When the Japanese army attacked Chenjiazhuang, Lieutenant General Sakuragi regretted it as soon as he read the telegram sent by Okamura Neji.
He just made the mistake of underestimating the enemy again.
He believed that the Chenjiazhuang Eighth Route Army only had more than a hundred remnants left, and its strength was limited. No matter how strong its combat effectiveness was, it could not threaten the safety of the attacking troops.
As a result, they actually used street fighting to defeat many with less. Not only did they successfully defend Chenjiazhuang, they also defeated the attacking troops and retreated from the battlefield in disgrace.
It's so embarrassing.
In order to save face, the artillery fire coverage that was originally planned to last for ten minutes was unexpectedly extended to twenty minutes.
Everywhere within the field of vision are flames rising into the sky, thick smoke, blown soil, logs...
"Boom..." A heavy artillery shell hit a house in the village.
The fire splashed, and the two-meter-high earthen wall was torn to pieces like a paper lake toy in an instant. The thatched roof was overturned at the same time, and was quickly ignited by the flames and turned into a raging fire.
In the blink of an eye, all that was left of the house were broken walls more than one meter high on four sides and burning beams on the ground.
"Boom boom..."
Two field artillery shells hit the ruins at the same time.
Two of the broken walls were blown to pieces on the spot and turned into a pile of dirt...
Seeing this scene, Lieutenant General Sakuragi's face full of regret finally became relaxed.
The houses in Chenjiazhuang were destroyed bit by bit. Without the houses as bunkers, the Eighth Route Army could not fight street battles with the attacking troops.
If the two sides faced each other head-on, the few remaining soldiers in Chenjiazhuang would not be enough to fill the gap between the two squadrons under his command.
Little did they know that the Eighth Route Army's street fighting methods had long been upgraded.
Unless the Japanese really razed Chenjiazhuang to the ground.
As long as the ruins and broken walls of the houses destroyed by the Japanese army remained, and there were tunnel entrances and exits everywhere, the Yizhong Eighth Route Army could still fight an elusive street battle with them.
It doesn't matter if you have a house or not.
Lieutenant General Sakuragi didn't know this, and subconsciously believed that the next attack by the troops would definitely capture Chenjiazhuang.
Just as he was waiting expectantly for the bombardment to end, the communications staff officer appeared in front of him again.
"Division Commander, there is an urgent call from the former enemy headquarters..."
"Aerial reconnaissance report shows that there are a lot of signs of Eighth Route Army activities around us. The strength of the troops is unknown, the organization is unknown, and the equipment is unknown..."
"Your Excellency, the Commander, has judged that the Eighth Route Army in Yizhong wants to use Chenjiazhuang as bait to fight a battle of annihilation here."
"We are the ones they want to annihilate."
"We are required to seize Chenjiazhuang immediately and wait for help."
"At the same time, find out the strength and equipment of the surrounding Eighth Route Army and report it to the former enemy headquarters immediately."
"The mopping up troops from the left and right have accelerated their assault. They will reach Chenjiazhuang to join us in the shortest possible time and cooperate with us to eliminate all the Eighth Route Army gathered in Chenjiazhuang."
Lieutenant General Sakuragi thought he had heard wrongly, so he grabbed the telegram and read it twice before he believed what he heard. Then a look of realization appeared on his face.
"First consume a large amount of our army's strength through offensive and defensive battles, then further consume us through street fighting, and finally gather the main force to besiege us. The Eighth Route Army in the Wing has a good plan."
"What are you still doing here, waiting to die?"
"We are almost a piece of meat on the chopping block of the Eighth Route Army, and you are not in a hurry."
"Send all our scouts out immediately, find out the strength and equipment of the surrounding Eighth Route Army immediately, and report any news to me immediately."
"Add two more squadrons to the offensive force."
"The next round of attack must capture Chenjiazhuang, otherwise there will be no need for the captain to survive."
"Tell the attacking troops that I don't care whether they attack by force or use poison. I must end the battle within half an hour."
…………
When Lieutenant General Sakuragi, the Japanese division commander, was regretful and anxious, Huang Yu, who was a few kilometers away, smiled.
He didn't expect the Third Battalion of the Duer Regiment to be so powerful.
In order to continue to confuse the Japanese, Sakuragi believed that there were only more than a hundred remaining soldiers in Chenjiazhuang without any other reinforcements.
He actually defeated an infantry brigade of the Japanese army with a company of troops, and killed more than two squadrons and nearly 500 little Japanese.
As a result, when the decisive battle between the two sides comes, the Kwantung Army will be short of 500 troops.
"Xiao Huang, it seems that the Japanese army has added more troops to the offensive force, and half of the infantry brigade has become a full infantry brigade." Chief of Staff Liu Sen suddenly said while holding up his binoculars.
Huang Yu immediately raised his telescope and looked towards the entrance of Chenjiazhuang Village.
The number of Japs there has indeed increased a lot, and the total strength once again exceeded 1,000.
A pair of eyes became hot on the spot, and he said excitedly: "The growth is great..."
"The more troops the Kwantung Army can seize Chenjiazhuang, the less pressure we will face in a decisive battle in the future."
"Send the order to the third battalion..."
"Don't leave troops behind for this next street fight."
"The latent troops have been dispatched. The Kwantung Army will soon understand that they have been fooled. There is no point in continuing to hide their strength."
"All three main companies join the battle and try to kill three more infantry squadrons for me."
"But no matter what the result is, Chenjiazhuang cannot be lost."
"There are ready-made defenses there. If they are occupied by the Japanese, it will be exponentially more difficult for us to encircle and annihilate them."
…………
The Japanese army was attacking the position. Listening to the constant sound of firefights coming from Chenjiazhuang, the chief of staff's already frowning frown deepened than before.
Two minutes later, he suddenly said to Lieutenant General Sakuragi: "Division Commander, something is wrong."
"The firefight in the village was too intense. There were fighting everywhere. There must be more than a hundred Eighth Route Army troops participating in the battle..."
Lieutenant General Sakuragi looked very ugly.
Judging the battle situation by the sound of gunfire is a quality that a commander must possess.
If you can't hear this problem, don't take the position of division commander under Lieutenant General Sakuragi.
Analysis with a calm face: "The enemy has at least one battalion, equipped with a large number of light machine guns..."
"Investigation shows that there are only two battalions of the Eighth Route Army in Chenjiazhuang. They were severely damaged by us before, and there are only more than a hundred remnants left."
"Now another main camp has appeared."
"It means that there are communication channels between Chenjiazhuang and the outside world that we don't know about..."
At this point, Lieutenant General Sakuragi and the Chief of Staff reacted at the same time: "It's authentic..."
“The Eighth Route Army’s tunnels were not only dug inside the village, they also dug tunnels outside the village.”
"Reinforce Chenjiazhuang through tunnels."
"In this case, it is impossible for us to completely wipe out the Chenjiazhuang garrison unless we destroy all the tunnel fortifications in Chenjiazhuang during the battle."
The chief of staff then answered: "The Eighth Route Army has troops to reinforce Chenjiazhuang. The main force of the Eighth Route Army operating around Chenjiazhuang must be real. Your Excellency the Commander's judgment is also true. The Eighth Route Army really wants to use Chenjiazhuang as a bait to consume a large number of our troops and then gather together again." Annihilate it..."
"Division Commander..."
"Based on the analysis of the battle situation, it is difficult for us to capture Chenjiazhuang in a short time. The Eighth Route Army surrounding us may launch an attack at any time. If we have not occupied Chenjiazhuang when they attack, it will be dangerous."
