"Captain, today more than 21,000 old, weak, women and children were driven into our base area by the Japanese and puppet troops!" Hong Linfeng walked in and reported, with a solemn look on his face.
Li Hao replied with a stern face: "Including the influx of people in the past few days, there are already more than 100,000 people. Even if one person only eats half a catty of grain a day to survive, it will still cost 50,000 to 60,000 catties of grain a day. What are you trying to do with us?
What a dragging posture!"
"Do the political commissars have enough manpower? Is the base area capable of receiving so many old, weak, women and children?"
Hong Linfeng replied: "There is no problem with food, but the housing is a little tight, but that won't trouble us."
"Three days ago, the political commissar ordered all the troops in the base area, except for the security troops, to divide their troops into each village to build earthen houses, the kind of simple houses we built for winter when we first established the base area in Lingqiu."
"First dig a large pit one meter deep, then dry it over a fire, then cover the pit with a thick roof of thatch, and finally cover it with a layer of earth to keep warm."
"In three days, various troops, with the help of local people, have built more than 10,000 earthen huts, which can accommodate at least 30,000 people."
"Currently, a large number of earthen nests are being built in the base area. A conservative estimate is that we should have no problem taking over another 50,000 old, weak, women and children."
"That's good!" Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he focused his attention on the map in front of him again, observing while asking: "Has the reconnaissance company sent back any new information?"
"have……"
Hong Linfeng took out another telegram: "During the day today, dozens more villages in the occupied areas were destroyed by the Japanese and puppet troops and burned to ashes."
"The names of these villages are all on the list, I will mark them now."
"In addition, starting today, the young men left behind by the Japanese army will build blockade ditches, blockade walls, bunkers and other fortifications around our base, centered on gun towers and strongholds. The specific locations have also been sent back to the reconnaissance company."
It took the two staff officers ten minutes to mark all the addresses on the telegram on the map.
The dense black spots are like a wall, lying between the base area and the area occupied by the Japanese and puppet troops.
Li Hao's frown deepened. After a few seconds, he took a breath and shouted, "I understand. In addition to using these old, weak, women and children, the Japanese army also has another purpose."
"Build an uninhabited land more than ten kilometers deep next to our base area to completely isolate our base area and prevent any grain or material from flowing into our base area."
"Not only that, with this no-man's land separating us, our troops cannot penetrate into the areas occupied by the Japanese and attack them."
"No man's land?" Hong Linfeng frowned and asked with a puzzled look on his face.
He had heard of the cordoned off area, but this was the first time he heard the term no man's land.
"It's no man's land!" Li Hao affirmed.
Then explained: "It's tougher than the lockdown..."
"Look at the map. All the villages destroyed by the Japanese and puppet troops are concentrated on this line, which is close to our base area and is more than ten kilometers deep."
"They moved all the people in the area, burned down the houses, woods, bushes, and any place where people could hide, and then densely packed the area with blockade trenches, blockade walls, wire mesh, and even landmines."
"The common people are the foundation for the development and growth of our Eighth Route Army. Because there are no common people in no-man's land, our Eighth Route Army cannot develop troops in this area. Moreover, when the troops arrive here, there are no common people who support us to provide us with intelligence, or even a hiding place."
There is no place."
"If you want to enter enemy-occupied areas or deliver supplies from enemy-occupied areas to base areas, troops can only risk passing through this no-man's land right under the enemy's nose."
Hong Linfeng slowly showed an expression of sudden realization, and then his face also darkened. He took a breath and shouted: "Captain, what you mean is that the little devil is planning to use no man's land to trap our defense regiment in the base area to fend for itself.
Destroy!"
"If we just fend for ourselves, it will be easier for us to deal with it." Li Hao shook his head and replied.
Hong Linfeng's face became even more ugly: "They still use the old, weak, women and children to consume a lot of our food!"
"There was a severe drought in North China, and the base area had insufficient food. Suddenly there were more than 100,000 mouths, and the food gap in the base area became even greater."
"Now the base area is completely divided by the no-man's land established by the little devils. Without any foreign aid, it won't be long before the base area will completely run out of food and become famine."
"The base area will definitely be in chaos by then."
"The Japanese and puppet troops are taking the opportunity to invade the base area, making our situation worse."
"If nothing else happens, we will definitely be defeated, and the base area we have worked so hard to establish will be completely destroyed by the Japanese."
"Captain, we must find a way to sabotage their plan and not let their conspiracy succeed. Otherwise, the situation facing our garrison will become worse and worse, and in the end there will be no chance of recovery."
"Also, once the Japs' no-man's land is established, our channels for obtaining food from Yi County will also be affected."
"In this case, the army's rations will also be affected."
"The soldiers and horses must go ahead with food and grass before they move. Once there is a problem with the military food, the morale of the troops will definitely be affected."
"The troops are the foundation for us to fight against the Japs and defend our base. They must not cause chaos."
Li Hao shook his head and replied: "It's not that simple."
Then a picture appeared in my mind.
Historically, the Eighth Route Army did not have much to do when faced with the no-man's land established by the Japanese.
We can only suffer in the long-term confrontation and encroach on the no man's land bit by bit.
Therefore, it is almost impossible to solve the no-man's land in a short time.
Hong Linfeng also slowly fell silent.
He was also racking his brains to think, but also couldn't think of a way to break the situation.
If they want to break the no man's land that the Japanese and puppet troops are establishing, the garrison must take the initiative to attack.
The Japanese and puppet troops stationed 20,000 troops in the no-man's land, and they occupied the terrain advantage, which meant that the weather, location, and people were all on their side.
Even if the garrison regiment concentrates its forces to launch a key attack, the chance of victory is slim.
The more he thought about Hong Linfeng, the uglier his face became, as if he had seen the chaos caused by lack of food in the base area a few months later.
At this moment, Li Hao suddenly said: "The no-man's land established by the Japs cannot be cracked for the time being, but we can first rescue the more than 20,000 young men left by the Japs in the occupied areas and reunite their families."
"The Japanese must have kept these young men because they were worried that they would join our garrison and increase the strength of our garrison."
"Pick the weak persimmon, let's break the devil's conspiracy first!"
Hong Linfeng frowned and replied: "These young men are in the hands of the Japanese and puppet troops, and there are heavy troops watching them. How can we save them?"
"Can't we just transfer the heavy soldiers guarding the young people away!" Li Hao blurted out.
"Tune the tiger away from the mountain!" Hong Linfeng's eyes lit up and he shouted.
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