It was already four o'clock in the morning on the third day when Li Hao returned to Laishui County, and he saw Zhou Tuanchang running over to greet him with a smile on his face.

After walking in front of him, he said happily: "Head Li, Hujiazhuang fought too hard in the first battle, and I know it in Laishui County." ”

"A dynamite bag smashed over, and more than a thousand devils died, wounded, and directly lost their combat effectiveness."

"Intelligence shows that the remaining Japanese puppet troops in the assembly area have been frightened by us, and they are all shrunk in the barracks and dare not come out."

"According to this trend, if the devils want to recapture Laishui, they must continue to send reinforcements from other places. Otherwise, the remaining troops in the assembly area will certainly not be our opponent. ”

Li Hao is not as optimistic as Head Zhou.

After walking into the headquarters and reading the latest information collected by the independent regiment, he said in a surprising voice: "Commander Zhou, I suggest that the troops take the initiative to abandon Laishui County at dawn tomorrow, and they must leave with great fanfare. ”

Head Zhou couldn't figure it out, so he immediately asked.

"The Japanese puppet army definitely doesn't have troops to attack Laishui now, and when they transfer troops from other places, five or six days will definitely be indispensable, even if they give up, they have to wait for the devil to kill them, why do you leave now, and you have to take the initiative to give up?"

Li Hao explained: "As the old saying goes, hit a mallet and give a sweet date, we have to fight devils like this, we can't keep fighting them, otherwise we will definitely suffer in the end." ”

"The devils now know that they have lost these battles in our hands, if we don't give them some sweet dates and let them see some benefits, with their character of retribution, they will definitely send more troops to deal with us."

"We can deal with three or four thousand little devils, five or six thousand, or even seven or eight thousand devils together, and it will be difficult to win again."

"I guess the little devils on the front line definitely don't know how to report to the top now."

"If you lose nearly three brigades without any success, if you report it truthfully, all officers will be punished, and even sent to a military court."

"If we let Laishui County out at this time, the face of the Japanese puppet army on the front line will be saved, and there will be an explanation to the above to keep our honor and status."

"I can be sure that if we withdraw from Laishui with the front foot, they will announce the good news of retaking Laishui with the back foot and inflicting heavy damage on the independent regiment."

"As for their own battle losses, they can definitely conceal as much as they can."

"The troops have won the battle, and the Japanese North China Front will not continue to increase troops here."

"I just read the information sent back by the reconnaissance company of the Independent Regiment: the Japanese puppet army that can still attack Laishui in the assembly area adds up to less than 2,000 people, and half of them are little devils."

"After the 2,000-day puppet army is stationed in Laishui County, with the current strength of the independent regiment, it is completely possible to trap them in several large strongholds in the county seat and along the highway, and let them occupy Laishui in name."

"As for the rural areas of Laishui, they don't have the strength to control them."

"I see!" Head Zhou suddenly realized and shouted.

"Since we can't keep the devils out of Laishui all the time, let's let them in, so as not to attract more Japanese puppet troops."

"When the Japanese puppet army occupies the county seat and the main transportation routes, we will control the countryside, develop the base areas, and fight each other."

"The independent regiment wants guns and guns, ammunition and ammunition, and the mountain artillery company and the cavalry company have it."

"As long as I have time, I can expand my army to three thousand men in three months at most, and then slowly clean them up."

"Commander Li, your method is good, on the surface, give the devils a sweet date to save their face, but in fact, it gives the independent regiment a chance to breathe, and has time to consolidate the base area and expand its strength."

"I agree to give up Laishui County after dawn."

At the assembly site of the Japanese army, the chief of staff sat in the tent and wrote a battle report to the headquarters with a calm face.

Halfway through writing, his brow twisted visibly, and he put down his pen and crumpled the half-written message.

The losses of the troops were too great, and they did not achieve an inch.

Just as Li Hao judged, once such a result is truthfully reported, he will definitely not be able to serve as the chief of staff.

Report ......

One of his subordinates shouted at the door of the tent, and without waiting for the chief of staff to speak, he opened the curtain and walked in, reporting with excitement.

"Your Excellency, Good news."

"The reconnaissance force we sent to Laishui reported that the Eighth Route Army suddenly withdrew from Laishui County at eight o'clock this morning, and it carried a large number of wounded, at least 300 people."

"The Eighth Route Army on several roads into Laishui has also withdrawn."

"We also investigated and confirmed that the Eighth Route Army that was operating behind us in the past few days was the independent regiment that occupied Laishui and some local troops."

"They suffered heavy casualties in the battle against the Kato brigade and the assembly area."

"The more than 300 wounded people taken away when we evacuated Laishui County are the best proof of this."

The chief of staff immediately got up from his seat, strode to the map, pointed to Laishui County and asked with an expectant face: "That is to say, there is no Eighth Route Army on the road from our assembly place to Laishui County?" ”

"Hey!" The subordinate affirmed: "Except for a small number of local troops and reconnaissance troops, the main force has all withdrawn. ”

"Great!" A smile finally appeared on the heavy face of the chief of staff.

"We finally have a hand in the results to report to the headquarters."

"Pass my order: all the remaining troops in the assembly area will be dispatched and march quickly to occupy Laishui County."

"After taking the county seat, I will personally report to His Excellency the commander."

In a small mountain village 20 kilometers away from Laishui County, scouts and staff officers went in and out, sending news from outside the mountains in a steady stream.

Regiment Commander Zhou took the information that the reconnaissance platoon commander had just sent in, and after just one glance, his face bloomed with joy.

While handing the information to Li Hao, he said, "Head Li, your judgment is right. ”

"Less than an hour after we evacuated Laishui County, the Japanese puppet army in the assembly area moved."

"The whole army went out and marched to Laishui County."

"Two hours ago, the devils set off a burst of guns outside the county seat, and after firing dozens of shells, they occupied Laishui County, and two infantry squadrons and a battalion of puppet troops occupied two medium-sized strongholds along the highway under the cover of aircraft."

"We gave up on our own initiative."

A smile flashed at the corner of Li Hao's mouth and replied: "Now what we need to pay attention to is whether the devil has a follow-up force to enter Laishui." ”

"If not, we will give the sweet jujube in Laishui County."

"In order to avoid taking responsibility, the devils who occupied Laishui lied to the military and said that the defeat was a victory, and the next days of the independent regiment would be better."

"I'll stay here for a few more days, and when the devils continue to occupy the county seat of Yixian County, and don't continue to increase troops to Yixian and Laishui, I will return to the base area."

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