At the same time, in De County, within the temporary headquarters of the Sixth War Zone.
Commander Feng, the commander of the Sixth War Zone, stared at the sand table in front of him and couldn't help but frowned and said: "It is said that when something goes wrong, there must be a monster! It is impossible for the little devil to stop attacking for no reason."
"And all the troops that they were about to advance to Bo Town also withdrew north to the Lion City?"
"Who can tell me what happened?"
A staff officer said quickly: "Sir, we have been inquiring about this situation in the past two days and found that the little Japs have been frequently moved to the west and northwest of the Lion City in recent times."
"And according to the latest news, several fierce battles have broken out in the area around here, but the specific situation has not been investigated clearly."
Chief Feng's frown deepened and he asked, "Do we still have the main force in the area around here that has not withdrawn south?"
The staff officer shook his head and said, "No more. Basically all our main troops have been withdrawn."
"After several previous battles, the various units of the 1st Group Army suffered heavy losses and were no longer able to resist the attack of the Japanese Isoya Division."
"All their main forces have been withdrawn, and there are no troops left to fight behind enemy lines to contain the enemy."
Chief Feng said with a puzzled look on his face: "That's strange. Since there is no main force of our army, what kind of song is the Isoya Division singing?"
The staff officer shook his head helplessly and said: "It's not clear yet, but I'm guessing that since it's not our main force, it might be a civilian anti-war force fighting the Japs."
After the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War, the enthusiasm for the Anti-Japanese War in various places increased, and many private anti-Japanese armed forces were established. Especially in enemy-occupied areas, people from all over the country spontaneously organized the anti-Japanese war.
In various parts of Hebei Province, there are indeed some armed groups such as militia groups that have participated in the war of resistance.
However, these armed forces have limited strength. Even the main force is no match for the little devils, let alone them, so the results achieved are quite limited.
Chief Feng waved his hand and said: "This is absolutely impossible. Our main force is no match for the Isoya Division. Can a group of civilian armed forces force the little devils to mobilize the entire division to deal with them?"
"Stop wishful thinking."
The staff officer said: "But other than that, I really can't think of any other possibilities."
"In addition to the troops of the First Group Army, some other troops of the Northeast Army and Zhongyang Army have limited strength, and they have all withdrawn south."
"The Lion City has been lost, even the Baocheng on the western front has been lost."
"In the area between Lion City and Baocheng, although there is currently no main force of the Japs occupying the major towns, there is no longer a main force of ours."
Chief Feng couldn't help but sigh and said: "The national crisis is facing us. We have reached a critical moment. Some people still want to preserve their strength. It is really disgusting."
"It is simply a shame that the troops retreated so quickly."
Commander Feng is very angry about the current war situation.
The little devil was unstoppable all the way.
His Sixth War Zone is responsible for the operations along the Jinpu Railway. The troops under his command are mainly the First Army, some other troops, and the Third Army. However, the Third Army is mainly deployed in Qilu Province, that is, from Germany. Start with the county and go south.
Although the First Army and the Third Army were once his old subordinates, Commander Feng has been idle in the past few years. The First Army, the Third Army, and even the Second Army have all Out of his control.
Although he now serves as the commander-in-chief, commanding these troops under unified command, the commanders-in-chief of these group armies also turn a deaf ear to his orders. In fact, he is just a bare commander and cannot mobilize the troops at all.
In Chief Feng's view, if everything had gone according to his plan, the defeat would never have been so disastrous.
At this moment, a staff officer ran over quickly and said: "Report to the commander, we have just received news from the First Army Headquarters."
"They have determined that there is indeed a force fighting against the Japs in the Lion City area."
"And they also said that this force was not theirs, so they asked the commander if it was the force you sent."
Commander Feng thought to himself, if I had such a force, would I still need to suffer from your cowardice?
Since he couldn't mobilize the troops and his subordinates didn't listen to him, he felt very frustrated as the commander-in-chief.
Chief Feng said helplessly: "Tell them, I don't know where this army came from."
"Let them find out the specific situation as soon as possible and then report to me."
"yes!"
The more Chief Feng thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He said with a surprised look on his face: "So, is it really just a civilian anti-Japanese force?"
"But this is impossible?"
"Our main force of more than 100,000 people cannot withstand the Isoya Division's offensive."
"A force that appeared out of nowhere and had no reputation before was able to mobilize the entire Isoya Division to deal with them."
"Then how strong do they have to be?"
The more Chief Feng thought about it, the more surprised he became. He felt that this was impossible.
But with the facts before him, he couldn't help but not believe it.
Chief Feng ordered his trusted adjutant: "Immediately dispatch a group of experts to the Lion City area to investigate this matter immediately."
"If we can contact this unit, we must get in touch with them as soon as possible."
"This matter is of great importance and we must not be careless."
The adjutant responded quickly: "Yes!"
Although Chief Feng doesn't have many troops left, he still has a group of cronies deployed, so it is still possible to mobilize a small team of people to investigate the situation.
Chief Feng said thoughtfully: "If there is such a powerful force, that would be great. Maybe we can stabilize the situation and get a breathing space for the main force."
"If we can concentrate the main forces of the First Army and the Third Army and build a line of defense in the Dexian area, it is entirely possible to withstand the enemy's attack."
"It's just that Song and Han didn't listen to the arrangements, which is really hateful."
"In the name of the Commander-in-Chief's Department, all units are ordered to stop retreating and all build defensive positions on the spot to prepare for battle."
"Yes~!"
A staff officer nearby responded quickly and turned around to convey the order.
Although he knew that they might not listen to his orders, Chief Feng still issued this order for the sake of the overall situation of the war, and he also wanted to do his best to save the defeat.
But what shocked and puzzled him the most was that Lin Yi's troops actually contained an elite division of the Japanese and delayed their offensive.
Chief Feng really found it a bit unbelievable!
