At the north gate of Laiyuan City, more than a hundred puppet troops braced themselves and stood guard at the top of the city! Five steps and one post, ten steps and one sentry, the security was very tight!
Originally, there were more than a dozen Japanese soldiers on duty here, but because they were too tired, two hours ago, they collectively went to the barracks behind the city wall to take a nap!
The puppet company commander and three platoon commanders also slipped into the barracks to rest one after another!
Of course, this doesn't mean they are careless!
The main force of the garrison all attacked, and the small surveillance force left by the garrison outside the city all left together with the main force!
And as expected, after tonight, the garrison will suffer a devastating blow!
Therefore, in the eyes of the remaining Japanese and puppet troops, Laiyuan City was safer than ever, and they never thought that the garrison that was about to be destroyed would turn around and attack here!
Suddenly, a few scattered torches appeared at the end of the road outside the North Gate, and then more and more, and soon they connected together to form a fire dragon, marching towards the North Gate!
"Someone is coming, everyone should be more vigilant and immediately notify the platoon commander and company commander to go up the city wall!" shouted a puppet army squad leader!
When the company commander rushed to the top of the city in a hurry, the fire dragon was already less than 500 meters away from the city gate!
Everyone looked nervously outside the city!
"Company commander, could it be the Eighth Route Army sneak attack on Laiyuan City?" the platoon leader asked nervously!
Judging from the number of torches, there are nearly a thousand people on the other side!
If it is really an enemy, with these people on top of the city, even if they can defend and block the opponent's attack, the troops will suffer heavy casualties!
Moreover, there is such a huge disparity in the strength of the two sides, so the chance of holding the city is definitely slim!
"Don't you have any brains?" the company commander frowned and cursed!
"If they were the Eighth Route Army and wanted to sneak attack on Laiyuan City, they would take the road with such a big fanfare and rush over with torches. Wouldn't this expose their target?"
"Furthermore, there is a telegram from the Imperial Army Headquarters. The main force of the garrison is at the blockade. Even if there is an Eighth Route Army near Laiyuan, they are still small troops, local troops, and stragglers. How could so many people appear all of a sudden!"
"Then who are they? Are they the main force that left the city in the middle of the night?" the platoon leader continued to ask confusedly!
The company commander thought so too, but didn't say it out loud!
According to the plan, the troops leaving the city should fight all the way to the blockade and attack the main force of the garrison there!
If the troops outside the city are really them, there is only one possibility. They had an accident on the way to the blockade and had to return to Laiyuan City!
If this is the case, then it will be a big deal!
There were nearly 2,000 troops when the troops went out, but now there are less than 1,000 people rushing over. If an accident occurs, 80% of the less than 1,000 people will be lost!
With just this small garrison in Laiyuan City, more than a thousand people were lost in one fell swoop. If the garrison took the opportunity to attack again, it would be very difficult to defend Laiyuan City!
If Laiyuan City is lost and surrounded by garrison bases, then you have only two options.
Or be buried with the Japanese, die in battle, and completely wear the label of traitor!
Either surrender to the Eighth Route Army and become prisoners of the Eighth Route Army!
For the company commander, neither one of them is what he wants!
He doesn't want to die, nor does he want to be a prisoner, but he still wants to continue to be a company commander, show off his power, and be well-dressed and well-fed.
And if you want to do this, there is only one way to defend Laiyuan City.
"Company commander, they are here, and they look like they are one of our own in uniform!" the platoon leader suddenly shouted, interrupting the company commander's thoughts!
"It's one of our own, and there are many wounded people being carried in the middle of the team. Something must have happened on the way to the attacking troops!" the company commander frowned and judged!
"Captain Li, what's going on?" More than a dozen Japanese soldiers suddenly swarmed up the city. Seeing the troops outside the city, the leading Japanese soldier, Captain Cao, asked nervously!
In front of the Japanese, the company commander seemed like a different person!
My current status and wealth are all given by the Japanese.
So facing his master, he had no intention of resisting at all, and even deliberately lowered his voice when speaking. It was nothing but a compliment!
He quickly replied: "Taijun, it seems something happened to our troops leaving the city!"
"Nani?" The Japanese leader Cao also showed a shocked expression!
He also knows the importance of the attacking troops to Laiyuan City!
But don’t let your guard down!
In his eyes, there were nearly 2,000 troops in the attack force. Even if the main force of the garrison was fully present, it was impossible for them to suffer heavy losses in such a short period of time!
Therefore, there is another possibility. The garrison deliberately used the city troops to make a fuss, pretending to be troops leaving the city and falsely opening the city gate, thus taking over Laiyuan City!
Thinking of this, the Japanese military commander immediately ordered: "Shoot immediately and let them stop a hundred meters outside the city. The officer will come out to speak. Only after confirming their specific identities can they approach the city wall and let them enter the city!"
"Yes, Taijun!"
The company commander followed the order faithfully and stopped the troops a hundred meters away!
"Captain, there are only about a hundred people at the top of the city, and it seems that most of them are puppet troops. It's too troublesome to wait and wait, why don't I lead people to kill them directly!" Liu Senyun shouted, very dissatisfied with the little devil's caution, with a touch of
shouted anxiously.
"Wait a minute!"
Liu Senyun, who was about to rush forward after being stopped by Li Hao, pointed to the top of the city and said!
"Someone has come out. He should be here to confirm our identity!"
"Don't be impulsive. It's best if you can enter Laiyuan City without firing a shot. This can minimize the casualties of comrades!"
"Although you can charge in with force, the casualties of the troops will definitely be huge!"
After saying that, Li Hao turned his attention to the puppet battalion commander next to him.
"Battle Commander Zhang, whether we can enter Laiyuan City smoothly or not, it depends on you next!"
"Don't worry, Commander! Since I have decided to join the Eighth Route Army, I am a member of the Eighth Route Army. I will definitely find a way to make them believe in us and let us enter the city!" Battalion Commander Zhang replied with confidence!
Two hours ago, after confirming that Li Hao was the leader of the garrison, facing the invitation sent by Li Hao, Battalion Commander Zhou, who had never wanted to work for the Japanese, decisively abandoned the secret and turned to the bright side and decided to join the garrison!
Li Hao was also very happy and appointed Battalion Commander Zhou as the Deputy Battalion Commander of the Secret Service Battalion on the spot!
After three months, as long as you meet the requirements of the Eighth Route Army, you will be directly sent to the army to serve as the captain of the county brigade!
The county brigade of the garrison is not an ordinary local force. In terms of strength, it is stronger than many main forces of the Eighth Route Army!
As an officer in the puppet army, after joining the Eighth Route Army, not only was I not discriminated against and suppressed, but I was entrusted with important responsibilities. I couldn't help but have the idea that a soldier would die for his confidant!
So when he heard that the regiment leader asked him to cooperate and capture Laiyuan City, Battalion Commander Zhou agreed without thinking, and decided to take this credit as a meeting gift for joining the garrison!
After saying that, Battalion Commander Zhou rushed out of the team with two veterans with angry faces and shouted from a distance!
"Asshole, didn't you see it was one of our own? Are you tired of shooting even your own people? Let me tell you, your Excellency the Commander is in the middle and is injured. If there is an accident because of your delay, everyone on the city will die."