"Ding bell bell..." As the Japanese and puppet army strongholds along the railway were surrounded and eliminated one by one by the Eighth Route Army, the Baoding County Headquarters began to ring with phone calls.
"Hey... Baoding County Headquarters, what can I do..."
"Reporting to Taijun, I am the squadron leader of the Dongzhuang stronghold garrison squadron. The Dongzhuang stronghold was attacked by the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army's offensive was very fierce. We can't hold on any longer. Please ask for support. Please ask for support... Boom.
.." A violent explosion sounded in the microphone, and the microphone immediately became silent...
"Baga... hello... hello..." Although the operator kept calling, there was still silence on the other side of the odd-numbered microphone, without any response.
"Baga... The market town stronghold was attacked by the Eighth Route Army. Please ask for tactical guidance. Baga, the Eighth Route Army has invaded..." Another call for support reached the headquarters.
In less than ten minutes, more than ten strongholds along the entire railway line were attacked by two regiments. More importantly, after this stronghold sent out a request for help, it could no longer be contacted. Needless to say, these strongholds
It was undoubtedly occupied by the Eighth Route Army.
"Baga...what do you want when the Eighth Route Army falls to the ground?" I saw that the imperial army strongholds on the map were wiped out by the staff, and the Japanese and puppet army strongholds were occupied by the Eighth Route Army. Kitamura Sheng, the supreme commander of the Japanese army in Baoding County
The third major general couldn't help but curse loudly.
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, I think the Eighth Route Army in northern Hebei wanted to take advantage of the situation. When they learned that the main force of the Third Division of the Independent Division was attacking the county where the Imperial Army was guarding, and we sent the Bantian Regiment for reinforcements, they took advantage of the fact that we in Baoding did not have enough
When they have more troops, they can take advantage of the situation. In addition, they can also briefly reinforce the Eighth Route Army in the Third Division of the Independent Division, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone..." The chief of staff next to him thought for a while and explained.
"Bagaya Road... The damn Eighth Route Army, why don't you have the guts to fight a positional battle face to face with the Imperial Army of the Empire of Japan? Baga... I will definitely send troops after the Sakata Alliance returns from victory.
They were wiped out completely. Immediately order the imperial troops in each stronghold to stick to their strongholds, otherwise military law will be imposed..." the brigade commander, Major General Hengsan, ordered.
"Hey, Commander, you are wise. When we have enough troops, we will definitely be able to kill the Eighth Route Army, which is twice the size of Baoding County." The chief of staff beside him nodded in approval, and at the same time, he did not waste the opportunity to impress his superior.
Flattery.
At this moment, Tohru's phone rang again. A combat staff member picked up the phone.
"Hey, this is Baoding Headquarters. What can I do for you..." the communications staff officer grabbed the phone and asked mechanically, obviously very impatient. You know, one night, in less than half an hour,
If you receive dozens of the same calls in a row, no matter who you call, it won't be any better.
"Baga, this is the North China General Headquarters. Please put the phone in the hands of your commander, quickly..." Before the combat staff member could finish speaking, a burst of curses came from the microphone.
"Hi, Commander, please wait a moment..." The communications staff officer put his feet together and answered carefully, turned around and ran towards the brigade commander next to the map.
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, there is a call from the North China Command. Please go and listen to the call..."
"Nani, North China Command..." After hearing the words of the combat staff, Kitamura Shengzo was full of doubts, but he still walked to the phone and picked up the receiver.
"Moxi Moxi, I am Kitamura Katsuzo, the commander of Baoding County. Who is your Excellency?" the brigade leader asked carefully.
"Baga...I am Bin Sanyuan, commander of the North China Garrison. Mr. Kitamura, do you want to go to a military court..." Before Major General Kitamura Katsuzo finished speaking, there was a call from the other end of the phone.
There was an angry voice from the newly appointed commander of North China, General Bin Sanyuan.
"Hi, Commander, please forgive me. I don't know it's you because of your humble position? What instructions do you have, Commander? I don't understand what you said." After hearing the answer on the phone, Kitamura Shengzo was startled and quickly answered cautiously.
.
"Bagh Yalu, Kitamura-kun, how do you manage the security around Baoding? You have to know that you have an elite brigade of the Japanese Empire in your hands. Didn't you know that the railways around Baoding were stripped bare by the Eighth Route Army?
?Just now, an imperial military train transporting soldiers and supplies southward derailed within your jurisdiction. All the imperial troops were shattered and supplies were completely lost.... Don’t you know about this? "Commander?
asked angrily.
"Hi, Commander, I haven't received any news about this matter yet. Please forgive me, Commander. I will immediately send troops to eliminate these Eighth Route Army troops and repair the damaged railway. Don't worry, Commander, I will definitely give you some help."
Those Imperial warriors who died in battle will all be told one by one." After listening to the commander's words, Kitamura Katsuzo's forehead began to have large beads of sweat.
"Yoshi, if you can't repair the railway before dawn, you'll have to go to court-martial..." After saying that, the commander hung up the phone.
"Baga... What do the Eighth Route Army want to do when they fall to the ground? Bagaya Road, connect me to all the strongholds along the railway immediately, quickly..." Major General Kitamura Katsuzo, the brigade leader, put down the phone in his hand and said angrily.
"Report to your Excellency, Commander, that except for the Wuzhen stronghold, all other strongholds have lost contact. In addition, the Wuzhen stronghold has been besieged by a large number of Eighth Route Army troops. We request the headquarters to quickly send troops for reinforcements..." The communications staff fearfully reported this shocking news
The news was told to the angry Major General Katsuzo Kitamura.
"Nani, aren't there two squadrons of the imperial army guarding the stronghold? Can't Huang Jun, the elite of the two squadrons, still be able to withstand the attack of the poorly equipped Eighth Route Army? Bagya Road..." Kitamura Sheng
The third major general cursed loudly in disbelief.
"Hi, Commander. I think the most important thing for us at the moment is to send troops to reinforce the Wuzhen stronghold and eliminate these Eighth Route Army. Then quickly repair the railway damaged by the Eighth Route Army and restore it to traffic..." Seeing the angry commander, the staff around him
The chief quickly reminded.
"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, immediately ordered Captain Matsui to send a brigade with a mountain artillery squadron to immediately reinforce the Wuzhen stronghold and restore the imperial army's railway transportation. Tell him that the commander of the North China Garrison, General Bin Sanyuan, is very concerned about this matter. If in
If he cannot complete this task before dawn, then he will wait to go to court-martial..." After listening to the advice of the chief of staff beside him, the brigade commander, Major General Katsuzo Kitamura, nodded approvingly and ordered.
"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander, there are only two brigades in the county. If one brigade is removed from the Matsui Regiment, there will be a large number of vacancies in the existing defense. Please make your decision, Your Excellency, Commander."
"Nani, isn't there a pseudo-legion in the city? Pull them up. Although these Chinese people have little combat effectiveness, they are still more than enough to use in defense. What's more, there are still members of our brigade in the county.
There is a baggage regiment, just ask the baggage regiment to strengthen their vigilance and prepare for battle..." Kitamura Shengzo thought for a while and ordered.
"Hi, your Excellency, Commander, I will convey your order to Colonel Matsui..." After saying that, the Chief of Staff, as Colonel, left the headquarters and ran to Matsui's wing headquarters.
Due to the dual orders of the headquarters and the North China Command, Captain Matsui did not dare to neglect after receiving the order. After learning about the strength and weapons and equipment of the Eighth Route Army from the Wuzhen stronghold, he immediately ordered the defense of the material warehouse and the regiment.
The second brigade around the headquarters gathered. In addition, the heavy machine gun squadron of its own regiment was also reinforced to its first brigade.
In this way, more than a thousand Japanese troops marched out of Baoding County with heavy machine guns, mountain cannons and other heavy weapons, aiming directly at the Wuzhen stronghold ten kilometers away from the county. Of course, this Japanese army group had just left the county. This information
It was passed to Liu Hua by the special operations brigade that had already entered the county town.
"Commander, the special operations brigade reported that the Japanese army sent a reinforced brigade to reinforce the Wuzhen stronghold... This is the telegram..." Still in the temporary command post at Shenxian Mountain, Chief of Staff Li Qing held up a letter he had just received.
The telegram arrived and he hurried to Liu Hua and said.
"Wuzhen stronghold, Chief of Staff, how many troops are there in the 129th Division besieging Wuzhen? The Japanese reinforcements are a reinforced brigade. Can they handle it?" Liu Hua asked worriedly after seeing the strength configuration of the Japanese reinforcements.
"Commander, I am also worried about this problem. I think we must send them a telegram immediately to remind them..." the chief of staff said.
"Well, send the Japanese army's troop deployment and let them pay attention. But one thing will not change, that is, after they engage the enemy, no matter what method they use and how much they pay, they will hold this brigade back for two days.
This brigade must not be allowed to return to Baoding County for reinforcements within a certain period of time." Liu Hua nodded and ordered.
"Yes, Commander..."
Soon, the two regiments of the 129th Division received a telegram from the Independent Division. After receiving the dispatched troops from the Japanese army, the two regiment commanders did not dare to neglect. In addition to leaving the necessary troops to continue besieging the Wuzhen stronghold and destroying the railway, they led
With most of the troops, a total of more than 2,000 people, they began to greet the reinforced Japanese brigade.
Therefore, less than half an hour after leaving the county town, the Japanese brigade began to be attacked by the Eighth Route Army's guerrilla warfare and sparrow warfare...
Just when the Japanese reinforcements fell into the quagmire of guerrilla warfare between the two regiments of the Eighth Route Army, a meeting on the deployment of the next phase of war intentions was being held at Liu Hua's temporary headquarters.
"Comrades, according to the intelligence from the special operations brigade, the Japanese reinforcements have been completely trapped in the mountains north of Baoding by the two regiments of the 129th Division. The following combat missions are up to us. Chief of Staff, here we go.
All the leaders present here would like to introduce the current deployment of troops in Baoding County..." Liu Hua said, looking at the dozen or so cadres with faces full of gunfire in front of him.
"Yes, Commander, according to the information from the special operations brigade, there is now a Japanese infantry brigade, a regiment of the Imperial Association Army, and a Japanese baggage regiment attacking more than 3,000 people in Baoding County. Among them, the Japanese infantry brigade has 1,000 people, mainly defending Baoding County.
The city wall, the puppet army's material warehouse in the defensive city, and the baggage regiment have been strengthened and should be used as a reserve for city defense. In addition, in the military camp 500 meters south of Baoding County, there is a Japanese artillery regiment with about 800 troops stationed.
The rest include a heavy howitzer brigade and a field artillery brigade. A Japanese brigade that is not satisfied with the establishment is stationed at Baoding Railway Station. There are more than 800 people in total, equipped with heavy weapons such as heavy machine guns and mortars. This is the current total strength of Baoding County.
That's it..." After the chief of staff said that, he sat down.
"Commander, fight. There are less than 4,000 men. Fight and avenge the sacrificed soldiers..." Just after the chief of staff finished speaking, Wang Hu, the cavalry commander who had sacrificed several companies of cavalry in the raid just now, said
Crying for revenge.
"Yes, Commander, let's fight and avenge the soldiers. The soldiers can't just die in vain. The little devil must pay the price..." The commander of the second regiment who suffered the most losses in the entire battle and sacrificed the most soldiers.
Captain Luo Zhihui echoed.
"Comrades, be quiet..." Seeing the cadres below who were all eager to fight, Liu Hua was also very happy and stopped the excited people.
"Comrades, we must fight against Baoding. Otherwise, our sacrifice of so many soldiers will be in vain... But after all, there are 4,000 well-trained Japs in front of us, and there are
Strong city defense. Therefore, we must be cautious and make sufficient preparations. Next, I will assign specific combat tasks to everyone... Orders..." Liu Hua shouted loudly.
As Liu Hua blurted out the word "order", more than a dozen cadres below the regiment level and above stood up one after another.
"The Division Headquarters Cavalry Regiment. The Third Division Cavalry Battalion... is an attack group, commanded by Comrade Wang Hu, the commander of the Cavalry Regiment. Your mission is to raid the Japanese artillery regiment after the battle begins, and be sure to capture the artillery regiment."
All weapons and ammunition. Do you have the confidence to complete the mission?" Liu Hua ordered loudly.
"Report to the commander, the artillery regiment, and the cavalry battalion to ensure the completion of the mission." The two men answered neatly together.
"Okay, the first regiment, the second regiment of the third division, the artillery regiment and the mortar battalion form an attack group. The commander-in-chief is Comrade Li Yong. Your mission is to attack Baoding Railway Station. You must capture the railway station in the shortest possible time and annihilate it.
Of all the little devils in the train station, no one can be caught. Then try to deliver all kinds of strategic materials hoarded in the station and protect him. There is also an important task, which is to blow up the troops when they evacuate Baoding.
All military facilities at the railway station must paralyze the railway transportation of the little devils. How about it, are you confident in completing the mission?" Liu Hua ordered again.
"Yes, Commander, I promise to complete the mission." The two regiment leaders stood up together.
"The rapid reaction brigade and artillery regiment are an attack group, personally commanded by me and the chief of staff. They attack Baoding County. For the specific task, the remaining personnel of the second regiment carry two mortar companies to pretend to attack the north gate of Baoding County. The first regiment, the third regiment,
All the remaining artillery pieces of the artillery regiment will follow me to storm the south gate of Baoding County from the front. Before the battle begins, the electronic unit must cover all radio communications in the county so that the Japanese army's distress signal cannot be sent out..."
"Yes, Commander, I promise to complete the mission..."
"Okay, after the meeting, all the troops can set off and rush to Baoding County. We will launch the attack on time at three o'clock in the morning tonight. We will catch the Japanese army by surprise..." Liu Hua stood up and said.
"Yes...guaranteed to complete the mission..."
After the meeting, each regiment immediately began to assemble, and after handing over the wounded to the militiamen who came to support them, they only carried enough ammunition and began to advance lightly. Each main regiment, like a fire dragon, rushed straight into Baoding County. After passing
After several hours of continuous marching, finally in the early hours of the night, all the troops arrived at the designated positions. They began to build positions according to the pre-war deployment, and quietly waited for the final attack time to arrive.
At this time, it was already past two o'clock in the morning, which is the time when people are most likely to get sleepy, and the same goes for the Japanese army. But Liu Hua, and the thousands of soldiers behind Liu Hua, did not feel sleepy at all, and everyone was satisfied.
His face was excited and full of fighting spirit. Liu Hua lay on a hillside and quietly looked at the city wall of Baoding County 500 meters away.
At this time, most of the Japanese troops had returned to their barracks to rest due to sleepiness. On the entire Baoding city wall, there was less than a squadron of Japanese troops, patrolling tirelessly back and forth on the city wall. Looking at the Japanese artillery camp 500 meters away, several bright lights
The searchlights illuminated the entire artillery camp brightly, with 24 cannons of various types, their muzzles raised high. About an infantry squadron of little devils patrolled back and forth around the military camp. And the train station further away,
But it was very busy. Under the illumination of searchlights, hundreds of little devils were running back and forth to patrol various important places in the train station...
Finally, there was less than ten minutes left before the final time of the attack. Under the operation of the soldiers, the 18 various mountain and field guns that the artillery regiment had just captured began to slowly raise their muzzles. One shot
The heavy artillery shells fired were transported to the forefront by the soldiers. Under the order of the regiment leader Chen Guangye, the artillery shells were loaded into the gun barrel in advance by the soldiers. The soldiers tightly pulled the match rope and waited.
The order to fire.
"Start attacking..." As three o'clock in the morning came, Liu Hua, who was staring at his watch, issued the order. Soon, this order passed through the field phone and reached the ears of every commander. The entire battle
, it started at this moment.
"Artillery regiment, fire..." Of course, there is no doubt that the first to fire is still the artillery regiment in Liu Hua's hands. Following the order of the regiment leader Chen Gengming, two rows of mountain field artillery fired one kilometer away.
The city wall roared. 18 rounds of various artillery shells, with roars and roars, flew towards the city wall of Baoding County and into the military camp...