The loss of Tengxian and Weishan has undoubtedly made the situation in Zaozhuang more and more severe. The garrisons of the other cities www.biquge.info also highly vigilant, for fear that the Eighth Route Army would set off some big battle in their defense area.

It's just that to the little devil's surprise, the combat units of the Eighth Route Army operating behind enemy lines in other areas did not set off a big battle like Tengxian and Weishan, but more just some guerrillas and martial arts teams were active.

Most of these guerrillas and armed engineering teams only operate in some remote towns and villages, ambushing and attacking patrols that harass little devils. As for those county towns where there are little devils heavily garrisoned, it seems that there are no large troops of the Eighth Route Army in action.

The only thing that made the commander of the Zaozhuang garrison, Eguchi Zotaro, depressed was that the guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army operating in Lincheng and other places were still demolishing the railway. Most of the railway branch lines leading to the coal mine and Taierzhuang were badly damaged.

Some Japanese patrol posts deployed near the railway were also frequently attacked, and in the end, the Japanese puppet troops at these patrol posts had to withdraw to the nearest county town and wait for the next combat order.

Without the patrol of the little devils, the guerrillas who have recently received orders to collect more steel will naturally not let go of such a good opportunity. If there is nothing to do, run to the railway line and tear down the railroad tracks.

Even such sabotage made the Japanese troops stationed there very angry. However, limited to Eguchi Sataro's strict orders, they could only stick to the city, and did not dare to send large troops to the countryside to carry out sweeping operations at will.

In short, most of the little devils stationed in Zaozhuang now stick to the towns they are stationing in. As for the activities of the Eighth Route Army outside the town, most of them pretended not to see it, which made many people feel a little puzzled.

After all, in terms of troops, the number of troops deployed by the little devils in Zaozhuang is also quite large. In the face of the activities of these small guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army, why did they not dare to launch a pursuit? Could it be that the little devil is really afraid of the Eighth Route Army?

This is naturally impossible!

For Sataro Eguchi, the situation in Zaozhuang is now so bad that it can't be worse. He, the new commander of the garrison, believes that the ending will not be too good. To do this, he needs to wait for a chance to turn over.

This opportunity is to deal a heavy blow to the anti-Japanese armed forces in Zaozhuang. Only by clearing the anti-Japanese forces in Zaozhuang at one time can he atone for his crimes and keep his current position as a garrison officer.

Forbearance was the biggest reason why Zotaro Eguchi indulged in the guerrilla activities of the Eighth Route Army. In Eguchi Sataro's view, if he didn't make a move, he would have to ask the Eighth Route Army to repay the price that annoyed him during this time.

It's just that what Eguchi Zotaro didn't know was that the main combat unit of the third detachment, which had been operating in the direction of Lincheng earlier, had been ordered to move to Teng County. Next, the third detachment will cooperate with the first detachment to have a real big battle with the Japanese army.

In addition, the main combat force of the second detachment, except for a part that remained in Weishan, the rest of the main force also moved to the border area of Chengteng County, Zaozhuang, where they built fortifications to prepare for ambushing the garrison of Zaozhuang.

According to the information sent back by the attacking troops at the front, the Japanese infantry brigade and regiment that rushed from Jining during this period of time had a difficult journey. But it is still moving forward every day, and it is not very far from Teng County.

Looking at the plains and valleys in front of him, Zhao Tiehu said with a somewhat serious expression: "Next, we are going to fight fiercely with the little devil's infantry brigade here, and let them know that we are not easy to mess with!" ”

Faced with Zhao Tiehu's decision, Song Dabao, who was ordered to come to set up an ambush, said with a little worry: "Detachment leader, with the little strength we have at hand, I'm afraid we won't be able to compete with a brigade of little devils, right?"

With the troops brought by Lao Zhu, our current troops add up to more than 1,000 troops. But the little devils had nearly 6,000 people, and they also carried a lot of artillery. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on to an ambush here! ”

'No problem! This is not far from Teng County, if the little devils want to rush to Teng County, this is a place they must pass. Judging by the current pace of their march, it should be night when they arrived.

Aside from this place, the little devil should choose to rest in this plain valley for safety. If we don't take a night off, we can also give a surprise attack in the face of the little devils who come from a long distance.

Even if you think so, I think the little devil must think that we don't dare to fight one of their infantry brigades head-on except for harassing and planting mines and delaying time. Then this time, I'll tell the little devil what it means to capsize in the gutter.

The number of troops brought by the little devil this time is indeed quite a lot, but the number of our troops is also quite large. Assemble more than 1,000 main forces of two combat detachments. Plus dozens of artillery pieces, why don't you dare to carry it hard with the little devils?

Even if I can't wipe them all out, I'm going to take advantage of the terrain here and beat these little devils hard. I want to let the little devils who come to help know that when they come to Zaozhuang this time, they must also be mentally prepared to die at any time! ’

With a disparity of nearly six to one, even if he occupies the terrain and ambush advantage, in the face of an elite Japanese infantry brigade, Zhao Tiehu also does not dare to speak of victory lightly. But this time, Zhao Tiehu still wanted to give the little devil a ruthless blow.

If you can't defeat the little devils who come to help here once, and wait for the little devils' infantry brigades to enter Tengxian or Zaozhuang, then the little devils' counterattack will be even more fierce. At that time, I am afraid that many base areas will be destroyed.

Now take out your family background and fight hard with the little devil, I believe it will also let the little devil know that the Eighth Route Army in Zaozhuang is not easy to mess with. With just one infantry brigade they sent, I'm afraid it won't be as good as the previous one.

Looking at the two who were slightly worried, Zhao Tiehu pointed to the place on the map and said: "We only need to control the commanding heights on the left and right sides of the valley, plus the large area of minefield at the exit of the valley, I believe that the little devil will not be able to bargain too much."

If the little devil is really hard to fight, then we will fight for a while and then withdraw. And most importantly, the artillery positions I picked are rare, and our artillery can hit the little devils at any time. But even if the little devils set up artillery, they can't hit our artillery.

With this advantage, you just need to stay in the blocking position with peace of mind and watch the little devils get bombed. As long as the little devil rushes up the mountain, you will resolutely beat the little devil down. Hold on for a while, and believe that no matter how many little devils there are, it's useless.

At the worst, it is necessary to destroy the materials, weapons and ammunition carried by the little devils. What's the use of destroying their supplies, even if they rush to Teng County? Now the little devil in Teng County can't even hold on to his own food and clothing! ”

On the back of both sides, Zhao Tiehu laid down anti-slope artillery positions. At the same time, at the top of the hill, several observation posts were set up to inform the artillery of the shelling parameters by telephone at any time. And the artillery of the little devil wants to counterattack, but it is afraid that it is unlikely to be able to hit accurately.

A large number of shells were captured before, but this time Zhao Tiehu pulled out most of them. It can be said that in this ambush battle, it is more necessary to count on the artillery to exert great might. For such a task, the soldiers who were selected as artillery were very excited and looking forward to it.

The officers and soldiers of the Eighth Route who rested during the day and dug trenches at night quietly waited for the arrival of the big army of little devils. As for the fighting in Zaozhuang, there are guerrillas, military engineering teams and a small number of main forces, and the little devils also dare not act rashly.

After all, the successive losses of Tengxian and Weishan have confirmed the combat strength of the Eighth Route Army. If the little devils dare to act rashly, the consequence is to lose the town they are stationing in. This kind of risk is something that ordinary little devils dare not try.

Two days later, the reconnaissance unit responsible for harassing the little devils successfully reached the ambush area. Looking at these scouts who returned safely, Zhao Tiehu was also very satisfied. This time, they did successfully complete the blocking mission.

Even if the number of mines consumed was a bit large, the Eighth Route Army, which had now captured a large number of supplies, recruited a large number of workers and technicians in the arsenal of the headquarters. Today, the production of landmines is much higher than before.

As long as there was enough steel and gunpowder, the arsenal could produce mines and mines. Another point that pleased the officers and men was that the efficiency of reloading the ammunition was good, and the number of live ammunition targets of the main forces was also a little higher than before.

Conducting more live-ammunition target training will undoubtedly enhance the shooting level of officers and men. In addition, most of the main forces participating in the operation this time have experienced actual combat. Zhao Tiehu believed that the troops he had assembled here at the moment would not lose a main force at all.

Looking at the plain valley ahead, the Japanese advance unit in charge of reconnaissance also seemed a little cautious. Even before entering the valley, they specifically asked the commander of the infantry brigade who was accompanying the troops.

The commander of the infantry brigade looked at the sky, and said a little tiredly: "How far is it from Teng County here?" ”

'It's less than thirty kilometers! It's just that now it's getting dark, and if the large army marches, I'm afraid that it will be attacked by the Tubalu again. To be on the safe side, I think it's better to rest in the valley in front of me for the night before heading forward. ’

'Is that valley ahead suitable for the troops to camp and rest?' ’

'Suitable! This valley has already been rested once before. Although the terrain of that place is a bit precipitous. But with the strength of Tubalu, I am afraid that I will not dare to set up an ambush in the valley at all. If they dare to set up an ambush, we will be happy. ’

The chief of staff of the brigade and regiment, who answered the question of the brigade commander, participated in the clearance operation last year. In the opinion of the chief of staff, the last time they came over, the Eighth Route Army did not dare to make direct contact with them at all, and often fought and ran.

Even in the end, they chased them all the way to the border of Linyi. This time, if they were marching with an infantry brigade and wanted to ambush them, unless the Eighth Route Army had a division. In Shandong, where are there formed division-level anti-war troops now?

What's more, even if there is a division of the Eighth Route Army, in the eyes of the chief of staff of the Japanese brigade, they are not afraid at all. Compared with the previous encirclement and suppression operations, they advanced lightly. This time, they brought all the artillery brigades equipped with the brigades.

With such an artillery brigade accompanying them, even if the Eighth Route Army buries a division here in the valley, it is estimated that the final victory or defeat will still belong to them! With such self-confidence, why should they be afraid of the ambush of the Eighth Route Army?