Taking advantage of the darkness, a mighty force of more than a thousand Japanese troops marched out from Changzhi. Instead of marching along the Handan-Changchang Highway as usual, they took the mountain trails and headed towards Pingshun due east.
Judging from their marching route, it seemed that they were well prepared. The marching route was planned before the march. There were no trucks in the team, but only pack horses transporting baggage.
Since the Japanese troops were stationed outside the city, the enemy engineering department's intelligence station in Changzhi did not notice the movement of Japanese troops.
In Taishan Village, where the Lucheng Intelligence Station is located, due to the arrival of the Second Battalion of the Fourth Regiment, known as the Pingshun Guerrilla Brigade, people around Taishan Village were watching the situation around the clock 24 hours a day, but no movement of the Japanese troops was found.
The sky is slightly bright.
The Japanese colonel Yamazaki Yehei who led the team waved his hand to signal the team to stop advancing. The flag order soldiers quickly stood on the high point to give orders, and saw many Japanese troops quickly hiding in the surrounding area.
Yamazaki Yehei nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this. This Japanese army was the elite selected from each brigade after the 41st Division came to the Changzhi area.
Yamazaki Yehei himself is the chief of staff of the 41st Division. As the chief of staff, he rarely has the opportunity to lead troops alone. His success in taking command of this operation was the result of the force of the division commander Tian Dosheng who overcame everyone's opinions.
After a while, a Japanese second lieutenant who was leading the team from the front ran over.
"Sir, do you have any questions?"
"Where are you now?" Yamazaki Yehei asked, looking around the surrounding mountains. The night's march made him a little dizzy.
Upon hearing Yamazaki Yehei's inquiry, the Japanese second lieutenant hurriedly took out a hand-drawn map and said: "Sir, we are now at Wangjialing in Pingshun. We have passed through Laoding Mountain on the east side of Changzhi and Daliang Mountain in Pingshun.
You can reach Wu'an by climbing over three larger mountains in the northeast direction!"
The Japanese second lieutenant who spoke was Ishihara Toda. He graduated from the Japanese Army Military Academy with a major in surveying and mapping. He was also one of the surveyors in Yusuke Miyajima's advancing team. He was sent back to guide the march of the Yamazaki Brigade.
"Nani! You still need to cross three mountain ranges?" Yamazaki Yehei was shocked when he heard this, and walked around Binh Shun all night.
"Hey, in order to avoid being discovered by the Eighth Route Army and the local Chinese people, Chief Miyajima chose mountainous areas where there are few people. Although this will delay the marching time, it will keep the confidentiality very high!" Ishihara Toda explained.
Everywhere the Miyajima advance team went, apart from asking local people for directions, they rarely had contact with the outside world. They took only country roads, some of which were not shown on the map. This is why they always touched the boundaries of Wu'an.
, the Tainan Military Region still doesn’t know the reason.
However, the little Japs were careful, and when they encountered a large-scale search in the base area, they panicked and exposed their flaw in Shangguan Village. As a result, they were killed by their own people, and their bodies were taken to ask for credit.
"The troops are taking a break, turn on the radio, and ask about the location of Miyajima-kun and others, so that he can confirm the specific location of the independent detachment as soon as possible!" Yamazaki Yehei said to the adjutant.
"Hi!"
Yamazaki Yehei suppressed his inner irritability and thought to himself that the guy named Zhou Weihan from the independent detachment was named by General Gangcun. If he could capture or kill Zhou Weihan, he might as well be transferred to the infantry regiment based on his military exploits.
A powerful captain.
After a long time, Yamazaki Yehei came back from his beautiful fantasy and asked the adjutant on the side: "Mino-kun, what do you think of this operation?"
Sanno Jiro was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Yamazaki Yehei was testing him: "Sir, according to the report of the intelligence department, there are many Eighth Route Army troops in the surrounding area. It is suspected that the main force of the Eighth Route Army is active in Lucheng and Licheng. There were some troops in Pingshun not long ago.
An anti-Japanese armed force named Pingshun Guerrilla Brigade, and the independent detachment targeted by the operation is in the northern mountainous area of Wuyi. This is information that is currently known. As for the relationship between these Eighth Route Army armed forces and the independent detachment, it is currently unknown! As for Wu'an, the
County, it is currently unknown whether there are main activities of the Eighth Route Army in Ci County!"
"But once a battle breaks out in Wuyi, the main force of the surrounding Eighth Route Army will definitely come to rescue. We are very likely to be surrounded by the Eighth Route Army. This move of our department is really to go deep alone. Wuyi is too far away from Changzhi. I am worried that our department will not be able to wait.
The main force of the imperial army is coming to support!" Sanno Jiro said worriedly.
"Sanye-kun, your worries are unnecessary. Even though the Eighth Route Army launched such a huge battle some time ago, in China, the Imperial Army has the upper hand. In the North China region of China, the Eighth Route Army can only operate in the valleys.
, I never dare to fight head-on with the imperial army!"
"Around Tainan, we have our 41st Division in the Changzhi area and our 104th Brigade in Handan. Once the offensive is launched, planes from Changzhi Airport will immediately take off to assist our troops in fighting. Being surrounded by the Eighth Route Army is what I want to see.
As a result, only in this way can the Imperial Army wipe out the Eighth Route Army in the Tainan area in one fell swoop, do you understand?" Yamazaki Yehei said proudly, not taking the next battle seriously at all.
"Hi!"
Yamazaki Yehei possessed the arrogant characteristics of Japanese military officers of this era, and achieved a series of victories in China, which dazzled their minds.
He completely forgot that not long ago, at Shentou Ridge, the Nara Regiment under the 41st Division was completely wiped out by the main force of the 386th Brigade.
On the other side, the Tainan Military Region where Zhou Weihan was located knew nothing about the arrival of the Yamazaki Brigade.
Dong Jiang and others set out at noon yesterday and arrived at the headquarters early this morning.
Recently, the Eighth Route Army headquarters has been moved from Wangjiayu in Wuxiang to Xijing Town in Licheng on the east side, accompanied by the headquarters' security regiment.
This is what Zhou Weihan suggested to the headquarters before. Xijing Town is in the northwest of Licheng and close to the Tainan Military Region. Once the situation changes.
The Tainan Military Region's surrounding Xu Dali's Second Regiment and Li Yunlong's New Regiment can provide timely support, and can also coordinate the headquarters' transfer to the Tainan Military Region.
Eighth Route Army Headquarters.
Dong Jiang followed the deputy chief of staff, and the reconnaissance company struggled to find the headquarters. Fortunately, a telegram was sent in advance, and the deputy chief of staff sent several soldiers to respond.
Otherwise, if these new faces from the reconnaissance company suddenly appeared around the Eighth Route Army headquarters, it would inevitably cause misunderstandings.
"Hey, comrade, why are you always following me? Didn't I ask you to protect the boss?"
"Chief, before coming here, our detachment leader specifically asked me to protect you personally, so you asked me to stay with you. The other leaders are also well-arranged!" Dong Jiang replied.
The head of the headquarters did not refuse Zhou Weihan's kindness. Once the eighty men from the reconnaissance company arrived, three reconnaissance company soldiers were assigned to each of the heads.
The remaining more than 40 soldiers followed Dong Jiang as mobile personnel to deal with emergencies.
"I am surrounded by our own comrades. What danger can there be? Forget it. Since it was arranged by Zhou Weihan, then just stay with me!"
"Okay, chief, don't worry, I understand the rules!"