A moment ago, the Japanese army, which was independently mixed into the 3rd Brigade, was still looking forward to the convergence with the 12th Division tomorrow. In fact, not only them, but also the North China Front Headquarters and the 12th Division are looking forward to the moment when the two armies will meet.

For the Japanese troops, who were concerned about the progress of the two armies, they knew very well that only when the two armies successfully converged would it be possible to break out of the Zhuozi area, which was surrounded by the Eighth Route Army. If it is alone, I am afraid that it will be difficult to break through the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army smoothly.

It is precisely because of this judgment that the North China Front, including the 3rd Brigade and the 12th Division, are looking forward to the meeting of the two armies in Zhuozi tomorrow. It's a pity that the Eighth Route Army didn't give them the 'tomorrow' they hoped to see.

Under the horizontal push of the tank armor, the defensive position originally used to deal with the infantry of the Eighth Route Army undoubtedly looked a little pale and weak. In the face of these steel monsters, the Japanese army also seemed powerless to resist.

By the time the armored regiment had successfully advanced to the brigade's command post in the village, the entire vicinity of the village turned into a sea of gunfire. The sound of the 38 big cover and the free-standing submachine gun is undoubtedly very clear at night.

The reconnaissance group, which successfully advanced to the village with armored vehicles, also began to clear the remnants of the enemy in the village. As for those open areas, they all believed that there were cavalry from the Second Cavalry Division, and the little devils would not be pleased.

In such an open place, how could two legs outrun a four-legged cavalry?

The Second Cavalry Division, which has been doing a good job of flanking troops recently, also cherishes such an opportunity. After the entire cavalry division rushed into the Japanese defensive circle, it was quickly split from regiments into battalions, and from battalions into companies.

But even so, in the face of the pursuit and slashing of an entire cavalry company, even the little devils who planned to flee at night could not escape the slashing of these cavalry. Many cavalrymen were excited at the beginning, and they couldn't remember how many little devils they had cut down in the end.

Every time he swung his sword, the cavalry was just a touch away. Looking at those frightened little devils, the cavalry felt extremely excited. It is rare to find such a live target, and they naturally want to kill a few more little devils.

Especially as they all know, little devils are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of being beheaded. Therefore, the favorite thing for the cavalry to do was to swing the sharp saber in their hands and slash at the neck of the little devil, cutting off his entire head.

'Haha! Cool! Today, Lao Tzu must have a good time! Cavalry company, follow me over there, there are still a lot of little devils there! Hurry up and slash, miss tonight's opportunity, and if you want to practice slashing in the future, it won't be so easy. ’

'Yes, Company Commander! ’

A cavalry company commander on a war horse looked at the last little devil who was cut down by himself. Feeling somewhat dissatisfied, he searched around for the next suitable place for the cavalry company to serve as a slashing field, and led the cavalry company in pursuit again.

Looking at these 'ferocious' cavalry, many little devils who have been beaten can only choose to flee frantically. For them, the practice of cutting off the heads of the cavalry is undoubtedly extremely cruel and extremely fearful.

At the time of the reconnaissance regiment and the 2nd Cavalry Division, clearing the troops in the Japanese defensive circle. The defeated little devil also rushed around the village. That kind of panicked appearance also boosted the morale of the pursuing Eighth Route Army.

The cavalry was responsible for pursuing and driving the little devils to escape, and the 2nd Division, which had engaged the 3rd Brigade several times, established a blocking position on the periphery. Seeing that there were little devils running in the dark, the Eighth Route Army began to shoot at the blocking position.

'Yaga! There is an ambush here, retreat from the other direction! It has to be prominent, or we're all going to have to crush it here! Yaga, why did things turn out like this? Amaterasu, did you really abandon us? ’

There were Japanese lieutenants who led the team, and when they saw that the Eighth Route Army was blocking so fiercely, they knew that they would not be able to rush out at all. There were infantry of the Eighth Route Army in front of them, and cavalry of the Eighth Route Army in the back, and their fate can be imagined.

And at this moment, after clearing the reconnaissance group of the remnants of the enemy in the small village, after searching for it, he said: "The brigade commander who didn't find the little devil, it seems that the guy should have run away in advance." Inform the chief of staff that the troops on the periphery must tighten their pockets and don't let this big fish escape. ”

'Yes! ’

The scouts on horseback quickly fed back the information to the combat command. Knowing that the brigade commander of this little devil was not found in the small village, Wang Tianlin also knew that this was a big fish, the brigade commander of a major general of a little devil!

'Call our troops in the outer blocking positions and tell them not to let anyone go.' Judging from the direction where the little devil can escape, I am afraid that the little devil will definitely go to the defensive position of the second regiment, and inform the second regiment to be vigilant. ’

'Yes, Chief of Staff! ’

The staff officer of the command quickly sent a phone call to the 2nd regiment. At this moment, Wang Tianlin said: "Send a telegram to the commander to inform us that our unit has successfully defeated the Japanese army's independent mixed third brigade, and is currently in the process of clearing out the remnants of the enemy." ”

'Yes, Chief of Staff! ’

When He Zhengdao received the telegram from Wang Tianlin, he also looked very happy and said: "Okay! Now the little devil's plan to meet the two armies has come to naught. Next, I believe that the 12th Division should find a way to seize the time to break through.

The Fifth Division was ordered to transfer troops from two regiments to build a blocking position in the Xinmin area, and it was necessary to block the support from there. Order the 1st Division to hurry up and try to deal with the remaining Japanese divisions as soon as possible. ”

'Yes, Commander! ’

When He Zhengdao issued the combat order to finally encircle and annihilate the 12th Division, Kiyotaro Yamamura, who had also not rested, looked a little surprised when he saw the chief of staff rushing into the headquarters with a panicked face.

'General, it's not good! Just received a telegram from the 3rd Brigade that they were besieged by the main force of the Eighth Route Army, and that the troops had now been routed. Presumably, the fate that awaits them is not too good.

In the telegram sent by the Third Brigade, they also told a very important piece of information, that is, the Eighth Route Army actually had a tank armored unit. The tanks and armored vehicles seemed to be the equipment of the Empire.

What's even more unbelievable is that the Eighth Route Army's infantry and tank coordination tactics are much higher than ours. It seems that we really know too little about the Eighth Route Army. Is such a force really the Tubalu as the Ministry of Intelligence said? ’

In the eyes of many Japanese soldiers, the Eighth Route Army, which was good at guerrilla warfare, was often called the 'Eighth Route of Dirt'. But when have you ever seen a unit that is obviously very backward, and it is very skilled in carrying out infantry and tank cooperative operations?

Even in the case of the Japanese army, the Central Army was equipped with tanks and armored units, and even after the start of the war, these tank and armored units fought against them. But as far as they knew, the Central Army's infantry and tank coordination tactics were extremely low.

But now in the northwest, the Eighth Route Army has actually relied on the tanks and armored vehicles captured from them to form an armored unit, and it is equipped with infantry training infantry and tank coordination tactics.

This kind of information undoubtedly made Yamamura Kiyotaro suddenly shocked and said: "Yaga! How is this possible! ”

snatched the telegram in the hand of the chief of staff, Yamamura Seitaro read it carefully and said: "How can these Eighth Route Army know how to operate these weapons?" In this way, I am afraid that the tank armor we abandoned earlier has been captured by them.

In this way, in the future, our troops will need to face the Chinese mechanized troops composed of imperial tanks and armored vehicles. How is this possible? If you want to train such a unit, you won't be able to form combat effectiveness in half a year! ”

As the commander of the division, and the division is attached to a chariot brigade, Kiyotaro Yamamura knows better than anyone else. In order for the infantry to work well with the tank, long training is essential.

So what is the matter with the armored units of the Eighth Route Army, which are attacking the 3rd Independent Brigade at this moment?

'Division commander, it's imperative that we need to plan ahead. The defeat of the 3rd Brigade meant that our two armies could not be brought together at all. Taking advantage of the fact that the main force of the Eighth Route Army has not yet returned, we should break through overnight! ’

As the chief of staff of the division, he knew very well that the defeat of the 3rd Brigade would be a fatal blow to the 12th Division. This means that the Eighth Route Army, which originally surrounded and annihilated their two troops, can work together to solve them.

The chief of staff of the division, who couldn't figure out why the third brigade was going so smoothly in the later period, was somewhat clear at the moment. I am afraid that the smooth attack of the Third Brigade has a lot to do with the Eighth Route Army's intention to open up the gap.

The purpose of launching a surprise attack tonight was not to hope that their two armies would successfully converge tomorrow. As long as one of the troops is eliminated, the main force of the Eighth Route Army will be able to concentrate all its efforts to wipe out the 12th Division at this moment.

'Yo! Call the brigade commander immediately! In addition, the officers of the division and regiment were notified to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the next plan of action. By the way, pay attention to the telegram sent by the North China Front, and notify me immediately if there is any situation. ’

'Yes, Your Excellency! ’

The chief of staff of the division and regiment, who had withdrawn from the operational command room, quickly sent someone to find Ren Jian Xiusan and the captain of the division and regiment. These officers, who were summoned overnight, were somewhat surprised.

But when they heard that the 3rd Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade had just been defeated by the Eighth Route Army, many people found it unbelievable. But at the same time, they realized that they wanted to wait for reinforcements to arrive, but they were afraid that it was unlikely.

After the briefing on the battle situation, Hitomi Xiusan also agreed and said, "General, I'm afraid we just need to start from now on and prepare for the next breakthrough." If you don't leave, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave tomorrow! ”

The meeting did not last long, and a Japanese officer on duty in the telegraph room said with some trepidation: "Your Excellency, General! They had just received a farewell message from the 3rd Brigade, and they had been completely wiped out. ”

'Na! How could it be so fast? You know, the third regiment of the independent mixed regiment had almost fifteen thousand soldiers. Even if it is more than 10,000 pigs, the Eighth Route Army is catching them so quickly, I am afraid that it is unlikely! ’

No one dared to answer Kiyotaro Yamamura's analogy. Because they all know that the Third Brigade sent a farewell telegram, realizing that they will truly become an isolated and lonely army in Zhuozi! (To be continued.) )