In Li Yunlong's headquarters, Deng Jingye, the leader of the Wangdu garrison, and Huang Qi, the leader of the Mancheng garrison, all frowned and discussed the troops' battle plan for tonight.
"Deputy Head……"
Huang Qi said with a worried look: "The artillery unit of the Mancheng Garrison Regiment has less than 400 shells left."
"Based on the way we fought last night, these few shells will definitely not last until tomorrow morning."
"The regiment leader requires us to severely damage the Baoding garrison tonight and force Gangcun Ningci to send troops back from the front line for reinforcements."
"She will definitely not be able to hurt the little Japanese with shelling alone."
"I suggest changing the artillery attack to a force attack."
"Concentrate all artillery attacks in one direction to suppress the Japanese and puppet troops at the top of the city."
"Use another reinforced battalion to attack the city gate."
"Blow up the city gate, rush into Baoding, and occupy an area within the city."
"No matter how bold Okamura Neji is, he will not dare to risk his life with us and continue to hold on to Baoding."
】
Deng Jingye immediately stood up and supported: "I agree with Captain Huang's opinion."
"Last night the artillery played the leading role, and our infantry played the supporting role. The soldiers had nowhere to vent their anger."
"It's our turn to be the protagonist tonight."
"Deputy Head……"
"No matter how powerful the artillery is, it can only attack Baoding City from a long distance. If it cannot attack Baoding, Neji Okamura will have no sense of crisis."
"Only by sending troops into Baoding and letting Neji Okamura see with his own eyes the possibility of Baoding being breached by us, will he feel scared and have to send troops back from the front line for reinforcements."
Not only was Li Yunlong dissatisfied with this proposal, but he was also extremely resistant. He opened his mouth and began to curse: "Shut up, everyone."
"I know how to rush all day long...I don't know how to use my brain."
"There are at least two thousand Japanese puppet troops in Baoding City."
"With the addition of the gendarmerie, security forces, and expatriate armed forces, there is no problem in gathering another thousand people."
"We only have a thousand people. How much price do you plan to pay to enter the county?"
"In the face of the crazy counterattack by the Japanese and puppet troops, do you think the troops entering the city can withstand it?"
"What a price to pay in battle."
"After the battle is over, do we still have the troops to protect the artillery and safely withdraw to the base?"
"Old Li, I don't want to do this business of making money at a loss."
Huang Qi couldn't think of any other way, so he could only answer the question bravely: "Deputy commander, I think as long as we can keep the base, it doesn't matter if we wipe out all the city's garrison. At worst, we can go back to being the bare commander."
"I am willing to take over the main offensive mission and personally command the city's defense regiment to storm Baoding."
"Captain Deng led his team into the city to block the attack, blocking all the Japanese and puppet counterattack troops and threatening the safety of Neji Okamura."
"The two of us will work hard and we will definitely be able to complete the task."
"Pah...shut up, I..." Li Yunlong slapped the ammunition box and said dissatisfiedly.
"I, the deputy commander, are not dead yet. When will it be your turn to make the decision in the army?"
"Without my permission, all soldiers who come from the base cannot die, and you two are no exception."
Deng Jingye knew that Li Yunlong had an idea as soon as he heard the tone of his voice, and immediately came over to ask with an expectant expression.
"Deputy Head……"
"I listen to you. I'll beat you however you want..."
Huang Qi hasn't fought with Li Yunlong yet, but he has heard of Li Yunlong's magical fighting methods.
Deng Jingye is also a person with a proud personality and does not give in easily.
Seeing him staring at Li Yunlong eagerly shows that he is convinced of Li Yunlong.
A person who can be so admired by Deng Jingye can't be any worse.
Then he looked at Li Yunlong with an expectant expression.
"How many artillery pieces do we have left?" Li Yunlong asked a question that Huang Qi thought was a bit irrelevant.
"Three infantry guns, six mountain guns, 24 mortars..." Deng Jingye said in detail.
"Where's the flying thunder cannon?" Li Yunlong continued to ask.
"That's a good thing. It's very powerful. It explodes into a large area."
"If we can hit the city head, we can blow up a thirty-meter-long no-man's land at worst."
Deng Jingye immediately replied: "The two regiments are equipped with twelve guns each, a total of twenty-four guns, and one hundred and twenty explosive bags."
"Yesterday we were too far away from the city. The flying thunder cannons did not participate in the battle. They were all intact."
"Then let them be the protagonists tonight." Li Yunlong said decisively, and a specific battle plan came into his mind.
Before Deng Jingye could speak again, he ordered: "Gather two infantry cannons, four mountain cannons, and fifteen mortars to blast the east gate."
"Deng Jingye, you are in charge. I will give you three hundred men. We must form a regiment."
"Let Neji Okamura mistakenly think that the east gate is our main attack direction."
"The extra nine mortars were divided into three, leaving three city gates for the sheep attack."
"Let Neji Okamura further confirm our main attack direction."
"The city-wide garrison will take all the thunder cannons and two mountain cannons to the west gate, and we will advance into Baoding from there."
"Remember to bring all the 120 explosive packs. Whether the troops can severely damage the Baoding garrison and hurt Neji Okamura, I hope it all depends on them."
…………
"Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
The mountain cannon shells hit the top of the city with a piercing scream, fire splashed, rocks flew everywhere, and the two battlements seemed to have been blown apart.
Several Japanese and puppet troops hiding behind the battlements were blown away at the same time.
It hit the ground outside the city like a toy.
"Boom boom boom..."
A series of denser explosions followed at the top of the city. They were shells fired by mortars.
After a while, the east wall of the city was covered by artillery fire.
More than a hundred Eighth Route Army soldiers slowly moved toward the city.
When they were still more than 200 meters away, the light and heavy machine guns set up by the Japanese and puppet troops on the top of the city began to fire. Bullets flew out of the city wall like a free rain, apparently they had been discovered.
A dozen soldiers were shot and fell to the ground in an instant. The other soldiers quickly got down and started to fight back with their machine guns.
While the Japanese and puppet troops gathered at the top of the city, the artillery shells fired by the Eighth Route Army at the top of the city became significantly denser.
There were fires rising into the sky and thick smoke rising everywhere.
From time to time, you can see several Japanese and puppet troops being blown away by artillery shells.
Five minutes later, more than a hundred Eighth Route Army troops appeared outside the city.
A total of more than two hundred soldiers formed two skirmishing lines and quickly rushed towards the city gate.
Many soldiers held explosive packs in their arms, as if they were blasting the city gates.
Six heavy machine guns mounted three hundred meters away also joined the battle at this moment, and all the bullets hit the battlements near the city gate.
The powerful offensive firepower was definitely something the Japanese and puppet troops had not encountered yesterday.
"Bageya Road, the Eighth Route Army wants to blow up the city gate..."
The Japanese captain made a judgment as soon as he saw the Eighth Route Army's offensive posture outside the city.
"All light and heavy machine guns opened fire to block their attacking troops..."
"Contact the headquarters immediately and report to the Commander that we have been attacked by the Eighth Route Army..."
"They want to rush into Baoding from the east of the city. The troops stationed at the city head suffered heavy casualties. They are asking for support..."
…………
At the Japanese Army Brigade Headquarters in Baoding, the phones rang one after another.
As soon as the operator put down the phone, a new call came in and he had to pick up the phone again.
"Your Excellency Commander..."
The deputy chief of staff rushed over to report.
"All four city gates of Baoding were attacked, and the east part of the city was heavily attacked by the Eighth Route Army."
"Two infantry guns, four mountain guns, and more than ten mortars participated in the battle."
"The main attack force must have at least one battalion."
"The garrison in the east of the city has lost more than 200 people and is short of troops. We hope that the command will send reinforcements immediately."
"The other three city gates were only attacked by three mortars, and the main attacking force did not exceed one company..."
Okamura Neji strode to the sand table.
The Eighth Route Army's troop strength and firepower configuration are all marked on it, which is clearly visible at a glance.
Analyze while watching: "The Eighth Route Army that attacked Baoding only has more than 20 artillery pieces left."
"The number of artillery pieces that appeared on the battlefield is similar to what we judged."
"It means our opponents have tried their best and did not hide their strength."
"The east side of the city is their main attack direction tonight."
"Order……"
"To the west of the city, to the south of the city, and to the north of the city, each will dispatch 150 people to reinforce the east of the city and block the Eighth Route Army's offensive at all costs."
The deputy chief of staff hesitated and reminded: "Commander, think twice..."
"As soon as the reinforcements leave."
"The city defense garrisons in other directions of Baoding will be sharply reduced to less than 300 people..."
"In case this is the Eighth Route Army's plan to attack the east and attack the west, they will be fooled by this deployment of troops."
"The humble post recommends dispatching mobile troops to reinforce the east side of the city."
"The city defense garrisons in other directions will remain stationary."
Okamura Neji shook his head and refused: "No..."
"The mobile force is the last force under the command's control and must not be mobilized except as a last resort."
“The possibility of seizing the opportunity to attack the west is very low.”
"The Eighth Route Artillery has all participated in the battle. As long as they keep an eye on the artillery units in the east of the city, they won't have enough artillery support even if they want to attack from the east."
"Not to mention the infantry."
"We fought all night yesterday, and the Eighth Route Army's participating troops only had a thousand soldiers."
"I want to have a reinforced battalion of five to six hundred people in the east of the city, and one company of troops in each of the other three directions. The total adds up to exactly one thousand people."
"There is no artillery and no infantry to cooperate with the attack."
"Even if there are only more than a hundred people defending the other three city gates in Baoding, the Eighth Route Army will never be able to capture them."
"Ten thousand steps back."
"If the Eighth Route Army outside the city is really attacking in the east and in the west."
"The mobile troops we have are not vegetarian either."
"They march forward in a hurry and can reach any city gate in twenty minutes at most."
"Do you think it is possible for the Eighth Route Army to capture a city gate in such a short time?"
The deputy chief of staff quickly shook his head.
The fortifications of Baoding City are very strong. Even if there are only more than 300 people defending the city, ordinary troops cannot take it down.
Seeing that the commander had considered all the issues that needed to be considered, he stopped talking nonsense.
…………
Behind a mound more than 500 meters west of the city, Li Yunlong was staring at the city head anxiously.
The siege battle had been going on for nearly ten minutes. It stands to reason that Okamura Neiji had already figured out that the east of the city was the main direction of attack, and mobilized troops from other directions to reinforce the east of the city. As a result, the Japanese and puppet troops in front of him showed no signs of mobilization.
"Did Neji Okamura see through my plan..." Li Yunlong said to himself.
At the same time, his brows furrowed into a big "Sichuan" character and he shook his head.
"It shouldn't be..."
"Except for the thunder cannons, I used all the artillery available to the troops."
"That old devil Okamura Neji is not a god, so there is no way he could have guessed my plan."
"hold on……"
