The commander thought for a while and replied: "I also hope that my judgment is false, but the National Salvation Army likes to be surprised too much. If my judgment is correct, Taiyuan City will be in danger."

"We must plan the worst."

"Immediately call the garrison in the south of the city and ask them to send a combat team to the battlefield to find out the situation, and to find out the strength and equipment of the Eighth Route Army. The more detailed the better!"

"I will notify the frontier outposts in other directions and increase vigilance from now on. If there is any situation, you must report to the military headquarters as soon as possible!"

"The last thing: the intelligence departments and scouts near Jinzhong continue to collect all intelligence about the National Salvation Army, and be sure to find out their latest developments."

"No matter whether the National Rescue Army cooperates with the Eighth Route Army, as long as we clean up the National Rescue Army, the poorly equipped Eighth Route Army will be easily dealt with.

Before the chief of staff could take action, another telephone soldier hurriedly ran towards them: "Report the commander, the garrison in the west of the city reported that a large number of Eighth Route Army troops suddenly appeared outside the city, with a total force of at least two thousand people. An offensive position is being built outside the city!"

"This is impossible?" the commander subconsciously retorted!

"If the Eighth Route Army wants to kill outside Taiyuan City, it must first conquer the outposts we arranged outside the city, but we have not received any reports of attacks on the outposts in the west of the city. Could it be that the Eighth Route Army that appeared in the west of the city flew over!"

The telephone soldier quickly told the situation he learned: "After the Eighth Route Army appeared in the west of the city, the garrison in the west immediately contacted the outpost, but the outpost did not respond at all!"

"They think that the Eighth Route Army in the west of the city is very fierce, and the outpost was broken before it could be warned in the city!"

The commander was still a little disbelief and frowned and asked, "How is the equipment of the Eighth Route Army in the west of the city?"

"Although there are not many garrisons at the outpost, they are also a cannon tower. With the Eighth Route Army's ability to attack, it will not be able to take it down in half an hour. How could it be that there is no time to report the message after being attacked? This is incredible!"

The telephone soldier continued to report: "The garrison in the west of the city said on the phone: The Eighth Route Army outside the city is very different from the Eighth Route Army they have seen in the past!"

"The Eighth Route Army that appeared tonight was well-equipped and had ammunition. When they went to the battlefield, they used a piercing machine gun to attack them in a burst, and they did not care about ammunition consumption at all. The Eighth Route Army we encountered before basically threw grenades after three shots, and then fed a bayonet, and the ammunition was seriously insufficient!"

"Judgement from the current situation observed: the Eighth Route Army that appeared in the west of the city was not only equipped with two infantry artillery, but also equipped at least six mortars and six or seven heavy machine guns. The heavy firepower was almost as high as our infantry brigade!"

Hearing this, the commander finally chose to believe: "If this Eighth Route Army is really equipped with two infantry cannons and six mortars, it is possible to take down the outpost in a very short time and not give them the opportunity to call out for warning!"

"Now there are Eighth Route Armys in the south and west of the city. The Eighth Route Army in the west has already reached outside the Taiyuan City. If an Eighth Route Army emerges in the north of the city, it means that the Eighth Route Army really unites with the National Salvation Army to attack Taiyuan. Otherwise, the Eighth Route Army would not have grasped such a good opportunity for the Eighth Route Army to attack Taiyuan!"

When it comes to Cao Cao, Cao Cao will arrive.

Before the commander could react to the shock brought to him by the Eighth Route Army in the west of the city, the phone ringing not far away rang again.

The telephone soldier just grabbed the microphone and was intercepted by the commander: "Moses, this is the military headquarters..."

"I am a garrison in the north of the city. A large number of Eighth Route Army troops appeared outside the city, with a total force of more than 2,000 people, equipped with a large number of light and heavy machine guns and mortars, and may attack the city at any time..." The report of the captain of the garrison in the north of the city immediately sounded from the microphone!

The commander frowned even deeper, and he looked at the microphone with a solemn command: "Let your troops be ready for battle quickly. If the Eighth Route Army dares to attack Taiyuan, they will be repelled at all costs!"

After saying that, the commander put down the microphone without waiting for the other party to answer.

Walking to the sand table, I analyzed: "Now I am at least 70% sure that the Eighth Route Army wants to take advantage of the dangers and join forces with the National Salvation Army to attack Taiyuan, otherwise the time they will not have been so accurate in attacking Taiyuan."

"If the National Salvation Army that occupied Jinzhong also participates, then Taiyuan City will be in danger!"

"Although the heavy firepower of the Eighth Route Army outside the city is not as good as that of the National Salvation Army, they are numerous and have high morale. If they want to keep them out of the city, they must distribute a large number of troops from the limited forces in the city to defend the three walls on the south, west and north of the city."

"Since this way, there are not many troops we use to fight against the National Salvation Army."

"If the National Salvation Army dispatches heavy artillery to bombard the city, the troops will definitely not last long!"

After saying that, he ordered the Chief of Staff: "You can immediately dispatch troops from the surrounding area to reinforce Taiyuan. The faster the speed, the better. You must transfer 3,000 people into the city before the National Salvation Army and the Eighth Route Army encircled Taiyuan."

"Then all the mobile troops along the Zhengtai Railway were transferred to Taiyuan, and attacked from behind the Eighth Route Army and the National Rescue Army. First attack the Eighth Route Army, then the National Rescue Army, and rescue Taiyuan!"

"The gendarmerie must also take action and arm all the expatriates who can go to the battlefield in Taiyuan City, so that they can use the military police to maintain public order in the city instead of the military police. The military police, as the military reserve headquarters of the entire army, are ready to go to the battlefield at any time."

"Then we will organize the spy brigade, police force, and the private armed forces of the Chinese who have been dedicated to the Imperial Army. We will draw a small team from the gendarmerie to manage them. We will divide the troops into three groups to reinforce the south, north of the city, and west of the city. At least three squadrons of the Imperial Army from there to serve as reserves to fight against the National Savior Army who attacked us from the east of the city!"

The Chief of Staff was frowning just now, racking his brains to think about ways to break the situation.

As soon as the commander finished speaking, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Captain, you are so awesome!"

"The city can arm at least 600 expatriates. They are more familiar with Taiyuan City than the gendarmerie, and can completely replace the gendarmerie to maintain Taiyuan public order."

"There are eight or nine hundred spy brigades and police officers formed by the Chinese. They can replace the three squadrons of the Imperial Army!"

"As far as I know, many Chinese people who work hard for the Imperial Army in the city have formed private guards. These guards are basically Chinese who leave the army. As long as they are given qualified weapons and ammunition, their combat effectiveness is not worse than that of the spy team!"

"I just checked it out. If we organize all these people, we can have more than seven or eight hundred troops!"

"In this way, the garrison in the city can increase from 4,000 to 6,000, and the 3,000 people who blocked the Eighth Route Army can be reduced. At least 3,000 people can be concentrated against the National Savior Army who came from the east of the city."

"Our troops can be reinforced immediately around Taiyuan, including two brigades of imperial troops and one regiment of imperial troops."

"The fastest unit can reach Taiyuan within four hours, and the slowest unit can reach Taiyuan in only eight hours!"

"I am absolutely sure to rely on the six thousand people in the city to support the reinforcements until they enter the city."

"With reinforcements, coupled with the food, weapons and ammunition we have reserved in the city, I am not afraid of siegeing the city by the Eighth Route Army and the National Salvation Army!"

"I will make arrangements for the Beizi now to ensure that a national rescue army and the Eighth Route Army will not be allowed to get close to the city wall!"

In the west of Taiyuan City, more than 800 Japanese and puppet troops were on high alert, all staring at the Eighth Route Army, which was building an offensive position outside the city with a vigilant look on their faces.

Although mortar shells can easily hit the opponent's positions, the Eighth Route Army was too scattered.

First, lie on the ground and dig a single bunker, wait until the single bunker is formed and then extend to both sides to form a long trench.

Mortars mainly rely on fragments to kill and injure the enemy. Unless the shells just hit the trenches, the fragments they exploded cannot hurt the Eighth Route Army hiding in the trenches no matter how densely they were.

When the Eighth Route Army began to dig trenches outside the city, the Japanese and puppet troops fired more than 200 artillery shells in a row, but only achieved few results.

Although Taiyuan City has reserved a large amount of weapons and ammunition, those things are not picked up for nothing. If they can be wasted, they will not be wasted. The Japanese captain decisively terminated this meaningless artillery attack.

So the scene appeared in front of you on the battlefield.

The Eighth Route Army dug trenches four or five hundred meters outside the city, and the Japanese and puppet troops guarded the city and watched. As long as they did not continue to approach the city, the Japanese and puppet troops would not fire guns and waste bullets.

The Eighth Route Army attacked the position. Because the trench had not yet been fully formed, the regiment commander had not entered the position for the time being. He lay behind a pile of soil not far from the trench to observe the city.

"The commander and investigators have heard news that about two squadrons of Japanese soldiers and a battalion of puppet troops marched towards Taiyuan City, as if they were reinforcements to Taiyuan, and there were less than fifteen kilometers away from us." A messenger suddenly touched the mound and reported.

"Well, the superiors' judgment is indeed correct!" The commander punched the mound of soil in front of him and shouted excitedly.

The political commissar was also very excited, but soon showed a worried expression and turned his head to look at his old partner to remind him: "Captain, the two squadrons of the Japanese and Japanese soldiers in one battalion have more than 600 people. The biggest battle our regiment has fought before has only ambushed less than 400 Japanese and puppet troops."

"We lost a total of 300 people in that battle, and there were more than 180 soldiers who died alone."

"The number of Japanese and puppet troops coming this time is almost twice as high, but our regiment's strength has not increased. Can we eat so many enemies in one bite?"

The Chief of Staff, who was lying on the other side, was also very worried.

If it weren't for the orders from superiors that had to be executed, they wouldn't even dare to attack Taiyuan.

The strength of the two sides is too great. A Japanese strengthening squadron equipped with at least three heavy machine guns, three mortars, more than seven light machine guns, and more than seven grenade launchers, with very strong firepower.

Although the entire independent regiment had more than 1,400 people, it was only equipped with two heavy machine guns, one mortar, and nine light machine guns, and ammunition was also very scarce. From the perspective of firepower alone, a strengthened squadron of the Japanese army could suppress the entire independent regiment to fight.

Although Taiyuan City has empty troops, there are still nearly 4,000 people. As long as they send a strengthening squadron out of the city, they can chase the independent regiment and fight.

But the leader was not worried about this issue.

This confidence started yesterday.

After receiving the order to attack Taiyuan, his thoughts were exactly the same as those of the Chief of Staff.

Although the superiors promised to add some equipment to the independent regiment before the start of the attack, and asked the independent regiment to draw a company to lurk outside Jinzhong City and standby to receive ammunition, the regiment commander did not have much hope.

Since the establishment of the Independent Regiment, the superiors have not only supported some cadres, but have never added a single shot and an ammunition, and have even transferred a lot of weapons and ammunition from the Independent Regiment.

Moreover, the regiment commander also knew the situation of the superior. In order to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the front-line combat troops, the superiors would send the weapons to the combat troops once they got good weapons.

Even the guard battalion directly under the headquarters was only equipped with three light machine guns, not to mention other troops.

It is even harder to get weapons and ammunition from your superiors than climbing to the sky.

The result surprised him.

The infantry company heading to Jinzhong not only brought back weapons and ammunition, but also heavy weapons and ammunition that the troops were in urgent need of.

There are five mortars alone, plus one mortar that already exists in the regiment, which just happened to gather a mortar company, and they also brought back a total of five hundred mortar shells.

The heavy machine guns were also brought back four heavy machine guns and directly expanded the heavy machine gun platoon in the regiment into a heavy machine gun company.

In addition, they also brought back ten light machine guns and 50,000 pneumatic machine gun bullets, which doubled the firepower level of the independent regiment.

With such a good weapon to lay down the foundation for yourself, the leader's appetite began to grow.

Not to mention that the Japanese army only had two infantry squadrons, even if they came to two reinforcement squadrons at once, the regiment commander would have the confidence to fight them.

As soon as his partner finished talking about his concerns, he replied firmly: "Political Commissar, you underestimate our independent group too much!"

"Sir should look at each other with admiration for three days after separation!"

"The current independent regiment is no longer the same as before. Although the artillery company and heavy machine gun company were established yesterday, we started training gunners and machine gunners a few months ago. Even if we have not yet formed combat effectiveness, it will definitely be fine to let them go to the battlefield."

"And the number of machine guns equipped by the three main battalions is twice as high as before, and the ammunition reserves are four or five times more!"

"Although the Japanese and puppet troops had more than 600, the real Japanese troops had only more than 300, and they were not equipped with heavy weapons!"

"And these Japanese and puppet troops have always looked down on our independent regiment. According to their previous arrogant personality, as long as the troops march together, we can't do anything to them."

"Now they are in a hurry to return to Taiyuan, and they will definitely adopt a group march."

"As long as we set up a pocket array, we will concentrate most of the light and heavy machine guns to specifically attack the Japanese soldiers walking in the middle of the team, and don't be afraid of wasting bullets. I promise that one round of firepower attacks can kill a Japanese soldiers with more than one squadron."

"The remaining Japanese will be suppressed by us and cannot move on the road. We will continue to kill dozens of them, and we will almost kill the two infantry squadrons."

"Then the troops rushed out of the position to fight bayonets and end the battle!"

The political commissar was afraid of poverty before. Although the troops had already formed mortar companies and heavy machine gun companies, the light machine guns equipped by each main battalion was twice as many.

However, when considering the combat plan, we still considered the issues according to the previous troops, and subconsciously ignored the artillery company, heavy machine gun company, and light machine gun company just added to each battalion, which caused the worry just now.

After listening to the regiment commander's explanation, the worry on his face disappeared instantly, and he answered confidently: "Captain, you are right. Soldiers should look at each other with admiration for three days. Our national-savior army is no longer the same as before. We can no longer consider fighting with old eyes!"

"I suggest using the independent battalion and guerrillas to replace the main force of the regiment, give the Japanese and puppet troops in the city a golden escape, and after fighting the Japanese and puppet troops reinforcements, they will fight back and continue to attack Taiyuan."
Chapter completed!