si-mexico Chapter 1165 Southward Journey, Part 1
Chapter 1165 Southward Journey, Part 1
16th Brigade, 9th Division of Japan
After several days of forced march, the entire brigade of more than 10,000 men had reached a point 15 kilometers away from the 4th Division of the 72nd Army Group. The order to build defensive fortifications was immediately issued and was to be completed as quickly as possible.
For the next three days, these more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers spent their time building fortifications, apart from eating and sleeping, which puzzled many of them.
After we landed on the Huangpu River, we kept talking about opening up the Tianjin-Pukou Railway.
That should have been an offensive move. A few days ago, we moved rapidly north, exhausting everyone, and we thought we were about to encounter our enemy. Who knew that halfway there we would stop to build defensive positions?
Aren't we the ones on the offensive?
The mid- to high-ranking officers were at a loss for words when faced with questions from soldiers and junior officers. The troops ahead were no ordinary units, but the 4th Division of the 4th Army of the 72nd Group Army—arguably the most formidable force on the entire Chinese mainland.
Therefore, before all the divisions arrived, the infantry brigade of just over 10,000 men could not advance rashly. Although there were many Japanese troops around, they were not yet capable of annihilating the 4th Division.
In this situation, building defensive positions becomes a necessary action. If the enemy attacks, we can't possibly fight them in this wasteland; we simply can't hold out that way.
"Baka yarou! Who told you to build fortifications like this? Look at this garbage you've built! It can't even defend against enemy armored vehicles, let alone infantry. Tear it all down and rebuild it!"
A squad leader was frantically slapping his subordinate's face. This makeshift shelter made of dirt could be easily knocked down with a kick. Who were they trying to fool?
Although the squad leader only had one arm, he was incredibly ruthless in a fight. He was a veteran of the former 9th Division, having fought directly against Li Shaoyi's men. Luckily, he survived, even with only an arm. However, the other veterans of the 9th Division weren't so fortunate; they're now completely gone.
Therefore, when facing the 72nd Army, it is imperative to make your men vigilant. If you guys continue to fight with your old, lazy mindset, you might as well be reporting to Amaterasu right now.
"Squad leader, aren't our opponents extremely backward? It's said that a company of theirs only has one machine gun at most, and our current fortifications are sufficient. How could they possibly have armored units?"
One of the recruits who hadn't been hit quickly pulled out a cigarette. They had just been brought in from the country; there were quite a few new recruits in the 9th Division.
From the moment these guys joined the army, their superiors instilled in them the idea that the Chinese army was incredibly backward and no match for us. They believed that the Chinese army was far inferior to us in both firepower and training. After all, even the Japanese army rarely saw armored units; where would the Chinese army get armored units?
"Idiots! Why don't you use your brains? If they didn't have armored units, how did you get into the Ninth Division? Do you even deserve to be in the Ninth Division?"
The squad leader tossed out a sentence and knocked the cigarette out of his hand. Everyone present instantly calmed down. The 9th Division was a standing division of Japan, considered one of its elite units. For these new recruits to join the 9th Division wouldn't be easy. Yet, upon graduating from Japanese training camps, they were directly enlisted in the 9th Division without any assessment.
Only then did a hint of fear appear on everyone's faces. It turned out that we were able to join the Ninth Division not because we were well-trained, nor because we were particularly lucky, but because the Ninth Division had suffered heavy casualties and had reached the point where they no longer selected new recruits.
"Don't worry, our forces outnumber theirs several times over this time. Their army won't come to attack. They're about to flee north. The fortifications we've built are only temporary. We'll probably receive orders to pursue them north tonight or tomorrow morning."
Seeing that everyone was a bit nervous, the squadron clerk quickly stepped forward to ease their tension. He explained that if they went to the battlefield with this kind of fear, their bodies would probably stiffen up. In that case, they wouldn't even know how to fire their guns when the enemy came at them, let alone break through the enemy's lines.
After hearing the clerk's words, the others smiled again. The squad leader was far too nervous. How powerful could these Chinese be? We've deployed several elite divisions this time, plus the Second Army marching south from the north. We're sure to annihilate this damn Fourth Army.
After these men had been busy for over an hour, they were finally allowed to eat. The Japanese army's rations were practically pig swill. At the beginning of the war, they were able to guarantee the supply of meat and vegetables. But now that was unlikely. Although they had occupied some nearby granaries, it was difficult to supply other necessities in large quantities, except for rice.
For example, right now, each person only has two rice balls and some pickled vegetables. Forget about vegetables. If the cook knows about the wild vegetables around here, he might be able to make you some wild vegetable soup. If the cook doesn't know, then each person will just have two rice balls and a piece of pickled vegetable, which you'll drink with cold water.
It must be said that the Japanese had a strong will to fight. Even after a busy morning, and even with such poor food, they ate with great gusto, chatting about their hometowns while eating, shirtless. Perhaps this was the happiest thing for them.
Some even dreamed that after the war, they would be able to get a large piece of land in China, so that the Chinese people could farm it for them, and they would become landlords. Their families would no longer have to work so hard, and their lives would be on a higher level.
Just as these guys were dreaming of being landlords, someone suddenly sensed something was wrong. He threw the rice ball in his hand to the ground, rice was still gushing out of his mouth, he looked disgusting, and he pointed two fingers in the north direction, unable to speak...