Chapter 398: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 408 Observing Combat

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

William watched Kizawa Tadamin motionless and asked, "Division Commander, what are you still standing there for?"

Kizawa Tadamin had misgivings:

"That... the frontline is probably extremely dangerous, and your identities are special; you should not observe from the front."

After hearing the translation, Heinz stepped forward and said, "Could it be that with the mighty military strength of the Japanese Imperial Army, you cannot even protect us ten-odd foreign observers?"

Or is your title of War Hero, as I suspected, actually that of a complete fraud?"

William also urged, "If the Japanese military is truly this weak, then regarding our military alliance between our two countries, it needs further consideration."

Kizawa Tadamin was continually angered and threatened by these two.

Especially when his title of War Hero was questioned as fake, Kizawa Tadamin could not bear it.

Empty fame was like opium; Kizawa Tadamin had taken it too long and could not quit.

As a fake War Hero, having been praised for so long, even he himself believed it.

"Order the entire 21st Division to assemble and advance toward Jiaozuo according to the established plan to reinforce the 110th Division!"

After issuing the order, Kizawa Tadamin coldly looked at Heinz:

"Mr. Heinz, you are an important guest, and I am bringing you along; I hope that when shells land at your feet later, you can still maintain your current elegance."

Heinz shrugged his shoulders, and under the arrangement of a Japanese Second Lieutenant, boarded an armored vehicle.

Kizawa Tadamin's troops went to reinforce the 110th Division, not to help defend Jiaozuo City.

According to the North China Area Army's discussion, Jiaozuo, as a salient, should originally have been abandoned.

But the coal resources there were too tempting, truly a dilemma.

The North China Area Army's attitude toward Jiaozuo was that its coal resources could be mined for one more day; once Chu Yunfei attacked, the 110th Division would withdraw from the battlefield and contract to the core defense zone of the Japanese defense area.

Therefore, Kizawa Tadamin's 21st Division was sent out to cover the 110th Division's retreat.

At this time by the Qinshui River, Chu Yunfei stood by the command vehicle, holding a watch in his hand.

An hour and a half ago, his Guerrilla Corps had directly changed from exercise status to actual combat status.

Only a very few people knew of this arrangement in advance.

Chu Yunfei and the 110th Division at Jiaozuo were separated by the Qinshui River.

The Guerrilla Corps' military exercises, and the Japanese, also faced each other across the river.

The Japanese had blown up all the bridges on the river months ago and stationed troops to guard and defend the riverbank.

The guarding Japanese stood by the riverbank, watching the Guerrilla Corps' exercises across the Qinshui River, for over two months.

From time to time, the Guerrilla Corps' artillery positions would deliberately fire several shells across the river, making the Japanese of the 110th Division suffer endlessly.

Therefore, when Chu Yunfei directly ordered the artillery positions to switch attack targets and attack the Japanese positions on the opposite bank,

the local Japanese defensive force thought it was just routine artillery fire and did not realize Chu Yunfei's Guerrilla Corps was about to launch a general attack.

The rocket artillery on the artillery positions let out a terrifying roar, the rocket shells trailing long tail flames, tearing through the sky.

On the riverbank, the bunker group that the Japanese 110th Division had painstakingly built for months was instantly submerged in a sea of fire.

Before the Japanese could recover from the earth-shaking explosions, deafening engine sounds came from the sky again.

Fighter planes and bombers of the Youth Corps Aviation flew in formation over the Yellow River and attacked the Japanese positions.

Ground infantry entered the positions and opened full fire on the Japanese positions across the river.

Machine gun and mortar sounds rose together.

"Hurry! Move fast!"

By the Qinshui River, under artillery and air cover, the Youth Army's Pontoon Bridge Unit had already made preparations.

This folding metal pontoon bridge, imported by Lv Muzhi at a high price from abroad, in the hands of well-trained soldiers, displayed terrifying operational efficiency.

In less than twenty minutes, several wide metal pontoon bridges spanned the Qinshui River, nearly a hundred meters wide.

"Armored column, cross the river!"

Chu Yunfei called over the radio.

The 38T and T26 tanks served as the vanguard, with Type III Long-Barrel Tanks following closely behind.

These tanks made heavy rumbling sounds on the pontoon bridges, crossed the Qinshui River, crushed the Japanese positions, followed by dense ranks of Youth Army Guerrilla Corps infantry, charging straight for Jiaozuo City.

Jiaozuo defender Lieutenant General Kawabata Shigenari received the battle report and was caught off guard.

Unexpectedly, Chu Yunfei attacked directly without any warning, and the situation was now extremely critical.

Lieutenant General Kawabata Shigenari ordered preparations to retreat to the rear while requesting the 21st Division to come reinforce them.

At the same time, Kizawa Tadamin, leading the vanguard of the 21st Division, was advancing toward Jiaozuo with Heinz and others.

The 21st Division was a three-unit division reorganized after a pursuit battle; due to heavy casualties, the reorganized 21st Division was almost entirely new recruits.

Worse still, the three infantry regiments were not at full strength, and with artillery, cavalry, etc., the entire division numbered fewer than ten thousand.

Heinz and others accompanying the 21st Division sat in the armored vehicle, with a large-scale military map spread across their laps.

He held a pen, constantly recording in his notebook and drawing on the map.

One moment he looked up to listen to the distant rumbling cannon fire, the next he looked down to listen to William relay battle reports from the frontline.

The two also discussed from time to time.

Kizawa Tadamin sat in front, listening to the two Hans muttering behind him, his irritation reaching its peak.

"Report! The vanguard forces have encountered resistance!" a Staff Officer ran over to report.

"The enemy is the Eighth Route Army! Probably several hundred men."

Kizawa Tadamin had been fretting over having nowhere to vent his anger, and immediately drew his military sword:

"The Eighth Route Army's guerrillas dare to court bad luck? Order the Takeuchi Regiment to force a breakthrough!"

Heinz suddenly interjected: "Lieutenant General Kizawa, don't waste time."

"You should concentrate your twenty-plus tanks and armored vehicles into an Armored Vanguard Echelon."

"Ignore these sporadic firepower on the main road, detour through the fields on the southwest flank, launch a rapid assault toward Jiaozuo, and link up with the retreating 110th Division."

"The Eighth Route Army lacks anti-tank weapons; they cannot threaten you. Hurry over there, detour around, and then return to the road."

Kizawa Tadamin hesitated for a moment; instinctively he did not want to listen to this Hans person.

But thinking of the 110th Division in mortal danger, he still followed orders.

The twenty-plus tanks and armored vehicles of the Japanese Army's 21st Division were concentrated together.

They detached from the main force and plunged into the wilderness on the flank.

Heinz and William followed along in the vehicles; all the way, Heinz's pen in his hand never stopped.

The armored convoy went at full speed and indeed soon shook off the Eighth Route Army's blocking position.

And the Eighth Route Army indeed did not come out to pursue, letting the devils leave by detour.

As the distance to Jiaozuo grew closer, the artillery fire in the distance had already become deafening.

"Look! Someone ahead!"

Heinz immediately raised his binoculars to look.

Only to see on the horizon ahead, a dark mass of Japanese soldiers running in a sorry state, mixed with ten-odd tanks and armored vehicles, numbering over a thousand.

Kizawa Tadamin exclaimed: "They've already been driven out of Jiaozuo?"

After ten minutes, Kizawa Tadamin completely understood.

The 110th Division knew they could not stop Chu Yunfei's armored force, so they directly fled at the sight of the wind, dispersing in retreat; Division Commander Lieutenant General Kuwaki Shigemasa also mixed in among one group of troops to escape.

Encountering this unit of the 21st Division, it was the largest group in number among the Japanese forces breaking out in dispersion.

Worse still, according to reports from these Japanese breakout troops.

Behind them, Chu Yunfei's armored troops were pursuing!

"Report! North China Area Army Headquarters calls, requiring us to immediately escort the Hans State's Observation Group back to Beiping, to avoid being affected by the Youth Army's combat!"

Hearing this news, Kizawa Tadamin looked around everywhere for Heinz's position.

"Damn it! Where did he go? This Hans person was just beside me!"