"Wait a minute... are you sure that the rear troops were really attacked by the two main battalions of the Eighth Route Army!" The adjutant started to panic a little and stared at the operator with disbelief and asked.
The radio operator had never been to the battlefield, and he did not know the specific situation of the rear troops. He could only raise his hand and report: "That's what the telegram said!"
"I don't think they would lie about military information and deceive the commander on such a big matter!"
"The two sides are so close to each other, and the reconnaissance team will know everything after a little investigation!"
"The situation is not right!" the adjutant retorted again.
"There is at least one battalion of the Eighth Route Army standing in front of us..."
"No, it should be two battalions... We just exchanged fire. We have used artillery fire to consume one battalion's strength. They can still hold the position and repel the attacking troops, which shows that there are still a large number of Eighth Route Army troops in the blocking position..."
"I guess both of their battalions are missing!"
"The flank of the offensive position was also attacked by the Eighth Route Army, with a strength of about one battalion..."
"The main force in the rear was attacked by four groups of Eighth Route Army at the same time. Even if there is only one reinforced company in each place, there are still two main battalions in total."
"Coupled with the two battalions that besieged the rear troops, seven main battalions have appeared around us..."
"But the intelligence shows that there are at most four battalions of the Eighth Route Army around us, including a cavalry battalion..."
"Where did the extra main battalions come from!"
The sounds of firefights coming from the battlefield couldn't be faked. After the adjutant's analysis, Ando's face became more and more serious, and he immediately ordered: "Hurry up and contact the rear troops..."
"Immediately break through the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army and move closer to the main force..."
"The main force simultaneously sent troops to meet the rear troops. After the two troops merged, they immediately moved closer to the offensive position..."
"No matter what the conspiracy of the Independent Regiment is, how many Eighth Route Army are there around us? As long as we gather all the troops together and form a ball, no matter how many Eighth Route Army there are, they won't be able to easily capture us!"
The adjutant glanced at the blocking position that was once again covered in gunpowder smoke and suddenly asked: "Then should we continue to attack Baipogou?"
"Of course!" Ando Daizuo said without hesitation.
"Baipo Valley is the location of the headquarters of the Independent Regiment. By capturing Baipo Valley, we can not only boost the morale of the troops, but also destroy the morale of the Independent Regiment, killing two birds with one stone!"
"And the terrain under our feet is not suitable for defense!"
"If the Independent Regiment really wants to gather us together and annihilate them, we should capture Baipogou and rely on the terrain there to wait for reinforcements, rather than huddle here and wait to be wiped out by the enemy!"
"The artillery continues to cover the independent regiment's blocking position with artillery fire!"
"Find a way to organize an additional 500 offensive troops, and increase the number of heavy machine guns and mortars to provide fire cover to a squadron. The next round of attack must break through the front blocking position and seize Baipogou!"
Ando Daizuo said the last words through gritted teeth, with his hands clenched into fists, which shows how determined he is to capture Baipogou.
In front of the enemy headquarters of the Independent Regiment, they heard the sound of firefights coming from several points along the highway, and the Japanese troops at the rear were also besieged. Kong Jie finally felt relieved.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Li Wensheng running towards him with a smile.
"Regiment Commander, the 2345th Battalion, the 6th Battalion... launched the attack on the Japanese and puppet troops on time, and all units are progressing smoothly!"
"Especially the Sixth Battalion, Comrade Huang Yu arranged for the Third Battalion, artillery platoon, and thunder artillery platoon to support them..."
"Nearly a thousand troops, under the cover of eight mortars and six thunder cannons, broke through the Japanese and puppet army's security positions in just one attack and entered their main position!"
"According to their current attack pace, they can wipe out all the hundreds of puppet troops in half an hour at most!"
"What's going on with the main force of the Japanese and puppet troops parked on the road?" Kong Jie was very happy, but he didn't show it, but asked calmly.
"Divide your forces to reinforce the troops under attack!" Li Wensheng replied.
Kong Jie immediately showed a suspicious expression, looked at Li Wensheng with a face full of disbelief and asked: "Didn't you move closer to the offensive position? Or reinforce the rear troops?"
Li Wensheng shook his head: "There is no news in this regard for the time being!"
"Maybe the Japanese and puppet troops were suddenly attacked, and their commander hasn't responded yet!"
"Maybe the Japanese and puppet troops on the road haven't received the order to assemble!"
Kong Jie replied: "No matter what the reason is, the later the Japanese and puppet troops gather on the highway, the easier it will be for us to divide and surround them!"
"Regiment commander, chief of staff...the enemy on the highway is moving!" an observation post suddenly reported!
"Are you going to attack the position?" Kong Jie asked anxiously, while raising his binoculars to look at the battlefield.
"It seems that they are going to meet the rear troops!" the observation post replied.
Kong Jie quickly found the Japanese and puppet troops who were gathering.
Among them, more than 200 Japanese and puppet troops have already begun to take action, holding various weapons in hand, marching quickly to kill the troops at the rear.
Kong Jie's just-suspended heart relaxed again, and he said with a happy face: "When people's hearts are not enough, a snake swallows an elephant like a snake... The little devil played a stupid trick on himself!"
"If we go to meet the rear troops now, wouldn't that give us an opportunity to divide and surround them?"
As he spoke, he turned his attention to Li Wensheng: "Chief of Staff... It seems that God is on our side in today's decisive battle..."
"You immediately go to the front line to supervise the battle, let the 2345th Battalion strengthen the offensive, use the fastest speed to separate the Japanese and puppet troops on the surrounding road, launch an attack at the same time, and fight with them!"
"When the Japanese army realizes the danger, they will definitely send planes to support them!"
"We must join the enemy in a melee before the Japanese planes arrive on the battlefield, otherwise a large number of troops will surely die in the hands of the planes!"
"Regiment commander, chief of staff...the Japanese and puppet troops on the offensive position have also moved..." another observation post reported.
"It seems they are going to continue attacking the first battalion!"
Kong Jie raised the telescope and looked at it for half a minute, then his eyes shone brightly and he said: "God help me..."
"The artillery battalion and the cavalry battalion have an opportunity to raid the Japanese artillery positions!"
"My order is that after the third round of attacks by the Japanese and puppet troops against the blocking positions begins, the artillery battalion will immediately cover the Japanese offensive positions with artillery fire, and cover the cavalry battalion's raid on the Japanese artillery positions..."
"Tell Chen Daliang and Zhang Dashan!"
"The turning point of the decisive battle lies with them!"
"By taking down the Japanese artillery positions, our artillery fire will dominate the entire battlefield and suppress the remaining Japanese and puppet troops on the battlefield!"
"The artillery must give full play to its training level...use the strongest firepower to blast the Japanese and puppet troops on the Mongolian offensive position, and do not allow them to block the cavalry of the cavalry battalion!"
"The assault speed of the cavalry battalion must be fast enough. Don't worry about the Japanese and puppet troops elsewhere. At all costs, go straight to the Japanese artillery position and take it down!"
"Contact Comrade Huang Yu immediately... The assault battalion will immediately reinforce the cavalry battalion and artillery battalion, and cooperate with them to occupy the Japanese artillery positions and defend the artillery positions!"
"Inform First Battalion Commander Shen Quan again!"
"We will raid the Japanese artillery positions and offensive positions when they launch their third round of attack!"
"The first battalion must not only hold the position, but also be ready to launch a counterattack against the Japanese and puppet troops at any time, cooperate with the cavalry battalion, artillery battalion, and assault battalion to completely wipe out the attacking troops and capture their offensive positions!"
"As long as the battle is done there, the Japanese and puppet troops in other places will be easy to deal with!"
The Japanese and puppet troops were attacking the position, and when they heard the sound of firefights coming from behind became more and more intense, a bad premonition slowly flashed through the adjutant's mind.
However, Ando Daizuo was still very determined to attack the blocking position and capture Baipogou. As a subordinate, the adjutant could not pour cold water on the commander at the last moment of the attack, so he could only temporarily suppress his inner uneasiness.
"Start the attack..." Ando Daizuo ordered with confidence.
For more than five hundred days, the puppet troops immediately rushed out of the offensive position, like a wave of waves, sweeping towards the blocking position.
Heavy machine gun squadrons and mortar squadrons providing covering fire simultaneously joined the battle.
Bullets and mortar shells replaced the heavy artillery shells just now and continued to hit the blocking position.
Seeing this scene, Ando Daizuo became more confident in taking the blocking position.
Holding the binoculars, his eyes never left the attacking troops, intending to watch them capture the blocking position with his own eyes.
"Sir...the troops behind you have an urgent call..." the radio operator hurried over to report.
"They were suppressed by the Eighth Route Army on a stretch of road more than 100 meters long. More than half of the troops suffered casualties, and they could hardly hold on!"
The good mood was interrupted. Ando Dazuo felt very unhappy. He frowned and asked: "Didn't I ask the main force to send people to respond to them? Haven't the supporting forces broken through the Eighth Route Army encirclement yet?"
Say Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here.
When the operator didn't know how to answer this question, a messenger came to the rescue in time: "Sir..."
"The responding troops were desperately blocked by the Eighth Route Army..."
"The opponent is equipped with a large number of light and heavy machine guns and mortars...the troops suffered heavy casualties, and it is almost impossible to meet the rear troops!"
"Sir... something big has happened!" Another messenger ran over with an anxious look on his face, and his words were a little awkward.
"Two Eighth Route Army troops marched onto the road under the cover of artillery fire...the main force was divided into three by them..."
"These Eighth Route Army troops are setting up a defense line in place and want to completely separate us..."
The adjutant's bad feeling grew stronger and stronger.
In times of crisis, he couldn't care less about whether his next words were pouring cold water on him, so he looked at Ando Daizuo and said.
"Sir, we must not let the Eighth Route Army carry out its conspiracy to divide us..."
"Otherwise, they can gather superior troops and firepower on local battlefields to surround and annihilate our divided troops, defeat them one by one, and eliminate us here bit by bit!"
Ando Daizuo was not a fool. When he heard the words "divide and encircle", he saw the Eighth Route Army's conspiracy and immediately ordered: "We have limited troops and cannot control the rear troops!"
"Inform the main force to recruit me immediately, faster!"
"While the Eighth Route Army's intersecting troops have not yet gained a foothold, launch an attack immediately... Kill them as quickly as possible and march towards me!"
"We continue to attack the blocking position...take it down as quickly as possible..."
"Then the entire army will advance forward in a surprise attack, capture Baipogou, establish a circular position there, and wait for reinforcements!"
"Immediately send a telegram to the military headquarters: Just say that we are being attacked by seven main battalions of the Eighth Route Army... Please sweep up the troops on the left and right and move closer to us immediately!"
"At the same time, contact the aviation force and ask them to rush to the battlefield immediately and attack the Eighth Route Army attacking us from the air!"
"Treading on the Stars"
It was only then that Ando Ozuo realized the danger and tried to unite all his troops. However, his ultimate goal in the battle at Baipogou did not change. Little did he know that Kong Jie was waiting for him to attack the blocking position.
The harder they attack, the greater the chance that the artillery battalion and cavalry battalion of the independent regiment will successfully raid the heavy artillery position.
At the Japanese military headquarters in Taiyuan, Yoshio Shinozuka was standing in front of the sand table to listen to the latest enemy situation report.
Every time his subordinates talked about mopping up troops in the middle, his eyes would light up and he would ask two questions.
Especially today.
If nothing unexpected happens, in another two or three hours, the central mopping up troops will be able to capture Baipogou and severely damage the independent regiment headquarters...
What is strange is that in the current round of enemy situation reports, the combat staff did not mention the middle mopping up troops.
Yoshio Shinozuka was particularly concerned about whether the troops could capture Baipogou, and couldn't help but ask: "Where did the middle-route mopping up troops go?"
"I haven't received their telegram yet!" the staff officer replied.
"The last time we contacted them, they were blocked by the Eighth Route Army two kilometers southwest of Baipogou!"
"Almost an hour has passed. From the analysis of their attack rhythm in the past few days, they should have broken through the Eighth Route Army's blocking position and are marching quickly to attack Baipogou!"
"Then just wait!" Yoshio Shinozuka said cheerfully, not worrying at all about the safety of the troops in the middle route.
The intelligence collected by the military headquarters and the enemy situation report all showed that there were only three or four battalions of the Eighth Route Army surrounding the central sweep force, and the total strength did not exceed 2,000.
It's daytime again now, and the middle sweep troops can call for air support at any time.
No matter how you analyze it, no accident will happen to them...
Just when Yoshio Shinozuka was eagerly waiting for Ando Daisaku's victory report, the communications staff suddenly rushed into the war room with a panicked expression. Anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that he had brought bad news.
Yoshio Shinozuka also noticed it, but did not associate the bad news with the central mopping up troops.
As long as nothing happens to the mopping up troops in the middle, no matter what accidents happen to other troops, it will not change the overall situation of severely damaging the independent regiment.
Looking at the calm look on the communications staff officer's face, he asked: "What's going on? How unbecoming is it to panic? You're still a lieutenant!"
"Reporting to your Excellency, Commander... something happened to the middle sweep troops attacking Baipogou!" the lieutenant still reported with a panic expression, because the news he brought was too shocking.
"They were besieged by four main battalions of the Eighth Route Army, equipped with a large number of mortars and light and heavy machine guns!"
"The rear troops are almost completely destroyed, and the main force of the mopping up troops is also at risk of being divided and surrounded by them!"
"Ando Daizuo is commanding the troops to break through the Eighth Route Army's last blocking position, seize the Baipo Valley, and rely on the favorable terrain of the Baipo Valley to wait for reinforcements!"
"Please immediately contact the military headquarters to contact the left and right mopping up troops, and ask them to consider heading toward Baipogou to form a larger encirclement around the Eighth Route Army, so that the Eighth Route Army that besieged them can be gathered together and annihilated!"
"This is impossible?" The communications staff officer had already sent the telegram to Yoshio Shinozuka, but he still shouted with an expression of disbelief.
Not only him, but other people in the war room, including the chief of staff, were also stunned by the bad news and did not react for a long time.
