Chapter 205 On the eve of the war, all parties take action! "boom!" With a cannon shot, the artillery tower in the middle of the Dawangzhuang stronghold could no longer hold on and collapsed. The collapse of the artillery tower meant that the Japanese in Dawangzhuang had lost their only commanding height and could no longer suppress the attacking Eighth Route Army with firepower. Under Ding Wei's command, the soldiers of the New 1st Regiment quickly rushed towards the Dawangzhuang stronghold under the cover of heavy machine guns. The soldiers of the New 1st Regiment who were rushing in the front were basically equipped with light machine guns, submachine guns, and pistols. Dense bullets were fired at the gap in the outer wall of the Dawangzhuang stronghold. Under the suppression of firepower, the charging Eighth Route Army soldiers quickly approached the stronghold. Looking at the trenches and barbed wire outside the stronghold, the Eighth Route Army soldiers at the front quickly moved to the sides. The soldiers behind had been prepared and were carrying sandbags. They quickly threw the sandbags into the trench and filled it up. The engineers at the back took out straight steel pipes about one meter long, quickly assembled them together, and stuffed them into the middle of the barbed wire.
"Get down!" With a loud shout, the explosives in the steel pipe were detonated, and the surrounding barbed wire was directly blown away by the shock wave. "Suppression fire, commandos, submachine gun teams enter the stronghold!" "Yes!" Under the command of the leading officer, the Eighth Route Army soldiers armed with submachine guns quickly entered the stronghold through the gap created by the mountain artillery. The Japanese soldiers in the stronghold did not want to give up. They used the various destroyed fortifications and buildings in the stronghold as cover to launch a counterattack against the Eighth Route Army soldiers who rushed in. But the Japanese soldiers in the stronghold were just making a last-ditch effort. "Grenade!" When the cadre in charge of the team saw that the attack was blocked, he immediately called on the soldiers rushing over with grenade launchers behind him to use the grenade launchers to blow out the Japanese soldiers behind the bunker. Along with the sound of the small grenade flying in the air, the Japanese soldiers hiding behind the bunker were directly killed by the small grenade. The Japanese soldiers who dodged the small grenades and rushed out of the bunker were directly shot into sieves by the dense bullets. The remaining Japanese soldiers were quickly killed by the attack of grenade launchers and submachine guns. "The engineers and logistics companies must clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible. Take away all the heavy machine guns and bullets, as well as grenades. The rest of the combatants must immediately rush to the next stronghold and prepare to encircle the Japanese Fourth Brigade!" "Yes!" After Ding Wei entered the Dawangzhuang stronghold, he immediately made the subsequent arrangements. Then he led his troops and used the Japanese trucks to quickly rush to the next attack site. According to the brigade's plan, the New 1st Regiment will meet up with the Vanguard Regiment at that stronghold, then encircle the Japanese 4th Brigade and launch a general attack on it. …… On the other side, the 772nd Regiment captured the Linjiaji stronghold, left engineers to repair the fortifications in the stronghold, and immediately launched an attack on another stronghold.
Almost at the same time. The entire Shiquan County, Linyuan County, and the Eighth Route Army in Taiyue Mountain were mobilized. One after another, Eighth Route Army troops emerged from the Eighth Route Army-controlled strongholds and towns in Shiquan County and Linyuan County and rushed to various ambush positions. Even the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, which had exchanged territory with the Eighth Route Army, was taking action. "I didn't expect that the Eighth Route Army would be so courageous this time and fight against the three field brigades of the Japanese. The command was also shocked by the Eighth Route Army's generosity this time." In the headquarters of the 358th Regiment. Fang Ligong, the staff officer of the 358th Regiment, looked at the map placed in the middle of the regiment headquarters and spoke to Chu Yunfei in a shocked tone. Chu Yunfei touched his wrist, listened to what Fang Ligong said, and spoke while looking at the map hanging on the wall. "The Eighth Route Army is now much more powerful than it was in the past. According to information from the headquarters, the Eighth Route Army successfully captured a horse farm, seized thousands of war horses, and also discovered an arsenal left behind by the Northeast Army. In addition to the large amount of equipment seized from the Japanese, the Eighth Route Army's strength is no longer the Eighth Route Army we imagined, where not even every soldier had a gun. I heard that the arsenal at the Eighth Route Army headquarters has begun producing rifles and small cannons. Each main regiment has begun to be equipped with an artillery company. In terms of the strength of the regiment, the Eighth Route Army is no weaker than our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. " "A week ago, the Eighth Route Army launched a lightning-fast raid on the Shangdang area and eliminated all the Japanese and puppet troops in the area. The Eighth Route Army recaptured the Shangdang area from the Japanese invaders. This event completely put an end to the rumors about the Eighth Route Army in the mountain city that it was just a roving expedition. The Eighth Route Army was an alien force, and it was an alien force that achieved such great results in Shanxi. The superiors were not feeling very happy. If our Jinsui Army can no longer achieve any decent results, then its popularity among the people of Shanxi will be completely replaced by the Eighth Route Army. Brother Ligong, you should have discovered that now, whether in the Japanese-occupied areas or in the areas we control, when young and strong people want to join the army to serve their country, the first thing they think of is the Eighth Route Army. And us? The troops over there in the mountain city are constantly conscripting young men and using our Shanxi people as cannon fodder. We in the Jinsui Army cannot conscript young men because we are all from the same hometown. If we want to recruit more soldiers, we can only wait for the young and strong to voluntarily join the army. But now the source of manpower in the area controlled by our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army can be said to have been exhausted. If our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army does not take any further action, then I am afraid that our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will be slowly devoured by the Eighth Route Army. This time the Ministry has invested a lot of money." Chu Yunfei's words sounded somewhat incoherent. But Fang Ligong, who was standing by, understood what Chu Yunfei wanted to express.
What is unavoidable is that this time the Eighth Route Army and the three brigades of the Japanese devils will fight face to face, and the 358th Regiment will also join in to help the Eighth Route Army. However, it was repeatedly emphasized that in order to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat, a written order from the headquarters was necessary. But the 358th Regiment did not receive any written order from the headquarters. In other words, Chu Yunfei could be considered to have privately mobilized troops. But after Chu Yunfei said this, Fang Ligong understood instantly. Chu Yunfei did not mobilize the troops privately, but the superiors tacitly approved Chu Yunfei and asked Chu Yunfei to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in the battle and do good things to the Eighth Route Army! Chu Yunfei was right. Over the past year or so, the Eighth Route Army has achieved good results many times. Compared with the Eighth Route Army, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army can be said to have achieved nothing. If the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army does not take any appropriate action, it will completely lose the support of the people of Shanxi. Losing the support of the people of Shanxi means that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has lost its roots. An army without roots will sooner or later disintegrate. Therefore, the high-ranking officials of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army tacitly agreed to let Chu Yunfei cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in this battle. While selling a good story to the Eighth Route Army, it also let the people of Shanxi know that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was not just hiding, but was also fighting the Japanese. At the same time, the senior officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army hoped that the Eighth Route Army would be able to help when the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Japanese started fighting. Seeing Fang Ligong pondering over his words, Chu Yunfei smiled and shook his head, then looked at the entire map of Shanxi hanging on the wall. Chu Yunfei first looked at the area where his 358th Regiment was located, and then turned his attention to the Jincheng area and the Zhongtiao Mountain area. According to the information he had learned, most of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's troops were moving towards the Jincheng area and the Zhongtiao Mountain area. It was obvious that the top leaders of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army planned to wait until the Shangdang battle of the Eighth Route Army was over before launching an attack on Zhongtiao Mountain and Jincheng. If the Eighth Route Army wins, we can ask it to help stop the Japanese in the north. Then the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army launched a siege against the Japanese in the Zhongtiao Mountains and Jincheng areas, and completely wiped out the Japanese entrenched in the Zhongtiao Mountains and Jincheng areas. If the Eighth Route Army had not succeeded, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army would have returned to the original situation and given up the attack on the Japanese in Zhongtiao Mountain and Jincheng areas. Similarly, this time, the senior officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army also made great efforts to enable the Eighth Route Army to stop the Japanese invaders. That was to dispatch the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to trap the Japanese in the Zhongtiao Mountains and Jincheng areas and prevent the Japanese in these two directions from interfering with the actions of the Eighth Route Army. If the Eighth Route Army failed, it would mean that all the losses of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army would be in vain. This is also the reason why Chu Yunfei said that the superiors and his subordinates had invested a huge amount of money this time. "Brother Ligong, stop thinking about it and prepare to arrange the troops for battle!" "Order the troops, the first battalion will move to this position and keep a close eye on the Japanese in Pingyao! If the Japanese soldiers from Pingyao come out, then the first battalion must stop them. We must not let any Japanese soldiers enter Linyuan County!" "The Second Battalion will go to this defensive line. If the Eighth Route Army in front can't hold on any longer, the Second Battalion will immediately enter the position to stop the Japanese! Remember, there must be no Eighth Route Army on our positions, and we cannot cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat! Although the superior department acquiesced, this could not be made public. Our Jinsui Army still needs artillery support from the mountain city. If we fall out with Shancheng, then our Jinsui Army will have difficulty getting artillery replenishment."
"The third battalion will serve as the reserve force. Order the artillery battalion to prepare for support!" "The Eighth Route Army made such a big move and prepared such a large table of dishes. I, Chu, also want to have a sip of soup!" Under Chu Yunfei's arrangement, the 358th Regiment began to operate rapidly like a precision machine. Under Chu Yunfei's arrangement, troops began to head to various ambush areas, preparing to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in Linyuan County to ambush the Japanese. …… "Hurry up, speed up, damn, why is the soil here so hard! Damn it, bring the dynamite!" On the outskirts of Linyuan County is a mountain called Tieshanling. An Eighth Route Army unit is speeding up the construction of fortifications. Tieshanling gets its name from the large amount of iron ore contained in the mountains. Therefore, there is a lot of iron ore in the land on the mountains. The extremely high hardness made it difficult for the Eighth Route Army soldiers to dig up the ground and build trench shelters. Only sandbags can be used to build shelters. Tieshanling is also Linyuan County’s first line of defense against the Japanese 9th Brigade. The Eighth Route Army unit responsible for garrisoning Tieshanling was the First Battalion of the Third Regiment of the First Column of Taiyue. A force of about four hundred men. According to the above requirements, they need to hold off the Japanese at Tieshanling for at least five hours. Within five hours, the Japanese must not be allowed to pass Tieshanling. "Captain Zhang, Captain Zhang, the Japanese vanguard has entered Linyuan County and is heading towards Tieshanling!" Soon, the soldiers from the special forces company directly under the regiment brought news about the Japanese. "All units, prepare for the attack. First Company Commander, lead your men into the first ambush position. Remember, you must wait until the Japanese enter the minefield before pulling the mines!" "Yes!" "Bring the direct-fire guns over here, get ready to shoot down the Japanese tanks!" "Damn it, you have no conscience, bury the cannon quickly!" …… Taiyuan, the headquarters of the Japanese First Army. "Commander, the 9th and 11th Brigades have entered the attack position. The 11th Brigade reports that their vanguard troops have already started a firefight with the 771st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army!" After listening to the staff officer's report and looking at the map, Yoshio Shinozuka turned around and nodded.
"Yoshi, send a message to the Fourth Brigade, and have them attack everywhere. I want to make the center of the Eighth Route Army flourish and make their rear unstable! I want to see where the Eighth Route Army gets the courage to completely wipe out my Fourth Brigade!" "Order the 9th Brigade to speed up the attack and penetrate Linyuan County. Tell the 9th Brigade that the headquarters of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army should be at Baihu Ridge. Also, is there no news from Yamamoto-kun yet?" After arranging the attacks of various troops, Yoshio Shinozuka began to ask the staff about the news of Yamamoto Ikki. Ever since Yamamoto Ikki asked for the radio station to remain silent, he has never received any news from Yamamoto Ikki. Until now, Yoshio Shinozuka is still unclear whether Yamamoto Ikki's decapitation operation was successful. The staff officer listened to Yoshio Shinozuka's question, thought for a while and then spoke. "Your Excellency Commander, since Baihu Ridge is the headquarters of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, and our main opponent this time is the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, it is expected that there must be heavy troops guarding the area around Baihu Ridge. Yamamoto's army should be looking for a suitable opportunity to cut off the Eighth Route Army's headquarters. After all, special operations are completely different from conventional operations. Yamamoto's special operations are highly dependent on intelligence and opportunities. If there is no suitable opportunity and the attack is launched rashly, once Yamamoto's special forces are surrounded by the Eighth Route Army, then Yamamoto's decapitation operation will fail. " Yoshio Shinozuka listened to the staff officer's analysis and nodded. "Yes, I was indeed a little impatient. It's okay. Anyway, the officers' observation group is gone now. It doesn't matter if Yamamoto-kun is a little slow. I hope Yamamoto-kun can bring me good news." After waving his hand to signal the staff to leave, Yoshio Shinozuka continued to study the map and constantly analyze the current situation. "The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is restless, and the troops are being mobilized to the Jincheng area... I didn't expect that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army would actually cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in combat... The Special High Section failed to collect such important intelligence. After this battle, we must give the Jinsui Army a good beating and let them know what they can and cannot do! " (End of this chapter)
