novelhk Chapter 887 Should We Run Away?
Chapter 887 Should We Run Away?
Nanjō Yunko looked at Okamura Yasuji in astonishment. "How...how is this possible? He has always valued the lives of his soldiers. Sometimes he even paid out of his own pocket to buy personal items for his female soldiers."
A person like this would fight a street battle with Takeuchi Hiroshi in such a cruel place. Doesn't he know that fighting in street battles will result in the greatest losses?
Okamura Neiji took a deep breath, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "He's indeed a general who cherishes his soldiers, but cherishing doesn't mean being indulgent. The Independent Regiment's strength is offense, but its defense is insufficient. This is a common problem in the Yamashiro. And you and I both know that the Yamashiro are very ambitious. They might even engage in a war with others, and the situation they'll face then will probably be even more serious than that of the 55th Division. So, from his perspective, Tonggu is naturally the best place for him to train his troops."
At this point, Okamura Neiji looked toward the darkening sky in the distance. "After this battle, his troops will become the most resilient and capable in the mountain city. The soldiers who survive will become veterans, and they will be the wealth of the independent brigade. Even a female soldier will be a treasure to the independent brigade."
Zhou Weiguo was not only sinister, but also ruthless. He even thought of using the heavy artillery in Takeuchi Hiroshi's hands to train his troops.
I have to say, he succeeded.
Ding dong…
A rock sent flying by the bomb hit Zhou Weiguo's helmet directly. Zhou Weiguo felt his head buzzing and he swayed twice. Zhao Shoutian, who was standing next to him, hurried over to him and said, "Boss, are you okay?"
"It's okay." Zhou Weiguo patted his head and pointed to the Second Regiment Headquarters not far away; "Let's go, let's go over there first."
The southwestern area defended by the Second Regiment was the main offensive target of the Japanese army, and the two sides had been fighting in this area for a day. Although Wu Yong said that it could still be held, Zhou Weiguo decided to take a look.
"Why are you following me?" After running a distance, Zhou Weiguo reached out and grabbed a man. Wang Yun said in a cowardly voice, "I'm a war correspondent."
"I'll settle the score with you later." Zhou Weiguo pulled her to his side, then bent down and used the cover to slowly move forward. It took him more than ten minutes to enter the headquarters of the Second Regiment.
It can no longer be considered a regimental headquarters.
The combat personnel of the entire regiment were on the edge of a house that had been half-collapsed by the bomb.
"Brigade Commander." Wu Yong immediately put down the work in his hands when he saw Zhou Weiguo coming in.
Zhou Weiguo walked over, took a cigarette from the table and lit it. "What are the casualties?"
"It's quite a big loss. The first battalion lost an entire company, the second battalion lost about eighty people, and the third battalion lost more, probably around two hundred people."
"That means your Second Regiment has lost almost half of its troops."
Wu Yong nodded, his eyes red. He took a deep breath and asked, puzzled, "Brigade Commander, I don't understand."
Zhou Weiguo, who was leaning against the table, took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Wu Yong said gloomily, "Brigade Commander, we can definitely attack."
If it was an attack, the independent brigade would not have been so passive. Even if there were losses, they would definitely not have been so great.
"Wu Yong, I understand what you mean, but I want a force that can fight and defend as well, not a force that can only attack but not defend. We can't afford it now. If we encounter an enemy with equipment even more powerful than the Japanese one day, how will we deal with it?"
"Use your sacrifice today to forge the soul of our independent brigade. This will also allow the independent brigade to go further in the future. At least one day, if I ask you to defend an enemy with only field artillery, you will still worry about not being able to hold on."
"That's impossible. We can withstand the bombardment of heavy weapons like howitzers. I'm not afraid of a mere field artillery."
"That's all, then. By the same token, if I ask you to deal with an attack of the same size someday, will you still panic?"
"No." Wu Yong shook his head.
"So, don't just focus on the sacrifices in front of you. Sacrifices are inevitable, but we need to look at the future. If we can't defeat the Japanese army with this kind of equipment, then one day, when our mountain city wants to recover lost territory and fight against the northern Soviet Union, how will we respond? Will we flee or use our flesh and blood to stop them?"
"Commander, I understand," Wu Yong said after figuring it out. "After the battle, I'll definitely organize a discussion with everyone to discuss this matter and explore our defensive shortcomings and other issues."
"We need to go down there more often to investigate this matter. We know very little here, far less than the soldiers on the front lines. Remember my words: don't assume that just because you're an officer you know more than the soldiers."
"Brigade Commander." Xu Hu rushed in from outside. Zhou Weiguo glanced at him and asked, "Why are you here?"
Xu Hu came to Zhou Weiguo and said, "Brigade Commander, I'm afraid the British 1st Division is about to flee."
This bunch of thieves.
Zhou Weiguo threw his cigarette on the ground and extinguished it before looking at Wu Yong. "Organize more troops for a night raid. We're not as skilled as them with guns. If we show up during the day, they'll kill us. Attack us at night. We're all blind, so no one is inferior to the other. It's best to fight them with short knives during the day. Grenades, bayonets, whatever you can use. Don't worry about the slow problem of taking a single knee. The higher-ups can go without food and clothing for any division, but they won't go without a single cent from us."
After explaining this to Wu Yong, Zhou Weiguo turned and left the shelter before asking, "What's going on?"
"Brigade Commander, they seem to have been gathering their forces since this morning. I initially thought they were going to attack, so I didn't pay much attention to them. However, since noon, they've evacuated the troops at several observation posts ahead. Even their division headquarters is dismantling the telephones, and their supplies are starting to lose control."
"It seems that Qiao Max knows that the Japanese army cannot attack from the front. He has analyzed that Takeuchi Hiroshi might attack him. He is worried that he can't hold on and is preparing to run away."
"Captain Takeshita Shun and his wife are waiting for you at the brigade headquarters. Brigade Commander, these people are about to escape. What should we do next?"
Zhou Weiguo paused and thought for a moment before asking, "How many days have we been watching Tonggu?"
Zhao Shoutian counted on his fingers. Wang Yun rolled his eyes and said, "We fought them outside the city for two days, then our troops entered the city and engaged them in street fighting for three days. Today is the sixth day."
The sixth day?
Zhou Weiguo took out a cigarette, and Xu Hu immediately took out a lighter to light it for him. "We're really putting on a good show. It's not that we won't stop the Japanese army, it's that they've escaped. Our left flank will be breached, and we'll have to evacuate. We have a reason and an excuse now. Look...isn't it time for us to run?"