People are shining their swords, secretly helping the Iron Triangle in Northwest Shanxi

Chapter 217 Killing Harada Kenzo

The 358th Regiment can be called Chu Yunfei's first army, and most of its officers were promoted by Chu Yunfei himself.

Especially the three battalion commanders of the second battalion, the third battalion, and the fourth battalion are definitely Chu Yunfei's confidantes.

Sun Ming, the commander of the guard company, also served as Chu Yunfei's adjutant.

This time, they took advantage of Chen Ziyun's combat meeting and directly suggested that Chen Ziyun issue a combat order.

They knew about the combat situation in Xinxian County, and they were worried that Chu Yunfei would be in danger, so they wanted to rush to help.

Chen Ziyun can understand their feelings, but as the head of the 358 regiment, he must have his own majesty.

"I dare not to be humble."

Facing Chen Ziyun's question, the officers lowered their heads and replied softly.

Chen Ziyun was in the Independent 48th Brigade, but Chu Yunfei was an absolute celebrity. He had a high prestige.

Many people privately regarded Chen Ziyun and Fang Ligong as Chu Yunfei's right-hand men!

They had the guts to make suggestions, but if they really wanted to coerce Chen Ziyun, they couldn't do such a thing.

What's more, they also knew that the combat plan of the brigade headquarters was drawn up by Chen Ziyun, and they must obey orders.

If the battle failed because of their proposal, they could not bear the responsibility.

"This battle has a lot to do with it, and the brigade and the attendant will not hesitate to take the risk of commanding in the county."

"The brigade headquarters is directly under the field artillery battalion, and the guard company has been strengthened. We will undertake important combat tasks."

"I can understand your feelings, but war is not a child's play."

"This incident is not an example!"

"Of course I can tell you clearly that if the brigade headquarters is really in danger, then I will definitely rush to help at all costs."

Chen Ziyun looked towards the officers and said with a serious expression on his face.

Fighting here in Xin County, from the initial defeat of Li Yunlong's Xinyi regiment, to the present Chu Yunfei's command troops are besieged by the Japanese and puppet troops in the county.

All of this is part of Chen Ziyun's plan. What they have to do is to mobilize the Japanese and puppet troops from the hilly area.

These thousands of days of puppet soldiers are the fat on their lips, and they must eat it in one bite.

Li Yunlong commanded the new regiment to fight against the transport troops. After the Japanese and puppet troops attacked, Chen Ziyun immediately put forward combat suggestions.

After discussing with Fang Ligong, Chu Yunfei directly accepted it, and quickly dispatched messengers to contact Li Yunlong.

The two sides communicated and finally clarified the combat plan.

Up to now, the main force of the Japanese and puppet troops stationed in the hills has been dispatched, and all of them have come to fight here in Xinxian County.

But how did they know that there were 358 regiments, the new regiment, and the independent regiment on the periphery at this time.

The strength of these three regiments can be increased at any time, directly giving the Japanese and puppet troops an anti-encirclement.

Chen Ziyun is currently standing still, actually waiting for the last few troops in the hilly area to attack.

As long as the more than 1000 little devils commanded by Harada Kenzao attack, the 358th regiment can decisively annihilate them, and then quickly advance towards the county seat.

Chen Ziyun, who has been a man for two lifetimes, came here with a very simple idea.

The blood debt is paid with blood, and the little devils have committed countless crimes here, so they will bear the punishment they deserve.

What he can do is to command the troops to kill these unforgivable Japanese and puppet troops as much as possible.

Chen Ziyun wants them to know that this is not a place where they are allowed to run wild.

Therefore, Chen Ziyun would not spare any of the thousands of puppet troops in Xin County.

"Tuan Zuo, I know I was wrong, and if I offended, I ask Tuan Zuo to forgive me face to face."

Sun Ming and other officers looked at Chen Ziyun and immediately admitted their mistake.

They were too worried about Chu Yunfei's safety, that's why they made such a move.

Naturally, Chen Ziyun would not be unreasonable, and he would not pursue this matter any further.

After all, they were also on the same boat, and if they got stuck, it wouldn't do Chen Ziyun any good.

"The more than 1000 little devils here in the hills can hold their breath, and they are still standing still."

"Then let's fire them up and see how they react."

"Zhang Wu, you command the cavalry battalion to quickly advance to the county seat and take actions to support the county seat."

"Look at their reaction, if they still stand still, then we are ready to attack."

"Before going to the county seat, we have to solve this worry anyway."

Chen Ziyun pointed to the map, opened his mouth and issued a combat order.

He arranged for the cavalry battalion to advance towards the county, and the Liyang Artillery Battalion and Liang Guoping Field Artillery Battalion to build artillery positions.

The guard company and the reconnaissance platoon secretly advanced towards the hilly area, ready for a strong attack.

After all, these more than 1000 little devils continue to stick to the hilly area, which will also affect their subsequent encirclement and annihilation operations.

If they can be resolved in advance, the follow-up operations will be much easier.

"Yes, group seat." The officers saluted one after another and replied immediately.

More than 500 cavalry from the Zhangwu Cavalry Battalion quickly assembled, and then marched towards the county in a mighty manner.

Other troops were operating in secret, and they were ready to storm the hilly area.

It was at this time that Li Yunlong's new regiment who had entered Yuanping City began to return secretly.

The independent regiment deployed on the highlands west of Xinxian County also gradually advanced towards the Tongpu Railway, preparing to reunite with the Xinyi regiment.

Of course, these two regiments acted covertly, hiding their whereabouts as much as possible, so as not to be noticed by the Japanese and puppet troops.

That is, at this time, in the hilly area, Harada Kenzo's headquarters is here.

Messages began to be reported one by one, and even the First Army Command sent a message.

A regiment of Zhengtai Railway Eighth Road quickly rushed to Xin County to help!

In the area south of the hills, hundreds of cavalry from the Jinsui Army quickly advanced towards the county seat!

The troops commanded by Mitake Tsuda have entered the county seat!

According to reliable sources, the brigade headquarters of the Independent 48th Brigade is in Xinxian County!
After these news were delivered, Harada Kenzo couldn't sit still at all.

Mitake Tsuda also sent a message before, requesting that the four Liao-made field guns of the artillery squadron rush to the county to fight quickly.

But this time Harada Kenzo did not agree, but forced them to stay.

"Baga, Lu, I really didn't expect that the troops of the Jinsui Army are completely vulnerable."

"Their main force has been completely wiped out, and the remaining troops have almost no combat effectiveness."

"If I knew this earlier, I should have personally commanded the troops to fight."

"The result of defeating the Independent 48th Brigade and killing Chu Yunfei is enough to offset any mistakes made in the defeat."

"Order the troops to assemble quickly, and we will also quickly go to Xinxian County to fight."

Kenzo Harada had a serious expression on his face, without any hesitation, he decisively issued a combat order.

He believes that the independent 48th brigade will undoubtedly lose, and such military exploits cannot be obtained by Tsuda Mitake alone.

Taking advantage of the fact that the battle is not yet completely over, Harada Kenzo wants to go quickly to join the battle.

The second battalion of the independent infantry in the hills, the field artillery squadron, and the heavy troops quickly assembled.

A force of 500 troops quickly advanced towards Xinkou Town. They were preparing to go south through Xinkou Town and advance to the county to fight.

The path that Kenzo Harada chose was more cautious.

The 358th Regiment and other troops are currently gathering in the area south of the hills, and they advance directly to the east, completely avoiding these troops.

Starting at nine o'clock, more than 1000 little devils stationed in the hills began to advance eastward.

Chen Ziyun immediately got the news. After learning about the situation, Chen Ziyun did not hesitate and decisively issued a combat order.

The Li Yang Artillery Battalion, attached to the Seventh Battalion of Chu Yu, quickly moved into the hilly area, cutting off the rear of the little devil's troops.

The guard company and the reconnaissance platoon followed quietly, and immediately launched a combat strike after the little devils' troops left the hilly area.

The Second Battalion, Third Battalion, and Fourth Battalion marched towards Xinkou Town immediately, trying to reach Xinkou Town before the Japanese troops.

Liang Guoping's field artillery battalion quickly advanced to the county seat to cooperate with the cavalry battalion in combat.

After the various ministries received the combat order, they quickly mobilized.

Until ten o'clock in the evening, the area west of Xinkou Town began to hear gunfire.

This is Sun Ming's guard company, and Wei Monk's reconnaissance platoon launched a combat attack on the little devil's troops.

The machine gun platoon under the guard company, two heavy machine guns, and two mortars fired first.

The four infantry platoons assembled twelve grenadiers to fire grenades.

Twelve light machine guns, 48 ​​submachine guns, and dozens of rifles fired at the same time.

For a while, dense grenades and bullets hit the little devil one after another, and the little devil's troops marching towards Xinkou Town began to suffer casualties.

They quickly deployed firepower to counterattack, and four 77MM field guns made by Liao Dynasty were also ready to be erected quickly.

But at this time, the reconnaissance platoon quickly launched an assault.

The five combat groups cooperated with each other alternately, and each Czech-style semi-automatic rifle continued to fire.

Behind them, there are two light machine guns, two 60MM mortars, and eight Mauser sniper rifles for cover.

Their mission is to attack the Japanese artillery units with all their strength and prevent them from shelling the guard company.

The guard company and the reconnaissance platoon are all elite troops created by Chen Ziyun, and they have strong combat capabilities.

Faced with their sudden attack, the little devil's army fell into chaos for a while.

Major General Harada Kenzo, the commander of the Japanese Army, checked his surroundings with a solemn expression on his face.

"No, this is the elite troops of the Jinsui Army. They have a large number of submachine guns, and their combat effectiveness is very strong."

"Baga Road, we are completely fooled. The Jinsui Army and the Eighth Route Army are deliberately retreating to lure us away from the hilly area."

"Quickly withdraw towards the hilly area and stick to the hilly area with all your strength!"

Kenzo Harada realized something was wrong, and he woke up instantly.

However, it was too late for him to command the troops to quickly withdraw towards the hilly area.

Because of the Li Yang Artillery Battalion, Chu Yu's [-]th Battalion has quickly moved into the hilly area.

The artillery battalion has six Bofors mountain guns and six [-]-type mountain guns to immediately build an artillery position.

The guard company has already started firing flares, guiding the artillery to clearly observe the position of the Japanese army.

Not long after, the twelve mountain cannons immediately launched shelling.

Intensive shells hit the Japanese army, and deafening explosions continued to sound.

The machine gun company of the Seventh Battalion also started shooting, with four heavy machine guns and two mortars suppressing the little devil.

Seeing such a firepower attack, Harada Kenzo couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Quickly move towards Xinkou Town, fully defend Xinkou Town, and at the same time quickly contact Tsuda Mitake, let him command the troops to withdraw quickly."

"Damn it, we were fooled. The main force of the Jinsui Army is still there, and they are going to carry out an annihilation operation against us."

"Mitake Tsuda, this idiot, if he sticks to his position and doesn't attack, there won't be such a crisis."

Kenzo Harada had a serious expression on his face, and he hurriedly gave the order.

The little devil's troops began to move towards Xinkou Town with all their strength, but they were constantly hit by fire.

Li Yang and Sun Xiong's artillery battalion had twelve mountain cannons, and they launched firepower strikes one after another, and the little devils' troops paid a certain amount of casualties.

At midnight, the little devils had just arrived in Xinkou Town, but they were immediately met with firepower.

Rifles, light machine guns, submachine guns, and grenades fired one after another.

This is the second battalion and third battalion of the 358th regiment. The light infantry deployed in April entered the Xinkou Town area in advance.

Harada Kenzo didn't dare to stop at all, and quickly moved to the north.

At this time, after continuous attacks, their combat strength was only more than a thousand people.

And the heavy soldiers who followed the action were forced to discard a large amount of supplies.

"Damn Jinsui Army, they are very cunning."

"Baga Road, quickly give up fighting in Xin County, and quickly move to Yuanping City."

"Ignore Tsuda Mitake, an idiot, and leave the battlefield immediately!"

Harada Kenzo planned to flee the battlefield quickly, but at this time, Chen Ziyun decisively gave the order to attack.

All the ministries launched a direct pursuit, fighting against this group of little devils with all their strength.

At one o'clock in the morning on September [-]th, more than [-] troops from the second, third, and fourth battalions launched an attack from the south.

The seventh battalion, the guard company, and the reconnaissance platoon, with about 1000 troops, attacked directly from the west.

The artillery battalions of Li Yang and Sun Xiong, guided by the front-line infantry flares and signal flares, carried out shelling one after another to support operations.

Ten minutes later, Li Yunlong commanded the new regiment, and the independent regiment came to the battlefield.

They had a face-to-face meeting with the little devils who were evacuating towards the north. Li Yunlong didn't have any politeness, and quickly ordered all the ministries to start fighting.

Kong Jie commanded the independent regiment to build a defensive position on the spot, and Li Yunlong took the shell gun and directly led the troops to attack.

For a while, the little devil's troops were caught in a three-sided attack, and they were under great pressure.

Harada Kenzo wanted to command the troops to evacuate towards the east, but now the little devil couldn't move at all.

The firepower from three sides made the little devil almost unable to fight back.

Now they are forced to find different bunkers and launch defensive operations on the spot.

If it moved to the east, it would definitely be treated as a living target.

Fierce gunfire continued to ring out, and various ministries continued to launch attacks.

Normally, the Jinsui Army and the Eighth Route Army hardly spoke, but now they can fully cooperate.

After all, any army is very active in fighting devils.

Especially now that the two forces are fighting together, they inevitably have the idea of ​​​​competing.

Both the Eighth Route Army and the Jinsui Army troops wanted to obtain the greatest results in order to prove their strength to each other.

At two o'clock in the morning, Kong Jiexin's second regiment also began to participate in the battle.

Harada Kenzo was forced to command the troops to defend on the spot. At the same time, he kept urging the power generation and contacting Tsuda Meiwu.

The only thing that can support them at this time is the main force of the Japanese puppet army commanded by Tsuda Meiwu.

But now that Mitake Tsuda has commanded troops to enter the county to fight, he has his own ideas.

As early as a few hours ago, Harada Kenzo sent a telegram, telling that this was a trap.

Tsuda Mitake ignored it, and he commanded the troops to attack with all their strength, preparing to retake the county.

"The third and fourth brigades entered the city to fight in the field, and continued their onslaught to ensure that the county will be recaptured quickly."

"The First Brigade of the Independent Infantry, the Puppet Mongolian Army troops are defending in the south of the county seat, and maintain contact with the troops in the city."

"The artillery unit builds positions and prepares for support operations, and the cavalry unit is responsible for battlefield security."

"At the same time, contact Major General Kenzo Harada and tell them to stay put and wait. We will end the battle here and will rush to help them fight quickly."

With a serious expression on Tsuda Mitake's face, he began to issue combat orders.

The nearby messengers and messengers received the order and quickly began to deliver.

The main force of the Japanese and puppet troops began to gather here south of the county seat, and they also broke through and launched attacks from here.

Of course, in this way, they can maintain the connection between the various ministries and adopt a defensive strategy of all-out attack and all-defense.

But in doing so, the other three sides of the county are completely open.

Chu Yunfei immediately made adjustments, and the main force of the supplementary regiment outside the city quickly entered the city to start defense.

The supplementary regiment and the 11th regiment set up a defensive position in the city to hold on, and blocked the little devils' troops layer by layer.

They are going to start street fighting to wipe out the little devils as much as possible.

The cavalry battalion and the field artillery battalion fought outside the city to fully support the defensive operations inside the city.

"At the end of the battle, one soldier must stick to the position, and the ministries must not evacuate the position without authorization."

"Now the 358th Regiment, the brigade's main regiment, is actively fighting in Xinkou Town. After the Japanese army over there is dealt with, they will be able to rush to help them quickly."

"Success or failure depends on one move. We must not miss this opportunity. The Japanese and puppet troops in Xin County must be completely wiped out."

Chu Yunfei had a serious expression on his face. He personally contacted the officers above the battalion and directly issued combat orders.

The troops of the two sides continued to fight fiercely in Xin County. At this time, the little devil had only more than 2000 troops in the city.

But here are two regiments with more than 4000 troops, and they have a certain force advantage.

And here on the periphery, there are cavalry battalions and field artillery battalions.

The Field Artillery Battalion has six Liao-made 75MM field cannons and four Liao-made 77MM field cannons.

After they built the artillery positions, they continued to launch artillery attacks to harass the little devils artillery units.

Although the little devils have an advantage in the number of artillery, their artillery range does not have any advantage.

Eight Liao-made 75MM field guns, eight Japanese-style 75MM field guns, four 100MM howitzers, and three [-]-style mountain guns.

Their maximum range is only 300 meters, but the 77MM field guns under the artillery battalion have a range of more than [-] meters.

These four wild cannons can completely bombard without any restraint, without even considering the counterattack of the little devil's artillery.

In this way, the little devil artillery unit cannot effectively support the battle in the city.

At four o'clock in the morning, the area north of Xinkou Town was actively encircled and suppressed by various ministries.

The Second Independent Infantry Battalion, Field Artillery Squadron, and Supplies under Harada Kenzo's command suffered heavy losses.

The four Liao-made 77MM field artillery of the field artillery squadron can be said to have become a new regiment, the 358 regiment, and the independent regiment has sent troops to attack.

The Xinyi regiment transferred a battalion and a battalion under the command of Zhang Dabiao.

Kong Jie of the independent regiment even mobilized the entire regiment to form a commando team, commanded by the commander of the fourth battalion.

Chen Ziyun ordered the guard company and the reconnaissance platoon to advance quickly to attack the Japanese artillery unit.

The Imp Field Artillery Squadron was under constant attack, and the troops protecting them suffered heavy casualties.

At 04:30, about one hundred little devils in the field artillery squadron were completely eliminated.

The Independent Regiment and the New Regiment each stole one field gun, and the guard company and the reconnaissance platoon snatched two field guns.

And the little devil's troops continued to be attacked by the battalions, and they suffered heavy losses.

Harada Kenzo commanded [-] little devils to leave the hilly area, but by now they didn't even have half of their troops.

They still have about 600 troops left, and they are in a divided state.

The various ministries actively carried out annihilation operations against them, and it was only a matter of time before the little devils were completely wiped out.

At five o'clock in the morning, when Wei Monk's reconnaissance platoon entered the attack operation, he directly discovered the Japanese Major General Harada Kenzao.

They immediately launched a fire attack, and ten minutes later, Harada Kenzo was killed on the spot.

The reconnaissance platoon began to quickly transport Harada Kenzo's body away. After Chen Ziyun got the news, he immediately began to assemble the troops.

Harada Kenzo was killed, so there is no need for the 358 regiment to stay here to fight.

The remaining little devil troops, they can be handed over to the new regiment, the independent regiment.

Now that the little devils here in the county are attacking fiercely, Chen Ziyun needs to come to help quickly.

Moreover, Chen Ziyun was satisfied with getting two 77mm field guns, and gave the rest of the weapons and equipment directly to Li Yunlong and Kong Jie.

After all, the Independent 48th Brigade currently has no shortage of weapons and ammunition, and it is very easy for them to replenish them.

At six o'clock in the morning, the troops of the 358th regiment began to march towards the county seat.

After Li Yunlong and Kong Jie discovered that the Jinsui Army had withdrawn, they immediately mobilized their troops and actively launched an annihilation operation.

Of course, they also knew in their hearts that this was a deliberate benefit given to them by the Jinsui Army.

After all, they can gain a lot of spoils by solving these little devils.

The battle here in Xinxian County is still going on, but the little devils in the city encounter more tenacious resistance.

Wu Ziqiang commanded the 11th regiment of the reserve to guard the houses, repelling the attacks of the little devils again and again.

The artillery units outside the city were pinned down and unable to provide them with support. The little devils continued to attack, but made little progress.

Mitake Tsuda showed an angry expression on his face. He kept in touch with the captain who commanded the operations on the front line to learn more about the situation.

"Your Excellency, brigade commander, it's not good. The cavalry unit reported that a large number of Jinsui Army troops in Xinkou Town have begun to fight south."

"And we have repeatedly contacted Major General Harada Kenzo, but we have never received any response."

"They... they may have been annihilated in Xinkou Town. Now that the Jinsui Army troops are coming, they may want to counter-encircle us."

A captain quickly came to Tsuda Mitake, and he reported in a flustered tone.

(End of this chapter)