gnovel Chapter 71: Divide the troops again, trust me, you won't go wrong.
Chapter 71: Divide the troops again, trust me, you won't go wrong.
West of Wanjia Town, in a small mountain forest.
Dozens of Eighth Route Army militiamen quickly moved through the jungle, with several scouts at the front having already secured a view of the surrounding mountains and forests, observing the situation on the road.
Soon, a soldier spotted a group of Japanese soldiers, numbering about several dozen, heading towards them from the foot of the mountain in the distance.
The scouts quickly retreated and entered the woods.
At this moment, the soldiers in the forest are all resting.
A handsome young soldier with refined features was chatting and laughing with his fellow soldiers.
One soldier said, "Political Commissar Zhao, you are truly a cultured man. When you get to the Independent Regiment, you must talk to Regiment Commander Li. We also want to join the Independent Regiment and fight the Japanese head-on."
Another soldier chimed in, "That's right, Commander Li is a very capable fighter, and you're a political officer too. With your combined military and political skills, it's no wonder the Independent Regiment is so formidable!"
As soon as the two soldiers finished speaking, a man tapped them on the head with a wooden stick and said, "Go away, go away. Our county brigade has its own mission. Who knows, Commander Li might not even think much of us."
The young soldier stopped him, saying, "Hey, Captain Wu, you're exaggerating. We're all fighting the Japanese. Your county brigade's efforts in dealing with the Japanese in Mashun County, dismantling railway tracks, and setting ambushes are no less meritorious than those of the regular army. Although the division of labor in the revolution may differ, we are all fighting for our country."
Although the soldiers nodded on the surface, they still wanted to join the Independent Regiment in their hearts.
The young soldier felt somewhat helpless. He didn't know how to answer his comrades in the county brigade, after all, he hadn't even taken up his post in the independent regiment yet.
He had heard of Li Yunlong's reputation; he was a troublemaker and didn't get along well with the political officers. The commander-in-chief had even said that Li Yunlong had driven away six political commissars in just one year when he was in the New First Regiment...
The young soldier knew that he would definitely feel pressure going to the Independent Regiment as political commissar. Not to mention recommending these comrades from the county brigades to join the Independent Regiment, he estimated that he would inevitably have to outwit and outmaneuver Li Yunlong once he took office there.
Naturally, this young soldier was Zhao Gang, who had just been transferred from another battlefield.
Originally, he was supposed to work in the political department, but headquarters considered that they needed to tame Li Yunlong, this wild wolf, so they sent Zhao Gang to the Independent Regiment as political commissar.
"Report!"
Just then, the scouts returned.
When the scouts reported that they had discovered the Japanese soldiers, all the soldiers in the forest turned pale upon hearing it.
They are from the Mashun County Brigade, which has more than 200 members.
Last week, we received orders from the base to cover Comrade Zhao Gang's journey to the Independent Regiment. Zhao Gang has already been covered here, and we estimated that the escort mission would be completed by evening. But unexpectedly, Japanese soldiers appeared at this time.
Captain Wu of the county brigade sensed a crisis, wondering if these Japanese soldiers were after Political Commissar Zhao.
Captain Wu said, "Political Commissar Zhao, you go first, we'll cover you."
Zhao Gang shook his head in denial, and pulled a Mauser pistol from his waist, saying, "No, I want to fight alongside you."
Captain Wu's face tightened, and he said helplessly, "Political Commissar Zhao, this is a squad of Japanese soldiers. We are short of weapons, and we are no match for them if a battle breaks out."
His words made sense. Although the county brigade had several hundred men, three men couldn't even get a rifle. Most of the comrades still used spears, machetes, and other cold weapons as their main fighting weapons.
There is a small squad at the foot of Guizi Mountain, equipped with light machine guns and grenade launchers. If a battle breaks out, the county brigade may not be able to stop them.
Moreover, their mission was to escort Zhao Gang to the Independent Regiment, and no matter what, Zhao Gang's safety had to be guaranteed first.
Just as the comrades were covering Zhao Gang's escape, the scouts returned to report.
The scout said, "Captain, the Japanese aren't coming for us."
"Oh?"
Captain Wu was taken aback.
Zhao Gang asked, "Since the Japanese aren't coming for us, they haven't discovered us yet, so we're safe for now."
Then he asked, "Which direction did the Japanese go?"
The scout replied, "They went in the direction of Xinchao Village."
"Xinchao Village..."
Zhao Gang and Captain Wu exchanged a glance.
Zhao Gang thought to himself: Xinchao Village is a village on the outskirts of the base area, sandwiched between the base area and the enemy-occupied area. The Japanese suddenly approaching Xinchao Village might mean that there is some important military operation going on.
Then he said, "Captain Wu, we just came from Xinchao Village. There are dozens of households in the village, and it's also a contact point for our underground comrades. The Japanese are approaching Xinchao Village, so there must be a military operation going on. Take your soldiers and let's go take a look."
Captain Wu frowned. He disagreed with Zhao Gang's approach, after all, his mission was to escort Zhao Gang to the Independent Regiment.
Captain Wu said, "No, I can't agree to that. Our county brigade's mission is to escort you to the Independent Regiment."
Zhao Gang said, "There's no rush. A small Japanese squad dares to roam the border between the enemy and our side, either sweeping through the countryside or arresting our comrades at our liaison points. Even if they don't fire a single bullet, we need to find out what the Japanese are up to."
"this……"
Zhao Gang said, "Listen to me, you can't go wrong."
"Okay, fine!"
Captain Wu was also going all out. He led the county brigade in a battle of wits and courage in the Japanese-occupied area and also saw the signs of the Japanese. If the Japanese were really going to sweep through the countryside or arrest Eighth Route Army comrades, how could he sit idly by?
However, Zhao Gang's status is special, so even if someone goes, it will be him who goes.
Captain Wu added, "Political Commissar Zhao, you can go, but you can't. I'll just take half of the comrades with me to take a look."
Zhao Gang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your news."
At that moment, Captain Wu instructed the scouts to notify the other comrades, and then led dozens of comrades to follow the Japanese soldiers to see what they were doing in Xinchao Village.
On the other side, Wang Yousheng, along with his platoon of soldiers, followed closely behind the Japanese soldiers.
The Japanese troops had already divided their forces, with one company split into three platoons, and the three platoons heading to three villages.
It was clearly a sweeping operation in the countryside. Wang Yousheng had made up his mind: since they had run into them, they couldn't let the Japanese succeed!
So, in desperation, he resorted to a method that wasn't exactly a good one.
That is, to divide the forces once again.
Divide a platoon into three parts, all following behind the Japanese soldiers. If the Japanese soldiers actually enter the village to sweep through, open fire to intercept them.
Of course, a small Japanese squad consisted of several dozen men, and his forces were insufficient, so he couldn't engage the Japanese head-on. Therefore, he gave his soldiers a strict order.
Sniping! Let the soldiers use their guerrilla tactics to draw the enemy's fire.
According to his speculation, once the Japanese were attacked, they would definitely retaliate, since the Eighth Route Army was their greatest enemy and was worth more than ordinary people...