"Yes, Commander. Don't worry, the medicine we seized last time was enough for several wars. When it comes to medicines, there's absolutely no need to worry. The chief of staff nodded in reply.

An hour later, the temporary command headquarters and all the cadres at and above the regimental level on the entire battlefield gathered in this small room.

"Chief of Staff, I would like to report to you the results we achieved in the battle last night" Looking at the dozens of cadres in front of him who were full of gunpowder smoke and full of expectations, Liu Hua ordered to the chief of staff beside him.

"Yes, Commander. Comrades, after a night of heroic fighting by the six main regiments of our Reading Division. We accomplished the objectives of the entire campaign and completely annihilated the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army, thus setting a combat example of the first time since the founding of our army that we had completely annihilated a division and regiment of the Chinese Army. After a night of fighting last night, we have completely annihilated a total of 6,540 people under Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki under the commander of the division, including three captains and one lieutenant general of the Osa, and countless other officers" The chief of staff stood up and said excitedly in the expectant eyes of everyone.

As soon as the chief of staff finished speaking, there was a round of warm applause in the small conference room. From these applause, Liu Hua saw the excitement and excitement of everyone. However, Liu Hua was not happy with everyone. Because, in his heart, there is a bigger and grander plan, to everyone's surprise, a plan is brewing.

"Well, after the rejoicing comrades, we must not forget the lesson, because in last night's battle, we had almost three thousand troops, and we will sleep forever on this land. We all know that without their sacrifices, we would not have been able to achieve such a great victory. Now I command, all of them, to stand and observe three minutes of silence in memory of those who died on the battlefield. Liu Hua waved his hand, stopped the excited crowd, and ordered loudly. At the same time, the first stood up and lowered his head.

None of the people who listened to the order of the division commander hesitated. Because everyone knows and understands what the teacher means. Without the blood shed by those soldiers, he would not have been able to achieve such a great victory. Everyone stood up together and paid silent tribute to the fallen soldiers

"After the ceremony, sit down!" Three minutes later, under Liu Hua's command, everyone sat down together. However, after just three minutes of mournful silence. At this time, no one was talking, and the entire conference room was silent in the atmosphere just now.

"Chief of Staff, let me inform you of the casualties of each unit."

"Yes, Commander. After more than an hour of statistics, all the casualties of the various units have been counted. Among them, the reinforcements led by Commander Sun of the 1st Division lost 456 people, and more than 1,000 combat troops remained. The reinforcements led by the plateau of the 2nd Division lost 754 men, and there were 2,400 combat units remaining. The rapid reaction brigade lost more than 2,000 people, especially the third regiment, which lost more than 1,200 people, and the brigade still had less than 4,000 combat troops. There were basically no losses in the cavalry regiments, and no losses in the artillery regiments, but half of the ammunition was eliminated from the reserves. The chief of staff stood up and said.

"Yes. Now I order: The strength of one main battalion will be transferred from the plateau headquarters of the 2nd Division, and the remaining two battalions of the 1st Division will be combined to form a main force regiment. The remaining troops of the Second Division were also reorganized into a regiment. The divisional guard battalion was supplemented to the third regiment of the rapid reaction brigade, and the two parts were combined into one main regiment. Rapid Reaction Brigade 2nd Regiment, 3rd Regiment. Depending on the number of people who are not right, the camera is compressed to a certain extent. Immediately after the adjournment of the meeting, the regiments carried out the execution in accordance with the order. Liu Hua ordered loudly.

However, it was given by Liu Hua's order. In the entire headquarters, there is nothing but tranquility and tranquility. Everyone opened their mouths and looked at the division commander who had just given the order.

"Division commander, you are a unit and you still have to fight" until a while. The chief of staff reacted from the shock, glanced at the division commander Liu Hua beside him in disbelief, and asked rhetorically.

"Well, not only do you have to keep fighting, but you also have to fight hard. Didn't the little devil think that our reading teacher was easy to bully, and this time I will give him a salary from the bottom of the kettle. Let him know that we reading teachers are not to be messed with. Our base is not so easy to enter. Liu Hua slapped the table violently and said affirmatively.

"But, division commander, now that the troops have suffered heavy casualties, and the soldiers are all extremely tired, how can they have such a great experience in a life-and-death battle. Division commander, you have to think about it carefully" Listening to the words of division commander Liu Hua, Chief of Staff Li Qing couldn't help but get anxious and hurriedly reminded.

"Yes, we do have a very big disadvantage at the moment. But, again, we also have a very big advantage, and I will tell you about the advantages of our army. First of all, our special operations brigade. As early as the beginning of last night's battle, I had already ordered the special operations brigade to infiltrate Taiyuan City in batches and carry out a certain degree of coordinated operations after the main force surrounded Taiyuan. That is to say, after the siege war, the little devils in Taiyuan had to bear the situation of being attacked by the enemy on their backs. The second is that we have the advantage of strong firepower. After the total annihilation of the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army, all the artillery of their field artillery wing has fallen into our hands, especially the 12 150-mm heavy howitzers, which are even more powerful weapons for attacking the city. Third, in order to encircle and suppress our base area, the enemy forces around Taiyuan were almost completely evacuated. Therefore, we have less necessary trouble to send reinforcements, and we have enough time to slowly hurt the little devils in Taiyuan City. Liu Hua thought about the ideas in his mind for a while, and analyzed them one by one.

"Division commander, you're right, I agree to continue the fight, take Taiyuan City, and deal a good blow to the arrogance of the little devils." As soon as Liu Hua finished speaking, he saw the commander of the cavalry regiment standing up excitedly and said loudly.

"But, division commander, now we have only five infantry regiments left, although we have a large advantage in numbers. But after a battle, the troops will definitely be broken," the chief of staff reminded with all worries.

"Chief of Staff, don't say any more, I've already made up my mind. Immediately send a report to the General Headquarters and the Central Military Commission, report the latest operational plan of our department, and ask the General Headquarters and the Central Military Commission for approval. Liu Hua interrupted the chief of staff, who was going to continue to persuade him, and decided affirmatively.

"Yes, division commander, I'll go and send a report" Seeing the firm gaze of division commander Liu Hua, the chief of staff swallowed what he wanted to say back into his stomach. Speaking loudly, he turned and walked towards the radio room next to the headquarters.

Well, comrades, now that the decision has been made, let's split up and start preparing. I demand that after the reorganization of all units, the combat effectiveness of the units will not only not be reduced, but will also be increased to a certain extent. How about it, do you have confidence" Looking at the departing chief of staff, Liu Hua ordered loudly to the cadres who were still in shock.

"Yes, division commander, guarantee to complete the task"

"Okay, now the meeting is adjourned, and after everyone goes back, they will make preparations separately, and the head of the artillery regiment, Chen Guangrong, will stay for a while." Liu Hua nodded and announced the order to adjourn the meeting.

"Division commander, is there any latest task for our artillery regiment?" Seeing everyone leave the headquarters, Chen Guangrong, the commander of the artillery regiment, said excitedly.

"Well, Commander Chen, immediately take all the personnel and equipment of the artillery regiment and march towards Gong Village. Received all the equipment of the captured heavy artillery brigade in Gong Village. Then, with enough ammunition, we will advance covertly towards Taiyuan City. We must send 12 heavy howitzers to Taiyuan City in the shortest possible time. Liu Hua ordered loudly.

"Yes, division commander, I promise to complete the task," Chen Guangrong replied affirmatively.

"Okay, let's go down" Liu Hua nodded.

At this moment, in a cave far away in Yan'an, the two bigwigs were also having a heated discussion around a telegram just sent by the reader.

"Lao Mao, with the strength of one division, the Reading Force Division annihilated a division of the army. This is a great victory that has attracted worldwide attention, not only in our Eighth Route Army, but also in the whole country. But this Liu Hua has achieved such a big victory, and he is not satisfied, he wants to continue to fight, and he wants to continue to fight, and take the important town of Taiyuan, I don't know if the combat effectiveness of the troops can continue to fight after the battle of the first two days" After reading the telegram in his hand over and over again, the boss sighed and said worriedly.

"Boss, I'm worried about this too. After all, the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army is a complete field unit of the Chinese Army. To be able to wipe out this force, I believe that our readers must have paid a very big price. I don't know what this kid Liu Hua thinks, we are far from the front line, and we don't know the specific situation. The chairman was also worried.

"However, Lao Mao, Liu Hua's timing is very good. You can see that in order to gather enough troops to deal with this encirclement and suppression, the army around Taiyuan was almost completely withdrawn. Even the important town of Taiyuan only left a wing of the army. It can be said that from a military point of view, now is the best time to attack Taiyuan. The boss, who had been staring at the map, said with a smile.

"Uh. Let me see if it's really like you said, since this timing is so good, and Liu Hua personally asks for battle, it means that he is sure. Then let's let him fight, I want to see how many treasures have not been revealed, Liu Hua, this kid. After reading the map, a smile appeared on the corner of the chairman's mouth, and he said affirmatively.

In this way, Liu Hua's request for war was agreed to by the two bigwigs.

"Division commander, division commander, call from the Military Commission" Just when Liu Hua was standing in the temporary headquarters, his eyes were unblinking looking at the map of Shanxi centered on Taiyuan in front of him. An excited voice came from the nearby radio room. Immediately afterwards, I saw the chief of staff walking into the temporary headquarters with an excited face.

"Chief of Staff, what's going on, has the Military Commission agreed to our battle plan?" Seeing the excited chief of staff, Liu Hua seemed to have guessed that his battle plan had been approved, but he still asked with certainty.

"Yes, I have agreed. The Central Military Commission not only agreed to our battle plan, but also demanded that we do not need to ask for instructions on everything in the course of future operations, so as not to delay the fighters. This is a telegram jointly sent by [***] and Mr. Zhu. The chief of staff said and handed the telegram in his hand to Liu Hua.

"Well, great, with the support of the Central Military Commission, our "bottom of the kettle" combat plan will definitely succeed. Correspondent, correspondent" After reading the telegram, a smile appeared on the corner of Liu Hua's mouth, and he shouted loudly at the door of the headquarters. Soon, a correspondent ran in.

"Correspondent, immediately notify the regiment commanders, ask them to speed up the reorganization of the troops, and be ready to attack at any time." Seeing the correspondent who walked in, Liu Hua ordered loudly.

"Yes, Commander"

"Division commander, when do you plan to start marching, you must know that if it is too late, the news of the annihilation of the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army will reach Taiyuan sooner or later. Wait until the army in Taiyuan is ready. The price we will pay will be much greater," the chief of staff asked, looking at the departing correspondent.

"I want to, too, but the fighters are very tired after a night of fighting. So, I'm going to rest for the afternoon and leave on time at nine o'clock this evening," Liu Hua said.

"I agree, after a day's rest, the fighters' combat effectiveness will definitely recover a lot. In addition, in the overrush of the march, we can also take a certain amount of rest. Division commander, I'll go down and arrange the transfer of troops. The Chief of Staff nodded and replied thoughtfully.

"Okay, you go and get busy, it's good to have me at the headquarters" Liu Hua knew that the transfer of the headquarters had to be arranged in advance. He didn't say anything, nodded and said.

At this time, it was already ten o'clock in the evening, and on a mountain road in Taiyuan, Changgukou Road, a team with torches, under the command of commanders at all levels, was rapidly advancing towards Taiyuan. After the downsizing, all the injuries and logistics of the unit were cut and left in Haseguchi to take care of the wounded. And the rest of the soldiers, the elite infantry with strong combat effectiveness in the whole division. Five infantry regiments, more than 6,000 people, after replenishing enough ammunition, resolutely embarked on a new journey under Liu Hua's order.

The artillery regiment, which set off about ten hours earlier than the main force, under the leadership of Chen Guangrong, had already received the 12 heavy artillery pieces captured by the Yue army, and with a large number of shells, under the consignment of mules and horses, along the road, quickly marched to Taiyuan. And after almost a day of rapid marching, the advance of the troops has run to the front of the infantry.

Finally, two days later, after two days of continuous marching. Liu Hua and the main force finally joined forces in the woods outside Taiyuan City and the artillery regiment that came one step in advance.

"Report to the division commander, the artillery regiment was ordered to rush to the city of Taiyuan within the specified time, and asked the division commander to give the artillery regiment a new combat mission." Seeing the division commander Liu Hua rushing to the scene, Chen Guangrong, the commander of the artillery regiment, hurriedly greeted him and replied excitedly.

"Well, yes, comrades have worked hard. Head Chen, let's hurry up. Tell me how much equipment and ammunition you've brought with you this time. Seeing that the artillery regiment rushed to the outside of Taiyuan City in front of him, Liu Hua was excited and asked happily.

"Division commander, according to your orders, this time we carried a total of 12 heavy guns, 12 mountain guns, plus five regiments of mortar batteries, a total of 84 artillery pieces of various kinds. As for the artillery shells, due to the lack of mules and horses, the heavy artillery shells carried less than 500 rounds, the mountain artillery shells carried more than 800 rounds, and the mortar shells averaged about 20 rounds each. Chen Guangrong made a simple calculation and replied.

"Okay, great, this time we can capture Taiyuan, and your artillery regiment should be the first to act. The correspondent immediately ordered all cadres at and above the regimental level to gather at the headquarters of the artillery regiment for a meeting to assign specific combat tasks. Listening to Chen Guangrong's words, Liu Hua was excited and ordered loudly.

"Yes, division commander," the correspondent took the order. Ten minutes later, in the temporary headquarters of the artillery regiment, dozens of cadres at and above the regimental level were again gathered. One by one, they sat solemnly on the ground, waiting for Liu Hua to arrange the latest combat mission.

"Comrades, in front of us is a concrete map of Taiyuan City. Judging from this map, there are a total of four city gates in Taiyuan. And we only have 5 regiments of troops, and if we want to encircle them all, then we will not have the extra forces to attack. Therefore, this time I plan to give the little devils a siege of three missing one, and find a way to drive the little devils out of Taiyuan City and eliminate these little devils in the wild. Liu Hua pointed to a huge map in front of him, and said loudly to the dozens of cadres above the regiment level in front of him.

"Division Commander, you just give an order" As soon as Liu Hua's words were finished, a voice of agreement came from below.

"Since everyone has no objections, then I will assign specific combat missions. In this battle, I plan to put our breakthrough point at the south gate, where the army is most powerful. Because as long as the south gate is broken through by our army, the morale of the little devils and the puppet army in the city will be very huge. Therefore, our main direction of attack is chosen at the south gate. All the 12 heavy guns and 12 mountain guns of the artillery regiment were arranged for me outside the south gate. How about it, is there any problem with Head Chen? Liu Hua pointed to the map and ordered.

"Report to the division commander, the artillery regiment guarantees the completion of the task. Artillery shells must be used to blow up a breakthrough for the main force at the south gate of Taiyuan to cover the attack of the troops. Hearing the division commander's question, Chen Guangrong, the commander of the artillery regiment, quickly stood up and assured.

(To be continued)