After the blacksmith and his brothers from the first battalion completed the goal of attracting firepower, they quickly retreated toward Baoying along the established retreat route.
The guerrilla brothers fought very fiercely at the beginning, catching the Japanese off guard and suffering a big loss.
But now after receiving the order to retreat, he turned around and left without any delay. On the suddenly intense battlefield, there was suddenly no movement on the other side, which made the little devil unable to react.
"What's going on? The Chinese army stopped shooting."
The Japanese soldiers who were having a lively fight stopped shooting involuntarily when they saw that the opponent had stopped shooting, but they did not dare to rush forward rashly.
Because when the reinforcements came just now, they launched a charge without knowing the depth, and then were attacked by fierce firepower, causing a large number of casualties.
The Japanese soldiers all stared at the darkness on the opposite side with full vigilance, as if some ferocious beast would rush out at any time.
"Could it be a Chinese conspiracy?" The Japs' staff officers were now frightened by the guerrillas, so when they discovered an abnormal situation, they first thought it was a conspiracy.
The Japanese Captain Yamazaki thought for a while and then ordered: "Set flares!"
The Japanese soldiers reacted and took action immediately. Countless flares soared into the sky, and pale light fell down, illuminating the smoke-filled wilderness as if it were daytime.
Yamazaki used the light of the flares to look toward the guerrilla position with his binoculars, and found that there was not a single figure on the other side in the thick smoke.
"Bagaya Road, the Chinese people have already run away!"
Seeing that there was no one on the opposite side, Captain Yamazaki was so angry that he gritted his teeth.
"Pursue immediately and annihilate all the Chinese!" Captain Yamazaki, who had been tricked, quickly roared angrily.
The Japanese soldiers who had been fighting the guerrillas for so long were furious when they heard that the guerrillas on the opposite side ran away without saying hello.
Soon, under the orders of the Japanese officer, the Japanese soldiers in the brigade started chasing the blacksmith and his companions in the direction of their retreat with flashlights on.
For a time, the fields and grass-covered paths were filled with Japanese soldiers holding bayonets and screaming. They were being teased with angry faces, as if the guerrillas owed them money.
The brothers of the Jiangsu Northern Team usually eat well, wear warm clothes, and train very hard. Although they all look lean and lean, they have very good physical strength.
Their physical strength was more than a little stronger than the other sallow-looking squadrons, so they spread out and retreated. Although the little devils quickly launched a pursuit, they could only follow behind and eat dust.
Although the brothers in the first battalion led by the blacksmith ran in a chaotic manner, their speed was amazing and they soon left the little devil far behind.
At the scheduled rendezvous point, Yang Ling had already led his brothers from the guard company directly under the corps to set up a blocking line along the river bank.
During the day, when their large force went south, they encountered indiscriminate bombing by Japanese planes, forcing Yang Ling to change his plan to block the Japanese at the front line of the border.
But when he sent a telegram to Shen Biao of the Third Battalion asking them to retreat, he received no reply no matter what.
Therefore, Yang Ling had to take a huge risk and dispersed south with a battalion of brothers, preparing to meet them at Jieshou and cover their withdrawal from Baoying.
But despite hurrying and slowing down, they were still a step too late. Because they lost contact with the commander-in-chief, Shen Biao was still following the original plan to stop the Japanese.
Although they were a strengthened guerrilla battalion, they faced a well-equipped Japanese detachment. The forward Yamazaki brigade alone almost wiped them out.
When Yang Ling rushed to the outskirts of Jieshou, Shen Biao was leading the survivors of the Third Battalion and the militia to fight against the Japanese in the ruins of Jieshou.
Facing the leader who was surrounded by Japanese soldiers, Yang Ling and the others did not dare to rush to rescue him, because if one of them failed, they themselves would have to get involved.
In the end, they decided on a plan, which was to divide the troops into three groups. Blacksmith would lead people to attract Japanese firepower, Wang Dongming would lead people to Jieshou to rescue people, and Yang Ling would lead his brothers to cover and respond.
Now the battlefield in the south was full of gunfire, and the brothers responsible for attracting firepower were mingling with the Japanese. Yang Ling, who was responsible for responding behind, had a calm face, but he was also anxious in his heart.
Because Jieshou has gathered a large number of Japanese troops, it is not clear whether this plan will work. More importantly, once Blacksmith and others are stuck by the Japanese and unable to withdraw, the losses will be huge.
However, Shen Biao's third battalion, which was surrounded at the frontier, had to save them, so they had no choice but to take the risk because they were all their brothers there.
Fortunately, Yang Ling and the others set up a temporary position along an unknown river. Not long after waiting, they heard movement in the distance.
"Hurry up! Run faster!"
Soon, shouts and rapid footsteps were heard from the other side of the river, and a group of people emerged from the darkness.
A defense line was set up along the river, and the brothers in the guard company responsible for responding felt like they were facing a powerful enemy, with their guns pointed at the other side of the river.
"Password!"
Seeing the longing figure on the other side, Yang Ling patted the adjutant next to him on the shoulder. The adjutant poked half of his head out of the half-covered foxhole and roared towards the other side.
Everyone on the opposite side also stopped, and soon a voice came over: "Huanghe! Return the order!"
"Yangtze!"
After the passwords were matched, several flashlights were shined on the other side of the river. Wang Dongming and others were the first to retreat. A group of them took turns carrying the wounded who had been evacuated from the town, and they were exhausted from running all the way down.
Soon, Wang Dongming and others crossed the river, and Yang Ling also led people to greet them.
Wang Dongming and the others rescued only a dozen brothers from the town, and all of them were in ragged clothes and covered with wounds, and their original faces could no longer be seen clearly on their blackened faces.
When Yang Ling saw that only a few people had been evacuated, his heart suddenly sank. Although he knew that the Third Battalion might have suffered heavy losses, he did not expect that the losses would be so huge.
"Sir..."
Seeing Yang Ling coming over, the tired and panting brothers all raised their hands in salute.
"Where is Old Shen? Where are the other brothers?" Yang Ling looked at the disgraced brothers and asked in a deep voice.
"Sir, our third battalion... Our third battalion has been exhausted, and only these few people are left..." The highest ranking officer was Shen Biao's second lieutenant. As he spoke, tears fell from his eyes. It rolled down.
This battle was indeed very tragic. A reinforced battalion of nearly a thousand brothers was now left with only a few men, and even the battalion commander was killed.
Wang Dongming also reported with a heavy heart: "Battle Commander Shen was seriously injured. When he retreated, he felt ashamed of his brothers and committed suicide to sacrifice his country."
Hearing that Shen Biao actually became a benevolent person, Yang Ling was also shocked, and there was an unspeakable bitterness in his heart. After a long silence, he sighed with a heavy heart and said: "I was the one who harmed Lao Shen."
Since Yang Ling entered Northern Jiangsu, the war has been smooth sailing. He has defeated the Japanese several times and fled. The territory of his Northern Jiangsu Corps has also continued to expand.
But this time, Yang Ling knew that there were heavy Japanese troops stationed on the southern front, but he still took the risk to go north to fight Baoying, leaving only one main battalion on the southern front. It must be said that he was too proud to underestimate the enemy.
He did not expect that the Japs would attack in full force to the north. Now that he heard that his capable general Shen Biao was killed in battle and the third battalion was almost destroyed, Yang Ling's heart was filled with self-blame and guilt. He felt sorry for those brothers who died in the battle.