In Huaiyin City, in an abandoned house with only four blackened walls left with the roof shattered, a horse lamp stood on the ammunition box that was put together as a table, and the dim light reflected several blackened faces around the ammunition box.

From time to time, there was a faint sound of gunfire from a distance, which was a routine fire reconnaissance between the two sides near the line of fire, and at the same time, it was also a way to declare their existence to each other in the dark night.

"The people in the city have all been evacuated, some have gone to the countryside to seek refuge with relatives, and some have withdrawn to Lunan."

Deputy Captain Zhang Liechen hadn't slept for a day and a night, his eyes were bloodshot at the moment, and he looked extremely tired.

The arrival of Yang Ling finally relieved Zhang Liechen of the burden of military command, but he immediately took on the task of being responsible for the evacuation and retreat of the people, and was busy until dark, and finally evacuated the people in the city.

The devils have already occupied many neighborhoods in the city, and the red-eyed little devils who have already killed are too lazy to distinguish between Chinese soldiers and civilians, and shoot when they see people, trying to deter the people with killing, so as to facilitate their occupation.

But the little devils miscalculated, their slaughter did not intimidate the brave Chinese, there were Chinese soldiers fighting bloodily, and then the people evacuated in an orderly manner, and in just one day, Huaiyin became an empty city.

"Our armoury shop, our grenade workshop, our gunpowder factory, our flour mill, and our blacksmith shop have been evacuated, and all the things in the city's silk shops, cloth shops, and grain and rice shops have been taken out."

Under the management of the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, although Huaiyin was in the war years, it also showed a prosperous scene for a period of time, and the population increased significantly.

But now that the little devils have suddenly attacked the city of Huaiyin, once these industries and manufacturing machines in Huaiyin fall into the hands of the devils, then the blow to the guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu can be said to be fatal.

Now, after a day of intense evacuation, although some things have been blown up by the devils, most of the industry has been preserved.

As long as these industries are moved into the mountainous areas of Lunan and there is money, food, and machinery, then even if the guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu is temporarily defeated, it will be able to recover and grow again in a very short time.

"These workshops and factories of ours are the foundation of our guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu, and we must safely withdraw to the mountainous areas of southern Lunan." Yang Ling attaches great importance to these.

In this era of underdeveloped industry and chaos, these factories and workshops that Yang Ling and his people finally spent a lot of money to set up, which can be said to have gathered a lot of painstaking efforts, and they are also the logistical support of their war materials, and there is no room for any mistakes.

"I put Zheng Gang's "patriotic battalion" in charge of the protection along the way, and they still have about three companies with more than 300 brothers, and no one dares to break ground on Tai Sui's head along the way. ”

Most of these industries were purchased by Deputy Chief Captain Zhang Liechen when he stayed in Huaiyin, and now that he is evacuated, he is also very concerned.

"What about the wounded, have they also been evacuated?"

When Yang Ling heard that the industries of these Northern Jiangsu guerrilla corps had withdrawn, he began to ask about the wounded in the battle.

"The wounded were transported by a stretcher team organized by the Huaiyin Patriotic Committee, and now all the light and serious wounded have been sent out before dark."

"These wounded brothers are veterans who dare to fight, once they return from injury, they can be worth ten recruits, they must be properly cared for, and they cannot be ignored when they are injured." Yang Ling admonished.

Zhang Liechen, the deputy captain of the team, said: "Chief Yang, don't worry, I have already explained this, and there are medical guards to take care of it along the way, and it will definitely not chill the injured brothers." ”

Yang Ling knew that after many battles, the troops were retreating in a hurry, so that the wounded soldiers were left unattended, and finally fell into the hands of the devils and were killed, he didn't want such a thing to happen in the Northern Jiangsu Army.

After Yang Ling asked if everything was arranged properly and there was nothing missing, he was relieved.

"When it was dark, the brothers who stayed in Baoying to fight guerrillas sent someone to send back the news that the Watanabe detachment of the devils had about 3,000 people and an artillery brigade heading towards Huaiyin, and it was expected to arrive before dawn." Yang Ling also informed the officers.

When everyone heard that the devil had driven over so many troops, although they were surprised, the wind and waves had come, and they were not as panicked as they were at the beginning, and their faces were calm.

"Sir, are we going to fight or withdraw?"

The deputy battalion commander of the fourth battalion, Dao Zi, couldn't help but ask, and everyone looked at Yang Ling in unison, waiting for him to make a decision.

Regardless of whether Yang Ling fights or withdraws, they are now looking forward to Yang Ling and are mentally prepared.

"With our current strength, if we fight hard with the little devils, we will definitely suffer, or just like in Baoying, leave some brothers who are in the local area to disperse and hide in the countryside to fight guerrillas, and the rest of the people will retreat into the Lunan Mountains to temporarily avoid the edge and fight for a long time."

Fighting guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines is not an easy task in the first place, and unlike the situation on a frontal battlefield where every inch of territory is contested, it requires more flexible operations.

If it were to fight for the town with the Japanese puppet army that had an absolute advantage in the occupied area, I am afraid that it would be completely finished in less than a few months.

The reason why the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps, under the command of Yang Ling, was able to defeat the devils several times was that it relied on flexible operations, moving from east to west, making the devils scratch their heads.

"We finally gained a firm foothold in northern Jiangsu, and now we have to retreat to the Lunan Mountains, and we are unwilling."

Although the brothers had no objection to retreating, they still felt panicked.

Their Northern Jiangsu guerrilla corps rose all the way from Qinghe Town, attacked Gaoyou, fought Baoying, and defeated the devils in the world, which can be said to be infinite for a time.

It's a pity that the fireworks are fleeting, and in just one and a half months, in the face of the heavy attack of the devils, they now have to give up such a large guerrilla area and turn to the mountains to develop.

"Don't be discouraged, victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, save people and lose land, and people and land exist; As long as we are still there, we will have to fight back one day. Yang Ling comforted and guided the officers.

"Besides, the terrain of our northern Jiangsu is flat, the water and land transportation is convenient, there is no danger to defend, and it belongs to the key offensive areas of the devils, which is not conducive to our development, but the terrain in the mountainous areas of southern Lunan is complex, and the inconvenient transportation is more suitable for us to develop guerrilla warfare......

Seeing that the brothers were all unwilling, Yang Ling had to give the brothers a serious explanation.

Under Yang Ling's comfort, the unwilling brothers finally felt a lot better.

"Sir, when are we going to retreat?" The blacksmith of the first battalion commander asked.

Yang Ling replied: "Without further ado, we will retreat overnight, otherwise it will be troublesome when the devil sends a plane after dawn." ”

Everyone nodded, retreating at night is safer and more reliable than during the day, at least not bombed.

"After the meeting, each of your companies left a few rear fire teams on the position, and the rest quietly withdrew, and the fire team withdrew in the early morning."

"The brothers who are responsible for staying in Huaiyin to fight guerrillas should sign up on a voluntary basis, and leave them as much food and ammunition as possible."

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