"No!" Wang Ping and Xu Ke retorted at the same time.
The regiment leader Wang Ping did not steal Xu Ke's limelight and directly ordered: "Company Commander Xu, come and explain to the political commissar."
"Yes, leader!" Xu Ke nodded and replied.
"Political Commissar, Huangtuling is not like Hongqiao Village. The houses of the villagers are very concentrated. Huangtuling Village is really too big. After the Japanese and puppet troops stationed, people can live everywhere. We want to level Huangtuling too, at least
Five times the amount of explosives and other supplies are needed. And with the strength of our independent regiment, we can't do it even if we empty out all the artillery shells in our inventory."
Wang Ping said: "Political Commissar, the reason is very simple. In terms of strength, we are not strong enough. It is impossible to prepare two powder barrels for the Japanese."
"Also, there are more than a hundred households in Hongqiao Village. If we blow up their houses, they will definitely have to pay compensation after the battle. This is already a very big pressure for our independent group. If we blow up their houses again,
Huangtuling was also bombed, and even if we sell the Independent Group, we won’t be able to afford the compensation!"
Seeing the helpless look on the political commissar's face, Wang Ping changed the topic and continued: "However, the political commissar's proposal also gave me an inspiration!"
"It is definitely impossible to raze Huangtuling Village to the ground, but we can arrange a small-scale minefield in Huangtuling. A minefield that we control artificially and can be detonated at any time is placed in the threshing floor in the middle of the village."
"As expected, the enemy's artillery will most likely camp in the threshing floor. If the threshing floor is turned into a minefield and detonated as soon as the battle begins, then the artillery that poses the greatest threat to us will be destroyed from the beginning.
Disappeared."
"After the troops start to attack, our own artillery can fire as much as they want to attack the Japanese and puppet troops, suppress them, and provide fire cover for the attacking troops!"
Xu Ke immediately affirmed: "This is okay, but I also need to add fifty heavy artillery shells, 10,000 meters of telephone wire, and a hand-operated generator!"
The Japanese mopping up troops did not go particularly smoothly the next day.
The guerrillas who attacked them along the way seemed to be going crazy, using all kinds of attack methods to slow down their sweep at all costs.
At first, several Japanese and puppet captains were very suspicious, wondering if the Eighth Route Army had any conspiracy.
But after thinking about it seriously, I rejected this idea.
As for the reason, they gave a very legitimate reason.
According to the current speed of the imperial army's sweep, within two days at most, all the independent regiments targeted by this sweep would be driven to the mountains, and then gathered at their base to rape them.
In this situation, if Tubal Road doesn't fight tooth and nail, there will be no chance for it.
As a result, the Japanese army, which had already secured victory, calmed down.
He was not in a hurry to march. In order to reduce losses, he just spent his time on the mopping up road with the Tuba Road who attacked him.
In this way, the two groups of Japanese and puppet troops attacking Hongqiao Village and Huangtuling were able to sweep away at a speed completely under the control of the surrounding Eighth Route Army.
The Eighth Route Army wanted them to slow down, and the Japanese and puppet troops would encounter more attacks along the way.
The Eighth Route Army hoped that if they moved faster, the Japanese and puppet troops would encounter fewer attacks along the way.
At the independent regiment's station, before it got completely dark, Chief of Staff Zeng Quan rushed into the war room with a smile on his face.
"Commander, it's done. All the Japanese and puppet troops have entered the two-way mopping up force. One group will be stationed in Hongqiao Village, and the other group will be stationed in Huangtuling!"
"Okay, I have been suppressed and beaten by the Japanese for so long, and I can finally take revenge tonight!" Wang Ping was very satisfied with the result, and then began to issue orders.
"After Hongqiao Village and Huangtuling are attacked, the Japanese and puppet troops in Beishang Village will definitely reinforce. Contact the district squadron and district team operating around Beishang Village: Once the Japanese and puppet troops leave Beishang Village to reinforce Hongqiao Village,
Attack immediately and slow down their march. When the time comes, the engineer company will blow up a stone bridge that the Japanese must pass through to help them complete their mission!"
"The county brigade, independent regiment cavalry company, all guerrillas operating around Hongqiao Village, district squadrons and district squads are all commanded by you, chief of staff. Even if we level Hongqiao Village, there will definitely be many people around.
The patrolling and vigilant Japanese and puppet troops slipped through the net. I ask you to lead your troops to annihilate them all, at least not to allow them to reinforce Huangtuling."
"The political commissar and I will personally direct all the remaining troops to attack Huangtuling."
"One thing everyone must remember is that all participating troops must retreat before dawn, regardless of whether the battle can be ended or not!"
"Now check the clock. I will give you five hours to prepare. At eleven o'clock in the evening, the engineer company will detonate the gunpowder we buried in the two villages on time, and then start the attack."
In Hongqiao Village, the Japanese army captain left the best house in the village to himself.
As soon as the orderly arranged the room, the captain slumped down in his chair, limp.
The day's exhaustion made him very tired and he wanted to go to bed right away.
However, as a commander, the basic vigilance still made him cheer up and order the deputy captain: "Tonight, the old rules are still the same. One infantry squadron and one battalion of the Royal Association Army are responsible for patrolling and guarding. One squadron of artillery and one squad of cavalry are available at any time.
Prepare to attack and be prepared for a sneak attack from Tubal Road!"
The deputy captain reminded in a low voice: "Captain, the night raids on Tubal Road for several nights have failed in vain. Can you see if there can be fewer troops patrolling and guarding, so that more imperial troops can rest well and face tomorrow's battle!"
"Baga, are you a stupid pig?" the captain scolded without mercy.
"Didn't you see the fighting along the way today! Tubal Road has already sensed the crisis and started to fight tooth and nail. If we let down our guard at this time, wouldn't that give them a chance to sneak attack on us? Stupid! Just follow my order just now and carry out the raids.
The most critical moment has come, and there must be no accidents!"
The vice-captain was scolded so badly that he quickly left the captain's room.
Two hours later, Hongqiao Village, where nearly 3,000 puppet troops were stationed, slowly began to quiet down.
After having a good meal, more and more Japanese and puppet soldiers began to go into the empty houses in the village to rest.
There are only less than 400 puppet troops in Hongqiao Village, a large village in Nuozhou. They are still patrolling and vigilant around the village despite the constant sleepiness and exhaustion.
After another two hours, Hongqiao Village became even quieter.
If it weren't for the blazing bonfires around the village and the Japanese and puppet troops who continued to patrol beside the bonfires, no one would have thought that nearly 3,000 Japanese and puppet troops were stationed in such an inconspicuous village.
Behind the bushes, which is more than a kilometer away from the village, because it is too far away from the village, the Japanese did not place any light or dark warning posts here.
Engineer company instructor Wang An and several engineers company soldiers were hiding in a bunker dug in advance holding a hand-cranked engine, quietly waiting for the detonation time to arrive.
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