Chapter 23: Investigating the Security Team (New Book Seeking Attention)

  When the war trumpet sounded, Chen Feng also welcomed the long-awaited August system reward. The steel mill construction order in May and the rifle production line in July made Chen Feng's confidence in the upcoming war surge, although the current production capacity of the steel mill is still very low, far from the designed annual production capacity of 500,000 tons of high-quality steel, but at least 3,000 rifles and 5 million bullets can be produced every month, basically meeting the needs of the security team's war, which also made Chen Feng look forward to the August system reward.

  After carefully looking at the reward items for August, there are still many good things, and of course, some are also mediocre.

  Personal equipment: Alloy steel helmet (manufactured in 1990 AD), alloy dagger (manufactured in 2000 AD), military combat boots (manufactured in 2000 AD), special warfare uniform (manufactured in 2007 AD), super shield (manufactured in 2008 AD).

  Base construction orders: railway construction orders, air raid shelter construction orders, power plant construction orders, cement factory construction orders, gunpowder factory construction orders.

  Personal Strengthening: Strength increased by 3 times, Agility increased by 2 times, Intelligence increased by 2 times, Spirituality increased by 3 times, Overall Quality increased by 2 times.

  Ordnance Factory Construction Order: Rifle production line (model: Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifle), machine gun production line (model: Czech BZ26 light machine gun), heavy machine gun (model: Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun), mountain cannon (model: Bofors), mortar production line (model: Soviet 82mm).

  Personal skills: Intermediate strategy, intermediate English, intermediate Japanese, beginner military theory, intermediate combat.

  Although he was looking forward to the system reward in August, Chen Feng could only listen to fate now that the system had patched up the loophole. When the pointer froze on the gunpowder production order, Chen Feng smiled.

  Although it's not the ideal military construction order, the gunpowder factory construction order is also good. Now that the troops have expanded, the ammunition used for training every day is a considerable expense. The Daqing Mountain base already has a munitions production line purchased from Germany, but gunpowder is still a weakness.

  The current production capacity of the ammunition factory is still small, and the gunpowder needed can be purchased from other channels. However, with the outbreak of war, gunpowder, a product that accompanies the king and serves the people, immediately became tense. Now that we have this large-scale gunpowder production, the problem of gunpowder shortage has been solved.

  After the Japanese army occupied Pingjin for several days, reinforcements arrived one after another. The Japanese elite Fifth Division, Sixth Division and Tenth Division all arrived in Pingjin before August 5 and were incorporated into the combat sequence of the Chinese garrison troops.

  By then, the strength of the Chinese garrison had increased several times. Together with the troops that arrived earlier, there were a total of four divisions and three independent brigades, totaling around 150,000 men. They possessed more than 300 aircraft, 200 tanks, over 3,000 light and heavy machine guns, more than 1,000 artillery pieces, over 6,000 carts and motor vehicles, and over 30,000 war horses and pack horses.

  On August 6, Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Katsuragi, Commander of the Japanese China Garrison Army, convened a military conference at the Tianjin Haiguang Temple Garrison Headquarters with regimental and brigade commanders to discuss future operations against China.

  At the beginning of the meeting, Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Shimizu let Major General Kuniyuki Hashimoto, Chief of Staff of the Garrison Army, make a summary of the battle, summarizing the gains and losses of the previous campaign against China.

  As the Chief of Staff of the Garrison Army, Hashimoto Gun personally participated in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the subsequent war against China. He was extremely satisfied with the brilliant results achieved by the Imperial Japanese Army in a short period of time.

  "Gentlemen, the Imperial Japanese Army launched a full-scale attack on China on July 28th. On that day, we broke through the Beiping city and captured Tianjin two days later. Three days later, we defeated the Chinese army of Song Zheyuan's 29th Route Army with over one million soldiers in a frontal assault, occupying the cities of Beiping and Tianjin as well as their surrounding areas. Our military casualties totaled 127 deaths and 348 injuries, achieving brilliant results."

  After listening to Hashimoto's report on the results of the battle, all Japanese military officers present seemed somewhat proud and satisfied. The original Chinese garrison had less than 10,000 people, even if they received reinforcements before launching a full-scale attack, there were only more than 50,000 people. However, the Chinese army stationed in the Pingjin area was as many as 100,000 people. With a small number of enemies and a small number of victories, the fighting power of the Great Japanese Imperial Army was enough to sweep everything away.

  "Gentlemen, the Chinese forces currently have six army groups in North China, with three corps, one route army, 22 armies, a total of 53 divisions and 21 brigades, approximately 620,000 men. According to the decision made by the Chinese National Defense Conference, the North China region is divided into two major war zones, garrisoned along the Pingjin, Pinghan, and Pingsui three major railway lines."

  "Hashimoto-san, please report to everyone in detail the deployment diagram of the Chinese troops." ordered General Kiyotsugu Shimizu.

  "Hi!"

  Hashimoto walked up to the huge military map hanging on the front wall of the conference room, pointing at the map with his hand and said: "This is the most important railway in China, the Pinghan Railway. The Second Army of China is stationed along this railway, with Liu Zhi as the commander-in-chief of the army group. He is one of the five top generals in Jiangxi Province, China, with high combat skills, and has participated in the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek. The Second Army Group has two corps under its jurisdiction, with a total of 19 divisions and two brigades, and the headquarters of the army group is located in Baoding."

  The garrison of the Pingjin Line was the First Army of Zhina, with Song Zheyuan, the original commander-in-chief of the 29th Army of Zhina, as the commander-in-chief. Under its jurisdiction were the 59th Corps commanded by Song Zheyuan himself, the 77th Corps commanded by Feng Zhi'an, the 53rd Corps commanded by Wan Fulin, the 67th Corps commanded by Wu Kerren, the 40th Corps commanded by Pang Bingxun, the 49th Corps commanded by Liu Duoquan and the 3rd Cavalry Corps commanded by Zheng Dazhang. The total strength was 16 divisions, and the army headquarters was located in Cangzhou.

  The garrison of the Ping-Sui line was the 7th Group Army, and the commander-in-chief was Fu Zuoyi, a famous warlord in China. He had led the resistance war in Suiyuan last year, killed several military advisers of the Imperial Japanese Army stationed in Mongolia, and was the greatest threat to De Wang and Li Shouxin, good friends of the Empire of Japan. The 7th Group Army had five armies under its jurisdiction: the 35th Army led by Fu Zuoyi, the 61st Army led by Li Yuxiang, the 68th Army led by Liu Zuming, the 17th Army led by Gao Guizi, and the 13th Army led by Tang Enbo, a high-ranking general of Chiang's faction. The whole army had seven divisions and nine brigades. It is worth noting that Tang Enbo was a highly skilled fighter and one of the high-ranking Chinese generals closely watched by the Imperial Japanese Army's intelligence agency.

  "In addition, one of the high-ranking generals of China, Wei Lihuang, led the 14th Army Group with four divisions and two brigades, stationed in the mountainous area west of Beiping for mobile operations. The garrison army has applied to the General Headquarters to dispatch another four divisions of heavy troops to China to reinforce the garrison army and engage in a decisive battle in North China, annihilate all Chinese forces within the borders of North China, occupy all key military positions in North China, with the aim of fundamentally resolving the North China problem."

  Hashimoto Gunji finished the enemy situation report, and Kiyotsugu Shimizu stood up and said: "Gentlemen, although the Empire has not formally declared war on China, in fact, the war has already broken out. It is the best opportunity for us warriors to make achievements. What are your thoughts on the upcoming battle?"

  "At that time, the Lieutenant General and Commander of the 5th Division, Itagaki Seishirō, stood up and said: 'Commander-in-Chief, the North China region governs Shanxi, Chahar, Hebei, Suiyuan, and Shandong provinces, as well as Tianjin and Beijing cities. To the south it relies on the Yellow River, to the east it borders the Bohai Sea, and to the north it connects with the Great Wall, occupying a dominant position in central and northern Zhina. The western province of Shanxi is the easiest place to deploy troops. Shanxi is the hub of the five provinces and two cities in North China. If the Empire of Japan can capture Shanxi, it will be able to look down on the Pinghan Railway to the east, and gaze out at Shaanxi and Gansu to the west. To the south, it can cross the Windling Ferry, to the west it can pass through Tongguan, and directly march into the western Zhina stronghold of Xi'an. It can also take the Henan and Luoyang regions, occupy Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and gain the initiative in a war of quick capture."

  Here is the translation:

  "Now, gentlemen, although our Imperial Army has occupied the Pingjin area, this does not necessarily mean anything. The terrain of the Pingjin area is flat and open, with thousands of miles of fertile land, making it extremely easy for our mechanized troops to maneuver and capture. However, the Pingjin area is also a crucial transportation hub, with the Pinghan line to the southwest, the Pingsui line to the northwest, and the Jinpu line to the southeast, making it a place of great strategic importance. But precisely because of this, we are currently in a precarious situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the Chinese can gather tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops to annihilate us at any time. Although Chiang Kai-shek may not have the courage to do so, if we don't take Shanxi, as our army advances southward, our flanks will be threatened by Chinese forces."

  "Yohei! Itō-san's words are reasonable. Currently, the Chinese army has deployed one group army each on the Pinghan Line, Pingxi Line, and Pingjin Line, and another group army is secretly stationed in the Shanxi highlands. Moreover, Tang Enbo's tens of thousands of elite soldiers have been ordered to guard the Nankou Pass, and Yan Xishan's 200,000-strong Jinxi Army can provide support from northern Shanxi at any time. The situation is not as good as you think," said Kiyotsugu Shingetsu in a loud voice.

  "Thus, I believe that the main force of the garrison troops should not make a general mobilization at this time. Instead, they should hold their ground on the Changxin shop line, attract the attention of the southern branch of the enemy's troops, and send another elite unit to launch a surprise attack on Nankou, driving out or annihilating Tang Enbo's forces. Then, along the Pingxi line, advance westward into Chahar and Suiyuan, defeat Fu Zuoyi's forces, seize control of the entire Shanxi province at an opportune moment, and after the reinforcements from the Imperial homeland arrive in Pingjin, turn around and attack the enemy in Baoding again. This will ensure that the Imperial Army is completely victorious."

  "According to Itagaki's calculations, if the Imperial Army attacks along the Pingxi Line first, how many troops will be needed to capture all the necessary places including Nankou, Zhangjiakou, Tianzhen and Xinghe, and how much time will it take?" asked Kiyotsugu.

  "One division plus one brigade, three days to capture Nankou, within ten days take down all the towns said by the commander, and on the 15th day defeat Fu Zuoyi's troops, thoroughly control the Pingxi line." Itō Seiichirō said confidently.

  "Order: The 5th Division and the 11th Mixed Brigade will immediately form a Western Advance Detachment, with General Itagaki as its commander. Along the Pingxi Line, launch an attack and capture Nankou within ten days, securing control of the Pingxi Line."

  "Hi!"

  When the Japanese army was deploying a new combat plan in Tianjin, Chen Feng welcomed a representative sent by Fu Zuoyi. This representative was none other than Li Jingyuan, the director of the Suiyuan Province Security Office.

  As the superior of the Suiyuan Security Forces, Li Jingyuan was entrusted by Fu Zuoyi to investigate all security forces within Suiyuan to see if they could be used. As for whether they were capable of handling important tasks, Fu Zuoyi didn't even think about it - in those days, there were few military leaders who didn't embezzle funds. Local security forces embezzling funds was a common sight, and being able to meet half of the full quota was already quite good; Fu Zuoyi just hoped that his own security regiments wouldn't be completely empty shells.

  They didn't know the truth until they investigated, and Fu Zuoyi and Li Jingyuan were shocked. Among the 20 counties and 18 Mongolian flags under the jurisdiction of Suiyuan, a total of 33 security teams did not have a single full-strength team. The best situation was less than 800 people, with a shortage of 400 people from the full establishment. And the vast majority of security teams had only three or four hundred people, with vacancies accounting for two-thirds.

  Xinghe County was the last banner county that Li Jingyuan arrived at, because he was more familiar with the situation in Xinghe County. The original Xinghe County Security Regiment had been annihilated by the Suibei Mahang six months ago. His sworn brother came to him with a 100,000 yuan silver ticket, wanting to secure the position of Security Regiment Commander for his son. Due to the fraternal bond between them, Li Jingyuan could only agree, and besides, this was not a difficult task for him.

  It's been only five months now, and my nephew is already able to lead the team, which is quite good enough. I don't have any higher expectations for him.

  Before Li Jingyuan arrived, he had already sent someone to inform Chen Feng, so early in the morning, Chen Feng led a cavalry regiment to Eertong to meet Li Jingyuan and his party.

  When Li Jingyuan saw Chen Feng for the first time, he was slightly startled. This big nephew was more majestic than when they last met, his face had also darkened, and most importantly, the aura around him had changed, with a strong military iron-blooded aura.

  Chen Feng's hundred or so cavalrymen also caught Li Jingyuan's attention. Cavalrymen were not uncommon in the northern regions, and even if there were several thousand or tens of thousands of them, it would be nothing out of the ordinary. However, Li Jingyuan discovered that Chen Feng's team of cavalrymen was not only well-equipped but also of extremely high quality. When Chen Feng dismounted to speak, the entire cavalry unit remained silent, with no one speaking, quietly waiting for Chen Feng's orders on horseback.

  "I, Chen Feng, have come to welcome the special envoy. Please instruct!" After saluting with a military salute, Chen Feng said loudly.

  "Haha, no need to be polite, young master. Lead the way ahead and we'll talk more when we reach your territory." Li Jingyuan said with a smile.

  "Yes!"

  "Everyone is present, the rear team becomes the front team, and advances in search formation!" With Chen Feng's command, the cavalry regiment opened the way ahead, and a line of people rushed towards Xinghe County.