Chapter 202 The most dangerous place is the safest
On the Xingling Highlands, I saw that the counterattack troops were overwhelming, and a single attack killed the Japanese on the defensive position.
The surviving Japanese troops only lasted for less than three minutes before they began to collapse. The counterattack troops were like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, chasing the remaining Japanese soldiers in all directions. Kong Jie's clenched fists finally relaxed.
He took a long breath and ordered: "Let the counterattack troops not pursue too far..."
"I will only give you one hour to clean up the battlefield, and we will continue to penetrate Jinzhong after one hour!"
"Captain, I have a different opinion!" Huang Yu, who came in a hurry, happened to hear Kong Jie's order and objected without hesitation!
"I contacted the troops not to leave tonight, so I will hide near Xingling to rest, and at the same time, I can spare some time to train the troops..."
Seeing Kong Jie looking at him with confusion, Huang Yu immediately explained!
"No matter where we hide, as soon as it gets dark, the Japanese army will send aviation troops everywhere to look for us and bomb us!"
"If we don't want to be bombed, we must take it by surprise so that the Japanese can't figure out where we are hiding!"
"In the eyes of the Japanese, we will definitely evacuate the battlefield as soon as possible after killing the pursuers to avoid being surrounded by their reinforcements in Xingling."
"After daybreak, the little devils looking for us will definitely not search Xingling."
"We just went in the opposite direction and hid around Xingling to rest. Anyway, there are no Japs in the Japanese-occupied area who can threaten us. The troops took the opportunity to retrain and wait until dark tomorrow before setting off..."
Kong Jie was moved when he heard this: "This is a good trick to use unexpectedly!"
"The most dangerous place is the safest place. The Japanese would never think that we would hide under their noses for repairs!"
"Since the breakout, the main force has suffered heavy losses. The proportion of new recruits in many teams has exceeded 50%!"
"Although the recruits have all gone through recruit training, and some have even been on the battlefield, they can definitely be used as veterans!"
"But fighting depends on the overall combat effectiveness, not the individual."
"Only by integrating new recruits into the army as soon as possible can the main force regain its combat effectiveness."
"If we can take some time to integrate them, there will be absolutely no harm."
"Our rapid march is faster than many troops. Once the soldiers have regained their energy, replenished their equipment and ammunition, and then march again tomorrow night, it will be easy to get back the lost distance tonight!"
"I think this method is very feasible!"
Li Wensheng nodded: "I also agree with Staff Huang's proposal..."
Kong Jie immediately ordered: "Then this matter is settled!"
"The troops will withdraw from the battlefield in one hour. They will use the battalion as a unit to find temporary locations in the surrounding area, set up camp and rest on the spot, and set off again tomorrow night!"
"The guard camp will set off in an hour, proceed along the road for at least 20 kilometers, and find a camp on its own to camp secretly."
"Making a louder noise when leaving will definitely make the Japanese mistakenly think that the main force of the regiment has left Xingling!"
At the headquarters of the Japanese Fourth Mixed Brigade in Yangquan, Major General Miyazawa was pacing back and forth in the war room, anxiously waiting for the latest news from the front line!
Half an hour ago, they received a victory report from Songdao Daizuo: the return troops successfully blocked the independent regiment, surrounded them in Xingling, and were launching an attack.
Half an hour has passed and Songdao Dazuo has not sent back any message.
Major General Miyazawa more than once wanted the telegraph operator to send a telegram to Matsushima Ozuo to inquire about the latest battle situation...but he held back at the last moment.
It is most taboo for generals to send telegrams to frontline commanders during battle, put pressure on them by asking them about the battle situation, or even command troops at a higher level.
Major General Miyazawa is a very good senior commander, but he is unlucky. He suffered several defeats after encountering the independent regiment, but he is still very strong in other aspects... He will definitely not do such stupid things.
As they walked, Chief of Staff Harada Nakazuo was the first to lose his composure: "General, the encirclement and annihilation battle has lasted for more than half an hour!"
"We have three infantry brigades, and our opponent is just a reinforced regiment that has been disabled. No matter how strong the combat effectiveness is, it cannot be our opponent!"
"I think Captain Songdao has stabilized the overall situation even if he hasn't completely wiped out his opponents. How about we send him a telegram and ask."
Major General Miyazawa originally wanted to refuse, trying not to disturb the frontline commanders during the battle.
But what Harada Nakazuo said was very reasonable. As long as Matsushima Daizuo stabilized the overall situation, it would not have any impact if the headquarters sent them a telegram. He himself also wanted to contact the front line.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he decisively ordered: "Contact Matsushima Dazuo immediately and inquire about the situation of the battle!"
"Hayi..."
Harada Nakazuo couldn't wait for a long time. He rushed to the telecommunications room after replying...
From this moment on, Major General Miyazawa also turned his attention to the door of the telecommunications room, and did not move away until Harada Chuzuo hurried back.
But that was already ten minutes later.
Moreover, Harada Nakazao, who rushed out of the war room, was not as happy as he expected, with a sad look on his face, as if he had encountered something big.
Major General Miyazawa had a bad premonition after just one glance, and asked anxiously: "Have you contacted Matsushima Daizuo? How is the situation on the front line? Did something happen?"
Harada Chuzuo frowned and hesitated for a while before reporting: "General, we can't contact Matsushima Daizuo..."
"All other radio stations equipped by the returning troops have also lost contact!"
"I suspect something happened to them, but I can't figure out why!"
"The independent regiment defeated three of our brigades in succession last night, losing troops and losing morale... No matter from any aspect of analysis, it cannot be the opponent of the returning troops..."
"Songdao Dazuo has confirmed to us that the Independent Regiment is surrounded in Xingling and cannot escape...it means that the battlefield advantage is in their hands, and there is no chance of an accident!"
"The returning troops are numerous and powerful!"
"If something unexpected happens, there's no way we won't even have the chance to send a telegram!"
"Is there something wrong with their radio station?" a staff officer analyzed.
"Then it's impossible for three or four radio stations to have problems at the same time?" another staff officer retorted.
"Is it possible that the independent regiment is equipped with some new weapons that can interfere with the radio communication between us and the returning troops?" The staff officer who just spoke once again made a bold guess.
If this idea were normal, Major General Miyazawa would definitely call him nonsense.
The Eighth Route Army was poorly equipped and could not even afford a rifle per man. How could it possess advanced weapons that no one had heard of?
But at this moment, Major General Miyazawa hesitated.
Harada Nakazuo's analysis just now is very clear. The independent regiment does not have the strength to eat up the returning reinforcements in one go.
It is a fact that the returning troops have lost contact, and the radio station cannot be destroyed at the same time.
In addition to the interference of the radio signal and the interruption of communication between the two parties, Major General Miyazawa really could not think of any other reason to explain this incident.
Harada Zhongzuo hesitated and said: "General, the Eighth Route Army's equipment mainly comes from battlefield seizures. The Imperial Army is not equipped with such weapons, and they have no way to equip them if they want to!"
"I think there must have been an accident on the Xingling battlefield that we don't know about. We should send someone to the battlefield immediately to collect intelligence!"
"Ahem..."
Major General Miyazawa immediately realized how ridiculous his hesitation just now was, and quickly coughed to cover up the embarrassment on his face, and ordered: "The independent regiment can never be equipped with more advanced weapons than the imperial army!"
"I think Harada-kun's analysis is correct!"
"Immediately contact the strongholds and artillery towers around Xingling: they must not only continue to establish a blockade, but also send people deep into Xingling to find out what happened in the battle between the returning reinforcements and the independent regiment. The sooner the better!"
Brigadier Chen is leading the brigade headquarters to relocate in the dark.
At one o'clock in the morning, he decided to let the troops rest for a while before moving forward. At the same time, he turned on the radio to confirm the latest status of the headquarters, division headquarters, and independent regiment!
"Brigade commander...the headquarters and division headquarters have been contacted...very safe!" Chief of Staff Zhou reported happily.
"They are breaking out as planned. As long as we block the Japanese mopping up troops, their backs will be safe."
"Where is Kong Jie's independent regiment?" the brigade commander continued to ask.
"Their safety is related to whether our counter-mopping up can defeat the Japs at the minimum cost. It is related to the length of the entire counter-mopping up. There must not be any mistakes!"
Chief of Staff Zhou's face immediately became very serious: "Still contacting them!"
"Judging from the time, the Independent Regiment has arrived at Xingling and is fighting a decisive battle with the Japanese reinforcements there!"
"I don't know what Comrade Kong Jie's fighting style is, but he has always been steady. If he is not sure, he will definitely not fight this battle. I believe in him!"
Fifteen minutes later, there was finally movement from the radio operator.
Chief of Staff Zhou ran directly behind the operator. He read every word the operator wrote...
After just one minute of looking at it, my face lit up with joy.
After the operator received the telegram, before he could say anything, Chief of Staff Zhou snatched the telegram from his hand.
Xing hurriedly ran to the brigade commander to report.
"good news!"
"Brigadier Commander, Comrade Kong Jie did what he said... They really killed the little Japanese reinforcements..."
"Of the more than 3,000 Japanese troops, less than 300 managed to escape...the rest were all wiped out by the independent group..."
"The co-captain and the three captains, none of them slipped through the net and were all killed."
"How big is the loss of the independent regiment? Will it affect their raid on Jinzhong?" the brigade commander asked anxiously.
"The direct losses were less than 500 people!" Chief of Staff Zhou reported!
"Six to one casualties, how is this possible?" the brigade commander asked in surprise.
Chief of Staff Zhou continued his report: "Do you know how many shells they fired during the battle?"
"More than two thousand rounds...one shell killed one Japanese, and two infantry brigades were also blown up by them!"
"I don't know the specific battle process, but judging from the number of artillery shells they consumed. In the battle of Xingling, the Independent Regiment should have defeated the Japs by relying on their firepower advantage!"
The brigade commander waved his hand and said: "Ignore their fighting style for now, as long as they kill the Japanese reinforcements, they will have no opponents in the enemy-occupied areas, and they can finally penetrate into Jinzhong boldly with confidence!"
"Call Kong Jie back immediately... I'm not worried about other issues... The only thing I can't let go of is Japanese air support... Please make sure they are well prepared for air defense during interspersed operations, and don't be targeted by Japanese aviation!"
