Rise From Eight Hundred

Chapter 1448 Tiger! Tiger!

 The Needle Valley detachment was destroyed in one attack, but this does not mean that the entire Battle of Shipai is over!

No one expected that in the following days, a group of Chinese troops led by the Si Xing Regiment would work harder to build positions around the 231st Infantry Regiment's position of less than 0.2 square kilometers, as if they were carefully protecting their own flocks of sheep.

Since the 15th day of the first lunar month of the Chinese New Year, even the cold guns and cold guns that had been maintained before have disappeared. The various units of the Sixing Regiment have not been idle. They have been digging various fortifications in various positions where they are stationed. For this reason, they even Several mountains were hollowed out.

In the eyes of Japanese intelligence personnel, it didn't look like a battle at all, but military training.

Yes, the IQs of Japanese intelligence officers are quite online. They guessed right and took advantage of this rare opportunity to 'rest'.

Under the arrangement of Ye Chenghuan, the second-in-command of the regiment, various units of the Four-Hong Regiment started various training modes according to local conditions in this mountainous area.

There are special trainings such as mountain fortification construction and mountain offensive and defensive warfare drills, as well as general training such as fully armed cross-country training, shooting, and stabbing.

But this is not enough to explain that this siege war, which even the top brass of the Japanese Army wants to end as soon as possible, will continue to a result that no one expected.

Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Tang Dao applied to the Fifth Theater Command, using the promise of no taxation to attract businessmen from more than a hundred miles away to open theaters, restaurants and other entertainment facilities in a valley behind the defense line.

At the same time, Tang Dao issued a military order. According to the arrangements of each ministry, each officer and soldier in the encirclement will have one day off per week. Those who want to relax can sleep in the camp or go to this place named by Tang Dao. 'Resort' valley.

For consumption here, regardless of military rank, just look at Yin Yang. Although the price is 10% higher than the market price, you can drink wine and watch movies between battlefields. This increase in prices is a good thing for those who may lose money at any time on the battlefield. To the Chinese officers and soldiers who were killed, it was nothing.

As for the merchants who risk losing their heads, the most important thing for those soldiers who have won military exploits is military pay. Their spending power is more than ten times that of the towns outside. The first few merchants can earn in just one week. There was a lot of money, attracting more merchants to arrive.

 The Chinese troops besieging the 231st Infantry Regiment were not just the Si Xing Regiment, but also four regiments of the 18th Army, totaling more than 10,000 people.

"This siege is a long-term action. If the string in your mind is too tight, it will break sooner or later. Only by relaxing and resting appropriately can you better fight for the country!" These are Tang Dao's original words.

But in the eyes of many generals who are strict in running the army, Tang Dao is purely an excuse to make money for themselves. They have been fighting against Japan for a long time, and their nerves are tense 365 days a year, and no one has gone crazy or stupid.

 In the face of cruel war, something as trivial as human nature will not be considered by the superiors at all.

Tang Dao just hoped that his soldiers would be more like normal people after the war, instead of being like him, who had to put sabers under their pillows when sleeping, otherwise they would not be able to sleep well at all.

Even if you are married, if your partner moves his arms slightly, his closed eyes will instantly shine with a heart-stopping luster in the dark night.

 War Traumatic Stress Disorder Syndrome, a disease that will not officially enter the psychiatric register until more than 40 years later, has actually never disappeared since the war began.

I don’t know where the two division commanders Hu and Luo got it wrong. They actually followed Tang Dao to ‘make mischief’ together. They also gave their officers and soldiers one day off a week to go to the ‘resort’ to relax.

Even they themselves went there twice, experienced the food and wine in the resort, and listened to the opera for a long time.

This has resulted in the daily flow of people in the "resort area" reaching up to a thousand people. On average, each person consumes one or two silver dollars a day, which is considered sparse and ordinary. The entire valley is very lively every day.

Tang Dao didn’t even do anything to keep it secret. Even the Japanese knew about the existence of this resort through the all-pervasive intelligence system.

"Baga! The Chinese are ready for a long-term siege. They want to force the 231st Infantry Regiment to surrender as an organization. They also want to use the 231st Infantry Regiment as bait to lure our 11th Army into the mountainous area." Hengshan Yongsi In his own office, the gloom on his face was so intense that it almost dripped out.

 He has an insight into the Chinese people’s conspiracy, but there is nothing he can do about it!

 A few days ago, China dispatched hundreds of fighter planes to carry out airdrops of supplies regardless of cost, which proved to be extremely foolish.

The Chinese used these material packages that fell from the sky but could not be accurately thrown to carry out an organized round-up and killing of the imperial infantry who were fainting from hunger in the encirclement.

The Chinese did not need to leave their positions at all. They only needed to focus fire on areas with supplies, and they could easily shoot the elite soldiers of the empire who had been carefully trained by the empire in the wilderness. This also caused the Needle Valley detachment, which was already under-strength, to be out of sight. They lost more than two-thirds of their troops in 5 days, and finally had to abandon most of their positions and stay in a corner. Then they were bombarded by China's concentrated artillery fire, and the entire army was destroyed!

The 231st Infantry Regiment was stronger. They had already started slaughtering pack horses and war horses and stored a certain amount of meat. However, they still could not overcome their extreme thirst for supplies when they were surrounded. It was a kind of fear for the future.

Therefore, they also fell into China's seemingly necessary tactics. In the end, when the empire stopped airdrops, the 231st Infantry Regiment still had 1,500 capable troops.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps the Chinese side started their planning from the moment they invited military attachés from the Western embassies to observe and persuade them to surrender. They used the help of Western media to stimulate the people on the Japanese mainland and facilitated the largest airdrop material plan in the history of the Japanese Army.

At the beginning, Yokoyama Isamu, who finally figured this out, and a group of senior Japanese army officials set their sights on Commander Hu of the 18th Army. Commander Hu, who became famous because of the Battle of Shipai, was already the youngest person in the Chinese military under the age of 45. The title of "Three Heroes" among the generals.

It wasn't until a senior spy lurking in the Third Theater Command identified through clues that the person who really made the suggestion seemed to be Tang Dao, then the top commander of China's Beidou Mountain front line and the commander of the Fourth Army Regiment, and the Japanese China Expeditionary Forces Command was shocked. , the young colonel who had been the commander of the North China Front Army for three times in North China, seemed to be coming to the Central and South China battlefields again.

Moreover, the fighting power of the Four Lines Regiment is even more fierce than before in North China. It is not only equipped with tanks, but also cars equipped with 12.7 mm heavy machine guns.

It was these two types of equipment that had never appeared on the battlefield before. They caught the 231st Infantry Regiment and the Needle Valley Detachment off guard and were crippled in one battle.

It's just a small tank equipped with a 20mm machine gun. The main purpose of this thing is to surprise. On the plains, except for the Type 94 armored vehicle, any tank equipped by the Imperial Army can crush this kind of tank. It is only suitable for doing this. Light tank for reconnaissance.

But that is different for a car that can run on hillsides with a temperature of more than 40 degrees. If it is placed on a plain battlefield to assist infantry in trench assaults, the 12.7mm heavy machine gun it is equipped with will be a disaster for the infantry in the trench. It is difficult for the 70mm infantry gun equipped at the brigade level alone to pose a threat to this highly mobile and flexible heavy firepower platform.

 The old grudges have not yet been settled, and new grudges have been added! What is even more distressing is that the Four Elements Group is getting stronger and stronger.

   . . . . . . . . .

 Inside Jinling City! China dispatches military headquarters!

"Itagaki-kun, you led the fifth division to fight against him when you were in North China. You should have some impression of this Tang sword!" asked Nishio Juzo, the commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

The name Tang Dao is no stranger to Nishio Juzo. Last year, at least two to three of the ten battle reports on the front line from the Japanese North China Front mentioned this name and the Four Lines Group.

But as a general-level commander in charge of two major front armies and millions of troops in the 11th, 13th and 23rd armies, a small infantry regiment with only three to four thousand soldiers is too small, not this time the 231st Infantry Regiment Being surrounded, he couldn't even remember the name Tang Dao. "Tang Dao and his four-line regiment are extremely powerful. Their weapons and equipment are well-equipped, and the soldiers' fighting will is tenacious. They can be called the strongest infantry regiment in China." Sitting across from the commander's desk, the then Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Force Shiro Itagaki looked at him. He is gloomy, but he does not hesitate to praise Tang Dao and Si Xing Tuan, their old rivals.

"But it would be extremely wrong to attribute all the powerful combat effectiveness of the Four Lines Regiment to its equipment. At the beginning, our fifth division detachment-level troops fought with the Four Lines Regiment no less than three times, at Rat Mountain in Guangde, Niangziguan in North China, and Wangwu Mountain in North China. , our troops all had the advantage in strength, but without exception they were defeated and suffered heavy losses.

After the war, analysis showed that the ferocious firepower of the Four Lines Regiment alone was not enough to defeat our Steel Army Division. The real reason for the defeat of our division was due to unfavorable tactical responses.

Tang Dao, the leader of the Four Lines Regiment, is a genius in the use of battlefield tactics with tens of thousands of people. He can always find the opponent's loopholes before anyone else and decisively deliver a fatal blow.

  Such people are extremely rare in my decades of military career! "

“Itagaki-kun actually thinks so highly of Tang Dao?” Nishio Juzo frowned fiercely.

From his perspective, he never imagined that one day, two senior generals of the Imperial Army would study a young colonel from China.

"It's not high. If you, Commander, look at all the battle reports about Tang Dao since it emerged from Sihang Warehouse, you will be surprised to find that there may be times when Tang Dao's men suffered heavy losses, and there were also times when they had to leave the battlefield. , but there is no such thing as a losing battle." Itagaki Shiro shook his head expressionlessly.

This was also the investigation he did after losing the last battle of Zhongtiao Mountain. Every time Tang Dao fought against the Imperial Army, the battlefields were wonderful from a military point of view, even from Songhu to Songjiang and then from Songjiang. Zhi Guangde's crazy escape is also amazing.

  Anyway, if it were him, he would never be able to do this well.

"Furthermore, Tang Dao is very hostile to the Empire. The 11th Army was defeated in the Battle of Shipai, but the Four Lines Regiment captured very few Imperial officers and soldiers, less than a hundred! It shows that his heart is far more ruthless than ordinary people. Such a person If he is allowed to continue to grow, it will not be a good thing for the empire." Shiro Itagaki made his concluding remarks.

To be honest, when Itagaki Shiro thought that at least 15,000 people died under the command of Tang Dao and the Four Elements Group, his heart felt blocked for no reason. If he could, he never wanted to hear this name again.

“Look, this is a secret message from the intelligence department of the base camp.” Nishio Juzo handed an envelope to Itagaki Shiro, and the seal was stamped top secret.

“It seems that their judgment is almost the same as yours, Mr. Itagaki.”

"Assassination of Tang Dao?" Itagaki Shiro read it quickly, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Yes, after comprehensive research and judgment, the people in the intelligence department unanimously decided that Tang Dao, a serious threat to the empire, must be eliminated. While he is still just a small army colonel, if he wants to be promoted to a general or a group army commander, then The empire will suffer huge losses." Nishio Juzo nodded.

"Yes! He hasn't really grown up yet. But one thing is very strange. Logically speaking, Tang Dao has achieved so many military exploits in the past three years of fighting. Even in our Imperial Army, which has serious seniority issues, it is also very strange. At least he will be promoted to Army Major General, but he has been a colonel commander for the past three years," Shiro Itagaki sighed.

 “Itagaki-kun, be careful!” Nishio Juzo felt a little bit dumbfounded.

He, the chief of staff who was transferred from the main division commander, actually did a pretty good job. He never stole the limelight from his superiors, and he didn't have to worry too much about strategic and tactical arrangements as a commander. Even though his temperament was a bit unruly, how could he? While chatting, he started complaining about the biggest problem in the Imperial Army?

As for seniority, it has not existed for a day or two in the imperial navy and army. If promotions are strictly based on military merit, how will the arrangements be made for the disciples of His Majesty the Emperor, His Royal Highness the Prince, the great nobles, and those senior generals?

Hey, is it possible to let those aristocratic boys who come to gild carry guns and go to the front line of the battlefield?

 When you go out to hang out, there must be someone behind you.

 It's like Lieutenant General Itagaki Shiro, you are all based on your military exploits. If there is no one behind you, it depends on your background. No matter how hard you work, a Lieutenant General division commander is the top.

 In this regard, Nishio Juzo, who had already heard the news of his resignation, knew that with his departure, the Chief of Staff, who was about to be promoted to Army General, would also become a marginalized role.

 The emperor has begun to eagerly appoint the new people under his sect. A trace of gloom that no one can detect flashed through Nishio Juzo's eyes.

If it weren't for the order from the base camp, he wouldn't have even bothered.

I naturally cannot tolerate Tang Dao, a close confidant, in this position. If I am no longer in this position, I will take care of my football affairs! , In fact, when he thought that the stronger Tang Dao would be, the more obstacles he would bring to those who came after him, he felt an indescribable sense of pleasure deep in his heart.

Of course, Itagaki Shiro didn't know the various thoughts that were running through his immediate boss's heart. He was just happy that the intelligence department at the base camp made a judgment that was consistent with his.

“Headquarters has approved the Intelligence Division’s assassination plan and has activated the No. 3 secret agent who has been lurking in China for many years.” Nishio Beast tapped his fingers on the table. "As for the question you just raised, Mr. Itagaki, I can answer it."

"Tang Dao offended their top leader, so that his promotion for many years has been fruitless. This assassination plan made by the Intelligence Section, which obtained this secret information on the 3rd, is different from the past where elite special agents were sent to lurk into enemy areas. , but to make full use of these to find the right time to kill them in one fell swoop.”

“What do you mean, Commander, use Chinese against Chinese?” Shiro Itagaki took a deep breath.

"That's right! Before telling you about this matter, I have already talked with Wang and Zhou. They said that they will fully support the actions of our personnel. Those Chinese people are old friends with them in the past and are fighting for their own future. , many people still have some contact with each other privately," Xiwei Beast said.

"Brilliant! Your Excellency, Commander, this move is really brilliant! No matter how powerful the Tang Dao is, how could they have thought that there would be so many hidden guns pointed at him in the area they control!" A rare look on Itagaki Shiro's face. He smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Unexpectedly, I was scolding MMP in my heart! I dare you, the chief of staff, to find out later than those Chinese who surrendered, so you might as well not let me know!

 “This operation is codenamed “Tiger!” Tiger! "The China Dispatch Force Headquarters will be responsible for assisting in the implementation. Itagaki-kun, you will be the supreme commander in charge of this operation and be responsible for coordinating all matters." Nishio Juzo tapped the table again, explaining the last thing he told Itagaki Shiro. reason.

His rank was not high enough before, but now he is needed to do things. After all, a dignified commander commanding an army of millions cannot stare at a small colonel in China every day, right? That identity is too mismatched.

 “Who gave this operation code name?”

  What kind of codename is this? Shiro Itagaki, who had been living in Tohoku for many years, was stunned.

The Japanese Army Lieutenant General knows that the word "tiger" is synonymous with "two" in the Northeast. When these two tigers come out, don't they all mean "two"?

"Of course it's me! How about it? Isn't it very charming? It can not only mean killing the tiger, but also show the power of the tiger of our Imperial Army." Nishiojuzo clearly 'copied' himself and was originally supposed to appear in 10 The codename on the radio waves over the Pacific Ocean after the month was very satisfactory.

“Very good, very good, very domineering. It is indeed your work, Commander!” Shiro Itagaki smiled and gave a thumbs up again.

The subtext is actually just: If you are a tiger, your whole family will be a tiger!

  Anyway, Lieutenant General Shiro Itagaki had an ominous premonition from the moment he heard this code name!