Huaiyin was a county established during the Qin Dynasty. It was named because it was located south of the Huaihe River. The northern Jiangsu area where it was located was the junction of the two strategic groups of the Japanese in North China and Central China.
In addition, Huaiyin has been irrigated by the Huaihe River since ancient times and has been a land of plenty and fertile land. It is enough to look at Nanjing, control the Yangtze River, and threaten the Xuzhou area.
Since the Japanese captured Wuhan, the front line has been stretched, and the island countries lack resources and cannot support frontline consumption. Therefore, they have implemented a policy of supporting war with war, wantonly expelling people from the occupied areas and plundering various resources.
The Thirteenth Infantry Brigade formed by the Japanese was stationed in the southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu areas. Its main task was to sweep up and suppress the Chinese civilians who resisted in this area, and at the same time collect military rations and other supplies.
The Yamaguchi Brigade stationed in Huaiyin was a powerful force of the Kwantung Army. The guerrilla troops in nearby areas fought against them several times but were defeated and had to retreat to the vast countryside.
This time, the Ninth Guerrilla Column gathered thousands of troops from more than a dozen detachments under its command and marched directly to Huaiyin, firstly to support the winter offensive launched across the country, and secondly to avenge the enemy.
The whereabouts of the Ninth Guerrilla Column had long been known by the Yamaguchi Brigade stationed in Huaiyin, and they did not take the initiative to fight against the guerrilla troops.
Under the orders of Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu, the Japanese and puppet troops in Huaiyin took the initiative to release the artillery towers and strongholds along the way, not to entangle with the guerrilla troops, but to actively lure them deeper.
Thousands of troops of the Ninth Guerrilla Column advanced toward Huaiyin in a mighty manner. In addition to encountering some slight resistance at the beginning, the puppet soldiers behind them fled when they saw them, allowing them to take advantage of the situation and recapture more than a dozen villages.
"Damn, why is this little devil so inexperienced?"
Seeing the Japanese and puppet troops running away, the officers and soldiers of the Ninth Guerrilla Column were excited and more confused.
In the past, when they fought against the Japanese from the Yamaguchi Brigade, the Japanese were fierce and belligerent, and they were beaten to a pulp every time.
But this time, the Japanese soldiers turned into soft-footed shrimps and fled without a fight, leaving the guerrilla officers and soldiers confused.
"What the hell, since the little devils are afraid of us, let's stop wasting our time and pursue them relentlessly to take advantage of the victory and completely eliminate them!" The nervous detachment leader was so excited that he led his men in pursuit.
But some cautious guerrilla detachment captains frowned: "Could it be a conspiracy of the little Japs?"
After all, they knew the strength of the little devils. These little devils were all transferred from the icy and snowy areas outside the customs. They were good at fighting in the field, and they were worried about being ambushed.
The commander of the Ninth Guerrilla Column also had a uncertain face. The little Japanese's uncharacteristic retreat made him feel unsure.
Their Ninth Guerrilla Column was ordered to recapture Huaiyin County. If they had a head-on confrontation with the Japs, with the strength of more than a dozen of their detachments, they would not necessarily lose.
But now that the little devil took the initiative to retreat, he became suspicious. After all, the little devil was insidious and cunning, and he was worried about being fooled.
But now that the team has been pulled over, and there are orders from the guerrilla army, he cannot hold back, otherwise it will make him look cowardly.
"The fifth detachment sent a company to the front to explore the road, and immediately retreated if the situation went wrong."
"The investigation scope of the reconnaissance platoon has been expanded to five miles to prevent being surrounded by Japanese soldiers."
For the sake of safety, the commander of the Ninth Guerrilla Column sent a company of elite soldiers and a large number of scouts, and then slowly followed behind and advanced towards Huaiyin with the main force of the column.
Yamaguchi Akamatsu, the Japanese commander in Huaiyin City, received the report. He heard that some of the Ninth Guerrilla Column were afraid to move forward, and secretly cursed himself for being careless.
"Increase resistance along the way and lure the Chinese guerrillas to Huaiyin City."
The order was quickly issued to the Japanese strongholds and gun towers along the way, and the Japanese and puppet troops immediately launched a blockade against the guerrilla columns.
After the vanguard company sent by the guerrilla column encountered a tenacious resistance, the situation was reported to the commander of the ninth guerrilla column, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I asked why the Japs fled without fighting. My feeling was that there were too few troops and we had to shrink our defenses." The intelligence sent back by the vanguard company greatly increased the confidence of the guerrilla commander.
Since the Japanese have abandoned some surrounding villages and strongholds and contracted their defenses, it means that the Japanese troops are stretched thin, which undoubtedly increases their chances of regaining Huaiyin.
"Report!"
Just as the guerrilla commander was about to give the order to advance at full speed, a cavalryman rushed over and brought another piece of good news.
"speak!"
"Two hours ago, a group of about seven to eight hundred Japanese soldiers left Huaiyin in a car and headed towards Lianshui."
"Hahaha, it must be the Eleventh Column that is causing trouble!" Upon hearing this information, the commander of the Ninth Guerrilla Column laughed heartily.
Now that the Japanese troops have gone to reinforce Lianshui, there are fewer Japanese soldiers in Huaiyin City, which gives them a chance.
"Commander, let's fight. Huaiyin might already be an empty city!"
"Commander, our seventh detachment is willing to take the lead!"
...
Hearing that there were not many Japs left in Huaiyin City, the captains of the guerrilla detachment became very excited, and they all wanted to win the first prize in the liberation of Huaiyin, which after all could be used as a qualification for promotion.
The guerrilla commander had previously felt that there were a large number of Japs and puppet troops stationed in Huaiyin, and he was still very worried, so he planned to let Yang Ling's detachment fight, which was not very obedient, in order to temper Yang Ling's temper.
But now there are not many enemies in Huaiyin. If Yang Ling's detachment is given more, it will be giving them credit. He will not do a loss-making business.
"Liu Jinhu, your detachment will take the lead and capture Huaiyin City before dark. We will have dinner in the city!"
"yes!"
The captain of the first team, Liu Jinhu, who was full of anger, clasped his fists on the horse, clamped his legs on the horse's belly and ran back to his team.
Soon, about five hundred officers and soldiers of the first detachment rolled up smoke and dust and rushed towards Huaiyin City.
Naturally, the rest of the detachment was not to be outdone, and quickly advanced towards Huaiyin City in a chaotic manner.
Although the Japs and puppet soldiers along the way were ordered to put up a slight resistance, when they saw the guerrillas approaching in a menacing manner, they fired a few shots from a distance and ran away.
The Japanese and puppet troops retreated in embarrassment towards Huaiyin City. The weapons, supplies, bullets and money discarded along the way inspired the pursuing guerrilla officers and soldiers.
As if they had been praised, the guerrilla officers and soldiers rushed towards Huaiyin, hoping to seize more weapons, ammunition and money.
After all, they have been in a desperate situation these days due to the enemy's siege and suppression. They can only hide around in the countryside, hungry and hungry. It can be said that they are afraid of poverty.
Now that the Japs were vulnerable, they had nothing to worry about. The weapons, ammunition and money abandoned by the Japs made them red-eyed.
Liu Jinhu, the leader of the first team, felt something was wrong and wanted to slow down the officers and soldiers for fear of encountering an ambush.
But now the officers and soldiers of the guerrilla army usually have a loose sense of discipline, and now they can't hold back if they let go. Besides, the detachment behind them is also catching up quickly.
In the end, Liu Jinhu had to give up the idea of slowing down the advance. Although they were all under the command of the Ninth Guerrilla Column, the various detachments were not monolithic with each other.
Thousands of officers and soldiers of the guerrilla detachment were crowded and advancing rapidly towards Huaiyin County. For a while, smoke and dust billowed on the road, and the huge team became a spectacle.
However, the Japs Lieutenant Colonel Yamaguchi Akamatsu, who was in charge of Huaiyin City, had a sneer on his face. He had already laid a sophisticated trap under Huaiyin City, waiting for these guerrillas to sneak in.
In the past, when they encircled and suppressed the guerrillas, even with the help of traitors, they still could not completely wipe out the guerrillas. Most of the time they just defeated them, and soon they were able to regroup.'
But this time, the Japanese commander Sa Yamaguchi Chi had a huge appetite and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to kill all the guerrilla troops under Huaiyin City.
And the three squadrons he sent to support Lianshui were just an illusion. The three Japanese squadrons, armed to the teeth, found a woods to hide in after leaving the city.