37: Chapter 37 Tada Shun: I'm probably sick!
"Are we still fighting?"
Need you even ask?
"Mr. Shen, fight! Fight them hard!"
"Whatever you say, Old Li will follow your lead!"
If it hadn't been for the zero casualties, Li Yunlong might still have had some reservations.
But the battle just now was fought so beautifully, it was so satisfying!
To put it bluntly, Li Yunlong hadn't had enough fun yet!
It wasn't just Li Yunlong; the soldiers of the Cavalry Company felt the same way!
That thrill of crushing everything made him and the soldiers of the Cavalry Company eager to do it again!
Shen Wang laughed on the other end of the walkie-talkie: "Alright then, Commander Li, send some men to clear the battlefield first, then let the soldiers rest in place."
Although the battle just now only lasted two or three minutes, the consumption was not low.
One could even say the soldiers were charging with their lives on the line.
Besides, there were still some Japanese soldiers who weren't dead yet and needed finishing off.
Finally, there was the loot.
Don't think that just because this is only a stronghold, there isn't much ammunition, supplies, food, and medicine.
There were whole crates of canned beef!
We can't just throw it away, can we?
Once the order was given, the Cavalry Company immediately sprang into action.
It was early spring in North China, and the cold had not yet receded; the Eighth Route Army soldiers' clothes were still thin.
The uniforms scavenged from the Japanese corpses and warehouses might not fit well, but the sturdy and durable rubber-soled shoes were genuinely good items.
The soldiers didn't stand on ceremony and put them on, and their numb, frozen feet immediately felt much warmer.
And of course, all the ammunition and food had to be taken.
Of course, clearing the battlefield naturally couldn't omit the step of finishing off the survivors.
...
On the other side, after Li Yunlong finished making arrangements, he strode to the side of the 99A tank.
Due to the trenches blocking the perimeter of the stronghold, Shen Wang had stayed outside the stronghold and hadn't gone in.
"Mr. Shen!"
Li Yunlong approached Shen Wang.
"That battle just now was satisfying! However, Old Li here has reviewed it, and I feel there are some areas where we could have done better!"
"Oh? Commander Li, please speak." Shen Wang leaned out, looking at him with interest.
Li Yunlong rubbed his hands and began to analyze: "Look, first of all, the firepower was a bit excessive!"
"With five shots from that iron beast of yours, the stronghold was basically crippled. The follow-up shots from our ten '40-fire' outside were a bit of a waste of those 'big firecrackers'."
"This stuff is precious; we need to use it sparingly and use it where it counts!"
He paused and continued: "Secondly, by taking this stronghold, we've basically figured out the layout of this type of Japanese stronghold."
"Besides the obvious watchtowers, their barracks are usually in the back, pillboxes are often built in blind spots, and the command post is mostly on the ground floor of the largest watchtower..."
"Next time we fight, we can be much more targeted and cripple their command system first..."
"And we can save some ammunition..."
Li Yunlong listed his observations and thoughts one by one, from firepower configuration to attack sequence, and then to the details of battlefield cleanup, analyzing everything logically and clearly.
Shen Wang listened and couldn't help but nod inwardly.
As expected of Li Yunlong, he has a fine mind despite his rough exterior; this battlefield intuition and ability to summarize really make him a rare and fierce general!
"Commander Li's analysis makes a lot of sense," Shen Wang praised.
"However, there is one point I don't quite agree with..."
"Oh?"
Li Yunlong instantly became serious.
"Mr. Shen, if you have any different opinions, please feel free to speak!"
Shen Wang smiled: "We'll do everything else according to what Commander Li said, but on one point, there's no need to save ammunition!"
"If you run out, I'll just have someone send more. I don't want any unnecessary casualties because of ammunition issues!"
Why was the miracle of zero casualties achieved this time?
It was because of the cost-is-no-object firepower output!
It directly stunned and shattered the Japanese soldiers!
If the firepower hadn't been intense enough, the Japanese might have held onto hope and resisted stubbornly, and then casualties would have been inevitable!
Hearing Shen Wang's words, Li Yunlong was instantly moved.
"Mr. Shen, nothing more needs to be said; you are the best!"
Old Li gave Shen Wang a thumbs up.
This time, he completely and thoroughly approved of Shen Wang!
Just as the two finished their review, Sun Desheng ran over to report: "Commander! The battlefield has been cleared! Everything that could be taken has been loaded onto the trucks!"
"As for the wounded... uh, there are no wounded, and the soldiers have rested enough!"
"Good!"
Li Yunlong looked at Shen Wang, and seeing Shen Wang nod, he mounted his horse and waved his hand:
"Attention everyone! Target—Beiling Stronghold! Move out!"
With the experience from Xiao Wang Zhuang Stronghold, the process of attacking Beiling Stronghold was even smoother!
The 99A still took the lead.
According to the information provided by Li Yunlong, Shen Wang operated the tank, and the first shot accurately overturned the stronghold's command center.
Then it was the other two watchtowers and the gate.
Meanwhile, the Cavalry Company's charge was even more decisive and swift!
They had already arrived right in front of the remaining Japanese soldiers before they could even react.
The entire battle process, from the first shot to the cessation of gunfire, took less than two minutes!
The Cavalry Company still had zero casualties!
After the battle, Shen Wang once again fulfilled his "duty".
Once again sending a batch of animals to the other side to apologize to the fallen compatriots.
Then, cleaning up the battlefield, and heading straight to the next stronghold.
Heiniushan Stronghold, Lijiazhuang Stronghold, Zhangjiapu Stronghold...
...
Night fell.
Beijing, North China Army Headquarters.
Tada Shun lay on the tatami mat.
His complexion was ashen, and his lips were cracked.
He was probably ill!
Receiving the news during the day that all ten type 95 heavy tank had been wiped out was like a blow to the head, causing him such anxiety and rage that he had fainted directly.
It was only now that he had slowly regained consciousness, but the stuffiness and humiliation in his chest had not diminished in the slightest.
"Meeting!"
"Summon all senior officers immediately! Meeting!"
The first thing Tada Shun did upon waking up was to call a meeting.
He could not fall!
He had not lost yet!
Could it be that the dignified North China Area Army, with hundreds of thousands of troops, couldn't stop a single, lonely tank?
This was simply a huge joke!
Soon, the stars of the military gathered in the Headquarters conference room.
The Japanese officers' expressions were not very good either.
The successive failures, especially the loss of ten heavy tanks, made these Imperial generals, who were usually arrogant and overbearing, feel unprecedented pressure.
Tada Shun forced himself to endure his illness, sitting in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Gentlemen, humiliation! This is an unprecedented humiliation for the Imperial Japanese Army!"
"However, we have not been defeated yet!"
"That damned tank, its route is already very clear; it is following the Ping-Shi Line, heading straight for Shanxi Province!"
"It wants to escape back to the Taihang Mountains!"
"Do you allow it to escape back to the Taihang Mountains?"
"No!"
The group of high-ranking Japanese officers roared loudly.
Tada Shun nodded: "Correct! Absolutely do not allow it to escape back to the Taihang Mountains!"
"No matter how powerful it is, it is only one tank! It needs fuel, it needs ammunition, and even more, it needs roads!"
Speaking of this, a ferocious smile appeared on Tada Shun's face:
"Pass on my order! At all costs, dig anti-tank trenches along the road! Make them wide, make them deep! I want to turn this road into an impassable chasm!"
"I want to trap this tank and starve it to death on the North China Plain!"
"Immediately mobilize all strongholds, all garrisons, and all Puppet Army troops along the Ping-Shi Line! Get them moving!"