Although the mighty troops commanded by Japanese detachment leader Hisashi Watanabe successfully captured the southern gateway of Baoying, the troops suffered heavy losses and did not take any advantage, which made him extremely unwilling.
Although it was raining and the roads were muddy, Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi had no intention of waiting for the rain to stop, but was preparing to continue commanding the troops to attack Baoying.
The leader of the Japanese detachment, Hisashi Watanabe, was a ruthless and cunning commander. His troops pretended to be reorganizing at the front of the border because of heavy rain, but in fact they secretly moved into Chencang.
After only one day's rest at Jishou, he ordered the Takahashi Infantry Battalion to take the forward position of the Yamazaki Infantry Battalion, set off after dark, and under the cover of night, detoured and attacked Baoying.
The Gaoqiao Infantry Brigade is a fully integrated brigade. Different from other infantry brigades in the composition of heavy troops, engineers, and supplementary troops, the Gaoqiao Infantry Brigade is all supplementary troops mobilized from China, and its combat effectiveness is relatively stronger.
Since the Japanese captured Wuhan, the entire front line has been stretched and the area under their control has expanded, so that their troops are stretched thin.
Just like what the Chinese Communist Party Headquarters said, the Japanese were so greedy that they wanted to swallow the elephant. Now, because the front line is too long, they are in trouble.
The Japanese have carried out several war mobilizations in the country, and more people have joined the military camps to carry out military training, becoming supplementary soldiers who can be mobilized to the battlefield at any time.
In the early days of the war, the Japanese's more than ten standing divisions were fierce and powerful in combat effectiveness. However, as a large number of supplementary troops were added to various combat units, the combat effectiveness is now much lower than before.
During the battle in Jiangsu, these Japanese supplementary troops had to assume the main force of the battle, fighting against Chinese guerrillas and regular troops.
Although the soldiers of the Takahashi Infantry Brigade are all supplementary troops, the officers and non-commissioned officers are all drawn from the field troops, so their combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated.
The Yamazaki Infantry Brigade was badly beaten at the hands of the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, and almost lost its ability to fight independently, so it had to be replaced and rested.
And with the lessons learned from the Yamazaki Infantry Brigade, the Takahashi Infantry Brigade now has a great understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Northern Jiangsu Corps and no longer dares to underestimate the enemy.
If they attack Baoying along the established route, they will definitely encounter heavy obstacles along the way and end up in the same embarrassing end as the Yamazaki Infantry Brigade.
Therefore, the Takahashi Infantry Brigade went against the norm and prepared to take advantage of the cover of heavy rain and night to detour back to Baoying and launch a surprise attack in order to win.
The Japanese have always been arrogant and arrogant, thinking that they are invincible, but now they have to tuck their tail between their legs and win, regardless of their image.
The rain caused the paddy fields in Baoying County, which is crisscrossed by rivers, to fill with water and make the roads muddy.
The Takahashi Brigade happened to be marching at night. Although the Japanese soldiers all had rain gear, they were still miserable and couldn't pick up the speed at all.
In order to achieve the purpose of sneak attack, the Takahashi Brigade had to bypass the villages and towns along the way, so they beat all the wilderness roads.
Fortunately, they found some leading parties in advance, so they did not lose their way. Even so, the Japanese soldiers still looked like clay figures.
In just half a day's journey, in order to take a detour, the Japanese soldiers of Gaoqiao Brigade forced themselves to go east, then north, and finally to the west. They walked for two full nights, which made the Japanese soldiers miserable.
While the Japs' Gaoqiao Brigade was making a detour to attack Baoying, the Japs' detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi led the rest of the troops to stay at the frontier to confuse Baoying's defenders of the Northern Jiangsu Corps.
The Takahashi Infantry Brigade worked hard and finally arrived outside Baoying City before dawn on the third day.
The continuous rain continued. In such ghostly weather, the line of sight was greatly restricted. It was almost impossible to see clearly from more than 150 meters away, not to mention that it was not yet dawn.
The Japanese soldiers did not know that the Jiangsu North Corps had voluntarily abandoned Baoying and retreated to the countryside, so they were very cautious.
"Captain, the city is very quiet, the Chinese army did not notice us."
The Japs' leading soldiers did not dare to get too close to Baoying, fearing that they might alert the enemy.
"Yo Xi, the Chinese people must still be sleeping." Hearing that the city was quiet, Gao Qiao, the Japanese captain, finally felt relieved.
Although they were preparing to attack Baoying in a roundabout way, they were also worried that their whereabouts would be exposed. The Chinese squadron in the city was prepared. In that case, it would be a fierce battle.
But now it seems that their worries are completely unnecessary, and there is no response at all from the city.
"The first infantry squadron is responsible for the blockade of the east and south of the city, the second infantry squadron is responsible for the blockade of the west and north of the city, and the remaining squadrons attack from the south gate. We must annihilate all the Chinese troops, leaving no one behind!"
Soon, Captain Takahashi ordered the squadron leaders and squad leaders under his command with a stern look on his face.
"Hiyi!"
The Japanese officers were rushing in the rain and slurry. They were all muddy and exhausted, but they were particularly excited when they thought that they could successfully capture Baoying and eliminate the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps.
Soon, groups of Japanese soldiers wearing steel helmets surrounded Baoying like an iron barrel under the cover of rain.
The Japanese soldiers who had already arrived at the predetermined attack position had their bayonets unsheathed, and rainwater flowed down the brim of their helmets on their faces.
The Japanese commanders at all levels were staring at their watches. At five o'clock in the morning, a Japanese officer wiped the rain off his face, pulled out his saber, and then pressed forward fiercely.
"Attack!"
After receiving the order to attack, the Japanese soldiers with their feet in the mud rushed towards Baoying City like a tide.
As a group of Japanese soldiers pounced towards Baoying, the entire horizon seemed to come alive. Large groups of Japanese soldiers emerged one after another, stepping on the muddy water and swooping forward.
The Japanese soldiers did not roar like beasts, but held bayonets and charged forward in large strides, splashing mud and water for a while.
There are no troops stationed in Baoying City, only some residents who are unwilling to leave remain. They are still sleeping soundly in the early morning and have no idea that the Japanese have already pounced on them.
In the drizzling rain, a gleaming bayonet pierced the darkness. The hideous and ugly Japanese soldiers panted heavily and soon were less than 500 meters away from the Baoying city wall with heavy steps.
If it were daytime, they would be able to see the city wall at a glance, but now that it was raining and their vision was not good, they could only see a blurry outline.
Worrying about the sentries of the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, a group of elite Japanese soldiers moved forward. They carefully took turns to cover their advance, preparing to avoid bullets that might be fired from some suspicious points at any time.
Unfortunately, until they got close to the city wall, the entire Baoying was still silent and there was no response.
The leading Japanese lieutenant made a gesture, and the leading Japanese soldiers quickly lay down in the muddy water and hid themselves in the grass. They were very nervous and their breathing became rapid.
A few minutes passed, but as if trying to test his patience, Baoying still had nothing, which forced the Japanese soldiers to risk their lives and continue moving forward.
The Japanese soldiers were so nervous that they could hear their own heartbeats. This strange situation made them smell a conspiracy, but why didn't the other side shoot?
For these Japanese soldiers who kept venturing close to Baoying, they had mixed emotions and hoped that the defenders would shoot, which would make them feel that it was not a trap.
At the same time, they did not want the other party to shoot, so that they could get closer. In such a conflicting mood, the Japanese soldiers finally reached the base of the city wall without any danger.