Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

Chapter 326 The Chaotic Situation in Jinzhong

On the battlefield, as Tadaharu Midorikawa gave the order, the sound of gunfire miraculously disappeared.

The Eighth Route Army wanted to see the reaction of the Japanese, while Tadaharu Midorikawa wanted to break through. Both sides tacitly chose to temporarily cease fire.

In fact, there is another point. The Eighth Route Army was already a little tired at this time, so it was a good opportunity to treat the wounded.

In the outer puppet army, Wang Zicheng, the puppet army commander, looked at his subordinates and asked seriously, "Is what you just said true?"

There was a hint of disbelief in his voice. You know, the Imperial Army Brigade Headquarters was heavily guarded, and it was impossible for it to be attacked by the Eighth Route Army.

But now everyone is talking so confidently, as if what they say is true, so Wang Zicheng is starting to feel a little shaken.

Maybe it's true?

A puppet army battalion commander whispered, "Commander, it's all spreading outside, and all the brothers know about it."

Another puppet army battalion commander hesitated and said, "Commander, didn't you see that the Japanese kept us all on the periphery? Something must have happened."

Wang Zicheng turned his head and glanced in the direction of the devils. After hesitating for a while, he ordered: "Brothers, please be quiet and obey orders later."

He cannot gamble on things that he is not sure of, especially when it concerns his own life and property.

But if something really goes wrong with the Japanese, he will have to consider whether to surrender or find another way out.

He knew very well the character of the devils. If something really went wrong, their Imperial Army would definitely be the best candidate to be left behind to stop the enemy.

In other words, if that time really comes, they will most likely be abandoned by the Japanese.

Wang Zicheng cherishes his life and cherishes the power in his hands even more, so he plans to wait and see.

At the Eighth Route Army headquarters, Division Commander Yang quietly listened to the news from the front. After a while, he said:

"Old Li, the Japanese commander Abe Nobuhide is likely seriously injured or dead."

Judging from the battle reports from the front line, the Japanese are shrinking their defense line and are likely trying to break out.

If there had not been a problem above, the Japanese would never have chosen to break out when they had the advantage.

"Commander, let's seize the opportunity and eat up these devils directly."

Staff Officer Li became more confident. Since they already knew that something had happened on the Japanese side, they would definitely not let the Japanese go just like that.

"Contact the 120th Division, we need support."

Commander Yang was also very decisive. The 120th Division had already made arrangements to prevent any problems in the ambush, which would come in handy now.

26th Division, Laiyuan Command,

When Lieutenant General Hou Gongjun received the call for help, he felt very upset.

More than 7000 people went out to fight the Eighth Route Army, and you tell me that the brigade commander was in critical condition after being bombed?

He can't be this stupid. Abe Nobuhide is a lieutenant general of the same rank as him. How could he be so stupid?

The problem is how he can provide support now. There are only two battalions of troops left behind, and the rest have all been sent out.

Originally, the Second Mixed Brigade was mopping up the Eighth Route Army, and his 26th Division certainly couldn't be idle, so they all went to Gaojia Town. Wouldn't it be difficult for him to ask him to provide support?

Colonel Shirogane Shigeji, the 26th Division's Chief of Staff, saw the division commander's hesitation and spoke after a moment's hesitation:

"Your Excellency, General Abe is highly regarded by His Majesty the Emperor. I suggest that you must provide support, even if it means just retrieving General Abe's body."

The words are very clear. Judging from the news, the brigade commander Abe Nobuhide can almost be declared dead.

However, the Eighth Route Army had a large number of troops, and if they did not rescue them, it would likely cause unpredictable consequences, especially for the Emperor.

After hearing the Chief of Staff's suggestion, Hou Gongjun thought for a moment and said decisively: "Notify the Kobayashi Brigade to turn around immediately and head to Huangtuling. We must rescue the Second Brigade."

After all, the emperor is the most powerful in Japan, and sometimes even generals like Jun in the harem have to compromise.

Although Jun of the harem was not very happy at this moment, there was nothing he could do.

At the same time, the commander of the 6th Division of the Japanese army in Baoding, Shiro Inaba, also received a call for help.

Without much thought, he directly ordered the brigades located in Wanxian, Tangxian and other places to go out to provide support, totaling three brigades with 3600 people.

Soon, the city of Baoding also started to move, with the 36th Infantry Brigade, led by Brigade Commander Kenkichi Ikegami, leading a regiment.

Lingqiu City, the 110th Division, and the Shibuya Brigade were also busy at this time. In addition to the military police and two battalions remaining in the city, a regiment of the Kurokawa Brigade was also sent towards Laiyuan.

At this point, except for the 8th Mixed Brigade in Shijiazhuang, all the Japanese in the entire Jinzhong area were alarmed by the message for help.

Gaojia Town,

Several telegrams sent by spies from various regions directly woke up Gu Changfeng who was about to take a rest.

"Are you saying that all the devils in Jinzhong have moved?"

Zhou Qianli said seriously, "We have sent out messages to our personnel in Laiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Lingqiu, saying that the Japanese have all been dispatched."

"Also, on the road from Laiyuan to Gaojia Town, there are nearly 30,000 Japanese and puppet troops. They will also change direction now, and their target seems to be Yinfang Town."

Gu Changfeng had deployed scouts on the road from Laiyuan to Gaojia Town. It was almost impossible for the Japanese to come here silently, especially when they were marching on a large scale.

Upon hearing this news, Gu Changfeng was dumbfounded and muttered to himself, "What did Commander Yang do? How did he attract all the Japanese?"

"I heard before that they ambushed the Japanese at Yansu Cliff and wiped out a battalion and two thousand puppet troops." Zhou Qianli explained.

On the first day of the new year, they really didn't get any news about the Eighth Route Army's battle in Huangtuling, and he didn't assign any personnel to the Eighth Route Army, so they were almost completely in the dark.

"Damn it, if all the Japs move, we have to move too. Order all battalions to get ready and set off immediately." Gu Changfeng said coldly.

It is impossible for him not to move when all the Japanese are moving. It's better to just let the chaos go and there is nothing to be afraid of.

"How many people are we sending out this time?" Zhou Qianli asked.

"The 37th Battalion will remain, and all other battalions will depart. Half of the militia companies surrounding Gaojia Town will remain behind, and the rest will all move out. The 37th Battalion's rocket launchers will be mobilized for the special forces."

"Eight teams from the special forces team and new members from each battalion will stay behind. Everyone else will depart from Taihang Mountain. Tell Lao Zhao to hurry up."

"As for the Seventh Battalion, have them ready to fight at any time."

This battle was hard-won, and Gu Changfeng was quite excited at this moment.

Although the third battalion was severely damaged, he still had no shortage of weapons and ammunition, which was more than enough to fight such a big battle.

As orders were transmitted to various parts of Gaojia Town, soldiers from the militia companies and battalions quickly gathered together.

Weapons, ammunition, and dry food were pulled out in carts by mules and horses.

The soldiers stood in the biting cold wind one by one, and the platoon leaders and company commanders began to call the roll.

Half an hour later, the team began to gather towards Gaojia Town.