Laiyuan City is too big, and the garrison has few troops, making it difficult to defend. Everywhere may become a hiding place for the Japanese, who can then sneak attack the garrison's attacking troops from the dark.
The brigade commander changed street fighting into chaotic fighting, and the Japanese's completely lifeless fighting style did indeed cause a lot of casualties to the garrison.
The attack started at ten o'clock in the evening and lasted until four o'clock in the morning, when the chaotic gunfire and explosions gradually became sparse.
When the first ray of sunshine shone on the earth, the gunshots that had been ringing all night finally stopped.
The brigade commander was very unlucky and was directly hit by a heavy artillery shell. No bones were left, leaving only a command knife that represented his identity.
Trimmed with gold, it shines golden under the sun, showing its nobility.
Of course, the garrison also suffered heavy casualties in the battle.
Laiyuan City was bombed to pieces, and there were corpses everywhere, including those from the garrison, some from the Japs, and some from the Imperial Alliance Army... It was very tragic.
"Captain, the garrison has been wiped out..." Hong Linfeng reported with a painful expression on his face after returning from the battlefield.
"The troops were all wiped out. The Japanese were so ruthless that in the end they used grenades to kill us along with the attacking troops."
"As long as you still have breath, there is a grenade hidden in your hand, and you will detonate the grenade as soon as our people get close."
"It was too dark during the battle, the battlefield was chaotic, and there were ruins and broken walls everywhere. The attacking troops could not see anything."
"Many soldiers were killed and injured by the grenades detonated by the Japs!"
Li Hao replied calmly: "I guessed it!"
"Since the little devils changed street fighting to melee fighting, I guessed that they would fight us to the death in Laiyuan City. I guessed that the troops would suffer heavy casualties."
"I have sent a telegram to the political commissar, asking them to prepare medicines and doctors and rush to Laiyuan City immediately. We will set up a field hospital here to treat the wounded."
"Order the troops to rescue the wounded first, and then clean up the battlefield."
"As long as the injured are still breathing, we will find ways to rescue them."
"The cavalry battalion and mobile battalion all went into the city to search and rescue the wounded."
"Notify the guerrillas and local troops in the nearby mountains to also go into the city to search for and rescue the wounded, and then clean up the battlefield and rescue as many as possible."
"The heavy artillery battalion will rest in hiding first. After dark, it will take all the remaining artillery shells and advance secretly towards Hunyuan. The cavalry battalion will protect their safety."
"The main force is almost exhausted and we can no longer afford to fight, but the Japs from the Datong direction will not necessarily stop attacking us."
"We must find a way to give them a blow at Hunyuan so that they don't have the courage to continue attacking us."
At 12 o'clock at noon, all casualties of the four main battalions in the siege were counted.
Nearly two thousand people entered the city to participate in the attack. In the end, less than three hundred people left Laiyuan City, and all of them were injured.
More than 200 people were carried out of Laiyuan City and sent directly to the field hospital outside the city for rescue.
The remaining more than 1,400 people were all sacrificed, which is equivalent to a little Japanese who participated in the melee and killed a soldier of the garrison before dying.
The heavy artillery regiment used a total of 1,536 artillery shells. After deducting the consumption of attacking the garrison outside the city, there were less than 500 artillery shells left.
The flying thunder cannon also used up all the explosive packets it brought.
The more than 500 mortar shells produced by the arsenal, which worked overtime, were all used up.
To put it more directly, the garrison now needs troops but no soldiers, and it needs ammunition but no ammunition.
If a Japanese army suddenly appeared in Laiyuan City, it wouldn't take too much. Just one infantry brigade could wipe out the entire garrison, or rush into the mountains to fight guerrillas and abandon large areas of base outside the mountains.
"Captain, in addition to the heavy casualties, the losses among the cadres were also very heavy." Hong Linfeng lowered his head and continued to report.
"Second Battalion Commander Zhang Yun, Independent Battalion Commander Zhao Wen were seriously injured, and the Third Battalion's Special Agent Battalion instructor died. There were also four deputy battalion commanders, five deputy instructors, five company commanders, seven instructors, and fifteen deputy
The company commander and deputy instructor died."
"There are even more cadres in the squad, almost all of them have changed!"
"Except for one battalion of the entire garrison, the cavalry battalion is still full. Several other main battalions have been crippled, leaving only a frame."
Hong Linfeng's head bent even lower, with a heartbroken expression on his face.
Seeing that Li Hao was silent, Hong Linfeng continued: "On the way here just now, I racked my brains and couldn't think of a good way to restore the strength of the army."
"The loss of veterans is too serious, and the local troops are all new recruits who have just been transferred from the guerrillas and have not yet formed combat effectiveness. Directly replenishing the main force is almost the same as recruiting new soldiers. It will also disrupt the establishment of local troops and affect the combat effectiveness of local troops."
"There are also cadres. Several main battalions are basically just empty frames. Many company commanders were promoted from the front line last night. Some of them have never even been platoon leaders. Because there are no cadres, they are directly promoted to company commanders. Their command experience must be
not enough."
"We also need to consider this issue and resolve it as soon as possible. We cannot risk the lives of the soldiers."
"Don't worry yet!" Li Hao replied calmly.
"As long as we can push back the Japanese and puppet troops in the direction of Datong and force them to give up attacking the garrison, there will be no large-scale war in our base area for at least half a year."
As Li Hao spoke, he took out a telegram that had just been forwarded by the political commissar.
The historical process has not changed because of his arrival.
The Hundred Regiment War started on time, with the same scale as in history, and was unprecedentedly powerful.
There were fighting all over North China. It was certain that the Japanese North China Front would suffer heavy casualties and would have no time to take care of the garrison.
The telegram is a war situation report sent by the headquarters to various base areas. Up to now, various departments of the Eighth Route Army have killed more than 10,000 Japs, and the number of captured puppet troops has been eliminated.
The fighting is still going on, and the scale is getting bigger and bigger. The losses of the Japanese North China Front will definitely become bigger and bigger.
After quickly reading the telegram, Hong Linfeng's tense nerves finally relaxed a lot.
"Captain, that's great. As long as the little devils don't come and cause trouble, we can slowly regain our strength."
Li Hao didn't waste any time and started giving orders directly.
"The battalion commander's instructor, who is seriously injured, will temporarily step in."
"Instructors who died were directly transferred from the county brigade to serve as instructors directly."
"For the cadres above the deputy company level who died in the main force, some will be promoted within the main force, but one principle must be kept in mind. They must not skip the rank. Then some of them will be transferred from the first battalion to deputy positions, and the rest will be transferred from the county brigade."
"As for the shortage of main troops, some will be supplemented with prisoners, and some will be recruited directly from the base area."
"Chief of Staff, you are responsible for this matter. Expand the main battalion to 500 people in the shortest possible time, and then conduct a large-scale training of the whole regiment. We strive to restore part of the combat effectiveness of the troops within three months, and completely restore the combat effectiveness after half a year."
"I will deal with the Japanese and puppet troops in the direction of Datong. I have already thought of a way to force them back."
Hong Linfeng didn't move, he hesitated and reminded.
"Captain, since we have to recruit troops and have time to train the troops, why don't we expand the main battalion to more than 800 people before the war and directly restore the garrison regiment to more than 7,000 people at its peak."
"No!" Li Hao firmly objected.
"The full strength of the garrison regiment cannot exceed 4,000 men, the full strength of the county brigade cannot exceed 3,000 men, and the full strength of the district squadron cannot exceed 100 men."
"Why?" Hong Linfeng asked immediately, with confusion on his face.
Li Hao was no longer trying to hide anything. He thought for a moment and replied: "Don't you feel that it has not rained in the base area for several months?"
"It's raining?" Hong Linfeng looked at Li Hao even more puzzled.