"Commander Li, as well as all the commanders and fighters of the Third Division and the reinforcements of the Military Region, you have done a good job... When the battle is over, I will once again ask [***] to personally ask for credit to you..."Looking at Baoding City, which had been prepared, Liu Hua said excitedly to the commanders behind him. Because he believed that with the city of Baoding behind him, he would definitely be able to destroy at least one of the main divisions....

Just when the 30,000 army, because of dawn, began to rest in Baoding City. At the same time, the units of the Eighth Route Army in North China also received orders to launch a large-scale counteroffensive against the troops in various parts of North China. In an instant, bursts of gunfire rang out everywhere throughout North China. There is no movement in peacetime, and the various units of the Eighth Route Army have almost disappeared in the eyes of the little devils. At this moment, it is like a group of heavenly soldiers and generals, one after another from the base. The common people came out of the crowd and began to attack the puppet army strongholds around them....

For a while, a telegram for help sent from the stronghold of the puppet army, like a snowflake, quickly floated into the hands of Okamura Ninji Daisa, the commander of the North China garrison... Looking at the telegrams asking for help one after another in front of him, and looking at the military map in front of him, one after another the imperial army strongholds were occupied by the Eighth Route Army. Because of the arrival of the 150,000 army just now, General Okamura Ninji, who was full of confidence in his future, at this moment, it was as if he had fallen into an abyss, and his heart was cold..."Smack..." Finally, after half a minute of silence. Okamura Ninji, who was angry, couldn't help but throw the stack of telegrams for help in his hand on the table. Facing the group of operational staff officers in front of him, who were busy around the combat sand table, he roared loudly: "Baga, what does the Eighth Route Army in North China want to do. Can anyone tell me what the Eighth Route Army in North China wants to do. Do they really want to launch a large-scale counteroffensive against our garrison in North China and annihilate us completely? ”

Suddenly, there was still a lot of discussion just now, and there was a busy war room. As soon as the commander General Okamura Ninji finished speaking, it was as if he was frozen, and everyone quickly stopped what they were doing and stood there motionless, their heads bowed. The atmosphere in the entire conference room also became extremely depressing because of the words of General Okamura Ninji.

"Bageyalu, deputy chief of staff, tell me, what does the Eighth Route Army in North China want to do. Do they really want to occupy the whole of North China like the Reader? Will we wipe out all the hundreds of thousands of troops living in North China? Looking at the silent combat staff officers. Senior General Okamura Ninji quickly glanced at the dozen or so people in front of him with a pair of eyes that were almost murderous, and then stopped at the body of the deputy chief of staff of the headquarters..."Your Excellency Commander, I think that in the entire Eighth Route Army, except for the Reading Division, no other unit has the ability to storm the county town. Therefore, it is almost impossible to completely annihilate our 100,000 garrison troops and nearly 100,000 Imperial Cooperative Army. According to the current battle report, all of our losses are some strongholds below the size of the squadron, and none of the strongholds above the size of the squadron have been occupied by the Eighth Route Army so far...."Glancing at the combat sand table in front of him and the commander with a series of angry faces, the deputy chief of staff hurriedly replied.

"Yo Xi, you analyzed it very well, and I found this problem too. Judging by the combat effectiveness of other units of the Eighth Route Army, they do not yet have the ability to attack large strongholds such as county seats... However, Deputy Chief of Staff, we also have nearly 10,000 troops in these nearly 100 small strongholds, and we have lost them in less than a day. What do you think is the reason why the Eighth Route Army launched a large-scale counteroffensive in the entire North China region? You can't just start such a big campaign without any reason! Admiral Okamura nodded approvingly, and then asked.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, I think: Since the Eighth Route Army does not have the ability to completely annihilate the more than 100,000 troops of our North China Garrison Army. Well, they launched a large-scale counteroffensive at the same time, which can only tell one thing. That is, behind this huge counteroffensive, there is an unspeakable and shocking secret..."The eyes of the deputy chief of staff looked at the commander in front of him who was deep in thought and said..."Well, what you said is very reasonable. The Deputy Chief of Staff continued, don't have any worries, tell me everything you think in your heart. "Looking at the stop, he is looking at his deputy chief of staff. Admiral Okamura nodded approvingly, and then continued to ask.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander. In my opinion, the ultimate purpose of the Eighth Route Army's counteroffensive is only one, that is, to reinforce the reading divisions in Shanxi Province from another aspect... If nothing else, they already know that I will send 150,000 troops to encircle and suppress the Reading Division in the near future... And the best way to alleviate the Reading Division is to disperse our 150,000 troops, and then break them through in the entire North China region to achieve their goal of reinforcing the Reading Division..."In the approving gaze of the commander, Senior General Okamura Ninji, the deputy chief of staff said all the thoughts in his heart in one breath.

After listening to the deputy chief of staff's explanations, Commander Okamura Ninji did not answer immediately, but slowly fell into deep thought. At the same time, a pair of eyes, motionless, stared at the huge combat sand table in front of him, trying to see what flaws. Finally, the entire war room, once again after a minute of silence. General Okamura Ninji's frowning brows suddenly relaxed, and at the same time, a sharp edge flashed quickly in a pair of eyes.

"Yo Xi, Deputy Chief of Staff, you are very right, the large-scale counteroffensive of the Eighth Route Army must be for the sake of the Reading Division that is about to be wiped out by us. With an army of more than 100,000 and a large number of light and heavy weapons, it is the most powerful unit in the hands of the Eighth Route Army. I think that after getting the news that we will send heavy troops to encircle and suppress the readers, [***] the top management will definitely not sit idly by. Otherwise, the Eighth Route Army would not have launched a large-scale counteroffensive at this time, but launched a counteroffensive half a month ago, when our army had just suffered heavy losses and the army's morale was unstable..."Senior General Okamura Ninji nodded, and finally agreed with the words of the deputy chief of staff in front of him..."Hi, Your Excellency the Commander is wise... However, Your Excellency Commander, now that the telegrams for help from all over the country have been sent to the headquarters one after another, what should we do? "Seeing my opinion recognized. While the deputy chief of staff was excited, he hurriedly patted the commander in front of him a little sycophant, and then continued to ask..."Deputy chief of staff, these are all timely reminders from you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered the conspiracy of the Eighth Route Army so early. As for the telegrams for help from all over the country. The deputy chief of staff will now send a reply telegram and order: The defenders in all parts of North China should immediately abandon some unnecessary strongholds, concentrate their forces, and hold on to various strategic points such as county seats. After the four main divisions and regiments reinforced by the southern army were completely annihilated by the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division, they would immediately return to the aid and recapture from the Eighth Route Army what belonged to the Imperial Army. "Having figured out the crux of the whole problem, General Okamura Ninji's face once again regained a confident smile, and he commanded the deputy chief of staff in front of him with a serious face..."Hi, Your Excellency Commander, I'll call back right away..."The deputy chief of staff turned around and left the war room. And the entire war room, because of the successful resolution of the matter, has become busy again.

Just after the commander's order was quickly transmitted to the hands of the supreme commanders of the puppet army strongholds through the radio waves. Many of the commanders of the army were frowning just now, and they immediately relaxed. Because they got the breakout order they wanted, as long as they can break through and return to the county seat smoothly with their troops, it is more important than anything else... This is the only thought in the minds of many of the puppet army strongholds located around the county seat.

In an instant, the two armies of the enemy and ours, who had just been engaged in this fierce exchange of fire around one stronghold after another, all fell silent for a while. A large number of commanders of the army in the store, with their own troops, quickly rushed out of their strongholds, and easily broke through, and the surrounding Eighth Route Army was not a tight blockade... The lucky little devil escaped the eyes of the Eighth Route Army and returned to the county seat. The unlucky little devil was once again ambushed by the main force of the Eighth Route Army on the way to retreat. Because there is no cover for various fortifications such as pillboxes. In the field battle, this little devil army was quickly eaten up by the soldiers....

"Hahaha, Chairman, good news. Lao Peng from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army sent us a telegram to report the victory. In less than a day, the number of enemy annihilation in various units in North China reached an astonishing 20,000. Among them, there are more than 8,000 little devils alone, and there are whole brigades of little devils..."At a time when fierce battles were going on everywhere in the entire North China. Vice Chairman Zhou, who was far away in Yan'an, was holding a telegram that had just been sent from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and rushed into the chairman's office with a smile on his face.

"Enlai, isn't this only eight thousand little devils, you are so happy. You know, half a month ago, Liu Hua's reading power master, but he wiped out 50,000 little devils..."Looking at Vice Chairman Zhou with a smile on his face, sitting in his seat, the chairman who was swallowing clouds and spitting fog, asked with a smile..."Chairman, what I'm happy about is not this, it's another thing. Mr. Peng reported that in less than a day, we captured or occupied a total of 489 strongholds, large and small, that the army voluntarily abandoned, and in these large and small strongholds, we captured a large amount of weapons and equipment. It can be said that with this batch of weapons and equipment, the overall strength of the other three main divisions of our Eighth Route Army can be increased by one or two percent. In addition, the base areas under our control have more than doubled due to the large-scale retreat of the Chinese army, and many base areas have all been opened up and connected in less than a day..." Vice Chairman Zhou said with a smile on his face.

"Hehe, Enlai, I believe that after this battle, as long as there are no accidents. The military strength of our [***] leadership can completely compete with Chiang Kai-shek's national political axe. In the future, we will no longer need to look at Chiang Kai-shek's face... Hehe, this Liu Hua is really a blessing for our [***] people. It can be said that since his arrival, our [***] strength has become bigger and bigger. All of this is almost all due to him...."The chairman took a deep breath of cigarette and said with a smile on his face to Vice Chairman Zhou in front of him. Obviously, at this moment, the chairman is in a very happy mood..."Yes, Chairman. Now Liu Hua has the strongest armed force in our hands. More importantly, this Liu Hua is not only a good hand in the military, but also in politics and economy. I now have an idea that Liu Hua's status in our army is already very high. However, his position in the party is very low. I suggest that in this conference, we can appropriately promote Liu Hua's position within the party, at least on a par with the three division commanders..."Vice Chairman Zhou suggested..."Well, this idea is very good, and the next time several of our secretaries hold a meeting, we will raise this issue." I believe that this proposal will be unanimously approved by everyone, after all, Liu Hua's military exploits are there, and the roots are red, and we, as elders, should cultivate him well. The chairman nodded thoughtfully....

Of course, at this moment, Liu Hua, who was far away in Baoding City, did not know that the two supreme leaders of the future No. 1 and No. 2 of the Republic were talking about his future career. However, at this moment, he is not in the mood to think about this. Because, according to the intelligence sent by the scouts, an offensive group composed of more than 70,000 puppet troops is resting less than 40 kilometers away from Baoding at this moment. At most, before tomorrow night, you can rush to Baoding City. Therefore, the 30,000-strong army led by Liu Hua himself will pass through Baoding City tonight and jump out of the encirclement of the little devils..."Commander, headquarters telegram..."Just when Liu Hua stood in the temporary headquarters, anxiously looking at the darkening sky, waiting for something. Chief of Staff Li Qing ran in with an excited face.

"Huh? Lao Li, is it true that the troops of the Eighth Route Army in all parts of North China have launched a counteroffensive, and we can now take advantage of the chaos to attack and fish in troubled waters? Hearing Li Qing's voice, Liu Hua hurriedly turned around, looked at the chief of staff in front of him expectantly and asked.

"Yes, Commander. Units of the Eighth Route Army in various parts of North China began a large-scale counteroffensive this morning. So far, more than 20,000 puppet troops have been wiped out and more than 500 large and small strongholds have been occupied. At the same time, the local armies seem to have received telegrams from their superiors, and have abandoned their strongholds one after another, concentrating their forces to defend county towns or strategic points. It can be said that the entire rural areas of North China have now completely become the world of our Eighth Route Army..."Li Qing said excitedly.

"Good, well played. Lao Li, you immediately send a congratulatory telegram to Mr. Peng in the name of the Shanxi Military Region. At the same time, I reported to the Central Military Commission that our reading division will jump out of the encirclement of the Japanese army from Baoding this evening and take Tianjin directly. In addition, each department immediately gave the order to set off. We must march fifty kilometers before dawn tomorrow and rush to the mountains south of Qingyuan County..."Liu Hua ordered. At the same time, begin to pack up and prepare for another march.

"Yes, Commander, I'll go and deliver the order right away..."Chief of Staff Li Qing turned around and left the temporary headquarters..."Lao Wang, the troops are about to set off. If nothing else, around the wee hours of tomorrow night, you and San'in's old Gao can detonate explosives in the county together... In a word, the specific time depends on the specific situation, I will not make any interference, the two of you will discuss and decide for yourself. How, are there any problems? "Look at the departing chief of staff. While packing up his things, Liu Hua reminded Wang Nanhu beside him, "Commander, you just wait for our good news." We will definitely live up to the expectations of the military district and eliminate at least half of the little devils ... It's just that, commander, you only have 30,000 troops, and if you go deep into the Pingjin area, which the army attaches great importance to, you must pay attention to your own safety..."Wang Nanhu replied confidently...... In this way, the 30,000 army, under the leadership of Liu Hua, after a day's rest, almost attached to the temporary garrison of the army, and after quickly leaving for a day, it will become a ruined Baoding City. Completely opened up his own base and advanced to the Tianjin area hundreds of kilometers away... Because on the march, the large and small strongholds arranged by the army were attacked by various units of the Eighth Route Army, and people went to the empty buildings one after another. Coupled with the sweeps and reconnaissance of the three regiments of the Guards Brigade along the road, the 30,000-strong army barely alarmed anyone. In the dark night, like a swimming dragon, he quickly rushed to his first destination, the mountains south of Qingyuan County.

In this way, under the cover of the counteroffensive of the Eighth Route Army in various places, the 30,000 army barely alarmed any little devils, marched 50 kilometers in one night, and hid in the mountains at dawn the next day. At this moment, the puppet army responsible for attacking from the direction of Baoding was kept in the dark, completely unaware that an elite army of 30,000 people jumped out of the encirclement they had carefully arranged from their side. What they didn't expect was that the target of this army's attack was Tianjin, which was already empty of troops and had hoarded a large amount of military supplies at this moment.

With an army of 30,000, he successfully escaped the eyes of the little devil and jumped out of the encirclement of the army. The main force of the puppet army, which was stationed less than 40 kilometers away from Baoding City, also began a new day's march after a night's rest. And their goal on the march is to recapture Baoding City from the hands of the Eighth Route Army this evening, and then use it as a temporary barracks and a transit point for logistics and materials for the troops..."Report to Your Excellency the Division Commander, the troops are all ready, and they can set off immediately..." After eating the breakfast carefully prepared for himself by his subordinates. Just when Lieutenant General Bunzaburo Kawagishi, commander of the 20th Division, who was the supreme commander of the army, was about to step out of the tent and breathe in the fresh air in the mountains and forests. The chief of staff of the division, Kimura Kuzo Daisa, quickly walked into the tent where he was dining and said with a respectful face.

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, how was your rest last night? Today, are we sure that from the hands of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division, we will recapture the county seat of Baoding and turn Baoding City into a military station of our Imperial Army and a transit base for our logistics materials. For the deputy in front of him, the division commander smiled and asked..."Thank you, Your Excellency, Division Commander, for your concern." After last night's rest, the energy of the humble duty has been fully restored. The energy of tens of thousands of soldiers of the Imperial Army has also been fully restored. Now the 70,000-strong army is standing outside with high morale, just waiting for your Excellency, the commander of the division, to give the order to attack. Then, seize Baoding City, and camp in Baoding City tonight..."The chief of staff replied with an excited and flattering face..."Yo Xi, order a wing of the Imperial Army, five kilometers in front of the main force, to serve as the vanguard of the troops. The forward team is required to take Baoding City before dark. Tonight, our 20th Division, no matter what, will be stationed in Baoding City, and we no longer want to be stationed in the deep mountains and old forests..."Lieutenant General Kawagishi Fumisaburo, the commander of the division, ordered solemnly.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Division Commander. Immediately, an infantry wing, nearly 4,000 little devils, was the first to leave the camp last night under the order of the division commander, and as the vanguard of the entire army, they quickly drove towards Baoding City, which was dozens of kilometers away... The 70,000 army, under the guidance of the avant-garde wing, lined up in a neat eight-way column, stretching for nearly ten kilometers, with a large number of heavy equipment and logistical baggage, drove towards Baoding City.

And stick to the city of Baoding an infantry regiment, an engineer regiment. After learning that the army would arrive in Baoding City a few hours later, except for a few sappers and members of the Fourth Squadron of the Special Operations Group, they were left behind. The remaining thousands of fighters withdrew from Baoding City in an "embarrassed" manner under the escort of the little devil's reconnaissance plane, and withdrew back to the base area

Of course, with regard to the news of the hasty retreat of the Eighth Route Army in Baoding City, the reconnaissance plane of the army reported it to Lieutenant General Kawagishi Fumizaburo, the supreme commander on the ground, at the first time. At this moment, the avant-garde wing of the Yue army is less than five kilometers away from Baoding City. Through the telescope, the outline of the city wall of Baoding City has faintly appeared in the eyes of these little devils...

(To be continued)