In the next ten days, when faced with difficult opponents, both Wang Ping and Lieutenant General Ito acted very cautiously.
After finally reaching Linfen City, the troops did not suffer much loss, but everyone looked exhausted.
Lieutenant General Ito knew that in this case, even if the troops successfully captured Linfen City, the morale and combat effectiveness of the troops would not be restored to their peak without a few days of rest.
Standing on a high ground three kilometers outside Linfen City, Lieutenant General Ito had been staring at the wall of Linfen City with a telescope for almost ten minutes, and he still had no intention of putting down the telescope.
The chief of staff next to him became more and more anxious, wondering if he was going to interrupt Lieutenant General Ito, when the captain of the forward group rushed over.
"Division Commander, Linfen City seems to be an empty city. We have captured the outer positions of Linfen City, but we haven't seen a single Eighth Route Army soldier!"
Lieutenant General Ito finally put down the telescope, frowned and replied: "I didn't see the Eighth Route Army either!"
"Not only the outer positions, but also the city defenses seem to have no signs of Eighth Route Army activity!"
"Contact the other three commanders immediately to see if they have found any Eighth Route Army troops in the direction they are preparing to attack!"
"I don't believe that the Linfen City that the Eighth Route Army worked so hard to capture was given to us in vain. This is so unlike the Eighth Route Army's fighting style!"
The chief of staff came back not long after he left, with an incredible expression on his face.
"No one, division commander, nor did they find any signs of Eighth Route Army activity in the city defenses!"
Lieutenant General Ito's frown deepened, and after taking another look at the wall of Linfen City not far away, he said to himself: "Is Linfen City really an empty city... The Eighth Route Army that occupied Linfen City has withdrawn... No
Should it?"
The chief of staff responded directly: "General, I will immediately dispatch a cavalry squadron to search the city. Whether the Eighth Route Army has abandoned Linfen City, we will find out when we enter the city!"
Lieutenant General Ito nodded in agreement.
In less than ten minutes, more than a hundred Japanese cavalry rushed towards Linfen City. Under the watchful eye of Lieutenant General Ito, they entered the city easily.
What follows is a long and anxious wait.
Linfen City is so big that if more than a hundred cavalrymen want to search the entire Linfen City, they will definitely not be able to complete it within an hour.
The only thing that made Lieutenant General Ito fortunate was that during the whole process, not a single gunshot was fired in Linfen City.
"Division commander, the cavalry squadron entering the city searched all the streets and garrison areas. No Eighth Route Army was found, but no Chinese people were found. All the doors were closed, and all the streets were deserted!" said the person who received the message.
the chief of staff reported.
"Have you caught any common people to ask about the situation?" Lieutenant General Ito asked with a frown.
"Hi!" the chief of staff confirmed.
"The common people confessed that the Eighth Route Army withdrew from the city last night, and told them that the imperial army would enter the city during the day and keep them locked up to avoid unnecessary casualties. I judged from my humble opinion that the Eighth Route Army did not want to fight with us.
Positional warfare, really retreating!"
Lieutenant General Ito didn't let go yet. He frowned and continued to ask: "You can't believe all the words of those ordinary people... I remember that there are many expats from the Japanese Empire in Linfen City. Have you found them to ask about the situation!"
The chief of staff shook his head and replied: "The cavalry squadron found no foreigners in the city!"
"I learned from the people that all the overseas Chinese in the city were captured by the Eighth Route Army. There were more than a thousand people in total..."
"Bagya Road!" Lieutenant General Ito suddenly cursed.
Although he didn't know the purpose of the Eighth Route Army in seizing these foreigners, there were more than a thousand foreigners in the hands of the Eighth Route Army. Once the superiors asked him to ensure the safety of those foreigners, he would have a lot of worries when fighting the Eighth Route Army.
After hesitating for a few minutes, he ordered: "Since there is no Eighth Route Army in the city, let's enter the city..."
"However, the garrison in the city is limited and cannot satisfy our large number of troops. The 135th Regiment will advance into the city and conduct a thorough search of the entire city. After ensuring safety, we will control all the fortifications and important locations in the city!"
"The division's guard brigade, directly under the baggage regiment, cavalry regiment, and engineering regiment, follow me into the city..."
"The 136th Infantry Regiment is stationed outside the east gate of Linfen City! The 137th Infantry Regiment is stationed in the east of the city, and the 138th Infantry Regiment is stationed in the north of the city! The 4th Cavalry Regiment, the 6th Heavy Artillery Regiment, the Tank Brigade and the Heavy Artillery Regiment
The guard troops and baggage troops attached to the team are all stationed in the south of the city. Let's start the operation now. It will be dark in three hours. Before dark, all the troops must be stationed. As expected, this winter we will be in
Spend time here!”
The chief of staff was very puzzled and asked: "General, aren't we still going to attack the base area of the New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army?"
"I know, but how long do you think the Eighth Route Army can last under the attack of our 30,000 elite troops?"
"After defeating them, we still have to return to Linfen. As for local garrison tasks, that is a matter for the local garrison. I don't want to disperse the troops and become a garrison!"
It took more than an hour for more than 3,000 Japanese troops to march into Linfen City. Then they dispersed into the streets and alleys of Linfen City in squadron units, broke open the closed doors of every house on both sides of the street, and inspected
Are there any troops of the Eighth Route Army left behind? Let’s loot them and make a little fortune!
Other troops were not idle either and began to use the tents they carried with them to set up camps!
A few kilometers away, at the former enemy headquarters of the New Regiment, commander Wang Ping, political commissar Huang Yuanqiang, chief of staff Zhong Chenggong, commander of the first battalion Xiong Changhe, commander of the third battalion Yan Song, and commander of the assault battalion Jin Kai, all gathered here, waiting.
Wang Ping ordered.
"Captain, a Japs infantry regiment has entered the city. Our troops lurking in the city reported that the Japs entering the city are searching the city in squadron units, robbing people's finances, and even raping women.
.They requested the troops to strike back immediately and kill these beasts!" Tang Guangxin, the reconnaissance platoon leader, reported with gritted teeth.
"No..." Wang Ping refused without hesitation.
Although all his subordinates were furious and wanted to rush to the battlefield to kill the Japanese, reason finally defeated impulse and Wang Ping issued an order to refuse action.
Tang Guangxin left the headquarters reluctantly, but he came back not long after.
"Captain, the remaining Japanese troops are divided into four groups and are building garrisons outside the four gates of Linfen City!"
"How many little devils are there outside the east gate?" Wang Ping asked immediately.
"An infantry regiment. However, this infantry regiment seems to be understaffed, with only about 3,000 people!" Tang Guangxin hesitated before answering.
"God is really helping me!" Wang Ping shouted happily, and then stared at the chief of staff and asked: "How long will it take for it to get dark? Has the kid's plane left?"
There was no expression of expectation on Zhong Chenggong's face. Instead, he was a little worried and nervous. He frowned and replied: "There's still half an hour... The kid's plane has already left, and he will definitely not come back today!"
Then he hesitated for a few seconds and reminded: "Captain, please think about the next battle again. It's not too late to end it now. There is a direct team in the city, and there must be a way to send the guard company out of the city!"
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