Shaozuo didn't want to let go of this opportunity to win his first victory, so he bit the bullet and retorted: "Chief of Staff..."
"The humble position has a different opinion."
"The Eighth Route Army in Yizhong indeed has the experience of severely damaging a brigade of our army."
"But this battle happened before they attacked Baoding."
"At that time, our army was sweeping the Yi Zhong base area. The Eighth Route Army had not suffered any blows and was very powerful."
"We cannot go back to the past. Although we lost that big sweep, the Eighth Route Army in Yi Zhong also paid a huge price."
"Although the troops have been restored to full strength through recruitment of new soldiers, their overall combat effectiveness has not been restored."
"Now that we have captured Baoding, we have lost several thousand more people, and our overall strength is even weaker."
"We absolutely cannot defeat a light infantry regiment of our army. Please allow your permission, brigade commander." Major General Nakamura was moved for a moment, but he quickly regained his senses and shook his head in refusal.
"The analysis you just made was all based on your own judgment and has no real evidence."
"We represent the face of the Kwantung Army. We can only win this next battle, not lose."
"The troops cannot take any risks."
"I would rather go slower than let a full infantry regiment fall into crisis."
"Follow the advice of the Chief of Staff."
"All troops disembarked, and the troops gathered together to reinforce Baoding. No one could divide their troops without a military order from the brigade headquarters."... It is easy for infantry to dismount, but it is much more difficult for artillery, especially the heavy artillery brigade.
It took twenty minutes before more than 8,000 Kwantung troops began to march.
"Click, click, click...boom, bang, bang..." Less than ten minutes after advancing, the sound of firefights reached Major General Nakamura's ears.
Raising the telescope, several orange-red fireballs appeared at the front of the team, which looked particularly dazzling under the cover of night.
"Brigade commander..." The second lieutenant communications soldier ran over in a hurry.
"The forward troops encountered the Eighth Route Army blocking troops..."
"They will withdraw from the battle as soon as the reinforcements sent by the wing commander enter the battle."
"Because they don't understand the enemy's situation and the surrounding terrain, the reinforcements dare not pursue rashly."
"The forward troops lost nearly a squad in the raid just now."
"The troops continue to move forward..." Major General Nakamura gave the order directly without saying a word. Then he turned his attention to the chief of staff: "The Eighth Route Army's reinforcements have taken action, which shows that the Eighth Route Army in Yinzhong still needs a lot of time to transport the spoils of war in Baoding City."
"If we divide our forces to pursue them and stop temporarily, we will kill them."
"Only by continuing to move forward, regardless of the reinforcements, and reaching Baoding in the shortest time can we inflict maximum losses on the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong and prevent it from using the spoils to develop and grow."
"Ask Captain Yamaguchi to double the firepower of the forward troops."
"After being attacked again, directly repulse with firepower, cover the troops and continue to advance, so that the main force will not stop during future marches." The chief of staff had the same idea as Major General Nakamura. He did not raise any objections and accepted the order on the spot.
But he had another worry, and he hesitated for a while before reminding: "General..."
"What if the Yizhong Eighth Route Army abandons Baoding and gathers heavy troops to surround and annihilate us?"
"As far as I know, the Yizhong Eighth Route Army often does not follow common sense on the battlefield and strikes us unexpectedly."
"Impossible..." Major General Nakamura shook his head like a rattle, firmly rejecting it.
"There are two reasons."
"One: The Eighth Route Army in Yinzhong does not have the strength to encircle and annihilate us."
"Although they have the experience of severely damaging a brigade."
"But our strength is far greater than that of a mixed brigade."
"However, the Yizhong Eighth Route Army has become weaker and weaker in repeated battles."
"We have become stronger, and our opponents have become weaker. One is the other, and the other is ebbing. Unless the commander of the Eighth Route Army has his head smashed, he will definitely not issue such a Hutu order."
"Second: If the Yizhong Eighth Route Army really planned to encircle and annihilate us on the road, it would not send troops to stop us along the way."
"The more times they block attacks, the higher the vigilance of our army, and the lower the possibility of encountering an ambush." When the chief of staff thought about what was really going on, the worry on his face disappeared instantly, and he said with emotion: "General, you are wise. , I am overly concerned about my humble position."... In the next more than an hour, more than 8,000 Kwantung Army troops marched for 13 kilometers in the direction of Baoding without taking a break.
The gunfire that harassed them almost never stopped. The queue stretching for several kilometers contained at least two hundred stretchers and two hundred Japanese corpses.
Major General Nakamura rode a war horse in the middle of the team. Although he didn't have to walk by himself, he was still very tired after more than ten kilometers. After all, his age was there.
Looking at the surrounding soldiers, everyone was gasping for breath from exhaustion due to the heavy loads of weapons and ammunition. If the troops encounter the Yizhong Eighth Route Army at this time, they will definitely suffer a heavy physical loss.
As soon as his face sank, he asked the chief of staff: "How long do we have until we reach Baoding?"
"About nineteen kilometers, a forced march of about three hours." The chief of staff replied. Major General Nakamura continued: "Whether the Yizhong Eighth Route Army is still in Baoding or not, the troops cannot fight against them in a tired state."
"The order goes down: The troops continue to march forward for ten kilometers, rest for twenty minutes, and then march towards Baoding."
"If the Yizhong Eighth Route Army is still in Baoding, we don't need to repair and launch the attack directly without giving them any preparation time."
"If the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong has retreated, the troops will immediately seize Baoding and build a defense line based on the original city defenses to prevent them from counterattack." After the troops had traveled such a long way, no one wanted to rest.
Each and every one of the little devils seemed to have been pumped, their marching speed suddenly increased, and they all wanted to quickly finish the remaining ten kilometers.
Originally, the vigilance was quite high, and the team was heavily defended, so they could immediately counterattack if attacked. However, once the march speed accelerated, the entire defense became full of loopholes.
"Da da da... boom boom boom..." The familiar sound of firefights reached Major General Nakamura's ears again. Different from the previous ones, this time the exchange of fire never stopped from the beginning, but intensified.
The heavy machine guns and mortars involved in the battle increased in number, until the entire forward force was covered by artillery fire. There were billowing smoke everywhere within sight.
"General, there is an Eighth Route Army blocking position ahead, with at least one regiment, equipped with a large number of light and heavy machine guns and mortars. Our commander requests mountain artillery support." After a while, the messenger brought the latest battle report from the front to Major General Nakamura.
"One regiment of the Eighth Route Army?" Major General Nakamura did not expect this scene at all, and he asked with disbelief on his face.
"Are they crazy? We have more than eight thousand people, and we have heavy artillery to help us."
"With a regiment of troops attacking us head-on, aren't they afraid of being killed by us?"
"With the current combat effectiveness of our army, this regiment of the Eighth Route Army can hold on for at most half an hour."
"Using a regiment to buy half an hour for the main force of the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong to move. Is their commander stupid?" The chief of staff thought deeply, and then put forward his own idea: "General, is there a conspiracy here that we don't know about?" Major General Nakamura replied arrogantly: "No matter what conspiracy, it will become vulnerable in the face of absolute strength."
