The puppet army did not disappoint Wang Xuexin. After they discovered that the Japanese were defeated in Beicheng, they immediately turned their guns and pointed them at the Japanese...
Compared to the North City, the South City is an even more asymmetrical battle.
Because the Japanese only had two to three hundred military police and logistics personnel left in Nancheng, while the puppet army had more than 3,000 people... The total number of puppet soldiers in Yuncheng was more than 5,000, of which more than 2,000 were taken by the Japanese.
Beicheng attacked together.
The puppet troops brought to Beicheng were the main force of the puppet army with stronger tanks and more "loyalty". Most of these troops were the surrender of the stubborn regular army.
The other three thousand or so people were bandits, gangsters, or refugees who were starving to death in search of a living.
These people are prone to "rebellion" at any time because of their poor morale and low loyalty. They don't feel at ease when the enemy fights with them, and they won't be able to play much of a role.
So Nancheng was in a situation where more than 3,000 puppet troops were fighting hundreds of Japanese.
For a moment, the whole Yuncheng was filled with gunshots and flames shooting into the sky, and there were shouts of death everywhere, which was like a purgatory.
The battle lasted all night and was not completely over until dawn the next day.
The reason why it took so long was because the Japanese who were besieged in the North City were still unwilling to surrender and stubbornly resisted... This was the situation after Ikegami Kenkichi realized that he could not break through the encirclement and return to the South City.
Perhaps it was because Kenkichi Ikegami was used to fighting guerrillas with the Eighth Route Army. There is a saying that "I have never eaten pork and I have seen pigs walking." At the last moment, he also adopted the guerrilla warfare tactic of breaking up the whole into parts.
This indeed caused a lot of trouble for the Eighth Route Army.
If the Japs are organized and large-scale, and the defense lines between the enemy and ourselves are clear, this battle will not take much time.
With the strength and strategic advantages of the Eighth Route Army, it would be difficult for the Japanese not to lose.
But if the Japanese are scattered in every corner, such as hiding in ruins, behind broken walls, or even in incomplete buildings... In such a state, it is easy to cause "friendly casualties" regardless of whether we are the enemy or the enemy.
After fighting like this for a while, Wang Xuexin felt that there was no need to fight like this, so he called Li Yunlong and suggested: "Captain, let's slow down this fight!"
Li Yunlong was impatient, and he immediately retorted: "Why slow down? There is only the last stroke left in this horoscope, and now you still say slow down! If you slow down, aren't you giving the Japanese a chance to breathe?"
"Commander!" Wang Xuexin asked, "Do the Japanese have any reinforcements?"
"Not yet!"
Wang Xuexin asked again: "Can the Japanese escape?"
"What a beautiful idea! You've already managed to keep us in check, and you still want to escape?"
Wang Xuexin said: "That's right. The Japanese have no reinforcements and can't escape. What are you anxious about? It's so dark that so many soldiers are allowed to go in and search for people. How many casualties will it cost to fight for one night? Let's wait until dawn tomorrow.
, the tanks drove up and started banging inside, and they were taken care of in a few seconds? Do you have to be in a hurry?"
Li Yunlong thought about it and felt that it was right.
It is true that the military situation is urgent, but sometimes there is a time when we have grasped the initiative and are not in a hurry.
For example, now, if our army holds its ground and waits for dawn, then it will be the Japanese who are anxious!
Li Yunlong had the old thinking of the Eighth Route Army's operations. He habitually thought that if the Japanese were not eaten before dawn, the duck would fly away.
Now that Wang Xuexin said this, he understood and immediately ordered the troops to stop attacking and consolidate the defense line.
At this time, waves of cheers could be heard in Nancheng...the puppet army had wiped out the remaining Japs and surrendered, and the people were successfully rescued from the Japs.
Until then, Zhao Gang was relieved, and he immediately reported the good news to the headquarters.
Of course the chief didn't sleep all night.
What he was worried about at this time was the casualties of the people. Although the casualties of the people were inevitable in a state of war, the Eighth Route Army was an army from the people. Especially when the people nearby heard that the Eighth Route Army was going to attack Yuncheng, people and guerrillas from all over the place took the initiative to assist the Eighth Route Army.
Logistics transportation, sending intelligence or even directly entering the battle.
With the unconditional support of the people, the chief felt heavy in his heart... If the Japanese launched a massacre in Yuncheng, or if the civilian casualties were too great after the battle, how would we explain it to the folks who had helped us!
Therefore, as soon as the battle started, the commander anxiously walked around the office with his hands behind his back, asking about the situation every few minutes.
Until the chief of staff hurriedly took the telegram to the chief and said excitedly: "Chief, although the battle in Beicheng is not over yet, Nancheng has been successfully liberated, and there are only a few hundred casualties among the people!"
When the chief heard this, he immediately put down a big stone in his heart, and his frown relaxed.
"Very good!" The leader nodded and praised: "This contribution is no less than the capture of Yuncheng! It also gave our troops a good start, and we must fight like this in future offensive battles!"
The chief of staff laughed: "Chief, this is a trap set by Xiao Dongbei for the Japanese to jump in. The Japanese were deceived once, but it won't work the next time!"
"This time you can use the method to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and next time you can use it to cross Chencang secretly!" The leader said: "Use the thirty-six strategies in turn, are you afraid that the Japanese will not be fooled?"
"That's right!" said the chief of staff: "In short, we must pay attention to protecting the lives and safety of the people!"
The leader turned around and stared at the map. After thinking for a moment, he issued several orders in succession:
"Order the Independent Regiment to strengthen the defense of Nancheng to prevent the Japanese from breaking into Nancheng and continuing to endanger the lives of the people."
"Order the Hundred Battle Group to accept prisoners from Nancheng and organize militia to maintain public order to prevent lawless elements and traitors from taking advantage of the fire to rob and commit crimes!"
"Order the tank battalion to prepare for battle and annihilate the Beicheng Japs as soon as daylight comes. No tolerance!"
The chief of staff responded "yes" and passed on the order.
Wang Xuexin did not expect to maintain law and order.
Only when I received the order did I realize that this was indeed necessary.
This is a time of war, and people usually have some grudge or hatred, or they are jealous of someone else's possession of some property, or even just for a few bites of food... In this chaotic moment of power transfer, it is the time to do something dirty.
At this point no one can find out who did it.
It might be the Japanese, it might be the puppet soldiers, or it might be a neighbor or friend.
There are still many traitors who will mingle among the people in the hope of escaping from the city...
If the order is disrupted, even if it is restored again, the losses suffered by the people will be irreparable.
From this aspect, Wang Xuexin's consideration is not comprehensive enough, or it can be said that he lacks experience.
But as a battalion commander, it seems that you don’t need to think so much.
What Wang Xuexin had to do was to move the tanks back into the city and wait for dawn to launch the attack.
The Japs trapped in Beicheng were frightened when they heard the "rumbling" of the tank motors.