A red sun burst out from the eastern horizon, and the sky finally dawned.
Under the rising sun, a group of Eighth Route Army cavalry lined up in neat formation, walking majestically. They were so close that they could still hear their singing.
"As the sun sets and the red clouds fly over the western mountains, the soldiers return to the camp from target practice and return to the camp."
"Cow-la-clop, la-clop-mi-doo-wow, the soldiers are returning to the camp from target practice."
Although it is early in the morning and the sun has just risen, it is not appropriate to sing "Sunset to the West Mountain". However, the returning officers and soldiers of the Third Cavalry Company still sang with great enthusiasm, especially the two brothers Xiang Dalong and Xiang Dahu, who sang better than anyone else.
Even more energetic, they learned this song as soon as they were taught it and sang it smoothly.
It can be seen that the spirit of the officers and soldiers of the Third Cavalry Company is very different from two days ago. Among other things, their sense of identification with the Eighth Route Army and the Communist Party has been greatly improved.
To be honest, when they first surrendered, the surrendered troops of the puppet Mongolian army, including the two Xiang brothers, really had no sympathy for the Eighth Route Army. But now, after several victories, Xu Rui just announced the suppression of the Eighth Route Army.
Letan Ezier and other country gentry distributed all cattle, sheep, livestock and pastures to poor herdsmen. Their perception of the Communist Eighth Route Army was very different.
Until now, these Mongolian cavalry really regard the Eighth Route Army as their own team and the Communist Party as their relatives.
To put it bluntly, whether they are Han or Mongolian, the vast majority of people actually have the same idea, and they all hope to live a good life. So whoever can lead them to live a good life, they will support him without reservation, even if they are
Even if you risk your own life, you must fight to the death to protect this party and this army.
Xu Rui had just finished rinsing his mouth when he met the Third Cavalry Company returning to camp.
"You're back?" Xu Rui greeted with a smile, "Looking at you like this, you have gained a lot?"
Without waiting for Cheng Luming, commander of the third cavalry company, to reply, Xiang Dalong rushed to answer: "The harvest is not big, but the fight is very satisfying."
"Oh, really?" Xu Rui laughed and asked again, "Then tell me, how do you feel good about it? Where do you feel good about it?"
Xiang Dahu immediately rushed to answer: "It's just like what was said in Journey to the West. It's like eating ginseng fruit. There are 3,600 sweat pores all over the body, and there is not a single part of it that feels bad."
After a pause, Xiang Dahu said again: "Captain, we are really convinced. Before today, we never thought that the war could be fought like this. We used to think that the Japanese were well-equipped and well-trained. Really?"
We couldn't beat them, and it wasn't until today that we finally realized that, as the group leader told us, the little devil is just a paper tiger!"
"Okay, don't get mad here." Xu Rui laughed and scolded, "The little devils become paper tigers only at night. During the day, they immediately turn into real tigers again, so go back and eat something before preparing to run.
Road, if nothing goes wrong, the little Japs will definitely chase us like crazy today and they will still be able to escape."
Xiang Dahu agreed, turned around and left happily.
…
Xiang Dahu was very happy, the officers and soldiers of the Third Cavalry Company were very happy, the entire Chahar Independent Regiment was very happy, and even the herdsmen in the entire Hetao Grassland were very happy. Only the Japanese were unhappy, and Chang Yong was especially unhappy.
.
Last night, Changyong didn't close his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, but that he couldn't sleep at all!
Every time I closed my eyes, a bunch of cluster grenades were thrown over me, and then there was a loud bang.
If it's just the sound of explosions, it's nothing. As a veteran, Chang Yong can fall asleep listening to the rumble of artillery on the artillery position. The problem is that the Chinese don't follow the rules. They not only throw cluster grenades every now and then, but also throw cluster grenades from time to time.
They will actually send out cavalry to attack, but in short they will not stop people.
Since arriving in Loop, Changyong has not had a full night's sleep in the past few days due to heavy command tasks. In addition, he could not sleep a wink last night, so when he walked out of the tent in the morning, there was already an obvious ring of black smoke.
Well, not only Chang Yong, but also the entire officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Infantry Regiment were yawning nonstop.
Seeing this scene, Chang Yong immediately knew that the situation was very serious.
If this passive situation cannot be changed as soon as possible, they will definitely be dragged to death by the Eighth Route Army! The guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army are really too despicable and shameless! They have no intention of confronting you head-on, but will only hide in secret and make cold shots.
, but Chang Yong was convinced that when the Japanese army was exhausted, they would pounce on them like wolves.
Therefore, the situation must be reversed as soon as possible, and the situation must not be allowed to evolve in a direction that is not conducive to the Japanese army.
So, how to reverse the situation? Speaking of which, it is actually very simple. That is to catch up with the Eighth Route Army as soon as possible and annihilate them in one fell swoop. As long as the main force of the Chahar Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army is eliminated, the remaining small number of stragglers can also be eliminated.
It would no longer be possible to pose any threat to the Japanese army.
Minetaro Yoshida, commander of the 13th Infantry Regiment, thought so too.
However, Minetaro Yoshida had another worry, and he immediately said to Chang Yong: "Your Majesty Colonel, since Xiao Linjun's cavalry squadron has been annihilated by the Chinese army and has lost the reconnaissance cavalry, it has been difficult for the imperial army to accurately grasp Xu Rui's tactics in a timely manner.
If we can’t grasp the whereabouts of the Chahar Independent Regiment, we can’t talk about tracking down and annihilating them.”
"Don't worry, Yoshida-kun, I have already thought of a countermeasure." Changyong smiled ferociously and added, "I have just sent an urgent message to the Mongolian Army Headquarters, requesting Commander Okabe to contact the Front Army Headquarters.
Datong or Taiyuan Airport dispatched two reconnaissance aircraft to track and locate Xu Rui's Chahar Independent Regiment throughout the entire process."
"Yoshi." Minetaro Yoshida nodded happily and said, "That'll be no problem."
…
Let’s talk about the Chahar Independent Regiment later.
The 7th Cavalry Battalion and the 2nd Cavalry Company had just completed their assembly when suddenly the roar of aircraft engines came from the sky. The cavalry soldiers in formation looked up and saw two Japanese reconnaissance planes coming out of the clouds. Taking advantage of the rising sun, they
It can be clearly seen that the wings of these two aircraft are painted with eye-catching plaster patterns.
Upon discovering that it was a Japanese plane, the cavalry soldiers immediately became nervous.
Bart even said to Xu Rui: "Captain, the Japanese plane, hurry up and take cover."
"It's the little devil's reconnaissance plane." Xu Rui waved his hand and said, "It's okay."
The Japanese reconnaissance plane is not a pure reconnaissance plane. It actually has a machine gun installed on the nose, so the reconnaissance plane also has the function of a fighter jet. However, the reconnaissance plane has less ammunition and cannot carry aerial bombs, so the threat is smaller than that of the attack plane.
There are many, and in order to ensure the time in the air as much as possible, reconnaissance aircraft generally do not dive.
Facts have proved that Xu Rui's guess was correct. After the two Japanese reconnaissance planes appeared, they did not launch a dive, but just circled back and forth over the heads of the independent regiment. After a while, one of the reconnaissance planes left the independent regiment.
In the sky, it turned to the northwest, leaving only one reconnaissance plane still circling.
Xu Rui said: "The Japanese reconnaissance plane that left must have led the Japanese infantry to pursue this direction."
"Ah?" Bart and several company commanders immediately exclaimed, and then said, "Now we are in trouble, what should we do?"
"What should we do?" Xu Rui chuckled and said, "What else can we do? Run. Don't be fooled now. Run directly along the official road. Now is the time for us to compete with the little devils in terms of leg strength.
, but the little devil only has two legs, but we have four, let’s see who can’t hold on first in the end.”
After saying that, Xu Rui got on his horse and started riding.
At that moment, the cavalry officers and soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Battalion and the 2nd Cavalry Company also got on their horses one after another.
A moment later, a huge cavalry consisting of more than 700 cavalry, more than 500 spare war horses, more than 1,000 pack horses and more than 300 flat carriages walked along the official road from Dongsheng County to Zhungeer Banner.
They headed east in a mighty manner. Upon seeing this, the Japanese reconnaissance planes hovering in the sky quickly followed suit and continued to track the whereabouts of the independent regiment.
…
About two hours later, the 13th Japanese Infantry Regiment pursued them to Dongsheng County.
But by this time, not only the cavalry of the Chahar Independent Regiment had disappeared, but the cattle and sheep transferred from the Yikezhao League, the people and the people who originally lived in Dongsheng County had also disappeared, leaving the little devils.
It was an empty city. Apart from some furniture that could not be taken away, not even a grain of rice was left behind that could be taken away.
Because he was worried that the Japanese would change their target, abandon the pursuit of the independent group, and instead pursue the herdsmen and seize cattle and sheep livestock, Xu Rui also made some preparations. When they were transferred from the Yike Zhao League, the common people and cattle and sheep herders were separated.
Those who were moved did not move to the same place, and the same was true for the people and cattle and sheep in Dongsheng County.
So even if the little devil wants to chase him, he doesn't know where to chase him in a hurry?
Or split up the troops to chase them? The little devils didn’t dare, the Chahar Independent Regiment was not a good person.
However, Chang Yong has no intention of hunting down the common people, because it is meaningless for him to chase the common people. Only by catching up with and annihilating the main force of the Chahar Independent Regiment can the situation in the Hetao be turned around.
Therefore, Chang Yong led the 13th Infantry Regiment to continue eastward to pursue the main force of the Chahar Independent Regiment.
Because the reconnaissance aircraft of the Third Flying Regiment were in the sky to guide them, the Japanese were able to firmly track the whereabouts of the Independent Regiment. However, Chang Yong was discouraged that as time went by, instead of getting closer, the distance between the two sides did not get closer.
It continued to widen, and by evening, the distance between the two sides had widened from less than ten miles to thirty miles.
By this time, Changyong had also realized that they might not be able to catch up with their opponents.
To make matters worse, the officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Infantry Regiment and the First Battalion of the Independence Mountain Artillery were exhausted.
Then, Changyong began to hesitate. Keep chasing. If you can't catch up, you will be exhausted. But if you don't chase, what will happen to the Hetao Grassland? And how will the commander explain it?
