Chapter 690: We Lao Li never engage in loss-making business (second update)
Author: 574981
At the Japanese temporary headquarters in Baoding, Neji Okamura was just about to lie down on the table and relax for a while when the sound of the hurried footsteps of the communications staff came over.
When I looked up, I saw him reporting to me in a panic.
"Your Excellency Commander..."
"Something happened to the troops returning to Baoding..."
"This is the farewell telegram just sent by the co-captain..."
"The signal was cut off after only half of the message was received, and then we couldn't contact them."
"I suspect they have encountered an accident."
Okamura Neiji suddenly stood up from his chair, walked around the table and walked quickly to the sand table, and asked as he walked: "How can it be so fast?"
"Even if the main force of the Duer Regiment is besieging them."
"They also have two reinforced brigades."
"Why can't I last even an hour?"
"Is it possible that the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong is really the nemesis of the North China Front? The combat effectiveness of the troops will be sharply reduced when they encounter them."
A half-content farewell telegram said nothing clearly.
Faced with a series of questions from Neji Okamura, the deputy chief of staff could only choose to remain silent.
The communications staff officer handed the telegram to the deputy chief of staff and sneaked away, fearing that he would become the target of Neji Okamura's anger if he was not careful.
Okamura Neji is really annoyed now.
Returning to the reinforcements is your only chance to turn defeat into victory.
I thought I could kill the Duer Group by using them as bait.
Then use this as an opportunity to completely annihilate the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong and destroy the so-called Yizhong base area.
As a result, the entire battle plan had just begun, and the bait was killed by the Duer Regiment.
He was angry, but he didn't lose his mind.
As the commander of the North China Front, with hundreds of thousands of senior generals in charge, he knows better than anyone the importance of calmness to a commander.
The bait was gone, and the plan to besiege the Duer Regiment went bankrupt.
However, several thousand elite members of the Eighth Route Army in the sweep wing were still on the battlefield, and one of their troops was still on the way to reinforce the battlefield.
If their next action plan is not decided as soon as possible, it is very likely that another unit will sneak into the Eighth Route Army's pocket formation.
Immediately ordered: "Immediately contact the troops who are reinforcing the battlefield and ask them to return to Pingyang Town as quickly as possible."
"I'm worried that the main force of the Duer Regiment will immediately mobilize heavy troops to deal with them after destroying the returning reinforcements."
"If this unit is dragged on the battlefield, with the combat effectiveness just shown by the Duer Regiment, it is 80% likely to be a disaster."
"Notify Major General Fujita again that the troops will withdraw to Baoding early tomorrow morning."
"The mopping up troops are seriously under-strength and we cannot continue the fight, otherwise we will lose all our capital."
The deputy chief of staff was stunned after hearing the order. Seeing that Okamura Neji didn't answer for a long time, he thought he heard wrongly.
If the commander's order had just been sent out to the headquarters, it meant that the North China Front Army's mopping up the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong lasted only a few days and ended in a disastrous defeat.
As the direct commander and participant of this large-scale sweep, the commander must bear the main responsibility.
But he still decided to end the sweep. The deputy chief of staff couldn't understand.
Time is running out.
Okamura Neji didn't have time to explain to the deputy chief of staff, and continued in a commanding tone: "Everyone, please take action."
"Immediately convey the order I just gave to all the troops participating in the battle on the front line."
"Let them carry out the order and withdraw from Baoding as quickly as possible at the minimum cost."
"Otherwise, military law will be engaged.
Ten minutes later, the deputy chief of staff returned to the war room looking depressed.
As the deputy of Neji Okamura, he also has to bear a lot of responsibility for the big sweep that ended in a disastrous defeat.
I thought that this major sweep was personally directed by the commander, and there was no doubt that I would win. I came to Baoding just to gain military exploits and to show off my seniority.
I didn't expect to end up like this.
I felt both unwilling and helpless.
He mustered up the courage to ask Okamura Neji: "Your Excellency, Commander."
"I still don't understand my humble position..."
"On the frontline battlefield, we still have the superiority in troops and firepower. It is really frustrating to end the sweep in such a hasty manner."
Okamura Neji is more unwilling than anyone else.
But he knows better when to make a decision, when to cut off his strength and stop losses in time.
He explained with a look of helplessness: "I also want to continue fighting. The worst I can do is win a battle before ending the sweep."
"Give the higher ups an explanation."
"It's not like now, ending in a disastrous defeat. It's too embarrassing."
"But the opponent is very cunning. Whether it is the second regiment or the three garrison regiments, the combat effectiveness and troop strength far exceed our expectations."
"We believe that the Eighth Route Army killed one thousand enemies on the battlefield and suffered eight hundred losses to itself."
"After continuously inflicting heavy losses on the left and right mopping up troops, the Mancheng Defense Regiment and the Wangdu Defense Regiment have no more available troops."
"As a result, they not only captured Baoding, but also severely damaged the Baoding garrison, forcing me to send troops back from the front line for reinforcements."
The deputy chief of staff suddenly interrupted, and Neji Mookamura expressed his thoughts: "The defense regiment is difficult to fight, we can attack the independent regiment first."
"They just wiped out the returning troops, and the losses must be huge."
"The second wave of reinforcements sent by Pingyang Town includes infantry, cavalry, chariot troops, and artillery. They are very suitable for plain assaults."
"As long as the main force of the Duer Regiment has the guts to fight, I'm sure to kill them."
Okamura Neiji did not explain this problem, but looked at the deputy chief of staff with a serious face and asked: "Do you dare to establish a military order for what you just said?"
The deputy chief of staff was confused by this question and hesitated for a while without daring to answer directly.
Okamura Neiji continued: "You are the proposer of this action plan!"
"Even you can't guarantee the chance of victory. Do you think we can win this battle?"
The deputy chief of staff became hesitant again.
Okamura Neiji did not intend to keep him in trouble, and said bluntly: "Since we can't win this battle, we must stop the losses in time, minimize casualties, and allow more soldiers to return to Baoding alive."
"Otherwise, how can we conduct a second sweep of the Yizhong base area?"
"As a military commander, you must remember: war is not a child's play and cannot be fought based on ideas and personal wishes. All decisions must be based on facts, and decisions must be made when necessary."
"If you can't win, retreat. There is no need to stay in the Yi Zhong base and waste your troops."
"You can keep the green hills and you won't have to worry about running out of firewood."
"By keeping our troops, we will have a chance to make a comeback."
"If the troops are wiped out during the sweep, there will be no chance for revenge in the future, and Baoding may be in crisis."
"That's the true meaning of losing your wife and losing your troops."
The deputy chief of staff's face was full of helplessness.
But what Okamura Neji said was reasonable and well-founded, and he couldn't find a reason to refute it.
He could only continue to ask with an expression of reluctance: "What should we do with the three counties of Wangdu, Mancheng and Shunping that the mopping up troops successfully occupied?"
"How about leaving three brigades to occupy them?"
"We successfully recaptured three county towns from the Yizhong Eighth Route Army."
"This little bit of military exploits should be able to calm the anger of many people above."
Okamura Neji was also very moved when he heard it.
What worries him most now is that his troops have lost the battle, but they have no military exploits to show for it.
But the idea was quickly rejected.
Shaking his head, he replied with a bitter look on his face: "I want to occupy them too."
"But the Baoding garrison has not yet occupied their strength."
"If this sweep severely damages the Yizhong Eighth Route Army, only three brigades will be needed to control the three counties."
"But the Yizhong Eighth Route Army still has considerable combat effectiveness. It can defeat the heavily defended Baoding, let alone a small county like Shunping."
"We are now dividing our forces to occupy the three county towns, which will create various opportunities for the Yizhong Eighth Route Army to defeat them. Not only will we not be able to defend the three county towns, it will further increase our army's losses."
"Instead of wasting troops to defend three counties that are destined to be undefendable, it is better to give up directly and save the troops."
The deputy chief of staff was convinced by Okamura Neiji again.
I particularly agree with this analysis intellectually.
But I couldn't accept it emotionally.
More than 20,000 troops were mopped up, and they fought hard for several days. In the end, they gained nothing. Instead, they lost more than 10,000 troops and a large amount of equipment and ammunition.
In his memory, the North China Front Army has never fought such a humiliating battle since its establishment.
Okamura Neiji said again: "Although we failed in this sweep, we did not gain nothing..."
"Based on the results compiled by various mopping up troops."
"In this sweep, we eliminated a total of more than 6,000 Eighth Route Army troops, destroyed a large number of tunnel fortifications in the Yizhong base area, and at the same time found the latest method to crack the Eighth Route Army's tunnel warfare."
"When our army gathers enough troops to launch a new round of raids, these experiences and lessons will definitely make us unstoppable."
…………
On the top of the northern city wall of Baoding City, Li Yunlong was holding a telescope to observe the latest progress of the commando team.
"This shot was very good. It killed the enemy's heavy machine gun position with one shot. It was really fun..." Li Yunlong commented while watching.
"Deputy commander..." Huang Qi, the commander of the Mancheng Defense Regiment, stood nearby and reminded.
"The troops have advanced 500 meters, can we stop?"
Li Yunlong didn't even turn his head, but directly ordered: "Continue to attack forward..."
"Baoding is full of Japanese and puppet assets. We finally made the trip and entered the city. It would be a big loss if we don't get some benefits and go back."
"We can't take down the arsenal. We can take down some general material warehouses and seize some grain and supplies and take them back."
"Deng Jingye reported: Not many of the Japanese and puppet troops there have been transferred."
"It means that there are not many Japanese and puppet troops in the city, and they cannot threaten the safety of the commandos for the time being."
"Let them continue to attack forward and try to seize a few more material warehouses before retreating."
"You immediately send the mules and horses that are free from the baggage train to the north gate. We will take down a warehouse and empty it out. We must not take advantage of the little devil."
"Report to the deputy commander..." Before Huang Qi could move, he saw the radio operator running over in a hurry.
"The regiment commander sent us an urgent message. The ambush ended successfully. Let us evacuate the battlefield as soon as possible and take a detour back to the base area."
Li Yunlong obviously hadn't fought enough yet, so he couldn't help but muttered: "Kong Er did things too fast, and I didn't even have time to transport the loot."
Huang Qi hesitated and asked: "Deputy commander, do you want mules and horses..."
"Of course..." Li Yunlong said without hesitation.
"The troops have penetrated deeply into Baoding County and have been strangled with the Baoding garrison. It will take time to evacuate."
"It's still early before dawn, two hours should be about the same."
"Call Kong Erluzi back and we'll evacuate Baoding in two hours."
The second update is delivered today, please order it all!
