"Captain, the little Japs are so cunning. They actually let two Japs go to the front to die. No matter how many mines we have, we can't blow up even one Japs... What should we do?" a small captain asked anxiously.
"Why are you so anxious? Are the Japanese Japs not enemies anymore..." Captain Zhou retorted angrily.
"Just now two landmines killed eight or nine Japanese Japs. If I calculate that one landmine killed four Japanese Japs, the two hundred landmines in our hands can kill at least 800 Japanese Japs!"
"Rabbits will bite when they are in a hurry. Do you think those Japanese devils on the road will watch them being used as cannon fodder, killed by landmines and injuring more than 800 people, and remain indifferent?"
"Taking a step back, even if 200 landmines really only kill more than 800 Japs, we won't suffer a loss!"
"Without the help of the two Japs, the Japanese army would have no one to serve as cannon fodder when they reached the Tutu Temple. They would have to bear the bullets and launch the attack. By then, they would have no place to hide, and they would still be wiped out by us."
"Besides, landmines are just one of the means we use to sneak attack the Japanese and puppet troops. Battalion Commander Huang also prepared 10,000 rounds of machine gun bullets and 500 grenades for us!"
"When using these weapons and ammunition, we can specifically target the devils in the team!"
When I looked up, I saw that the Japanese and puppet troops that had just stopped were moving again.
More than a hundred puppet troops took the lead. In order to detonate all the landmines on the road, at the request of the Japanese, they marched forward in dense formation.
More than fifty Japanese soldiers followed closely behind. Many of them held rifles in their hands and pointed their gleaming bayonets at the two Japanese soldiers in front, forcing them to move forward quickly!
"The little devil is trying to use the puppet troops as human minesweepers, forcing them to go to the front of the team until they are tired... It's really cruel..."
"But our county brigade is not a vegetarian. Since those Japs are willing to sacrifice their lives for the Japs, don't blame us for being rude..."
"Continue to lay mines... I will scare the Japanese who are detecting mines in front of me, and they will not dare to take another step forward!"
"We are also ready to act!"
"When the landmine explodes, shoot and attack the Japs. If the Japs dare to send troops to chase them, I don't mind taking the pursuing troops into the mountains to fight guerrillas and annihilate them all!"
"Boom boom..."
In less than ten minutes, two more explosions were heard from the Japanese forward troops, and at the same time there was a series of gunshots.
Four or five people in the Japanese army fell instantly.
The other Japanese soldiers nearby reacted very quickly, using rifles and light machine guns to fight back immediately. However, the rifles and machine guns that attacked them stopped after only one round, and then they saw a few blurry figures retreating quickly...
Facing the quickly disappearing county brigade's sneak attack troops, the Japanese had no choice but to watch them leave.
When one of his subordinates suggested splitting up the troops to pursue him, Colonel Miyamoto opened his mouth and cursed.
The mission of the reinforcements is to quickly reach Ping'an County. The purpose of the guerrillas' sneak attack on them is nothing more than to slow down their march, force them to divide their troops, and reduce the combat pressure on the front blocking troops.
If you choose to divide your forces to pursue them, wouldn't that be in line with the Eighth Route Army's wishes?
Unless Colonel Miyamoto was stupid, he would never have made this decision.
Besides, the guerrillas have limited strength, poor equipment, and poor combat effectiveness. No matter how sneak attacks are carried out, they are piecemeal and cannot cause heavy losses to the reinforcements.
If you divide your forces to pursue the guerrillas, the separated troops are likely to fall into the quagmire of guerrilla warfare and end up with the entire army destroyed, and the losses will be huge.
As for the landmines, those who died were all Imperial Army troops anyway. Colonel Miyamoto ignored them completely and ordered the troops to move on without hesitation.
"Captain, the Japs have neither divided their forces to chase us, nor arranged for engineers to clear mines... They continue to march forward in a hurry, how can we fight next!" The subordinates approached Captain Zhou and asked.
Their mission was not only to consume the effective strength of the Japanese and puppet troops, but also to slow down their marching speed.
If the Japanese and puppet troops arrive at the Tutu Temple on time, no matter how many Japanese and puppet troops the county brigade kills, it will not complete the mission.
"Increase the frequency of sneak attacks... and bury the mines at a higher density. When encountering suitable terrain, prepare several serial mines for them!" Captain Zhou ordered in a deep voice.
"When we kill two to three hundred of the Japanese and puppet troops and feel the pain, they will naturally take us seriously and divide their forces to hunt us down!"
At the headquarters of the Baipogou Independent Regiment, Chief of Staff Li Wensheng was reporting on the ambush plan he had just made.
"Commander, the reinforcements on the left wing have the smallest strength. There are only more than 600 Japanese soldiers. The total strength of one battalion of the Imperial Association Army is less than 1,000 people. I plan to hand them over to the command of the 1st and 5th battalions, Shen Quan!"
"Send them ten more thunder cannons and three mortars. It shouldn't be a problem."
"The second battalion, three county brigades, and more than a dozen district squads are blocking the Japanese and puppet troops in the middle!"
"They have the largest number of troops. Including the puppet troops, there are 3,500 people, and they also bring a lot of artillery!"
"There are nearly 2,000 people in the Second Battalion plus local troops. We will use guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare to block them at all levels. We should be able to trap them in our defense area."
"The third battalion, the fourth battalion, the sixth battalion, and the guard battalion, all under the command of the regiment headquarters, ambush the Japanese and puppet reinforcements on the right!"
"There are more than 2,300 Japanese and puppet troops. With the current strength of four battalions, it is difficult to swallow them up in one go!"
"I decided to ambush in sections!"
"Let's attack first, weaken their spirit, and kill three or four hundred of them..."
"Cut them off again, kill three to four hundred of them, and finally use a blockade and ambush to annihilate all opponents and end the battle!"
"The ambush battlefield and specific tactics for ambushing the Japanese and puppet troops on the left wing were determined by Shen Quan himself. He is more familiar with the terrain there than we are!"
"I have already chosen the battlefield to ambush the Japanese and puppet troops on the right wing. As long as the regiment leader nods, I will make arrangements immediately!"
Kong Jie studied the map carefully and then ordered: "Let the baggage battalion protect the battalion headquarters to prevent Japanese and puppet agents from taking the opportunity to cause trouble!"
"Send some of the landmines and grenades that Xiao Huang bought to Shen Quan and the Second Battalion, especially the Second Battalion. If they are used properly, the power of landmines on the battlefield is no less than that of artillery!"
"I have no objection to other aspects!"
"But I want to personally direct the right-wing ambush battle!"
"Add one more sentence to Shen Quan's order. He must make a quick decision and end the battle as soon as possible."
"If there is a chance, after the ambush begins, knock off the radio first to prevent the Japanese from spreading the news of the attack."
"After the battle is over, leave the wounded to clean up the battlefield, and other troops will immediately reinforce the Second Battalion!"
Chief of Staff Li Wensheng looked surprised. After being confused for a while, he stared at Kong Jie and asked: "Commander, you don't want to eat the Japanese and puppet troops in the middle!"
Kong Jie didn't recognize them all. He looked at the map and said expectantly: "As long as the conditions are ripe and the little devils give us a chance, it's not a bad idea to eat them! This is called eating one in your mouth, holding one on your chopsticks, and watching one with your eyes!"
Li Wensheng still looked shocked and continued to ask: "But do we have such a big appetite?"
"It all depends on human effort!" Kong Jie said confidently.
"I used to be very cautious in fighting. After staying with Xiao Huang for a long time, I became bolder!"
"This boy's battles may seem risky, but in fact he has planned every battle... As long as we make full use of our superiority in troops, firepower, and terrain, we can win even the most difficult battles!
"
"that's the truth……"
"I couldn't even imagine such a big battle like the raid on Taiyuan before. But with the help of Huang Yu, we won the battle and annihilated the Japanese and puppet troops that were several times larger than ours!"
"The three Japanese and puppet troops passing through the border are indeed very strong. Taken together, their total strength is greater than ours, and their equipment is better than ours. It seems that the enemy is strong and we are weak, and there is no chance of victory. But we are not annihilating them all in one battle.
"
"The three ambush battles are preceded and followed. In each battle, we can concentrate twice the strength and firepower advantage to launch an attack. In addition, we also have the advantage of terrain. As long as we grasp the time well, there will be a total of three ambush battles.
It’s hard for us to lose in a big battle!”
Li Wensheng was convinced and stared at the map to analyze: "Three ambush battles, Shen Quan will start first!"
"With Shen Quan's commanding ability and our military superiority, this battle should go very smoothly, with no more than 500 casualties!"
"In this way, he can gather at least 1,000 people to reinforce the Second Battalion, and our total strength to deal with the Japanese and puppet troops in the middle will exceed 3,000 people."
"Relying on the advantage of the terrain, it will definitely be no problem to hold them back!"
"The number of Japanese and puppet troops ambushing the right flank exceeds 3,000. It doesn't seem like there is much strength advantage. However, we carried out this ambush in three steps. At each step, we were able to gather at least twice the strength and firepower advantage to attack the enemy."
"If nothing else happens, we should be able to end the battle within ten hours and control the casualties to less than a thousand people!"
"In this way, we can gather another 2,000 main troops to reinforce the Second Battalion!"
"After the Second Battalion and more than a thousand local troops harassed us along the way, the puppet troops would lose hundreds of people if they fought for more than three thousand days, and the total force would definitely be reduced to less than three thousand."
"Our total strength exceeds five thousand people..."
"Same as ambushing the Japanese and puppet troops on the right, launch the attack in stages and eliminate the enemies one by one. As long as there is enough time, there is a high chance of annihilating them all!"
Kong Jie suddenly interjected: "Even if we don't have enough time, we can still create our own time!"
"Our defense zone is more than a hundred miles deep, and eighty or ninety miles of the Japanese and puppet troops' march route in the middle is in our defense zone!"
"Our defense area is not a hotel. The little devils can come and leave whenever they want!"
"By the time Li Yunlong's battle is over, the Japanese and puppet troops on the middle route have already penetrated forty or fifty miles into our base area!"
"As long as we set up layers of defenses on this stretch of road and slowly fight them off, we will have plenty of time to eliminate them!"
"This plan is set for now!"
"As long as the first two ambush battles go smoothly and the troop casualties are within control, we will mobilize heavy troops to deal with the Japanese and puppet troops in the middle and keep them in our defense zone!"
"In this way, the strength of the Japanese and puppet troops in our defense zone will be reduced by at least 40%!"
"Unless Yoshio Shinozuka sends more troops to northwestern Shanxi, they will be able to remain cowardly for a long time in the future and not dare to take the initiative to attack us."
"The Independent Regiment will also usher in a period of peaceful development...continue to grow and develop!"
