HLnovel Chapter 289 Storm is coming, all parties join forces
Chapter 289 Storm is coming, all parties join forces
In the early morning of March 3th.
A thin layer of fog shrouded the North China Plain.
The 65th, 66th and 67th Divisions of the North China Front Army received orders from the headquarters and took quick action.
The early morning sun shone on the soldiers, illuminating their busy figures.
Soldiers were walking around in the morning light, some sorting out their equipment, others checking their weapons.
There was an expression of tension and anticipation on everyone's face, because they knew that a war of unprecedented scale was about to begin.
In a remote village, a small team of Japanese soldiers were quickly packing up their weapons and equipment.
On the road, the marching troops were like long black dragons winding across the vast plain. The soldiers marched forward in neat steps.
They carried heavy backpacks and were armed with weapons.
Countless weapons, ammunition and supplies were transported to the train station, ready to be sent to Taiyuan.
Taiyuan will be their gathering place and the starting point of their attack.
In addition to mobilizing three divisions, Okamura Yasuji also transferred two tank regiments and one heavy artillery regiment of the North China Front Army to Shanxi.
This shows his importance and determination to this battle.
His ambition was not only to take back the Yangquan area and open up the Zhengtai Railway, but more importantly, he wanted to completely destroy the Yelang Mountain, the base of the Independent Column.
He believed that only by destroying this base could the empire's rule in North China be truly consolidated.
However, after the North China Front Army withdrew three divisions, the military strength in other parts of North China was reduced. This abnormal phenomenon attracted the attention of anti-Japanese armed forces in various places.
They felt very strange and realized that the Japanese army was going to take action again.
The commanders of the anti-Japanese armed forces immediately sent out intelligence personnel from various places to investigate.
In the following days, agents from all sides became extremely active in North China.
They shuttled between towns and villages, using various means to obtain intelligence, trying to figure out the real purpose of the Japanese army this time.
Through the efforts of the agents, all parties finally learned that General Okamura had assembled three divisions of troops, tanks and heavy artillery, preparing to enter the Shanxi area.
This news was like a bombshell, making the Eighth Route Army, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Central Army extremely nervous.
They knew that the Japanese army already had nearly 10 troops in Shanxi, and now had added three divisions of combat troops. This was undoubtedly an unprecedented challenge.
They did not think that the North China Front Army was going to such great lengths just to destroy the Eighth Route Army's Independent Column. Although the Independent Column was very strong in combat, they did not think that so many troops were needed to destroy it.
Since the strength of the Independent Column has never been made public, no one knows how many people there are in the Independent Column.
In the eyes of all parties, the independent column would at most have a size of 3 to 4 people.
For a time, all forces in the entire Shanxi region suddenly felt that a storm was coming and dark clouds were covering the city.
The Japanese army of nearly 20 is no joke. Although the terrain of Shanxi is not suitable for large-scale troop operations, the individual combat capability of the Japanese army is also very strong. With a large number of people, the terrain cannot completely stop their offensive.
In such a tense atmosphere, all parties urgently held a meeting in the Second War Zone Command to discuss actions to respond to the North China Front Army.
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Overcome difficulties.
In this sturdy city, in the conference room of the Second War Zone Command, representatives of the Central Army, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and the Eighth Route Army gathered together with serious expressions as they faced the upcoming severe test together.
The commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army sat at one end of the conference table, his eyes swept over everyone present, and then he spoke firmly: "Dear representatives, thank you very much for coming to Keyan City to attend the meeting.
This time, the North China Front Army dispatched nearly 20 troops to prepare for a large-scale military operation in Shanxi.
In my opinion, Ningji Okamura wants to completely eliminate us or drive us out of Shanxi.
The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will never leave Shanxi, and we will fight together with the people of Shanxi."
The Eighth Route Army representative stood up and said, "Two representatives, our Eighth Route Army will not leave Shanxi either.
The old devil Okamura Neiji wants to fight, the Eighth Route Army will fight to the end and resolutely protect the Shanxi region. "
The representative of the Central Army cleared his throat and said, "You two, the more than 10 troops of the Central Army in the Zhongtiao Mountain area will fight the Japanese to the end and will never retreat."
After reaching a consensus, everyone began to discuss the next steps in the conference room.
The atmosphere in the conference room was tense and serious. Everyone was listening attentively, thinking, and exchanging opinions from time to time.
During the meeting, the Eighth Route Army representative put forward an important suggestion: "The Japanese invaders are coming with great force this time. People from all over the country must evacuate as soon as possible to avoid being persecuted by the Japanese invaders."
Representatives from the other two parties nodded in agreement. The civilians would be the ones who suffered the most in the war, so they must be evacuated as soon as possible.
The Jinsui Army commander added: "We must ensure the safety of the people. This is our responsibility."
Finally, after a series of discussions, the three parties decided that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army would be responsible for fighting against the Japanese troops in southern Shanxi. Once large-scale mobilization of Japanese troops was discovered, they must be blocked and the Japanese must not be allowed to easily unite.
The Central Army in the Zhongtiao Mountain area was responsible for containing the Japanese in the Changzhi area.
The Eighth Route Army fought guerrilla warfare in the mountainous areas, attacking the enemy's logistical routes.
The representatives of the three parties were all very clear that the purpose of the Japanese army this time was to open up the Zhengtai Railway and retake the Yangquan area.
Therefore, all parties placed the main battlefield in the area around Yangquan and would never allow the Japanese to easily open up the Zhengtai Railway.
Once the Yangquan area is taken back by the Japanese, the Japanese army will surely take advantage of the victory to attack the areas under their jurisdiction, and it will then be difficult to defend their territory.
Both the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army intended to control the battlefield in the area around Yangquan and did not want to bring the war to their own territories.
After the three parties reached an agreement, they had a common goal, which would overwhelm the Japanese army. No party was sure to face the Japanese attack alone, and only by uniting could they defend their territory.
Due to the urgency of time, all parties quickly reached a cooperation agreement.
After the meeting, Commander Yan warmly invited representatives from both sides to attend a dinner hosted by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.
In his opinion, after winning the Yangquan Battle, the situation in Shanxi will undergo a drastic change. The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will be able to take the initiative to attack and recapture the cities occupied by the Japanese, and he will also be able to give an explanation to the people of Shanxi.