(The full text will use the place name "Shuozhou" for the sake of consistency. Please take note.)
Several thousand men, this wasn't just a raid. They were going straight for Shuozhou City!
Nakamura Ichiro felt a pang of dread. Why were these bandits so relentless?
They had already eaten away nearly half his regiment, ruining his prospects. He was about to be transferred from frontline combat to second-line garrison duty, and now they were going for his life.
If Shuozhou City fell, he might die in battle, or even if he escaped, the First Army Commander, Shinozuka Yoshio, who had already been unhappy with him, would force him to commit seppuku.
Even his division commander wouldn't be able to save him then.
Fearful, angry, and slightly intimidated, Nakamura Ichiro immediately issued his orders.
"Order, the remaining warriors of the Second Detachment stationed within the city must fight bravely. You must hold Shuozhou City at all costs until reinforcements arrive.
The artillery company will focus fire on any potential bandit artillery units outside the city to shatter their attack plans.
Also, send a telegram to the First Detachment, ordering them to abandon all county towns and villages in the Shuozhou area, gather immediately, and reinforce Shuozhou at any cost!
And inform General Shinozuka Yoshio in Taiyuan: My unit is under attack by the main force of the bandit army at Shuozhou City. The enemy is the 399th Brigade, which has clashed with us before. They may have heavy weapons. Request tactical guidance!"
If the attackers were other units, such as the Jin-Sui Army or the Central Plains Army, Nakamura Ichiro wouldn't be afraid, even with only half a regiment.
Even against an entire division, he was confident he could defeat them in a head-on clash, let alone in a defensive battle where he had the advantage.
But his enemy was the 399th Brigade. After the ambushes at Zhai Jiu Ao and Niu Jiao Feng, his 222nd Regiment had lost nearly half its men and developed PTSD.
Hearing that the enemy was the 399th Brigade made them instinctively shiver.
Nakamura Ichiro had done everything he could. He had made the necessary arrangements and sent out his pleas for help.
If they still couldn't hold off the 399th Brigade, then he was powerless.
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Nishiji-en was the captain of the First Detachment of the 222nd Regiment. Upon receiving the orders from the regiment headquarters, he didn't dare delay.
He immediately gathered his troops, who were scattered across various counties and towns, and marched towards Shuozhou for reinforcements.
Shuozhou City was the center of Japanese rule in this area. If it fell, there would be no point in defending the surrounding counties and towns.
If they still had Shuozhou, even if they temporarily lost the surrounding counties and towns, they could easily recapture them.
Along with the Japanese First Detachment came a regiment of puppet troops.
They weren't numerous, only a thousand men at full strength, but after accounting for those drawing pay without actually serving, there were only a few hundred left.
The Japanese had yet to experience the bitterness of fighting against the bandit army, and they didn't have the pressure of fighting on multiple fronts in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Their forces within China were still relatively plentiful, so they hadn't developed the puppet army extensively.
Later in the war, the garrisons in many areas were mainly composed of puppet troops, with only a few Japanese soldiers to supervise and control them.
.................................
In Taiyuan, at the First Army Headquarters, Shinozuka Yoshio was enjoying his breakfast while listening to soothing music.
A telegram arrived and disrupted his peaceful moment. His face instantly turned grim.
He hadn't expected chaos in the northwest of Shanxi, which he considered a safe area, while the majority of the First Army's forces were tied up in southern Shanxi, preparing for a major battle with the National Government forces.
The bandit army's 399th Brigade had somehow developed there and not only used two brilliant ambushes to wipe out half a regiment, but now they were daring to target Shuozhou City!
In Shinozuka Yoshio's view, it was like pulling the whiskers of the First Army!
Shuozhou was a vital stronghold in northwest Shanxi, and there was a batch of machinery inside that was ready to be shipped by rail to the port and transported back to Japan. It couldn't be lost.
But the only defenders in Shuozhou were the battered 222nd Regiment, and the attackers were the 399th Brigade, their tormentor.
Based on past performance, the 222nd Regiment alone would likely be unable to defend Shuozhou City, and the majority of the First Army was tied down in southern Shanxi.
The only solution was to draw troops from other cities to reinforce Shuozhou!
"Order, Xin County, Datong, Xinzhou, and Luliang garrisons: Deploy troops, at all costs, to reinforce Shuozhou!"
Shinozuka Yoshio issued the order with a stern face. Soon, the Japanese soldiers from various locations received their orders and began moving, all heading towards Shuozhou City, which was surrounded by the 399th Brigade!