All the battalion and company cadres of the 686th Regiment arrived at the regiment headquarters. Several company commanders drove dozens of miles of mountain roads to come here. Before they could take a breath, they were taken into the conference room by the regiment headquarters guards.
"Are you all here?" the team leader asked straight to the point as he walked into the conference room.
"We're all here, commander..." The chief of staff who received these battalion and company commanders quickly stood up and replied.
"Then I won't talk nonsense. I've called you here in such a hurry for one reason: the division headquarters has another order for our regiment, and it's a combat mission!"
"real?"
Several battalion commanders began to shine on the spot, staring at the regiment leader with a pair of hot eyes, with eager expressions as if they were ready to stand up and challenge at any time!
"Of course it's true!" the group leader affirmed!
Then the orders began to be read.
"The order just sent from the division headquarters: The Japanese army has found out where we are stationed, and the elite of a regiment are already on their way to avenge the Battle of Pingxingguan!"
"The enemy is strong and we are weak, so fighting head-on will definitely not work."
"The division headquarters requires our regiment to withdraw from Lingqiu immediately and go south to look for fighter planes and continue to fight against the Japanese!"
"Long-distance marching is nothing to all of us. After all, we have traveled more than 20,000 miles on the Long March!"
"The only thing I'm worried about is the seriously wounded soldiers in the regiment. Carrying them for a long march will not only affect their recovery, cause some non-combat attrition, but also affect the march and combat of the main force, so I decided to leave them in Lingqiu.
!”
"After research and decision by the regiment headquarters, each battalion will leave a small team to protect the seriously injured and lurk in Lingqiu territory!"
"Wait until the wounded recover and then find a chance to return to the team. If there is no chance, stay in the local area to form a guerrilla force to fight against the Japanese and establish a base!"
"I will give you ten minutes to discuss who will be left in each battalion and how many troops will be determined. I will have the results in ten minutes and then report them to the Lingqiu underground party and intelligence personnel. These people can save their lives at the critical moment!"
"But there is a requirement. Each battalion cannot leave more than one platoon! It cannot affect the combat effectiveness of the main force!"
When the team leader returned to the conference room, the room that was bustling just now had quieted down.
When he sat down in his seat, he stared at the commander of the first battalion and asked: "The first battalion goes first!"
"Yes, commander..." The first battalion commander quickly stood up.
"The second company of our battalion suffered the most casualties. We decided to leave one squad of veterans and two squads of recruits in the second company to protect all the seriously wounded in the entire battalion!"
"The platoon with the most casualties from the Fourth Company of the Second Battalion remains behind!" the Second Battalion Commander stood up immediately and reported.
The third battalion commander then reported: "We are leaving the newly formed fourth platoon of the Eighth Company!"
There were four platoons stationed not far from the company headquarters, with recruits and veterans all gathered around a large pot of steaming pork, swallowing their saliva.
They were very lucky today.
Li Hao took two squads of recruits into the mountains to hunt and practice marksmanship. Unexpectedly, they encountered a wild boar and shot it back.
Smelling the strong aroma of meat filling the air, Li Hao, who was cooking the dishes himself, couldn't help but take a deep breath of the aroma and showed a very intoxicated expression.
"Bang bang bang..."
After banging the iron spoon on the edge of the pot three times, he shouted loudly.
"Comrades, the pork is stewed. Let's have dinner. The pork stew tonight will satisfy you!"
The company commander came just after eating half of the meal, still breathing heavily.
"Haozi, come with me. The superior has a mission!"
"Mission, what mission?" Li Hao walked over and asked expectantly.
"Our superiors ordered us to evacuate Lingqiu and go south to find fighter planes to continue attacking the Japanese!" Zhang Yu did not hide anything.
Li Hao's eyes lit up and he replied: "When will we leave, I will have the troops prepare now to ensure that it will not affect the main march!"
Zhang Yu did not speak, and hesitated for a long time before replying: "The main force evacuates here, if you don't leave!"
"You and the Fourth Platoon continue to stay here to protect the wounded. The other two companies of the Third Battalion and seven seriously wounded will be sent over this evening!"
"The regiment headquarters ordered each main battalion to leave a small team in Lingqiu to protect the wounded. They are not suitable for long journeys. After they recover, they will find the main force and return to the team when they have the opportunity. If they can't find the main force, they will stay here and form together with the wounded.
Guerrillas, combatants and Japs!”
"The company commanders of our third battalion unanimously decided to let you stay!"
"You have the experience of going deep behind enemy lines alone, the experience of protecting the wounded, and you have a flexible mind. More importantly, your stay will not affect the combat effectiveness of the main force!"
Li Hao was shocked at first, and then felt happy in his heart.
If you can find the main force, go and join them. If you can't find the main force, stay here and fight the Japanese. To put it more directly, if your superiors allow you, you can stay here and work alone.
Compared with following the main force and obeying orders, Li Hao is definitely more willing to work alone. Although working alone may face various dangers and may be surrounded by Japanese soldiers, Li Hao believes in his own ability and
The benefits of going it alone definitely outweigh the risks.
What moved Li Hao the most were the seriously wounded soldiers. According to the company commander's wishes, if the main force could not be found in the future and there was no way to join them, those seriously wounded soldiers would stay and fight guerrillas directly after they recovered and be incorporated into their own troops.
More than 20 seriously wounded soldiers who came from the Long March will become more than 20 seeds when they are developed. Each one can pull out at least a platoon of troops.
At that time, the number of troops in your hand will increase to a regiment.
The Eighth Route Army is a force that values capabilities.
As long as he can pull out a regiment's strength behind enemy lines and win more battles, he will definitely be given the position of regimental commander.
The more Li Hao thought about it, the more excited he became. He forced it down, and then calmly replied under the gaze of the company commander: "Company Commander, I will execute the order!"
This time it was Zhang Yu's turn to be shocked.
Before he came over, he was already prepared for Li Hao to lecture him if he disagreed or didn't want to.
Unexpectedly, all his preparations were useless, so he agreed on the spot.
Then he confirmed again with a puzzled look on his face: "Haozi, you have to think carefully! Once you stay, you will become a lone army. When you encounter danger, in addition to intelligence personnel and underground parties, you will have some intelligence support.
There won’t be any reinforcements, you have to rely on yourselves for everything!”
"Besides, I'm not afraid to tell you that the reason why the main force is in a hurry to retreat is because a regiment of Japanese retaliatory troops is on its way over. The enemy is strong and we are weak, so we have to avoid the edge for the time being!"
"I have thought about it, I will execute the order, and I will protect these wounded people!" Li Hao replied with a serious look on his face.
Zhang Yu took a long breath and confirmed: "If that's the case, then it's settled. If you have any requirements, our Eighth Company and the entire Third Battalion will try our best to satisfy you!"
"I hope our superiors can leave us more food!" This time Li Hao thought for a long time before answering.
"The Japanese army is attacking heavily. We must hide in the mountains. We will not be able to get out in a short time and we will not be able to get food. At least the food reserves in our hands must be able to last until the main Japanese army retreats!"
"Okay, I'll go back and prepare it for you now!" Zhang Yu replied seriously.
