The first powerful attack is often the watershed of a successful war.
After the battle of Xinglong Town, the county seat of Meixian was attacked. These two events prompted the Japanese lieutenant colonel to make up his mind to advance the autumn mopping-up operation in the mountains to early summer.
It seems that this is entirely out of revenge, but it is not that simple. The hasty investigation of the battlefield mutiny has led to the defense system in southern Meixian being in name only. Although the surviving puppet troops who walked out of the concentration camp have been reorganized, their combat effectiveness has become zero, and it is not just a problem of insufficient troops. Therefore, the Japanese major is now going to carry out a sweep, and another purpose is to "eliminate this while also eliminating that", and to weaken the independent regiment to ensure long-term stability.
The Japanese major was patient and calm for a few days. This gave the troops, which had been led around by the Eighth Route Army, time to recover, and also reduced the vigilance of the independent regiment. A new round of supplies had been distributed and the troops had almost rested. At five o'clock in the afternoon on June 8, an order was suddenly sent to the major's office: order Li Youde's troops to advance westward along the Qingshan Village line tomorrow.
Just after sunset, there was a sudden noise at the west gate of Meixian. The Japanese soldiers hurried out of the city in a line, and the footsteps rumbled in the gate. Two squadrons of more than 400 soldiers drove out, followed by a string of mules and horses carrying various supplies, including two groups of heavy machine guns and two temporary mortars. The Japanese lieutenant colonel gestured on the map illuminated by the flashlight and explained the planned route to several subordinates in bird language: go west into the mountains overnight, go northwest after reaching Songjia Village, and go straight to Dabei Village. It would rather cross mountains and ridges to minimize the adjustment time of the independent regiment. This time, we will start from Dabei Village and destroy the old nest first to relieve our hatred.
The intelligence spy hurriedly left the scene and hid in the dark, trying to pass the news of the sudden movement of the Japanese invaders back to the regiment.
At nine o'clock in the evening, to the west of the Xishan Artillery Tower, twenty miles away from the West Gate, an informant hurriedly ran north to Sanjiaji to find the Second Company: two squadrons of Japanese troops suddenly appeared and had passed Xishankou with their baggage.
At midnight, a figure hurriedly left Songjia Village and headed west into the night, heading to Wuming Village to find the Third Company: a large number of Japanese soldiers suddenly appeared to the east of Songjia Village but did not enter the village. Their strength and motives were unknown.
On the morning of the 9th, a hunter was hurriedly carried into the Dabeizhuang regiment headquarters by a sentry, and then the sound of gongs rang continuously. This was an emergency call.
There was a rush everywhere, with luggage being packed and boxes being bundled in the chaotic situation. The guard platoon and the first company of soldiers all rushed out to help the masses prepare for the evacuation. After the first company commander Wu Yan hurriedly ran into the regiment headquarters, he saw the regiment commander still sitting steadily at the table, frowning at the map. So he said nothing, gasped and began to tidy up his military uniform which he had not had time to deal with, straightened his military cap and hung up his gun, then waited across the broken table without saying a word.
Two minutes later, the commander of the 6th Regiment, who was still staring at the map, spoke up: "Fifty miles to the southeast, the Japs are actually crossing the mountain. Isn't that amazing?"
Wu Yan was surprised when he heard this: "Southeast direction? How far?"
"I don't know. I guess it's inevitable. The information hasn't arrived yet. It's less than fifty miles away. How capable!"
"I will take a company with me now..."
"You can't protect Dabei Village even if you go there." The 6th Regiment Commander interrupted Wu Yan before he could finish his words: "We have to rush all night, cross mountains and ridges, Dabei Village is the enemy's breath! Since they came here this way, don't rush to stop them. It's important to evacuate the people as soon as possible. Guns are not the only way to buy time. Humph... ****, do you think I'm as stingy as it is? Anyway, we have been broke for a long time!"
Not long after, Tiedan, on Wu Yan's orders, gathered a company of soldiers and started fighting openly.
Rather than letting the Japanese burn them, it was better to do it ourselves. After the masses had evacuated, a company was left behind to clean up the mess. They were required not to leave any habitable houses behind and to set fire to everything that could be ignited. All wells had to be filled in. This was to prevent the Japanese from destroying the water supply. All water tanks had to be knocked down and emptied. If the Japanese wanted to set up camp, they would have to make do by the river. All poultry had to be executed on the spot and then thrown into the fire and burned to ashes. The bloody lesson showed that poultry could not be brought along. If they were alive, they would leave clues for the Japanese along the way. If they were dead, some frugal people would try to set fire to them and barbecue them while escaping, eventually implicating everyone.
They knew clearly that it was the right thing to do, as it would disappoint the Japanese and buy them more time to escape. However, when the first column of black smoke billowed up, the people who were returning home still cried with their tattered bags on their shoulders. It turned out that a broken heart can be broken again. The so-called heart of stone actually has to be shattered into dust before it can be regarded as such.
…
Gao Yidao received the information about the Japanese entering the mountains at dawn. This information came from Xishankou, so Gao Yidao knew the approximate strength of the Japanese troops, but was not clear about their true movements. He was shocked but not anxious, because he knew that the Japanese would not look down on the poor and bad mountainous area of the Second Company. He guessed that the Japanese should pass Songjia Village all the way west, and then turn north after reaching Wuming Village. This should be the standard route.
He sent one person to forward the message to Dabizhuang, and another person to forward the message to the wine station. Then he gathered his second company on the spot, left Sanjiajie and headed southwest towards Wuming Village. He did the same thing as the Japanese major. He refused to take the shortcut instead of taking the road, even at the cost of crossing mountains and ridges.
He would take the initiative to find the Japanese. His idea was always the same. After discovering the main force of the Japanese, he would quietly follow them and then wait for an opportunity to bite them. He would grab whatever the Japanese left behind. This was the case when he almost lost his second company while trying to snatch food from the Japanese. He never learned his lesson because he knew the relationship between opportunity and risk.
So, this morning, the Second Company, which was struggling to march through the mountains, stopped. The company commander Gao Yidao squatted next to a pile of horse manure, and several soldiers carefully observed the surrounding environment. There were obvious signs that a large group of people had passed by, and it had not been long.
Looking up towards the northwest, Gao Yidao superimposed the Second Company's route with the Japanese's route in his mind, forming a big x. The point where the two lines intersected was right under his feet.
…
The intelligence the Third Company obtained came from Songjia Village. The strength and movements of the Japanese troops were unknown. Hao Ping did not have Gao Yidao's courage to make blind guesses, so everything was carried out according to the standards. Regardless of whether the Japanese troops were really going to Wuming Village, it was handled as an emergency. Someone was ordered to pass the news to Dabizhuang, and the villagers were hastily evacuated. Currently, the Third Company of more than 100 people was transferred to the outskirts of Wuming Village on standby, and at the same time, reconnaissance personnel were sent to the east.
It was already morning, and two groups of scouts had returned one after another to report that there was no enemy, so Hao Ping had to put a question mark in his mind.
"The Japanese can't stop at Songjia Village. Since they didn't go to Wuming Village, there are only two possibilities left. Either they go north to Sanjia Village, or they go northwest to Dabei Village. No matter which possibility it is, they are almost there now. What should the third company do next?"
The question received no response, so he turned to look at Yang Deshi nearby, who was still in a daze, looking at the ants crawling on the ground with his glasses drooping. Ever since he came back from the regiment, Yang Deshi has always been in such a state of depression. At first, Hao Ping thought he was just like him, angry because the regiment commander had not yet decided on a solution. Now Hao Ping, the company commander, has come to terms with it, but Yang Deshi, the instructor, has not improved at all, sometimes in a daze, sometimes with a gloomy face.
"Hello, Lao Yang? Hello!"
Yang Deshi raised his head as if he had just woken up from a dream: "What? Tell me."
Hao Ping was not interested in repeating the previous sentence. Instead, he sighed and said, "I was forced by the team leader. I have to review so many documents and it is still not over. I didn't figure out what my most critical mistake was until last night."
Yang Deshi was not interested in what Hao Ping said, and suddenly said, "Hao Ping, I have something to tell you. I... have already written a transfer request."
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