"Commander..." Huang Yu suddenly spoke while staring at the map.
"Only dispatching two main regiments from the independent brigade to support the base area in the center will not cause the Shijiazhuang garrison to relax its vigilance."
"I propose to dispatch two main regiments, all tank troops, heavy artillery troops, and half of the mountain artillery troops to make a rapid march back to the base area to support them."
"Leave one main regiment and half of the mountain artillery unit to continue attacking Shijiazhuang."
"Shijiazhuang has been broken through by us. Both the enemy and ourselves are engaged in street fighting in the city. Heavy artillery and tank troops have no role in the street fighting. It is better to return to the base area to support."
Kong Jie knew Huang Yu so well that he immediately asked: "Speak out all your thoughts..."
"The street fighting that took place in Shijiazhuang City did not require heavy artillery and tanks, but the small group of Japanese troops in our base area for encirclement and suppression activities also did not need them."
"Your boy named them to return to the base for reinforcements. He must have other ideas."
Huang Yu smiled and said: "Sure enough, I can't hide anything from the commander..."
"The purpose of my dispatching heavy artillery and tanks to return reinforcements is indeed not to encircle and suppress the Japs in the base area, but to attack Shijiazhuang on the edge of the base area."
"The initiative on the battlefield cannot remain in the hands of Neji Okamura."
"They can attack in the east and in the west and force the independent brigade to return to support the base by destroying our base area."
"We can also take the initiative to attack Baoding, disrupt Ning Okamura's operational plan of attacking east and west, and take the opportunity to consume the Baoding garrison. When we end the internal fighting in the base area, Baoding's small garrison will also be almost consumed. When other troops of the independent brigade lead
With the artillery returning to the base area from Shijiazhuang, we can immediately launch a general attack on Baoding, and defeat it in one battle, allowing Okamura Neiji to lose his wife and troops."
Kong Jie's eyes lit up and he said: "Okamura Neji's attention is all on our base area and Shijiazhuang right now, and he definitely has no time to take care of Baoding."
"Li Yunlong led his team through Baoding and then stopped directly to launch an attack. He will definitely catch the Baoding garrison off guard. This is a good method."
"It will not only make the Japanese army think that we have been fooled by his attacks in the east and west, and then relax their vigilance, creating an opportunity for us to capture Shijiazhuang and consume a large number of Baoding garrison, but also make the little Japanese active in our base area afraid to easily fight with us.
Kill two birds with one stone.”
"I will send a telegram to Li Yunlong now to convey your battle plan and ask him to make plans immediately."
…………
Outside Shijiazhuang City.
Li Yunlong's thoughts had long since shifted from street fighting in the city to the base area.
Although Shijiazhuang has been captured and the street fighting in the city has resulted in the Japanese and puppet troops retreating steadily, this has nothing to do with the Independence Brigade.
His goal was to call for reinforcements and kill the reinforcements that Okamura Neji might have sent from Baoding and Xiong County.
Kill them, and the deadlock between the Yizhong Eighth Route Army and the Japanese and puppet troops will be broken, and the battlefield advantage and initiative will return to the hands of the Yizhong Eighth Route Army.
Time passed minute by minute, and the brigade headquarters did not receive any news about the dispatch of troops from Baoding and Xiong County.
Could it be that Neji Okamura would rather give up Shijiazhuang than Baoding and Hexiong County... This is a thought that pops up in Li Yunlong's mind from time to time.
But he soon shook his head and rejected the idea.
Shijiazhuang is the provincial capital of HEB. Its geographical location and political influence are not comparable to those of Baoding and Xiongxian.
Baoding Hexiong County took on the important task of besieging the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong, but it was still not as important as Shijiazhuang.
No matter how you analyze it, the Japanese army will not just watch Shijiazhuang be conquered by them.
Just as he was pacing back and forth at the headquarters with his hands ready, thinking about why Okamura Neji hadn't dispatched troops from Baoding and Xiong County to reinforce Shijiazhuang, the hurried figure of the radio operator finally appeared at the entrance of the headquarters.
"Report to the chief, urgent call from the divisional headquarters..."
"The commander requires the independent brigade to immediately divide its troops and return to the base area to support..."
"No, they were probably planning to return to the base area for reinforcements, but when they got to the edge of Baoding, they suddenly turned and went directly to attack Baoding County."
"Ningji Okamura deployed more than 7,000 puppet troops from Baoding and Xiongxian each to attack our base area. The remaining troops are trying to find ways to encircle and annihilate them."
"The independent brigade was asked to take advantage of the Japanese army's attention being focused on Shijiazhuang and our base area to suddenly attack Baoding and catch the Baoding garrison off guard."
…………
Shijiazhuang Garrison Headquarters.
Major General Fujita looked very ugly. Lunch was placed on the table, but he had no appetite at all.
The development of street fighting in the city completely exceeded his expectations.
The prepared street battle also turned into a chaotic battle. The troops under his command could not find the attacking troops of the Eighth Route Army, and the attacking troops of the Eighth Route Army could not find the defensive troops under their command.
Both the enemy and ourselves are hiding in the dark. Whoever is more vigilant can discover the opponent first, strike first, and gain the initiative on the battlefield.
In Major General Fujita's original plan, the street fighting troops laid dragnets on every street and alley in the city.
As long as the Eighth Route Army dares to attack, they can turn those alleys and streets into hell on earth and kill all the Eighth Route Army who enter the pocket formation.
As a result, after the battle started, the Eighth Route Army abandoned the streets and alleys and launched an attack directly from behind the street fighting troops.
As a result, all the street fighting fortifications they had deployed in advance were useless.
Of course, this is not what really worries Major General Fujita.
In his original battle plan, if the Eighth Route Army launched attacks along alleys and streets, it would definitely suffer heavy losses and pay a huge price.
Even if the street fighting troops under his command would suffer heavy losses in the battle, the Eighth Route Army's casualties would definitely far exceed its own.
He's not bragging.
As long as the entire street battle goes as planned, it will definitely be no problem to replace one soldier under his command with three Eighth Route Army soldiers.
As a result, the Eighth Route Army did not follow common sense, and the casualties on both sides in the battle also changed immediately.
Because the Eighth Route Army was better at fighting guerrillas and sneak attacks, they slowly regained the initiative on the battlefield when both the enemy and ourselves were in the dark.
There were intersperses, raids, and from time to time long-distance artillery raids, which caused more casualties to the defensive troops under his command than to the Eighth Route Army's offensive troops.
If several of his subordinates hadn't reported this to him, Major General Fujita wouldn't have believed it was true.
If the defense forces under his command cannot make a breakthrough in the street fighting in the city, reduce casualties, change tactics in a timely manner, and kill more Eighth Route Army troops, the few remaining troops in the city defense forces may not be able to hold on for even two days.
How can you ask Major General Fujita to eat under such circumstances?
But there were no troops in hand, and the street fighting in the city turned into a mess. No matter how anxious Major General Fujita was, he was beyond his reach and could not change anything.
At this moment, his only hope is that Commander Okamura can make a breakthrough soon.
As long as the Yizhong Independent Brigade withdraws from the battle, the remaining regiments of the ordinary Eighth Route Army will be much easier to deal with.
