AWB Chapter 317: Fierce Blocking Battle on the Periphery
Chapter 317: Fierce Blocking Battle on the Periphery
When Gaoda heard Qi Tongwei report that the New 1st Brigade and the Ping'an Brigade had arrived at their designated combat positions on time, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Very good. The two brigades acted quickly and laid a solid foundation for our next actions."
He turned to face Li Yunlong, pointed at the location on the map, and said seriously: "Old Li, now the New 1st Brigade and the Ping An Brigade are in place, and now it's up to the Independent Brigade.
The Japanese army in the middle is retreating. I ask the independent brigade to take the initiative to attack and pursue the Japanese army, completely surround them, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop. "
Li Yunlong nodded excitedly: "Yes, Commander. The independent brigade will ensure the completion of the mission.
"I, Old Li, have been very frustrated these past two days. We were suppressed by the Japanese in the Dazhaishan position. This time I will make them pay a heavy price."
Gaoda patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Old Li, go back and make preparations quickly. Let the soldiers have a good rest, replenish their physical strength and weapons and ammunition, and then set off. Remember, speed is the key."
Li Yunlong nodded heavily, then saluted and left the command center.
Gaoda turned his gaze to Qi Tongwei beside him and said, "Political Commissar, the encirclement has been formed. What follows is a fierce annihilation battle. We must fight quickly and decisively. We must not let the other two Japanese armies join forces, otherwise all our efforts will be wasted."
Qi Tongwei frowned, knowing the severity of the situation: "That's right, Commander. I will send a telegram to the headquarters now, asking the commander to let other brother units of the Eighth Route Army stop the enemy in the north.
By the way, let the head of the headquarters contact the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to see if they can help us stop the Japanese army in the south."
Gaoda nodded and said, "Political Commissar, I'll leave it to you. Act quickly.
Time waits for no one, we must end the battle before the enemy reinforcements arrive."
Qi Tongwei quickly turned around and left the command center and began sending telegrams to headquarters requesting support.
............
The lights in the command room of the Eighth Route Army headquarters were on, and the leader's eyes were fixed on the telegram he had just received. This was an urgent message from the Independent Column.
He immediately summoned the staff officers at headquarters to discuss the next steps.
The importance of this news is self-evident, it concerns the direction of the entire war.
Inside the command room, the chief had a heated discussion with the chief of staff and many staff officers.
On the map table, telegrams, maps and various documents were piled up like a small mountain.
After careful analysis, everyone concluded that the independent column had a high chance of destroying two Japanese divisions. This conclusion made everyone excited and nervous.
"If the independent column can succeed, it will be a major victory for us."
The Chief of Staff nodded: "Commander, we must fully support them."
Everyone was very excited. The independent column's action of killing two Japanese divisions made everyone crazy.
The leader could imagine that if the independent column succeeded, it would be a huge honor for the Eighth Route Army and even the entire Chinese army.
"We must ensure that the independent column can successfully complete its mission."
The commander immediately ordered, "The main force of the Eighth Route Army should attack with all its might, and stop the other two armies from reinforcing the Japanese army in the middle at all costs."
At the same time, he also contacted the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and explained the situation to them.
Senior military officers on both sides were also very excited when they heard the news.
In their view, this would be a huge victory and would play an immeasurable role in boosting the morale of the military and civilians across the country.
“This is a rare opportunity that we simply cannot miss.”
A senior officer of the Central Army said on the phone, "We will fully cooperate with the Eighth Route Army's actions and jointly fight against the invaders."
The commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army also said: "We will mobilize all available troops to ensure that the Japanese on the southern front cannot reinforce from the north."
The chief expressed his gratitude to the two commanders over the phone: "Thank you for your support. Our goal is the same, which is to drive the invaders out of China."
As the order was issued, the main force of the Eighth Route Army began to act quickly.
For a time, the main forces of the Central Army, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and the Eighth Route Army received the latest combat orders one after another, delaying time at all costs to buy time for the independent column to wipe out the two divisions in the middle.
Every troop knows that every minute and every second of their time is crucial.
In the headquarters of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, the brigade commander tightly grasped the telegram sent from the headquarters and said: "As expected of a Gundam, full of courage, well done to the independent column."
He turned to the Chief of Staff and said, "Chief of Staff, headquarters has ordered our troops to do their utmost to stop the advance of the Japanese divisions and buy time for the annihilation war."
The chief of staff nodded heavily and said, "Commander, the independent column has gone too far this time. Gundam is not afraid of getting himself into trouble."
The brigade commander laughed and said, "Hahaha, Chief of Staff, don't you know this guy Gundam?
This guy is very brave. I believe he must be absolutely sure if he dares to do this. My 386th Brigade must support the independent column this time."
The brigade commander quickly ordered: "Chief of Staff, pass my order immediately. All main forces of the 386th Brigade must do their best to stop the 67th Division and never let them leave Yu County.
At the same time, notify other brother troops nearby to act together. This time I want to have a good talk with the 67th Division."
"Yes, Brigadier."
The chief of staff accepted the order and left the command center.
After receiving the order from the brigade commander, the main front-line forces of the 386th Brigade took quick action and launched a resolute blocking operation against the 67th Division.
On the other side, after receiving the telegram from Commander Ningji Okamura, the 67th Division quickly moved closer to the two divisions in the middle, trying to rescue the army in the middle and annihilate the independent column together.
The 67th Division encountered a full-scale blockade by the main forces of the Eighth Route Army in the mountainous area.
The main forces of the Eighth Route Army, which had been elusive before, were all revealed at once. They no longer fought guerrilla warfare with the 67th Division, but instead tried their best to stop the 67th Division, making it suffer terribly.
Their mission was to get to Majiapo as quickly as possible, but the Eighth Route Army troops kept sticking to them like dog-skin plasters, making it difficult for them to cope and causing their march to be very slow.
Especially at important key intersections, fierce offensive and defensive battles were launched with the main forces of the Eighth Route Army, which wasted a lot of time.
"Division commander, we can't go on like this. We are moving too slowly." A staff officer of the 67th Division anxiously reported to the division commander.
The division commander's face turned pale. He knew that time was equally precious to them: "We must break through the Eighth Route Army's blockade, otherwise we will not be able to support the troops in the middle in time."
After marching for most of the day, the 67th Division had only advanced less than 4 kilometers.
If they continue at this speed, they will not be able to reach Majiapo in time.
Although the weapons and equipment of many of the main forces of the Eighth Route Army were not as good as those of the Japanese invaders, the Eighth Route Army had a large number of troops and was able to make up for the gap in weapons to a large extent.
Although the blocking battle caused heavy losses to all troops, the soldiers had no complaints.
In a crucial blocking battle, a company of the 386th Brigade faced a fierce attack from the 67th Division.
Bullets and shells rained down on their positions, but the soldiers still held their ground and fought back against the enemy with the weapons in their hands.
Despite facing tremendous pressure and sacrifice, the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army still held their positions. Their bravery and sacrifice bought precious time for the Independent Column and made the advance of the 67th Division extremely difficult.