Gaoyou, south of the Jiangsu North Corps, took up an offensive posture. Watanabe Shouichi, the Japanese detachment leader in Gaoyou City, did not dare to neglect and was actively preparing to fight.
Although the Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi has reduced his troops since taking office, he has not engaged in large-scale battles with the Northern Jiangsu Corps.
However, due to the influence of famous people, the Northern Jiangsu Corps started in Huaiyin and has relied on several tough battles to force the Japanese to pay attention to it.
From the intelligence collected by Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi from all aspects and from the several small-scale battles he dispatched with the Northern Jiangsu Corps, he already knew that he was facing a strong opponent.
Although the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps is not yet the main force of the regular army, it is not a ragtag group that is ready to collapse at the first sign of attack.
After summing up the experience of several defeats, the Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi knew that the Northern Jiangsu Corps was very strong, so he decided to play a slow and steady attack, placing the Northern Jiangsu Corps under Gaoyou City and then concentrate his superior forces to eliminate them.
The Japanese troops near Gaoyou also received an order from the Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi, that is, not to fight head-on with the Northern Jiangsu Corps to avoid unnecessary losses. Once the troops engage in battle with the Northern Jiangsu Corps, they can choose to retreat on their own.
, leading it to the foot of Gaoyou City.
Because the Japanese were executing tactics of luring the enemy deep into the enemy's territory, the Japanese at the front were not busy investigating the enemy's situation, but were busy preparing to retreat.
While the Japanese were busy executing tactics to lure the enemy deeper, the main force of Captain Subei, who had been advancing mightily towards Gaoyou in the south during the day, changed from the rear to the front and returned directly along the way they came under the cover of night.
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The ammunition boxes that the Northern Jiangsu Corps transported south with great fanfare during the day were all empty, just to deceive others. The real ammunition had been secretly transported to Baoying.
All the troops marched towards Bao overnight, while the Third Battalion and some local militia troops responsible for the feint attack on the southern front still made great fanfare and raised many flags to confuse the little Japanese.
"Your guerrilla groups will continue to attack and infiltrate the Japanese blockade from today on, so that the Japanese will mistakenly think that we are conducting fire tests!"
When the large army quietly turned northward under the cover of night, the third battalion commander Shen Biao who stayed on the southern front was not idle either.
Their three battalions have mobilized more than 400 officers and soldiers, and together with local militia brothers who are familiar with the terrain, they will be mixed into as many as fifty guerrilla combat groups.
These fifty guerrilla combat groups will simultaneously launch large-scale attacks and infiltration operations against the Japanese on a front of more than 20 kilometers.
Their purpose of conducting such a large-scale attack and infiltration was simple: to create an illusion that the main force was about to launch a large-scale attack, so as to cover the main force turning north.
"Your targets are the Japanese and puppet strongholds, gun towers, bridges and various military stations. The time is set for two days. You must retreat after two days!"
Once the attack on the northern front begins in the direction of Baoying, the Japanese will realize that the southern front is just a feint attack, and the infiltrating troops will be in danger by then, so Shen Biao told them that they must all withdraw in two days.
"Are your respective tasks clear now?"
Seeing hundreds of brothers gathered under the night, Shen Biao didn't know how many of them would be able to come back, but for the sake of victory on the northern front, they had to attack to create the illusion of a full-scale attack.
"clear!"
The brothers who attacked knew very well that there was no main force behind them, and the main force had already moved towards Baoying on the northern front.
Although they now use the banner of the vanguard force of the Northern Jiangsu Corps, in fact, they are the main force on the southern front, and they are the only ones fighting on the southern front.
This also means that their brothers from a mere battalion have to attack an enemy that is more than ten times more numerous on a frontal battlefield.
This is a bold gamble. Once the enemy on the opposite side sees through it, they are likely to be trapped deep in enemy-occupied territory and unable to withdraw in time.
Although they knew that this attack was very dangerous, no one in the fifty guerrilla groups flinched.
"Serve the wine!"
These brothers who launched a feint attack can be said to be death squads, and they may never return. Battalion Commander Shen Biao also made an exception and asked the logistics to bring some wine.
"Wow--"
The seal on a jar of wine was lifted, and the wine bowls in the hands of the brothers were filled with clear wine.
"Brothers, I'm here waiting for you to return in triumph! Do it!"
Third Battalion Commander Shen Biao's throat was choked with sobs. He wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn't. He could only raise his neck and drink up the bowl of wine first.
"I will die if the country survives!" The brothers all roared in unison, raised their necks one after another, and drank a bowl of pride.
"Let's go!" After finishing the wine, Luo Feng, the deputy battalion commander who led the team, put down his wine bowl and gave the order to the brothers.
"Brothers, take care!"
Shen Biao watched these brothers with firm eyes walking past him one by one. Third Battalion Commander Shen Biao's eyes were a little moist, and he didn't know how many of these brothers would be able to come back.
“Must come back!”
Seeing Deputy Battalion Commander Luo Feng carrying his iconic Ghost Head Sword, Battalion Commander Shen Biao opened his arms and hugged Luo Feng.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely beat the little devil to pieces this time!" Luo Feng forced out a smile and comforted Battalion Commander Shen Biao.
In these turbulent years, many brothers who share life and death may never see each other again after being separated in a battle, so every battle is a separation of life and death.
The combat groups responsible for the attack disappeared into the thick darkness of the night like ghosts, moving towards the Japanese defense lines.
Soon, at the edge of the control area on the southern line of the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, the atmosphere became tense, and even the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
The Japanese and puppet troops also knew that the main force of the Northern Jiangsu Corps had moved south, so they were heavily guarded near the blockade, with huge searchlights constantly shining everywhere to prevent sudden attacks.
Although the puppet army has now been placed under the command of the Nanjing puppet government, even the Nanjing puppet government acts based on the color of the Japanese, let alone the puppet army.
Except for a small number of Japs at the forefront of the blockade, most of them were puppet troops. The Japs knew that the main force in northern Jiangsu had moved south, so they had received orders to shrink their defenses and were secretly retreating to Gaoyou.
"I heard that the main force of the guerrillas has gone south. Is this true or false?"
In order to allow the puppet troops to stick to the front line, the Japanese soldiers did not tell them the truth, but most of the Japanese soldiers were retreating, and these puppet soldiers also noticed something unusual.
"It should be true. The imperial troops who usually come here for inspections have not seen anyone now. I think they are probably too scared to come out and only dare to hide in their strongholds." A puppet soldier analyzed.
"What if the guerrillas really come over?" Some puppet soldiers became frightened when they heard that it was true.
After all, the name of the Jiangsu North Corps is so resounding that even the Japanese are afraid of them, so they are no match for them.
"What are you afraid of? No matter how fierce the Northern Jiangsu Corps is, they are still Chinese. Be smart when the time comes. Once they come over, those who want to survive will surrender." A puppet soldier looked around and said in a low voice.
"But if the imperial army finds out, they will lose their heads."
"I asked you, why are you so stupid? The Japanese have escaped, and we who are here have been treated as cannon fodder. Why are you still working so hard for the Japanese?"
"That's true. Since the Japanese are unkind, we can't be blamed for being unjust."