Seeing that the captain's face became more and more heavy, the deputy captain plucked up the courage to propose: "Sir, I propose to give up the extra supplies of the troops. ”

"All the ammunition on the soldiers' bodies was also abandoned and destroyed on the spot."

"Since everyone started marching with ammunition on their backs, our speed has slowed down significantly."

"I have calculated that according to the current marching speed, I will definitely not be able to enter Laiyuan City at six o'clock, and the time will be delayed by at least an hour and a half?"

"This means that we have nearly two hours of marching without aircraft cover, and the Eighth Route Army will definitely not let go of this opportunity to attack us."

"If they are strong enough, it is possible to take the opportunity to annihilate us all."

The squadron leader shook his head and objected with a calm face: "No, your method won't work." ”

"In just one hour, we've lost more than forty horses and mules. There were still five or six hours to go, and the Eighth Route Army would certainly continue to shoot the mules and horses of the baggage team. ”

"If we die a mule or horse, we will destroy the extra ammunition, and when we reach Laiyuan all the way, the ammunition transported by the baggage team will definitely be blown up by us."

"The order given to us by the superior is to send the ammunition transported by the baggage team to Laiyuan City at the lowest cost, if the ammunition is gone, what is the point of us going to Laiyuan City?"

The squadron leader was speechless when he asked the deputy in a few words, and there was no way to refute it.

After the deputy racked his brains and couldn't think of any other solution, he could only look at the squadron leader and asked helplessly: "Sir, apart from giving up the extra ammunition and ensuring the speed of the troops' march, I can't think of any other way." ”

"No, there's another way!" A flash of murderous intent suddenly flashed on the squadron leader's face.

"With planes covering us overhead, the Eighth Route Army will definitely not dare to assemble and can only use guerrilla warfare to fight us. Even if the escort troops took the initiative to attack with some of their troops, they could only stare dryly, and they would not be able to threaten the safety of the attacking troops. ”

"I decided to draw two infantry squads out, one left and one right to guard the two flanks of the baggage team, and reconnoiter all the way forward, so as not to let the Eighth Route Army get close to the road and shoot the mules and horses of the baggage team."

The deputy was not optimistic about this method, and immediately reminded: "Sir, sending troops to reconnoiter and advance on our flanks can indeed play a role in protecting the baggage team, but the speed of the troops will definitely slow down, even if there is no accident in the middle, we will not be able to enter Laiyuan City until eight o'clock in the evening." ”

"For the last two and a half hours, there was no cover from planes because it was dark."

"If the Eighth Route Army gathers heavy troops and takes the opportunity to intercept us, not only will the ammunition of the baggage brigade be lost, but the escort force may also be wiped out."

The squadron leader did not deny: "With our own strength, there is indeed this risk. ”

"But we're not alone in the garrison base area."

"There are more than 2,000 people in the garrison of Laiyuan City, and they can send at least half of their troops to meet us."

"As long as the total strength of the escort force exceeds 1,000 people, no matter how powerful the Eighth Route Army is moving around us, it will not be able to help us."

"Set up the radio station immediately, and I will send a telegram to the Laiyuan garrison."

After listening to the telegram for help sent by the escort troops, a young man immediately stood up and objected: "Sir, I don't agree to send troops to meet the baggage team. ”

"The Eighth Route Army is staring at us from outside the city, if they kill Laiyuan City without the cover of aircraft, they will definitely pounce on us like wolves, consume our troops, and even prepare a pocket array for us to drill and wipe us out."

A young man who agreed with the dispatch of troops retorted: "It is possible for the Eighth Route Army outside the city to use guerrilla warfare to sneak attack and consume our attacking troops, but it is absolutely impossible to swallow our attacking troops in one gulp." ”

"The intelligence department has repeatedly confirmed that there is only one battalion of the Eighth Route Army operating outside the city."

"Even if they have heavy artillery support, it is impossible to annihilate more than 1,000 of us with one battalion."

"Take 10,000 steps back, even if the Eighth Route Army has the strength, we won't give them so much time to transfer troops."

"The receiving troops set off at three o'clock in the afternoon, met with the baggage team more than ten kilometers away from Laiyuan City, and then protected the baggage team to march back to Laiyuan."

"From leaving the city to entering the city, we will not spend more than five hours outside the city, and for more than two hours, we will still have planes cruising in the sky, staring at the nearby Eighth Route Army, preventing them from gathering and mobilizing."

"This means that after the Eighth Route Army learned of our departure from the city, it only had three hours to move its troops and then attack us."

"Even if they were well-trained and well-equipped, they wouldn't have been able to hit us so hard in such a short period of time."

"Therefore, the lowly office agrees to send troops to meet the baggage team."

"They brought enough ammunition for us to consume for more than a month."

"Although there will be casualties when the troops go out of the city to respond, it is completely within our tolerance, and we can bring back so much ammunition, we are not at a loss."

Osa, who had been listening to the discussions of his subordinates, finally made up his mind.

"Nakamura-kun's analysis is very good, I don't believe that a battalion of the Eighth Route Army can complete the assembly within three hours and then inflict heavy damage on us."

"Since the casualties of the attacking troops are within our tolerance, and the baggage team has brought a lot of ammunition, then this loss is worth it."

"I decided to hand over the task to Nakamura-kun, give you two infantry squadrons, two imperial association barracks, leave the city on time at three o'clock, and take the baggage team into the city at the minimum cost."

After the escort unit sent out a search party, both sides of the road directly became a restricted area for the independent battalion, and there was no way to get close.

Although Zhao Wen was very unwilling, he could only accept the reality, change his tactics, and order the troops to stare at the Japanese puppet army search team.

There is a loss, there is a gain.

After the escort began to reconnoiter and search both sides of the road, the march of the baggage team inevitably slowed down.

If nothing else, they arrived at Laiyuan City at least two hours late, and these two hours were still night marches, without aircraft cover.

Zhao Wen decided to change the battle plan.

First fight guerrilla warfare with the Japanese puppet army search troops, slowly consume them, and then clean them up after dark.

At half past four in the afternoon, there was still an hour before the devil plane left the battlefield.

Looking at the Japanese puppet army, which had already suffered nearly one-third casualties on the road, Zhao Wen began to think about how to clean up the remaining Japanese puppet army.

Suddenly, the communications soldier who was following the instructor came into his field of vision, gasping for breath, and rushed over in a hurry.

"Report to the battalion commander, something happened in Laiyuan City."

"At three o'clock, more than 300 devils and more than 600 puppet soldiers suddenly killed Laiyuan City, and rushed to the baggage team."

"I came on horseback, faster than the Japanese puppet army. At the speed of their march, they would be able to join the baggage team in another hour. ”

"The instructor ordered a company to take the initiative to attack, and the activity was waiting for an opportunity around the Japanese puppet army's attack troops."

"The second company continues to stay outside Laiyuan City to monitor the remaining Japanese puppet army in Laiyuan City."

"Battalion commander, they must have come to pick up the baggage team!" The commander of the third company judged.

Then his brows furrowed into a big Sichuan character, and he continued: "Once the two forces converge, the Japanese puppet army escorting the baggage team will exceed a thousand people, and the strength is more than twice that of ours. When the time comes, attacking the baggage team will be tantamount to pulling teeth from the tiger's mouth. ”

"Not only are the casualties high, but the likelihood of success is very low."

"Bookmark for easy reading"