The map was opened, Zhao Zhiguo and others gathered around, Tian Kezhi pointed on the map, but on the map, there was no road there, but a lake. If it was the reconnaissance force of the little devil, it was possible to pass through the lake, but

A large group of Japanese troops carrying heavy machine guns would not be able to pass through the lake in a short time.

"Captain, I followed the little devil there, and the lake has dried up long ago!"

"The lake is dry? I clearly remember when we were defending Pingcheng, the lake was very deep there. How could it be dry?"

Zhao Zhiguo was very puzzled. In just a few months, such a large lake had dried up. This was so unreasonable.

"Captain, there was very little water in the lake last year, and there was not much rainfall this summer. Several nearby towns and villages were affected by the disaster, and the people had difficulty with river water. When we evacuated, the lake had already reached the bottom." Gao

Cang said.

"For such an important situation, the 72nd Division did not make preparations. This is outrageous!"

Their troops were stationed in Wang County, and the lake had dried up, which was normal. However, the 72nd Division did not understand the changes in the most important terrain around Pingcheng. Instead, the Japs took the lead.

If they had known in advance that the lake was drying up, could have completely ambushed an army, waited for the little devil to cross, and struck halfway across, the effect would have been ideal.

It's a pity that the Japanese army discovered this situation first, which not only caused the Chinese army to miss the opportunity to eliminate this large group of Japanese troops, but also made the entire Chinese army's defense line precarious.

Once the Japanese army cut off the supply line between the Jinsui Army and the Pingcheng front line on the ground, it would be impossible for the Jinsui Army to transport supplies to Pingcheng at night.

Once the supplies of materials were cut off, even if the five divisions surrounded the Japanese army, they would not be able to eat up the attacking little Japanese.

"The key point is that our regiment does not have enough troops to stop this large group of Japanese troops!"

A Japanese brigade has more than a thousand troops. Zhao Zhiguo and his group, excluding yesterday's casualties, still have more than 1,600 people left. It's okay to let them defend their positions. If they are divided, they will not be able to stop the Japanese brigade.

The strength of the troops may allow Masao Murano to take advantage of the situation.

"Why don't you report it to the division headquarters and let the division headquarters handle it?" Gao Cang suggested.

Without saying a word, Zhao Zhiguo immediately asked the telegraph operator to send a telegram to Chu Jie, asking Chu Jie to dedicate a regiment of troops to resist the small group of Japs.

However, Chu Jie led two regiments to take up positions on the south side of Pingcheng, and the Japs were heading to the north. Even if Chu Jie sent a regiment to come, they would only meet the Japanese brigade in a hurry and set up positions.

There is no chance, and I am afraid that there is no way to stop this large group of Japanese troops.

"The division headquarters can only mobilize two battalions." Zhao Zhiguo fell into silence while reading the telegram.

In order to block the Japanese attack yesterday, the casualties on Chu Jie's side were much greater than those on Zhao Zhiguo's side. Moreover, during the day today, Masao Murano did not launch an attack on the position defended by Zhao Zhiguo, but in the direction of the position defended by Chu Jie, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack.

The attack never stopped and the troops were exhausted.

"Where are the other troops? In addition to the 72nd Division, don't we have five main divisions?" Gao Cang asked anxiously.

The longer they delay here, the more dangerous their rear supply lines will be.

"The division commander has tried his best to contact them, but the only troops closest to the Japanese army are us!"

Two of the other five main divisions have gone deep behind enemy lines and are preparing to cut off the Japanese army's retreat. The other three divisions have suffered slightly greater losses in the battles in the past few days. The order they received is to wait for those two divisions to arrive at the designated location.

position, they would launch an all-out attack on the Japanese army.

"Captain, how can we stop the Japanese attack with just a few of us? With the little devil's marching speed, we can reach behind Pingcheng in four hours at the minimum."

Although the Japanese army was lightly armed in the past few years, the mountain roads limited their marching speed. The roads were rugged and rough, and the roads in the mountains were difficult. If they only pursued marching speed, they would probably get lost, resulting in half the effort with half the effort.

"We can't count on the 72nd Division. Their pressure is greater than any other unit. It seems that we are the only one." Zhao Zhiguo refused to let the little devils go around to the rear of Pingcheng so smoothly. "Tian Kezhi, take your company."

Gather together and bring two mortars!"

"Captain!" Qin Dongsheng and Gao Cang shouted in unison.

"You two have guarded the position for me. If you lose it, the division commander will want my head."

Zhao Zhiguo no longer had to worry about so much. Although he could not lead his troops to block the Japanese attack, he could delay the Japanese attack. As long as this group of Japanese troops were delayed in the mountains until dark, an hour's journey could become two

Hours, two hours can turn into four hours.

Moreover, when marching in the mountains, the Japanese army had to be careful. After all, they did not know whether there would be an ambush by the Chinese army in the mountains.

"Gao Cang, after I leave, all the troops in the entire regiment will be deployed by you. Those who disobey orders can enforce battlefield discipline. When necessary, the battle team will supervise the battle from the rear."

Zhao Zhiguo was not sure whether he had the ability to delay the Japanese army.

Tian Kezhi has gathered the entire company's troops and is ready to go at any time.

At this time, it was already noon, and Murano Masao was still hesitating whether to launch an attack on Zhao Zhiguo's position in the afternoon. At this time, the artillery fire of the main force had fully attacked Pingcheng's last city defense, and it was impossible to support him with artillery fire.

Although Masao Murano's troops and equipment were much better than those of Zhao Zhiguo and his regiment, his repeated losses at the hands of Zhao Zhiguo really made Masao Murano afraid.

He didn't know what other soldiers were waiting for him on the position. The artillery position was useless, and there was no artillery cover in hand. Their armored units were close to the position and could easily be blown up by Chinese soldiers.

"Your Excellency, Wing Commander, should we take the initiative to attack this afternoon?" asked a battalion captain.

Their regiment had rested all morning, and so many troops were just idle. When the battle in Pingcheng was over, each unit was rewarded based on their merits. They were clearly at the forefront, but they didn't get any credit. On the contrary,

Being punished for a poor attack would not only dissatisfy the superiors, but the soldiers below would also bear a grudge against Masao Murano.

The Japanese army is proud of its achievements. They have wasted the whole morning and will continue to do so in the afternoon. Other troops will take away the victory.

Masao Murano naturally knew that the entire army was dissatisfied with him. After all, he was a defeated officer, and being sent to this army made the Japanese soldiers very depressed. Now a regiment is suppressed by a regiment of the Chinese army.
Chapter completed!