"Send the message sent by Liu Qingsheng to the headquarters intact. We must also be prepared to deal with the Japanese counterattack." Zhao Zhiguo said.

Just based on the continuous mobilization of troops by the Japanese army, it is difficult to infer what the Japanese army is going to do.

As Zhao Zhiguo's First Army Division opened up the situation on the front, the Japanese army began to shrink its troops and focus on defense. Life for other troops was also much easier.

The pressure on the Eighth Route Army headquarters has dropped sharply recently. Although each unit still lacks a large amount of supplies, as the Japanese army shifts to defense, their demand for supplies is no longer so urgent.

While the boss was praising the First Military Division and Zhao Zhiguo in the headquarters, Zhao Zhiguo's telegram was sent to the headquarters.

"What does Zhao Zhiguo mean by sending this telegram? Is he trying to test us?" the deputy commander joked.

"I don't think he's testing us, but he can't make up his mind either," said the chief of staff.

"This intelligence is very similar to the intelligence sent by other troops. The Japanese and puppet troops have suffered losses at the hands of us and the fifth theater. They must find a way to get their face back."

"Persimmons pick on the weak. They can't defeat Zhao Zhiguo and can't win on the southern battlefield, so they want to take out their anger on the guerrillas."

The chief of staff also believed that the Japanese army planned to attack the guerrillas behind enemy lines.

"The Japanese army is losing more and more veterans, and has added a large number of new soldiers who have never participated in any battles. Gangcun wants to train with the guerrillas."

Gangcun knew very well that if he wanted to deal with Zhao Zhiguo, it would be difficult for a force with the majority of recruits to win.

Even if they can win, they will be crippled by Zhao Zhiguo's troops.

There are more and more new soldiers, and Gangcun is getting more and more worried.

The most important thing is that on the battlefield, when the guns are fired and the recruits get into chaos, it's really like herding sheep.

If a recruit is scared, he will run away with other recruits.

Gangcun was eager to destroy Zhao Zhiguo, and he had no more time to let the new recruits train for a few more months before launching a battle.

Maybe Zhao Zhiguo wouldn't even give Gangcun a few months and call him directly.

Actual combat is the best training. Zhao Zhiguo's troops can use the Japanese army as experience, but the Japanese recruits do not have the strength to treat Zhao Zhiguo as an experience baby.

Huixian and Xingxian were places where the Japanese army actively contacted and deployed secretly.

Therefore, Gangcun could only use guerrillas behind enemy lines to train new recruits.

"Boss, I think we are currently capable of launching a counterattack against the Japanese army. The first military division has been able to contain a large number of Japanese troops on the front. The other units launched a surprise attack against the Japanese and puppet troops from different directions. Before the Japanese army takes action,

The Japanese army’s plan was nipped in the bud.”

The Japanese army relies too much on transportation trunk lines. If the troops launch a counterattack and destroy the roads and strongholds in the Japanese war zone, the Japanese army can shelve their plans.

The Eighth Route Army headquarters decided to show its fangs to the Japanese army.

Even though their weapons were inferior to those of the Japanese army, the units of the Eighth Route Army were still able to bite off a piece of flesh from the Japanese army.

"Tell Zhao Zhiguo our thoughts and ask Zhao Zhiguo to help contain the Japanese troops during the operation. At least the Japanese troops along the Hutuo River cannot be transferred away by Gangcun." The boss ordered.

Just as they were told, other units of the Eighth Route Army and the guerrillas launched a counterattack against the Japanese army one night.

Zhao Zhiguo did not listen, and sent troops, with companies and platoons as units, to attack the front line of the Hutuo River, with the goal of clearing out the puppet troops in rural areas.

The Japanese troops west of the Hutuo River were all huddled in the county. In the villages and towns, only the puppet troops and some security guards and the like kept each other warm.

The puppet troops had already heard about the prestigious reputation of the First Military Division, and they had been abandoned as cannon fodder in their strongholds in villages and towns.

Therefore, after the troops of the First Army Division passed by, as long as they shouted, the puppet troops basically came out holding white flags and surrendered.

Without the obstruction of the Japanese and puppet troops, the troops of the First Army Division quickly reached the front line of the Hutuo River.

After arriving at the Hutuo River line, the troops of the First Army Division began to reconnoiter the surrounding terrain and draw more detailed maps.

As more and more Chinese troops moved near the Hutuo River, the Japanese army seemed to be facing a formidable enemy.

The Japanese army finally reinforced Gangcun and mobilized a large number of puppet troops to assist in defense.

Unexpectedly, the Eighth Route Army mastered the information so quickly.

Before Gangcun could warm up these troops, an out-of-season attack by the Eighth Route Army caused the puppet army to lose a large number of troops.

The puppet troops that were lost were not only those originally in the defense zone, but also the puppet troops who were reinforced.

This battle lasted for a whole month. Both regular troops and guerrillas were mobilized. For a while, Gangcun was exhausted to deal with it.

"The roads were destroyed, vehicles were burned, and strongholds were demolished. I'm afraid we will have to wait until this winter to fully restore traffic."

The railways have been demolished, there are big potholes everywhere on the roads, and there are scattered mines in some areas.

"What I want to know is why the Eighth Route Army knew about the mobilization of our troops, and why the Eighth Route Army took a preemptive strike before our troops were fully prepared."

Gangcun was very annoyed. It was just an anomaly like Zhao Zhiguo in the Eighth Route Army. Why did other units of the Eighth Route Army have such a keen sense of smell?

The plan was killed in the cradle before it even started.

This made Gangcun feel like his teeth were filled with cold water.

Facing the increasingly difficult battlefield situation, Gangcun was about to burst into tears: "Let us know, anyone who leads us to find the Eighth Route Army guerrillas will be rewarded heavily."

Gangcun wants to use money to deal with the elusive guerrillas.

"Your Excellency, Commander, Zhao Zhiguo's troops have advanced to the west bank of the Hutuo River. Recently, there has been a small-scale firefight in an area on the east bank. It is impossible to tell whether it is Zhao Zhiguo's people."

The Hutuo River has now become the most important line of defense for the Japanese army. If there is a problem with the Hutuo River defense line, the Japanese army can only guard their hometown to see if guerrillas will cause trouble.

The guerrillas wanted to fight, Zhao Zhiguo had to guard against it, and Gangcun had a splitting headache.

"Find out whether it was the guerrillas or Zhao Zhiguo who did it. If Zhao Zhiguo's troops penetrated to the east bank, be sure to find out where they crossed the river."

Although the Hutuo River is a natural line of defense, the river flow is different between the wet season and the dry season. There may be a shoal somewhere, which can allow a large number of troops to pass.

Once they are unable to control the entire Hutuo River defense line and are attacked by Zhao Zhiguo, the Japanese army may have no chance to launch a counterattack against Zhao Zhiguo's First Army Division.

The Japanese army in North China shifted from offensive to comprehensive defense, which meant that the Japanese army began to fall into a passive situation on the Chinese battlefield.

Being passive on the Chinese battlefield, the Japanese army would be defeated sooner or later.

Therefore, Gangcun's defense against Zhao Zhiguo was very strict. Before he had enough troops to launch a counterattack against Zhao Zhiguo, all he had to do was to defend to the death.
Chapter completed!