Zhu Si suddenly understood what Mi Longtao meant: he wanted to pursue the bandits and catch them all in one fell swoop.
However, the troops assembled in Xugang are actually quite small. Not only do they have no advantage in strength, they also have no advantage in weapons.
His face turned a little pale, and he stammered: "Well, should we ask Yunan County to also dispatch troops to cooperate with us..."
"I have sent people to deliver the message, but this time, they can only do some finishing work when they arrive - but that's okay," Mi Longtao said, "This time the enemy appeared in large numbers. , just in time for a general suppression campaign." He pointed on the map with one hand, "Although the enemy has escaped, there are actually not many roads they can take in this area. Before entering Xugang, I have sent out a detective team and scouts to search Their whereabouts..."
While he was talking, suddenly a messenger came over in a hurry and said a few words in his ear. Mi Longtao perked up and asked, "Where is he?"
"In Shenming Pavilion, it is said that he ran away and was injured!"
"Okay, go over and take a look immediately." Mi Longtao stood up and said to them, "Some villagers came over just now to report that a large group of bandits had arrived in their village and were resting. Let's go and take a look at the situation."
"yes!"
Mi Longtao had some difficulty pointing at the map because of an injured arm. Zhu Si quickly helped him put the map away.
When the group arrived at Shenming Pavilion, a large group of villagers had gathered outside. They all stood on tiptoes to look inside. Tuanyong from the village stopped the people outside. When they saw a few of them approaching, they quickly cleared a road. .
In the Shenming Pavilion, several soldiers and guards were guarding a thin, dark man. The man was slumped on a bench. The health soldiers were busy bandaging the man next to him. Several elders from the village were looking around in the yard.
"This is the man who just ran all the way here and fainted before entering the door. Tuan Yong carried him in." The sergeant present reported, "He was hit by an arrow, and the medical soldiers are bandaging him."
"Is the person awake?"
"Sober," the sergeant said. "We searched his body and found no weapons."
Mi Longtao nodded: "Bring him here, I have something to ask him."
After a brief interrogation, I learned that the man came from a small village called "Liwei". About half an hour ago (within two meals), a group of bandits rushed into their village, detained all the people in the village, and forced the village women to make After dinner, rest the team.
"...all the people in the village were detained in the ancestral hall. When I was escaping, I was shot with an arrow and passed out. The bandits escaped because they thought they were dead..."
Mi Longtao didn't say anything. He whispered a few words to the captain of the Fengkai County Detective Team next to him, and then asked, "How many bandits are there?"
"I was running so fast that I didn't see clearly. There were about two hundred people."
Mi Longtao motioned to help the person out. He called the local villagers for questioning, opened the map and pointed for a while. Neither Zhu Si nor Li Dong dared to step forward and interrupt.
"Come and see," Mi Longtao greeted, and they quickly gathered around.
"I just asked the locals about this village. Liwei is a small village, about 2.5 kilometers away from here. There are only about 20 households in the village. A few days ago, the residents dispersed and fled to the surrounding large villages with tuanlianzhai walls. There are only some old, weak, sick and disabled people left in the village who are unwilling or unable to leave."
"Is the messenger reliable?" Zhu Si asked.
"That's a good question." Mi Longtao nodded approvingly, "There are some people who have taken refuge in Liwei in Xugang. This person is indeed a native of Liwei. He is also an ordinary villager, not a cunning person."
"The news is true."
"Yes, this group of enemies should be part of the bandits who besieged Xu Gang and took the opportunity to ambush us." Mi Longtao said, "I decided to eat them! What do you think?"
Since Mi Longtao said this, Zhu Si and Li Dong naturally had no choice but to obey.
"Immediately send a few people to conduct reconnaissance near Liwei!" Mi Longtao gave the order, "Interview a few more people in Liwei to understand the specific situation in the area!"
Soon, a lot of information was obtained from the local people in Liwei, and the trainee warrant officer who asked the question also drew a sketch.
From the map, Liwei is a small basin among hills, surrounded by low hills, with only a lower gap in the north. However, this map is really simple. There are no marks such as contour lines, and it can only be regarded as a rough schematic diagram.
"According to the locals, the hills are not high, mostly no more than ten meters, and the slope is gentle, so they are not a big geographical obstacle. Fruit trees are planted on the hills, with a small number of other trees. The surrounding terrain is similar: large areas The plains are dotted with large and small hills. The open spaces between the hills are mostly filled with paddy fields, ponds, canals and rivers. Judging from the topography alone, the villages are very well hidden, which is why some villagers are unwilling to leave for refuge."
"To be honest, if the enemy is determined to hold on, it will be difficult for us to attack." Li Dong said.
Although the village itself is not dangerous and cannot be defended, the surrounding paddy fields and wetlands are actually conducive to defense. The offensive troops can only launch attacks from the only road into the village and several field ridges, and it will be difficult to deploy no matter how many troops they have. Moreover, the firepower advantage of Fubo Army is also difficult to develop.
"You are right." Mi Longtao agreed with his judgment, "But although it is not easy for us to attack, it is also difficult for the enemy to escape."
In this kind of terrain, if the defenders want to escape, there is only one route they can take.
"As long as we force the enemy out of the village, it will be easier to fight." Mi Longtao looked at the sky and asked, "Is the Yunan County team here?"
"not yet!"
"The movement is too slow." He said to Zhu Si with a dissatisfied expression on his face, "I want to borrow the mountain pomegranates on your ship."
"No problem. The guns and ammunition are all in place and can be used at any time." Zhu Si nodded repeatedly. He probably knew Mi Longtao's intention: he was probably planning to gather all the ship's artillery to blast Liwei, and then use A charge forced the enemy from the village. Volleyed midway.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon, the scouts who went to Liwei came back.
"...The village is defended by about two hundred soldiers. The main defense is at the entrance of the village. They have placed firearms on the surrounding hills, including wooden cannons and various firearms. The security is very tight, and we cannot get close to conduct reconnaissance," The scout pointed on the marked map, "But the enemy has not built any fortifications. It seems that they are ready to escape at any time."
"You have all heard that the enemy's situation is not complicated." Milongtao said, "I estimate that the enemy is hiding locally and preparing to escape after dark. Without further ado, let's set off now."
The task given to the Wuzhou Integrated Squadron was to attack Liwei from the front, while Mi Longtao's team ambushed the enemy's escape route to intercept the defeated army.
"That's it, no problem, right?" This plan fully took into account the equipment combat effectiveness level of each unit and the enemy's situation. The enemy lacks fighting spirit, and the Kuomintang army has artillery support, so the attack will not encounter much resistance; in contrast, the enemy who fled from the village will have to fight a "trapped beast", and it will be left to the Fubo Army and Shandi A relatively elite team like the Zhan Squadron came to intercept.
However, for Zhu Si, whether it was to storm the village or intercept him halfway, it was not a good job. The integrated squadron is not only poorly equipped but also poorly trained. Nine times out of ten it will be a hard fight. However, he did not dare to show his cowardice at all, but instead expressed his "resolute completion of all tasks."
"I asked the regiment members in Xu Gang to send some people to cooperate with your actions," Mi Longtao said, "and make the noise as loud as possible."
"It's at least a mile from here to the entrance of the village." Zhu Si stood on a hill and looked through a telescope.
The entire Wuzhou Integrated Squadron, plus three mountain howitzers and about a hundred men from Xugang, are now concentrated in the woods on this small hill.
Li Dong said nothing and looked through the telescope. Apart from the randomly stacked furniture and sundries used as a barrier at the entrance of the village, there were no decent fortifications. He could only see a few disheveled bandits wandering behind the barrier.
However, on the hills on both sides of the village entrance, enemies could be vaguely seen moving in the woods, and even their wooden cannons and firecrackers set up in the grass could be seen.
"...There are enemies ambushing on the hills on both sides." He reminded Zhu Si.
"I can see it." Zhu Si said angrily, "There are small cannons and muskets, and everything is really complete. If we really have to line up to go up, at least half of us will be killed or injured if we fight in this row!"
Li Dong felt a little nervous, and he understood Zhu Si's thoughts. There is really no way to let the integrated squadron do this kind of offensive mission. In the past, he was just a soldier in the Fubo Army. He just carried out his orders and there was no room for negotiation. And now he is an officer of the National Army. Although his status is inferior, there are more than a hundred brothers' lives behind him. After a battle, there will be dead bodies everywhere, and he will not be able to get over it if his superiors do not hold him accountable.
How should we fight? He thought about it secretly and continued to observe with the telescope. He found that the enemy's firepower on the hills was mainly close to the entrance of the village, and there were no firearms arrangements in other places.
"Captain, our men are not strong enough, and a frontal attack may not be able to withstand a round of artillery fire. I think it is better for me to split the attack and attack all the way to distract the enemy's attention. I will lead the way back to the flank to touch..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhu Si scolded, "A roundabout way! There are paddy fields here that can't be pulled out with your pins, or they are ditches. Before you can crawl out of the mud with your people, there are not many people in the village. Bandits!"
"Just let the soldiers go barefoot. There are many local soldiers in the squadron, many of whom are from paddy fields. They can handle it." Li Dong said, "I can lead the team to sneak over first and wait for the signal from Lieutenant Mi. As soon as the rocket is launched, we will launch two routes at the same time..."
