latelenovela Chapter 1075 A Huge Disparity! We Lost!
Chapter 1075 A Huge Disparity! We Lost!
Four to thirty-four!
When they heard the number, the generals present were stunned. The 72nd Army had only lost four aircraft, while our side had lost thirty-four aircraft, nearly nine times as many as theirs.
No wonder when it came to dealing with the air power of the 72nd Army, the pilots under his command pushed each other and showed no courage at all.
Judging from these numbers, it's not a matter of courage at all; it's purely a matter of having no way out.
Forty-one aircraft participated in the battle; thirty-four were shot down, and two were damaged and returned trailing thick black smoke. They haven't reached the airport yet, and it's uncertain whether they will be able to land successfully once they arrive.
A loss rate of nearly 90% would be unbearable for pilots from any country.
"What are the people in the Imperial Research and Industrial Departments doing? Weren't they supposed to be improving new aircraft? Why do our planes still have no advantage in the sky? Don't they know that this is the life of our brave pilots? They should all be taken away and shot."
Division Commander Tanaka said angrily that in their minds, Japan's industrial strength might not rank among the top in the world, but it was still far ahead of China.
When we clashed with the Chinese in the past, our army's weaponry was far more advanced than theirs, let alone our air force. But now, where has all that advancement gone? Were we just dreaming all that time?
"They are not using aircraft they manufacture themselves. As far as I know, most of them are German-made. However, our diplomatic staff has contacted them, and they have not exported such aircraft to the 72nd Army. So far, we have lost four top spies, and we still do not know the source of their weapons."
Chief of Staff Noi said with a heavy heart, "Those who are called 'ace spies' in his words are incredibly important to Japan." In fact, from the very beginning of the war, they had been constantly sending out ace spies to infiltrate and find out about the weapons in Li Shaoyi's possession. Unfortunately, those in charge of logistics were all people Li Shaoyi had redeemed from the system; no matter what methods they used, they couldn't be made to betray Li Shaoyi. So, it was simply that these ace spies were unlucky.
"Bageya Road..."
A group of Japanese generals clenched their fists and shouted insults, but this was probably of no use to the course of the war.
“Send a field brigade each to our upstream and downstream areas, and advance at least 150 kilometers to give us enough strategic depth to prevent them from crossing the river upstream and downstream. Once we discover any signs of them doing so, we will immediately send troops to encircle and block them.”
Today's inspection of the front lines was quite embarrassing for them, but there were also gains. For example, regarding the matters we just discussed, although we don't want to admit it, shifting to a defensive posture now is beneficial to the entire Second Army. If we have enough resources in the future, we can switch to public infrastructure at any time.
However, these men were all high-ranking officials in the Japanese military. They possessed considerable knowledge of domestic production and storage data, and this knowledge was extremely precise. If it were just our battlefield, achieving the required results wouldn't be a problem. But now that a full-scale war has broken out, and with those bastards in the Pujiang Army pouring all their resources into the Second Army, it's clear that no one is happy about this.
"Hayi..."
A group of Japanese officers obediently bowed their heads in agreement and then went to make arrangements.
On the distant Yellow River front, the 72nd Army had returned to its usual tranquility. However, some junior officers had still marked some suspicious firing positions on the opposite side. Anyway, we had plenty of time. The regimental commander would sign off on it, and several truckloads of artillery would be delivered immediately. Once the Japanese troops lost their fighting spirit, we would fire hard at the suspicious locations.
Of course, they used small-caliber artillery. If they used heavy artillery and accidentally breached the Yellow River dike, we would be the ones in trouble. This is something we absolutely cannot do. As Ma Leizi said before, if we really did such a thing, we would be sinners in history.
Although there are many Japanese soldiers on the other side, we have far more civilians. If the Yellow River dike were to breach, several thousand Japanese soldiers could drown, but the number of civilians affected could very well reach several million. If such a thing were to happen, even Ma Leizi would likely face severe punishment personally from Li Shaoyi.
At this moment, in Ma Leizi's command room, he was also thinking about the river crossing operation. This guy fully understood Li Shaoyi's words: the best offense is the best defense. Instead of patching things up here and there, we should strike hard and go straight into the enemy's camp. Then we won't have to be on guard every day.
The problem is that all the reports from our subordinates have now been compiled, and it's incredibly difficult for the Japanese to cross the river, just as it isn't so easy for us. Although we have the help of the river fleet, we still don't know exactly how many hidden firing positions the Japanese have along the way. While you're working after dark, they're not idle either; they can uncover even more hidden firing positions overnight.
If our soldiers force their way across the river without eliminating all these hidden firing positions, it would be tantamount to handing a great victory to the enemy.
When a Type 92 heavy machine gun is firing at the river, not many of the people on our small boat will survive.
Of course, our artillery can quickly take out this heavy machine gun, but do you know how many heavy machine guns they have set up along the river? And do you think you can just take it out like that? Even if you give them just one minute to open fire, at least a dozen of our brothers will have fallen into the water.
Ma Leizi's operations staff estimated that even in the best-case scenario, crossing the Yellow River would require the loss of nearly two thousand men, a cost that Ma Leizi and his men could not afford. And this was based on the best-case scenario; in a slightly worse scenario, they might not be able to hold out against three or four thousand casualties.
Of course, at this moment, Ma Leizi and Commander Itagaki discussed the situation and started thinking about the upstream and downstream areas. Since you've sealed off this area so tightly, I can set up pontoon bridges upstream and downstream, and then attack you from three sides after you cross the river.
Just as Ma Leizi was reporting the news, Li Shaoyi also sent a nearby military intelligence agent to explain to him...