NIP #227 - A chaotic situation
#227 - A chaotic situation
In the Outer Mongolia region, the joint operation between Qilu Ban's forces and the Seibei Military Region was unexpectedly effective.
Both armies moved with lightning speed, directly assaulting the Japanese forces in Qingcheng.
After reinforcing with two 107mm artillery regiments and one S41 mountain gun regiment, the Seibei Military Region used over a hundred cannons to show the Japanese what "firepower saturation" meant.
Qilu Ban, leading the elite 35th Army and commanding from the front, watched as the Japanese positions were engulfed in smoke, with the scattered, mangled remains of Japanese soldiers flying everywhere.
He felt both excitement and a hint of worry. Such a powerful army made him feel that the Border Region's strength was growing at an unfathomable rate.
"You Wen, we must find a way to acquire a batch of those Border Region rockets. For military operations, such mobile and powerful artillery is simply a great weapon on the grasslands. If we had a regiment of those, we would dare to face even a first-class Japanese division head-on," Qilu Ban said, watching the rockets streak towards the Japanese positions with longing.
To achieve a swift victory this time, the Border Region had supported them with three artillery regiments, in addition to the Seibei Military Region's original artillery regiments. They now had over 100 107mm rocket launchers. When the general offensive began, over 1,000 rockets were launched in succession, filling the sky with fiery trails!
The scene was far more impressive than the large-scale battles Qilu Ban had witnessed in Jin Province.
"Commander, I have contacted Staff Officer Ye and, according to your instructions, requested the purchase of equipment for three artillery regiments," Qilu Ban's confidential secretary said with a wry smile. "Staff Officer Ye said that the Border Region and the base areas are facing a major war, and all units are severely short of heavy weapons, so they cannot provide them to our army for the time being."
"However, Staff Officer Ye also said that after capturing Qingcheng and Ulanqab League, we might encounter the Japanese Kwantung Army on the grasslands. Therefore, while heavy artillery cannot be provided, they will supply our army with a large number of 82mm mortars to ensure that even companies and platoons have artillery support."
"Commander, the Border Region seems to have high expectations for us. Although we cannot get their heavy artillery for now, in terms of combat, the Border Region has promised to come to our aid at any time if we encounter a heavy Japanese attack, ensuring that we are not inferior to the Japanese in terms of firepower.
If that's the case, our 100,000-strong Suiyuan army will not fear any opponent on the grasslands."
"Alas, being dependent on others is not ideal in the long run. However, being able to equip companies and platoons with mortars is also a key to our foothold on the grasslands. Mortars are crucial in positional warfare. I have tested the Border Region's 82mm mortar, and it is not inferior to the Kuomintang's regular products. If possible, we should buy as many as we can. Now that our territory has expanded, we are not only limited to the 35th Army but also need to expand a new army," Qilu Ban said with some resignation.
"Order the cavalry brigade to contain the Japanese on the east side, ensuring that none of them escape. In this decisive battle, we have an overwhelming advantage in firepower. Be sure not to let a single Japanese soldier escape, to avoid greater trouble when we attack Ulanqab League next," Qilu Ban said while observing the situation of the Japanese positions. The first round of artillery preparation had been completed.
The vanguard had begun a probing attack. Judging from the progress, both the Seibei Military Region and the 35th Army were advancing very smoothly on their respective fronts, showing that the artillery barrage had a devastating effect on the Japanese positions.
There were basically not many surviving Japanese forces in the positions.
Now, most of the positions on the grasslands were just trenches. Under the coverage of artillery fire, even the ground was turned over. Trenches and even anti-artillery shelters had little resistance to the enormous power of the 107mm rockets.
The dense rocket barrage was on a completely different level compared to the 75mm mountain guns. Now, the Seibei Military Region's mountain gun regiment had not fired a single shot yet but was poised and ready in the front, waiting to provide precise finishing blows at any time!
If there were any large bunkers that were difficult to take down, the mountain guns would move in close to attack.
For smaller bunkers, the RPG rocket launchers equipped by the Seibei Military Region were sufficient.
Now, the Border Region's firepower was very diverse, and there was no longer the embarrassing situation where Li Yunlong treated a single mortar as a treasure.
Even the "Méliángxin Cannon" (improvised mortar) did not become popular for long in North China before being completely replaced by RPGs. Only the New Fourth Army and the Lu region were still using them on a large scale because their basic industry had not been established, and they could not mass-produce mortars. Now, they were relying on handmade large grenade launchers.
Qingcheng, the outer positions of the Japanese were breached in one day, and several thousand Japanese soldiers and nearly the same number of puppet troops were eliminated in the positions.
At the same time, the Jin-Northwest and Wutai base areas jointly launched the Yunzhong Campaign. In Zhangbei, the main force of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was waiting for the returning Eighth Route Army veterans from the Taihang Military Region to be re-equipped.
And the Taihang and Taiyue regions launched the Taiyuan Campaign.
This immediately shocked the entire world.
On the European battlefield, the Soviet Union began its winter counter-offensive. The Allied forces, who were originally somewhat worried about the China theater, did not expect that the Eighth Route Army and Suiyuan would bring surprises, launching an unprecedented large-scale counter-offensive in North China.
The Allied theater had not even realized it yet, but the Japanese were completely dumbfounded.
Why did their opponents become even more excited than them as soon as they launched their offensive?
Moreover, the opponents were clearly not just putting on a show. Qingcheng lost its outer positions in one day, and Yunzhong also lost three outer counties overnight. The situation near Taiyuan was even worse, with the Eighth Route Army taking Quanyang and Jinzhong in one fell swoop, seemingly about to encircle Taiyuan.
Overnight, Jin Province was filled with panic and suspicion, and it seemed like it was about to collapse.
The Border Region's Divine Eagle Brigade began to patrol the skies over Jin Province continuously, immediately destroying any Japanese reconnaissance planes or fighters that took off!
This is the first time that the Eighth Route Army can confidently and boldly launch an offensive during the day.
Letting the Xiaogui Zi's air force enter the airspace of Jin Province has become like a rat crossing the street. Now, the Xiaogui Zi's Type 97 fighter jets, which are nearly a generation behind, are no match for the Shenying Brigade. After losing several batches of fighter jets in succession, the Xiaogui Zi's air force has honestly shrunk back to the airport and dare not come out.
Gangcun Xiaogui Zi did not anticipate this severe situation. The 100,000-strong army that had been assembled felt a sense of茫然not knowing where to start.
Now fires are breaking out everywhere, but the biggest loss should still be in the Taiyuan area. This is the core of Jin Province. Gangcun Xiaogui Zi, with red eyes, thought for a night and decided to save Taiyuan first.
He divided the 100,000-strong army into two routes. One route was assembled in Shimen and advanced along the Zhengtai Line, and the other route was assembled in Huaizhou, preparing to enter Jin Province through Yuanqu to save Taiyuan. At the same time, for the Saibei battlefield, Gangcun Xiaogui Zi also coordinated with the senior officials of the Guandong Army, temporarily entrusting the Guandong Army to take full responsibility for the rescue of Saibei.
In order to solve the flank threat of the First War Zone on the south bank of the Yellow River, Gangcun Xiaogui Zi ordered the 27th, 37th, 62nd, and 110th Divisions, the 3rd Tank Division, and the Independent 7th and 9th Brigades, and the 4th Cavalry Brigade under the 12th Army to launch an offensive, launching a campaign simultaneously from Bianliang, Zhongmu, to Xingyang.
Gangcun Xiaogui Zi now has to command three large armies at the same time. He really doesn't have time to be distracted by the Saibei side and has to hand it over to the Guandong Army to deal with. He wants to fully resolve the series of major battles in North China.
For the air force, which is so weak that it does not dare to attack, Gangcun Xiaogui Zi began to frantically shake people to the headquarters, preparing to transfer 50 Zero fighters to the North China battlefield.
Now the bloody battle in the South Pacific is in full swing, and the air force is the cornerstone of the South Pacific operations. The Xiaogui Zi's main fighter jets are almost all concentrated there. Originally, leaving second-rate or even third-rate fighter jets on the China battlefield was enough. The most elite aviation team has been dealing with the Flying Tigers.
I didn't expect that in addition to the Flying Tigers, the Shenying Brigade, a difficult opponent, emerged in North China.
In comparison, the Shenying Brigade's P51D Mustang fighter is more powerful than the Flying Tigers' P-40 C fighter. Except for the Zero fighter, the Xiaogui Zi can't find any other fighter that can compete with this fighter.
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Ren Zhong is also paying close attention to the progress of the battle.
According to the strategic ideas he plagiarized from the main world, the impact of this battle will be very large.
It is truly a case of the winner being the king and the loser being the寇.
Unexpectedly, after fierce internal discussions on the border region side, the core of the border region made a final decision, "Fight, fight with one punch to avoid a hundred punches. This time we have the ability to take down Jin Province, then take it down. Although it may be a pot of half-cooked rice, we still have to eat it bite by bite!"
So this battle can be resolutely carried out.
Although some people disagree with Ren Zhong's prediction of Operation No. 1, thinking that the Guofu is not so vulnerable and still has combat power in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the chief has a deep insight and believes that the First War Zone has fallen into a situation of fighting on its own after Wei Changguan left. The centrifugal and morally corrupt troops have not received much strong rectification and replenishment, and the situation will be very ugly in the face of the Xiaogui Zi's elite attacks.
As expected, when the Xiaogui Zi's three armies acted separately, the Xiaogui Zi's 12th Army was unstoppable and quickly opened the defense line of the First War Zone. The defenders of Bianliang, Zhongmu, and Xingyang were no match, allowing the Xiaogui Zi to gain a foothold and concentrate their elite forces westward, successively occupying Yanshi and other places, directly approaching Luoyi.
On the northern front, the Xiaogui Zi, who attacked along the Zhengtai Line, spent almost every day under endless attacks after entering Jin Province. Although Taihang did not rely on fortifications to fight head-on, the railway had long been torn down, and the Xiaogui Zi had to advance on foot. The Eighth Route Army guerrillas, densely packed in the mountains and forests along the road, attacked the Xiaogui Zi marching troops with mortars almost all the time.
This blow caused the Xiaogui Zi to lose hundreds of people every day!
This forced the Xiaogui Zi to send troops to encircle and suppress them, but small teams at the squadron level would soon be annihilated if they were scattered. Only Xiaogui Zi at the battalion level could survive until reinforcements arrived.
In this way, the Xiaogui Zi's large army on the northern front was almost dealing with attacks every day and could not move forward on a large scale at all.
Relatively speaking, the Xiaogui Zi on the central front advanced the fastest. Along the south bank of the Yellow River they occupied, the army rushed to Jiyuan in one day. However, their good luck ended there. After entering the mountainous area, the Xiaogui Zi on the central front also began to encounter a large number of guerrilla mortar raids.
This forced the central army to enter an endless game of desperate pursuit. A full 5 Class C regiments and more than 3,000 various guerrillas, carrying a large number of mortars, launched guerrilla warfare in units of platoons and companies, which could be launched from mountain tops 2 kilometers away from the Xiaogui Zi's main force. Such long-range strikes made it impossible for the Xiaogui Zi to carry out effective counterattacks in the mountainous area.
Within two weeks of the launch of the entire Jin Province campaign, the Xiaogui Zi successively lost more than a dozen key cities around Qingcheng, Wumeng, Yunzhong, Zhangbei, and Taiyuan.
Now nearly 100,000 troops have surrounded Taiyuan, while Gangcun Xiaogui Zi's two rescue armies are still struggling forward in the Zhengtai Line and the mountains from Wangwu Mountain to Yuanqu, paying the lives of dozens or even hundreds of Xiaogui Zi for every step forward.
Compared to the complete defeat of the First War Zone on the south bank of the Yellow River, the development of the battle basically confirmed Ren Zhong's earlier deduction and argumentation.
The Guofu is vulnerable, and our Jin Province Eighth Route Army has the ability to resist the Xiaogui Zi's offensive.
This battle has begun to slide into an unknown new historical evolution process.
The third update, sufficient quantity, thank you all for your tolerance of the chapters last night.