Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Arriving in Zhangjiakou, he did not do anything to stimulate the Eighth Column. It may be very cowardly, but Gan Shigetaro is self-aware.

The current troops stationed in Mongolia do not have the strength to provoke the 8th Column and fight with it.

After Okamura Neiji assumed command of the North China Front Army, he began constructing new strongholds and bunkers in eastern and central Hebei. However, Amakasu Shigetaro, fearing provocation against the 8th Column, refrained from constructing any new strongholds or relocating bunkers in Chahar. Instead, he abandoned numerous strongholds and bunkers built on the grounds previously occupied by Okabe Naozaburo.

But I didn’t expect that the Eighth Column would still take action?

Mobilizing a large force to blockade Huailai, is this an attack on Huailai?

However, after a while, Amakasu Shigetaro soon realized that the Eighth Column had no intention of launching a large-scale attack, but only surrounded Huailai. Of course, the Eighth Column was also worried that the Japanese army would send aircraft to attack. Therefore, although they surrounded Huailai, they did not build a defense line in the open area.

But at night, they began to send troops to attack Huailai.

Every night or morning, there are constant sounds of gunfire in Huailai County.

"How much ammunition do we have left? How much food do we have left?"

"General, there's practically nothing left.

Huailai County.

The headquarters of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade.

Major General Hitomi Yoichi, the brigade commander, held a meeting with his chief of staff and the captain of the 1st Independent Battalion. The 8th Column's sudden blockade of Huailai directly impacted the Japanese forces there. The main problem was a shortage of ammunition.

Huailai has been blocked by the Eighth Column, with no weapons or ammunition allowed to enter or leave for more than half a year.

During this period, the troops frequently engaged in firefights with the Eighth Route Army. This was because the Eighth Route Army would fire at night, and the Japanese and puppet troops would of course retaliate. This counterattack consumed ammunition.

A large amount of ammunition has been consumed in half a year.

More bullets have been consumed in the past few days.

The Chanan and Chadong detachments attacked Huailai at night, and the Japanese would certainly open fire. Over the course of two days, a large amount of ammunition was consumed. If there were no problems with logistics, then this little ammunition would be nothing.

But now there is no supply, and the ammunition is getting less and less.

Moreover, the sudden blockade of Huailai by the 8th Column also seriously affected the logistics supplies of the troops.

Including food.

If the troops could leave the city, they could still go outside the city to rob things. But now Huailai is surrounded by Eighth Route Army troops. If a small force leaves the city, not only the main force of the Eighth Route Army, but also the local troops will not let them go.

Ren Jianyi thought for a moment and said, "How long can our current things last?"

"Two days."

Ren Jian and Yi frowned.

He frowned and said, "Only two days?"

"And that's even with the reduced rations. If we follow the previous standards, we can only hold out for a day. Furthermore, our ammunition is depleting too quickly. Using ammunition at the current rate, we won't last more than a week."

Ren Jianyi thought for a moment and said, "Go, have the garrison gather food in the city. Once they have gathered five days' worth of dry rations, the troops can evacuate Huailai."

Ren Jianyi has already realized that there is no future for him to stay in Huailai.

And I can't stay here either.

Food could be robbed within the city. However, if there were no ammunition, the weapons in his hands would become firewood. Continuing to stay in Huailai would mean waiting for death. Even if he evacuated, if he consumed too much ammunition and encountered the Eighth Route Army, his troops would be completely defeated. Therefore, before leaving, he had to provide the troops with sufficient dry food and leave enough ammunition for evacuation. Therefore, he could not continue to waste time in Huailai.

There was still enough ammunition, so it was best to evacuate now. And since there was not enough food, he could only choose to rob the people in the city of their food.

"General, where should we retreat?"

Colonel Shang Yueren, the captain of the 1st Independent Battalion, had a serious expression.

Now the Second Independent Mixed Brigade, who dares to do the same as before the Eighth Column. The Second Independent Mixed Brigade's two consecutive major general brigade commanders were attacked by the Eighth Column. The Eighth Column is the Second Independent Mixed Brigade's biggest enemy.

Now they are forcing me to give up Huailai. What if I get ambushed on the way of retreat?

Ren Jianyi looked at the map for a while and said, "Do we have any choice now? We can only retreat towards Xuanhua. Send a telegram to the Fifth Battalion in Xuanhua and ask them to send troops to support us."

Chapter 359: Xuanhuai Campaign

The 8th Column blockaded Huailai. After the Chanan Detachment and the Chadong Detachment dispatched troops to attack Huailai, the Japanese troops in Huailai only held out for two days.

The truth is, the Japanese army hadn't anticipated the Eighth Column's attack at this time. During the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the Japanese army trumpeted a ceasefire agreement with the Eighth Route Army. This was because they saw that the Eighth Route Army was currently recuperating and lacked the strength to launch a large-scale battle. Furthermore, they believed that after the Southern Anhui Incident, the Eighth Route Army and the Nationalist Army had completely fallen out. If they attacked the Nationalist Army in Zhongtiao Mountain, the Eighth Route Army would not intervene.

That’s why it’s promoted like this.

Of course, this is also to put pressure on Chongqing.

Tell Chongqing that we can deal with your Central Army in any way we want. And the Eighth Route Army is also negotiating with them now. Do you still insist on doing so? This is also a form of propaganda warfare, aimed at getting Chongqing to accept Japan's demands as soon as possible. As long as Chongqing accepts Japan's demands and the negotiations between the two sides are successful, the Japanese army can end the war in China. Not only does it not need to fight in China, but it can also plunder a large amount of supplies from China.

To put it bluntly, at this time, neither Yan'an nor Chongqing trusted each other.

Yan'an was worried that if Chongqing's negotiations with Japan succeeded, China's war of resistance would enter a very difficult situation. Wang Jingwei's surrender would have severely damaged China's war of resistance. If Chiang Kai-shek and Chongqing accepted Japan's terms, China's war of resistance would have entered a dark period.

Chongqing was also concerned about any possible collaboration between Yan'an and the Japanese. If the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Japanese army actually signed some kind of armistice agreement, and the Japanese army and Yan'an then joined forces to attack the Nationalist army, the Nationalist army would be in a very dangerous position. The "Southern Anhui Incident" was merely a general outbreak of conflict between the two sides. Before the "Southern Anhui Incident," the Eighth Route Army in southern Shanxi and the Nationalist army in Zhongtiao Mountain were already at loggerheads. Although Wei Lihuang was stationed in Zhongtiao Mountain, not all Nationalist troops there obeyed his orders. Many of them, receiving direct orders from Chongqing, frequently provoked conflict with the Eighth Route Army. Of course, it was precisely because of Wei Lihuang's presence in Zhongtiao Mountain that the Nationalist and Eighth Route Army troops there did not actually clash. Wei Lihuang consistently restrained his troops, avoiding conflict with the Eighth Route Army. Having served in the First War Zone for many years, Wei Lihuang understood better than anyone the numerous benefits of cooperating with the Eighth Route Army.

As long as the National Army and the Eighth Route Army are united when the Japanese attack, the Japanese army will be unable to take care of both ends.

Wei Lihuang saw the benefits of cooperating with the Eighth Route Army, so he tried his best to restrain his troops. However, as Chongqing became increasingly tough on the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, many conflicts became beyond Wei Lihuang's control.

The confrontation did not end until the Eighth Route Army troops withdrew from the area. The Japanese army saw this and concluded that the Eighth Route Army would not take any substantial action.

Moreover, even if the Eighth Route Army wanted to take any action, it did not have enough strength. At the same time, the Eighth Route Army troops had withdrawn from the southern Shanxi region, and could not cooperate with the National Army in Zhongtiao Mountain.

It is precisely because of so many reasons that the Japanese army made this judgment.

The same is true for the troops stationed in Mongolia.

However, they had not anticipated the sudden blockade of Huailai by the 8th Column, which then launched an offensive. The Japanese troops in Huailai were already short on supplies, and soon could not hold out. They ultimately abandoned the city.

Hitomi Yoichi was mentally prepared. He knew the Eighth Column would never allow him to return to Xuanhua easily. However, when he actually marched towards Xuanhua, he understood why many Japanese officers preferred to fight on the front lines rather than raid the Eighth Route Army base.

I'm so angry.

Because the Pingsui Road had been cut off by the 8th Column, Ren Jian and his troops from the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade took the highway.

But after walking less than three miles, the troops began to come under various attacks.

There are mines everywhere along the way.

Sometimes there was one every five or six meters, sometimes every thirty or forty meters, and sometimes every hundred meters. There was no pattern to the Eighth Route Army's mine laying; the only thing that was certain was that they had mastered the art of mine-laying.

There are countless mines of various styles buried on the road.

Although the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade had its own dedicated independent engineering corps, they were unable to detect some of the Eighth Route Army's mines. Because the Eighth Route Army was short of steel, they used anything that could create an enclosed space to make mines.

Even the general militia can dig a hole in the stone and then make stone mines.

And stone mines are very effective.

After the stone fragments broke, they flew out with great destructive power.

At present, landmines are produced not only by regular arsenals in the Eighth Route Army base areas, but also by ordinary militia units, because among the current weapons and equipment, landmines are the simplest to manufacture.

Although this type of mine was much less powerful than the mines used by the Japanese, it could still injure people after exploding. As long as it could kill the enemy, it was a good thing.

These mines were used extensively on roads.

Of course, the annoying landmines were one thing, but there were also the numerous potholes on the road. During the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Eighth Column occupied the Pingsui Road, tore it apart, and then destroyed the highway in between.

The road was so badly damaged that cars couldn't move on it.

If the car is more cautious from the side, it can still pass.

In desperation, Ren Jianyi gave up the car.

The marching speed immediately slowed down.

Landmines and road destruction were the Eighth Route Army's most basic methods of slowing down the enemy's advance. While annoying, as long as they were careful and cautious, casualties wouldn't be too high. The only downside was that the advance would be significantly slowed.

But what is even more unacceptable is that there are too many people who shoot from behind.

The Eighth Route Army of this era didn't have the concept of snipers or special forces. However, similar tactics were still commonly used within the army. The concepts of snipers and special forces weren't particularly prestigious.

In fact, the creation of such small-scale elite units was quite common in the Eighth Route Army. Yang Quanwu had originally established a Red Army company in the First Division, using it as an offensive force. The combat thinking of the troops was consistent.

Shooting the Japanese army from behind is not something you can do casually.

Especially when such a large force is fighting, they will not casually shoot from behind.

Bullets are so precious.

Zhang Zihua's side has gathered the sharpshooters of the Chanan Detachment.

These were the best marksmen in the army. Organized together, there were hundreds of them. Furthermore, they were never used as a single unit, as that would be a waste of their talent. Therefore, these sharpshooters operated in squads and platoons. Their superior marksmanship allowed them to stay a little further away from the Japanese.

After firing a cold shot, you can evacuate quickly.

Because they operated in squads and platoons, they could easily hide and avoid being discovered by the Japanese. When the Japanese approached, they suddenly opened fire. These people were all sharpshooters, and it was not possible to kill them with one shot.

But proportionally speaking, it is no problem for several bullets to hit one enemy.

That is to say, if the sharpshooter in a squad fires a cold shot, then if everyone fires a cold shot, ten bullets will definitely hit two or three targets.

Even if they are not killed, they can be injured.

After the attack, they will not count whether they hit the enemy.

Because there was no time at all. The Japanese army's reaction was very fast. After being attacked, they would quickly counterattack. Therefore, these people's cold shooting was a race against time.

Fire immediately, and then quickly evacuate the position after firing.

This style of fighting made the Japanese army very angry.

Because you can't find a target to fight back. These people appear and disappear like ghosts, and they run away after shooting.

Renjian Yiyi wanted to fight back, but for a moment he really couldn't find a good way. The Eighth Route Army's cold-shooting tactics, like the Eighth Route Army's night battles and close combat, were all the Eighth Route Army's most effective tactics based on their own conditions. It was not so easy to break through.

Japanese casualties continued to increase.

The Japanese troops withdrawn from Huailai numbered about 2400 people.

Among them, there were 1700 Japanese troops and 700 puppet troops.

With so many people, plus infantry guns and some chariots, the long column stretched for four or five miles. When the vanguard encountered a mine on the road, the troops behind had not yet left the city.

Such a large team gave these cold-shooting troops plenty of opportunities.

You can shoot from behind from any position.

The troops had only marched twenty miles when they had already suffered over 110 casualties. Furthermore, these Eighth Route Army sharpshooters were firing at the Japanese, not the puppet troops. Because no matter how brutal the puppet troops were, they all depended on the Japanese for survival. Without the Japanese, the Eighth Route Army could have dealt with any puppet troops, no matter how brutal they were.

"Commander, Political Commissar, Japanese troops are moving towards Xuanhua."