12dz Chapter 97 The New Japanese Official
Chapter 97 The New Japanese Official
In the county town, a company of Japanese soldiers was currently blocking the train station. The main Japanese and puppet regime leaders in the county town had all gathered at the train platform, waiting in the biting cold wind for a military train transporting troops from Taiyuan. Sitting on the train was the newly appointed commander of the military police, dispatched by the Taiyuan headquarters.
"Sakai-kun, do you know anything about the newly appointed commander?" Chief of Staff Jersey asked Sakai Taiji. He had only received a notification from the Taiyuan Command that a new commander would be arriving in the county today to replace the deceased Fujino Kiichi.
“Jessie-kun, I’ve only heard a little bit of information, saying that the newly appointed commander, Masatoshi Ikeda, is from the 5th Division. All 1000 Imperial Warriors sent to reinforce the county are drawn from the 5th Division,” said Taiji Sakai.
"Why would they send the elite troops of the 5th Division to our county town?" Chief of Staff Jersey was taken aback.
"I don't know the specifics, but the fact that the headquarters is paying so much attention to our county suggests that they are planning a major operation against the Chinese troops in the occupied areas," Sakai Taiji guessed.
"We'll take advantage of this opportunity; this time we're sure to wipe out the Tangjia Town militia," Chief of Staff Jersey said viciously. The Tangjia Town militia has caused us immense damage lately—military trains were looted, the commander was killed, and medicine was seized; they've practically humiliated the Imperial warriors.
After waiting for a while, the group heard the rumble of a train in the distance, and soon they saw the train. As the train whistle sounded, the military train carrying Masaki Ikeda, which had come from Taiyuan, slowly came to a stop. After the train came to a complete stop, a commander wearing the rank of colonel stepped off the train.
Upon seeing this, Chief of Staff Jersey quickly ran over, saluted Ikeda Masakatsu, and said:
"Welcome, Commander Ikeda."
"Hmm." Masaki Ikeda glanced at him and replied casually.
Then the carriages of the military train opened one after another, and the Japanese soldiers carrying them filed out, lining up in neat rows on the platform. "Commander Ikeda, the accommodations have all been arranged."
"Okay, let's go." After saying that, Masato Ikeda walked ahead on his own. Seeing this, Chief of Staff Jersey hurriedly ran ahead to lead the way.
That same day, intelligence about reinforcements from the Japanese in the county town was quickly relayed to Tang Weiguo by the local militia intelligence personnel.
"Commander, the Japanese reinforcements have arrived. I wonder if they will take any action against us soon," Li Qukou reported.
"How's the intelligence coming from the newly appointed intelligence officer at the Japanese headquarters?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"All we know right now is that the newly appointed commander is named Masatoshi Ikeda, and he belongs to the Japanese Fifth Division. He was transferred here to serve as the county town's defense force."
"Commander, it seems the Japanese still take us seriously, using elite divisions to deal with us," Li Qukou said.
"Then let's have a showdown with them and see who's stronger, them or us." Tang Weiguo's face immediately lit up with fighting spirit.
"Expel the enemy! Your intelligence department must keep a close eye on the movements of this Japanese force. This Ikeda Masaki is definitely a formidable opponent for us," Tang Weiguo instructed.
"Yes, Captain."
"Independent Regiment, you set off as soon as possible and inform them of the situation of the Japanese reinforcements in the county town, so that they can be on guard," Tang Weiguo said.
“Okay, I’ll leave this afternoon,” Li Qukou replied.
"okay."
A week passed, and it was already the end of December. The Independent Regiment soldiers who were relaxing in the militia were also taken back to the Independent Regiment's base by Li Yunfei. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Yunfei met with Tang Weiguo in private, and the two sides secretly formed an alliance.
"It's really strange. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, but this Masakatsu Ikeda is really strange; he hasn't made any moves at all," Li Qukou said in bewilderment.
"I wonder what kind of bad scheme the Japanese are plotting this time. We should remain unchanged and wait for the right opportunity. This is actually a good thing for our militia. What we need most right now is time. As long as we have enough time to restore the fighting strength of our troops, we will not be afraid of any tricks the Japanese play."
"Drive out the enemy, and continue to monitor the movements of the Japanese in the county town," Tang Weiguo ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
.....
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the Japanese headquarters in the county town, Chief of Staff Jersey and others were sitting in the conference room waiting for the arrival of Masato Ikeda.
"Chusheng, what information do you have on your side regarding the newly appointed commander?" Gou Dongxi quietly asked Jia Chusheng.
"Who are you calling a beast?" Jia Chusheng said, clearly displeased.
"Oh, right, right, it's not Chusheng, it's Captain Jia."
"I don't know the specifics either. We've been here for a week, and this is the first time I've called a meeting with everyone," Jia Chusheng replied.
Just as Gou Dongxi was about to return, he saw Commander Ikeda Masaki walk in from outside the door, and hurriedly stood up with the others.
"Everyone's here, please sit down." Masato Ikeda said, and then sat down.
“I’ve been following up on what happened these past few days. According to intelligence, the force that caused the Empire to suffer a great loss was a militia group in the occupied territories. Today, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this militia group,” Ikeda Masaki asked.
"Reporting to the Commander, I have fought against them. This militia is well-equipped, its soldiers are of high quality, its commanders are tactically excellent, and they are adept at utilizing the terrain. In several battles with the militia, our troops were almost always ambushed by them, and we suffered considerable losses. Based on my assessment, this army is among the most powerful in the Nationalist government's central army," Chief of Staff Jersey said.
"Oh, I just like the challenging Chinese army. Saying that makes me want to fight." Ikeda Maken showed some interest in the Tangjia Town unit.
Ever since Ikeda Masaki learned that he had been transferred from the 5th Division to garrison this small, run-down county town, he had been sullen. He, a member of the Empire's elite troops, was being stationed in such a small, insignificant place. The thought of his comrades defeating the Chinese army on the battlefield only fueled his resentment.
Despite having a lot of complaints, Masatoshi Ikeda, as a soldier, obeyed orders and led his troops to settle in this small county town.
During this week, Masato Ikeda reviewed the previous battle reports and suddenly discovered a very interesting team in the occupied area of the county town. He immediately became interested, so he organized today's meeting.
"Reporting to the Commander, we received intelligence from higher authorities today that the militia in Tangjia Town is now under the command of the Second War Zone Command of the National Government, and its designation is the Anti-Japanese Independent Militia," Sakai Taiji reported.
"Oh, this makes things even more interesting."
"Commander, what should we do next?" Chief of Staff Jersey asked.
“It’s winter now, which is not conducive to the Imperial army’s attack on the mountains. We’ll wait until the weather warms up next year before we take action. Let them live a few more days in the meantime.”
"Yes."
"In order to strengthen the Empire's forces in the county-level occupied areas, I have decided to expand the Imperial Army during this period of time, from the current one regiment to three regiments, and train them uniformly with Imperial soldiers."
"Commander Gou, or rather, Brigade Commander Gou from now on, the recruitment work is entrusted to you," Ikeda Maken said, looking at Gou Dongxi.
"Yes, I guarantee I will complete the mission," Gou Dongxi said with great joy.
"Furthermore, Mr. Sakai, your intelligence department should strengthen its intelligence work on this militia."
"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander."
"For the time being, the county town will focus on defense to prevent enemy attacks. Next spring, we will let them feel the wrath of the empire."
"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander."
"Okay, let's break up the meeting."