The atmosphere in the war room at the Huaiyuan Independent Regiment headquarters was very depressing.
In order to kill all the foreign aid of the garrison, the Shanxi garrison assembled an infantry regiment and more than 3,000 Imperial Army troops to besiege them.
Fortunately, the Huaiyuan Independent Regiment had stored enough equipment and ammunition before the battle, otherwise the main force would have been turned into guerrillas after this battle.
After more than half a month, although the independent regiment has not been turned into a local force, its losses are not small at all.
There are still more than 800 people left in the main force of more than 2,000 people, and nearly half of the local troops have suffered casualties.
Although the cadres said nothing, some rumors had already spread among the soldiers.
Some people say that the regiment should not have lent troops to the garrison in the first place. If the more than a thousand reinforcements sent out were still in the base area, the troops would certainly not have fought so miserably.
Some people also say that the reason why the Independence Regiment was heavily raided by the Japanese and puppet troops was simply to give the garrison a scapegoat...
After the regiment leader Zhou Tao learned about these rumors, he severely criticized several battalion commanders under him.
If it weren't for their acquiescence, this kind of rumor would never have spread among the team.
When Zhou Tao thought about these troubles, he became angry and couldn't help but curse again.
"Let me tell you, if it were not for the garrison regiment, there would be no Huaiyuan Independent Regiment today."
"Without the weapons and ammunition provided by the garrison regiment to support us, our independent regiment would have been wiped out by the Japanese a long time ago. There would be no way there would be so many troops left!"
"One more point, the garrison regiment, our Huaiyuan Independent Regiment, the old Laishui Independent Regiment, if the three troops want to develop and grow in the belly of the Japanese army, they must depend on each other. If any one of the troops is eliminated by the Japanese army, it will give rise to the other two troops.
A devastating blow."
"So if the garrison is in trouble, we must reinforce it. If I had to choose again, I would still send the first battalion there."
"You all listen to me. From now on, I don't want to hear any rumors about our reinforcement of the garrison."
"Because if something goes wrong with the independent regiment, the garrison regiment will definitely make the same decision as me and send troops to support us without hesitation."
"Did you hear everything clearly?"
The commander of the second battalion was embarrassed to answer: "Don't worry, commander, we will do a good job in the ideological work of the soldiers."
Zhou Tao glared at them and continued: "Not only must we do a good job in the ideological work of the soldiers, but you must also correct your own thoughts."
"Isn't it just that the casualties of the troops are too high? There is nothing to be afraid of."
"Back then, when the Laishui Independent Regiment was most severely beaten by the Japanese and puppet troops, there were only more than 300 people left in the regiment. There were less than five light machine guns, not one heavy machine gun, and even less ammunition. Ordinary soldiers had five consecutive rounds.
Even the bullets were fired, but we couldn’t get enough. But in the end we managed to survive, and the more we fought, the stronger we became.”
"Today we still have more than 800 people, and our equipment is many times better than it was back then. We have light and heavy machine guns, mortars and mortars, and even mountain cannons."
"There's nothing to worry about. Just keep fucking with the little devil with me."
"As long as the troops are not wiped out, our Huaiyuan Independent Regiment will have a chance to make a comeback."
"Report..." The operator who was operating the radio station suddenly stood up and interrupted.
He handed over a telegram and reported excitedly: "Captain, Commander Li of the garrison regiment has an urgent telegram, and it's good news!"
Zhou Tao quickly grabbed the telegram, glanced at ten lines, and read it in a few seconds.
Then a smile appeared on the serious face: "Comrades, there is news about our reinforcements to the garrison regiment."
"At noon today, they successfully captured Datong City and are currently resting and waiting in Datong City!"
"There is also good news for everyone: the main force of the garrison escaped from the eyes of the Japanese and puppet troops in Datong City, and successfully returned to Laiyuan last night."
"More than an hour ago, they killed the 5,000 Japanese puppet troops who attacked the base area."
"Now the various units of the garrison are taking advantage of this opportunity to launch a large-scale attack on no man's land, and the effect is very good."
"Captain Li reminded us that in order to protect the no-man's land, the Japanese army may order the troops who raided us to retreat secretly. We hope that we can hold them in the base area for at least one night."
Several battalion company commanders were so happy that they almost couldn't open their mouths from ear to ear.
For the Huaiyuan Independent Group, this is absolutely great news.
The Japanese and puppet troops withdrew, and the Huaiyuan Independent Regiment's counter-mopping pressure was gone.
The First Battalion won a great victory in Datong and will definitely bring back a large amount of seizures.
We have veterans, equipment and ammunition. Given time, the Independent Regiment will definitely be able to regain its strength...
Zhou Tao saw everyone's thoughts at a glance, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared, and then returned to seriousness.
After looking at the smiling subordinates one by one, he suddenly interrupted: "Don't be happy too early."
"We still have a tough battle to fight before the counter-mopping up is completely over."
"Captain Li asked us to hold off the Japanese and puppet troops' returning reinforcements for one night. I think this time is too short. We must hold off the Japanese and puppet troops for at least one day and one night before we can truly help the garrison to capture the no-man's land."
"Look at the map: the entire no-man's land is fifty kilometers deep, and a forced march would take more than ten hours."
"The Japanese and puppet troops have built a large number of artillery towers and strongholds inside, and the garrison must advance while fighting."
"It's ten o'clock in the evening. It's impossible to capture the entire no-man's land before dawn."
"In order to avoid Japanese air attacks after dawn, the troops had to hide on the spot and wait until dark before attacking."
"If we only delay the Japanese and puppet troops for one night, the day tomorrow will be enough for them to reach the no-man's land and prevent the garrison from occupying the entire no-man's land."
"If we could have blocked the Japanese and puppet troops in the base area for a day and night, the result would have been different."
"By the time the Japs return to the no-man's land, the garrison must have fought almost as hard as they can."
"There is nothing you can do to change the situation and change the overall situation."
The smile on the subordinate's face froze in an instant. As Zhou Tao's old subordinate, the second battalion commander was the first to speak: "Commander, it is too difficult to hold off the Japanese and puppet troops for a day and a night."
"The latest enemy situation detected shows that there are nearly 4,000 Japanese and puppet troops who are sweeping us away. We have less than 1,000 people, a full four times strength advantage. If we hold them back for a day and a night, we might be left with nothing.
At this point, all the troops will be trapped."
"I think there is no need for everyone to be so aggressive. Just follow what Commander Li said in the telegram and fight to hold off the Japanese and puppet troops for one night."
This is also the idea of several other battalion commanders.
As soon as the Second Battalion finished speaking, there was a chorus of agreement.
Zhou Tao remained unmoved and insisted on his order: "Everyone listen to me. We must delay the enemy until tomorrow night."
"Don't think I don't know your thoughts: knowing that the counter-mopping up is coming to an end, you all want to preserve more strength and retain more veterans so that you can restore your strength in the future."
"From now on, keep these little thoughts away from me."
Speaking of this, Zhou Tao took a special look at the Second Battalion Commander.
"Especially you. Although there are less than 300 men left in the Second Battalion, with more than half of them casualties, most of the light and heavy machine guns equipped by the whole battalion are there, and most of the remaining soldiers are veterans, and the few recruits are also
They have all grown up, and their overall combat effectiveness has not dropped much."
"So don't be miserable in front of me. Once the task is assigned to you, it must be completed on time. There are no conditions."
"The same goes for the third battalion. You still have at least 60% combat effectiveness!"
"The guard company and reconnaissance company still have 50% combat effectiveness."
"The most important thing is that delaying the Japanese and puppet troops until tomorrow night is not as difficult as you think."
"They are in our base area and are eager to return to the no-man's land. If we make good use of this fighter plane, we can not only support the garrison, but also severely damage the Japanese and puppet troops and avenge the soldiers who died in the counter-mopping up."
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