The soldiers who were fetching water hurriedly turned around and hid themselves. Some of them were so anxious that they even left their water bottles by the river without taking them.
As a result, Xie Baoqing picked up two kettles, and Wang Xuexin picked up a towel, and then followed the soldiers to hide behind a mound more than ten meters away from the river... If these things were left by the river, they would be killed as soon as possible
Exposed.
It has to be said that although the Eighth Route Army at this time had sufficient courage and combat spirit to face the enemy, its quality was obviously lacking, even if the Seventh Company was the main company of the Third Battalion.
Wang Xuexin did not hesitate. As soon as he lay down, he lowered his voice and ordered: "Bazooka, bring up the rocket launcher!"
"Bazooka!"
"Bazooka!"
…
The order was passed down, and soon the three rocket launchers in the company were moved to the front.
“Company Commander!”
"What's wrong?" Wang Xuexin asked.
"Not just two tanks!" Xie Baoqing listened and said, "There are shoulder straps and Japanese soldiers!"
Wang Xuexin's expression changed at that time.
He trusted Xie Baoqing's judgment. This guy had developed a good ear when he was a bandit. He would be able to tell exactly what was coming from the direction of the highway, whether it was a person, a horse, or a car.
If the enemy has more than two tanks, it means that the judgment of the superiors is wrong, and this battle will not be as easy as imagined.
Wang Xuexin hesitated for a moment and then ordered: "Set a few directional mines by the river, move quickly!"
Several soldiers responded, crouching forward and planting a few directional mines on the riverside.
Li Yunlong also felt that something was wrong. When he saw the lights in the distance through the telescope, he discovered that there were not only two tanks, but also many vague infantrymen with flashlights.
When he got closer, Li Yunlong became more sure. He put down his telescope and turned to Zhao Gang beside him and said: "Old Zhao, in front of you is a Japanese reconnaissance team. There are at least three tanks and two armored vehicles! If only the reconnaissance team could have such
The scale, the main force..."
Needless to say, what follows is not a "practice hand fight" at all, but a kick to the steel plate.
Zhao Gang didn't think much and replied: "I will report to the headquarters immediately!"
After saying that, he turned around and ran towards the radio station.
As soon as the chief of staff of the Lujiagou headquarters received the intelligence, he took a telegram and reported to the chief: "Chief, the independent regiment discovered a Japanese tank reconnaissance team two kilometers northwest of Yucun. It is very likely that there are a large number of tank troops behind!
"
The leader was stunned and immediately found the location on the map. Then he frowned and said, "What I worried about happened. The focus of the Japanese attack is on Yucun!"
At this time, the chief was in a dilemma.
If we continue to attack Yucun, the Hundred Battle Regiment and the New Second Regiment will be surrounded by Japanese chariot troops.
If we give up the attack and break through immediately, the two regiments may be able to escape, but the attack on Yucun will be in vain.
At the same time, Yucun is a nail in the front of the base area. If it is not removed, future battles will be very passive.
The chief of staff analyzed from the side: "Two tanks appeared before, and now a tank reconnaissance team appears. It is estimated that the Japanese will dispatch at least dozens of tanks this time!"
Usually, not to mention dozens of tanks, even a few tanks and eight-way vehicles cannot stop it.
So another meaning of the chief of staff's words is: "Chief, withdraw! If you don't withdraw, it will be too late!"
But the leader didn't think so. He thought about it for a while and said, "What if the independent regiment can block the Japanese attack?"
"Chief!" said the chief of staff: "But this is too risky. Three regiments of troops..."
"If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the tiger's cubs!" The leader said: "How can we capture Yucun without taking risks? I want to attack and see! Order the independent regiment to destroy this reconnaissance team. It's time to see our true skills!"
Li Yunlong became excited when he heard this order: "Damn it, after sitting on the bench for so long, I finally got some meat!"
Then he ordered: "Brace yourself, don't let even a single tank go! Whoever knocks out a fucking tank, I will reward him with ten boxes of canned meat!"
When Wang Xuexin heard this order, he thought he heard it wrong. One of his tanks is only worth ten boxes of canned meat? Is it such a bargain?
But after hearing this, the soldiers were all eager to try...
If the Japanese heard that one of their tanks was worth ten boxes of cans, they would probably not be convinced.
The ones who came up were the 1st Squadron of the Japanese 25th Tank Regiment, squadron leader Kurokawa and the first lieutenant.
The organization of the Japanese chariot troops is somewhat different from that of the infantry. The chariot regiment does not have the organization of a brigade. Under the regiment is a chariot squadron. A chariot regiment usually has four tank squadrons.
This may be the reason for the shortage of tanks and armored vehicles. The production capacity of the Japanese arsenal cannot afford the formation of tank brigades and regiment-sized tanks.
So the tank regiment sounds scary, but in fact it is the size of a brigade, with about 60 tanks in the entire regiment (the standard establishment is 55 tanks, which may vary slightly depending on the situation).
At this time, Kurokawa Kazuichi was sitting in an armored vehicle looking at the map. His No. 1 Squadron was the main squadron, equipped with twenty tanks and five armored vehicles, and was responsible for penetrating the northern flank of Yucun.
The other direction was outflanked by the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons.
Although Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji repeatedly stated that the speed should be slowed down.
"Our tanks are not suitable for fighting at night!" Okamura Neiji said: "Marching at night is just to hide your whereabouts, so be sure to let the infantry search and move forward!"
But Kurokawa Kazuichi didn't take these words seriously at all.
Kurokawa Kazuichi believed that this idea was outdated, and that the insertion should be surprising and fast, just like the blitzkrieg launched by allies against the enemy.
What's more, the opponent is the Eighth Route Army, which has no anti-tank weapons at all. What is there to worry about?
Therefore, Kurokawa Kazuichi advanced all the way and soon left the infantry far behind.
At the front was a Japanese sidecar unit, with three rounds of "chug" noises, and machine guns mounted on each sidecar. There were five vehicles in total.
They parked their satchels by the river and fetched water under the car lights. They talked without saying a word. There were even two people who stood by the river and unbuttoned their crotches to release water into the river.
Across the river is the seventh company's hiding place, only a dozen meters away, with three directional mines planted in the middle.
Xie Baoqing looked nervously in Wang Xuexin's direction.
Wang Xuexin shook his head slightly and signaled Xie Baoqing not to mess around. These guys were just minions, and the tanks behind him were the big fish.
Then the "little minions" took off their shoes and went into the river, seemingly to test the depth of the river water in preparation for the tanks to cross the river.
A Japanese soldier held a ruler in his hand, and when he reached the middle of the river, he tested the depth and then turned around and shouted: "The river is not deep and there is no mud, so there is no problem at all! Let them come over!"