PDLP Chapter 361: The Crisis of Gaojia Town 1
Chapter 361: The Crisis of Gaojia Town 1
In fact, the Japanese still have some advantages. Hou Gongjun thought that they still have nearly forty planes and a large amount of ammunition prepared in advance, so they can definitely still fight.
As long as they could keep the independent regiment at Huangtuling and wait for the 6th Division to attack Gaojia Town, they could at least get some credit.
Otherwise, if he goes back in disgrace, not only the commander Umezu Michijiro, but even the headquarters will not let him go, because Jun Harumiya is the division commander.
Less than ten days had passed since they arrived in Laiyuan, and the puppet army had already lost more than half of its troops. The 26th Division destroyed a mountain artillery regiment and a heavy artillery regiment, plus the loss of five to six thousand troops. Even Hou Gongchun could not withstand the result of this battle.
There is also the Sakura Special Attack Team, which the commander is proud of, but their only achievement is to kill some villagers.
With so many things happening before her eyes, Hou Gong Chun couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. There was no logic at all.
The Japanese division commander was extremely worried, but at the 115th Division headquarters, Division Commander Yang was laughing heartily.
The 26th Division has a total strength of more than troops, plus more than puppet troops. It cannot be said that they have been defeated so far, but at least their record is much better than theirs.
The Second Mixed Brigade had only more than 7000 Japanese and puppet troops. Although they wiped them out completely, they also suffered heavy casualties. Their performance was indeed incomparable to that of the Independent Regiment.
"Old Li, I've been envious of this independent regiment's heavy artillery. Damn, if I had a heavy artillery battalion, I wouldn't have suffered so many casualties when fighting the Japanese before."
After laughing, Commander Yang said with some envy.
He received the news of the destruction of the Japanese heavy artillery regiment. He couldn't hide the envy in his eyes at this moment. It was really...
Staff Officer Li knew what the division commander meant and couldn't help but jokingly said, "Division commander, we are so familiar with the independent regiment, we can ask them for some support later. It doesn't need to be too much, eight guns will be enough."
He was just talking. If Gu Changfeng really gave them the 115th Division, they really couldn't afford it.
The main reason is that the consumption of artillery shells is too great. It is useless for them to have heavy artillery without artillery shells. It is no different from a lump of iron.
Commander Yang was obviously well aware of this and said angrily, "I just don't know where the independent regiment gets its weapons from."
Staff Officer Li shut up. The headquarters was investigating the matter but had not found anything. It seemed as if these weapons appeared out of thin air, leaving them completely clueless.
The two parties have a good relationship, and they can't force Gu Changfeng to speak, which is very uncomfortable.
"Oh, forget it, let's finish this battle first." Commander Yang sighed.
Staff Officer Li nodded and said, "This time, we in Laiyuan have made a name for ourselves again. We have wiped out a mixed brigade of the Japanese. Together with the achievements of the 120th and 129th Divisions, the number of Japanese killed by our Eighth Route Army alone has exceeded 6000."
"Adding to the Independent Regiment's side, the number of Japanese soldiers killed in Laiyuan has exceeded 10,000. This is definitely an inspiring victory."
Commander Yang was very impressed by what Li said. His expression changed immediately and he said with a smile, "The death of so many elite Japanese soldiers is a huge blow to the Japanese army, both strategically and in terms of strength."
There are more than 200 million Japanese soldiers in the whole of China. If of them die, their strength will be reduced by one point. This result is really gratifying.
At this point, the two began to change the topic.
After the independent regiment finishes today's battle, it will have to report the victory to the headquarters. There is still a lot to do.
Half an hour later, just as the two men finished their discussion, the 115th Division's communications officer stood up and reported to Division Commander Yang, "Division Commander, urgent report from headquarters. The Japanese 6th Division has dispatched a regiment, and their target is the Independent Regiment's base, in the direction of Gaojia Town."
They had known about the dispatch of the 6th Division of the Japanese enemy for a long time. They thought it was to support the 120th and 129th Divisions on the battlefield. They did not expect that the Japanese enemy's target was Gaojia Town.
This news immediately made Division Commander Yang nervous. Without thinking too much, he ordered, "Send the information to the Independent Regiment immediately and tell them to be careful."
Attacking Gaojia Town at this time, it must be said that the Japanese seized the opportunity very well. The main force of the independent regiment was almost all on the Huangtuling side. It can be said that the defense of Gaojia Town is indeed at its weakest at the moment.
But now their 115th Division is unable to provide any support at all, and there is not enough time, so they can only rely on the independent regiment itself.
In fact, Commander Yang also didn't believe that if Gu Changfeng brought a large army out, his family would be unprepared. This was unrealistic.
At the same time, at the headquarters of the Xianyaling Independent Regiment, Zhou Qianli also received a secret report from the undercover personnel.
Without any extra words, he turned around and spoke directly to the two battalion commanders, Wu Mazi and Liu Jie.
"The Japanese set out directly from Baoding and have already entered the mountainous area. They abandoned the mechanized march and chose to walk. They are about four hours away from us."
The Japanese were still very decisive this time. They did not choose to take a detour from Laiyuan, but instead chose to enter from the east.
From the perspective of distance, it can indeed shorten the time it takes them to enter Gaojia Town.
Moreover, by entering from the east, the Japanese can avoid the dangerous terrain outside Gaojia Town, which is a mixed blessing for the Japanese. After all, taking this route means giving up the advantages of the mechanized corps, so it cannot be said that they have gained anything.
The Japanese led the Independent Regiment's old rival this time, Major General Mizukawa Kita.
The last failure made Mizukawa Kita depressed for a long time, and this time Inaba Shiro had no choice but to send him out.
Mizukawa Kita naturally didn't want to be a waste, so he took another route and went east.
In his opinion, the mechanized corps would be of little use against the densely forested Gaojia Town, so it would be better to take advantage of this opportunity and launch a quick attack.
He wants to avenge his previous humiliation and restore the confidence of the imperial warriors, so this battle is also crucial to him.
In the headquarters of the independent regiment, the two battalion commanders, including the chief of the telecommunications department Zhao Chong, the deputy captain of the special forces Xiao Wu, and the deputy battalion commander of the logistics department Liu Dabao, gathered in the headquarters to discuss the next arrangements after receiving the news from Zhou Qianli.
Zhou Qianli was at his wit's end. The two battalion commanders had no good suggestions, so he could only call all the backbone members in Xianyaling over.
After everyone was seated, Zhou Qianli said, "Now that everything is clear, let's talk about how to deal with it."
Now, except for the 37th Battalion, the other main forces of the independent regiment are all in Huangtuling. The Japanese have entered Gaojia Town, and there are only more than three hours left. It is impossible to get the main force back, so they can only find a way themselves.
Another difficulty is that there are only more than 2000 militiamen left in the villages, and they have no way to stop the Japanese.
"Let us stop the Japanese first. Brother Wu will take command of the Seventh Battalion."
Liu Jie knew that he was not as good as Wu Mazi in command, so he decisively gave up the command.
In fact, if there was someone to choose him from, he would not want to be the battalion commander at all. He has no talent for it at all. He might as well join the artillery battalion.