At the Japanese Army Brigade Headquarters in Linfen City, Brigade Commander Major General Matsumoto changed his usual calmness and stood and walked around in front of the huge combat sand table.
In just a few hours, the battle situation in Linfen has undergone such a big change, which is completely beyond my imagination. To put it more directly, the entire battle situation has been out of control and is beyond my control.
"General, the Second Battalion in Linfen North sent a telegram. They were besieged by the main force of the Eighth Route Army near the Eighth Route Army's station. The troops suffered heavy losses. Please ask the aviation force to rush over quickly!" the chief of staff reported in front of Matsumoto.
"Nonsense, how could there be a main force of the Eighth Route Army in the north of Linfen? Call them back and lie about military information and you will be sent to a military court!" Major General Matsumoto frowned and retorted. He seemed to have found an outlet to vent his anger.
, cursed loudly without hesitation.
The chief of staff hesitated and replied: "General, it is indeed the main force of the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army that attacked our mopping up troops was equipped with at least one mortar company and one heavy machine gun company! If it were not the main force of the Eighth Route Army, it would not be equipped with so many weapons!"
"Moreover, more than half of our mopping-up troops have suffered casualties under the siege of the Eighth Route Army. If it were not the main force, it would be impossible to defeat our mopping-up troops like this!"
After Major General Matsumoto stared at the sand table for almost a minute, he frowned and asked, "Then tell me how many main troops there are in the New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army operating in Linfen!"
"The ones from Tianxin Town are the main force, the ones from Fengyun Town are also the main force, and the Sanquan Town that was attacked is also the main force. Now another main force has emerged from the north of Linfen. How long has it been since the new regiment came out of the mountain? Where did it come from?
So many main troops came out!"
"Don't forget, when the new regiment came out of the mountains, we had several battles with them. We lost troops and generals, and their casualties will certainly not be small!"
"In more than a month, an infantry regiment that suffered heavy casualties developed so many main troops. Do you think this is possible?"
The chief of staff lowered his head and said nothing. He did not believe that the Eighth Route Army could develop at such a speed.
You must know that for more than a month, the imperial army's encirclement and attack have not been interrupted.
If the Eighth Route Army could develop and grow under such circumstances, the entire North China region would have been filled with Eighth Route Army troops.
However, the actual situation forced them to believe that this was impossible.
After venting his anger, Major General Matsumoto calmed down a lot, and the anxious expression on his face became much better.
Because it was dawn, the Imperial Army's overwhelming aviation advantage could be dispatched. The aircraft could not only attack the Eighth Route Army from the sky, but also conduct reconnaissance from the air to find out whether the four main forces of the Eighth Route Army that suddenly appeared last night were real or a bluff by the Eighth Route Army.
Is there any new conspiracy?
He frowned and ordered: "Contact the aviation force and dispatch immediately to reinforce all imperial troops under attack!"
"Also, the armed food-grabbing troops in Hafengyun Town, Tianxin Town, who have not been attacked by the Eighth Route Army, should immediately retreat with the food. The sooner the better!"
The chief of staff did not dare to delay and immediately replied: "I am humble enough to give orders now!"
After Major General Matsumoto breathed a long sigh of relief, he sat in his seat and planned to take a rest.
Since ten o'clock in the evening, all he has heard is all kinds of bad news, and his nerves have been in a state of tension. Now that he finally relaxed because of the dawn, all kinds of fatigue swept over him immediately, making him
No strength at all.
However, less than five minutes after I sat down, a communications staff officer rushed in with a look of shock and panic on his face.
"General, our two infantry squadrons, a mountain artillery squadron, and a battalion of the Royal Association Army that were reinforcing the Sanquan Town stronghold were ambushed by the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army was equipped with a large number of mortars and heavy machine guns, as well as mountain artillery and thunder cannons.
, the troops suffered heavy losses, please request reinforcements!"
Major General Matsumoto stood up from his seat after a while, and his nerves became tense again.
He frowned and returned to the sand table: "Where did the Eighth Route Army ambush them?"
"Also, they must be the Eighth Route Army attacking the stronghold of Sanquan Town. They must have suffered casualties when attacking the stronghold of Sanquan Town, and the casualties are not small. Even if they fight continuously and ambush our reinforcements, with the strength of the reinforcements, they should be able to handle it
, how is it possible that the troops suffered heavy casualties as soon as the battle began!"
The combat staff officer next to him quickly marked the contents of the telegram on the sand table and then reported.
"General, the ambush location is less than two kilometers away from the Sanquan Town stronghold! Stay here!"
Seeing the position of the combat staff's fingers, Major General Matsumoto's already frowning frown deepened.
The terrain there was so good that it was simply prepared for an ambush.
Sanquan Town serves as a buffer between hills and plains. There are no big mountains, but there are many various ridges.
The ambush position selected by Wang Ping happened to be parallel to a mountain ridge and the road.
If the reinforcements are not prepared for an ambush and are suddenly attacked on this stretch of road, they will indeed pay a high price.
However, if you want an army of seven to eight hundred men to suffer heavy casualties from the beginning of the battle, terrain alone is not enough.
The combat staff officer saw Matsumoto's inner thoughts at a glance and reported: "The telegram said that the Eighth Route Army who ambushed them was too cunning. They planted a large number of explosives on the roadside and suddenly detonated them when the troops passed by."
"These explosive packets buried on the side of the road alone caused nearly a hundred casualties to the imperial army!"
"Also, their equipment is very good. The total number of light and heavy machine guns exceeds twenty, possibly even thirty!"
"The Eighth Route Army itself definitely does not have so many light and heavy machine guns. They must have been captured from our garrison at the stronghold of Sanquan Town, Bagya Road!" Major General Matsumoto immediately made a judgment.
At the same time, he also understood why more than half of the reinforcements of more than 800 people suffered casualties at the beginning of the battle and asked the brigade headquarters for reinforcements.
According to the consistent style of the Eighth Route Army, on the ambush battlefield, the firepower must be concentrated to attack the imperial army first and then the puppet army.
First, the explosive packs blew up more than a hundred imperial troops, and then light and heavy machine gun fire killed more than a hundred imperial troops. In addition, the casualties caused by artillery, rifles, and grenades were added to the imperial troops.
Even if he was the commander of the imperial army at the time, he could not avoid the heavy losses of more than 200 casualties suffered by the imperial army at the beginning of the battle.
After thinking about all this, Matsumoto immediately returned to the serious expression that a major general brigade leader should have, frowned and gave the order.
"Immediately send a telegram back to the reinforcements and ask them to break out immediately. Concentrate all firepower and troops to break out. At the critical moment, you can abandon the Imperial Alliance Army and let the Imperial Alliance Army be used as cannon fodder!"
"If there is really no way to break through, the troops must hold on to the spot and fight to the death against the Eighth Route Army's ambush troops."
"The air force will arrive in an hour and a half at the latest, please hold on!"
"Finally, remind their captain: the Eighth Route Army that ambushed them must not have many troops. As long as they kill a large number of them, the Eighth Route Army will lose its offensive ability and they will be able to persevere!"
"Chief of Staff, contact the aviation force immediately and dispatch another plane to reinforce the Imperial Army reinforcements in the direction of Sanquan Town. Cover their breakout from the air, or counterattack to kill the Eighth Route Army that ambushed them!"
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