Chapter 22: A Curious Misunderstanding! (Please add to library and vote)

Therefore, they both joined the Fourth Brigade together. One became the regiment commander of the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment, and the other served as the adjutant of the Sakata Regiment, which was split off from the Fourth Brigade.

Soon, the Japanese guards found the corpse of a Japanese officer wearing the uniform of a staff officer. Although his face was battered beyond recognition by bullets, Kuroshima Morita recognized from his short, stout hands that it was his own younger brother.

Overwhelmed with grief, Kuroshima Morita burst into tears. “My second brother is gone, my second brother is gone!” he wailed. “Baka yarou! Who—who killed my second brother?”

At that moment, a young Japanese guard bowed and explained, “Report to the regimental commander, sir! Based on the evidence at the scene, the Dasha army forces that fought against the Sakata Regiment were most likely reinforced infantry troops!”

“What!?” Kuroshima Morita snapped out of his sorrow upon hearing this. An expression of disbelief appeared on his face as he stared intently at the young soldier.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Although the Sakata Regiment couldn’t have been ambushed by five Dasha divisions, there should at least have been two main German-equipped divisions and an artillery regiment worth of firepower. Otherwise, they absolutely could not have been defeated so quickly—absolutely not!”

However, the various signs found at the scene revealed that the Dasha forces that fought the Sakata Regiment did indeed consist of only a reinforced infantry regiment, with at most two artillery battalions.

Kuroshima Morita, as the commander of the elite Kuroshima cavalry, was no novice. After calming down, he quickly analyzed the cause of the Sakata Regiment’s complete annihilation based on the battlefield evidence.

“This Zhina unit, though similar in number to the Sakata Regiment, possessed a vast amount of artillery and automatic firearms! It was precisely through overwhelming firepower that they first targeted and destroyed Sakata’s artillery during the ambush, preventing any counterattack.”

“Then they drove the Sakata Regiment into an area pre-laden with numerous German S-type landmines.”

“How cunning!”

Kuroshima Morita had never seen the futuristic anti-infantry mines known as Kukutou mines, but he had encountered S-type mines during his studies in Germany. It was thus natural for him to mistake the Kukutou mines for S-type mines.

Picking up a shining yellow shell casing from the ground, he said with envy, “The casings left on the field are made of fine brass, numbering at least three hundred thousand! The presence of so many brass casings signifies that the enemy had a large supply of automatic firearms and ammunition.”

“From what I understand, aside from the bald-headed German-equipped troops, no other Dasha units possess such vast stocks of automatic weapons and ammunition.”

At this, a trace of disdain appeared at the corner of Kuroshima Morita’s mouth.

“However, these Zhina troops seem to fear our Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment greatly. They fled so hastily they didn’t even take the valuable brass casings with them!”

“What cowards!”

During World War II, most countries manufactured bullet casings from brass due to its elasticity and lubricity. However, in Dasha, copper ore resources were scarce. Therefore, except for a few elite units, most ammunition used steel casings.

Although the young Japanese troops were wealthier than Dasha, they could not afford the high-quality brass casings like those obtained by Liu Jianguo. Most of their casings were made from a copper-iron alloy, so Kuroshima Morita’s envy of brass casings was understandable.

Noticing this, a glint suddenly appeared in Kuroshima Morita’s eyes.

“Listen, this also tells us something else.”

“The enemy’s retreat was so rushed that they didn’t even have time to recover the precious brass resources. This also indicates they lacked sufficient ammunition to face us!”

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed to retreat. They could have ambushed us with their abundant automatic weapons—wouldn’t that have been better?”

The adjutant beside him also caught on.

“Their ammunition must be limited! Without enough firepower, cavalry charging infantry is a massacre waiting to happen!”

This was why, even as most Western countries abandoned cavalry units during World War II, the Japanese stubbornly maintained large cavalry forces—they took advantage of Dasha’s insufficient firepower.

Realizing this, the adjutant exclaimed excitedly, “Soga! Commander, you are wise! Without enough ammunition, the Zhina’s firearms are just piles of scrap metal!”

“If we catch up to these Zhina troops, they’re doomed!”

“To assemble such an elite force, that bald-headed fellow must have invested heavily!”

“If we capture the Zhina’s precious weapons and equipment…”

“They’ll be so furious they’ll spit blood!”

“Exactly!” Kuroshima Morita pumped his fist enthusiastically.

“Echizen-kun! This is not only a chance to avenge the brave warriors of the Sakata Regiment but also an opportunity to showcase the valor of our Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment and wash away the shame of the Japanese Imperial Army!”

“Tell the warriors to assemble immediately!”

“We’re going to annihilate those Zhina troops!”

“Hi!!!”

Those brass shell casings, deliberately left behind by Li Yunlong to prevent his soldiers from picking them up, ironically misled Kuroshima Morita into believing that the New First Regiment had limited ammunition and feared the arrival of the Kuroshima Cavalry Regiment, prompting them to flee.

This strange “misunderstanding” set the stage for two forces that should never have met so soon to clash in battle.

...

“Bastard! Damn Liu Jianguo!”

“I’m going to kill him! I’m going to kill him!”

A middle-aged man wrapped in bandages, his head resembling a pig’s snout, was roaring angrily in the hall.

Having been publicly exposed by Liu Jianguo for conspiring with the Japanese, and thoroughly humiliated both mentally and physically in front of everyone, his painstakingly cultivated reputation as an honest man in Shanxi over more than twenty years was utterly shattered.

How could Yan Laoxi not be furious and desperate?

“Bring Yang Aiyuan here! Get him to me!”

“Quick!”

Soon, a middle-aged man with a square face and black round glasses briskly entered. Although surprised by Yan Laoxi’s disheveled appearance, he showed no change in expression and immediately bowed respectfully at ninety degrees.

“Commander! How may I assist you?”

Yan Laoxi’s ability to maintain control of Shanxi for 38 years through multiple chaotic periods relied partly on his own capabilities, but also heavily on his capable generals.

Among them, the most outstanding were Xu Yongchang, Yang Aiyuan, Shang Zhen, and Fu Zuoyi.

Of these four, the most trusted by Yan Laoxi was undoubtedly Xu Yongchang.