"What should we do?" The chief of staff couldn't think of a solution and could only frown and ask.
"The equipment in the arsenal is numerous and heavy. Even if we arrange for people to dismantle and move it now, it will still take dozens of hours to move it all to the inner city. The Independent Regiment will definitely not give us so much time!"
Yoshio Shinozuka replied calmly: "Give the arsenal to the Independence Regiment for the time being!"
"The Eighth Route Army lacks military equipment. If it suddenly gets such a large arsenal, it will definitely try its best to move it back to the base!"
"The equipment in the arsenal is so large and heavy that it can only be transported by carts and cars...it must be transported by road..."
"As long as no accidents happen to the returning troops on the way and they are divided into interceptors, we are at least 90% sure of getting those military equipment back!"
"If we really can't get it back, the returning troops are 100% sure of destroying those military equipment, leaving the Independent Regiment's work in vain!"
The chief of staff immediately put forward another hypothesis: "What if the independent regiment does not plan to move back to the base after taking over the arsenal, but just blows it up?"
"Then we can only blame us for being unlucky. Lady Luck is not on our side!" Yoshio Shinozuka replied silently.
"But I think that's very unlikely!"
"If we blow it up ourselves, the Taiyuan Arsenal will definitely not be saved!"
"Giving the arsenal to the Independent Regiment, they have at least an 80% chance of moving the arsenal. The returning troops have at least a 90% chance of retaking the military equipment in the arsenal. Our overall chance of keeping the Taiyuan Arsenal is at least a 70% chance!"
"But no matter whether we can save the Taiyuan Arsenal or not, even if the independent regiment captures the Arsenal, they will have no chance to move the military equipment inside back to their base!"
"In addition to six mortar squadrons, six infantry artillery squads, the returning troops also have a large mountain artillery unit!"
"The powerful artillery fire will definitely suppress the independent group. If there is no way to recapture the military equipment, destroying it is still no problem."
"Although Taiyuan Airport was destroyed, all the aircraft assigned to us by the Front Army Headquarters were also destroyed! But as long as necessary, I can ask for help from the aviation forces stationed in surrounding provinces and ask them to send aircraft to bomb the independent regiment and destroy the military equipment they moved away! "
At the headquarters of the 358th Regiment, Chu Yunfei became busy after the Japanese and puppet troops attacked the Eighth Route Army base area. He studied the latest battle situation compiled by the intelligence department and the reconnaissance force at the regiment headquarters every day.
After learning that the surrounding Eighth Route Army was being beaten back by the Japanese, he wanted to send troops to rescue several times, but was stopped by the war zone.
"Snapped……"
Chu Yunfei slammed the riding crop in his hand on the table, and said with an aura on his face: "It's so frustrating... I'm so frustrated... I, Chu Yunfei, have been fighting for so many years, and I have never felt so depressed like these days. Surrendered..."
"Watching the friendly troops being wiped out by the Japanese and puppet troops, I couldn't do anything. I could only watch from the side... I'm so ashamed of this military uniform!"
Chief of Staff Fang Ligong comforted: "The group..."
"Compared with other troops in the war zone, our regiment is already good!"
"At least I didn't give the Eighth Route Army any help... When the Eighth Route Army passed through our defense area, the troops turned a blind eye and even supported them with a lot of medicine and food!"
"Other troops would not even agree to the Eighth Route Army's crossing the border, let alone secretly support them!"
"The commander of the theater clearly wants to kill people with a borrowed knife and consume the strength of the Eighth Route Army... You must not be confused at this time and let the theater headquarters get hold of our 358th Regiment!"
Chu Yunfei let out a long sigh and said, "Brother Ligong, don't worry..."
"Killing someone with a borrowed knife is not only the idea of the war zone, but also the idea of the principal... No matter how confused I, Chu Yunfei, will never disobey the principal's order!"
"I just feel a little unwilling!"
"After all, the losses on the battlefield are all of China's national defense forces!"
"We have seen the Eighth Route Army. They were all a bunch of guys fighting Japanese invaders. It was such a pity that they were wiped out by the Japanese and puppet troops!"
Fang Ligong shook his head and comforted: "Tuanzu, the general trend is like this, and there is nothing we can do to change it!"
"Alas..." Chu Yunfei sighed again. After a while, he regained his composure. He stared at the sand table and asked, "What progress have the little devils made in the past two days in sweeping away the Eighth Route Army base areas?"
When this question was mentioned, Fang Ligong's face immediately flashed with confusion: "Tuanzuo, there is something I can't understand..."
"With the support of aircraft, the Japanese and puppet troops made rapid progress... They occupied nearly half of the Eighth Route Army's base areas in just a few days..."
"If we continue to fight at this rate, the Eighth Route Army will be driven out of the base area in ten days at most!"
"As a result, the speed of the Japanese and puppet troops' sweeps suddenly slowed down from the day before yesterday... The planes that had been suppressing the Eighth Route Army did not appear for two days!"
"This is so weird... I don't know what the little devil is doing!"
Chu Yunfei made a judgment after thinking for a moment: "Two possibilities!"
"Either the Japs are planning a larger-scale military operation...the calmness and the postponement of the attack we see are just appearances!"
"Either something happened to the little devils in the rear, which prevented them from sending planes to reinforce the front lines."
"Without aircraft reinforcements, the Eighth Route Army's combat pressure will be much less, and the Japanese and puppet troops' attack speed will naturally slow down!"
"In my impression, the Eighth Route Army's several counter-mopping operations achieved victory by destroying the Japanese and puppet army's logistical supply lines. I cannot rule out the possibility that they will repeat their old tricks and send troops to get into the belly of the Japanese army to cause destruction!"
"Did they attack Taiyuan Airport and blow it up? Otherwise there is no other way to prevent the Japanese army from sending planes to reinforce the front line... But we did not receive relevant intelligence!" Fang Ligong made a bold guess.
Chu Yunfei frowned and replied: "This possibility cannot be ruled out!"
"In order to sweep away the Eighth Route Army base areas, the Japanese army mobilized all the troops in the occupied areas..."
"If an elite group of the Eighth Route Army reaches Taiyuan and attacks the airport at all costs, it is not impossible to blow up the Taiyuan Airport!"
"As for intelligence...the Japanese army is also a person with a good face!"
"Even if Taiyuan Airport is really bombed, they will do everything possible to keep it secret and stabilize the morale and morale of the frontline raiding forces."
Fang Ligong was silent for a moment and replied: "If you think about it, it is really possible..."
"If the Eighth Route Army really sent troops to blow up Taiyuan Airport...the Japanese and puppet troops without air cover would definitely not be able to eat the Eighth Route Army as easily as before!"
"In this way, the casualties on both sides will increase sharply, and we will be able to reap the benefits!"
Chu Yunfei didn't answer.
He is a pure soldier who doesn't like to engage in conspiracies, and he despises the idea of reaping the benefits at the expense of friendly troops.
As an upright soldier, if you want to kill the Japanese, you have to kill them yourself...
But others' words could not change the war zone commander's decision, nor could they change the principal's mind. They could only respond with silence.
At this moment, the regimental radio operator suddenly ran towards them: "Report to the regiment, Chief of Staff... Urgent call from the theater headquarters!"
Fang Ligong quickly took the telegram and started reading it...
Just halfway through watching it, a look of genuine shock appeared on his face, and then he was filled with emotion while watching it.
"Tuanzu, we just guessed it right..."
"The Eighth Route Army really sent people to knock down Taiyuan Airport... and also took advantage of the situation to capture Jinzhong County, destroying more than 40 aircraft of various types, and achieved a complete victory..."
"Oh my god...this army is actually attacking Taiyuan...there are already troops entering the outer city of Taiyuan...the Japanese army is shrinking the defense line and defending the inner city..."
"The Japanese army that raided the Eighth Route Army base area has divided into six infantry brigades and one artillery brigade... and marched urgently back to Taiyuan to support them!"
"Jinzhong County and Taiyuan Airport were captured by the Eighth Route Army the night before, but the news was blocked by the Japanese and puppet troops, so we didn't get the relevant information!"
"It wasn't until the Eighth Route Army began to attack Taiyuan that the Japanese army could no longer block the news. Only then did our people spread the news to the war zone!"
Chu Yunfei immediately found Taiyuan and Jinzhong on the map. While looking at it, he asked: "Do you know which unit of the Eighth Route Army attacked Taiyuan... what is its strength and how is its equipment?"
"Capturing Jinzhong and Taiyuan Airports in one night... shows that the Eighth Route Army's offensive strength is very strong!"
"It's just that I don't understand: Why didn't they attack Taiyuan last night... They wasted a day and only attacked Taiyuan tonight."
"We are very familiar with this Eighth Route Army!" Fang Ligong replied while looking at the telegram.
"Tuanzi, have you ever been to this army..."
"It can't be Kong Jie's independent group!" Chu Yunfei suddenly thought of the independent group he had just been to, and then frowned and analyzed.
"If this is really the force, then they do have the strength to conquer Jinzhong and capture Taiyuan Airport!"
"This Eighth Route Army is very different from other Eighth Route Army I have seen..."
"The other Eighth Route Army did not even have rifles, but Kong Jie's independent regiment was well-equipped. Not only were they issued uniform 38 caps, light machine guns were also issued to infantry platoons, grenade launchers were issued to infantry companies, and heavy machine guns were issued Sent to the infantry battalion, there is also a powerful artillery company and cavalry company!"
"The firepower is no worse than our 386th Regiment...and the military strength is no less than ours!"
"As long as they successfully penetrate into Taiyuan, they can definitely capture the empty Jinzhong and Taiyuan airports!"
"I just didn't expect Kong Jie to be so courageous. Not only did he not retreat after fighting at the airport, he also set his sights on Taiyuan City. It's true that a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers..."
Fang Ligong answered sharply: "Regiment leader, I think the Independent Regiment has no plan to attack Taiyuan. They should retreat after taking the airport, otherwise they will attack Taiyuan the next night."
"Their purpose of attacking Taiyuan was to force the Japanese army to return for reinforcements and relieve the base area."
"As a result, after the airport was captured, the Japanese army did not send troops back to support, and the independent regiment did not complete the attack mission and had to continue attacking Taiyuan... So a day was wasted!"
Chu Yunfei nodded and replied: "You said this is very likely!"
"But no matter what the real goal of the independent group is, I don't think Taiyuan is that easy to fight!"
"No matter how empty Taiyuan's troops are, it cannot be captured by a single regiment of the Eighth Route Army."
"But if their purpose in attacking Taiyuan is just to relieve the base area, then their mission should be considered completed!"
"It's just that the situation of the Independent Regiment has become dangerous!"
