Chapter 1087 Fight the third stage of the anti-sweeping campaign and make the impossible possible
From the Japanese military headquarters in Taiyuan, the chief of staff walked in with a solemn expression.
"Sir, frontline battle report?"
"Did something happen again?" the military commander asked with a sullen face.
Since a large number of Eighth Route Army troops appeared in the blockade area, the military headquarters has not received any good news from the front line. Compared with the previous offensive, it is as if the opponent has changed.
The chief of staff lowered his head and replied: "The three mopping up troops on the front line were successively attacked by the garrison during the day. The three mopping up troops were completely destroyed, and three reinforced squadrons of the Imperial Army and one regiment of the Imperial Associated Army were lost, a total of more than 1,600 troops.
people."
"How is this possible?" the commander shouted in disbelief: "Didn't we send a plane to them?"
"There were planes patrolling and guarding the blockade area, and large units of the Eighth Route Army had no chance to assemble. How could it be possible to eliminate so many of us?"
The chief of staff replied bravely: "Report from the front line, the Eighth Route Army fought us with bayonets, which the Imperial Army is good at..."
"Fighting with bayonet?" the army commander suddenly interrupted: "Is it because the frontline commander thought that the Imperial Army was invincible with fighting with bayonet and would definitely defeat the Eighth Route Army, and then underestimated the enemy?"
"Hi!"
The chief of staff continued to answer: "The Eighth Route Army used refueling tactics and continued to engage in battles with the imperial army in company units."
"In order to maintain its strength advantage, the imperial army can only continue to invest troops."
"The raid turned directly into a large-scale hand-to-hand combat."
"I didn't expect the garrison to fight with bayonets even better than the imperial army."
"By the time the frontline commander realized the danger and prepared to call for aviation reinforcements, it was too late..."
Perhaps it was because the military headquarters had received too much bad news in the past few days. After listening to the chief of staff's explanation, although the military commander was angry, he did not get angry and curse.
Staring at the sand table and lost in thought.
A few minutes later, he suddenly shouted: "No, the frontline offensive troops are in danger."
"Without these more than 1,600 people, our troops remaining at the three strongholds on the front line will definitely divide their forces to reinforce these three blockaded areas."
"As a result, there will be fewer troops stationed on the front line."
"The garrison has heavy artillery. As long as they have enough ammunition, they will definitely be able to capture one of our strongholds in one night, especially the Linwu Town stronghold that was attacked once."
The chief of staff suggested: "Can we mobilize troops from the rear to reinforce them? Six infantry squadrons should be enough."
The army commander shook his head and replied: "We have no more troops in the rear area."
"The imperial army's mopping up of other Eighth Route Army troops started more than a month ago. They are better at guerrilla warfare and are equally difficult to deal with."
"All the mobile troops of the military headquarters have been dispatched to other battlefields, and there are no more troops to deal with the garrison."
"Pass me an order: recruit 150 people from each blockade area to reinforce the three strongholds on the front line. From now on, the imperial army will switch from offense to defense, and surround the main force of the garrison in Lingqiu, trapping them and starving them to death."
"In order to prevent the garrison regiment from risking their lives in attacking the three frontline strongholds and the blockade ditch. The logistics department continues to transport steel bars and cement to the frontline, and increases the permanent firepower points of the strongholds. I will build those three strongholds into buildings that cannot be broken by the Eighth Route Army or bombed.
Rotten turtle shells are always nailed around them."
"The remaining Imperial Army and Imperial Association Army in each blockade area will continue to sweep away the Eighth Route Army and other anti-Japanese armed forces within their jurisdiction, end the fighting as soon as possible and reinforce the offensive forces."
"At the same time, in the name of the military, we remind them again that we must never underestimate our opponents on the battlefield."
"I would rather use cannons to kill mosquitoes than to see my troops kill a thousand enemies and suffer eight hundred losses."
"Last point, the reinforcements from the Front Army Headquarters and the Special High School Division are about to arrive soon. Arrange manpower to prepare to send them into the blockade area to deal with the garrison commandos."
"Killing off the garrison commandos will not only damage the morale of the garrison, but also reduce the pressure on the imperial army in the blockade area and boost their combat morale."
Lingqiu garrison headquarters.
They received the battle report half an hour earlier than the Japanese.
"Captain, we won the battle. Your refueling tactics worked. None of the three mopping up troops slipped through the net, and they were all killed." The chief of staff rushed in and reported with a smile on his face.
Li Hao's eyes lit up and he ordered: "Send a telegram to the three main camps: I will cover their withdrawal from the blockade area and return to Lingqiu after dark."
Hong Linfeng did not accept the order immediately. He thought for a moment and suggested: "Captain, can you let the three main battalions stay in the blockade area?"
"Continue to serve as an ambush soldier, cooperate with the three independent battalions, and strive to win two more battles."
Li Hao shook his head and objected: "The kid is not a fool, and he will definitely not make the same mistake twice."
"Also, the blockade area is too small and it is too dangerous to stay in it."
"It's not like a base area there. It's a mixed bag of good and bad. There are Japanese and puppet army spies and informants everywhere. Once exposed, there is no place to hide, and you can only be chased and bombed by Japanese planes?"
"The three main battalions I have left are still of great use. There must be no accidents in the blockade area."
"As for the three independent battalions, after this battle, they are fully capable of dealing with the remaining Japanese and puppet troops in the blockade area, and there is no need for three main battalions."
Two days later, the three main battalions successfully returned to Lingqiu, and they also brought back every move of the Japanese and puppet troops in the blockade area.
The expression on Li Hao's face became more relaxed: "Chief of Staff, I am happy to announce to everyone that the counter-mopping up has entered the third stage."
"The Japanese and puppet troops deployed troops to defend the strongholds. This was a clear move to switch from offense to defense, and planned to use heavy troops to trap our garrison in Lingqiu and several blockade areas."
Hong Linfeng replied: "According to intelligence, the Japanese army is sending supplies to the front line again and recruiting young men and women from the blockade areas. On the one hand, they are widening and deepening the blockade trenches to further isolate these blockade areas; on the other hand, they are building three large strongholds and along the blockade trenches.
We will overhaul the small strongholds and continue to build reinforced concrete bunkers to increase the difficulty of our attack."
"Captain, I suggest launching an attack in advance, starting with the Linwu Town stronghold."
"If the Japanese build twice as many reinforced concrete bunkers in each stronghold, it will be at least twice as difficult for us to capture these strongholds."
Wang Hong agreed: "Commander, I agree with the chief of staff and launch the attack now."
Li Hao once again refused: "Political Commissar and Chief of Staff, according to the original battle plan, after the counter-mopping up enters the third stage, we will not fight a big battle, but only use guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare to slowly wear down the Japanese and take the opportunity to restore our own strength."
"So I don't agree to attack now."
Hong Linfeng insisted: "Captain, I don't understand."
"Since we have to attack these strongholds sooner or later, why not attack them earlier? Attack them before they have time to build bunkers. Our pressure will definitely be much less."
Li Hao asked back: "The pressure to capture a stronghold in Linwuzhen will indeed be much less, but what happens next?"
"Continue to attack the two strongholds left on the front line? But do we have so many artillery shells and troops to consume?"
"I just calculated that with the current firepower and strength of the garrison, if we capture the Linwu Town stronghold, we will lose at least one main battalion and two thousand rounds of heavy artillery shells."
"The pressure to attack the other two strongholds will be greater, and the losses will be greater."
"If we really have to fight hard, the wealth of the garrison will definitely be exhausted in the three strongholds."
"What will we do to counterattack the blockade then?"
Hong Linfeng was silent for two minutes and asked: "However, in the fourth stage of counter-mopping up, we will still attack these strongholds. They will definitely be more difficult to attack by then. Shouldn't we not attack them?"
Li Hao replied confidently: "Of course we will fight, and we will fight hard."
"But the pressure will definitely be much less, and the Japanese and puppet troops inside may simply give up their stronghold."
"This is impossible!" Hong Linfeng shouted with disbelief.
"The Japanese spent so much material and manpower building strongholds, how could they retreat without a fight?"
Li Hao is still as confident as ever: "Nothing is impossible. As long as we carry out the third stage of counter-mopping up, these impossibilities can become possible."