Chapter 222: The brave Pinglu man who underestimated the enemy "Your Excellency, the Brigade Commander, the attack of the Independent First and Second Battalions has been blocked. The Eighth Route Army's resistance in the Baihuling direction was very strong. In addition, the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Yuxi Town is launching a counterattack! " Just as Pinglu Yongfu and his adjutant Kitajima Shichiro were discussing how great their contribution would be after winning this battle. A Japanese communicator quickly entered the tent and reported the battle report from the front line to Pinglu Yongfu. Ping Lu Yongfu showed no expression on his face as he listened to the communicator's report. If he launched an attack, it was certain that the Eighth Route Army would resist, and this was all within his expectations. "I understand. Let the 1st and 2nd Independent Infantry Battalions continue the attack. In addition, is the Eighth Route Army's counterattack in Yuxi Town strong?"
"Your Excellency, the Third Independent Infantry Battalion reports that the Eighth Route Army in the Dajing Town stronghold has launched an attack on us!" Before the communicator had time to answer Ping Lu Yongfu's question, another communicator entered the tent and reported another piece of information. "Hmm? The Eighth Route Army in the Dajing Town stronghold launched an attack on us? Humph, instead of guarding the Dajing Town stronghold, you actually dare to come out and launch an active attack on our Japanese locust army? ! Without the advantage of terrain, I wonder how you can resist our troops. Order the Third Battalion to advance and destroy the Eighth Route Army that is attacking from the direction of the Dajing Town stronghold!" "Hi!" "Go on, how strong is the Eighth Route Army's counterattack in the direction of Yuxi Town?" "Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, the frontline reports that the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Yuxi Town immediately launched a defense after being attacked. In addition, the Independent Second Infantry Battalion reported that the firepower of the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Yuxi Town was no weaker than that of our troops. They have a large number of light and heavy machine guns. According to reports from the observation post, the Eighth Route Army's light machine guns have been equipped at the squad level, and a special grenade launcher team has been formed. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army’s fighting style is completely different from the past. In the past, when we launched an attack, it was usually after our troops approached the Eighth Route Army's position. The Eighth Route Army would use grenades first and then open fire, using this method to kill our troops while saving ammunition. But this time, whether it was the Eighth Route Army in Yuxi Town or Baihuling, our troops threw grenades when they approached the Eighth Route Army positions. When our troops reached a distance of 100 meters from the Eighth Route Army's position, the Eighth Route Army began to fire back. The enemy's light and heavy machine guns rarely fired single shots, but maintained continuous output and fire suppression. The Eighth Route Army's ammunition reserves seem to be very sufficient and there is no need to save ammunition." "More light and heavy firepower? Then why don't we just let our grenade launchers use their grenade launchers to blow up their light and heavy machine guns? No matter how many light and heavy machine guns the Eighth Route Army has, can they be more numerous than our artillery shells? Let the grenade launcher shooters blow up the Eighth Route Army's light and heavy machine guns, and then our machine guns will provide suppressive fire. Do I need to teach you such a simple thing? Are these two captains idiots?"
Listening to the communicator's report, Pinglu Yongfu frowned. So what if the Eighth Route Army has many light and heavy machine guns? No matter how many shells they have, can they be more than the artillery shells of their Fourth Brigade? Directly use grenade launchers to blow up the enemy's light and heavy machine guns, and then our own light and heavy machine guns will suppress the Eighth Route Army, and finally the infantry will charge. It would have been very easy to capture the Eighth Route Army's position, but now the two battalions reported that the attack had been blocked. Pinglu Yongfu had to wonder if he had made a mistake in picking two people who looked gorgeous on the outside but were actually complete idiots to be the team leaders. In particular, Pinglu Yongfu had just been discussing with Kitajima Shichiro how great the contribution this time was, but within a few minutes, he heard the news that the attack had been thwarted. This made Pinglu Yongfu feel as if he had fallen directly from the top of a mountain to the bottom of a cliff. “Did the 1st and 2nd Independent Infantry Battalions report what caused the attack to be blocked? I hope they won’t say that the Eighth Route Army’s firepower is too strong, the soldiers’ combat effectiveness is too high, and they are no match for it…” Pinglu Yongfu's tone remained calm, but it contained a hint of sarcasm. If the captains of these two brigades cannot give an explanation that he can accept. Then he would immediately replace these two incompetent captains. "Your Excellency, the reports from the First Independent Infantry Battalion and the Second Independent Infantry Battalion are basically the same. They said that the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side had a large number of snipers. Our grenade launcher had just been set up for test firing, and the grenade launcher shooter was immediately shot down by the enemy's sniper. Or be blown up by the enemy's grenade launcher. The Eighth Route Army on the opposite side had a large number of grenade launchers, and their soldiers were no worse than our shooters in using them. Our light and heavy machine guns, as well as grenade launchers, were unable to fire at all under the suppression of the enemy's snipers and grenade launchers. Without sufficient firepower support, it was difficult for our troops to launch an attack on the Eighth Route Army's positions. In addition, the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side not only has a large number of grenade launchers, but also a large number of mortars. The Second Independent Infantry Battalion reported that after they used their infantry artillery to blow up a heavy machine gun of the Eighth Route Army, they were immediately bombarded by the enemy's mortars. The Second Infantry Battalion reported that the Eighth Route Army launched a direct counterattack against our positions under the cover of fire from grenade launchers, mortars, and light and heavy machine guns. "The First Infantry Battalion reported that their attack was blocked. The firepower of the Eighth Route Army defending in the direction of Baihu Ridge was also extremely fierce. However, the Eighth Route Army in the direction of Baihu Ridge did not take the initiative to launch an attack, but instead held their ground. Suspected of insufficient manpower.” Listening to the communicator's report, Pinglu Yongfu also noticed something was wrong. If they just reported that the Eighth Route Army's firepower was very strong, it would be impossible for them to break through the Eighth Route Army's position in a short period of time. Then he could also suspect whether the other party was making excuses for his own command errors. But if both independent infantry battalions reported this, it means that the situation reported by the two battalions is likely to be true. But does the Eighth Route Army really have such powerful firepower? Pinglu Yongfu turned around and looked at the map in silence.
"If the firepower of the Eighth Route Army is really not inferior to ours..." Pinglu Yongfu looked at the position of the Eighth Route Army marked by himself on the map, and a bad feeling emerged in his heart. All his arrangements were based on the fact that the Eighth Route Army was poorly equipped and at most at the same level as the Locust Association Army. But if the Eighth Route Army's equipment level was the same as theirs and had sufficient ammunition, the situation would be completely different. Although Pinglu Yongfu usually said that the Eighth Route Army was just a group of vagrant soldiers. They have no combat effectiveness. If there is a head-on confrontation, the Locust Army can easily eliminate all the Eighth Route Army. But that is only an evaluation based on the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army. Pinglu Yongfu never underestimated the Eighth Route Army. If the Eighth Route Army was given sufficient weapons and equipment, it would not even need to be very good, as long as it could reach the level of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Then the Eighth Route Army is a force that is not weaker than them in any way, and may even be stronger than them! "But would the Eighth Route Army have so much equipment? So much ammunition? Unless the Second War Zone Headquarters concentrates all the equipment of the troops and hands it over to the Eighth Route Army..." Although he said that he might have underestimated the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army. But Pinglu Yongfu was still full of doubts. How could the Eighth Route Army have so much equipment and so much ammunition? Moreover, the Eighth Route Army does not have any regular troops like those in the mountain city. According to what Pinglu Yongfu learned, except for a few main regiments used for field battles, the equipment of other troops of the Eighth Route Army were similar. The Eighth Route Army would not say anything about giving more equipment to one regiment and less equipment to another, or giving one regiment's equipment to another regiment to strengthen the other regiment's equipment. According to intelligence, several nearby Eighth Route Army troops were all the Eighth Route Army's core regiments, one independent regiment, one new regiment, and two regiments with unknown numbers. These regiments were not the main force of the Eighth Route Army, so why were their equipment so good? Thinking about the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, Pinglu Yongfu was horrified to find that he had made a big mistake! This is a big mistake that a commander must never make! underestimate the enemy! He was clear about the level of the Eighth Route Army's commanders. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to fight them for so long. Although they looked down on the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, senior officers such as Ping Lu Yongfu never underestimated the level of the Eighth Route Army commanders. This time, Pinglu Yongfu entered Shiquan County too easily, was attracted by the huge credit, and was disturbed by various other factors, so he temporarily ignored the factor of the level of the Eighth Route Army commander. The level of the Eighth Route Army commanders was not low. If the Eighth Route Army's equipment was poor, then the commanders of the Eighth Route Army could not have been unaware that they had no ability to surround and then annihilate the Fourth Brigade. But now, the Eighth Route Army has surrounded the entire Fourth Brigade. In other words, the commander of the Eighth Route Army believed that their troops were capable of annihilating his Fourth Brigade while resisting the attacks of the other two brigades! "Damn it, I underestimated the enemy! How could the commander of the Eighth Route Army make such a low-level mistake? ! " Although Pinglu Yongfu still had doubts about the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, he still upgraded the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army to the level of the Locust Association Army. Then restart the deduction. "If the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army nearby reaches the standard of the Locust Association Army, and the light weapons equipment level of the Eighth Route Army troops surrounding us reaches our standard.
Then according to the Eighth Route Army's fighting spirit and number of people... three days... If the other two brigades fail to break through Shiquan County and Linyuan County and reach Tongshi Town within three days, then my Fourth Brigade may really be wiped out by the Eighth Route Army! Baihu Ridge... If the Eighth Route Army had not voluntarily given up Baihu Ridge, even if a brigade launched an attack, it would have been impossible to break through Baihu Ridge within three days. In other words, the 9th Brigade could only reach the vicinity of Baihu Ridge at most and would never be able to reach Tongshi Town. Only the 11th Brigade has the possibility of reaching Tongshi Town within three days, and that must be without attacking Shiquan County. But if the Eighth Route Army abandons Shiquan County and concentrates its efforts on stopping the 11th Brigade...then they will reach Tongshi Town within three days, unless the commander of the Eighth Route Army makes a mistake in command. There is also the 22nd Regiment. If the 22nd Regiment enters the Shangdang area, what awaits it will be a encirclement and suppression by the Eighth Route Army troops in the entire Shangdang area. We can’t continue attacking, we must break out!” Pinglu Yongfu looked at the lines he had redrawn on the map, and was shocked by his own calculations. If his calculations were correct, then if they continued to fight like this, the only thing that awaited the 4th Brigade was total annihilation. Unhappy, Lu Yongfu did not dare to take any more risks. If he continued to take risks, there was a great possibility that the 4th Brigade would be wiped out. At that time, let alone any credit, he would be lucky to be alive. So Pinglu Yongfu is now ready to lead his troops to break out, regardless of whether his speculation is correct or not. Even if he had underestimated the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, which led to his own wrong calculations. Then, as long as we meet up with the 9th or 11th Brigade, we can fight back at that time. At most, his contribution was slightly reduced, which is not a big problem. If his speculation is correct, it would not be difficult to break out of the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army by combining the strength of the two brigades, and the Fourth Brigade would not be at risk of being wiped out. As long as the 4th Brigade is saved at that time, he will not make any mistakes. At most, Yoshio Shinozuka will be blamed for the command error. Moreover, under such circumstances, the blame can be completely placed on the North China Front Army Officers Observation Group and the intelligence department. If it were not for the North China Front Army Officers Observation Group that caused the road they opened to be reoccupied by the Eighth Route Army, the 4th Brigade would not have been completely wiped out. If the intelligence department had not failed to provide timely information on the equipment level of the Eighth Route Army, the 4th Brigade would not have sat and waited to be surrounded by the Eighth Route Army. At that time, as long as Yoshio Shinozuka compromises a little, Yoshio Iwamatsu will also help put the blame on the intelligence department. After all, it was Yoshio Iwamatsu who proposed the Officers Observation Group. If it hadn't come, the 4th Brigade's forces would have been dispersed, allowing the Eighth Route Army to recapture the stronghold. Taking it would not lead to the 4th Brigade being completely surrounded. Even without the officers' observation group, the Eighth Route Army could still recapture the stronghold. But isn’t there an officers observation group now? If Yoshio Iwamatsu does not want to be blamed for the 4th Brigade being surrounded, then he must cooperate with Yoshio Shinozuka to put the blame on the intelligence department. The intelligence department was facing two lieutenant generals, one of whom was the commander of the First Army, so it was impossible to refute even if they wanted to. After all, this is the fact. Who told your intelligence department to not collect intelligence properly but to engage in subversion work?
(End of this chapter)