Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Li Guotao pointed to the map and said, "Based on what we have discovered, the enemy's logistics supply base should be in the Baishazhou area."

Yang Jihe frowned and said, "You haven't given up yet. If you want to raid Baishazhou, you must first pass through the enemy's blockade. The main force of the Japanese is now concentrated in this area. It is not easy to rush to Baishazhou without attracting their attention."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "As long as you are willing to use your brain, there are always more solutions than problems."

Yang Jihe smiled bitterly and said, "It sounds easy to say. So, tell me, how can you reach Baishazhou, which is more than 20 miles away?"

Li Guotao did not directly answer Yang Jihe's question, but said thoughtfully: "I remember you told me today that the Japanese on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River are also ready to cross the river and launch a surprise attack?"

Yang Jihe nodded and said, "It is true. It is now the flood season and the water level of the Xiangjiang River is rising. The river surface has increased from more than 400 meters to more than 600 meters now."

"But the Japanese have not given up their plan to cross the river from the east and attack Hengyang City directly."

"They gathered some motorboats and wooden boats and tried to sneak across the Xiang River and attack our troops."

"But fortunately, the sentries of our 570th Regiment discovered them and repelled the Japanese in time."

Li Guotao asked curiously: "The Japanese artillery should be stronger than ours."

Yang Jihe smiled and said: "We called for air force support. More than a dozen P40 fighter planes swooped down and strafed, sinking dozens of the Japanese motorboats and wooden boats. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties."

Yang Jihe was speaking excitedly, but he saw Li Guotao just looking at him with a smile on his face. Suddenly he remembered that he had already told Li Guotao about this before.

Yang Jihe frowned slightly and instantly understood what Li Guotao meant.

"You mean by water?"

"Correct!"

Li Guotao nodded and said, "If we seize the enemy's baggage and supplies, we can go down the Xiangjiang River and land in Hengyang."

"No, no~!"

Yang Jihe waved his hand and said, "I mean how do we get to Baishazhou? We are in the north and Baishazhou is in the south. We have to go upstream. It is the flood season and the current is turbulent. It is easy to go downstream but difficult to go upstream. It is even more difficult to avoid being discovered by the devils."

"Once we are discovered by the devils, we will be sitting ducks."

The Japanese troops attacking Hengyang are basically coming from two directions. One is from the east, across the Xiangjiang River. The Japanese troops tried to escape sneak attacks several times, but were beaten back every time. In addition, the water level of the Xiangjiang River continued to rise sharply, so the Japanese troops basically gave up launching attacks from this side. The Japanese troops in the east basically only played a diversionary role.

The Japanese's main attack direction was in the south. Their large force went around to the south, crossed the Xiangjiang River, and approached Hengyang City from the south.

To the south is the upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River. Baishazhou, which Li Guotao wanted to attack, is located on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River.

According to what Li Guotao learned, the supplies of the Japanese devils in the south were basically transported from the Baishazhou area on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, assembled near Baishazhou, and then transported to the frontline positions in Hengyang.

Therefore, the Japanese must have gathered a large amount of supplies in the Baishazhou area, or a large amount of supplies must have passed through the area every day and been transported to the front line.

So Li Guotao planned to start from here.

But as Yang Jihe said, Baishazhou is located in the upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River. The water is now turbulent and the river water is rising. It is basically impossible to go upstream and reach the vicinity of Baishazhou without being discovered by the Japanese.

Li Guotao explained with a smile: "Aren't we here to grab a batch of supplies this time? The most difficult part is to bring these supplies back."

"So the biggest difficulty is to transport this batch of materials from the south. Now that this biggest problem has been solved, are the other problems still considered problems?"

Yang Jihe nodded slightly and said, "I admit that what you said makes some sense, but you still haven't answered my question. Why are you trying to get around it?"

Li Guotao pointed at the map and said, "Now as the war develops, Zhangjiashan and Huxingchao have become the main attack direction of the Japanese. The main forces of the Japanese 116th Division have basically gathered in this area."

"This means that the Japanese troops west of Hengyang are relatively weak. We can start from here, pass through their defense line, and go around. The worst that can happen is that we just have to walk a little further. This shouldn't be a big problem."

Yang Jihe stared at the map and pondered for a moment, then said: "Even if it is as you said, you successfully bypassed it and succeeded, how will you come back? You just said to go by water, but going by water requires a boat. Can you swim back with the spoils?"

Li Guotao said thoughtfully: "How do you think the Japanese crossed the Xiangjiang River over there?"

Yang Jihe said: "They have built a floating bridge."

Li Guotao asked: "What about before the floating bridge was built? Or did they only rely on the floating bridge?"

Yang Jihe replied: "They also have motorboats."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "Since they have a motorboat, why can't we rob their motorboat and then go down the river directly to Hengyang?"

Yang Jihe said in surprise: "You make it sound so easy. How easy is it to seize their supplies and their motorboat?"

Li Guotao smiled and said, "Everything depends on human effort. We have to give it a try to see if it works!"

Yang Jihe couldn't help but feel a headache. This Li Guotao was really too bold and presumptuous.

"Even if everything goes smoothly as you said, the Japanese can call the front line with just one phone call. When they mobilize artillery and bombard the river, it will still be difficult to return to Hengyang safely."

"The waterway from Baishazhou to Hengyang is about 20 miles long, and it's not easy to travel. About 10 miles of it is controlled by the Japanese."

Li Guotao frowned upon hearing this and said, "It is indeed difficult, but if we have the protection of the Air Force, we may be able to return quickly."

"The river is wider now and the current is fast. We can return as quickly as possible."

"We will launch the attack before dawn and move down the river after daybreak. As long as the air force can arrive in time, even if there are some dangers, there shouldn't be any big problems."

"There is no such thing as war without risk. How can you know it won't work if you don't try?"

"If we succeed, we will gain a lot. Even if we fail and lose some troops, it won't have much impact on the overall situation."

“I think this risk is worth taking.”

Yang Jihe fell silent again after hearing this. At this moment, this guy was also a little moved.

After all, if successful, the rewards will definitely be huge.

But this matter is too big and it is not something that he, as the head of the group, can make the decision on.

Yang Jihe said thoughtfully: "Write a detailed battle plan immediately, and let's go find the commander together."

"This operational plan can only be implemented with the approval of the military commander."

"Okay!" Li Guotao readily agreed, and then wrote a detailed battle plan, clearly stating all the details that Li Guotao could think of.

Afterwards, Yang Jihe and Li Guotao left the front line together, hurried to the military headquarters, and went directly to see the army commander.

The reason why they went directly to the army commander was because the 568th Regiment was now used as the reserve force of the entire army, and their 190th Division was currently responsible for the defense along the Xiangjiang River.

The 568th Regiment was temporarily deployed in the south of the city to assist the th Reserve Division and other units in combat.

Therefore, the 568th Regiment is now directly under the command of the military headquarters, and this matter also requires the personal decision of Army Commander Fang.

After meeting with Commander Fang, Yang Jihe and Li Guotao introduced the combat plan to him in detail.

Commander Fang frowned halfway through listening to this, because under the current circumstances, the 10th Army was unable to launch a counterattack. The combat plans previously formulated were all passive defenses, trying to hold out for a while as quickly as possible and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.

Commander Fang patiently listened to the two men's entire battle plan, frowned and said, "This plan is too risky and has almost no chance of success."

Li Guotao said quickly: "General, everything depends on human effort. As long as we are careful, there may be a chance of success."

"Just like last time, didn't we succeed?"

"The Japanese are now on the offensive. The Japanese on the front line have suffered heavy casualties. They are also constantly reinforcing the front line, while we have been passively defending. The Japanese will inevitably be careless, and the rear defense is relatively empty. This is a good opportunity for us to take advantage of the opportunity."

"And if it's impossible, we won't take the risk."

"We have to go over and check out the situation first to see if it's feasible!"

"And even if the worst result comes, if we take the initiative to attack and hit the Japanese hard from behind, we can tie down some of their forces and make them not dare to be careless, thus reducing the pressure on the front battlefield."

At this time, Yang Jihe also persuaded: "General, I think this move is a bit dangerous, but if it succeeds, the benefits are immeasurable. Overall, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. It is worth a try."

Commander Fang was still a little hesitant, and said with a wry smile: "Only you, Li Guotao, have such courage. If it were anyone else, they would definitely not have the courage, or even the idea of ​​doing so."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "No one could have imagined that we would be so bold. We can just catch them by surprise and attack them when they are unprepared."

"If we can achieve a surprise victory, it will be of great benefit to the entire Hengyang defense war."

Commander Fang nodded slightly and said, "Since you insist again and again, so be it!"

"Just follow your plan, but I have one request. That is, you must be careful and cautious after you go there. If it is impossible to do it, you must not force it. At worst, you can withdraw. Even if you return without success, it is good to be able to save these hundreds of troops."

"Don't make unnecessary sacrifices."

Li Guotao quickly assured: "Please rest assured, Commander, I will not take risks with the lives of my brothers. I will do my best to bring more brothers back alive."

Commander Fang nodded slightly, and then said: "I will contact the Flying Tigers and ask them to send out planes on time to cover your withdrawal."

"Thank you, Commander."

Commander Fang said, "Then go back and prepare. Once there is a clear reply from the other side, I will inform you and take action as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

The two of them responded quickly and then left the military headquarters together.

Sun Mingyu asked: "General, do you really want to implement this plan?"

Commander Fang frowned and said, "I always feel that this kid Li Guotao is a little special. What others can't do, maybe Li Guotao can do it."

"Although this kid is young, he is not the reckless type. I believe in him. Even if it fails, we won't suffer too much loss. They will definitely come back."

"Just follow the plan they have drawn up, contact the Flying Tigers immediately, agree on a time, and then notify Li Guotao and the others."

"Yes!"

……

On the way back, Li Guotao said to Yang Jihe: "Captain, I think I can lead the team this time. You should stay. If anything unexpected happens, with you here, we can rebuild our 568th Regiment in the future."

Yang Jihe smiled bitterly and said, "Hengyang has been surrounded. The Japanese are determined to take Hengyang City. After this battle, we don't know how many people in the entire 10th Army can save."

"If we're not careful, the entire 10th Army will be destroyed. Without the 10th Army, how can we still have our 568th Regiment?"

"The most urgent task now is to kill as many devils as possible and try to hold out for a while longer."

"We will have hope only if the main force redeploys and rushes to support Hengyang."

"Before that, all of us should be prepared to sacrifice for our country."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "Captain, there is no need to be so pessimistic. I firmly believe that we can win this battle."

"The little devils are now the tail of the rabbit. They can't grow any longer."

Yang Jihe nodded slightly and said, "I hope so."

After Li Guotao and Yang Jihe rushed back, they immediately ordered their brothers to start preparing.

According to Li Guotao's arrangement, except for some wounded and elderly soldiers, all the rest of the 1st Battalion participated in this operation, led by Yang Jihe himself.

Although he had some concerns before, once the decision was made, Yang Jihe became more confident and full of motivation.

After everything was ready, Li Guotao and his team also received notice from their superiors.

The Flying Tigers have already made contact and agreed that dozens of fighter planes will be dispatched to cover their retreat.

With this guarantee, Li Guotao was even more delighted.

When the team was getting ready to set off, it suddenly started to rain heavily.

Yang Jihe frowned and cursed: "Damn it, God! It's raining so hard. The mountain road is not easy to walk on."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "Everything has its pros and cons. This heavy rain is not conducive to our march, but with the cover of the heavy rain, it will be less likely to be discovered by the Japanese."

"Another point is that heavy rain will also delay the Japanese attack, which is very beneficial to the overall battle situation." (End of this chapter)