Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 386 A safe tactic!
"The Japanese assembled two divisions, three mixed brigades, and five puppet army divisions to attack our base in northwest Shanxi. Shinozuka Yoshio is making a big move this time."

In Ping'an County, at the headquarters of the New 1st Regiment, Zhang Dabiao was surprised after reading the intelligence sent by Boss Lin.

"When the Japanese army invaded Shanxi from the north, they moved south through Niangzi Pass and Yanmen Pass to attack Xinkou, which was defended by the Nationalist army. They had only about 20,000 men."

There was a hint of solemnity in Zhao Gang's tone.

Judging from the attacking Japanese troops and combat supplies alone, the Japanese in the First Army have invested heavily this time.

"Why are you panicking? If an enemy comes, we'll stop him. If a flood comes, we'll block it with earth. They're just a few tens of thousands of devils and puppet troops."

Captain Li was not at all panicked, and even felt a little happy in his heart: "I was just worried about not having weapons and ammunition to develop the troops. Why did the Japanese come here? They came to give us heads and weapons and ammunition."

"The Japanese are coming with such force this time, we can't let our guard down." Zhao Gang looked at Li Yunlong and said, "We must formulate a corresponding battle plan and emergency response plan based on the Japanese's battle plan."

"Furthermore, the Japanese have gathered a large force to attack the Jinzhong base. I'm afraid the battle on Deputy Commander Xing's side will also be very difficult."

This time, Li Yunlong spent a huge amount of money to exchange three Japanese combat plans from Boss Lin.

One fake plan, and two real plans.

However, the three combat plans given by Boss Lin were not particularly detailed. They only contained the direction, time and strength of the Japanese attack. Apart from that, they did not include the mobilization of combat supplies, pre-war reconnaissance, troop deployment and emergency plans.

But Li Yunlong was also very satisfied.

The information provided by Boss Lin could also be obtained by the underground intelligence organization of the Eighth Route Army. However, the underground intelligence organization of the Eighth Route Army could basically only obtain information such as the direction, strength and time of the Japanese attack after the Japanese launched an operation, before or after the battle began.

But the information provided by Boss Lin was when the Japanese had just formulated their battle plan, so Li Yunlong had plenty of time to deploy his troops in a targeted manner.

When the Japanese attack, the underground personnel will obtain information about the attack, but the information will be of little use at that time.

It is no coincidence.

During the War of Liberation, before Baldy's newly formulated battle plan had even warmed up, our army leaders knew Baldy's attack direction earlier than the Kuomintang troops. Our army was able to defeat the Kuomintang's 4 million main elite troops in five years and liberate all of China. Our party's intelligence personnel lurking around Baldy played a vital role.

Li Yunlong said: "Old Xing's side is not a big problem. The defense fortifications of the Jinzhong base are already very complete."

Zhang Dabiao said worriedly, "I'm afraid the Japanese will use the same tactic they used last time, where the puppet army charged while the Japanese artillery bombarded them. Plus, they're using 240mm heavy howitzers. These are too powerful and could cause heavy casualties to the troops in the Jinzhong base."

Li Yunlong frowned slightly, then relaxed and said, "As long as we prevent the Japanese from breaking into our base, there won't be much of a problem. Our 30 infantry companies are scattered around the Jinzhong base area and are said to be developing very well. In four months at most, we'll have another to elite troops in the base area."

There is no war without bloodshed and sacrifice, especially this kind of positional warfare, where what is at stake is not only weapons and ammunition, but also human lives!
Although these 30 infantry companies were sent out by Li Yunlong to develop separately, Li Yunlong often paid attention to their situation.

Several of these 30 infantry companies suffered losses, but more infantry companies formed a large team, and some company commanders and instructors even formed a team of more than a thousand people.

Of course, these soldiers in the newly formed team are still some distance away from becoming the main force.

But Li Yunlong believed that given time, these 30 infantry companies would be able to mobilize to main forces. The reason why Zhao Gang was so worried about the situation in the Jinzhong base was that there were main forces in the Jinzhong base, half of whom were recruits who had just completed training but had never been on the battlefield.

Zhao Gang also understood the situation and nodded, saying, "As long as our bases in northwest Shanxi and central Shanxi can survive this attack, a smooth road lies ahead for us."

Li Yunlong acted in a "high-profile" manner. He commanded an ambush on the Japanese 108th Division and the Japanese Kwantung Army Observation Group on the Baijin Road, killing five Japanese generals. He took an unconventional route on the Beitongpu Railway, recaptured eight county towns along the way, and sent a telegram mocking Terauchi Hisaichi and Shinozuka Yoshio.

The Japanese are now strong in both men and horses, and it is impossible for them to swallow this humiliation. They will definitely send troops to retaliate, and the Eighth Route Army will sacrifice many soldiers.

But this is a struggle, a life-and-death struggle.

"The Japanese have suffered so many losses, but this time they finally learned their lesson."

After reading the intelligence information sent by Boss Lin again, Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes:

"You're actually playing tricks on us."

"Indeed." Zhang Dabiao agreed. "Shinozuka Yoshio's true and false plan would have easily fooled Boss Lin if his intelligence officer held a lower position in the First Army Headquarters."

Li Yunlong looked at Zhang Dabiao and said, "Dabiao, how do you think we should fight this battle in northwest Shanxi?"

Zhang Dabiao knew that Li Yunlong was testing him, so he said, "Commander, my suggestion is to abandon the defensive position, let the devils in to fight guerrilla warfare, find a favorable opportunity and terrain, and annihilate part of the enemy's main force."

"Old Zhao, what do you think?" Li Yunlong looked at Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang nodded and said, "I agree with Chief of Staff Zhang's strategy. This was the tactic we used during the Red Army's previous counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns. Although our tunnels and concrete fortifications in key locations are very strong, the enemy's strength disparity this time is too great. The total force ratio is four to one. In addition, the Japanese have deployed 240mm heavy howitzers, which pose a great threat to our tunnels and concrete fortifications. Even the most powerful fortress can be breached. Instead of passively defending, it's better to let the enemy in and look for an opportunity to actively attack."

Both Zhang Dabiao and Zhao Gang suggested adopting the tactic of luring the enemy deep into their territory, transferring the main force of the New 1st Regiment to the defense zone of Ding Wei and Kong Jie, attacking the weak enemy first, and then sweeping from west to east, annihilating the enemy one by one and smashing the enemy's encirclement and suppression plan.

The main reason is that the Japanese dispatched too many troops this time, which was really beyond everyone's expectations.

What's more, many of the Eighth Route Army soldiers in the northwest Shanxi base were new recruits and had no experience in the battlefield.

Li Yunlong nodded: "This is a very safe tactic."

"But the problem now is that we have too much wealth. We have thousands of tons of grain, thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition, thousands of mules, hundreds of cannons, and nearly a thousand trucks. If we take all these things with us, we won't be able to fight guerrilla warfare."

"It seems this excessive abundance isn't a good thing either," Zhao Gang said with a wry smile. "Our artillery, trucks, and tanks need roads to maneuver. In wartime, if the Japanese planes bomb the roads and bridges, our artillery and tank units will lose half their combat effectiveness."

"Commander, how do you think we should fight this battle?" Zhang Dabiao looked at Li Yunlong and asked.

Zhao Gang also looked at Li Yunlong expectantly. He knew that this kid had many clever ideas for fighting and he must have a way.

(End of this chapter)