After the deputy captain left, the chief of staff returned to his seat and sighed, with helplessness on his face.
The opponent was too cunning. The search team in the mountain was attacked at the same time. It was obvious at a glance that this was a way for the opponent to confuse the imperial army and not expose himself.
I could see everything clearly, but I just couldn't think of a good way to fight back and find their hiding place.
At this moment, the chief of staff felt a sense of powerlessness from within.
The captain next to him suddenly said: "Sir, although there is no way to confirm the specific hiding location of the Eighth Route Army in the mountain, judging from the location and time when the search team was attacked after entering the mountain, the Eighth Route Army is not too far away from the battlefield last night."
The chief of staff replied with certainty: "It's within a radius of twenty kilometers."
Seeing the shocked look on his subordinates' faces, he analyzed directly.
"The Eighth Route Army in the mountains must have been almost exposed before they took the risk and attacked, intending to confuse and confuse us through a chaotic battle."
"When they were attacked, the search team had been in the mountain for three hours and traveled ten kilometers."
"So the Eighth Route Army inside the mountain only has three hours to prepare from the time the search team enters the mountain."
"If you want to send troops to each search team in such a short period of time and launch attacks at the same time, their hiding places must not be far from the battlefield, otherwise there will definitely be attacking troops that cannot move in place on time."
Having said this, the chief of staff directly drew a circle on the map with a radius of twenty kilometers, pointed at the circle, and sighed again.
"Even if we knew the Eighth Route Army was hiding in this area, we wouldn't be able to kill them."
"It's getting dark. Without the threat of planes, the Eighth Route Army will definitely move to other places. Even if we send out all our main forces now and fight together, we will be defeated in the end."
This was something the captain did not expect.
The glimmer of hope that had just risen was instantly extinguished by the Chief of Staff.
"Forget it, don't think about it too much!" the chief of staff decided to give up on the issue for the time being.
"I have ordered all surrounding counties and strongholds to be under martial law, and all reconnaissance troops and intelligence personnel have been dispatched to find them."
"With so many troops in the Eighth Route Army, it's impossible for them to stay in the mountains forever."
"As long as they move, they will reveal their clues, and we will know their specific location. The only problem is that they are too passive and it takes a little longer."
"But there is no way. This Eighth Route Army is too evil and powerful. If we don't kill them, the troops will not be able to counterattack Laishui with all their strength."
At one o'clock in the morning, the headquarters radio station suddenly became busy.
Half an hour later, the quiet war room became lively.
The chief of staff and the two captains all gathered next to the map, looking puzzled.
The staff officer on duty stood in front of everyone, pointed at the map and reported: "Sir, we have just received news that a stronghold ten kilometers northeast of the assembly area has been attacked."
"There was an infantry squad of the Imperial Army and two platoons of the Imperial Association Army at the stronghold. They only held out for less than half an hour before they were wiped out and the stronghold was lost."
"There is also a stronghold sixteen kilometers due north of the assembly area that was attacked."
"Because the county seat is very close, the county garrison immediately sent two infantry squads for reinforcements."
"As a result, the reinforcements were attacked by the Eighth Route Army one kilometer away from the stronghold. The troops suffered heavy casualties. Only a dozen imperial troops broke out of the encirclement and retreated to the county town."
"The stronghold was also captured shortly afterwards, losing half a squad of the Imperial Army and a platoon of the Imperial Alliance Army."
"A stronghold in the northwest of the assembly area fell into the Eighth Route Army's plan to lure the enemy deeper. An infantry squad and more than fifty Imperial Alliance troops who counterattacked the Eighth Route Army were all wiped out."
Three consecutive pieces of bad news suddenly made the atmosphere in the headquarters become depressing.
The captain who had been following the staff officer analyzed.
"Sir, could this be a conspiracy of the Eighth Route Army? By attacking in the east and west, they will draw our attention to the north, reduce the combat pressure on their main force, and then take the opportunity to slip away.
The chief of staff's eyebrows twitched, seeming to agree with this analysis.
"I don't agree!" Another captain stood up and objected.
He is Major Yoshino, the commander of the reinforcements who arrived here just a few hours ago. The chief of staff does not know him very well.
Looking at his confident face, he might have some novel ideas.
The chief of staff's eyes lit up and he asked with expectation: "Tell me your reasons."
"Hi……"
Major Yoshino analyzed the news while recalling the news he just heard: "Tonight, the Eighth Route Army fought three battles in total, captured two strongholds of the Imperial Army, and killed four full squadrons of the Imperial Army and two companies of the Imperial Alliance Army."
"These losses show that these three Eighth Route Army units not only possess very strong combat effectiveness, but also possess strong attack capabilities."
"So I judge that each Eighth Route Army unit here is more than one main battalion, or even two battalions."
"According to the judgment of the Chief of Staff: there are about three main regiments of the Eighth Route Army attacking Kato's brigade."
"If the three troops that emerged tonight are added together, they are equivalent to more than one-third of the Eighth Route Army's strength. Maybe even half of it. Then there is no such thing as the main force and the non-main force."
"If I were the commander of the Eighth Route Army, I would never have sent so many troops to attack the east and the west,"
"The price is too high. Once something happens to the attacking troops, it means more than half of the casualties for the Eighth Route Army. It's not cost-effective."
The chief of staff was silent.
This analysis does not sound wrong.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he asked: "Then what do you think the Eighth Route Army's purpose was for doing this?"
This is an excellent opportunity to express yourself in front of the Chief of Staff, and you must not let it go.
The captain who had this idea quickly replied: "Sir, I am not sure what the Eighth Route Army's conspiracy is, but I will definitely have no problem killing these three Eighth Route Army groups."
"Anyway, we still can't figure out where the other Eighth Route Army troops are hiding. Instead of waiting here, we might as well practice with the three Eighth Route Army troops here."
"Whether they are attacking in the east or have other conspiracies, kill these three Eighth Route Army groups and expose their conspiracy. It will definitely be easier to deal with the remaining Eighth Route Army troops in the future."
The captain who proposed the idea of attacking the east and west originally wanted to refute, but after hearing these words, he also showed an expression of approval.
"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, I agree with Yoshino-kun."
"Instead of waiting here, it is better to take the initiative and kill these three Eighth Route Army units first."
"No matter what conspiracy they have, as long as we continue to weaken their strength, there will be no problem."
After the two subordinates agreed on their opinions, the chief of staff no longer had any concerns and began to issue orders on the spot.
"Order the garrison troops near the battlefield to immediately send people to keep an eye on these Eighth Route Army troops."
"After daybreak, each of you will lead half a brigade and a battalion of the Imperial Army to identify a target and kill it."
"I will personally command the remaining troops and kill the other Eighth Route Army."
"As for the Eighth Route Army hiding in the mountains, the aviation force continued to conduct low-altitude searches of the mountains after dawn. Reconnaissance troops and intelligence personnel from nearby strongholds and county towns all took action to search for them."
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