The unexpected support misled the Japs in the direction of their pursuit. Although the soldiers of the special agent company were on tenterhooks for a whole day, they did not encounter any pursuers.
At 3:20 in the morning, in a mountain forest in Shanxi Province, Zheng Yingqi and Li Yunlong woke everyone up.
"The rest time is over, it's time for us to set off. Although I don't know why the Japs haven't caught up yet, but something must have misled them."
"Everyone, hold on, we will reach the base area's influence in one more day."
"At that time, we can find ways to contact the headquarters, and we can breathe a sigh of relief!"
"Check the equipment and set off in five minutes. If anyone has any health problems, please bring a translator to see a doctor. There is no shortage of medicine now."
In Jin Province in March, the night lasts for an average of eleven and a half hours, and most of the time the sun slowly rises at seven o'clock.
After completing the inspection, everyone set off under the moonlight to start a new day's march.
After experiencing two battles in one day and marching for such a long time, everyone was exhausted.
Just two hours of rest failed to restore much physical strength to the soldiers of the special agent company, and even Zheng Yingqi's speed slowed down a lot.
Although it only took them two days to arrive at the hospital, things were different now.
The soldiers not only brought medicines, but also doctors who were not very athletic.
It will take at least two days for everyone to evacuate to a safe place.
However, as long as he enters the radiation range of the base area, Zheng Yingqi can send any soldier to contact the local underground workers.
At that time, the headquarters that receives the signal can send troops to respond.
But no one expected that after the attack on the hospital, the Japanese army would react so strongly and send a large number of troops to search.
Twenty-eight hours had passed since the attack on the hospital.
The heavy snow that had fallen for two days finally stopped, and the long-lost sunshine shone into Taiy City.
What is different from the past is that Japanese cavalry can be seen everywhere in the city, and police teams that are not very common on weekdays are also patrolling the streets.
This made the already tense atmosphere even more chilling.
Although the First Army deliberately concealed the truth, the news spread.
"Does anyone know what happened?"
"I heard that the Japanese hospital was bombed by the Eighth Route Army, and they are very anxious now. My nephew does business in several nearby counties, and he heard that the Japanese are arresting people everywhere!"
Although this is an enemy-occupied area, and you may be arrested by the military police for talking nonsense, it is difficult not to talk about such exciting things.
"Well done. These little naughty little devils have suffered such a big loss. I don't know what's going on with the Eighth Route Army now."
The common people who were discussing saw the Japanese cavalry approaching on horseback in the distance, and they immediately dispersed.
In the largest restaurant in the city, the luxuriously dressed boss looked at the busy Japs around him and frowned.
At this time, there was a sudden shout from the side door. The boss looked around and saw a farmer carrying a pole to sell millet.
The clerk in the store skillfully took out the money from his pocket and walked out calmly. This seemed like a normal purchase.
There was no one around, so the man opened the linen cloth and looked at the millet in the basket. He was very satisfied, patted the dirt on his hands and whispered:
"Has the message been sent out?"
"Well, there are Japs stationed on all sides now, and our people were almost caught."
"Don't contact me these days, it's very dangerous."
There was no unnecessary communication between the two of them. The farmer carried his pole and left with the money.
Hidden away in the city, the boss here was developed into an informant of the Eighth Route Army more than a year ago.
Restaurants that need to purchase fresh ingredients every day can come into contact with people from all walks of life, which is very convenient for workers behind enemy lines to carry out their work.
This restaurant is often visited by Japanese people, and not all Japanese are very strict. Some people can reveal more or less information when they are drunk.
The accumulated information provided a lot of help to the Eighth Route Army.
Under such a huge battle, it is impossible for underground workers in various cities to remain indifferent. They have used their own methods to send warnings and intelligence to the outside world.
Although it was very difficult, some comrades even died. However, the information changed hands several times and was still sent to the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.
In the combat conference room, the deputy commander-in-chief, deputy general staff officer and the commander of the 129th Division led a group of staff gathered here. On the wall is a map of Jin Province and Suiyuan, which shows the distribution of the Japanese defenses.
The vice president took the intelligence that had just been transmitted and tapped his fingers on the table in front of him from time to time.
"It seems that Zheng Yingqi and the others have successfully completed their mission. Please share your thoughts on how to handle the special agent company."
Although a plan had been made before departure, the plan failed to keep up with the changes, and the Japanese's reaction far exceeded original expectations.
The headquarters' previous arrangement was to concentrate three to four regiments of troops to take the initiative.
Choose a county town with weak defenses to feign an attack, attract the attention of the Japanese and ask them to support them, and use one move to divert the tiger away from the mountain.
But now it seems that the Japanese are a bit unrelenting, and just pretending to attack a county is not enough.
The deputy general staff member thought for a while, then picked up the pencil on the table and drew a circle on the map.
"Since one county town is not enough, then put the target on the turrets in this area!"
"There's no need to really fight, just let them ask for help. I don't believe the pressure is so great. With so many gun towers being attacked at the same time, the Japanese can't panic or return to defense."
"We are not short of bullets for the time being. The logistics department is producing so many bullets that are not used to produce cubs. Give me the momentum of a general attack! It's not like we have gone through hard times!"
"After that boy Huang He gets the production line, he will have to change his clothes sooner or later!"
At this time, the headquarters is in a difficult situation, but at this point, it can only choose a plan with the least loss.
After the combat plan was finalized, it was quickly communicated to troops at all levels.
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At the same time, the special agent company encountered the biggest crisis of the trip.
More than a day passed, but the First Army had gained nothing.
North China Front Commander Shun Tada called several times to inquire about Yoshio Shinozuka. He was very dissatisfied with the current progress.
After the original search direction yielded no results, Yoshio Shinozuka, an old Japanese soldier, determined that he had fallen into the trap of the Eighth Route Army.
The weather happened to be clear, so he immediately dispatched reconnaissance planes and fighter jets.
The anxious old Japanese even took out old antiques like Type 95 fighter jets from the warehouse.
"We're in big trouble."
"What the hell is going on with the weather? It was snowing heavily yesterday, why did it stop today? The sun is still so bright."
At three o'clock in the afternoon, in the mountain forest where the special agent company was resting, Dai Yu, who was responsible for reconnaissance and exploration, frowned tightly.
Although the enemy did not catch up, the Japanese planes could be dispatched after the weather cleared.
As an experienced scout, he knew what it meant for troops with no air defense to encounter aircraft in the wild.
