allonlinenovel Chapter 1128 The Japanese Devils Heading North
Chapter 1128 The Japanese Devils Heading North
While Zhang Haiguang was inspecting all the units under his command, he also received the information transferred from the intelligence bureau.
The three Japanese divisions involved were the 5th, 7th, and 9th Divisions.
Lieutenant General Katsujiro Nagamoto, commander of the 5th Division, served as the overall commander.
Commander-in-Chief of the 7th Division, Mitsunao Yamaoka, and Commander-in-Chief of the 9th Division, Jiro Kamio, served as deputy commanders-in-chief.
The three divisions combined totaled over 7 men, representing the elite of the East China Expeditionary Army. However, the intelligence agency also noted that this was completely different from their previous forces. These three divisions had suffered losses exceeding 40% in previous battles, with the Third Division exceeding 65%. Therefore, the army was filled with a large number of new recruits.
Furthermore, the East China Expeditionary Army had recently undergone a reorganization, pulling many veterans from these divisions to supply the divisions ranked 30th and below, in order to balance combat effectiveness. Therefore, if calculated from this perspective, if the number of new recruits within them exceeds 60%, and their combat effectiveness reaches 60% of the original level, they would be considered extremely fortunate.
Of course, the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau also stated that although their number of veterans had decreased, the remaining soldiers had been trained on the Pujiang battlefield, so their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. If Zhang Haiguang were to carry out a combat mission, he would be best off putting all his strength into it.
Besides these, there are two divisions that may be reinforced in the future, currently resting and reorganizing near the Huangpu River. Both of these divisions were transported from mainland Japan, and their serial numbers are all after 30, clearly indicating that they are all newly formed divisions. But regardless, these are still over 4 Japanese soldiers, trained to the standards of a first-class division, only their combat effectiveness is not that high.
No wonder Zhang Haiguang wanted this; he was facing not only three top-tier divisions, but possibly five, totaling 10 troops. Zhang Haiguang's infantry division only had about 3 men. However, he was still very confident in facing this 10-strong army.
Fourth Army Headquarters
"Commander, this is my last request before I leave. I only have about 3 men under my command. If I want to capture a county, I should at least leave behind an infantry company, right? If that's the case, how many troops will I have to leave behind if I want to advance south? Every time I capture a place, my mobile forces will be significantly reduced. If you don't leave any men behind, how will anyone know that you've captured this county?"
Zhang Haiguang said with a bitter face, "This guy came early this morning. He needs to do one thing here: he's going to take over the security regiments in the southern counties."
"I really don't have that authority. If I did, I'd be happy to let you march to Pujiang and form the Pujiang Security Regiment right now. That would be a great honor, and the newspapers would put my Fourth Army first in your story, wouldn't they? Do you think I don't want fame? But the problem is, ever since I formed the security regiments in the counties of eastern Shandong, our commander-in-chief has repeatedly told me that any future formation of security regiments must go through headquarters. I reported this yesterday, and there's still no news."
Ma Leizi looked bitter. He used to be very good at this, but now there are explicit regulations from above. Every time you want to form a security regiment, you must submit an application to the higher authorities in a formal manner, and the security regiment can only be established after the higher authorities send special personnel.
Although the procedures were a bit complicated, a police academy was set up in the rear, and the people sent from there could quickly make the security force combat-ready. Moreover, our air force could also airdrop these people at any time, so it wouldn't take too long.
Of course, the most important point is to prevent local warlords from becoming too powerful. Ma Leizi and Li Shaoyi are of one mind, but you can't guarantee that everyone else will be of the same mind. If some people have too many troops and start to have other ideas, even though Li Shaoyi can use logistics to support them, it would still be a split within the 72nd Army Group. So it's better to nip this problem in the bud.
A little trouble is not a big deal, as long as there is no betrayal, it is acceptable to us.
"Report, urgent message from headquarters."
Just as the two were at an impasse, a telegram arrived from headquarters, and Ma Leizi took it from the side.
"Regarding your matter, headquarters has already approved it. Two regimental officers will be sent over tomorrow or the day after. You don't need to worry about the rest. You should understand our commander's thoughts. Now that the brothers are all powerful, I'm not talking about you, but some people might be starting to get cocky. Stricter control from above is good for us."
Ma Leizi was well aware that some people below didn't understand the headquarters' order, feeling it would restrict their actions and even potentially delay the battlefield. However, Ma Leizi had read quite a few books and naturally understood why the higher-ups were doing this, so he began to comfort Zhang Haiguang.
"I don't have that many thoughts. As long as it's approved from above and some officers are assigned to it, it will save us a lot of trouble. My only concern is that when the Japanese reinforcements arrive, my men won't be able to spare any manpower. Now that we have these security regiments, we can hold them off for a while, and we won't lack manpower in the future."
Zhang Haiguang didn't have time to waste with Ma Leizi. Although he only got two slots in the security regiment, didn't they say later that he could report the situation around him to his superiors at any time, and they could send him officers from the security regiment whenever he wanted? As long as the framework was in place, coupled with the good treatment they offered, the security regiment could be set up quickly. Of course, to form combat capability, they would need to complete several months of specialized training.
Seeing Zhang Haiguang rushing out, Ma Leizi quickly stopped him, as he still had some things to say.
"Commander, is there anything else?"
Zhang Haiguang's army is setting off this afternoon, and all departments are so busy they're practically running themselves ragged; there's really no time to waste here.
"I've heard a rumor that our commander witnessed many instances of Japanese soldiers ravaging our people on his way to Hankou. This time you've encountered a large number of Japanese soldiers on your southward journey; something truly shocking is expected..."
Ma Lei patted Zhang Haiguang on the shoulder, "The rest is up to you..."