The sound of gunfire was first heard in the east of Taiyuan City. It was so sudden that the Taiyuan garrison had no preparation at all.
"Dingling bell~"
In the Japanese army headquarters in Taiyuan City, the telephones rang one after another, and the radio station also sounded the beep of sending and receiving telegrams.
"Sir, our military station outside the city to the east was suddenly attacked by the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army attacking them had very powerful firepower, including light and heavy machine guns, mortars, and mountain field artillery!"
"With just one contact, our forward position was lost!"
As soon as the staff officer finished his report, another staff officer rushed over with a look of panic.
"The south of the city was attacked by the Eighth Route Army. It is the main force of the Eighth Route Army. The forward position has been occupied!"
"The west and north of the city were also attacked by the Eighth Route Army~"
In less than ten minutes, violent gunfire sounded from all four directions in Taiyuan City.
The Japanese Lieutenant General frowned and said nothing. He was thinking about whether this attack was a premeditated battle or an unexpected action. What was the purpose of the Eighth Route Army's sudden attack on Taiyuan City?
"Sir, do you think the Eighth Route Army suddenly attacked us to recapture Taiyuan City from us?"
"No..." the lieutenant general refused without thinking.
"Taiyuan City is impregnable, and we have aviation support. Even if the Eighth Route Army has heavy artillery, it will take at least half a month to capture us!"
"The imperial army's garrison around Taiyuan is not a vegetarian. Half a month is enough for them to form a huge encirclement outside Taiyuan City and kill the Eighth Route Army that is attacking us!"
"The Eighth Route Army is not that stupid. It wastes troops and ammunition for a goal that cannot be achieved at all. This is different from their usual fighting style. There must be other conspiracies that we don't know about!"
"What conspiracy!" the chief of staff asked subconsciously.
The lieutenant general shook his head and replied: "I don't know what the specific conspiracy is!"
"Order the troops stationed outside the city to hold their positions and not take a step back!"
"Intelligence department, immediately find out the number, strength, and equipment of the Eighth Route Army attacking us outside the city!"
"Contact the Taiyuan Airport of the aviation force. As soon as there are conditions at dawn, the aviation force will be dispatched to reinforce the battlefield, kill the Eighth Route Army attacking us, and find out from the sky how many Eighth Route Army people are attacking us!"
The chief of staff hesitated and asked: "Should we report the news that we were attacked to the front army headquarters?"
The lieutenant general shook his head and replied: "We don't even know the purpose of the Eighth Route Army's attack on us. How to report it? We'll talk about it after dawn!"
After two hours of gunfire outside the city, the Japanese troops from four directions lost a total of 13 gun towers and machine gun bunkers, and nearly 300 Japanese and puppet troops were lost.
"General, the Eighth Route Army's offensive is very graceful. It advances step by step, attacking a place and then occupying it. It does not advance at all. Looking at this situation, it looks very much like attacking Taiyuan City!" the chief of staff analyzed with a frown.
The lieutenant general was also a little doubtful at this time.
Apart from attacking Taiyuan City, he could not think of any other reason to explain the Eighth Route Army's current offensive method.
"Sir, there's a situation!"
Suddenly, a communications staff officer rushed over.
"One of our security teams here was attacked and lost contact before we could report the situation!"
Seeing the position on the sand table that had been marked by the communications staff, the chief of staff was shocked and shouted: "How could it be so fast!"
"This place is less than one kilometer away from the Taiyuan City Wall. Why didn't the imperial army in front give any warning?"
The lieutenant general frowned and explained: "There is only a small road leading to Taiyuan City here, and it is impossible to be attacked by a large force, so we have only deployed a small number of security forces here. Many security posts are not even equipped with telephones!"
"We can't move large troops here, and we can't even bring in mountain artillery."
"We were attacked when we got here. Could it be that the Eighth Route Army planned to use a small force to reach the outside of Taiyuan City and break through the impregnable fortifications of Taiyuan City!"
The chief of staff stared at the sand table with his brows furrowed. After a long time, he suddenly came to his senses.
"They can turn around!"
"The small force that reached the outside of Taiyuan City did not attack Taiyuan City directly. Instead, they turned around and cooperated with their main force, attacking from the front and back to kill the thousands of people we deployed outside the city!"
"The reason why the main force of the Eighth Route Army is attacking so slowly is because it must be waiting for this small force to get in place!"
A combat map immediately appeared in the lieutenant general's mind, and an offensive route map was automatically formed based on the chief of staff's analysis.
"That's for sure~ The Eighth Route Army is so cunning. They found such a secret attack route. It's so surprising!"
"However, they underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Taiyuan City Imperial Army!"
"As long as we kill their intersecting troops outside Taiyuan City, the Eighth Route Army's so-called front and rear pincer attack will not be possible, and an elite force will be lost in vain!"
The chief of staff's eyes lit up and he complimented: "Sir, you are wise. In Chinese terms, this is called losing your wife and losing your troops!"
The lieutenant general replied with a very arrogant smile: "Then go and give the order!"
"Immediately find out the strength of this small group of the Eighth Route Army, and mobilize one or two infantry brigades from the city to go out and kill them!"
"I really want to see what kind of decision the main force of the Eighth Route Army attacking us outside the city will make after learning that their intersecting troops have been killed by us.
Half an hour later, the chief of staff rushed over.
"Sir, we have found out that there are nearly 2,000 people in this interspersed unit of the Eighth Route Army, but they are all infantry and are not equipped with heavy weapons!"
The lieutenant general was even more certain of his previous judgment: "It is delusional for two thousand light infantry to break through the Taiyuan city defenses. But it is still possible to cooperate with their main force to attack from the front and back to kill our troops outside the city!"
"Take two large groups out of the city and kill them!"
Before the chief of staff could move, a staff officer rushed over in panic.
"Sir, there is a situation in the north of the city. An Eighth Route Army of nearly 2,000 people has taken a small road and has reached the outside of Taiyuan City!"
"The nearest infantry squadron is desperately trying to stop them, asking for reinforcements!"
"Is there another intervening force?" The lieutenant general did not get angry or angry, but became more excited!
Then he ordered: "Chief of Staff, the Eighth Route Army has sent us another piece of fat meat. Send me an order: draw two more infantry brigades from the city and rush out from the north gate to kill them!"
"If we can kill all 4,000 elite Eighth Route Army soldiers, it will definitely severely damage the morale of the Eighth Route Army outside the city and boost our military morale!"
The new book "The Iron-Blooded Warriors of the Anti-Japanese War" has been signed and put on the shelves! Please collect it!
