Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

After the battle of the Third Battalion ended, the soldiers of the New Fifth Regiment of the Eighth Route Army began to attack and destroy the railway, prying up the rails, pulling out the sleepers, and taking away all the electrical wires and telephone lines.

The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region has its own arsenal, and these items can be used to repair bullets and damaged guns.

The battle report was quickly reported to the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region Headquarters. After listening to the report, Commander Nie said happily, "I didn't expect the Third Regiment of the Independent Brigade to join us, but it's just as well. With them here, the Japanese Eighth Mixed Brigade will be in trouble."

When Staff Officer Tang heard what Commander Nie said, he immediately laughed and said, "Didn't headquarters ask them to temporarily postpone the attack on Yuci? They probably couldn't stay there, so they went to Yangquan."

Commander Nie nodded and said, "It's right to postpone it. Taiyuan City has two more divisions of troops. If we force an attack, the casualties of the independent brigade are unpredictable."

After saying this, Commander Nie thought for a moment before continuing, "The Japanese in Jinzhong have also been mobilized in the past few days. Their targets are likely these regiments of the independent brigade. We must warn them."

Staff Officer Tang glanced at Commander Nie, thought for a moment, and then said with some concern, "What if the Japs make a feint?"

Commander Nie shook his head and said, "No base can withstand tens of thousands of Japanese troops. Laiyuan, Shijiazhuang, and Baoding have been in chaos for the past two days. With tens of thousands of Japanese troops gathered, their target is unlikely to be us. It should be the independent brigade."

"They are the only ones here who can make Shinozuka Yoshio go to such great lengths."

The affirmative words made Staff Officer Tang beside him a little worried.

The independent brigade has grown up with great difficulty, and it is certainly impossible to allow it to be defeated. So they need help, but how to help is indeed a problem.

Before Staff Officer Tang could think for long, Commander Nie gritted his teeth and said:

"No matter what, we must prepare for the worst. The independent brigade is very useful to our Eighth Route Army. With them around, it is always the Japanese who suffer. Therefore, we must also be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Staff Officer Tang asked directly, "Do we need to communicate with headquarters? The headquarters is aware of the Japanese's unusual movements in Jinzhong. I'm afraid they have other plans."

Commander Nie shook his head and said, "It's probably for confidentiality reasons that they didn't inform us, but I believe that the headquarters is definitely aware of the movements of the three regiments of the Independent Brigade here. Maybe Lao Liu from the 129th Division is also aware of it."

"So, to be on the safe side, we should assemble ten corps and secretly move to the east and west regions of the Yellow River, keeping a distance of two or three days from Yuci."

"If something unexpected happens, we can attack the Taiyuan area from the flank and force the Japanese to withdraw."

Gu Changfeng was not aware of Commander Nie's preparations. He only received a secret telegram from headquarters informing him to wait for an opportunity, and did not say much else.

In fact, the boss is indeed interested in these two Japanese divisions. There is no need to worry about Laiyuan for the time being. If these two divisions can be taken first, the Japanese troops will suffer a great loss, and the headquarters' subsequent third phase plan will proceed smoothly, and the results may even be better than planned...

In Yangquan, Gu Changfeng looked at the map and pondered for a moment before speaking: "Old Wu, when you attacked Yangquan, did the Japanese in Pingding County take action?"

He originally wanted to come and take a look at Niangzi Pass, but was eventually stopped by Wu Mazi. However, he couldn't just sit there doing nothing, so he pulled Wu Mazi aside to discuss the matter of taking over Pingding County.

When Wu Mazi heard Gu Changfeng's question, he immediately smiled and said, "We did provide support, but we turned back halfway. We deployed heavy artillery to attack Yangquan..."

The 50 guns were divided almost equally among the three regiments. With the sixteen heavy guns from these three regiments, they bombarded the Japanese for two rounds. It would be strange if a single battalion of the Japanese could withstand it.

"You are such a spendthrift. Don't you know how to save money?" Gu Changfeng said jokingly.

He actually didn't really care. His points were rising rapidly. He didn't need to go out anymore. He would probably have to change to a different missile after a while.

Of course, after experiencing so much time in this space and time, he has completely let go of this idea. He wants to exchange it for missiles because he thinks his life is too long. If any big boss knows about it, it is very likely that he will use him as a guinea pig.

There is no point in guarding against thieves for a thousand days, so he would not use it if he could. He also thought it through and realized that weapons that were too extreme were indeed not suitable for this era.

As his mind turned, Gu Changfeng suddenly noticed that Wu Mazi's face was a little serious, and he immediately laughed. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, it's just a joke. Feel free to use it. I'll make up for the difference."

Wu Mazi finally came to his senses and forced a smile. In fact, he was not thinking about the ammunition problem, but was worried about the telegram he had just received.

"Brigade Commander, Commander Nie said the Japanese are deploying tens of thousands of troops. Should we prepare?"

When Gu Changfeng heard about this, he thought for a moment before saying, "Let the 24th Regiment come over to join us. If the Japanese are really targeting us, then we really need to be prepared."

Deep down, he was not afraid of the Japanese encirclement and suppression of him. Now the Eighth Route Army was fighting everywhere, which had already tied up a lot of Japanese troops. It was very powerful that the Japanese First Army could mobilize 50,000 people to encircle and suppress him.

Moreover, the Japanese in Baoding and Shijiazhuang have consumed astronomical amounts of supplies. If this continues, the Japanese will not be able to hold on, so he is not panicking at all.

At present, although the Japanese have deployed heavy troops in Gaojia Town, Gaojia Town has complete defense, plus the 115th Division in Laiyuan, and the 129th Division in Baoding and Shijiazhuang also has a lot of troops.

The Japanese encirclement and suppression could not bring any great benefits at all. Both sides suffered casualties. This was also the reason why Gu Changfeng was not in a hurry to go back.

"Brigade Commander, it's not difficult to fight Pingding. That's where the Japanese 33rd Mixed Brigade is stationed. We wiped out a battalion before, and now their strength is only three infantry battalions and a regiment of the Imperial Army."

Wu Mazi, having put his mind at ease, began to talk about the matters of attacking Pingding.

Gu Changfeng had nothing to do, so he said without much thought: "It's better to do it now than to wait for a day. Let's get ready and set off at three in the morning. We should take Pingding before morning."

It will not take three regiments to pacify one area. Even if the 24th Regiment comes to join the fight in a few days, they will not be stationed here only. They will definitely be deployed in other surrounding areas. Therefore, he must capture some of the Japanese counties. He must connect the surrounding areas to deal with the Japanese's next attack.

Of course, this also requires that the Japanese target is really him.

Wu Mazi didn't hesitate at all on this point. He nodded and went to make the arrangements.

Pingding County, the garrison of the Japanese's newly promoted 33rd Mixed Brigade.

The brigade commander, Major General Fuku Koganazawa, looked at the officers of the brigade with some worry. With a tiger by his side, he couldn't sleep well these days.

Fortunately, the Third Regiment of the Independent Brigade did not attack him again after taking Yangquan. He had been relieved a little, but then he received the news that Niangzi Pass was taken. This news made him uneasy again, so he directly called a group of Japanese officers to the brigade headquarters for a combat meeting.

"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, please ask for help from the headquarters. With the combat effectiveness of the independent brigade, we can't withstand the attack of one of their regiments."

Chief of Staff Morimoto Hideyoshi was very direct, and the Japanese officers did not say anything, obviously agreeing with what the chief of staff said.

Xiao Jinzefu was a little embarrassed. He looked at the Japanese officers and said, "The headquarters has a plan to target the independent brigade, but it will take time. If we ask for help now..."

"Sir, if we don't ask for help, the Third Regiment of the Independent Brigade will likely attack us within the next two days. Do you think we can withstand their attack?"

Morimoto Hideyoshi had a strong background, so he was not very polite when speaking.

He is just here to gild himself. If his life is in danger, how can he climb up? He will lose his life.

Xiao Jinzefu glanced at Morimoto, thought for a while, and nodded, "Report to the headquarters first, and order all the Imperial Army and the Imperial Alliance Army stationed in the towns and villages to return."

He didn't dare to offend Morimoto, and at the same time he didn't want to die, so naturally the decision he made was very wise.