"Battal Commander, according to the current marching speed, we will definitely not reach the hiding spot before dawn!" the instructor reminded with a frown on his face, looking anxious.
Yuan Qingfeng's expression was calm, as if he didn't hear the instructor's worries.
It took a long time before he replied: "I know I can't make it!"
"Then why don't we send out scouts and temporarily choose a new hiding spot?" The instructor immediately put forward his own idea.
"We carry heavy artillery and can only take the road. The target is too big! Once exposed, the Japanese planes will definitely pounce on us like hungry wolves and destroy us."
"The mission remains unchanged, the troops continue to move forward!" Yuan Qingfeng answered unexpectedly.
The instructor was anxious.
In his eyes, the twelve heavy artillery pieces of the heavy artillery battalion were his lifeblood, no, more important than his life.
It doesn't matter if you die, heavy artillery must not cause accidents.
He was about to continue speaking, intending to persuade the battalion commander to change his action plan to avoid exposing the heavy artillery to enemy planes, but Yuan Qingfeng did not give him a chance to speak.
"Instructor, in addition to moving the station, we have two tasks tonight."
"He is related to a military operation. No one in the entire artillery battalion knows about it except me."
"What mission?"
The worry on the instructor's face did not relax, and he immediately asked, fearing that something might happen to the heavy artillery battalion.
Yuan Qingfeng no longer concealed anything: "Cooperate with the newly established air defense battalion of the garrison to attack Japanese aircraft in an ambush, and also practice heavy artillery air defense."
"In previous air defense drills, we practiced by ourselves. This time is different. We have to actually face Japanese aircraft."
"How you usually practice and whether you can stand the test of actual combat depends on how many hours you practice."
The worry on the instructor's face became even stronger: "Battalion Commander, what you mean is that these heavy artillery will definitely be exposed to the Japs' planes."
"Of course it must be exposed." Yuan Qingfeng affirmed.
"The mission of the heavy artillery battalion is to create fighters for the air defense battalion."
"If we don't let the little devils see the heavy artillery, their planes won't come over, and the air defense battalion's ambush won't be possible."
"It's too dangerous!" The instructor was even more anxious than before.
"What if we don't move in time during the battle and the artillery is blown up?"
"We only have twelve heavy artillery pieces. If we blow one up, we will lose one."
Yuan Qingfeng's calm face finally showed a trace of fluctuation.
Like the instructor, those heavy cannons were also his heartache, and destroying one would be heartbreaking for a long time.
If a mission could lead to the destruction of the heavy artillery in his hand, he would definitely be the first one not to do so.
But the regiment's orders must be carried out.
After hesitating for a long time, Yuan Qingfeng decided to trust the heavy artillery battalion, the soldiers under his command, and their air defense drills in the past two months.
He replied firmly: "Execute the order!"
"Inform the company commanders of each battalion to be prepared for air defense evacuation at any time."
"The concealment network to protect the artillery and the retreat route must be prepared in advance."
"The most important thing is that the aircraft must not be messed up when facing the Japanese."
"If the troops are in chaos, no matter how well they are trained, they will not be able to perform well on the battlefield."
"As long as the troops are not in disarray and maintain our usual air defense drill standards, we will definitely be able to hide well before the Japanese planes come over our heads."
The worry on the instructor's face did not disappear. Faced with the order, he remained silent for a long time before speaking: "I will give the order now and then watch it personally. I hope there will be no accidents in the process."
Taiyuan Japanese Military Headquarters.
The independent mixed brigade returned defeated and lost a heavy artillery brigade.
As the architect and executor of the entire raid, Nakata Yamaro assumed most of the responsibility. Not only did he lose his position as brigade commander, he was also sent back to the country to be refrigerated and transferred to reserve duty.
Unless a great opportunity arises, there is no chance for Nakata Yamaro to turn around.
As the direct superior of Nakata Yamaro, the military commander also assumes some joint responsibilities.
Although the position of the army commander was saved, the superiors had given him an ultimatum.
If you cannot win a big victory within half a year, you can take the initiative to resign and make way for others without the need for orders from your superiors.
If you want to win a war, you must have troops.
But Nakata Yamaro's losses when fighting the defensive group were too great.
Although the independent mixed brigade left nearly half of its troops, the garrison force that cooperated with the independent mixed brigade, the Royal Association Army, suffered almost all casualties.
For Nakata Yamaro, the life and death of those troops has little to do with him. After all, they are not directly under his own troops.
After fighting this battle and leaving with his direct troops, they will have nothing to do with him.
But the military commander is different.
As the supreme commander of the garrison, both the main force and the local garrison are his subordinates and are responsible for the defense of a certain area.
More than half of any unit's casualties may lead to gaps in the defense of a certain defense area.
After the failed raid on the garrison, Nakata Yamaro returned home, but left a lot of holes for himself.
Many places were completely exposed to the Eighth Route Army because the garrison troops were completely lost in the raids and there were no troops available.
In order to plug these loopholes and prevent the Eighth Route Army from taking the opportunity to counterattack.
The army commander came up with only one solution: shrink the defense, be a coward, and try to avoid fighting with the Eighth Route Army.
Take advantage of this period to recuperate, replenish the troops with new recruits and equipment, and restore their strength.
Over the past few months, the defense area I was responsible for had been extremely peaceful. Except for some small-scale firefights, there had not been a single medium-sized or larger battle.
What satisfies the military commander most is the current situation of the army.
After replenishment and training, the depleted garrison troops have returned to half of their pre-mopping levels.
The independent mixed brigade that suffered more than half of its casualties was restored to full strength, and the lost heavy artillery brigade was re-established with the support of the front army.
Under this situation, the army commander finally had the confidence to start thinking about how to win a great victory and hold on to his position as army commander.
"Chief of Staff, please immediately compile statistics on the Eighth Route Army's mobilization in the defense area in the past month. I want to see it," the commander ordered while looking at the sand table.
"I need a fighter plane now to break the deadlock and start the imperial army's counterattack."
"This fighter plane is likely to be in the middle of the Eighth Route Army's troop movements. I want to discover their defense loopholes from these movements. When I attack in the future, I can kill them with one blow without giving them a chance to react."
"In addition, the aviation force must increase its reconnaissance and search of the Eighth Route Army base areas."
"If you find that Eighth Route Army troops are mobilizing, report them immediately."
"The intelligence department must also take action to find the specific locations of the main force and headquarters of the Eighth Route Army. The more the better."
"This time we must obtain a military exploit that can be used. I just thought about it. At the very least, we must eliminate a brigade-sized main force of the Eighth Route Army."
