I don’t know how long it took, but the long-lost voice of the telegraph operator finally sounded at the headquarters.
"The troops reinforcing the Taikou stronghold just sent an urgent call..."
"They were attacked by the Eighth Route Army two kilometers away from the battlefield..."
"The enemy first assembled more than 20 mortars to attack the reinforcements from a long distance, blowing us apart, and then dispatched two battalions of troops to launch a counterattack against us..."
"The telegram also said... said..."
The operator held it in twice but failed to get out the contents of the telegram.
Although Lieutenant General Suzuki realized something was wrong from the operator's expression, he didn't take it too seriously. He stared at him and asked anxiously: "What are you talking about...don't hesitate like me..."
Seeing that the operator's face was flushed, he still couldn't hold back a word for a long time, and directly turned his attention to the Chief of Staff: "Chief of Staff, please read..."
As soon as the telegraph operator was released, he quickly handed the hot potato to the chief of staff and left quickly, fearing that the telegram he had just handed out would anger the division commander and burn him.
The chief of staff glanced at ten lines and read the entire contents of the telegram in a few seconds, and his face became solemn at the same time.
He frowned and glanced at the division commander before he bravely reported: "Division commander... we were fooled..."
"Your Excellency, the commander who is far away in Peiping, was also fooled by the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong.
"The Eighth Route Army attacking the blockade is very strong."
"Not only is the artillery fire powerful, but the infantry combat effectiveness is also very strong."
"The proportion of veterans in the team must be at least 70%."
"Minus the heavy weapons, the number of light weapons for the same force is better than that of the imperial army."
"Each main company is equipped with at least nine light machine guns..."
"The machine gun took the lead, the veterans followed closely, and the recruits followed at the end to clean up the battlefield, and launched a counterattack against the reinforcements under the cover of mortars..."
"Because the offensive firepower was too strong, the reinforcements were blown apart. The firepower was scattered and unable to form a strong blockade. The two sides were defeated by the Eighth Route Army as soon as they came into contact with the reinforcements..."
Lieutenant General Suzuki slumped down on the chair with a "plop...".
The news the telegram brought him was so shocking that it completely overturned his understanding of the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong.
Since he took office, the news he has received is that the Yizhong Eighth Route Army suffered heavy losses in the last major raid. The army has just been restored to full strength through expansion. The proportion of veterans does not exceed 30%. 70% of the recruits are ordinary people who have just picked up guns. Their combat effectiveness is very poor.
.
In order to prove these rumors and news, he specially sent scouts and intelligence personnel to conduct investigations into the Eighth Route Army base areas.
The results obtained were exactly as rumored.
Six regiments of the Eighth Route Army were stationed on the front line. After training under the noses of the blockade garrison, what the front line troops saw once again confirmed this rumor.
So everyone concluded that the Yizhong Eighth Route Army had less than 30% veterans and too many new recruits, and it would take at least three months to initially form combat effectiveness.
As a result, this fact that everyone believed to be true turned out to be completely wrong.
The ratio of new veterans to the Eighth Route Army in Yi Zhong was not seven to three as everyone thought, but three to seven. With one attack, they captured six of their own strongholds and severely damaged or destroyed the six reinforcements they sent.
Faced with this conclusion that subverted cognition, Lieutenant General Suzuki especially wanted to ask: "How did the Yizhong Eighth Route Army do it?"
When the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
The blockade garrison, including himself, made a mistake in judging the strength of the Eighth Route Army in the wing. As a result, the blockade garrison suffered heavy losses and six strongholds were breached. Such a big thing cannot be concealed. It must be reported to the front army headquarters immediately, and at the same time,
To make up for it, block the gap in the blockade that had just been opened by the Yizhong Eighth Route Army, and continue to besiege the Yizhong Eighth Route Army.
Otherwise, Okamura Neiji will definitely be punished for both crimes and be stripped of his position as division commander.
He forced himself to walk to the sand table and gave a serious order: "All the mobile troops stationed in Baoding will attack and take back all the strongholds just occupied by the Eighth Route Army in groups, and block the gaps in the blockade."
"All the artillery units left behind in Baoding were dispatched, and each reinforcement was required to be equipped with a mountain artillery brigade."
"The Eighth Route Army attacking the stronghold is equipped with twelve mountain field guns. Our artillery firepower must not be weaker than theirs. Otherwise, if the reinforcements rush out of Baoding, they will lose their wives and lose their troops..."
…………
The enemy stronghold in Tailin Town.
The weapons and ammunition that can still be used on the battlefield have been completely cleared out by the troops and are piled up like a hill in the open space at the entrance of the stronghold.
The group leader was studying the map with a flashlight, his expression very relaxed.
The political commissar squatted aside. Although his eyes were on the map, his mind was not here. From time to time he raised his head and glanced toward the southeast. His expression was very anxious, and there was a trace of worry in his eyes, as if he was waiting for something.
The group leader knew his old partner very well, so he patted him on the shoulder suddenly and confidently comforted him: "Political commissar..."
"The 1st and 2nd Battalions are the main battalions of our Third Regiment. If they can't even get the reinforcements from the Japanese and puppet troops, then all their good equipment will be in vain."
"With their fighting power, the troops will return here in half an hour at most with their trophies..."
Having said that, the worried expression in the political commissar's eyes will not dissipate until the attacking troops return safely.
In less than ten minutes, a team carrying torches appeared during the road attack, which was completely shrouded in darkness.
The guard force did not warn in advance, indicating that this force was their own.
Only then did the worry in the political commissar's eyes completely dissipate.
He turned to the group leader and asked, "Where should we fight next?"
"The reinforcements sent from the Gushan Township stronghold have just been killed by the 1st and 2nd Battalions. The defense of the stronghold is empty and it will definitely be easy to take down. How about we go there?"
The group leader shook his head and replied: "That's so boring."
"It's not easy to come across an opportunity to fight freely... If we want to fight, let's chew the bones..."
"The baggage train will return to the station immediately along with all the trophies we captured and the seriously wounded."
"The other troops will gather immediately, bring all the equipment and ammunition, abandon the Tailin Town stronghold, and march towards Guanping. Let's go fight the little Japs there."
The political commissar frowned and asked, "You just don't want Tailin Town anymore?"
"I thought you wanted to use Tailin Town as the center, expand the occupied area, and tear a big hole in the blockade line where the Japanese army surrounded us?"
"Suddenly bypassing the strongholds around Tailin Town and making a long-distance attack on the Guanping stronghold dozens of kilometers away, I can't figure out whether it would be too close and too far away."
"And if we just abandon Tailin Town, the Japanese army will definitely send troops to seize Tailin Town immediately in order to block the gap in the blockade. Then wasn't the battle we just fought in vain?"
The leader smiled and shook his head: "How can it be possible to fight hundreds of times..."
"Even if the Japs take over Tailin Town again, no one can deny the fact that we wiped out more than a thousand Japs in two battles."
