At the Japanese military headquarters in Taiyuan, the chief of staff walked in with a solemn face.

"Sir, front-line battle report?"

"Is something wrong again?" The commander asked with a calm face.

Since a large number of Eighth Route Army emerged in the blockade area, the military headquarters has not received a single piece of good news from the front, and compared with the previous offensive, it is as if the opponent has changed.

The chief of staff lowered his head and replied: "The three sweeping troops on the front line were attacked by the garrison regiment during the day today, and the three sweeping troops were completely wiped out, losing three reinforced squadrons of the Imperial Army and one regiment of the Imperial Allied Army, totaling more than 1,600 people. ”

"How is this possible?" The commander shouted in disbelief: "Didn't we send them a plane?" ”

"There are planes cruising and alerting in the blockade area, and the large forces of the Eighth Route Army have no chance to assemble at all, how can it be possible to eliminate so many of us."

The chief of staff replied stubbornly: "Report from the front, the Eighth Route Army fights with our ...... with bayonets that the Imperial Army is good at."

"Fight bayonets?" The army commander suddenly interrupted: "Is it that the front-line commander thinks that the imperial army is invincible in the world with bayonets, and will definitely be able to defeat the Eighth Route Army, and then underestimate the enemy." ”

"Hey!"

The chief of staff continued to reply: "The Eighth Route Army used the tactics of adding fuel to the army, and constantly engaged in the battle with the imperial army with bayonets in the company as a unit. ”

"In order to maintain the superiority of troops, the imperial army can only continue to invest troops."

"The raid turned directly into a large-scale hand-to-hand fight."

"I didn't expect the garrison regiment to fight bayonets even more powerful than the imperial army."

"By the time the front-line commander realizes the danger and is ready to call for air reinforcements, it will be too late......"

Maybe it's because the military department has received too much bad news in the past few days, and after listening to the chief of staff's explanation, although the army commander was very angry, he didn't get angry and curse.

Staring at the sand table and falling into deep thought.

After a few minutes, he suddenly shouted: "Not good, there is danger in the front-line attacking troops." ”

"Lose more than 1,600 people, and the garrisons of our three strongholds on the front line will definitely divide their troops to reinforce these three blockade areas."

"In this way, there will be fewer troops in the front-line garrison."

"The garrison regiment has heavy artillery, as long as they have enough ammunition, they will definitely be able to take one of our strongholds in one night, especially the stronghold of Linwu Town, which has been attacked once."

The chief of staff proposed: "Can we send troops from the rear to reinforce them, six infantry squadrons should be enough." ”

The commander shook his head and replied: "There are no more soldiers available in our rear. ”

"The Imperial Army's sweep against the other Eighth Route Armies began more than a month ago, and they are more adept at guerrilla warfare, which is also difficult to deal with."

"All the mobile units of the military headquarters have been sent to other battlefields, and they are no longer able to spare troops to deal with the garrison regiments."

"Pass my order: each blockade area will send one hundred and fifty people to reinforce the three strongholds on the front line, from now on, the imperial army will turn from offensive to defensive, surround the main force of the garrison regiment in Lingqiu, trap them to death, and starve to death."

"In order to avoid a desperate fight by the garrison, they ventured to attack three strongholds on the front line and blockade ditches. The logistics department continues to transport steel and cement to the front line, increasing the permanent firepower of the strongholds, and I want to build those three strongholds into turtle shells that the Eighth Route Army cannot shatter or blow up, and nail them around them forever. ”

"The remaining Imperial Army and the Imperial Allied Army in the blockade areas will continue to sweep up the Eighth Route Army and other anti-Japanese forces in their own jurisdictions, end the fighting as soon as possible, and reinforce the attacking troops."

"At the same time, in the name of the military department, once again remind them that our opponents must no longer be despised on the battlefield."

"The enemy that can be solved by airplanes will never use artillery, and I would rather use artillery to fight mosquitoes than see troops kill 1,000 enemies and lose 800 themselves."

"Finally, the front army headquarters and the special high division are about to arrive to reinforce our action team, and arrange manpower to prepare to send them into the blockade area to deal with the garrison commando."

"Killing the commandos of the garrison regiment can not only hit the morale of the garrison regiment, but also reduce the pressure on the imperial army in the blockade area and boost their morale."

Lingqiu Garrison Regiment Headquarters.

They received the battle report half an hour earlier than the Japanese.

"Regiment commander, we won, your refueling tactics are useful, the three sweeping troops, none of them slipped through the net, and all of them were killed." The Chief of Staff rushed in like a wind and reported, a smile on his face.

Li Hao's eyes lit up and ordered: "Send a telegram to the three main battalions: After dark, I will cover them to withdraw from the blockade area and return to Lingqiu." ”

Hong Linfeng didn't receive the order immediately, thought for a while and proposed: "Regiment commander, can you let the three main battalions stay in the blockade area." ”

"Continue to be an ambush soldier, cooperate with three independent battalions, and strive to win two more battles."

Li Hao shook his head and vetoed: "The little devil is not a fool, and he will definitely not make the same mistake a second time." ”

"Also, the lockdown zone is too small, and it's too dangerous to stay inside."

"It's not like a base area, it's mixed, full of Japanese puppet army spies and eyeliner, once exposed, there is nowhere to hide, and you can only be chased and bombed by little devil planes?"

"I still have a lot of use for keeping the three main battalions, and there must be no accidents in the blockade area."

"As for the three independent battalions, after this battle, they are fully capable of dealing with the remaining Japanese puppet army in the blockade area, and there is no need for three main battalions."

Two days later, the three main battalions successfully returned to Lingqiu, and every move of the Japanese puppet army in the blockade area was also brought back by them.

The expression on Li Hao's face became more relaxed: "Chief of Staff, I can happily announce to you: the counter-sweep has entered the third stage." ”

"The Japanese puppet army dispatched troops to defend the stronghold, which made it clear that it was turning from offensive to defensive, intending to use heavy troops to trap our garrison regiment in Lingqiu and several blockade areas."

Hong Linfeng replied: "According to the intelligence, the Japanese army is sending supplies to the front line again, requisitioning young and strong people from the blockade areas, on the one hand, widening and deepening the blockade ditch, and further cutting off these blockade areas; On the one hand, we overhauled the fortifications at the three large strongholds and the small strongholds along the blockade ditch, and continued to build reinforced concrete bunkers to increase the difficulty of our attack. ”

"Regiment commander, I suggest launching an attack in advance and starting with the stronghold of Lin Wu Town first."

"If the devils build double the reinforced concrete bunkers in each stronghold, it will be at least twice as difficult for us to take these strongholds."

Wang Hong agreed: "Regiment commander, I agree with the chief of staff, launch an attack now." ”

Li Hao refused again: "Political commissar, chief of staff, according to the original battle plan, after the counter-sweep enters the third stage, we will not fight a big battle, but only use guerrilla warfare and movement warfare to slowly consume the devils, and take the opportunity to restore our own strength." ”

"So I don't agree to attack now."

Hong Linfeng insisted: "Commander, I don't understand. ”

"Since we have to fight these strongholds sooner or later, why don't we fight early, attack before they have time to build a dark fortress, our pressure will definitely be much less."

Li Hao asked rhetorically: "The pressure to take a stronghold in Lin Wu Town will indeed be much smaller, but what next?" ”

"Continue the offensive with two strongholds left on the front line? But do we have so many shells and troops to consume? ”

"I calculated just now, with the current firepower and strength of the garrison regiment, to take the stronghold of Linwu Town, at least one main battalion and two thousand heavy artillery shells will be lost."

"The pressure on the other two strongholds will be greater, and the losses will be greater."

"If you really want to fight hard, the garrison regiment will definitely be exhausted on the three strongholds."

"When the time comes, what will we use to counterattack the blockade area."

Hong Linfeng was silent for two minutes and asked: "However, when it comes to the fourth stage of the counter-sweep, we still have to attack these strongholds, and they will definitely be more difficult to fight at that time, so don't we fight?" ”

Li Hao replied confidently: "Of course we have to fight, and we have to fight hard." ”

"But the pressure will definitely be much less, and it is possible that the Japanese puppet army inside will directly abandon the stronghold."

"It can't be!" Hong Linfeng shouted with a look of disbelief.

"The Japanese spent so much material and manpower to build a stronghold, how could they retreat without a fight."

Li Hao is still as confident as ever: "There is nothing impossible, as long as we play the third stage of the anti-sweep, these impossibilities can become possible." ”