"According to the intelligence, the Japs in Gaoyou have begun to gather on a large scale and are on standby. It is estimated that they will take action in the next day or two..."
The Japanese have a large number of spies and traitors in China to provide intelligence, and they know the numbers and various situations of the Chinese troops very well every time.
Yang Ling also attached great importance to the importance of intelligence and invested a lot of manpower and material resources to build his own intelligence network. Although it was only limited to Jiangsu and the scale was not large, he could quickly know if the Japanese had any trouble.
There are many hidden stakes left by Yang Ling in the maintenance committee supported by the Japanese who are stranded in Gaoyou. These people have different identities and are all operating under the banner of Sino-Japanese friendship. They are always paying attention to the movements of the Japanese.
Although the preparations for the Japs' assemblage were carried out secretly, it was impossible to hide such a large-scale military mobilization from everyone, especially those who maintained the meeting.
Because the transportation of Japanese baggage supplies by the Japanese alone is not enough, they need the help of civilians organized by maintenance societies.
The Japanese soldiers who were wandering in small groups in Gaoyou City all returned to the camp, and martial law began in the city. The maintenance committee organized civilians to start distributing supplies. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Japanese soldiers were definitely going to launch some kind of military operation.
The combat targets of the Japs currently stationed in Gaoyou are nothing more than the Jiangsu North Corps in the Jieshou area, the 89th Army in Xinghua, and the Sulu guerrilla forces in the Taizhou direction.
Therefore, on the night when the Japanese issued the combat mobilization order, information about the abnormal mobilization of the Japanese was placed on the desk of Yang Ling, the commander of the Jiangsu North Corps, the leader of the Jiangsu Province.
Yang Ling did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly summoned all the commanders scattered on various fronts to hold a military meeting to deal with the Japanese military operations.
"The enemy is preparing for large-scale military preparations this time. The goal is self-evident. It is either to attack us, Xinghua, or Taizhou. We are likely to be the target of the enemy's attack, so I ordered all troops to enter immediately.
War status!"
"Damn, I've been itching for a long time. As long as the little devil dares to come, I will let him come back!" Shen Biao, the commander of the third battalion, rubbed his hands, a little eager to try.
A few days ago, a Japanese infantry squadron attacked Jieshou along the highway, preparing to cooperate with Jiang Fang's motorboat squadron to capture Jieshou in one fell swoop and open up the connection with Baoying.
However, the motorboat squadron encountered Yang Ling's ambush and was completely wiped out. The Japanese infantry squadron heading north along the road saw that the situation was not good and retreated back to Gaoyou. Shen Biao missed the opportunity and was still unwilling to accept it.
After all, he was a new member of the Northern Jiangsu Corps, and now he was in urgent need of a battle to prove his strength, but the Japanese couldn't retreat, so he couldn't find a place to start.
This time I heard that the Japs were gathering on a large scale to launch a military operation. Shen Biao was the happiest. He could finally fight with pride. Then he would show his face well and let the old people in the Jiangsu North Corps take a look.
, He Shen Biao is not a waste.
"Sir, you give me the order on how to fight this battle."
Compared with Shen Biao's enthusiasm, Wu Changqing, Blacksmith and others were also gearing up to prepare for a big fight.
They are very tired these days. They are busy on various fronts directing the civilian teams to dig fortification trenches and cut off roads and bridges. They are wrapped like clay figures. This is the day they have been waiting for so hard.
Yang Ling was very pleased when he saw his brothers who were enthusiastic about fighting. Except for Shen Biao and his battalion, the others were all his old brothers.
With his own group of trusted old brothers guarding all fronts, it would be impossible for the Japs to march straight into Huaiyin without paying the price of blood.
"Now Baoying has become an isolated city. We have surrounded Baoying. If the Japs in Gaoyou don't want the Japs in Baoying to die, they will definitely send troops northward for reinforcements this time. This is our chance."
"The principle of this operation is to wait for work, lure the enemy deep, and then concentrate our forces to eat one of them... The main force in the operation is our Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, and the local militia troops are responsible for flanking and harassment... "
Japanese commander Taro Sano stood still in Gaoyou, collecting intelligence secretly and waiting for the follow-up troops to gather. Of course, Yang Ling was not idle either.
Yang Ling now has more than 30,000 recruited civilians under his command. With more people, they are more powerful. In a short period of time, they have turned the water network area within dozens of kilometers from Gaoyou to Baoying into a pre-planned area. Set up a battlefield.
This area has been dug into a mess, all roads have been dug out, and the paddy fields are filled with water. Once the devils penetrate this area, it will definitely be a nightmare for the devils.
Yang Ling and his troops have gradually grown up after being tempered by the flames of war. Both their will to fight and their military literacy have been steadily improving.
In such an area with a home field advantage, even if the little Japs who rush in can't be annihilated quickly, they can still be killed by exhaustion.
Moreover, the materials and food allocated by the Jiangsu Provincial Chairman to Yang Ling and the others are being continuously delivered to the front line. This is sufficient logistical support.
Now, whether it is the reserves of weapons and ammunition or the assembled troops, Yang Ling has the confidence to fight a battle with the Jaap. No matter how bad the situation is, he can still bite a piece of flesh from the Jaap.
"All troops will enter the predetermined battlefield starting tonight. Civilians stranded on the battlefield will form stretcher teams and transport teams to assist us in the battle. The militiamen will complete their training and quickly return to the local area to start operations in accordance with my orders."
"The intelligence department has cooperated with the local security team to enter a first-level alert state. Anyone who finds suspicious persons, regardless of whether there is evidence or not, will be arrested first and then interrogated to prevent Japanese spies and traitors from spying on military intelligence."
"From today on, all towns in our guerrilla zone in northern Jiangsu will implement curfews, and anyone who wanders outside after dark will be put in jail."
"Send the news that the Japs are about to launch a large-scale attack to the Sulu Guerrilla Corps and Chairman Han, so that friendly forces can also prepare for the battle."
While the Japanese were secretly preparing for war in Gaoyou, the entire Northern Jiangsu Corps also took action. The gears of the war that had been suspended for several weeks began to turn at high speed again, and the dark clouds of war were once again shrouded.
The Japs have not yet completed their assembly, but Yang Ling and the others have already taken the lead in taking action. The militia troops that were being trained at Jieshou were the first to disband and return to their respective areas of responsibility. They will be responsible for flanking and hunting the Japs.
Yang Ling had issued a reward order, and anyone who hunted and killed a Japanese soldier would be worth an ocean.
Now, as the Japanese have launched an offensive against China's economy, the legal currency of the Nationalist Government has become worthless. Instead, Dayang has become a hard currency applicable in both Kuomintang-controlled areas and enemy-occupied areas, so Dayang's rewards are still very tempting.
After the militia troops left, the three battalions of guerrilla troops that had completed their replenishment also quietly left Jieshou at night, headed south to the front line, and entered the preset battlefield in advance.
As for the troops heading south from Huaiyin, apart from part of them staying in Baoying for surveillance, more than 3,000 officers and soldiers also marched south to Jieshou at night, as the reserve troops of the main army, ready to be added to the battlefield at any time.
These troops were all local armed forces that Yang Ling had integrated into the Northern Jiangsu Anti-Japanese Corps in Huaiyin. Instructors had been dispatched for training.
Although these troops are mixed, and their overall combat effectiveness is not high, as long as they are led by veterans and dispersed among their own guerrilla forces, they can fight one or two small-scale battles and their combat effectiveness will soon increase. Yang Ling has high hopes for them.