Bright Sword: Start with Ding Blast Bridge, Homemade Sweet Potato Cake

The main battlefield of the battle spread from the mountainous area and pursued all the way to the plains, which was the home ground of the devils, and only then did they stop the counterattack.

Recapture the lost positions and seize a large number of Japanese weapons and equipment.

It includes a large number of bullets, grenades, and individual equipment.

The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties, so much so that Yoshio Shinozuka could no longer sit still.

He personally ordered the withdrawal of several mopping-up troops.

Judging from the battle results reported by the Okayama Regiment, the 9rd Independent Mixed Brigade, the Mito Regiment, and the th Independent Mixed Brigade, more than half of their troops were lost.

The Okayama Regiment was defeated, losing two infantry battalions and directly losing more than 1000 troops.

The 1500rd Independent Mixed Brigade lost three infantry battalions and the Gang County munitions depot, resulting in a direct loss of troops.

The Mito Regiment lost more than 300 men at the hands of Chu Yunfei and an infantry battalion at the hands of the Eighth Route Army, with a direct loss of 1200 men.

The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade lost two infantry battalions and wiped out many puppet troops and gendarmerie, with direct losses of more than 2 men.

In just one month, six to seven thousand people were killed in the raid on the Fourth Military Division.

This does not take into account the blunder of the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade, which directly lost over a thousand soldiers.

You have to know that in the entire Battle of Southern Shanxi, only 2000 troops were lost. Even though tens of thousands of troops were involved in the battle, the losses were not as many as in a mopping-up operation.

Are they trying to wipe out the Eighth Route Army, or are they heading into the mountains in large numbers to die?

Several successive brigade commanders suffered losses at the hands of Ding Wei.

Major General Azuma Kawamura of the Independent 4th Brigade, Major General Kenkichi Ikegami of the Independent 9th Brigade, Lieutenant General Tadao Yoshizawa who was killed in the palace fight, and Major General Saburo Yamada who was hit by a stray bullet and died in his hospital bed.

If we continue to fight, will we have to sacrifice all the troops of these teams?

Yoshio Shinozuka did not dare to gamble, nor did he dare to accept such heavy casualties.

It seems to be less costly to consider temporarily handing over the mountainous area to the Fourth Military Sub-district, blocking the supplies entering the mountain, and controlling the Eighth Route Army within this area.

The mopping-up operations only made the Eighth Route Army panic, but did not truly eliminate them or completely disintegrate the base.

All brigade and regiment commanders should reflect carefully on how to fight the security war.

Coincidentally, a big shot is coming in July, and Okamura will take over the North China Expeditionary Army.

He is a newly promoted general who is well versed in the China region.

Learn how to conduct public security warfare and how to deal with the difficult Eighth Route Army guerrilla warfare.

The Japanese army withdrew from the mountainous areas and stationed in the plains.

This gave all the Eighth Route Army troops a chance to catch their breath. Ding Wei's Fourth Military Sub-district was in urgent need of a break, as it had been fighting non-stop since the beginning of the year.

First they were targeted by the brigade, then they faced raids one after another, surviving and growing in the cracks.

There are huge amounts of equipment and supplies that need to be digested, and all five regiments need to be expanded, new soldiers need to be recruited, and the base needs to be expanded.

Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Once we have caught our breath, we will make the Japanese suffer.

Within the Japanese army, commanders above the rank of major were called together to study the essentials of security warfare.

Okamura's arrival is not just that of one person, but a team of staff headed by a general and three corresponding operational staffs.

Aiming at the difficult guerrilla warfare and the scattered bases.

The Japs came up with a new method of mopping up operations, first forming an encirclement with a large force, and then deploying elite mobile forces on standby.

Equip more bicycles and motorcycles to enhance maneuverability.

Once the enemy situation is detected, use mobile forces to quickly kill them.

After the battle, the mobile forces returned to the local area and waited for orders.

Avoid blindly raiding the mountains, which would cause unnecessary losses of troops.

The North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters summarized this in eight words: attack repeatedly and wait for the opportunity.

On this basis, Yoshio Shinozuka proposed a new rabbit-chasing tactic, believing that each division should be equipped with bicycle and cavalry teams to enhance its mobile pursuit capabilities.

Once the main force of the Eighth Route Army was discovered in the mountainous area, they would quickly rush to the battlefield, surround and annihilate them.

Seeing that the First Army was so actively learning about security warfare, General Okamura personally ordered that a bicycle team be equipped for the 41st Division of the First Army.

A bicycle is quite valuable these days. Motorized troops are fast, but only if there are roads.

Given China's poor infrastructure conditions, it is still a question whether motorcycles can run.

The Japanese built a large number of roads in the occupied areas to enhance mobility.

On the other hand, riding a bicycle is much easier; it can reach anywhere your legs can reach.

When encountering rivers or forests, they just carried it across on their shoulders.

There is another problem: fuel is in short supply and the fuel applied for by cars is seriously insufficient.

No one wants to ride a bicycle when they have a car, but if they have to run with their legs, it is good to have a bicycle.

This also exposed the Japanese invaders' logistical problems. Life began to become difficult, there were major problems in mobilizing materials, and the pressure on logistical support was relatively high.

From June to August, although it was only two short months, it gave Ding Wei's Fourth Military Sub-district a chance to catch its breath.

Some of the wounded returned to the army after recovering from their injuries.

A large number of new soldiers were also recruited and trained by key personnel.

The veterans were able to take a breath, adjust their morale and face the next challenges.

The reconnaissance companies of each regiment were spread throughout the mountainous areas, but the Japanese still laid out their turtle shells, defended the county town, and learned the essence of public security warfare.

The Japanese invaders are silent, they must be up to something.

The Fourth Military Sub-district also received some guidance from the headquarters, including requirements for the military sub-district to expand its base, as well as anti-mopping-up tactics mastered by brother units, which facilitated their promotion throughout the army.

Due to the difficulty of the current situation in the War of Resistance, we had to reduce the number of troops and administration, go deep into the enemy's rear, block the armed work teams and the anti-traitor teams, and establish small bases in the enemy-occupied areas.

The five regiments had just been expanded, and now Ding Wei was asked to streamline the troops and administration.

Stop joking. I have just digested the captured Japanese weapons and equipment, and a large amount of weapons and equipment are still in my personal warehouse.

It would be more than enough to equip five more regiments.

The idea of ​​going deep into the enemy's rear made Ding Wei's thoughts complicated.

Why not wander around the northern frontier more? The military forces there are weak and the garrisoned territory is extensive.

With a force of 3, the territory garrisoned is larger than that of the First Army.

I have a new strategic idea in mind.

If the Japanese continued their sweep into the mountainous areas, he would choose the flipping tactic and move his main force deep into the northern part of the country.

Leave the mountainous areas to the Japanese, and I'll go north to develop.

I've been sitting in the headquarters every day and I'm almost rusted.

Ding Wei stood up, called Zhuzi, Kong Yong and Sun Desheng, and rode to the front line to inspect.

"Commander, the Japanese are hiding every day. The sharpshooters we sent out have been waiting for several days, but they can't find a suitable sniper opportunity. This is abnormal. This is too abnormal."

Kong Yong is a man who cannot sit still, so the two reconnaissance companies repeatedly explored the plains.

Now we are preparing to form the third reconnaissance company.

We also need to take away 50 sniper rifles to increase the ratio of sharpshooters.

The reconnaissance company serves as the eyes of the troops, and they must have both good eyesight and good marksmanship.

Pick any one of them at random, and he must at least be a vanguard.

There was no choice before, but now that we have the conditions, of course we have to pick the best one out of a hundred.

"I heard that your reconnaissance company has a young sharpshooter who killed more than 30 Japanese soldiers by himself?"

Kong Yong felt very proud and was talking about Zhao Dayi (Gouzi).

Captain Kong named him Zhao Quan based on his nickname Gouzi, but felt that it was not grand enough, so he changed it to Zhao Dayi.