the Eighth Route Army!"

At the same time, at another camp in the Taihang Mountains.

Inside the garrison of a certain infantry regiment of the Eighth Route Army.

Jiang Xiangyun held half a sweet potato in his hand, but his gaze did not look at Jiaozuo; instead, he stared at Xinxiang on the map.

Recently, the situation of the War of Resistance in North China had been very favorable; the Eighth Route Army Headquarters ordered the formation of the Taihang Independent Column, specifically to operate at the Jin-Yu Border.

From time to time, they would descend from the mountains to cut off the little devils' path and raid the Pinghan Railway Line.

Jiang Xiangyun himself, because his thinking was firm and he could fight.

He was directly appointed commander of the Taihang Independent Column, becoming a pivotal guerrilla force in this region.

"This Chu Yunfei kid, in the end is Lv Muzhi's war proxy in Henan North."

"What a grand scheme—Jiaozuo produces abundant coal, yet the little devils plundered much of it; this time Lv Muzhi wants to dismantle the devils' stove directly!"

A regimental commander below asked: "Commander, stop talking, let's act quickly—the blockhouses and strongholds around Jiaozuo can all be wiped out now!"

"Last time we captured a Type 92 Infantry Gun and thirty rounds of shells."

"We can use them now; if we're late, we'll be completely surrounded by the Ninety-Fifth Division!"

Jiang Xiangyun shook his head: "Around Jiaozuo, we can't catch the hot meal—I don't eat leftovers."

"Isn't it better to besiege a point to relieve the pressure? Chu Yunfei surrounds Jiaozuo, we focus on relieving the pressure—wouldn't that be wonderful!"

That regimental commander slapped his head: "Reasonable! The 21st Division at Xinxiang, upon seeing Jiaozuo attacked, will surely advance to support; we'll just catch the 21st Division!"

Jiang Xiangyun placed both hands on his waist belt: "The entire Independent Column mobilizes, ambush on the railway line and road line!"

"Contact Chen Geng's 386th Brigade, have him transfer the New 1st Regiment to me; I have a feeling this time the commotion will be huge!"

The Xia State Army side has already begun sharpening knives and readying for action.

Jiaozuo's 110th Division, Lieutenant General Kuwaki Shigemasa still felt nothing would happen, waiting for Chu Yunfei to finish the exercise.

Xinxiang's 21st Division, Lieutenant General Kizawa Tadamin was still waiting for his Type 24 155mm Howitzer, looking forward to flooding Zhengzhou.

And hours earlier, within the North China Area Army Headquarters, General Sugiyama Moto met a special military observation group.

This was a military observation group from Hans State.

General Sugiyama Moto did not understand why his North China Area Army had performed poorly in recent battles, yet the Hans State military observation group was interested in him.

They had stayed in the North China Area Army for nearly two months without leaving, and even kept dispatching more military observers!

The approximate standoff situation on both banks of the Yellow River