Although Yang Zhen asked Guo Bingxun and Wang Guangyu to do their best to find an opportunity to retreat, the return call from the two was extremely unsatisfactory for Yang Zhen. Both of them said on the telegram that although their casualties were not large, they had been firmly stuck by the Japanese puppet army and it was difficult to withdraw. At least not at all, it was impossible to retreat at all until dark.

Guo Bingxun told Yang Zhen in a telegram that the actions of the Japanese puppet army were very strange. Do not launch a strong attack on the resistance encountered. Instead, it adopted a front-line push, step by step, and a little bit of squeezing tactics. Most of the time, they only used their forces to stick tightly to the blocking troops, and rarely launched a strong attack.

Moreover, this Japanese puppet army acted extremely cautiously, and used artillery fire to bombard indiscriminately whenever it encountered a disturbance. Progress has been slow, but it has been extremely effective. The interdiction force attempted to ambush a part of it on several occasions, but was never successful. On the contrary, it brought a certain number of casualties to itself. Although the tactics arranged by Yang Zhen in advance delayed the attack speed of the Japanese puppet army, it was also stuck by the Japanese puppet army, and it was difficult to get rid of it.

Looking at Guo Bingxun's telegram, Yang Zhen's brows became tighter and tighter. From Guo Bingxun's telegram, Yang Zhen came to a conclusion that was very unfavorable to himself, that is, the Japanese puppet army had already figured out the laws and characteristics of its own operations, especially its operational characteristics of being accustomed to mobile ambushes and loving ambush warfare.

What worried Yang Zhen even more was that Wang Guangyu, who also blocked the Japanese puppet army that was following him, also sent the same telegram. Looking at the two telegrams with similar contents, Yang Zhen couldn't help but secretly marvel at how quickly the Japanese army reacted. Since his attack, the real battles have only been fought in two battles, Wei Anshan and Zhou's camp, and the devil has figured out the characteristics of his own battle so quickly.

Yang Zhen was not afraid that the Japanese puppet army would adopt the tactics of heavy encirclement, because no matter how many troops there were, it was impossible to synchronize it, and there were always gaps to drill. He was not even more worried that the Japanese puppet army would adopt the tactics of dividing the troops and encircling them, so that he could find fighters more conveniently.

What he is most worried about is that the Japanese puppet army will adopt the current tactics of step-by-step and front-line pushing. Judging from the telegrams sent by Guo Bingxun and Wang Guangyu, it is precisely this kind of tactic adopted by the Japanese puppet army, which is extremely time-consuming, but also the most secure and the most practical tactic for dealing with guerrilla warfare and movement warfare.

Yang Zhen put down the telegram in his hand, opened the map and quickly found it, and marked his location and the location of Guo Bingxun and Wang Guangyu. After finishing the homework on the map, Yang Zhen felt that he was most fortunate now that he had defeated the Japanese puppet army in front of him in a desperate gamble. Otherwise, once the Japanese puppet army completes the encirclement, whether you want to or not, you can only drill into the trap set by the little devil. According to the analysis of the current situation, Yang Zhen can already be sure that the little devil has set up an encirclement in the south and is waiting for him.

Looking at Yang Zhen with a solemn face, Li Yanping on the side took the telegram and read it carefully and said, "Old Yang, we had better rush out of the breakthrough that has been opened as quickly as possible. We crushed the enemy we saw, but we didn't wipe it all out, and the news could not be concealed for long. Once the devils mobilize heavy troops to fill this loophole, we will face the danger of being squeezed and surrounded by the devils. ”

"I understand what you said, the fighter plane is a little inferior and will pass away. But what about Lao Guo and Deputy Chief of Staff Wang? We protruded, what about them who were stuck by the Japanese puppet army? Abandon? Regarding Li Yanping's words, Yang Zhen didn't understand the truth. But it is simply impossible for him to abandon Guo and Wang, who were stuck by the Japanese puppet army. This is not only a matter of feelings, but also involves the morale of the army, and even the stability of the troops.

Wang Guangyu is a member of the Anti-United Nations, and there are few people in the army who resist the United Nations, so that it will not cause uneasiness in the troops. And Guo Bingxun is different, he is the one who rushed out of the devil's concentration camp with himself.

Personal feelings aside, the current backbone of the army is still former prisoners of war. Guo Bingxun had a high prestige among them, especially among the former Nationalist prisoners of war, who accounted for the majority. If Guo Bingxun is left to cover, once there is any accident, it is easy to cause turmoil in the troops. There is even a possibility that this newly established force will collapse.

In addition to the consideration of stabilizing the morale of the army, Yang Zhen himself did not want to abandon any of his comrades-in-arms and brothers. In his previous life, when Yang Zhen was on a mission, no matter how difficult and difficult it was, he never abandoned a comrade-in-arms. In this era, he will not abandon anyone lightly.

Yang Zhen stared at the map and was silent for a long time, then looked at his watch and said, "Political commissar, no matter where we come from, we can't just leave." Leave Lao Guo and Lao Wang here to fight alone. You know what awaits them if they are left alone. They are our comrades-in-arms, and they are our brothers who share weal and woe. We are far from the brink of despair, and we cannot abandon them. ”

"In this way, I will bring three companies and all the heavy weapons to support Deputy Chief of Staff Wang first. Although the Japanese puppet army on the two sides was large in number, they adopted more squeezing tactics, and the offensive was not tight. Lao Guo can still hold on, support Lao Wang first, and strive to defeat the enemy in front of Lao Wang first. ”

"We have defeated the Japanese puppet army on the front, even if the devil's communication ability is much higher than ours, it will take at least a while for the devil to mobilize reinforcements, so it will bring us a time difference. As long as we take advantage of this time difference, we will be able to defeat one of the two ways, and our whole game will be alive. ”

"Political commissar, if we can't completely defeat the Japanese puppet army's encirclement of us this time, even if we can bring the main force out of the encirclement of the devils under the cover of Lao Guo and Lao Wang, we will always be passive. Commissar, you take the rest of the personnel and all the wounded to retreat to the northeast from the already opened breakthrough and enter the territory of the Pearl River to hide. ”

"We still have a lot of grain seized from Weihe County, which is enough to support you to hide in the mountains for a while. After you enter the territory of the Pearl River, do not come into contact with anyone, especially the local people. When I have picked them up, I will meet you. You take the radio away, and we're communicating with each other about something. ”

Li Yanping pondered for a moment and said, "Old Yang, the shape is very severe. Whether it is from Lao Guo's side or Lao Wang's side, even if you add the three companies you brought, you will have an absolute disadvantage in terms of troops. Judging by what they reported by telegram, they also had an absolute disadvantage in firepower. Your departure is tantamount to a sheep in the mouth of a tiger. You are a military commander, and you should understand this. And you should understand that even if Lao Guo and Lao Wang are unfortunately sacrificed, we still have people who can replace them. If you die, at least for now, there is no one in this force who can replace you. ”

"Lao Yang, I know and understand the relationship between you and Lao Guo. Lao Wang and I have known each other for a long time, and since he was transferred to the Fourth Army, we have fought and lived together for so many years, how can the relationship be less than that between you and Lao Guo? But this is the cruel reality, although our strength has improved, it is still far from being comparable with the Japanese puppet army. ”

"In the case of a huge disparity in strength, it is necessary to sacrifice one part in exchange for the survival of the main force. You are the commander of the unit and the military commander of this unit, and you cannot act rashly. You are not only responsible for yourself, but also for this army and the party's cause. ”

Speaking of this, Li Yanping paused and said, "Besides, Lao Yang, Lao Guo, they may not necessarily have anything to do." It was getting dark, their troops were small, their targets were small, and this was a mountainous area. As long as they seize the opportunity and hold on until dark, they will still be able to get out easily. ”

"And Lao Yang, even if you insist on going, you can't go to Deputy Chief of Staff Wang. Lao Wang fought guerrilla warfare in the northeast for many years, and although he had no formal military training, he had rich experience in combat. He is especially good at guerrilla warfare, and he is also familiar with the terrain, climate, and people's conditions in this area. Even if the troops are scattered, as long as he does not sacrifice, he has a way to get out. ”

"As for Lao Guo, although I haven't had much contact with him, I have a general understanding of his situation. Although he has a good set of theories, he is also a top student of the French Saint-Cyr Military Academy. However, after returning to China, he has been a staff officer in the Kuomintang army, and has never served as a military commander, and his experience in combat is far less abundant than that of Lao Wang. ”

"If we only talk about military theory, or whether we are fighting positional warfare or conventional warfare, we may be far inferior to him. But for guerrilla warfare, almost nothing is understood. So even if you want to go, you have to go to Lao Guo. ”

Yang Zhen shook his head and said, "Political commissar, it's not just feelings that I want to save them. First of all, in terms of the stability of the troops, the vast majority of the backbone of the troops and commanders at all levels are prisoners of war of the former national army, and Lao Guo has a high prestige among them. If we give up Lao Guo, it is very easy for some people to think that they will not be saved if they see death, and this will very likely cause the troops to waver. ”

"Again, I just said that. If we exchange a certain amount of time for a breakthrough at the expense of Lao Guo and them, it is only a temporary respite for us, and we have not been able to fundamentally get rid of the passive situation. ”

"The devil has planes in the sky, cavalry and armored vehicles on the ground, and a large number of traitors and spies to assist, and the familiar terrain in this area is not under us. Even in the mountains, if we don't hurt the devils, it will be difficult for us to get rid of the pursuit of the Japanese puppet army. I think that since I have already beaten them, I will hurt them once. ”

"Our westward advance this time is not to conquer the city, let alone to show our military might, but to cover up our real tactical intentions, but also to attract the Japanese puppet army that is attacking in the Xiajiang area, and to respond to the anti-alliance and anti-encirclement and suppression that insists on the Jidong area. It can also buy us some time to recuperate. ”

"And in the battle just now, the price we paid when we defeated the frontal enemy was not great, and it was not that we did not have the ability to fight. We defeated the Japanese puppet army in front of us, and the devils couldn't figure out what our subsequent tactical intentions were. Is it a cover, the main force to break through or other purposes. ”

"Commissar, we now have three radio stations in our hands, and it is extremely convenient to communicate with each other. You take the two recruit companies that were expanded when you fought the Devil Group tribe, along with the wounded and the captured weapons and ammunition, to hide in the territory of the Pearl River. I'm here with the main force, and before the devil can react, I will fight another battle, so as to get rid of our current passive situation. ”

Li Yanping listened to Yang Zhen's words, hesitated for a moment and nodded and said, "Okay, Old Yang, you persuaded me." I agree with you, but I still think you should go to Lao Guo. Judging from the situation sent by Lao Guo and Lao Wang, as well as the battle we just had, Lao Guo's side should be the main force of the devil's dispatch this time. The situation in Lao Guo's place is much more severe than that of Lao Wang's side. ”

Regarding Li Yanping's opinion, Yang Zhen nodded in agreement. What Li Yanping said is not wrong, in terms of military theoretical knowledge, I am afraid that none of the people in the army can compare with Guo Bingxun. Even Yang Zhen, who came from later generations, thought that even if he was himself, he might not surpass Guo Bingxun in military theory, especially in staff specialty.

However, in terms of actual combat experience, especially the front-line command experience, Guo Bingxun, who has served as a staff officer at the upper level for a long time, is far inferior to Wang Guangyu. Although Wang Guangyu has not undergone training in a regular military academy, his actual combat experience is abundant. Especially in the mountainous terrain of North Manchuria, it is far from being comparable to Guo Bingxun.

Moreover, Wang Guangyu was originally famous for his courage and good fighting in the Second Route Army of the Anti-Japanese Union, and he was famous for both military and political affairs. Otherwise, the commander-in-chief of the Second Route Army would not have been single-handedly in the star-studded Second Route Army, but he would have cooperated with Li Yanping to rectify the Fourth Army of the Anti-Japanese Alliance.

Out of judgment on the form, Yang Zhen's original intention was to deal with Guo Bingxun, not to support Wang Guangyu. In Yang Zhen's view, compared with Wang Guangyu on the Eastern Front, where the puppet Manchurian military and police accounted for the majority, Guo Bingxun should be facing the main force of the Japanese puppet army.

Since he has made up his mind to fight, then he will fight hard, and he will fight his main force. As long as you can find a fighter to eat a part of the Japanese puppet army on the West Road, although the passive situation will not be completely reversed, at least it will be much more eased.

But in front of Li Yanping, in order to show that all the people who participated in the team were treated equally, Yang Zhen hesitated for a moment and proposed to support Wang Guangyu first.

Li Yanping's statement made Yang Zhen breathe a sigh of relief, and he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that he was a little ashamed of being a gentleman with the heart of a villain, and underestimated the minds of these old party members.

Yang Zhen and Li Yanping are not rookies on the battlefield anymore, and they still understand the element that time is life and time is victory. Now that he had made up his mind, Yang Zhen immediately started to arrange.

Just when Li Yanping began to retreat north under the cover of a company with two companies of recruits, as well as the wounded and some of the captured materials, and Yang Zhen was about to lead the three companies of the main force to prepare for Guo Bingxun's battle, a telegram from Guo Bingxun stopped him from preparing for reinforcements.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Yang Zhen quickly glanced at the map and said to the correspondent: "Call back to Chief of Staff Guo, and ask him not to fight hard with the devils, but to adopt the tactics of blocking layers of attacks to lure the devils there here." ”

After that, Yang Zhen said to the three company commanders who were standing beside him waiting for him to give the order to leave: "We are not going to reinforce the chief of staff, we are going to fight here." Gather your forces and prepare for battle. ”