106: Chapter 106 The Japanese plan to besiege the stronghold and ambush reinforcements!

Taiyuan.

First Army Headquarters of the North China Area Army.

The atmosphere in the war room was solemn and murderous. Before a massive sand table of North China, a cluster of high-ranking generals had gathered.

Commander Lieutenant General Shinozuka Kazuo looked grim. Lieutenant General Iseki Jin, Commander of the 36th Division, and Lieutenant General Anda Twenty-Three, Commander of the 37th Division, stood at attention along with a group of staff officers.

An army of a hundred thousand was already like an arrow on a drawn bow, but the more this was the case, the more caution was needed.

"Gentlemen,"

Shinozuka Kazuo's voice was low as the slender baton in his hand pointed to a small city model representing He County on the sand table.

"This operation concerns the honor of the Imperial Japanese Army; there is no room for failure! With the previous lesson before us, we must use the strength of a lion hunting a rabbit and act with the force of a thunderbolt!"

"However, war is no child's play. Especially when facing the Eighth Route Army with their strange equipment, we must plan before we act."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Preliminary reconnaissance is complete. I presume you are all well aware of the situation in He County. Now, let us discuss how this battle should be fought."

Lieutenant General Iseki Jin, Commander of the 36th Division, was the first to speak, his tone heavy: "Your Excellency Commander, the most troublesome aspect of the enemy in He County is undoubtedly those fourteen 'Invincible Heavy Tanks'."

"Their armor is strong beyond imagination. Neither our existing 37mm Quick-firing Guns nor our Type 94 Mountain Guns can shake them with direct fire! Furthermore, their main guns possess astonishing power and an extremely high rate of fire; they are truly mobile fortresses."

"If they hold the key north-south passages, the cost of a frontal assault... might be unbearable!"

More than a month had passed, and the devils had already collected most of the information regarding the 99A.

Shinozuka Kazuo nodded. To be honest, if he hadn't been wary of those 14 99As, he would have moved against He County long ago.

"And the others? Any other views?"

An Aviation Corps staff officer chimed in, his voice bitter: "The Army Air Service assessment is that the enemy's anti-aircraft fire is strangely accurate, likely equipped with some unknown advanced sights."

"We have already lost several aircraft during previous reconnaissance. If a large fleet rashly provides ground support, I fear we will suffer heavy losses!"

"The plan to seize air superiority and suppress their anti-aircraft fire carries extremely high risk."

The room fell into a brief silence.

The Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft guns were indeed damnably accurate!

It wasn't just the ten bombers shot down before; several rounds of reconnaissance planes sent by the devils afterward were all shot down as well.

The hit rate... was one hundred percent!

The expressions of the devils grew increasingly grim.

Although they had assembled an army of a hundred thousand this time, He County was by no means an easy nut to crack!

Anda Twenty-Three, that old beast who had participated in the Nanjing Massacre, was now squinting his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the sand table.

He spoke slowly: "A frontal assault is indeed a poor strategy!"

"Those fourteen chariots are essentially fourteen 125mm heavy cannons that can move at will and possess superior protection!"

"The terrain of He County is treacherous and the passages are narrow. If our army strikes head-on, even if we can eventually push through with human lives, we would likely lose several elite regiments and be severely weakened!"

At this point, Anda Twenty-Three's tone shifted, carrying a hint of cold calculation: "However, a chariot is a chariot after all. Though its gun is sharp, its range is far inferior to our field heavy artillery!"

"Our 105mm Howitzer has a range of up to eight kilometers, while the effective range of a tank gun is only two or three kilometers!"

"If we keep our distance and use heavy artillery groups for saturation bombardment, we may be able to suppress them."

Shinozuka Kazuo first nodded, then shook his head.

"The Eighth Route Army is cunning. Why would they stay fixed in an isolated city and let us shell them?"

"The mobility of their chariots is unknown. If they take the initiative to attack and harass our artillery positions or logistics, how will we respond?"

The range of the 105mm Howitzer was indeed further than the 99A, but the problem was that the 105mm Howitzer's mobility was too poor!

If their position was discovered, a distance of a few kilometers could be crossed in an instant. By then, they might even lose several artillery regiments!

In fact, if that damned regimental banner hadn't been publicized worldwide, forcing them to take action, Shinozuka Kazuo would have preferred to prepare for a few more days.

But now, Okamura had given a direct order: He County must be attacked, and it must be done beautifully!

At this moment, a viper-like glint flashed in Anda Twenty-Three's eyes as he spoke the plan he had long considered:

"Since a frontal assault is costly, why not change our approach?"

"What does the Eighth Route Army value most? Their base areas!"

"The nearly completed arsenal in He County and those new weapons they treasure like jewels—these are their lifeblood that they will never give up!"

"Our army of a hundred thousand will surround He County completely. We will besiege without attacking, or only make feint attacks to maintain pressure. At that time... the Eighth Route Army Headquarters and other units will surely try every possible means to send reinforcements!"

"Besiege the point and strike the reinforcements?"

Shinozuka Kazuo and Iseki Jin exchanged a look, both seeing the interest in each other's eyes.

"Brilliant!" Iseki Jin clapped his hands. "Andō-kun's plan avoids the strong and strikes the weak!"

"We won't clash head-on with those iron turtles, but specifically target the soft underbelly of the incoming reinforcements. This can both inflict massive casualties on their effective strength and starve out the He County defenders. Two birds with one stone!"

"Once the reinforcements are destroyed, He County will be an isolated city with no food or ammunition inside and no rescue from outside. Morale will surely crumble, and over time, they will collapse without a fight!"

Shinozuka Kazuo nodded slowly, the gravity on his face easing slightly as he looked at Anda Twenty-Three with a bit more approval:

"Andō-kun truly understands Chinese tactics. This plan is excellent and very sound."

"It can achieve the goals of retaking He County and wiping out our disgrace, while also minimizing the losses of the Imperial Army and dealing a heavy blow to the Eighth Route Army's mobile forces. General Okamura will surely be gratified when he learns of this."

Hearing the words 'General Okamura' and 'gratified', Anda Twenty-Three felt a stir in his heart, but he maintained a respectful expression.

"Your Excellency Commander overpraises me. This is merely doing my duty for the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor."

Tada Shun had fallen, and the high-level leadership of the North China Area Army was about to be reshuffled.

And he, Anda Twenty-Three, was an old subordinate from Okamura's Central China Army!

The position of Chief of Staff Kasahara Yukio... he had been coveting it for a long time.

If they achieved a great victory using this plan, he would undoubtedly take the top credit!

The final plan was thus decided.

An army of a hundred thousand would Besiege the point and strike the reinforcements!

With such an absolute numerical advantage, no one doubted that this battle would be a failure; the only difference lay in the cost and the magnitude of the spoils.

Next was the discussion of details: movement routes for each unit, encirclement positions, preset ambush zones, communications, logistics...

At the end of the meeting, Shinozuka Kazuo stood up abruptly and walked under the hanging Rising Sun Flag, his gaze sweeping over all the generals:

"Gentlemen! The matter of the 36th Infantry Regiment's banner has become a shame for the Imperial Japanese Army and a pain for the North China Area Army!"

"This operation is not only to recover He County but also to completely crush the Eighth Route Army's will to resist. We will use the enemy's blood and wails to wash away this stain!"

"I expect you all to fight bravely, demonstrate the Imperial Army's great military might, and live up to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Hai!!!" All the devil officers bowed their heads in unison.

Soon, Iseki Jin, Anda Twenty-Three, and the others returned to their respective units.

A massive net was slowly unfolding around He County!

...

At the same time.

Eighth Route Army Headquarters.

The Chiefs were also holding a meeting.

"Besiege the point and strike the reinforcements! I bet the devils will definitely try to Besiege the point and strike the reinforcements!"