HLnovel Chapter 28 Postwar Statistics
Chapter 28 Postwar Statistics
Half a day later, the Japanese company sent by the regiment to provide support searched all the way, but found no trace of the Sakata Company. It was not until they arrived at the battlefield that they found traces of the battle.
After the Japanese support company arrived at the battlefield, they immediately scouted the situation. A Japanese reconnaissance detachment discovered the bodies of dead Japanese soldiers in a pit beside the road.
"Reporting to the captain, the entire Sakata Company has been killed in action. Upon reconnaissance, it appears the Sakata Company was subjected to heavy artillery bombardment by the enemy. Furthermore, traces of enemy retreat have been discovered, indicating they are retreating towards the Taihang Mountains." The squad leader pointed to the exit of the mountain pass, which was riddled with craters of varying sizes.
"Report the situation to the regimental headquarters immediately. Also, take photos of the battlefield and prepare to return to headquarters. We are not familiar with the terrain nearby. If we pursue them rashly, we are likely to be ambushed by the enemy. Judging from the situation, this unit is not weak."
"Also, bring back all the bodies of the fallen Sakata Company," the company commander ordered.
"Yes, squad leader, I'll take care of it right away." The Japanese platoon leader took the order and began to work on it.
Meanwhile, at the Japanese regimental headquarters, a telegram was received from the front.
"Commander, according to the response from the supporting forces, the entire Sakata Company has perished," Staff Officer Jilu reported.
"What?! Sakata Company is a reinforced company, with combat power exceeding that of an entire regular enemy regiment, yet it was completely surrounded and wiped out? What on earth happened?"
"The enemy would need at least two regiments to encircle and annihilate the Sakata Company," the regimental commander said after a moment's thought.
"Commander, I agree with your prediction. Based on the combat strength of the Sakata Company, it is at least on par with an enemy regiment. To completely annihilate them and ensure that not a single soldier escapes, it would require at least two enemy regiments," Staff Officer Jilu echoed.
“However, the regimental commander is currently facing a shortage of supplies at the front, and we need timely supplies from the rear,” said Staff Officer Jilu.
"Alright, immediately notify the rear to reorganize the transportation of supplies to the front line, and request that the rear transportation force be reinforced with an additional squadron to strengthen defenses," the regimental commander ordered.
"Yes, we will carry out your arrangements immediately. But Commander, what should we do with this unit?" Staff Officer Gil asked.
"We don't need to worry about them for now. The Xikou front is the priority. Besides, since we were able to encircle and annihilate the Sakata Company, I believe the enemy will also suffer huge losses. So we don't need to consider them for now."
"In addition, I have requested that the rear reinforce the transport teams to ensure the safe delivery of these supplies," the regimental commander said.
"Commander, that's brilliant." Staff Officer Jilu.
.....
Tang Weiguo led the militia safely back to their temporary encampment. For safety's sake, Tang Weiguo still had sentries posted 5 li away to ensure timely detection of enemy troops and to prepare for the retreat.
The wounded soldiers from this ambush were immediately sent to a makeshift field hospital, where Chu Yu and Chu Xin began intensive treatment. Meanwhile, Tang Weiguo was organizing a combat meeting for officers of all ranks.
"Xiao Hu, stop fiddling with the gun, get ready for the meeting," Tang Weiguo shouted.
"Yes, Commander. By the way, Commander, the Japanese guns are really good, much better than our Shanxi-made Type 38 rifles. They're more accurate and have a longer range," Tang Xiaohu praised.
"That's right. When we fight the Japanese, our biggest disadvantage is our weapons and equipment. But don't worry, all that equipment will be ours sooner or later."
"We had no guns or cannons. The Japanese made them for us," Tang Weiguo said.
"Commander, well said! The Japanese are making guns and cannons for us!" Niu Dali cheered, fiddling with a Japanese officer's sword in his hand. Niu Dali had just killed Captain Sakata, and Tang Weiguo had given him his officer's sword as a souvenir. Tang Xiaohu and Tang Dazhuang expressed deep envy for this.
"Now I will report on the results of this battle. In this battle, we annihilated a total of 181 Japanese soldiers in a transport convoy, along with 5 vehicles. We captured 380 intact Japanese standard rifles, 3 heavy machine guns, 10 light machine guns, 15 Japanese grenade launchers, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of artillery shells, and several boxes of grain and canned food. The other weapons were damaged to varying degrees, which I will not read here. I now order the logistics department to send these damaged weapons to the rear to see if our arsenal can repair them."
"The only shortcoming of this battle was that the Japanese destroyed most of their munitions before they retreated, leaving us with some intact ones. Otherwise, we would have captured even more weapons and ammunition," Tang Weiguo said regretfully.
"Damn it, these Japanese devils, even in death they can't give us peace of mind. Judging by their condition, even the King of Hell won't take them. They'll all just become wandering ghosts," Tang Xiaoshuo cursed.
"Now that we've covered the battle results, let's talk about our casualties. The 1st Battalion suffered 58 killed, 15 seriously wounded, and 32 slightly wounded. The 2nd Battalion suffered 83 killed, 21 seriously wounded, and 44 slightly wounded. The reconnaissance company suffered 1 killed and 5 slightly wounded."
After Tang Weiguo finished speaking, a somber atmosphere filled the meeting room as everyone mourned their fallen comrades.
"The seriously wounded soldiers are currently being treated by Dean Chu, so everyone can rest a little easier. As for the fallen soldiers, once we get back, in addition to ensuring that their compensation is paid in full, we must tell their families that they gloriously sacrificed their lives fighting against the Japanese devils for China, and that their sacrifice was glorious and great."
"After this battle, I believe everyone has a more intuitive understanding of the Japanese fighting capacity. Even when we ambushed them, we still suffered nearly 200 casualties. The casualty ratio was close to 1:1."
"However, I want to tell you all that when the Japanese fought our army on the main battlefield, the casualty ratio was as high as 1:6. It took us the lives of 6 soldiers to take down one Japanese soldier."
"So, everyone, don't be discouraged. I hope that when you go back, you can pool your wisdom and efforts, express your opinions fully, and improve our ability to fight the Japanese."
"Can everyone do it?" Tang Weiguo shouted.
"can do it."
"Good, the morale of the army is high."
"Regarding this capture, I have made the following arrangements. The entire special operations company will be re-equipped with Japanese-style gear. The reconnaissance company played a very important role in this battle, constantly killing enemy heavy firepower points; otherwise, our casualties would have been even greater."
"The remaining Japanese equipment will be used to equip the 1st Battalion first. All the light and heavy machine guns that the 1st Battalion and the reconnaissance company have replaced will be given to the 2nd Battalion to increase its firepower," Tang Weiguo said.
"Tang Dazhuang, don't have any ideas. Sooner or later, our whole regiment will switch to Japanese equipment. This is just temporary," Tang Weiguo explained, afraid that Tang Dazhuang would get upset.
"Yes, Commander, the Second Battalion will definitely forge its own equipment," Tang Dazhuang shouted. Tang Dazhuang knew that after this battle, there was indeed a gap in the combat effectiveness of his Second Battalion, and the commander's decision to prioritize the First Battalion, which had higher combat strength, was very clear. Tang Dazhuang showed no emotion. However, he secretly resolved to train the Second Battalion well when he returned, improve its combat effectiveness, and let it fight with its own unique style.
"Good, morale is high. Also, Dazhuang, when you go back, you must do a good job of ideological work with the soldiers and make sure they don't have any negative feelings," Tang Weiguo instructed.
"Yes, Captain, I promise to complete the mission."
"Alright, First Battalion, Reconnaissance Company, familiarize yourselves with the Japanese equipment as soon as possible," Tang Weiguo ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
“Niu Dali, continue to scout along the Japanese supply line. We’ve destroyed this Japanese transport team, and the Japanese will definitely transport supplies to the front line again.”
"There's a saying in military strategy: 'An army should not repeat an ambush.' Our ancestors said that one should not ambush twice in the same place. However, this time I want to catch the Japanese off guard, so I'm going to set up an ambush here again. The Japanese will never expect that I will ambush them twice in the same place," Tang Weiguo said.
"The regimental commander is brilliant. We took advantage of the Japanese's belief that we wouldn't ambush them twice in the same place and launched another ambush," Tang Xiaohu exclaimed.
"Each battalion should be reorganized based on its own casualty situation to ensure command strategies during combat."
"It's the regimental commander."
"Alright, everyone go back and prepare. I believe the next battle is not far away."
"Yes, Captain."
Just as the militia were preparing for a new round of battle, a transport convoy escorted by two companies set off again towards the front line from behind the Japanese lines.