Show the sword, start from the guerrillas

The Eighth Route Army retreated, taking all their weapons with them when the Japanese attacked, without even leaving a single wounded soldier behind, because the wounded had been taken back when the special forces returned.

Even when the Japanese shelled just now, the soldiers had already quietly hidden behind their positions, watched the Japanese bombard their own positions, and memorized the locations where their comrades were buried.

"Alright, comrades, our mission now is to act as bait and lure the enemy's main force into our ambush position! Third squad leader, lead your men back and fire a few rounds to make sure the enemy doesn't fall behind!"

"Yes, Captain, squad three, follow me, let's fight..."

In the sight of the Japanese, nearly 100 Eighth Route Army soldiers were retreating. Occasionally, some of them would turn around and shoot, but after a few shots they would run out of ammunition and continue to retreat.

The reason why the Japanese thought that these Eighth Route Army soldiers were retreating was because they did not appear to be running away in panic, and their troops seemed to be in good order.

The devils knew a little about the principle of not chasing after a desperate enemy, but they also knew that now was a good time to catch up with the Eighth Route Army and destroy them! The most important thing was that the occasional blows from the Eighth Route Army were like the mane that provoked a cricket to fight, constantly provoking the devils' brutal nature.

Moreover, it has only been two hours since the beginning of the battle, and the performance of the Eighth Route Army is not that outstanding! Although the Eighth Route Army fought cleanly and neatly to eliminate the puppet army, the few remaining puppet soldiers held out for more than ten minutes, which means that the last ammunition of the Eighth Route Army has been consumed by the puppet soldiers...

This is the result of the analysis made by Captain Kimura! So Captain Kimura also issued an order to pursue them in full force and eliminate the Eighth Route Army in front as soon as possible! Two kilometers ahead is Jiulong Pass. Once the Jiulong Pass line is broken, the team can go deep into the Eighth Route Army's base and join up with the Kurosawa Brigade coming out of Xiyang City!
The devils were chasing, and Captain Kurosawa, who was called by Captain Kimura, was searching in Xigubi Village west of Erlangyu! Along the way, based on the principle of killing the wrong people rather than letting them go, Captain Kurosawa chose to check and destroy each village one by one, and he was bound to clean up his retreat so that he could retreat calmly when he couldn't win.

However, their marching speed can only be described as a tortoise's pace! After all, from Xiyang County to the east, along the valley of the Gantao River, there are too many villages of all sizes, and there are also many small towns! How fast can the devils be if they are investigating and destroying all these villages and towns?

Although the devils did not find the main force of the Eighth Route Army in these villages, they encountered a lot of resistance and suffered a lot of casualties! After the devils passed by, the villages that were originally good were already full of smoke and fire! That's right, the devil's strategy is to search the villages, looking for some food and useful supplies, and it would be best if they could capture the people. After all, burn them down!

In Xigubi Village, militia captain Mao Liangcai hid in the partition wall of his house, looking at the situation outside through the cracks in the bricks, and heard the shouts of the puppet soldiers.

"Fellow villagers, don't hide, come out quickly, the imperial army will not kill people this time, they will only collect a little food, and will not arrest the girls in your family to the artillery tower..." Listening to the shouts of the puppet soldiers, Mao Liang clenched his fists angrily! If these words were put at the beginning of the war of resistance, they would probably really believe it, but it's too late now! How many evil things did the devils do? How many girls were ruined, how many people were killed, how many houses were burned, how many cattle and sheep were robbed of food... The people remember these blood debts one by one!

"We should just listen to the puppet army's words in the opposite way!" The old village chief's words rang in Mao Liangcai's ears: "I just went to the northern hilltop and saw that the villages in the west were all on fire! The good news is that the devils didn't find the people and food we hid. The bad news is that everyone's homes are gone! But at this moment, the militias from the villages in the west have gathered together under the organization of the district committee!"

"Boy, be patient, don't be impulsive, just let the Japanese burn! After they burn our village, the Japanese will continue to move forward, and the place ahead is where they will be buried! Aren't you dreaming of offering a few Japanese heads on your parents' graves? After the battle is over, I will talk to the district chief and let you take a few away! But you have to be patient... The comrades in the main force have been waiting for too long!"

"Village chief, I understand! I just want to ask, if the fighting breaks out, can I lead the militia and follow the silencing team to fight their way out together?" Mao Liangcai asked.

"Forget about fighting with the main group! But you can fight with our special forces team's second squad!" Bai Dabao's voice came from one side.

"Okay, no matter who we follow, as long as we can fight!" Mao Liangcai's voice was filled with anger, because he felt that the house above his head was already burning. That was his home!
"Report to the captain, there are no traces of the Eighth Route Army in the village, and there has been no ambush. All the houses have been set on fire!" Captain Kurosawa received the report on the road south of the village.

"Yo, let's reorganize the team and keep moving forward! This time, we will walk in front and let the Imperial Army walk behind! Artillery, also walk in front with us!" Captain Kurosawa was very satisfied with this action, and then he turned his gaze to the village that was looming in the valley in front - Erlangyu Village.

"It's only three miles from here to that village. We'll be there soon! After passing that village, we'll reach Dongyetou after passing another village! That used to be our stronghold, but it was destroyed by the Eighth Route Army. Let's rest at that stronghold tonight! If the trip goes well, we can rebuild this stronghold!"

"And I just received a telegram from Captain Kimura of Zanhuang. They have already seen Jiulong Pass and will soon be able to break through that pass and successfully join us! Kimura-san is carrying a mountain cannon, which is much stronger than our two Type 92 infantry cannons! Therefore, we must set up a resting place in Dongyetou and prepare dinner to welcome them before Kimura arrives!"

"Ha!" All the Japanese officers bowed and happily gathered their troops, leading them to move forward along the river valley. The Japanese had no intention of looking around to see the terrain, and even the scouts were not sent out. They just lined up their troops along the river valley and slowly moved forward. (End of this chapter)