Not long after, several officers put down their microphones and rushed over.
"Sir, the post in the east of the city reported that the Eighth Route Army attacking them has a company, equipped with one heavy machine gun and four light machine guns. It is not equipped with artillery, but it has grenade launchers!"
"The outpost can still withstand it for now, but the Eighth Route Army's attack is too fierce and it will definitely not be able to hold out for too long. Please ask for reinforcements!" an officer reported hurriedly.
Another officer followed up and reported: "There are only more than a hundred Eighth Route Army troops attacking the post in the north of the city! There are no cannons, but there are heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and light machine guns!"
After the remaining two lieutenants finished speaking, the adjutant immediately analyzed: "Sir, what do you mean at this time? The total strength is exactly one battalion! Does the Eighth Route Army want to use one battalion to attack our Xiangfen County? This is too underestimated of us.
The defense team thinks too highly of themselves!"
Major Hepburn hesitated for a few seconds and then began to give the order: "Contact several surrounding counties immediately to see if the Eighth Route Army operating in their intelligence area has been mobilized. Go now and ask them to call back immediately!"
Not long after, the adjutant returned to Major Hepburn: "Sir, several counties responded that the Eighth Route Army operating there has not moved!"
"The Eighth Route Army is still scattered in various villages and towns to form guerrillas and political power!"
Major Hepburn frowned and analyzed: "The post reported that the Eighth Route Army that attacked them only had one battalion in total, and the Eighth Route Army operating in other counties did not move. That means that the Eighth Route Army that attacked the county town was the Eighth Route Army operating in our Xiangfen territory.
It was an attack organized by themselves!"
The solemn expression on the adjutant's face immediately relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief and analyzed: "Sir, if the Eighth Route Army has only one battalion, this battle will be much easier to fight."
"We have nearly two thousand people, and one battalion of them will definitely not be able to attack our county!"
Major Hepburn agreed with this analysis, but there was no smile on his face. Instead, he looked hesitant and painful, as if he was making some decision in his heart.
The adjutant couldn't help but ask: "Sir, is there something I didn't consider?"
Major Hepburn hesitated and affirmed: "Yes, although the Eighth Route Army that attacked us did not have the strength to capture the county seat, it did have the strength to capture the four outposts we deployed outside the city."
"Each outpost has half a mixed squad of imperial troops and half a company of puppet troops, about a hundred people. If the Eighth Route Army is allowed to attack, the total of more than 400 troops in these four outposts will definitely be wiped out by the Eighth Route Army!"
"We can order them to return directly to the county seat, and these more than 400 people will be saved!" the adjutant replied without thinking.
"No!" Major Hepburn refused without hesitation.
"Without the outpost outside the city to block the Eighth Route Army's front, the Eighth Route Army can directly attack the county seat. Even if it is impossible for them to capture the county seat, they can still cause us a large number of casualties with firepower outside the city. More importantly, after the county seat is directly attacked,
, the people in the city will definitely become panicked, and the military morale will be in chaos!"
"Do you think the expats and businessmen in the city will agree to firing guns every day in the county and making people in the city panic?"
"Not to mention that they don't agree, I don't agree with it myself. The county is in chaos and the military is in chaos. How can we ensure a stable situation in the county and how can we ensure that the snobbery of the Eighth Route Army does not penetrate into the county in this chaos!"
"Therefore, the county seat must not be attacked. The Eighth Route Army can operate in the villages and towns around the county seat, but it must not affect the county seat. This is our bottom line!"
The adjutant hesitated for a moment and continued to suggest: "Then send troops to reinforce the four outposts. We can take advantage of this opportunity to kill the Eighth Route Army attacking us outside the city. At the very least, we must severely damage them!"
What surprised the adjutant was that, faced with this seemingly good proposal, Major Hepburn still did not agree, with a painful expression of hesitation on his face.
The adjutant frowned and looked confused, but he soon understood and asked tentatively.
"Sir, are you worried that the attack outside the city is a conspiracy set up by the Eighth Route Army?"
"The Eighth Route Army is too cunning!" Major Hepburn admitted in disguise.
The adjutant immediately retorted: "But, sir, whether it is reports from other counties or reports from the troops below, it is proved that there is only one battalion of the Eighth Route Army attacking us. Now, all the troops of this battalion have appeared on the battlefield. There is no possibility of conspiracy...
…Sir, are you thinking too much?”
Then he once again suggested to Major Hepburn: "Sir, I think we should seize the opportunity and directly send troops to reinforce the four outposts. If possible, directly counterattack and kill the Eighth Route Army alive and severely inflict heavy damage on us!"
"We only have one battalion of the Eighth Route Army in Xiangfen. If we can kill them, then the entire Eighth Route Army in Xiangfen will be finished, and we can regain control of the entire Xiangfen!"
"When the time comes, we will become the first garrison to eliminate the Eighth Route Army in the territory, and we will definitely be favored by the brigade commander!"
Major Hepburn was very aware of the adjutant's previous analysis and did not listen to it.
However, the adjutant's last words moved him.
Because of the food, he has given the brigade commander a good impression. If he can seize the opportunity again and show his face in front of all the garrison captains, he will be favored by the brigade commander. Major Hepburn is sure that he will be one step closer to promotion, and even directly
It is possible to be promoted by the brigade commander.
After a pair of eyes shot out twice quickly, Major Hepburn finally made a decision for the sake of his own future.
"Immediately transfer four infantry squads from the garrison and four companies of the puppet army to reinforce the four outposts! If possible, directly launch a counterattack against the Eighth Route Army attacking the outpost and severely injure or kill them!"
"Hi!" the adjutant replied with enthusiasm.
As the adjutant of the garrison brigade, if the brigade captain is promoted, his own military exploits and commendations will definitely be indispensable.
For his own future, it only took him less than twenty minutes to arrange the reinforcements.
Then the four city gates of Xiangfen County were opened at the same time, and 150 or 60 Japanese puppet troops, carrying weapons and ammunition, rushed out of the county with murderous intent.
On a high ground less than three kilometers away from the county seat, Wang Ping held up his binoculars and stared motionless at the battle outside the east gate for almost half an hour.
The commander of the first battalion next to him, Xiong Changhe, was very anxious.
Because heavy weapons could not be used, more than a hundred outposts defended by Japanese and puppet troops blocked a battalion for half an hour.
Facing the increasing casualties of the troops, the anxious Xiong Changhe had proposed to Wang Ping more than once the use of heavy weapons, but Wang Ping rejected them all.
Suddenly, the east gate of Xiangfen opened. With the help of the firelight at the city gate, Wang Ping clearly saw more than a hundred Japanese and puppet troops rushing out of the city gate and rushing towards the battlefield.
"Japanese reinforcements have come out, Xiong Changhe, our opportunity has come! Go to the battlefield immediately, organize the troops, and kill all the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city. No one can be missed!"
"Contact the other three battalion commanders immediately, the mission is the same!"
Hepburn's worries were not wrong. The reason why Wang Ping did not use heavy weapons at the beginning and also hid at least half of his troops was for one purpose: to show weakness.
Let the Japanese think that they can be bullied, and then send troops to counterattack themselves. Then they will take the opportunity to counterattack and kill the reinforcements sent by the Japanese army to the city.
Now it seems that this layout works.
There were hundreds of Japanese and puppet troops. If they were eliminated in a siege, the new regiment would definitely pay a heavy price.
But it's different outside the city. With the new group's current firepower, they can be killed at a very small cost, thereby reducing the pressure and casualties when the troops attack the city!
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