Baoying City is still shrouded in a dark rain. Japs armed with guns guard the streets everywhere. Japs patrols in raincoats stampede large splashes of water. Martial law has not yet been lifted, and the air is filled with a chilling atmosphere.
The Japs' headquarters in Baoying City has three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry. It is extremely heavily guarded. From time to time, hurried-looking Japs staff officers come in and out, summarizing various intelligences and leaving with orders.
"The Chinese guerrillas have dispersed to the countryside. Because our encirclement and suppression troops are not familiar with the local terrain, they have never been able to accurately find the hiding place of the Chinese army."
"So far, five search teams have been ambushed by Chinese guerrillas, with 135 people killed, eight seriously injured, and 55 slightly injured."
"Although the Gaoqiao Brigade sent troops to conduct a dragnet-style search, the Chinese people are very cunning and often penetrate our backs at night to launch attacks. The main area is full of Chinese guerrillas, and the troops are deep in the paddy fields. Even if
Even if the Chinese guerrillas were discovered, it would be difficult to launch an effective pursuit."
...
The Japanese staff officer's voice was very low. While reporting, he glanced at the face of the detachment leader Shouichi Watanabe from time to time, ready to stop the report at any time.
But the face of the detachment leader Hisashi Watanabe never showed any emotion, as if these casualties could no longer make him angry.
It wasn't until the Japanese staff reported everything that the Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi raised his head.
He had learned from the staff report about the current dilemma their troops were facing. Although he controlled Baoying, he only controlled such an isolated city.
Once you leave Baoying City and enter the vast countryside and paddy fields, the guerrillas will dominate the place, and they cannot effectively control it.
Their opponent, the Northern Jiangsu Corps, was very cunning. Instead of confronting their main force head-on, they spread out and carried out sporadic attacks and attacks on them.
Although it seems that the scale of these attacks is small, sometimes only a few people, but if they attack from the east and then from the west, if this continues, the losses will be very scary.
Watanabe Shouichi is very dissatisfied with the current siege and suppression operations. His goal is to control the entire territory of Baoying, not just an isolated city.
"The troops are not familiar with the local terrain and have been attacked repeatedly by the Chinese guerrillas. Then why didn't you look for guides among the local Chinese people?" Senior Colonel Hisashi Watanabe asked the Japanese staff.
The Japanese staff also responded helplessly: "We also tried to find some guides among the local Chinese people, but unfortunately they were very uncooperative, and..."
"And what?" Watanabe Shouichi asked, staring at the staff officer.
The Japanese staff officer paused, and said angrily: "We suspected that they had colluded with the Chinese guerrillas, and even stood guard for the Chinese guerrillas. We had received intelligence several times and determined the assembly point of the Chinese guerrillas, but when we rushed there,
, they have already run away, it must be the Chinese people along the way who took a shortcut to report the news to them, or the guerrillas are hiding among the people."
After hearing the Japanese staff officer's answer, Watanabe Shouichi's expression became solemn. He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth, lost in thought.
If the local people really have a close relationship with the guerrillas, then it will undoubtedly be more difficult for them to encircle and suppress the guerrillas.
Because once the guerrillas hide among the people, it is difficult for them to distinguish them unless they kill all the local people.
Thinking of this, a stern look flashed across the face of the Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi, and he suddenly stopped and turned to face the Japanese staff officer standing there.
"Order Tanichuan-san and Takahashi-san to take the people of Support Na as hostages and force the Chinese guerrillas to show up on their own initiative."
Since the local people are inextricably linked to the hidden guerrillas, there is no need for them to go all out to find the guerrillas. If they directly seize the local people and threaten them, all problems will be solved.
The Japanese detachment leader Watanabe Shouichi believed that once they announced that they wanted to kill these people, the guerrillas would not join hands and watch.
Because if they don't show up to rescue them, they will lose the support of the local people, and they will no longer be able to hide in the area.
Therefore, this is a vicious plan that kills two birds with one stone. No matter whether the guerrillas show up to save people or hide and do not save people, the guerrillas will fall into a passive state.
After hearing what Watanabe Shouichi said, the Japanese staff were also stunned, and then an excited smile appeared on their faces, and they secretly thought, why didn't they think of this method?
This is a completely effortless way of finding a way out of nowhere. They just need to sit back and wait. It is like searching for guerrillas all over the mountains and fields now. Not only is it sleepy and tiring, but from time to time they encounter obstacles because of the unfamiliar terrain.
attack.
"Your Excellency, detachment leader, if the Chinese guerrillas resist showing up, are we really going to kill those people?" The Japanese staff officer thought for a while and asked one more question.
Watanabe Shouichi returned to his seat and sat down, picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea: "If the Chinese guerrillas do not appear, then we do not need to be polite. Only by killing those Chinese people and burning their houses can we give
The Chinese people in the surrounding areas can use this warning to let them know the consequences of resisting our Imperial Japanese Army! At the same time, it can make the Chinese guerrillas passive and helpless. I think no Chinese people will dare to help them in the future."
"As long as the Chinese people do not provide help to these guerrillas, then they will be rootless and will not be able to get supplies and food, and will soon be wiped out by us!"
Hearing the wonderful prospect described by Shouichi Watanabe, the Japanese staff officer felt a sense of enlightenment: "We can set up an ambush in advance. As long as the Chinese people dare to appear, we can completely eliminate them!"
The Japanese detachment leader Hisashi Watanabe nodded and said: "Execute the order."
"Hi Yi!" The Japanese staff officer bowed his head heavily, then turned around and left with a long stride.
Soon, the telegram of the order was sent to the Japanese infantry brigade responsible for forward encirclement and suppression.
The Japanese Infantry Brigade Tanigawa was chasing a guerrilla group in a paddy field. Several squadrons of their troops were chasing and intercepting them, forcing the small group of guerrillas to escape. This made Colonel Tanigawa, who had turned into a duck, scream in anger.
If they walked on the field ridge, they would encounter guerrilla fire. Not to mention the machine gun blockade, even a few rifles could block the field ridge they were advancing on.
Once the Japs adopt a sudden charge, the opponent's machine guns and grenade launchers will hit them, causing heavy losses to the Japs.
Many Japanese who wanted to take a roundabout route had to leave the ridge and walk into the paddy fields, but the mud prevented them from running fast. They were shot by rifles one by one and had to retreat, watching helplessly as each other ran away.
"The detachment leader is really clever. Once this plan is implemented, the Chinese guerrillas will fall into the trap without us pursuing them!"
When the exhausted Captain Tanichuan saw the telegram, his mud-spattered face showed excitement and fierceness.
"Order all troops to withdraw immediately and stop the pursuit." Soon, the Japanese Captain Tanichuan issued an order to stop the pursuit of the guerrillas.