The exchange of fire between the harassing troops and the Japanese and puppet troops was getting closer and closer, and from time to time, several explosions of mortar shells were heard.
With their current attack speed, as long as nothing happens, they will be able to reach the outside of Lingqiu City in more than half an hour.
The regiment headquarters is ready to retreat.
All kinds of confidential documents and radio equipment that can be packed away have been packed, and those that cannot be packed are buried on the spot.
As long as the regiment leader gives the order, the regiment can rush out of Lingqiu City in ten minutes at most.
"Commander, Chief of Staff, urgent call!" Zhou Liang was operating the only unpacked radio station in the headquarters and suddenly shouted.
After a few minutes, he put down his earphones and handed the translated telegram to Li Hao while reporting: "The Japanese and puppet troops did not intend to attack Lingqiu City. They shot a false shot three kilometers outside the city, bypassed the county seat and headed southeast of us.
of mountains.”
"Arsenal!" Li Hao frowned and thought for a few seconds before making a judgment.
"Only the arsenal in the mountains to the southeast is qualified for the Japanese to send out heavy troops to attack."
Wang Hong hesitated and added: "There is also a field hospital."
"There are more than 400 wounded soldiers there. The escort force is only half a company, and the rest are all medical staff. If the Japanese find out, there is no chance of being transferred."
"Our sweet potato flour factories, pig farms, and chicken farms scattered in the mountains will also be relocated."
"They have no escorts. Once discovered by the Japanese, they will definitely suffer a devastating blow."
Zhou Liang continued to report: "The chief of staff's judgment is also an arsenal."
"The troops have just captured two stragglers. Although they are ordinary soldiers, they heard their commander mention the arsenal several times during the march."
Only a few people at the regiment headquarters know the exact location of the arsenal in the mountains.
Marking the current location and attack direction of the Japanese and puppet troops on the map, Li Hao became more certain that the Japanese army would attack the arsenal.
First, he drew a line on the map with a pencil, and then analyzed Wang Hong: "Political Commissar, combined with the telegram from the Chief of Staff, I am now 90% sure that the target of this Japanese and puppet army is the arsenal."
"It must be that our collection of supplies some time ago was too grand."
"If I remember correctly, in the past month or so, we have sent out more than 3,000 rifles to collect supplies, more than 100 light and heavy machine guns, and more than 20 mortars, and even more ammunition.
There are rifle machine gun bullets, grenades and grenades, heavy machine gun bullets, and precious artillery shells. One-third of them are new equipment and ammunition produced by arsenals, and two-thirds are reassembled from used weapon parts and bullet casings.
"
"The surrounding Eighth Route Army suddenly gained so much equipment and ammunition, and dozens of cartloads of raw materials were sent to our base area through various channels every day. Such a big movement will definitely attract the attention of the Japanese."
"If the Japanese do not want to destroy the arsenal, we can rely on this arsenal to re-equip all the Eighth Route Army regiments in the surrounding areas."
"Then the Japanese will face not just one garrison group, but ten or even twenty main force groups whose equipment level is not weaker than ours."
Wang Hong was convinced and looked at Li Hao and answered with approval: "That's true."
"Last month, the arsenal received more than 6,000 damaged rifles and more than 200 broken light and heavy machine guns from the surrounding Eighth Route Army. Through disassembly and reassembly, a total of 3,500 rifles and more than 120 rifles were produced at the arsenal.
Quite a light machine gun.”
"Because the arsenal receives fewer and fewer damaged weapons, the output of dismantling and reassembly will definitely become less and less, but the production capacity of new guns will definitely increase. A thousand guns will definitely be produced every month."
"That adds up to 12,000 guns a year, not counting the production capacity of dismantling and reassembling broken guns."
"The impact of so many weapons to supplement the garrison and the surrounding Eighth Route Army can definitely be described as terrifying. As long as the Japanese commander is not stupid, he will definitely do everything possible to prevent this from happening."
"And destroying the arsenal is the only way to fundamentally solve this problem."
"In order to achieve this goal, with insufficient troops, the Japanese and puppet troops could only use poison gas bombs as their trump card."
Li Hao pointed to a line he had just marked on the map and ordered: "This is a route that the Japanese and puppet troops must pass through to attack our arsenal.
"There are three checkpoints in the middle. Only by breaking through them can the Japanese and puppet troops have a chance to attack the arsenal."
Wang Hong thought for a moment and said: "I know that these three levels are very dangerous. It is because of their existence that we chose the arsenal there."
"In order to protect the safety of the arsenal, we have deployed a garrison company at each level and strengthened a heavy machine gun squad with two heavy machine guns."
"Under normal circumstances, if three garrison companies defend themselves against danger, even if the Japanese can kill an infantry brigade, they won't even be able to kill them."
"But it can't be done now. The Japanese have poisonous gas bombs and the three guard companies are not equipped with gas masks."
"If a few poison gas bombs are thrown over, the Japanese will not have to attack, and the three defensive companies will lose their combat effectiveness."
Li Hao looked at Wang Hong and comforted him: "Don't worry, political commissar, now we know that the Japanese have poisonous gas bombs."
"I definitely won't let three garrison companies die."
"Order the Eighth Company to put on gas masks and set out now, march quickly to the front of the Japanese and puppet troops, take over from the garrison company at the first checkpoint and occupy it."
"Before the Japanese and puppet troops used poison gas bombs, they would defend the checkpoint at all costs."
"After the Japanese and puppet troops used poison gas bombs, they immediately abandoned their positions and retreated to the second checkpoint."
"Ninth Company, Air Defense Battalion, put on all the gas masks left in the regiment headquarters and go with me to the second level. I will annihilate all the Japanese and puppet troops there."
"Immediately send a telegram to the heavy artillery battalion. We will all move to the vicinity of Taojiagou tonight, build an artillery position, and then send observers to the second checkpoint to stand by."
At ten o'clock in the morning the next day, the Japanese and puppet troops who entered the mountain reached the first checkpoint.
The co-captain was particularly excited.
Since the gas bombs severely damaged the garrison two days ago, except for sporadic sneak attacks, the entire offensive has never encountered a large-scale Eighth Route Army.
The same is true after entering the mountains.
Including the commander of the regiment, all the Japanese soldiers thought that the garrison was afraid of being beaten.
In order to avoid poison gas attacks, the troops did not dare to be gathered together.
Therefore, all Japanese troops believed that the next assault would go very smoothly and victory was just around the corner.
Seeing the wing leader looking at the level not far away with a smile on his face, as if he had already stepped on it under his feet, the wing chief of staff did not miss this opportunity to flatter him and quickly ran over with a map to compliment him.
"Sir, intelligence shows that the garrison arsenal is hidden deep in the mountains ahead."
"I suggest that the troops attack immediately and quickly break through the mountain pass in front. As long as we advance along the mountain road at our feet, we will definitely find the arsenal before dark."
A captain next to him immediately called for a fight: "Sir, the Eighth Route Army in the previous checkpoint must have been scared away by our gas bombs. We can take them down by sending an infantry team to kill them."
The co-captain is also confident about the next attack.
Decisive order: "I'll give you ten minutes to win the previous level."
"Hi!" the captain replied confidently.
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