12dz Chapter 58 Joint Operation
Chapter 58 Joint Operation
"Oh, a military train? Commander Li, do you have any intelligence?"
Tang Weiguo knew that there was a Zhengtai Railway line near the county town connecting Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. In the past, when he went to study in Beiping, he would first take a train to Shijiazhuang and then transfer to Beiping.
Tang Weiguo had previously considered doing something with this railway, but since the Japanese occupied Taiyuan, they had implemented meticulous defenses along the railway line, and he did not have detailed intelligence about the Japanese forces along the line, so Tang Weiguo did not dare to act rashly.
"Commander Tang, Old Li didn't come empty-handed today. According to my reliable sources, the Japanese will send a military train loaded with weapons from Shijiazhuang next week, bound for Taiyuan," Li Yunfei explained.
"Is the information reliable? This kind of intelligence isn't something you can just get easily," Tang Weiguo asked Li Yunfei again.
“Absolutely reliable. This information comes from our intelligence personnel, who risked their lives to relay it,” Li Yunfei replied with certainty.
"Commander Li, you're so quick to tell me such important information. Aren't you afraid I'll just pass it on to the Imperial Army?" Tang Weiguo looked at Li Yunfei with amusement.
"Others might be able to do what Commander Tang said, but I, Old Li, trust Commander Tang. Just because Commander Tang dared to lead the militia to take down three Japanese strongholds and annihilate a Japanese company, I, Old Li, trust him."
"My goodness, even someone as daring as me wouldn't dare do that to the Japanese. I admire Commander Tang's style of doing things." After saying that, Old Li cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Tang Weiguo.
"Commander Li, you flatter me. It was just luck," Tang Weiguo said modestly.
"It all comes down to strength."
"Commander Li, you didn't just come to our militia to tell me this news, did you?" Tang Weiguo said jokingly.
"As expected, I couldn't hide it from Commander Tang. The main reason I came to see you this time is to discuss joint operations. I wonder if you'd be interested?" Li Yunfei asked.
"The Japanese army is a piece of fat meat. Is Commander Li willing to let my militia share it with you?" In fact, Tang Weiguo knew in his heart that it was just that the Japanese defense force was too strong and they couldn't handle it with just one regiment, so they came to them.
"Commander Tang is joking. Only what you can eat is considered 'fat meat'; what you can't eat is just something to drool over. Commander Tang is an honest man, so I, Old Li, won't beat around the bush. My Independent Regiment alone certainly can't take on this piece of fat meat. But I just happened to hear Battalion Commander Zhou talking about your militia, and I think there's a chance for this attack on the Japanese military train to turn around, so I shamelessly came to find you," Li Yunfei said frankly.
"As far as I know, your Eighth Route Army has quite a few troops in the Taihang Mountains area, right?" Tang Weiguo asked in return.
"To be honest, the war situation is tense recently, and there are battles everywhere. The higher-ups really can't spare any troops to support us, so I have to find my own way."
"Commander Tang, you have no idea how itchy Old Li has been ever since he heard this news," Li Yunfei said with a helpless expression. There was nothing he could do; his Independent Regiment was poorly equipped and short-staffed, so they couldn't get a piece of the pie.
After hearing Li Yunfei finish speaking, Tang Weiguo didn't reply immediately. He sat there deep in thought, and the living room became extremely quiet. Li Yunfei, on the other hand, wasn't in a hurry. He slowly sipped his tea, waiting for Tang Weiguo's reply.
Tang Xiaohu, who was next to Tang Weiguo, leaned close to Li Qukou and whispered, "Qukou, do you think this will work?"
“Hmm, I think Wei Guo is probably tempted, otherwise he would have rejected them long ago and wouldn’t have talked to them for so long,” Li Qukou replied in a low voice.
"Looks like we're going to have a battle." Tang Xiaohu looked eager to fight.
After waiting a while, Tang Weiguo spoke up: "Joint operations are possible, but I wonder how Commander Li plans to attack the Japanese military trains?" Tang Weiguo asked.
Upon hearing Tang Weiguo's reply, Li Yunfei was secretly delighted.
"There's a chance for this."
"Old Li has already figured out the battle plan. Commander Tang, come and take a look."
"Dapeng, get me the map," Li Yunfei said to the guard.
"Commander Li came prepared," Tang Weiguo said with a smile.
"Haha, without the right skills, Old Li wouldn't be able to take on this delicate task," Li Yunfei said with a laugh.
While the two were talking, Li Dapeng spread the map he had prepared earlier on the table.
"Commander Tang, please take a look. The Zhengtai Railway mainly passes through mountainous areas in our section, and the Japanese have deployed heavy troops to guard key points along the line and have sent patrol teams to patrol. Previously, Lao Li led a group to raid a Japanese station along the line and suffered a minor loss. So, the Japanese have very tight defenses over this railway."
"In that case, Commander Li, how do you plan to fight?"
"Commander Tang, please continue. Our section of railway just crosses a large bridge, about 100 meters long. To ensure the safety of this bridge, the Japanese have dispatched a company of soldiers to guard it."
"In addition, there is a small station three kilometers away from the bridge, where a company of Japanese soldiers is also stationed."
"Fortunately, there were only temporary Japanese patrols in the three-kilometer stretch between the stronghold and the bridge, not any fixed Japanese strongholds, so I wanted to make use of this three-kilometer stretch to do something."
"Moreover, the most crucial point is that there happens to be a hidden mountain path in this section that only the locals know about. The Japanese have no defenses at this point in the mountains, so we can use this to facilitate the timely transfer of our munitions."
"The specific battle plan is as follows: we will first send troops to infiltrate and dismantle the rails in front of the train before it arrives, causing the train to derail. Then, a portion of our troops will launch a feint attack on the Japanese station and the bridge to disperse the Japanese firepower. Finally, we will deploy troops on both sides of the train to intercept any Japanese reinforcements that come to its aid."
"Moreover, I mobilized the villagers to provide support, and these supplies can be transported to the mountains within an hour. Once they're in the mountains, we won't be afraid to fight the Japanese anymore. Old Li's years of guerrilla warfare haven't been for nothing," Li Yunfei said confidently.
"Commander Tang, is there anything to add?" Li Yunfei asked.
"Commander Li chose an excellent ambush location. Even if we fail in the end, we can safely withdraw from the battlefield through this mountain road."
"Commander Li, my opinion is that we should blow up this bridge. This will reduce the number of enemy reinforcements on the other side of the bridge, allowing us to focus on blocking the garrison at this small station."
"Commander Tang, I've also considered this matter, but blowing up the bridge is a tough nut to crack. The Japanese have built fortifications at both ends of the bridge, making it difficult to attack. Moreover, the bridge is very sturdy, requiring a large amount of explosives to destroy it, which seems unlikely at the moment," Li Yunfei explained.
"Since Commander Li has made such thorough preparations, I will not refuse any longer. I agree to cooperate with your side in the joint operation," Tang Weiguo replied.
"That's wonderful!" Li Yunfei exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh.