Chapter 222: Consuming Six Servings of Fried Noodles per 100 Kilometers

The 17th Army was not the Central Army. It was initially just a division of the Northwest Army.

This army once wandered around the country, similar to the Jiedushi of a vassal town that separated one or two counties. It was a local army that took orders from preserved fruits and was a standard miscellaneous one.

They inherited the advantages of the Northwest Army, were very tenacious in fighting Japan, and their internal officers and soldiers were relatively united.

However, a miscellaneous brand is always a miscellaneous brand, and the army has always faced the problem of inferior equipment and low-quality soldiers.

However, despite its inherent shortcomings, the army still participated in many major battles in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War. All officers and soldiers were heroes who dared to fight.

It's a pity that the hard power is weak. Even though he has participated in many battles and has rich experience, he has no outstanding performance and has not achieved any good results.

The northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, the 17th Army field command post.

"Commander! Don't hold on! The 43rd Army next door is all fucking gone! Let's retreat quickly!"

"Our division is not only under great pressure on the frontal battlefield! The enemy may also attack the flanks at any time! If we continue like this, all the soldiers will die on the battlefield!"

"Can you bear to see those brothers who left their hometowns with us and came out with us to be meaninglessly bombed to death by enemy aircraft and artillery in Zhongtiao Mountain, which is only a river away from our hometown?"

Listening to his division commander's persuasion and complaints, Army Commander Gao Guizi sighed helplessly.

Although the Japanese elite team did not kill themselves, they were still forced to cut off contact with the three frontline divisions during the battle.

The army headquarters was paralyzed, and the defense could only rely on the command of the division commanders. From the actual effect point of view, the enemy's beheading operation can be considered a success.

Fortunately, he himself is a famous general in the Northwest Army, and his status and status are earned through hard work in battles.

Coupled with the fact that he usually treated his generals with kindness and power, and was quite prestigious in the army, this made the division commanders resolutely carry out their orders.

Otherwise, with the current intensity of the battle, the troops would have given up and withdrawn from their positions long ago.

It's a pity that Gao Guizi arrived a step too late. When he finally escaped and rushed to the main battlefield, the defeat of the northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain was already determined, and even the possessed soldier could not save it.

The 43rd Army escaped before the battle, and the Japanese would naturally not miss such a great opportunity.

The opponent seized the opportunity and quickly concentrated their forces. With an absolute advantage in combat effectiveness, they launched a fierce attack on the major positions of the 17th Army.

The 84th Division was crippled in this way, and its main force, the 251st Brigade, only had 2,000 men. In order to capture this position, the enemy used ten heavy artillery pieces, more than 20 tanks and more than 2,000 infantry at one time.

Although the soldiers relied on cluster grenades and explosive packets, they killed several tanks with their lives. However, when the troops and firepower are far inferior to those of the opponent, it is almost difficult to prevent the enemy from advancing.

If the commander of the 84th Division hadn't urgently ordered the reserve team to attack, the position would have been lost long ago!

Seeing that the army commander didn't reply for a long time, Liu Mingxia, commander of the 94th Division on the side, couldn't sit still at all. He patted the armrest, stood up from his seat, and said in front of everyone:

"Commander Gao! Please show mercy! Our division was ordered to provide support. I can't bear the responsibility if all my soldiers are wiped out!"

"In order to reinforce the northern defense line, our troops went north to forcefully cross the Yellow River. The soldiers were already exhausted from the long march."

"As a result, they faced the Japanese's independent ninth brigade as soon as they started. The brothers had no time to rest and were caught off guard."

"The situation is getting worse and worse. Now the morale of the troops is very low and the casualties are very high. They have completely collapsed! There are less than 3,000 people left out of the total 6,000. Please give us a way to survive!"

"Why!"

Gao Guizi couldn't help but sigh after hearing this. He now regretted not seriously arranging the security system of the military command post. If he could have kept in touch with the 43rd Army, he wouldn't have fallen into this situation.

Moreover, we know our own affairs well, and excluding the 94th Division who came to support us does not count. He has only two divisions in total, the 84th Division and the New 2nd Division.

The former are troops brought out from their hometown. The overall situation is good, and their combat effectiveness and individual soldier quality are also remarkable.

There are three infantry regiments in the division, as well as three division-directed battalions: artillery, engineering, and baggage. Plus a search company, a cavalry company, and a guard company, a total of 6,000 people.

With such a configuration, although it is not the top line of defense in Zhongtiao Mountain, it is definitely no problem to rank in the middle.

The situation of the latter is very bad. Just look at the name and you will know that it is a newly added unit.

Because the supplies on Zhongtiao Mountain could not keep up, the conditions were too difficult.

The troops stationed here do not have enough food and clothing, and many people die from illness every year. The soldiers regard this place as a living hell.

Some soldiers couldn't hold on anymore, so they secretly crossed the river on local people's cattle and sheepskin rafts while on guard duty at night, threw away their weapons and fled.

Under such circumstances, the new 2nd Division was not fully staffed and was basically used to make up the numbers.

A company can only have seventy or eighty soldiers at most, most of them have fifty or sixty, and some even have thirty or forty soldiers. Once a war breaks out with the Japanese, it will be difficult to fill in the lines.

After holding on for nearly two days with two disabled division-level troops and one new division, the 17th Army was already pretty good.

"Get ready to retreat. If Commander Zeng blames me, I will bear it. But the three divisions must take turns to cover. No one is allowed to play tricks at this critical moment!"

"If we don't unite at this time, we will probably be bitten to death by the Japanese!"

Gao Guizi said this to the 94th Division and the New 2nd Division. After all, they were not his direct descendants, so they would inevitably have some thoughts on the way to retreat.

It's just a matter of grabbing supplies at ordinary times. If any party loses control at a critical moment, everyone will suffer.

As soon as he finished speaking, a staff officer from the headquarters stood up and expressed his thoughts.

Since the other party was an old man from the Northwest Army and a confidant of Gao Guizi, and was known for his resourcefulness, everyone kept quiet and waited for him to express his suggestions.

"Commander, we not only have soldiers, but also family members and civilian staff. If we bring a lot of burdens with us, there is a high probability that they will be cannibalized by the Japanese one by one."

"We might as well think about it from another angle. We are just a no-brainer, not the Central Army. The Japanese's attitude towards us is not as ruthless as it is towards the Central Army and the Eighth Route Army."

"Before the battle began, the Japanese army sent someone to contact you. There must be room for maneuver."

The counselor became more and more excited as he talked, even ignoring the different expressions of everyone present. A greedy smile actually appeared on his face, as if the good days had come and he was imagining the scene of reaching the sky in one step.

"As long as we show our attitude and go to Wang Wangwang's side, not only will our lives be safe, but we will also be able to get promoted and make a fortune. Wouldn't it be great to become the commander of a group army?"

"Now that we have reached the stage of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, I don't think so."

Before the other party finished speaking, Gao Guizi pulled out his gun and directly killed the staff officer who had been following him for many years.

He was furious and glanced at everyone in the command post with his eyes widened.

"Those who disrupt the morale of our army will be killed without mercy!"

"I was born Chinese! I die a Chinese ghost! Let me be a slave of the Japanese! You can't do it! It's best if I can escape from danger and go back this time, otherwise I will fight to the end and be loyal to the country!"

······

North China Front Army Headquarters.

Several Japanese combat staff were drawing on the strategic situation map. They used their pens to draw red and blue arrows representing the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain and their own side.

At present, the battle on the northern front is basically over. The 41st Division and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade have broken through the defense line, and the plan to encircle and annihilate the enemy is progressing steadily.

It's a pity that other directions are a little less interesting and far from meeting the expected requirements.

The 36th Division and the 37th Division were stuck in a quagmire on the western front, facing off against Guozhou's 80th Army and the Third Army. With the support of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, the two sides fought back and forth in a lively manner.

The 33rd Division on the Northeast Front gradually fell into passivity. Several tentative attacks were resolved by the defenders, and now they can only play a diversionary role.

The situation of the 21st and 35th Divisions was even more unexpected. With the strength of two divisions, they failed to advance a corps.

But it makes sense if you think about it carefully. Although the Ninth Army is a mixed bag, it is a powerful force and has participated in many fierce battles in Shanxi.

Although after several battles, the loss of soldiers was very large. But relying on the veterans at the grassroots level, the combat effectiveness is stronger than other troops.

Coupled with the continuous support from the 15th Army and the 93rd Army, the Japanese were unable to do anything for a while.

At this time, Okamura Neiji was very ambitious. He looked at the map in front and said to everyone in the headquarters:

"Now that we have penetrated the northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, as long as we cut off the supply line of the preserved fruit troops, all problems will naturally be solved."

"When the time comes, they won't have enough food to eat, and they won't have enough ammunition, so what will they use to fight us!"

"The field air defense weapons supported by the troops stationed in Mongolia are about to be in place, and the Eighth Route Army's air force no longer dares to carry out bombings without restraint. When the warriors of my brother's country destroy the enemy inside, we can harvest the fruits of victory!"

As soon as these words came out, cheers suddenly erupted in the headquarters. Only the chief of staff, Moritake Tanabe, had a solemn expression, showing a hint of uneasiness.

"Your Excellency, Commander, I always feel that something is wrong. The air support team sent before has not responded yet, and I don't know what happened to them."

"I now seriously suspect that there is a mysterious enemy hidden inside Zhongtiao Mountain. They can even kill a thousand elites from my brother country silently."

This kind reminder was not taken seriously. Okamura Neji just waved his hand indifferently, indicating that the other party should not think too much.

The poor performance of the Kongtei team in the past made the old devils have no expectations at all. At first, they just made rational use of every resource at hand. Coupled with the fact that his stud command has made a breakthrough in the battle, he is now erratic.

"Tanabe-kun, the air support team is just a casual move. The victory of a battle still depends on the progress of the frontal troops."

"We have conquered most of the Republic of China, what else can stop our younger brother's country?"

"Next, I plan to let the independent mixed ninth brigade take the lead. Send them to cut off the enemy's supply lines and occupy the major crossings of the Yellow River."

After someone enlightened him, Tanabe Moritake suddenly felt that his thinking was much clearer.

So what if Zhongtiao Mountain really has a surprise army? Judging from the current intensity of the war, at least tens of thousands of troops can affect the local situation.

As for letting a brigade take the lead, he had no objection. There can't be anyone who can kill a brigade silently.

······

Southeast Shanxi, the combat conference room of the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

"It's true that mud can't hold up a wall! Without the Seventh and a Half Routes, wouldn't their Jinsui Army have soldiers who know how to fight?"

"The good situation was lost in one go! I wasted so many bombs! I just let the First Air Division rest for a few hours, but the defense line was broken!"

"Ridiculous! Too ridiculous!"

The deputy chief of staff and the division commander surrounded the deputy commander-in-chief, and the two of them persuaded him to calm down.

"Hey, haven't we been ready to fight alone? Neither the Central Army nor the Shanxi faction can be trusted. They can only contain the enemy at most."

"The iron must be hard to forge. Our fastest troops will arrive at the battlefield in a day and a half. Whether we can liberate all of Shanxi depends on this war."

From noon on May 7, troops at all levels in northwest and southeast Shanxi set out for Zhongtiao Mountain.

Since the province was full of spies from the Special High Technology Department, the comrades could only split up and try to keep themselves hidden as much as possible during the march. Fortunately, all the troops of the First Army were concentrated in Zhongtiao Mountain, so the whole journey was safe.

After looking at the map, the deputy commander said to the two old comrades beside him:

"Based on the intelligence sent back from the front, I think we should start with the 33rd Division in the Gaoping area."

"The enemy there is isolated, and there are three army preserved troops in front. After the 120th Division is in place and stares at the enemy on the western front, we can concentrate the forces of the entire 129th Division to eat the enemy in one go."

"Now we are competing with the devils in speed, to see whether they will defeat the Zhongtiaoshan defenders first, or we will launch a surprise attack first!"

The camera shifted to a mountainous area in southeastern Shanxi.

At this time, Ding Wei was riding a 28-bar, and judging from the sweat on his forehead, he must have consumed a lot of physical strength.

The panting sound mixed with the sound of the bicycle galloping, it sounded vaguely like the feeling of tank tracks rolling over the ground, not to mention how powerful it was.

"Comrades! Hold on for another half an hour. When we reach Changzhuang in front, we can rest for a while and have dinner today."

After hearing the words of their own regiment leader, everyone did not reply, but gritted their teeth and continued to hold on.

It has to be said that bicycles are a very suitable means of transportation for use in Shanxi, where the road conditions are poor.

When the road is flat, they ride. Although the speed is not as fast as riding a horse, the advantage is that there are more soldiers and each soldier can have one.

When the road is muddy, they carry it and run. It consumes six servings of fried noodles per 100 kilometers. The soldiers all say it is good.

It is worth mentioning that each bicycle of the new regiment has no tires.

This is because the weather is hot and the ground is hot, and even if the tires are not fully inflated, they often burst. The soldiers simply removed the tires and rode on the steel rims.

Try to follow the same rules tomorrow