Soon, the combat plan was formulated and deployed, and it was also reported to the headquarters through the regiment's radio station.
...............................
At the headquarters, the deputy commander carefully examined a telegram, then passed it on.
“Hey, you all take a look, how about this combat plan from Xiao Yun?”
“You don't know how to decide on a combat plan? What are you, a rookie?!”
The deputy chief of staff took the telegram and looked at it, nodding in appreciation as he read.
“This encirclement and attack plan is well done. It takes advantage of the period when the enemy's forces are at their weakest. Moreover, the ambush location is also cleverly chosen. If the situation goes smoothly, it's not impossible to achieve the campaign objective!”
As the deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, Old General Zuo was indeed a capable commander. Though he hadn't led troops on the front lines, his skills were undeniable. He quickly grasped the brilliance of Xiao Yun's battle plan.
“Old General, I think Comrade Xiao Yun's plan is very good. Why didn't you directly approve it?”
The deputy commander took a sip of tea and said solemnly, “The plan is indeed good, but I'm mainly worried that Xiao Yun's 399th Brigade won't be able to chew through this tough nut. If there are other complications, we won't have any troops to support them.”
During this period, the Japanese army was still very powerful. A full-strength infantry battalion, two infantry companies, and an artillery squad - they were truly a tough nut to crack!
Although the 399th Brigade under Xiao Yun was not weak, he was still a bit concerned about whether they could chew through this tough nut.
Moreover, the 399th Brigade had just arrived in Northwest Shanxi to develop an anti-Japanese base area. They didn't have any other Eighth Route Army forces around them, at most only some Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and Central Army troops.
If anything happened, forget about relying on these so-called friendly forces for reinforcements, it would be a miracle if they didn't stab them in the back.
And if Xiao Yun's proactive attack didn't yield good results, it would be even more difficult for the Eighth Route Army to conduct its work behind enemy lines in Northwest Shanxi.
The local people would not easily trust troops that couldn't defeat the Japanese!
On the other hand, if Xiao Yun's 399th Brigade achieved outstanding results in this encirclement and attack operation.
Even if they didn't wipe out the entire Japanese infantry battalion, even if they only inflicted heavy casualties.
It would be enough to make a name for themselves in Northwest Shanxi. The task of opening up the Northwest Shanxi anti-Japanese base area would then become much easier.
“Old General, you should set your mind at ease. Don't you know Xiao Yun? His command style is steady and bold.
Even if he can't achieve victory, he will never put his troops in danger. He must have a backup plan.
Once the situation is unfavorable, he can withdraw immediately to minimize losses.
Besides, most of the soldiers in the 399th Brigade, except for the two newly formed regiments, are veterans of the Long March, their combat capability is guaranteed!
And I think Comrade Xiao Yun also wants to win a couple of big victories, so he can quickly establish himself in Northwest Shanxi. Old General, you should just approve it!”
The deputy chief of staff chuckled.
The deputy commander nodded. He had originally planned to approve Xiao Yun's combat plan, but he still had some worries. Now, he could only let Xiao Yun do his thing.
If they could achieve good results, it would be a powerful boost to the morale of the entire Eighth Route Army and the national war of resistance.
There was no other way. Since the outbreak of the War of Resistance, news of defeats had been coming in from all over the country. The people had become extremely pessimistic about whether the war could be won.
If the Eighth Route Army could win another victory that was no less than, or even surpassed, the Battle of Pingxingguan, after the Pingxingguan victory.
It would definitely greatly boost the morale of the nationwide anti-Japanese people and army!
“Let's do this. Send a telegram to the 399th Brigade. We agree with their combat plan in principle, but pay attention to preserving your strength.
Also, regarding the difficulties Comrade Xiao Yun mentioned, after this battle is over, we will send some artillery personnel to you!”
“Yes, Old General!”
.....................................
“Why do all the good assignments go to the 811th Regiment and the 812th Regiment? Our New First Regiment and your Kong Er Lengzi’s Independent Regiment can only pick up the leftovers?”
At the New First Regiment's base, Li Yunlong complained to Kong Jie, who had gathered his troops and joined him, ready to head towards Zhai Jiu Ao, the ambush location designated by Xiao Yun.
Hearing his words, Kong Jie rolled his eyes.
Li Yunlong didn’t even consider the strength of the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment!
The two regiments combined only had 2,000 or so people, not even as many as a single regiment of the others.
Their weapons and equipment were far inferior, some of their soldiers didn't even have guns!
How could they even think about biting into the Japanese reinforcements? They would be lucky to even take down those two companies!
“Alright, Old Li, the brigade commander has his reasons for arranging things this way. Moreover, the Japanese we’re going to fight aren’t simple. They've been reinforced with an artillery squad, two Type 92 infantry guns!”
“Type 92 infantry guns?”
Li Yunlong immediately perked up. He had just been robbed of two small cannons by Xiao Yun, and now he was interested. He forgot about complaining about going to bite into the Japanese reinforcements.