Chapter 181 How Did You Cross the Yellow River?

Unlike the past, the North China Front's sweep this time was a bit of a big noise but little action. It lasted only a month before it was called off, or more accurately, forced to end.

Shinozuka Yoshio's First Army was the first to return in defeat. In order to implement Tada Shun's tactics, they forced the Mongolian Army to attack the three major bases in three directions.

This group of devils stationed in Shanxi Province had already suffered two waves of red iron fists, and under high-intensity combat, their troops were falling rapidly.

Facing the general's flipping tactics, the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 36th Division were exhausted, and the various battalions suffered heavy losses due to unsuccessful attacks.

Counting the first two stages of the Hundred Regiments Campaign, only three months had passed, and Shinozuka Yoshio's First Army had lost a large number of occupied areas and had been suppressed around Taiyuan and could not move.

The future of this group of devils would only be bleak.

Taiyuan, in the hospital of the First Army.

At this time, Shinozuka Yoshio was lying on the hospital bed, his face pale as if he had aged a dozen years overnight.

For any country's senior commander, the fifties are still the golden age. At that time, physical energy and battlefield experience are fully combined, and more achievements can definitely be made.

But after a series of failures, coupled with the loss of two beloved generals. This old devil has become decadent and has completely lost the will to win.

As the chief of staff of the First Army, Kusunokichi can be said to be the person who cares most about Shinozuka Yoshio's health. It's not because of how good their private relationship is, it's simply for his own career.

He looked at the commander with a scruffy beard and an old look, and couldn't help but comfort him:

"Your Excellency, although we didn't completely eradicate the Eighth Route Army's base, we have gained a lot. This time, the First Army consumed a large number of enemy troops and laid a solid foundation for the next sweep."

"Thanks to Commander Tada's Three Alls Policy, we have severely damaged the agricultural system in the bandit area and destroyed the enemy's foundation."

"It is said that the mainland has approved our application to release the plague. It won't be long before the Eighth Route Army will lose its food source, and they will surely collapse!"

In fact, these words make sense. The future famine had signs in 1941. There are many reasons for this tragedy, and the devils added fuel to the fire.

Originally, that period of time was the most difficult time for the Eighth Route Army in history. But now with the Yellow River, the enemy's plan will never be satisfactory.

Hearing the words of comfort, Shinozuka Yoshio was not grateful. He even rolled his eyes at his chief of staff, and then said weakly:

"Kunshan, are you here to take a shit? Is it because you have been in the staff for too long and lost touch with reality? Why do you look at things so one-sidedly now?"

"The development of the Eighth Route Army is always restricted by the industrial system and materials. The land here belongs to the enemy, and the endless manpower allows them to be reborn as long as they have a breath."

"The war has been going on for four years, and we have long been stuck in a quagmire."

"Do you know what I saw in the city a few days ago? Bicycles! I heard that it was made by the Eighth Route Army! I really can't imagine how terrible they will be in the future!"

Because he was too excited, the old devil almost fainted.

Kunshan Hideyoshi lowered his head and did not speak. As the chief of staff of the First Army, he had a clear view of the situation in Shanxi Province.

This sweep seemed to be effective, but the Eighth Route Army took the people with them, and the people's hearts were still on the other side.

The First Army suffered heavy losses, and the Fourth Independent Mixed Brigade existed in name only, and there was no source of troops to be replenished in a short time. If the headquarters does not do anything, they will face the test of survival.

In the next year, the Eighth Route Army can definitely develop steadily. Kusunoshi Hideyoshi even thought of the scene where the enemy put the 155mm big tube on his face.

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General! Don't we have a chance to fight back? Just watch the other side grow stronger?"

Shinozuka Yoshio sighed. He has been thinking about ways to break the deadlock during this period.

The war has been fought to this point, and it is all about resources and national patience. The younger country has tried its best, and everything it has has been used to the limit.

Unless the military can open up a new battlefield and plunder more resources, this kind of thing is not something that a lieutenant general can decide.

Thinking of this, he began to recall what happened this year.

From Sakata Nobutsu's death, the doctor was kidnapped, Yamamoto Ikki was ambushed, the Eighth Route Army's raid, and the airport was bombarded, all these things seem to be related to the Yellow River.

So it seems that since 1940, their First Army has never taken advantage.

But at this moment, Shinozuka Yoshio suddenly showed a relieved smile. The old man stretched his muscles on the bed, as if he had let go of everything.

"These have nothing to do with me."

As soon as the voice fell, Kusunokichi raised his head suddenly. Combined with the rumors he heard in the past few days, he showed a nervous expression.

"What do you mean? Are we going back to our homeland?"

For a soldier with aspirations, being sent back to the reserve is a very shameful thing. Even if there is a chance to make a comeback in the future, he will be looked down upon by his peers.

"Yes, I will no longer be the commander of the First Army from next month."

"When the time comes, I will return to my homeland and serve as the principal of the Army Officer School. You should go with me."

"I know you are an ambitious person. When the time is right, I will arrange for you to return to the front-line troops. As a lieutenant general of the Brotherhood, even if you don't have real power, you still have connections and influence."

If it was the former Shinozuka Yoshio, he would definitely struggle for the position of the commander of the First Army, and even make some desperate offensive plans.

But the Eighth Route Army is developing too fast. During this period of recuperation, he thought a lot, and his ability was completely unable to suppress the enemy.

Loyalty to Tianhuang and the Brotherhood does not allow him to be a vain position. Instead of staying, it is better to take advantage of the situation while there is still hope and replace it with a more capable person.

This First Army Commander, let someone else do it. If he continues to do it, who knows what will happen.

"I heard that the superiors are going to send Iwamatsu Yoshio to take over. When the time comes, we will go to greet him and help you get familiar with the people. Even in the army, connections are still very important."

"Although the people I like often end up in a miserable situation. But I hope you can follow my will and expand the territory for my brother country!"

"That's it, let me be alone, you go."

This tone of old age made Kusunokichi feel a little sad.

He originally thought that his leader was defeated by the Eighth Route Army and was ready to leave the combat unit to retire.

Unexpectedly, the other party was so selfless that he did not covet the current power for the future of his brother country. As Shinozuka Yoshio's new favorite general, he was so ashamed that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Hey! I will definitely work hard with you!"

"This guy originally died in a plane crash, and I plan to let him die in pain."

————

After more than half a month of hard work, the comrades once again moved the logistics department to a relatively safe hinterland.

Captain Ou learned from the last lesson, and their guard regiment expanded the security circle to five kilometers to ensure that there were no blind spots in all directions. Thanks to this large regiment of 3,000 people, the general basic regiment really does not have such sufficient manpower.

Today's logistics department is very lively, and the cold wind in November can't blow away everyone's enthusiasm. After learning that Huang He was going back to the rear, his comrades came to see him off.

The comrades in the kitchen team got up early, and they started preparing ingredients at 8 o'clock in the morning, just to express their heartfelt gratitude.

Originally, Huang He wanted to refuse this extravagant behavior, but even the brigade commander called him and asked him to accept everyone's kindness honestly.

The farm has been established for a whole year, and now the whole army has achieved meat freedom. This meal can be said to be very rich, with a roast chicken and a pot of pork stewed with cabbage on each table.

After eating and drinking, it's time for everyone to show off.

Today, the Iron Triangle and Cheng Xiazi finally drank the vodka they had been longing for. This bottle of wine was left by the Russian instructor. However, they were obviously not used to drinking foreign things, and they were a little dizzy at this time.

Kong Jie stepped on the stool with the help of alcohol. He did not kill the Japanese major general in the Hundred Regiments Campaign, and was often ridiculed by Ding and Li during this period.

"What's a major general! Have you ever fought a tank? At Niangzi Pass, I fought the enemy's tanks head-on! The Okazaki Battalion was even killed by me!"

"The broken things of the daily life are really getting worse and worse. Every time, they are just changing the soup but not the medicine! The 7.7mm broken machine gun can be used as the main gun. Can it fight? No! It doesn't have that strength!"

"Now it has lost to the 25mm anti-tank gun, and if it loses again, it will lose to the 12.7mm machine gun. Sooner or later, I can paralyze its shells with a kettle!"

Looking at Kong Jie who was obviously drunk, Ding Wei quickly pushed him back to his seat.

"I got drunk after drinking a little bit. I really don't care about my face, hahaha."

After calming down, Captain Li stood up with the help of the table. He asked a question that everyone, including many readers, wanted to know.

"Old Huang, when you came to Shanxi Province with those people from the north, how did you cross the Yellow River?"

"I have thought about this for a long time and I can't figure it out. When our Eighth Route Army crossed the Yellow River to the east, it was really troublesome and difficult. You can't just fly over just because your name is Huanghe."

Everyone nodded, showing curious expressions.

At that time, the troops had just completed the reorganization and had to rush to the battlefield immediately. The superiors discussed the choice of the marching route for a long time, and finally chose Hancheng.

It was a complex and huge system project for tens of thousands of troops to cross the turbulent Yellow River. It had to fight against the dangerous natural environment.

Ships, climate, supplies, safety, etc. If there is a problem in any link, the consequences will be disastrous.

It was also the turn of summer and autumn, and heavy rain fell for several days. The water level of the Yellow River rose, and the river flooded the river beach and submerged the road leading to the ferry.

The river beach was full of puddles, mud and mud, and even the skilled local boatmen had difficulty getting on the boat.

If the people had not heard that the Eighth Route Army troops were blocked from crossing the river, they would have removed their door panels to pave the way for the troops, and the troops might not have caught up with the battle at Pingxingguan.

After solving these problems, the troops still had to face a troublesome matter, which was to do ideological work for the soldiers. The officers and soldiers of the preserved fruit at that time would find faults and deliberately make things difficult for them.

In just a few days, it was very difficult to fight wits and courage with people and God.

Speaking of this, Captain Li became more and more angry. When their new regiment crossed the river, they were often made difficult by the Shanxi Suiyuan Army.

"At that time, we had just been reorganized, and the people of Guopian did not allow us to have a political commissar. When we crossed the Yellow River to the east, the political commissar could only be called the deputy commander."

"My deputy commander at that time was Zhong Zhicheng, who used to be in the First Front Army. After being stopped by the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, Old Zhong stood at the ferry and said, we are fighting against the Japanese invaders, not just for your family's banquet."

"No matter how much we persuaded, they would not let us cross, which almost pissed me off."

Except Huang He and Zhao Gang, everyone present was an old comrade and knew a lot about this matter.

Old Zhao judged from the tone that his predecessor seemed to have a good relationship with Li Yunlong. But he had never heard of this person, so he asked:

"What happened next? What solution did this comrade come up with?"

Originally, Li Yunlong wanted to continue talking, but Cheng Xiazi on the side stopped his old squad leader and answered directly:

"Old Li and Old Zhong led the troops to retreat two miles and met our 772nd Regiment head-on. The new regiment did not have a number but we did, so the two regiments merged into one and crossed the Yellow River without any problems."

After hearing this, everyone laughed out loud.

Everyone knew that Li Yunlong hated people mentioning this type of thing the most. After all, he was Cheng Shifa's old squad leader, and it was very embarrassing to serve under him.

Huanghe was also very interested in such an interesting person.

"Which unit has Political Commissar Zhong been transferred to now? Could he have been squeezed out by you, Li Yunlong?"

Originally, he just asked casually, but he didn't expect that all the regiment leaders were silent. In the end, it was Zhang Wanhe who broke the deadlock.

"Old Zhong died in the Xiangtangpu battle. At that time, the New 1st Regiment was ordered to ambush the transport unit of the Japanese 14th Division."

"Halfway through the battle, enemy reinforcements came from Licheng and Dongyang. In order to cover the large force to complete the mission smoothly, he led a company of soldiers to block them and eventually died on the battlefield."

"Respects to Political Commissar Zhong!"

"Respects to Old Zhong!"

In order to break the sad atmosphere, Commander Li dragged the topic back. He directly exchanged seats with Zhang Wanhe, put his arm around Huang He's shoulder and asked:

"Old Huang, tell me quickly. How did you cross the river to the east? I remember that transport team had several trucks."

Huang He was choked by the smell of alcohol. He pushed him away with a little force, and then explained helplessly:

"In 1939, the North was the major shareholder of preserved fruit. At that time, there were also a large amount of supplies coming with me. In this situation, Baldy dared not offend them. How big a deal would it be to send a few trucks of rifles?"

"You don't know how angry the Holy Land Iron Wall was at that time. That look almost ate me up, hahaha."

"But no matter how reluctant you are, it's useless. You still have to send me across the river honestly!"

Fill in the earliest pit, and start a new chapter tomorrow