The chief of staff also knew that the Eighth Route Army wanted to buy time for the people in the mountains to move, so he immediately suggested.
"Your Excellency, Wing Commander, we should give orders to the assault troops, ignore the harassment of the troops by the Eighth Route Army, and rush into the mountains to search for ordinary people. Even if it costs some money, it is worth it."
"This is the only way!" The commander of the unit had no other choice and answered helplessly with a sullen face.
"The hostages are so important. With them, our current problems will be solved."
"Give an order to the attacking troops: The troops march urgently into the mountains to search for civilians. Don't worry about the Eighth Route Army harassing the troops. I only want hostages, not casualty data."
At the Japanese garrison headquarters in Huailai County, the chief of staff from Taiyuan sat in the position that should have belonged to the captain of the garrison brigade, with a very serious expression.
Several majors and lieutenants stood in front of him with respectful expressions on their faces.
"Report..." The colonel who was responsible for the logistics supply of all troops this time shouted at the door.
After getting the consent of the Chief of Staff, he strode in: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, the supplies, ammunition and artillery for the east offensive troops have been prepared and ready to go at any time!"
"How many troops are you planning to send to escort us along the way?" the chief of staff asked with satisfaction.
The colonel thought for a moment and replied: "The east-route offensive force has entered the garrison base area about 40 kilometers away. The baggage train can pass through the no-man's land and march in a day. Troops and aircraft can also be dispatched to escort by then. Safety should not be a problem."
"The humble position arranged for a reinforced squadron to escort along the way, and more than 100 heavy baggage teams, for a total of 400 people."
"After joining the east-route offensive troops, we will directly replenish them and will not return here."
The chief of staff did not answer immediately. He frowned and thought about whether there was something wrong with this arrangement.
The baggage team marched in the area occupied by the imperial army before entering the base area, so there would definitely be no problems.
The only possible danger is the remaining 40 kilometers after crossing the no-man's land.
This section of the road is within the base area of the garrison, and there is a more than 80% chance that it will be attacked.
But the distance was too short, and the baggage train could cover it in a day's march.
Even if they are attacked, they can deliver supplies to the attacking forces under aircraft escort.
To put it bluntly, if the transport team encounters an accident and cannot deliver supplies on time, the attacking force can still send troops back to respond.
Thinking of this, the chief of staff no longer hesitated and ordered decisively: "I will arrange it according to your arrangement."
"The transport team will set off now. It will enter the garrison base at six o'clock tomorrow morning and deliver the items to the east-route offensive troops before dark."
"Contact the East Route troops in advance and let them prepare for the response."
Perhaps because the Eighth Route Army had gone to fight against the attacking troops, today's march was much smoother than yesterday, and we arrived at the temporary camp site at five o'clock in the afternoon.
But the co-captain was not happy at all.
The Eighth Route Army's determination to protect the common people was much greater than he expected, and they blocked the Imperial Army's attacking troops with a life-threatening attitude.
In order to buy time, the garrison even fought two positional battles, which they were least good at.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, the attacking troops had only advanced one kilometer into the mountain.
The people hiding inside moved at least fifteen kilometers into the mountains. The distance between the two sides became wider and wider, and the chance of catching up with them was completely lost.
The commander of the regiment decisively ordered the troops to end the operation and withdraw from the mountain to avoid unnecessary casualties.
He walked into the tent with a sullen face, sat down, frowned and fell into deep thought.
He wanted to reflect on what he had done in the past two days and use new ideas to deal with the garrison, but his subordinates did not give him this opportunity.
Just after five minutes, the captain of the attacking force came back and stood at the door and shouted.
"Report to the commander of the unit that he failed to complete his mission despite his humble position. Please request for punishment!"
The captain didn't answer, but the fleeting look of disappointment on his face betrayed his mood at the moment.
He had high hopes for today's operation, but it turned out to be in vain, and the attacking troops also suffered losses.
The huge gap is unacceptable to any individual, let alone the captain who single-handedly planned the entire operation.
He wanted to curse, and even had the urge to send the captain to a military court.
I struggled internally for a long time before suppressing my anger.
This captain is his absolute confidant, otherwise he would not have given such an important task to him today.
If he is sent to a military court because of a defeat in a battle, it will not only chill other confidants, but he will also lose a pillar of support under him.
He took a deep breath, tried his best to regain his composure, and then replied: "Ignoring the punishment in advance, you first tell me how many people the army lost today and how many Eighth Route Army troops were killed."
After hearing these words, the captain knew that he was fine, and he breathed a sigh of relief and replied.
"In one day's fighting, 159 people of the Imperial Army were killed and 41 were seriously injured and lost their combat effectiveness. 114 people of the Imperial Army were killed and 12 were seriously injured."
"But our warriors did not die in vain. We killed at least 200 Eighth Route Army soldiers on the battlefield. Including the injured, there must be more than 300 people."
"After occupying the Eighth Route Army positions alone, more than 150 corpses were found."
"There are only a few people in the garrison. If we continue to fight at this casualty ratio, if there are more than a thousand casualties, we can exhaust them all."
Hearing this, the captain's face suddenly became much more relaxed.
Two to three hundred Eighth Route Army troops were killed and wounded. With this result, the troops who attacked were not in vain.
Staring at the captain, he ordered: "For the sake of the attacking troops destroying so many Eighth Route Army troops, let's forget that we didn't capture the Chinese. The merits and demerits are equal to each other."
"Take the troops to the garrison immediately to rest. We won't leave tomorrow."
"Your Excellency the Chief of Staff has just sent a telegram: The supplies and artillery that will be replenished for us will leave in the morning and arrive here tomorrow night. I have decided to wait until the supplies and artillery are in place before continuing the attack."
"By the way, use this day to have a good fight with the nearby Laiyuan Independent Camp."
"What the attacking troops encountered today reminded me of a strategy."
"Since the Eighth Route Army attaches great importance to the common people and will cover their evacuation at all costs, then we will use this to force them out and fight a few battles."
"Intelligence shows that there are only 1,000 people in the Laiyuan Independent Battalion. The bombing yesterday morning killed and injured 300 to 400 people. Today, the troops were killed and wounded another 200 to 300 people. There are at most 500 people left."
"We have an absolute advantage in strength. If two people fight against them, one person can easily consume them all."
When talking about fighting, all the Japanese became excited.
The several captains discussed the matter and answered with gleaming eyes: "The captain of the unit is wise. I am humble enough to prepare now."
After the Japanese and puppet troops stopped, the independent battalion headquarters that had been moving also stopped.
Zhao Wen sat on the ammunition box with a very heavy expression.
Instructor Liu Wenxuan stood nearby with a very ugly expression on his face. Several staff officers and clerks gathered around several ammunition boxes not far away and were discussing something. They spoke in a low voice and did not dare to disturb them.
The two people continued this action for five minutes before Liu Wenxuan interrupted.
"Battalion Commander, we can't fight like today. We can't afford it."
"No one knows how long this counter-mopping operation will last. Nearly 200 people were lost in one day. At this rate of casualties, the two recruit companies can only last for five days if they fully replenish their troops."
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