Chapter 162 What is the Japs' Purpose? (-word chapter) "Captain, commander, urgent order from the brigade!" On the way to Tongshi Town, a telegraph operator of the Pioneer Regiment carrying a radio on his back rushed out from behind the troops on horseback, shouting continuously. Qin Yangming heard the shouting and quickly left the team, standing aside and looking at the telegraph operator who was rushing towards him on horseback. Zhangye in front also heard the noise and left the team to come to Qin Yangming. "what happened? What emergency order?!" Qin Yangming looked at the telegraph operator who jumped directly from the warhorse. He held the other person and held the warhorse while quickly asking questions. Because the army was on the march, it was impossible for the telegraph operator to write the telegram on horseback, so the messages received were all memorized in the operator's mind and delivered directly verbally. So if Qin Yangming wanted to know the news, he could only wait for the telegraph operator to report. "Captain, something has happened. The brigade commander has ordered our vanguard regiment to rush to Baihu Ridge.

The Japanese Fourth Brigade changed the direction of their attack. Instead of heading towards Yuxi Town as planned, they headed towards Tongshi Town!" "what?!" Qin Yangming was shocked when he heard the information the telegraph operator said. The main force of the 4th Brigade advanced towards Tongshi Town. With the speed and strength of the 4th Brigade, it would definitely be able to capture Tongshi Town before the vanguard regiment arrived at it. After all, the only troop stationed in Tongshi Town now is the vanguard regiment's new recruits camp. If it was only a part of the 4th Brigade, for example one or two battalions, with the support of the defensive fortifications built in Tongshi Town and the new 2nd Regiment, they would be able to stop the Japanese before the vanguard regiment arrived. However, the main force of the Japanese 4th Brigade is heading to Tongshi Town now. It is hard to say whether the garrison troops can withstand the Japanese attack before the vanguard regiment arrives. “What about Tongshi Town? Did the brigade commander say whether the troops in Tongshi Town have retreated?" Thinking of this, Qin Yangming hurriedly continued to ask the telegraph operator. "Commander, the brigade commander has issued an order for all blocking troops in the Tongshi Town area to withdraw to Baihu Ridge. The brigade commander is re-planning the battle plan, and now you need to lead the vanguard group to Baihu Ridge as soon as possible." Listening to the information from the telegraph operator, Qin Yangming had no time to think about it and quickly ordered the troops to turn around and head quickly to Baihu Ridge. “Stop moving forward! All soldiers, listen to my orders, head towards Baihu Ridge, run and charge, and move forward at full speed at all costs! Get to Baihu Ridge as fast as you can!" "Yes!" Qin Yangming's order was issued, and the vanguard troops, which were originally marching normally, quickly began to act according to Qin Yangming's order. As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. In a war, the marching speed of the troops may determine the outcome of the war. The situation has changed dramatically. The 4th Brigade did not enter the ambush circle as planned. Now Qin Yangming needs to take his troops to Baihu Ridge as quickly as possible. Prepare to implement the new combat plan. The sooner the troops arrive at Baihuling, the faster the brigade commander can execute the plan. Sometimes, just a few minutes can determine the direction of a war.

Qin Yangming naturally understood this truth, so he issued an order to rush to Baihu Ridge at all costs. In accordance with their usual training standards, the soldiers of the Vanguard Regiment piled all their belongings, except for the necessary weapons and equipment, onto the carts that were moving with the troops. Things like food bags, water bottles, camp pots, beddings, etc. were simply thrown away. The grooms in the vanguard regiment's transport team waved their whips at the mules and horses that were responsible for pulling the carts, driving them forward quickly. Under such crazy driving, I am afraid that the mules and horses in the vanguard regiment's mule team will be exhausted to death after reaching the destination. And these mules and horses are the price that Qin Yangming mentioned as being sacrificed! Overdraw the vitality of these mules and horses to forcibly increase the marching speed of the troops. At the same time, because a large amount of supplies were placed on the carts, the burden on the vanguard soldiers was greatly reduced. Led by Qin Yangming, the troops started running quickly. Qin Yangming was very experienced in taking the lead, and he controlled the speed very well, ensuring that most of the vanguard soldiers could keep up. Those who can't keep up are basically new recruits. The rearmost cavalry company would bring back those lagging soldiers. So Qin Yangming didn't need to worry about the soldiers who fell behind. Under Qin Yangming's command, the speed of the vanguard group increased rapidly. The speed even reached 13 kilometers per hour. Thanks to the good food of the Vanguard Regiment, all the soldiers are in good physical condition, and there are a large number of mules and horses to help carry equipment. Otherwise, if they continued to run like this, Qin Yangming was really worried that most of the soldiers would have health problems. Fortunately, Baihu Ridge is only thirty kilometers away from Qin Yangming and others. It took about two hours, and before dark, Qin Yangming and the vanguard group arrived at Baihu Ridge. After handing over the troops to Zhangye for settlement, Qin Yangming quickly passed through the canyon into the interior area of ​​Baihu Ridge and rushed to the command post where the brigade commander was located. "report!" "Captain Qin of the Vanguard Group has led the Vanguard Group to White Tiger Ridge!" The brigade commander, who was working on a new combat plan on the sand table, was unable to react for a moment when he heard the guard's report. Then he raised his head suddenly and said, "The vanguard group arrived at Baihu Ridge so quickly? Where is Captain Qin now? Send him to see me immediately!" "Report! The leader of the vanguard group, Qin Yangming, is waiting for instructions! " Qin Yangming, who was at the door, quickly entered the command center after receiving the signal from the guard. "Commander, what's the situation now? Where do you need our Vanguard Regiment to launch an attack on the 4th Brigade?" As soon as Qin Yangming entered the command center, he asked the brigade commander directly.

The brigade commander pointed at the sand table and motioned Qin Yangming to come over and watch with him. Qin Yangming didn't know what the situation was for the time being, so he didn't speak again. He walked directly to the brigade commander and began to listen to what the brigade commander said about the current situation. “Both the Independent Regiment and the 771st Regiment sent messages. The scouts reported that the Japanese Fourth Brigade suddenly stopped advancing for unknown reasons, and the 22nd Regiment sent to Yuxi Town suddenly changed direction and headed for Tongshi Town. Then the 4th Brigade sent out two battalions to start deploying along the road into Shiquan County..." Listening to the news reported by the brigade commander, Qin Yangming had a general understanding of the current situation. The original battle plan was to use the so-called high-ranking officials of the Eighth Route Army to lure the 4th Brigade to advance alone, and then trap the entire 4th Brigade outside Yuxi Town. The 771st Regiment was responsible for defending Shiquan County and implementing the "closing the door to beat the dog" operation. The Independent Regiment, the New 1st Regiment, the 772nd Regiment, the Vanguard Regiment, and the New 2nd Regiment were responsible for taking advantage of the night to kill the Fourth Brigade. The five main regiments, with a total of more than 14,000 troops, are not even close to the Japanese Fourth Brigade in terms of troop numbers. In terms of equipment, except for heavy artillery, the equipment of the four regiments was not much different from that of the Japanese Fourth Brigade. Moreover, at night, the Japanese's artillery advantage could not be fully utilized. After all, the terrain of Yuxi Town is complex and it is simply not possible to accommodate so many troops to engage in battle. By that time, the troops of both sides will surely be mixed together. If you fire randomly, who knows whether the people you are bombing are your own people or the enemy. As for close combat, this is the forte of the Eighth Route Army, especially the headquarters arsenal, which used the waste grenades made in the border areas to make a batch of good stuff specifically for close combat. "Then Commander, what should we do next?" "Are we going to trap the 4th Brigade in Tongshi Town and launch a surprise attack? Or?" Qin Yangming shook his head. The Eighth Route Army's combat plan had not been leaked, and the Japanese did not know that the Eighth Route Army's headquarters was at Baihuling. So Qin Yangming didn't understand why the 4th Brigade suddenly changed the direction of attack. If he can't figure it out, he might as well just stop thinking about it. There's no point in worrying about such things. Instead of continuing to wonder why the 4th Brigade changed the direction of attack, it is better to think about how to eliminate the 4th Brigade as quickly as possible. The question of why the 4th Brigade suddenly changed the direction of attack is not important. What’s important is how to eliminate the 4th Brigade as quickly as possible! As long as the 4th Brigade is destroyed, no matter what conspiracies and tricks the Japanese have, they will be useless. The brigade commander listened to Qin Yangming's question and was also thinking in his mind. "The Independent Regiment just sent a telegram saying that the New Second Regiment has already retreated to Yuxi Town with the new recruits of the Vanguard Regiment and joined the Independent Regiment." "Tongshi Town has now been occupied by the Fourth Brigade, and Pinglu Yongfu, the old devil, has also learned that the Yamazaki Battalion at Wangjiapo was completely annihilated by us, and that the headquarters arsenal was actually a fake intelligence. According to the scouts' report, the 4th Brigade did not continue its attack, but instead gathered its troops and stationed in Tongshi Town, seemingly waiting for something. Xiao Qin, you have been with Li Yunlong for a year, and you don't usually like to play by the rules. Tell me, what do you think the Fourth Brigade is waiting for? " Listening to the brigade commander's question, Qin Yangming lowered his head and began to think.

It was now evening, and the 4th Brigade had occupied Tongshi Town long before the sun set. If he was the commander of the 4th Brigade, he would definitely take over the empty Hegu Town when the 22nd Regiment arrived at Wangjiapo. In this way, the ancient town and Tongshi town can form a supporting role for each other. After all, although Tongshi Town is large, it is relatively small to accommodate a brigade. If the 22nd Regiment of the 4th Brigade takes over Hegu Town, the rest of the 4th Brigade will be stationed in Tongshi Town. If the Eighth Route Army wants to completely annihilate the 4th Brigade, it will have to pay a greater price. After all, the two towns are more than 30 kilometers apart in a straight line, and there is a highway connecting them. Apart from Wangjiapo, there is no other place to ambush. In other words, no matter whether Hegu Town or Tongshi Town was attacked, the Japanese troops in the other town could quickly provide support to the other town by truck. Moreover, the battle line was stretched, which meant that the Eighth Route Army would need to increase its forces to encircle the 4th Brigade. And there are only so many Eighth Route Army troops in Shangdang. The Eighth Route Army troops responsible for encircling and suppressing the 4th Brigade and resisting the attacks of the Japanese 9th and 13th Brigades were only the regiments of the 386th Brigade and the troops of the former Taiyue Military Region. All together it's about 50,000 people. If the 4th Brigade occupied Hegu Town and the battle line was stretched out to form an encirclement, the Eighth Route Army would have to dispatch at least 30,000 people. Deploying a force of 30,000 men would mean the need to mobilize troops from other lines of defense. But other troops have their own tasks, and withdrawing their troops will increase the pressure on other lines of defense. As a brigade commander, Pinglu Yongfu could not have failed to think of this. However, the 4th Brigade did not send any troops to Hegu Town, but instead gathered a large force and stationed it in Tongshi Town. Just as the brigade commander said, it was as if they were waiting for something. But what exactly are you waiting for? “Commander, is it possible that the 4th Brigade is waiting for the other two brigades to enter the attack position before launching an attack at the same time as the other two brigades? In this way, we can take advantage of our military strength and avoid having a superior force on the local battlefield?" After listening to Qin Yangming's analysis, the brigade commander simply waved his hand. "No, that's not the reason. I have already discussed the speculation you mentioned with the political commissar and the chief of staff. If the 4th Brigade wanted to wait for the other two brigades to enter the attack position and launch an attack at the same time, then the 4th Brigade should be stationed in Sanniu Ji. Instead of being stationed in Tongshi Town. Although the terrain of Tongshi Town is flat, it is not a suitable place for large troops to be stationed. After all, to the east of Tongshi Town is Yuxi Town with complex terrain, and to the west is Baihu Ridge with even more dangerous terrain. To the north is the heavily defended Shiquan County, and to the south is the Shangdang area which has been completely occupied by our Eighth Route Army.

If we choose Tongshi Town as the direction, once we attack the 4th Brigade's supply line, the 4th Brigade will either withdraw from Tongshi Town to protect the supply line, or become an isolated force and be surrounded by us. " "So it is impossible that the Fourth Brigade is stationed in Tongshi Town to wait for the other two brigades to reach the attack position." "Brigade Commander, Brigade Commander!" "The intelligence personnel in Pingyao sent a message that the 21st Brigade of the Japanese North China Front Army has moved!" Just as Qin Yangming continued to wonder why the Fourth Brigade was stationed in Tongshi Town. The chief of staff rushed into the headquarters with a telegram. “The 21st Brigade? Who is the brigade commander? "The brigade commander is a Japanese major general named Hattori Naoomi!" "Damn it, why did the Japanese mobilize another brigade? Isn’t it said that the 21st Brigade is directly under the North China Front Army Headquarters? Did that old devil Shinozuka Yoshio ask for help from the North China Front Army Headquarters? " "No, no, Commander, it's not the entire brigade that was mobilized, it's a battalion of the 21st Brigade..." (End of this chapter)