Fortunately, Guo Bingxun did not worry Yang Zhen for too long. Not long after Qu Qianqian had just arranged the explosives and Qiu Jintang had done a good job of demarcating the shooting boundary, Guo Bingxun took a two-thirds less troops than when he set off, barely getting rid of the Japanese puppet army behind him and suddenly approaching a frenzied pursuit, and retreated.

Seeing Guo Bingxun with a bandage on his arm, Yang Zhen, who rushed over to greet him immediately after getting the report, hurriedly stepped forward and said eagerly: "Why is Lao Guo injured, how are you seriously injured?" Zhang Ting, hurry up and check on the chief of staff. ”

Seeing Yang Zhen eagerly shouting that when Li Yanping evacuated in advance with the wounded, Zhang Ting, who refused to evacuate with him and had to stay, came over to check on himself, Guo Bingxun waved his hand and said: "Commander, don't use it for the time being, my arm was just scratched by a shell, and there is no big problem with this injury." ”

After saying that, Guo Bingxun turned his head to look at the troops behind him who were much shorter than when he set off, and said with a thick bitterness in his tone: "There is no problem with my injuries, but the strength of this entire company is now full, and there is less than one platoon left, the operator has died, and the radio station has also been destroyed by the devil's artillery fire when retreating." ”

Looking at Guo Bingxun with a bitter face, Yang Zhen knew that he was a little self-blaming himself for causing so many casualties in the troops. The company he handed over to him was the most combat-effective company in the unit, from the company commander to the squad leader and even the backbone of the battle, all of them were old bones that protruded from the concentration camp.

After a blocking battle, not only the heavy machine guns and mortars carried were all lost embers. The casualties of the troops were so large, and they lost so many old brothers at once, not to mention Guo Bingxun, who was the commander of this blocking battle, how could he not be distressed enough? Especially the newspaper operator who sacrificed was once the most proud student of Guo Bingxun's telecommunications class held in the secret camp of Lao Heidingzi Mountain.

Distressed is distressed, but Yang Zhen knows that Guo Bingxun has done his best. Although a lot of heavy firepower has been strengthened, it is not easy to use an infantry company of only more than 100 people to block the fully armed and more than 1,000-day puppet army with artillery assistance for four hours, and there is still a platoon of troops left.

Yang Zhen comforted Guo Bingxun and patted Guo Bingxun's shoulder and said, "Old Guo, don't be too uncomfortable. Although the losses were greater, we also gained the necessary time. As long as we keep fighting, sacrifices will be inevitable. Now they are the first to go, and maybe we will have that day in the near future. ”

Guo Bingxun sighed when he heard this, and said with a wry smile: "Old Yang, I understand what you said. I'm not one who can't see death, and don't forget that I'm also a soldier. In the past, in the Battle of Xuzhou, our Sichuan army was the least equipped of the participating armies, and compared with other armies, the training was also the worst. Every time we kill a devil, we have to pay a tenfold, or even dozens of times. ”

"It's just that I have to take at least half of the responsibility for paying so much today. If, after receiving your telegram, I had accurately judged that the devils would change their tactics because their overall combat intentions had been disrupted, and had seized the time to break away from the Japanese puppet army, many brothers would not have lost under the devil's artillery fire in vain. Unfortunately, I still have too little experience in combat. ”

"Lao Yang, the devil's tactics this time are very strange, I have dealt with them a lot in the Guannei, but this is the first time I have seen them adopt this tactic. Every time they encountered our resistance, they killed us as much as they could. As for the real intention of the infantry's attack, I feel that it is more about taking advantage of its absolute superiority in firepower and strength to squeeze us little by little. ”

"On several occasions I tried to use mobile ambushes to defeat the spearheads who were always following us, but unfortunately they were too alert. Even when the little devil was chasing us, he arranged two mountain guns as artillery fire on duty. As soon as it is found that there is wind and grass, it is covered with fire. The real casualties were not many during the battle, and most of them were casualties under the fire of devils. ”

"And the mountain artillery used by the little devils this time is not the Type 41 mountain gun that they commonly use on the battlefield in Guannai, but another Type 95 mountain gun that is equipped by the artillery wing directly under the regiment of their pack horse division. The firing range of this mountain gun is much longer than that of the original relatively old Type 41 mountain gun, and the accuracy is much better. In particular, the accuracy of direct aim shooting is extremely high. ”

"When I was blocking, I suppressed the grenadiers of the devils with mortars, but I couldn't suppress the artillery. The few heavy machine guns I brought with me were all destroyed by these mountain guns. ”

"However, although the devils have been suppressing the embers of our heavy weapons with artillery fire, the casualties of the troops have not been large. It was after I received your telegram that the casualties really began to appear. Less than half an hour after I received your telegram telling us to immediately disengage with the devils, the devils launched a large-scale continuous assault on us like crazy. ”

"Even they changed their previous tactics of only using the puppet Manchu military and police to attack, and the Japanese army pressed the formation in the rear. After several attacks by the puppet Manchu army were repulsed by us, the Japanese army actually went into battle in person, adopting the tactics of attacking from multiple directions, launching repeated attacks on us from mountain roads, ridges, and even mountainsides. ”

"The intensity of its attack is almost a world away from the previous ones. Although we relied on the terrain and barely escaped the pursuit of the Japanese puppet army, according to the tactics of the Japanese puppet army, I think it will not take long for them to catch up. ”

As if to verify Guo Bingxun's words, not long after his words fell, the cannon sound that had just been silent sounded again. With the sound of cannons, a flare also rose into the sky, illuminating the earth.

As the cannon sounded, Huang Dali hurried over and saw Yang Zhen and Guo Bingxun hurriedly reported: "Commander, chief of staff, the devil army is coming." This cannon sound is the artillery when the Japanese puppet army is marching, constantly bombarding the birch forests on both sides of the road with artillery fire. ”

Hearing Huang Dali's report, Yang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He strictly ordered the ambush troops not to enter the birch forest, which seemed to be the right move. The devil was really worried about the ambush, and took the method of startling the snake. If he hadn't thought of this, the troops would have been ambushed in the birch grove at the foot of the mountain, and according to the density of the artillery sound, it would not be long before the troops in this ambush would lose their combat effectiveness. You must know that in the woods, it is not only the shells that can kill, but also the broken trees and flying branches that can also cause heavy casualties to the troops hidden in the woods.

While breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Zhen said to Huang Dali: "You go and pass on my order, before the explosives on the mountain road have not exploded, even if the devil soldiers step on the top of their heads, as long as they are not discovered, no one is allowed to shoot." ”

Huang Dali heard Yang Zhen's order, hurriedly responded, turned around and hurriedly ran towards the ambush position to convey the order.

After giving the order, Yang Zhen terminated the conversation with Guo Bingxun, raised the binoculars, and carefully observed the Japanese puppet army that was pursuing in his direction by the light of the flares fired by the devils.

Although this Japanese puppet army has never stopped advancing, the speed of its march is not fast, and it has never left the range of its artillery cover. The Japanese shells sounded scattered and had no definite goal. But if you listen carefully, you can still hear that the Japanese shells are falling in the direction where they are little by little. And it never left the place where the dense birch forest grows at the foot of the mountain.

When Yang Zhen was observing the enemy's situation, a cadre from the Anti-Japanese Federation who had been by his side saw the flares fired by the devils, as well as the Japanese puppet army chasing all over the mountains under the cover of the flares, frowned and said: "Commander, chief of staff, we have dealt with the Japanese puppet army for many years when we were in the Anti-Japanese Federation. ”

"Although these little devils have surrounded and pursued us many times, they rarely spend the night in the mountains and forests for fear of being attacked at night, let alone enter the forests. Even when the forces have a great advantage, they pursue during the day and rest at night. Because they knew that at night in the mountains and forests, although they had many troops, they did not have an advantage. They were scared and ambushed. ”

"Therefore, when we are active, no matter how tightly surrounded by devils, we can take advantage of the night to rest and break through."

"What happened to them this time? Lose your marbles? Not only did he go against his convention, go deep into the mountains and forests at night, bite so hard, and shoot so many flares in one go? I have been in the Anti-Japanese Federation for so many years, and this is the first time I have seen this kind of situation of a little devil. Are they really not afraid that we will use the terrain to ambush them? You know, before the political commissar takes away part of the troops to cover the retreat of the wounded and recruits, our troops are not much less than the Japanese puppet army in front of us? ”

When Yang Zhen heard the words of this cadre, he didn't put down the binoculars in his hand, but just smiled faintly: "The practices of these Japanese puppet troops in front of me that violate conventions are probably also forced too hard by their superiors." ”

"We hit Weihe County and shot most of the traitors in Weihe County. It blew up two more columns of the devil's army, causing a large number of casualties among the Japanese army. Along the way, he defeated several group tribes of the little devils. Do you think the Kwantung Army Command of the little devil can feel good? I guess the little devils are now seeing us as a big problem, right? This would make it much easier to explain their unconventionally crazy behavior. ”

Although Yang Zhen had long estimated that the Kwantung Army would hate him to the bone and regard it as a big trouble, the real form was much stricter than he expected.

The Kwantung Army regarded Yang Zhen's subordinates as a major danger to their henchmen, and they simply regarded them as a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh. Lieutenant General Yasui Fujiji not only failed to eradicate Yang Zhen and his party, but also lost the traces of Yang Zhen's department, and also made people not know that the cat was fat and strong in that deep mountain old forest. Just when Yasui Fujiji was concentrating on dealing with the Anti-Union, he stabbed him hard in the back.

Not only did he rescue the Western Expeditionary Force of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, which had become in the pocket of the Kwantung Army, but he also conveniently brought the forest police and railway police units that were the main force in the Weihe area to clean up the Anti-Japanese Union in the Wei'an Mountain area, and even the Japanese who was the deputy director of the Binjiang Provincial Police Department who held real power was killed.

What is even more excessive is that the county town of Weihe, which was regarded as a bandit by the Kwantung Army, had already been cleared and suppressed, and had become a model county for public security, was not only captured by this group of daring bandits. Along with the county town of Weihe, there was also an arms train of the Kwantung Army that supported the Korean army in the fierce battle with the Soviet army in the hands of this heinous anti-Manchu anti-Japanese element. A large number of weapons, ammunition and supplies on the vehicle, especially the heavy artillery shells that the North Korean army was urgently needing, all fell into the hands of these damned anti-Manchu anti-Japanese elements.

What made the Kwantung Army even more intolerable was that a column of the Fourth Division, which had just been transferred to Manchuria, was blown up in broad daylight, and the soldiers of the Fourth Division of the two brigades loaded on the cart were sent to the western sky along with weapons and equipment.

By the time the rescue force arrived, less than 12 of the Japanese soldiers in the car had survived. The complete bombing of the Weihe Station even interrupted the Binsui Railway, which was one of the main arteries of the Kwantung Army's transportation. Not to mention the Kwantung Army's ability to support the garrisons in the Soviet-Manchurian border area, it also seriously threatened the Kwantung Army's contact with the Korean Army.

With the loss of Weihe County, the Kwantung Army at most did not look good-looking, and at most the so-called anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements in the North Manchurian region had been blown out. However, two successive military columns were attacked, a large number of weapons and ammunition fell into the hands of anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements, a large number of imperial soldiers suffered Yan zhòng casualties without firing a single shot, and the interruption of the Binsui Railway was extremely difficult for the Kwantung Army to tolerate.

In particular, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, the commander of the Fourth Division, who had been hit hard soon after taking office, and had lost a full two brigades without even seeing the shadow of the enemy, far exceeding the total losses of the Fourth Division in the Guannai of China, with the support of the prince who had served as the commander of the Fourth Division for many years, threatened that if the Kwantung Army did not give the Fourth Division a satisfactory explanation, he would directly go to the emperor and ask for a decision, which made Ueda Kenkichi's face gloomy.

Enraged, Ueda Kenkichi was immediately removed from his post as commander-in-chief of the attack on the 4th Division the day after he was lost in the county seat of Weihe. If it weren't for the position of division commander and the fact that the commander of the Kwantung Army could say that he would withdraw at will, Ueda Kenkichi, who was quite anxious, would have happily blown up the cowhide and threatened to withdraw Yasui Fujiji, who had no bandits in the Binjiang area, to the end, and threw this big black cauldron on the back of the commander of the Second Division, who was also the commander of the Northern Manchurian Qing Suppression.

What made Ueda Kenkichi even more embarrassed was that it was not until the county town of Weihe, which had been voluntarily abandoned by Yang Zhen, was recaptured by the puppet Manchurian military police that night, that the intelligence department of the Kwantung Army, which was known for its vast powers, did not know where this daring bandit came from. I always thought that it was the work of a small group of Soviet troops who were still confronting the North Korean army despite the truce at the moment. Because the intelligence of the Kwantung Army did not believe that those who had already been defeated in theory had such great capabilities.

It wasn't until the interrogation of those puppet Manchu military and police prisoners who were released by Yang Zhen that he learned that many of these people spoke with a Kannai accent, that he remembered that he had escaped from the Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department of the Kwantung Army and killed Major General Ye Deputy Changde and most of the troops of the invasion and suppression troops in one fell swoop at the Wudaolingzi Iron Mine.

After learning the news, Ueda Kenkichi was furious. After the dismissal of Toji Yasui as commander-in-chief, he almost didn't shoot the equally newly appointed head of the newly established Special Intelligence Department of the Kwantung Army, Shunjiro Osa, Kubo.

If it weren't for the fact that this guy had just taken office in early August and that the special intelligence department of the Kwantung Army had just been formed, I am afraid that Ueda Kenkichi, who had been furious by successive mistakes, would have directly ordered this intelligence chief who treated Yang Zhen's department as a Soviet army squad to apologize.

After Ueda Kenkichi removed Yasui Toji, the commander of the Northern Manchurian Suppression of Bandits, which was not popular with Yasui Toji himself, and was regarded as a thankless drudgery by himself, under the strong pressure of the Tokyo Military Department, he finally lowered his self-esteemed noble head.

Kenkichi Ueda, who had to bow his head, reported to the Tokyo Military Headquarters under the command of Major General Ishihara Waner, then deputy chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, and asked Lieutenant General Sasaki, who had been transferred to the Shina Dispatch Army, who had brought heavy losses to the Anti-Japanese Union, to be appointed commander of the independent Fifth Garrison Force, which was specifically responsible for the garrison of North Manchuria.

However, although the Tokyo Military Department agreed to Kenkichi Ueda's proposal, it was impossible for Lieutenant General Sasaki to take up his post immediately. In the end, in desperation, Ueda Kenkichi was still under Major General Ishihara Waner, out of the new appointment of this guy who single-handedly planned the 918 incident. Ueda Kenkichi nevertheless agreed to have him temporarily act as commander by a close associate of Major General Ishihara Kanji, the chief of staff of the garrison, before Sasaki arrived.

His Excellency the Chief of Staff, who had been suppressed by the tyrannical Yasui Toji during his tenure, was ecstatic after receiving the order from this deputy. In order to be in a hurry to express himself, under the urgency of time, without even thinking about it, he accepted the so-called battle plan of Kojiro Hara 2 Shosa, who claimed to be his first confidant in the post of chief of staff of the Fifth Independent Garrison. And agreed to this guy's request to come to the front line to supervise the battle.

However, with the full support of Major General Ishihara, although the Kwantung Army Command approved his establishment as quickly as possible, it also proposed to eliminate this bandit who had brought great danger to the reputation of the Manchurian Empire and the Kwantung Army in the shortest possible time. In order to show the importance of the Kwantung Army, Major General Ishihara even flew to Harbin to supervise the battle after approving this battle plan.

After His Excellency Major General Ishihara, Deputy Chief of Staff, personally arrived in Harbin to supervise the battle and gave a secret lecture on so-called experience, the chief of staff of the interim commander exerted the same heavy pressure on the officers at the front.

Despite the layers of pressure, the chief of staff's head is still quite clear. After studying Yang Zhen's detailed experience of several battles, although he sternly urged all units of the Japanese puppet army to seize the time, he also repeatedly asked him to be cautious. If it weren't for Kojiro Haraji's original tactical assumption of squeezing Yang Zhen's troops into the ambush circle step by step in order to fight for merit, at least the situation Yang Zhen would have faced was much more sinister than it is now.

However, although Kojiro Haraji was carried away by jealousy, in command of the Eastern Front, his sworn enemy Koji Ikeda, as the commander-in-chief of the encirclement and suppression, was much more sober than him, and he had been steadily fighting according to the battle plan.

It was only after receiving reports that Kojiro Hara had been seriously injured and that a gap had been opened on the northern front of the encirclement that Koji Ikeda had to intensify his attack. Because he knew that if he was defeated this time and let this group of bandits slip away from under his nose, although he had Kojiro Haraji, who was rash and rash as a substitute for the dead ghost, he would not be able to get out of it as the commander-in-chief of this attack.

With the greeting from his powerful father-in-law, Koji Ikeda had already announced that he was about to be transferred back to Japan to serve as the captain of the newly formed regular field division. With his promotion imminent, he definitely didn't want any problems at this juncture.

Therefore, after receiving the news that Kojiro Hara was seriously injured and the Northern Route Army was defeated, Koji Ikeda launched a rare night offensive. Strive to close the open encirclement before all the bandits break through, and show their abilities to the Tokyo military headquarters. On the one hand, he drew a successful end to his promotion, so that he could leave the Kwantung Army in style.

With this in mind, Koji Ikeda can understand the change in the offensive of the Japanese puppet army on the Eastern Front, and the change from the previous style of not fighting night battles with the Anti-Japanese Alliance.