"Director Luo, comrades are fully prepared and can retreat at any time!" said a staff officer.
Luo Benzhong nodded. The Japanese army appeared in Liudian, south of Dayangji, so there was no need for the headquarters to stay here.
According to Zhou Weihan's order, Luo Benzhong and the headquarters personnel should evacuate to Shan County, and the third battalion of the assault regiment should turn westward to get rid of the Japanese army, and investigate the enemy's situation behind the Japanese army as appropriate.
The cruelty of war is not only reflected in the desperate fighting on the battlefield, but also has an indelible impact on local people.
The people in Dayangji seem to have become accustomed to this kind of life of displacement. The Kuomintang and the Communist Party fought here before, but now the war has resumed.
"Sir, although the number of Chinese armed forces currently fighting our army is small, they have excellent weapons and equipment. They are all American equipment and cannot break through in a short time."
Upon hearing this, Urakawa Michihiro glanced at the time and saw that the two sides had been fighting for more than ten minutes. In fact, the time was not long, but he had no intention of delaying at Liudian.
Soldiers need speed, this was what Kenji Doihara told him before leaving. Even if Zhou Weihan could not be captured alive, his headquarters would still be destroyed.
"The first team stayed here to eliminate the enemy in front of them. The remaining troops quickly bypassed Liudian and must reach Dayangji as soon as possible!"
"Hi" the adjutant responded straightly.
Liudian is the only way to Dayangji, but it does not mean that the Japanese army can only go through Liudian. The difference between the Japanese army of the 14th Division and the 28th Group Army is that the Japanese army's baggage and artillery are transported by mules and horses, and detours are also possible.
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However, the process was not very smooth. The 1,400 Japanese soldiers of the Guards Division who were following the Japanese troops of the 14th Division complained loudly during the march because they did not eat breakfast, which seriously affected the overall marching speed of the Japanese army.
"Sir, the officers and soldiers of the Guards Division are gathering to make trouble and are in conflict with our officers and soldiers!"
"Baga!" Michhiro Urakawa was furious when he heard this, and rode over on a large Japanese horse.
Two Japanese troops with different organizational structures were fighting together, and many Japanese troops were surrounding to watch the fun. The situation became more and more intense.
An officer with the rank of major saw Michihiro Urakawa arriving and quickly came forward to report: "Sir, I am Toshikage Komiya, captain of the baggage squadron. Some officers and soldiers of the Guards Division are looting supplies. In order to protect the supplies, our officers and soldiers have to be protected."
Forced to fight back."
No matter what the reason was, Urakawa Michihiro regarded the Guards Division as just cannon fodder. It didn't matter whether they had breakfast or not, but disrupting the march and gathering people to cause chaos were unforgivable crimes.
"Bah bang bang!"
After several gunshots, the Japanese troops of the 14th Division were stunned, but the Japanese troops of the Guards Division had no intention of stopping and even took the opportunity to knock down the enemy in front of them.
Under the order of Urakawa Michihiro, a large number of Japanese troops from the 14th Division rushed into the crowd and forcibly separated the melee Japanese troops.
"You, find the person who is leading the rebellion!" Urakawa Michihiro said to the captain of the baggage squadron behind him.
"Hi!" Xiaogong Minjing couldn't remember who was taking the lead, but it wasn't important. He just picked out more than 30 Japanese soldiers from the Guards Division based on his feeling.
Without any hesitation, Urakawa Michihiro waved his hand: "Shot them all!"
More than thirty Japanese troops from the Guards Division fell into a pool of blood in an instant. This scene greatly shocked the remaining Japanese troops from the Guards Division.
"You guys have no military discipline. If trouble continues, I will never forgive you!"
The words are divided into two parts.
"Batalion Commander, Battalion Commander, and scouts report that the main force of the Japanese army has moved to the east!"
After hearing the news, the commander of the third battalion of the assault regiment immediately ordered the withdrawal of the position and turned his troops westward, leaving many corpses on the position.
In fact, the assault regiment is best at interspersed operations. Once it is in defensive operations, it cannot play its due role at all.
As soon as the assault battalion retreated, the attacking Japanese troops immediately occupied Liudian and quickly advanced north to join the main force.
It only took the Japanese troops of the 14th Division an hour and a half to arrive at Dayangji. However, the search team in front found that Dayangji was silent. After entering, they found that there was no one inside.
"Baga, you retreated so fast. Where did Zhou Weihan go?"
Just when Urakawa Michihiro was confused, his subordinate came to report again: "Sir, traces were found north of Dayangji, and materials abandoned by the Eighth Route Army appeared along the way!"
A pile of picked things was placed in front of him. Urakawa Michihiro took a command knife and picked it up for a few times. A kettle, a quilt, and even a few documents appeared.
"Sir, shall our department continue the pursuit?"
"The Eighth Route Army is deliberately tempting our army to advance deeper, but I want to see how many more troops they can mobilize and pursue them quickly."
Michhiro Urakawa is not stupid, but the bait placed in front of him is too big. Even if there is danger ahead, he is willing to chase the bait.
Just as the Japanese army continued to advance towards the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas, Zhou Weihan received another telegram.
"Comrade **, the Japanese army continues to move north as expected!"
"Is there any news from Lao Luo?"
"Not yet, but I estimate we can arrive at Huanggang at noon!" Zhao Bingzhang said.
Zhou Weihan smiled and then continued to order: "The 13th Brigade, 1st Regiment, and 2nd Regiment go north along Yucheng, but be careful not to be discovered by the enemy agents lurking in the Yucheng area."
"Teach the 10th Regiment of the Fourth Brigade to march west from Xuanmiao to reinforce Huanggang, and the 11th Regiment to set off from Luoji to cut off the Japanese army's retreat!"
The tactics laid out by Zhou Weihan were very simple: lure the enemy deep into the center, bloom in the center, attract the Japanese army deep into Huanggang from the headquarters, and surround the Japanese army with peripheral troops.
Strategically, you fight yours, and I fight mine. Zhou Weihan wanted to see how Yamashita Tomofumi and Dohi Madoka Kenji would react once the Japanese army fell into a tight siege.
Huanggang is located on the highway between Shanxian County and Yucheng. The highway divides Huanggang Town into two. This is the burial place designed by Zhou Weihan for the Japanese army.
The Japanese army was marching very fast, and the search team riding on war horses could barely catch up with the headquarters led by Luo Benzhong. Fortunately, after Luo Benzhong received the telegram, he immediately evacuated from Dayangji, which gave him about an hour longer than the Japanese army.
time.
"Sir, the search team reported that the Eighth Route Army headquarters entered Huanggang Town. Investigations were carried out along the highway to the north and south and found that the Eighth Route Army headquarters has not been moved."
"Hey, it's great, we finally found its trace!" Urakawa Michihiro was overjoyed when he heard this.
Not long after, the Japanese army launched a tentative attack. Two Japanese squadrons launched a fierce attack on the fortifications along the highway outside Huanggang, carrying twelve artillery pieces to bombard them.
Urakawa Michihiro understood that the top priority was to cut off the Eighth Route Army's north-south passage. If the Eighth Route Army retreated along the highway to the north and south, the Japanese army would definitely be blocked if it sent troops to attack.
If the highway line can be cut off and the Eighth Route Army flees westward, without the obstruction of fortifications, the Japanese cavalry can pursue it at will.
"Spread some!"
After the bombardment ended, more than 200 Japanese troops from the 14th Division launched attacks on each side of the north and south. The performance of these Japanese troops was completely different from that of the Guards Division. They were resolute in executing orders and skillful in combat movements.