Two soaked-soaked Japanese communication cavalrymen awkwardly passed through the blockade of guerrilla officers and soldiers wandering in the surrounding countryside, and rushed towards the heavily guarded Japanese village.
Although the guerrilla officers and soldiers had received orders to let them go into the village to report to the Japanese, the mischievous guerrilla officers and soldiers still shot to scare them, and the bullet wounded the Japanese messenger.
"One of our own! Don't shoot!"
The Japanese communication cavalry shouted and rushed towards the ring-shaped machine gun nest defensively on the outside of the village.
The Japanese soldiers guarding the circular machine gun nest also felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, but when they heard the other party speaking Japanese, they just put their hands on the triggers to be on guard and did not fire.
"Plop!"
The horses covered in mud rushed to the vicinity of the machine gun nest. An injured Japanese communication soldier could not hold on and fell heavily to the muddy ground. Another Japanese communication soldier also reined in the horse in time.
"what happened?"
A Japanese second lieutenant came up to him, helped the injured Japanese communication soldier up, and asked loudly.
"The Chinese Army... The Chinese Army is attacking Qinghe Town..." The Japanese communications soldier who was shot in the chest died before he could finish his words.
Another Japanese communications soldier then added breathlessly: "Sir, the main force of the China Army has appeared in Qinghe Town. Where is Chief Kuroda? I need to report!"
When the Japanese second lieutenant heard this, his face became wild. He didn't dare to delay, and stood up quickly and said: "Follow me -"
Soon, the still-living Japs signal corpsman was brought to the Japs commander Ichiro Kuroda. Seeing the embarrassment of the Japs corpsman, Kuroda had a vague feeling that something bad had happened.
"Nani?!" After Ichiro Kuroda heard the report from the communications soldier, his eyes widened and he simply couldn't believe his ears.
"Are you sure you are the main force of the China Army?!"
The Japanese Communications Corps responded quickly and without hesitation: "Sir, this is indeed the main force of the China Army. All the artillery towers and outposts along the way have been destroyed. Qinghe Town is also in danger. The squad leader asks you to return to the rescue quickly."
"Impossible, impossible, how could there be the main force of the Chinese Army in this area..." Ichiro Kuroda muttered to himself, his face full of disbelief.
The main force of the Chinese Army in this area is only Yang Zhonghua's 8th Security Brigade. Moreover, it is one or two hundred miles away from Qinghe Town. How come it suddenly attacked Qinghe Town.
"Do you know the unit number of the China Army?" Ichiro Kuroda asked again with a serious face.
"We broke out from the east gate and hid all the way without paying attention..."
The signal soldier's answer disappointed Kuroda Ichiro, and he waved the signal soldier who had been running all the way to go down and rest.
"Sir Kuroda, no matter whether it is the main force of the Chinese Army that attacks Qinghe Town or not, I think we should return to support them. Since they can destroy the artillery strongholds along the way, their strength must not be weak, and the remaining troops may be difficult to resist."
"Besides, all our ammunition and food are in Qinghe Town. If Qinghe Town is lost, we will completely lose control of this area..."
The war has reached this point, and Japanese Captain Kasai Sadao no longer wants to continue fighting. If it continues like this, who knows how bad it will get.
The constant attacks and traps of those elusive guerrillas had exhausted him physically and mentally. Moreover, the weather was now bad, and it would become increasingly difficult to continue advancing towards Xiaowangzhuang.
"Taijun, my brothers have suffered heavy casualties. They are in urgent need of treatment..." Zhang Laizi, the commander of the puppet army battalion, also helped in time.
It's not that he really thinks about the wounded people who are wailing in pain, but his belongings and money are all in Qinghe Town. If Qinghe Town has someone bring them to him, why should he drink the northwest wind?
Japanese Major Ichiro Kuroda vowed to destroy the guerrillas entrenched in Xiaowangzhuang, but the current situation left him in a dilemma.
If they continue to advance forward, with their strong strength, even if the guerrillas try their best to block them, they will definitely not be able to stop them.
However, if this happens, Qinghe Town will inevitably be unable to be defended. It is the logistics supply base of the army. If it is lost, all the materials, food and ammunition will fall into the hands of the Chinese army.
And without their logistical supplies, they may have no choice but to retreat to the county seat in despair, completely losing control of Qinghe Town.
After careful consideration, Japanese Major Ichiro Kuroda decided to return reinforcements while the troops still had enough ammunition and food. If they were to retreat when they ran out of ammunition and food, I'm afraid the situation would be even worse.
In fact, he was just taking advantage of the situation, and his aggressive attack turned into a bad battle. Facing the guerrilla troops who were familiar with the terrain, he was helpless.
"Order the troops to assemble and return to Qinghe Town to aid!" Although he was extremely reluctant, Ichiro Kuroda still had to give the order to retreat.
"Yes! Yes! Back up now!"
The puppet battalion commander Zhang Lezi was the happiest, and now he wished he could fly back to protect the money he had plundered.
"Battle Commander Zhang?"
Seeing the puppet battalion commander Zhang Lezi who hurriedly turned around to summon his subordinates, Kuroda Ichiro stopped him.
"Taijun, do you have any other instructions?"
When Zhang Lezi saw Kuroda Ichiro's serious expression, his heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling came over him.
Ichiro Kuroda ordered: "Batalion Commander Zhang, your troops will serve as rearguards."
Retreating is a technical task. If it is not done well, it will lead to a rout, so a rearguard is a must, and the puppet army is the best.
If the guerrilla troops catch up, the puppet troops will definitely exchange fire with them first, and this will buy enough time for the Japanese to set up defenses.
In fact, in one sentence, the puppet troops are now being used as cannon fodder by the Japanese Major Ichiro Kuroda.
When Zhang Laizi and the others fought against the guerrillas just now, they fought in the front and suffered more than 150 casualties. But now they had to stay as the rear guard. His face suddenly fell.
"Taijun, Taijun, my subordinates suffered heavy casualties, I..."
Before Zhang Laizi could finish his words, he was interrupted by Japanese Major Kuroda Ichiro with a wave of his hand: "Battle Commander Zhang, your loyalty is great. I believe you. You will retreat after half an hour of our retreat. Do you understand?"
You know what the hell, Zhang Laizi has already begun to curse in his heart, but what can he do when faced with the fierce-looking Ichiro Kuroda? He is also very helpless.
"Yes..." Zhang Lezi weakly agreed to stay as a guard.
Ichiro Kuroda nodded with satisfaction, patted his shoulder and said, "Those who have done meritorious service will be greatly rewarded."
Ichiro Kuroda also knew that Zhang Laizi was probably unwilling, so he promised the benefits in time, which made Zhang Laizi's face look better.
Amidst the commotion, the Japanese and puppet troops were all assembled in the village. The vanguard detachment cleared the way. The troops drove out of the village in a mighty manner, got into the rain and fog, and headed straight for the way they came.
Zhang Lezi and the others watched helplessly as the Japanese soldiers disappeared from sight, looking at each other, and finally turned their attention to their battalion commander, Zhang Lezi.
"Battalion... Battalion Commander, do we really have to hold off for half an hour before withdrawing?"
Some puppet soldiers looked at the dangerous countryside, swallowed their saliva, and asked with some fear.
Zhang Laizi was already in a bad mood. He raised his hand and cursed: "You are so heartless. Are the guerrillas so easy to deal with? I think your life will be long."
"Pack your things for me and retreat in ten minutes!" Zhang Laizi shouted loudly.
"Yes!" The puppet soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
Damn it, there's no way you can use me as cannon fodder. Zhang Laizi spat hard in the direction the Japs were leaving.