Wu Zijian, who has fought with the local Japanese army many times, seems to be relatively peaceful at the moment, and in the face of the accusations and worries of political commissar Liu Shu, he only smiled slightly:

"Don't panic, don't be anxious, Captain Xiao's intelligence says that the Japanese drove to a wing in Wencheng, but it is still uncertain whether the strength of this wing will be used against us. Judging from past examples, the Japanese army in this area is more accustomed to going out to fight with an infantry brigade or one or two infantry squadrons as a combat unit, and the upper limit of the strength does not exceed 1,000 people, usually about a few hundred. ”

Liu Shu glared at him and didn't say anything, wondering in his heart whether what the other party said was true.

"Detachment leader, I suggest that in addition to letting the underground intelligence station in Wencheng keep an eye on this Japanese wing, we should also immediately send a small force forward to the vicinity of Wencheng to carry out surveillance, and once the Japanese are dispatched, immediately transmit the news to the base area." It was Li Tianlin, chief of staff of the detachment, who said this.

Wu Zijian nodded vigorously in agreement. Xia Lianshan, who was on the side, immediately said: "This task can be handed over to our cavalry company, the war horse can run fast, and it will not lose to the wheel of the little Japanese's car." ”

At present, the cavalry company of the Guanmenshan detachment of the Xu Brigade is being dispersed into small groups of men and horses to operate among more than a dozen large and small villages on both sides of the lower reaches of the Qinglong River, assisting the field mobilization committee led by Liu Shu and Zhang Xiu in carrying out land expansion and conscription. Wu Zijian, who understood this situation, pondered for a while, and instructed Xia Lianshan:

"You quickly gathered up a cavalry platoon, led by yourself yourself, searched in the direction of Wencheng, the whole platoon was divided into three groups, took turns approaching the target, and after discovering the situation, retreated and reported - you don't need to participate in the meeting here, go and deploy immediately!"

The cavalry company commander immediately got up and ran away in a hurry; Political commissar Liu Shu shouted loudly at his back: "After discovering the Japanese army, you can't engage the enemy, hurry back!" ”

At this point, the atmosphere of the venue was a little more relaxed, and Wei Xin, the commander of the second battalion, sighed with a smile, it is different to have a cavalry force, and you can achieve rapid maneuver in anything; Even a central army like the 391st Regiment envied our cavalry company.

In the echo of everyone, Zhao Yejiao, the commander of the artillery platoon, sang the opposite tone in a sullen voice: "In addition to the lack of cavalry, the 391st Regiment is much more generous than our detachment, and the equipment of one of their artillery companies is comparable to that of a field artillery or mountain artillery squadron of the Japanese army." There are also many more heavy machine guns than we do. ”

Since the last night attack on Tongpu Road ended, the artillery platoon had almost all run out of shells, and Zhao Yejiao had been worried about it. Now that a new battle is about to take place, his anxiety grows stronger.

"Political commissar, when you come back from Liao County, you should bring some more*;" Wu Zijian suddenly said to Liu Shu: "We have a lot of artillery now, but we are short of shells." ”

Hearing this, Liu Shu's expression became obviously unhappy - when he left the Guanmen Mountain base area, he only brought eight soldiers from the battalion headquarters communication squad, but when he returned from Liao County, he led more than 200 recruits allocated to them by the Xu Brigade and Brigade Headquarters, and they were recruits with one gun each. From this point of view, he, Liu Shu, has definitely made great contributions to the Guanmen Mountain Base Area, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he has worked hard and made great achievements. However, the new detachment leader in front of him was still saying that he should bring more shells! I really don't have a backache when I stand and talk.

"It's hard to say whether the artillery shells of the main force of the Xu Brigade are enough, where can they care about sending us artillery shells! Don't talk nonsense about this kind of irresponsible remarks in the future! The political commissar said with a dark face.

Wu Zijian pursed his lips disapprovingly and did not respond; But Zhao Yejiao, who was sitting at the far end, looked obviously nervous, and for a while he couldn't understand who the political commissar of the detachment was aiming for, after all, the topic of shells had just been caused by him.

"We still have to base ourselves on fighting first, and if we can keep the Japanese army out of the base area, it is ideal;" The detachment commander turned to the deployment of the operation: "It is easy to deal with the side of Hekou Village, as long as it is attacked, all the troops will be reduced to the mountain pass position, and the danger will be defended, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. ”

Li Tianlin, chief of staff of the detachment, nodded confidently and at the same time swept his eyes at Lu Dajiang, commander of the third battalion, and Wei Xin, commander of the second battalion, the former leading the seventh company of the third battalion to be responsible for the overall defense of the base area, and the second battalion led by the latter was a mobile unit stationed there.

"I promise to hold it and not let little Japan cross the Yamaguchi defense line!" Lu Dajiang, who had never spoken, said in a thick voice.

Wu Zijian was very relieved about this - the Guanmen Mountain Pass above Hekou Village was in a dangerous terrain, and the defensive position of the mountain pass included two heavy machine gun bunker fortifications, which were built by him and Li Tianlin with their own hands, and after experiencing the test of several battles, it became more and more impregnable. As long as they resolutely abandon Hekou Village and make every effort to shrink and defend the mountain pass, Li Tianlin and Lu Dajiang's statements will not be a big word.

"What's more troublesome is our Xiping Village here," Wu Zijian said as he brought everyone to a small sand table, which was the sand table of the entire Xiping Village newly made by the staff officers of the detachment, which marked all the defensive firepower points and fortifications that had been used so far: "We have invested a lot of manpower and material resources to build a defense system for the whole village, but because Xiping Village is too large and scattered, and the troops we have specially used for defense are only three battalions and eight companies, at least for the time being, this defense system is still relatively fragile." If the Japanese army carried out the attack with the strength of more than two infantry squadrons, supplemented by artillery fire to destroy it, frankly speaking, Xiping Village would not be able to hold it. I mean, of course, the strength of the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion alone. ”

Qi Biao, the deputy battalion commander who commanded the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion in Xiping Village, did not stand up and express his position like his battalion commander Lu Dajiang at this time - what the detachment commander just said can be called the status quo of seeking truth from facts.

Liu Shu on the side felt distraught, of course he knew the fragility of the defense system of Xiping Village analyzed by Wu Zijian, and this made him particularly annoyed: if it weren't for the fact that Wu Zijian and the 391st Regiment of the Central Army jointly attacked the Tongpu railway line without authorization during his departure from the Guanmenshan base area, I am afraid that he would not have attracted the retaliatory attack that the Japanese might carry out next--the revolutionary contingent that has now turned into the Guanmenshan detachment of the Xu Brigade has just improved in this area. Villages on both sides of the Qinglong River, including south of Xiping Village, were gradually becoming the sphere of influence of the Eighth Route Army. But in the blink of an eye, the encirclement and suppression of the Japanese army's heavy troops seemed to be inevitable again! If Xiping Village is not defended in the end, this will be similar to the last time Hekou Village and Xiping Village were destroyed by a large-scale night attack by the Japanese puppet army! Could it be that the fateful and Guanmenshan base area has to repeat the death calamity that has been won and lost again and again?!

"Detachment leader, of course, the defense of Xiping Village cannot be theoretically completed by the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion alone," it was Chief of Staff Li Tianlin who spoke: "Wang Shuanglong's 1st Battalion and Wei Xin's 2nd Battalion can be used as mobile troops to jump to the outside line to support the defense of Xiping Village." ”

"What do you mean by jumping to the outside!" Liu Shu's head suddenly hurt even more, and he couldn't help but shout at the chief of staff: "Do you want the main forces of the two battalions to break away from the defensive position and run to the plains to fight the Japanese army?" I tell you, absolutely not allowed! ”

While roaring, he shot at Wu Zijian with a sharp gaze. In his view, it is better to sacrifice the base area than the team when it is absolutely necessary to sacrifice the army - people are undoubtedly the most important and precious. Now, counting the recruits he brought back from Liao County and the recruits he recruited from nearby villages, the Guanmenshan detachment of the Xu Brigade has a scale of more than 1,400 people, and it must not be taken out in the next battle to risk a hard fight.

Wu Zijian finally couldn't help it, and said in a cold tone: "Political commissar, this is the deployment of combat missions, and I, the detachment leader, have the final say on military matters, and after the whole plan is introduced, I will give you, the political commissar, the opportunity to express his opinions." But the final decision-making power still belongs to the detachment leader. ”

Liu Shu's face turned pale, and he no longer spoke. He understands this procedure, and this is also the only method used by Wu Zijian to act arbitrarily in previous disputes. Too much arguing, in vain.

Next, Wu Zijian, the leader of the detachment, first affirmed the chief of staff's idea of fighting on the outside line: Hekou Village is dedicated to defending the mountain pass position, and in principle, it does not take the initiative to attack; Here in Xiping Village, while trying to defend, while mobilizing the main force of the detachment to attack the Japanese troops coming to attack from the periphery.

The specific tasks are as follows:

-- Chief of Staff Li Tianlin is in charge of the defense line of Guanmen Mountain Pass in Hekou Village, and the strength of the 3rd Battalion is 7 companies of the 3rd Battalion commanded by Lu Dajiang, the commander of the 3rd Battalion; The 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion was left as a mobile unit in the pass.

-- Wu Zijian, the leader of the detachment, is responsible for the overall defense of Xiping Village, and the defense force of Xiping Village is the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion commanded by Qi Biao, the deputy commander of the 3rd Battalion, and the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion commanded by Wei Xin, the commander of the 2nd Battalion, to coordinate the defense.

-- Wang Shuanglong, commander of the 1st Battalion, is responsible for the outside operations, and the strength is all the 1st Battalion, plus the 4th Company of the 2nd Battalion and the Cavalry Company.

From now on, the four main companies of the outer line of operations will all be transferred to the south entrance of Xiping Village and stationed, and once the battle begins, they will immediately turn westward and intersperse, striving to move to the flank of the attacking Japanese army and look for fighters; If the enemy's situation is unfavorable, they can retreat south along the Qinglong River and seek the assistance and response of the 12th Independent Brigade of the Jin Army in the area of Pingquan County (for this reason, immediately send a signal corps of the detachment headquarters to contact the 12th Brigade Headquarters and report to the brigade headquarters).

Before the start of the cavalry company's operation, it marched forward to the vicinity of Wencheng with the strength of one platoon, and once the main force of the Japanese army was dispatched from Wencheng, the platoon temporarily moved to the lower reaches of the Qinglong River after completing the task of reporting the message, gathered another cavalry platoon there, and stood by as a whole. After the battle in the direction of Xiping Village began, it accepted the unified order of the detachment and used its rapid maneuverability to wait for an opportunity to penetrate the rear of the Japanese troops and look for fighters.