usatvline Chapter 315: Independent Column's Intentions Exposed
Chapter 315: Independent Column's Intentions Exposed
The next morning.
The morning mist at the Taiyuan backup airport had not yet dissipated, and 10 fighter jets quietly took off, ready to provide air support for the Japanese army's central route attacking Dazhai Mountain.
The aviation flight formation flew quickly in the sky, like a group of giant steel eagles soaring above the clouds.
At almost the same time, the two divisions of the Japanese army in the middle were also ready for battle. Today, with the cooperation of planes, tanks and artillery, they will launch a more fierce attack on Dazhai Mountain.
Yamamoto was very confident that he could capture the Dazhaishan position in one fell swoop today, and thus join forces with the other two armies outside Yangquan City.
High in the sky, 10 fighter jets were flying at high speed. Suddenly, a fighter pilot, a young pilot named Kobayashi, had a flash of alert in his eyes. He saw a large marching team advancing rapidly in the mountains.
He immediately picked up the radio and reported to the squadron leader:
"Captain, we found a large army marching rapidly to the southwest of us. May I ask if it is our army?"
When squadron leader Sato heard the report from pilot Kobayashi, he felt confused for a moment.
There were no large troops of theirs active in this area, and this sudden news made him frown.
He immediately ordered a fighter plane to conduct close reconnaissance to see what kind of troops they were.
The Japanese pilots flew their fighter planes quickly and low over the mountains.
His eyes were fixed on the ground below, and his face changed drastically when he saw the flags in the team.
That bright red flag is the symbol of the Eighth Route Army.
The team below was a large force of the Eighth Route Army, with at least tens of thousands of people. Their team was like a long winding dragon, marching quickly through the mountainous area.
"Report to the squadron leader, a large enemy force has been spotted. They are the Eighth Route Army." The pilot immediately reported to the squadron leader.
After thinking for a moment, Squadron Leader Sato realized that the Eighth Route Army troops appearing in the mountains were planning to launch a surprise attack on the army in the middle.
A strong sense of crisis emerged in his heart. He knew that if timely measures were not taken, the army in the middle might suffer heavy losses.
Sato immediately used the onboard radio to convey this important message to the army in the middle.
"Central Army, I am from the air support squadron. We have discovered a large force of the Eighth Route Army in the mountains. They may be planning a surprise attack. Please prepare for battle immediately."
When the Ping'an Brigade troops marching in the mountains saw the Japanese planes in the sky, they realized that their whereabouts had been exposed.
Kong Jie knew that the current situation no longer allowed them to have any more hesitation or delay.
"Comrades, our whereabouts have been exposed. The most important thing now is to seize the time and surround the Japanese army in the middle."
"All troops, speed up the march. Don't worry about the secret march. The Japanese now know our intentions. The most important thing now is to march quickly."
The soldiers in the army immediately responded to Kong Jie's order and their steps became faster.
They know that time is life and speed is victory.
They must complete the encirclement of the central army before the Japanese react and gain the initiative for the upcoming battle.
...........
Inside the 65th Division Headquarters.
After receiving the urgent telegram from the fighter plane, the communicator ran to report to Yamamoto without any hesitation.
At this moment, Yamamoto and Ito were standing on a high point, their eyes looking through the telescope, fixed on the direction of Dazhai Mountain.
Both of them knew that today's battle would be a decisive moment.
If Dazhai Mountain can be captured in one fell swoop, the army in the middle will be able to advance unstoppably and reach the city of Yangquan in one fell swoop. Otherwise, it will be difficult to capture Dazhai Mountain.
The 65th and 66th Divisions reorganized an attacking force of more than people and pulled out all the artillery.
Countless Japanese soldiers began to gather in front of Dazhai Mountain, preparing to launch a more fierce attack.
"General Yamamoto, we can't wait any longer."
"We must capture Dazhai Mountain before the Eighth Route Army's reinforcements arrive."
Yamamoto nodded.
"You're right, Ito. We have no way out. We have to go all out."
Suddenly, the Japanese signalman came to Yamamoto breathlessly with a telegram in his hand, stopped, saluted quickly and reported:
"General, the air force sent an urgent message."
"read."
The signalman quickly unfolded the telegram paper in his hand and read:
"Air Force pilots discovered a large force of the Eighth Route Army in the Shangmaping area. There are tens of thousands of people and they are marching quickly at the moment."
When Yamamoto and Ito heard the communicator's words, their faces instantly became solemn.
They immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.
Yamamoto immediately took the map from his adjutant, quickly spread it on the ground, and then squatted down to observe it.
"General Ito, did you see that Shangmaping is only 6 kilometers away from our camp? It seems that the Eighth Route Army wants to surround us."
Yamamoto pointed to the situation on the map and said, he ran his finger across the map and pointed out the location of Shangmaping.
Ito squatted down, his eyes also swept across the map, nodded, and said:
"General Yamamoto, it seems that the Eighth Route Army Independent Column has big plans. They want to encircle our two divisions. We must be cautious. They are not as easy to deal with as the other Eighth Route Army."
Yamamoto nodded heavily. The battles in the past two days had made him deeply realize the powerful combat effectiveness of the independent column.
A feeling of uneasiness welled up in his heart. Now the combat strength of the two divisions was less than 4, including thousands of wounded soldiers.
He stood up and gave the order:
"Immediately send out scouts to investigate further to see if there are other large Eighth Route Army units.
At the same time, order the attacking troops to stop attacking and withdraw to the rear to await new orders. "
The adjutant quickly wrote down Yamamoto's order and turned to convey it.
The scouts set off quickly. Their mission was to scout farther away, search for other possible Eighth Route Army troops, and provide key intelligence to the headquarters.
At the same time, the Japanese soldiers on the front line received an order to retreat.
..........
Two hours later.
The sun was already high in the sky, and the air was filled with tension and uneasiness.
Yamamoto and Ito were anxiously waiting for news from the scouts in the command center. Both of them had frowns on their faces and exchanged worried glances from time to time.
Suddenly, the signalman rushed into the headquarters with a telegram in his hand. He saluted quickly and handed over the telegram:
"General, here's the news from the outer scouts."
Yamamoto took the telegram and quickly scanned its contents. His face turned pale instantly.
Ito noticed Yamamoto's change and asked hurriedly:
"What's wrong, General Yamamoto?"
Yamamoto handed the telegram to Ito and said in a heavy voice:
"Two large units of the Eighth Route Army appeared behind us, with a total of nearly 5 people, and they have formed a siege on us."
Ito took the telegram and his eyes quickly scanned the words on it, his shock was beyond words.
According to their original prediction, the Independent Column should divide its forces to block the other two attacking forces. However, they did not expect that the Independent Column would be so fierce and transferred all its troops to the middle route.
Isn’t the Independent Column afraid that the other two armies will rush into Yangquan and surround it?
Yamamoto and his companion knew that the other Eighth Route Army, the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army had joined forces to block their two armies, but in their opinion, these troops were vulnerable and could not stop them at all. Only the independent column could make them take it seriously.