Yoshio Shinozuka did not expect that the strategic vision of this little bandit was even grander than that of the commander-in-chief of the First North China Army of the China Expeditionary Force. He wanted to completely drive the Japanese out of China, and then take advantage of the victory to pursue them to the Japanese mainland. Japan was incorporated into China's territory and became a province of China...
Xie Tian was mostly joking when he said this, but when he has a million-strong army in hand, this joke is likely to come true!
The area around Zhangzhuang, which is a hundred miles away, is already bustling with activity, but Zhangzhuang is so calm that it makes people palpitate.
Zhangzhuang Town, a town with thousands of people, now has no common people in sight, and Watanabe's ambitions always feel a little unsteady.
Watanabe has become accustomed to doing whatever he wants on Chinese soil. Now he can no longer see the Chinese people who refuse to fight back or retaliate. Instead, he feels that danger is everywhere, as if he is now in a trap.
Watanabe Ye has received news that Pingyuan County has been captured by the 358th Regiment of the Jinsui Army. The two squadrons of Japanese troops and a squadron of puppet troops he brought to attack Zhangzhuang are now trapped in Zhangzhuang, and the railway line has been blown up. , with the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Sui Army in the north and the 386th Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army in the south, he had no way out.
Watanabe's only choice now is to stand still and wait for reinforcements. Yoshio Shinozuka also ordered him in the telegram and informed him that two regiments were setting off from Sanin to reinforce Zhangzhuangzhong.
This was the news at noon. It was already dusk now. Logically speaking, the leading troops of the two regiments coming from the direction of Sanin should have arrived.
However, Watanabe, who was looking forward to it, did not see any troops coming from the direction of Sanin. The scouts sent out followed the main road to inquire for 20 miles in the direction of Sanin but did not bring back any news.
As the sun slowly set, Watanabe became a little anxious. He knew that the Eighth Route Army's best fighting method was night fighting. Maybe this place would not become a battlefield once it got dark.
Based on the information obtained by Watanabe, they all believed that Zhangzhuang was attacked by Li Yunlong of the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army. He captured Zhangzhuang, plundered the supplies and ran away without being sure of the complete occupation. This was exactly the style of Li Yunlong's army.
But the strange thing is that even the people in Zhangzhuang ran away with Li Yunlong. Do these people not even want their homes?
The darker the sky, the more anxious Watanabe became. The whole day, he ordered the soldiers to seize the time to strengthen the peripheral fortifications. He even made preparations for street battles with the Eighth Route Army in Zhangzhuang at night, and built fortifications at several key intersections. , and also blew up some civilian houses that might be used by the enemy.
The peripheral fortifications are basically reinforced on the basis of the original Zhangzhuang southeast and northwest blockhouses. The peripheral blockhouses were the key locations selected when they were first built. Although they have been blown up now, most of the fortifications can still be used after a rest, especially They are several permanent bunkers.
At the North Fort, after inspecting the fortifications repaired by his men, Watanabe went straight to the dry well where wisps of smoke were still coming out. He took off his military hat and bowed in silence at the mouth of the well.
The guards around Watanabe and the Japanese troops stationed in the North Fortress stood behind Watanabe and followed him in silence. They knew that more than a dozen Japanese soldiers were buried in this dry well. After a day of fire, even the ashes were probably gone. collected.
It's just that the puppet soldiers were a little reluctant, but they had to follow the silence, and they just cursed in their hearts while mourning.
The puppet soldiers only have this ability, they can call their father to their faces and curse their mothers behind their backs.
Watanabe held a moment of silence for three full minutes, then turned around and gave instructions to the Japanese squad leader stationed in the North Tower.
It was already dark at this time, and the reinforcements had not arrived yet, but Yoshio Shinozuka ordered the Army Aviation Brigade to airdrop a batch of supplies to him, and before evening, they airdropped five heavy machine guns, ten grenades and ammunition to him. This made him feel more at ease, but he knew that he would definitely not be able to count on reinforcements tonight.
The dark night was the main battlefield of the Eighth Route Army, and there was nothing Watanabe could do if he was ambitious.
There is no way back to Pingyuan County, so he can only wait for help now.
Watanabe ordered his men to set fire to some houses. Only a fire that stayed up all night would make him and the soldiers feel safe.
Looking at the hunting fires emitted by the burning houses in the night, Watanabe calmed down a little bit in his ambition. He inspected various fortifications again, and then took his personal entourage back to the stronghold next to the train station that had been bombed into ruins.
Although most of the houses in the large stronghold have been destroyed, there are always a few surviving houses. This is located in the center of Zhangzhuang Town, which is convenient for him to sit and command. He still arranged his brigade headquarters in this ruins.
Even if Watanabe thought hard, he could not imagine that the enemy he wanted to guard against did not come from the outside, but was at his feet. He was currently sitting on the tips of more than a thousand knives that had been sharpened.
After hearing the news reported back from various observation posts, Xie Tian and others couldn't help laughing.
The little devil commander above him is so damn considerate. He has arranged almost all his troops at the original sites of the four outer gun towers. When dispatching troops and setting up formations, he also has the guns pointed at the outside. I'm afraid he never dreamed of shooting at them when the time comes. The bullet will come from behind.
Qin Fen planted the last plaster flag of Little Japan on the sand table, raised his head and looked at Xie Tian with a smile: "Captain, the little devil is getting ready for dinner, shouldn't we have something to eat too?"
Xie Tian, who was sitting on the chair next to the sand table, stared: "I still think about eating, but I'm eating shit."
Now Xie Tian had to sit and command. The wound was inflamed and half of his buttocks was swollen. In this case, lying on the kang to rest was the best choice, but there were so many Japanese and puppet troops above his head that he couldn't lie down. ah.
Qin Fen was stunned by Xie Tian's scolding and felt a little embarrassed.
Wu Wenhua and others were also confused, and they didn't know why Xie Tian, who was doing well, got angry.
Xie Tian saw Qin Fen and others' expressions were stunned for a moment, then he laughed and waved his hands: "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the little devils. The time when the little devils are most relaxed is when they are eating. Wait until they have finished eating and have strength. I’m afraid it’s time to keep your eyes peeled to guard against enemy sneak attacks, even if we wait until the middle of the night, the little devil’s defense will not let up.”
Qin Fen's eyes lit up: "What do you mean, captain, to attack the little devils while they are eating?"
Xie Tian laughed and said, "Tell the soldiers that the little Japs have already prepared the food for us. It's not polite to come or go. If they treat us to braised pork, we treat them to bullets. Pass my order and each company and platoon will prepare it." Prepare for attack."
Xie Tian raised his wrist and looked at his watch and ordered: "In half an hour, we will attack across the entire front. I still don't believe it. If two guns hit one Japanese enemy, they still have a chance to fight back."
Qin Fen, Wu Wenhua and others stood at attention excitedly: "Yes, we will attack across the board in half an hour."
