Volume 1 Chapter 053 Heavy Artillery Battalion (Part 2)
Hearing this, Yang Aiyuan was so angry that he couldn't bear it.
"Don't mention it. The Soviet Union and the United States now only recognize the Nationalist Government, and they don't recognize our local armies. The aid they give is only to Chongqing. What kind of person is Chiang Kai-shek? Can we get what he gets? Not to mention the aid, the money that was originally agreed upon has become less and less over the years. What's more, the French currency has depreciated, and the money given is even less valuable. Yunfei! Our lives have become more and more difficult in the past two years. Even maintaining these soldiers has almost made the commander's hair white, so how can there be any extra money to buy heavy artillery!"
Chu Yunfei asked cautiously: "Commander, if, I mean if, I can get the money to buy heavy artillery, will you allow my 358th Regiment to set up a heavy artillery battalion?"
Yang Aiyuan looked at Chu Yunfei in disbelief, but soon he said with shining eyes: "Do you have a way to get money? What method? How much money can you get?"
Yan Xishan had little money, so naturally his Sixth Group would get less money. He was also troubled by the issue of money for the entire army.
Chu Yunfei said hurriedly: "No! I can't get it now, I mean if. I'm not sure if I can get it!"
Yang Aiyuan rolled his eyes, patted Chu Yunfei on the shoulder and said, "Yunfei! Go ahead and do it. I, the commander, will be happy if your 358th Regiment grows stronger! As long as you have the ability , let alone a heavy artillery battalion, even a regiment or a brigade will be no problem!"
Chu Yunfei stood at attention and said, "Thank you, Commander!"
Just as Chu Yunfei was thinking about how to make money.
Yang Aiyuan said sternly: "I don't know how you want to purchase heavy artillery. But I have allocated the mountain artillery to your 358th Regiment. If you still can't take on the responsibility, I will hold you accountable!"
Chu Yunfei stood at attention and shouted loudly: "Please rest assured, Commander. As long as I, Chu Yunfei, am here, I will never let the Japanese army cross the 358th Regiment's defense line!"
After hearing Chu Yunfei's determination, Yang Aiyuan said, "If the Japanese army attacks in large numbers and we really can't hold on... we will allow your regiment to retreat to Dagushan! You will be useful here and serve the country!"
The 358th Regiment is the main force of the Sixth Group, and Chu Yunfei is his trusted general, so there must be no losses.
"Please rest assured, Commander. Before Japan surrenders, I, Chu Yunfei, will definitely keep my body useful to fight against the Japanese army!"
"Well! Take my approval slip and go get the supplies!"
"Thank you, Commander. Take care, Commander!"
After saluting, Chu Yunfei went to collect the supplies with Yang Aiyuan's approval note.
Just as Chu Yunfei was happily escorting the supplies back to Wuzhai Town, the Japanese North China Expeditionary Army's First Army Headquarters in Taiyuan, Shanxi.
The commander, Lieutenant General Yoshio Yuzuka, looked gloomy, staring at Ichiro Hirata with a fierce look, and said in a cold tone: "Hirata-kun, can you tell me what happened? Why was a battalion wiped out?"
Although Ichiro Hirata was the captain of the gendarmerie battalion, he was responsible for supervising the Japanese army and could supervise officers three levels higher than him.
But Yoshio Uzuka was a lieutenant general and the commander-in-chief of Shanxi's First Army.
It's not someone a lieutenant colonel like Ichiro Hirata can afford to offend.
He stood up quickly, bowed his head and said, "The 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army pretended to be the Eighth Route Army and lured the Kuroda Battalion into a trap. That's why they failed! Commander, it was my mistake. I sent out the troops without conducting a thorough investigation."
Major General Miyano, Chief of Staff of the First Army, frowned when he heard this and said, "The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army pretending to be the Eighth Route Army? Does the Eighth Route Army know about this? What is their attitude?"
If the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army reached a cooperation, the Japanese army would take it seriously and even treat it as the top priority of the North China Expeditionary Army that day.
If the 358th Regiment did it privately, that would be another matter.
Ichiro Hirata quickly replied: "According to the intelligence we received, the Eighth Route Army seems to be very dissatisfied with this matter and sent people to protest to Yan Xishan! It should be that the 358th Regiment made the decision on its own!"
Lieutenant General Yoshio Yuzuka was confused when he heard this.
"I've read the intelligence on the 358th Regiment . This enemy has been very active this year. And their tactics are very different from before. In the past, the 358th Regiment was considered a capable fighter in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, but their tactics were mediocre. There was nothing particularly outstanding. What happened in the meantime? How did they suddenly change so much and become so... sinister and cunning!"
During this period, Ichiro Hirata has been trying his best to collect information about the 358th Regiment and Chu Yunfei.
But there was nothing surprising about it.
It was as if Chu Yunfei had suddenly changed his gender and become a different person.
Ichiro Hirata shook his head helplessly and said, "I have collected information from many sources and even bribed several officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, but nothing special has happened! Commander, the 358th Regiment is a major threat to our army. Please send two regiments to encircle and suppress it!"
He bowed his head and begged Lieutenant General Yoshio Uzuka.
Lieutenant General Yoshio Ozuka felt a headache.
The situation in North China has never been peaceful.
The Eighth Route Army was bent on expanding its territory, and insidiously developed quietly in towns and villages that were out of reach of the Japanese army.
By the time the Imperial Army discovered it, the Eighth Route Army had grown to hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
This completely frightened the Japanese army.
If the Eighth Route Army is allowed to continue developing in this way, will North China still belong to the Imperial Japanese Army in the future?
However, the 358th Regiment has repeatedly attacked the Imperial Japanese Army. If we do not eliminate it, it will only embolden them.
These 358 regiments must be eradicated.
Seeing that the commander-in-chief was about to agree to attack, the chief of staff, Major General Miyano, stood up and said, "Commander, the top priority is to stabilize the situation! The battle of Changsha has reached the most critical stage, and it is not appropriate to cause trouble! Moreover, according to the news from the Army General Staff Headquarters, the headquarters is very dissatisfied with the situation in North China, especially in Shanxi, and intends to replace General Okamura Yasuji as the commander-in-chief of the North China Expeditionary Army to completely eliminate the Eighth Route Army! Make North China a real rear area. It is not easy to go to war with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army at this time. Avoid fighting on two fronts !"
Although the First Army of the North China Expeditionary Army had 120,000 soldiers.
However, in addition to suppressing the anti-Japanese armed forces in Shanxi, a portion of the troops had to be allocated to support battlefields such as Baotou, Suiyuan, and Henan, while also guarding against infiltration by the Eighth Route Army in the west.
The military strength can be said to be stretched to the limit.
What's more, the Eighth Route Army expanded its forces by hundreds of thousands in just a few years, which has attracted the attention of the headquarters.
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji will be promoted to general soon and will take over from Lieutenant General Tada Shun as the commander of the North China Expeditionary Army, completely solving the problem of anti-Japanese armed forces in North China.
Lieutenant General Yoshio Ozuka has received an order from the military to collect intelligence first and formulate an action plan.
Lieutenant General Yoshio Yuzuka closed his eyes and thought for a while before making a decision. "Let all the battalions and regiments prepare for the war during this period. Once the Eighth Route Army , it won't be too late for our army to deal with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. When the nest is overturned, the eggs will be broken! When the time comes, the 358th Regiment will surely die under the guns of our Imperial Army. Now let them run rampant for a few days!"
The commander made the decision, and all the officers on the scene nodded and bowed, shouting, "Ha Yi!"
Lieutenant General Yoshio Yuzuka ordered, "Yamamoto-kun stays here, and the others go do their own things!"
After the other officers left, Lieutenant General Yoshio Yuzuka asked, "Mr. Yamamoto, what do you think of the 358th Regiment? What do you think of Chu Yunfei?"
