Chapter Fifty-Six: Acting

  Although they had the superficially invincible magic weapons, Gaoquan deeply knew that without actual combat testing, these equipment could not become the reliable weapons of the Eighth Route Army. Moreover, the introduction to the Japanese military's weaponry on paper only gave the high-level officers of the Eighth Route Army a general understanding of the Japanese military's equipment advantages.

  Repeatedly looking at the oily fingerprints on the palm of his hand.

  The basic unit of the Japanese army was the division, which had various organizations. At the outbreak of the war of resistance, there were 17 regular divisions in the Japanese army, with numbers ranging from one to twenty (excluding the 13th, 15th, 17th, and 18th divisions). The organization was a four-unit system, where each division had two brigades, each brigade had two infantry regiments, and each regiment had three battalions. Each battalion had four companies, one machine gun company (with eight heavy machine guns), and one battalion artillery platoon (with two 70mm infantry guns). Each company had three platoons, with one machine gun squad (with two light machine guns), one grenade launcher squad (with two grenade launchers), and two rifle squads. The division also had an artillery regiment, a logistics regiment, an engineer regiment, a cavalry regiment (with four cavalry companies and one machine gun company), and other units.

  At that time, the divisions were divided into two types: packhorse type and draft horse type. The packhorse type division had an artillery regiment with four battalions (36 75mm mountain guns and 12 75mm field guns), and each infantry regiment had a regimental gun company (with four mountain guns) and an infantry gun company (with four infantry guns). The total strength was 28,500 people. The draft horse type division had an artillery regiment with 36 field guns and 12 120mm howitzers, and each infantry regiment had a regimental gun company and a rapid-fire gun company (with four 37mm rapid-fire guns). The total strength was 25,000 people.

  In addition to the above-mentioned units, there were also some independent special troops: cavalry brigades (with two cavalry regiments, one horse artillery regiment, and one armored car squadron), tank regiments, independent engineer regiments, independent field artillery regiments (with 36 120mm howitzers and 12 75mm field guns), independent field heavy artillery regiments (with 24 150mm heavy howitzers), field heavy artillery regiments (with 16 100mm cannons), independent heavy artillery battalions (with eight 150mm cannons), mortar battalions (with 36 medium mortars), independent mountain artillery regiments, signal corps, railway corps, and so on.

  Especially the Japanese army's specially set up pack horse division had 28,200 people and the draft horse division had 24,400 people. At the same time, when the Japanese army was at war, it assigned special troops and supplementary personnel to each division, which could make a division command more than 40,000 people. With the current scale of the Eighth Route Army's 50,000 people, plus the disadvantage in firepower, it is actually very difficult to resist a Japanese division with over 20,000 people.

  Moreover, due to the long-term civil war, they have always faced the Nationalist Army with weak artillery and air power, as well as those poorly equipped local miscellaneous troops. They are completely unaware of the power of a Japanese division with over 200 heavy guns! The Eighth Route Army really needs a simulated actual combat exercise to make the somewhat rigid thinking of the Eighth Route Army understand the actual combat strength of the Japanese army.

  The Japanese army's offensive in North China, with its sharp edge pointing directly at the coal-rich Shanxi Province, and more than half of Hebei and Shandong provinces have fallen into enemy hands. Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou in Henan province have been bombed several times by Japanese planes. The Battle of Shanghai is also being fiercely fought, with Chiang Kai-shek sending out the Central Army's elite troops and large numbers of provincial troops from inland provinces to fight against the Japanese army in Shanghai. The poorly equipped Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hunan armies, totaling 7 million men, are pouring into Shanghai one after another.

  As the deputy commander of the Second War Zone, Zhu De was invited by Yan Xishan and Chiang Kai-shek to send Lin Biao's 115th Division into Shanxi Province for battle. The 116th Brigade, which was one of the best-equipped units in the Eighth Route Army under He Long's command, was also included in the invitation.

  Facing the unknown and powerful enemy, the pre-war meeting of the Eighth Route Army was very gloomy. To use half of its military strength to resist the strong enemy, for the Eighth Route Army and the Communist Party, it is no different from being extremely adventurous. However, as an anti-war unit, not going to the front line to fight against the Japanese army is impossible. Therefore, as one of the most elite forces of the Red Army, the 115th Division and the 116th Brigade will represent the young Eighth Route Army on its unknown journey.

  A conference room filled with choking smoke, making Gaoquan deeply feel the anxiety in everyone's hearts.

  "Comrades, commanders. I think we need a real combat exercise to clearly understand the Japanese army's powerful combat capabilities and firepower. Let's not bring casualties and regrets onto the battlefield. Although our underground party has provided us with a series of intelligence reports, after all, we are fighting in Shanxi, this unfamiliar land, and we don't know whether Yan Xishan will utilize or sacrifice our forces. We urgently need a real combat exercise to test our grasp of the battlefield and the soldiers' understanding of the Japanese army's combat capabilities and firepower, to find ways to minimize losses and tactics."

  The grand words were cut off, and everyone's eyes lit up in front of them. The Eighth Route Army was indeed in a predicament at this moment. Although the Red Army had replenished a lot of ammunition during the brief occupation of Xi'an, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, which was far away from the main force and had weak troops, also needed a certain amount of ammunition reserves to deal with unexpected events. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army now has a scale of over 500,000 people, and even more ammunition is just a drop in the bucket. Not to mention the stingy Yan Xishan, who wants the horse to run but doesn't let it eat grass, not a single penny for mobilization expenses or weapons and ammunition was provided. The clever abacus had simply been calculated to the point of being ruthless!

  Gao Quan cursed Yan Laos secretly in his heart, wishing that he would be blown to death by the Japanese bomb. So many Shanxi-made submachine guns, mortars, and mountain guns were not given to the Eighth Route Army; was it necessary to wait until Taiyuan fell before giving them to the Japanese?

  General Zhu and General Peng, with limited family property, made a difficult decision after much deliberation to conduct a real combat exercise. Moreover, they decided to use 10,000 rounds of ammunition for this exercise! The magnitude of their determination is rarely seen by the public.

  With a solemn face, Old Peng said seriously: "This exercise must be attended by all cadres above the company level to watch and learn from it, and find ways to deal with the Japanese army!"

  Zhu Laozong looked at the extremely stressed Gao Quan, who was silent, and warmly smiled: "Comrades, don't have any pressure, at worst I'll go and negotiate with Yan Laodou, and I'll definitely get enough ammunition and supplies for you before you set out!"

  Suddenly, without realizing it, a layer of moisture had condensed on his eyes, and he felt a deep sense of sorrow in his heart.

  The next day, more than 20,000 troops began to repair the earth in the mountainous area of San Yuan. The independent and self-reliant guerrilla warfare was not limited to guerrilla warfare alone. In order to break through the situation, it was necessary for the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese army to engage in a few fierce battles, while expanding their influence, attracting mass support, and capturing some material gains.

  The high-intensity exercise was actually a mountain ambush, because the Japanese army had strong firepower and air support, so fortifications must be hidden and solid. Clearing the shooting area, digging trenches, quickly building individual shelters, cat ear holes, and anti-artillery caves. If conditions permitted, Gaoquan would also prepare to create the famous tunnel from the Korean War.

  To build fortifications, Gao Quan also specially made more than 10,000 sets of engineer shovels and pickaxes. The iron factory was packed with ironworkers invited by Gao Quan, who, upon learning that they were preparing tools for the anti-war troops, refused to accept a single penny.

  Gao Quan's lively performance attracted Peng Laozong over. Holding the engineer's shovel with its blade sharpened by the whetstone, the sharp edge gleaming with a faint chill, his coarse hands covered in calluses slowly stroked the blade, and he couldn't help but sigh that this tool was not only useful for building fortifications, but also a substitute for a big knife!

  After the five-day battle, the officers and men of the Eighth Route Army had a deeper understanding of the strong combat effectiveness and firepower of the Japanese army. The intense shock, dense bullet rain, and flying artillery fire made the officers and men of the Eighth Route Army have a profound understanding of the gap between themselves and Asia's number one land force.

  Many old Red Army men sighed that daytime marching was no longer safe. Dealing with the Japanese army without close combat was a difficult and costly battle, which was not worth it. They could only use ambushes to deal with the Japanese army, which would reduce losses.