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

Chapter 283 The First Division of Glory Enters Jiangcheng East

On the afternoon of May 1941, 41, along with the [-]st Division of the Japanese Army on the North Road, the independent and mixed Ninth Brigade launched combat operations.

At six o'clock, the command of the First Army issued an order to attack across the board.

At this time, the Japanese army assembled six divisions of 21, 33, 35, 36, 37, and 41, which were independently mixed into the ninth and 16th brigades and the fourth cavalry brigade.

These little devils were assigned to a large number of Imperial Association Army, Puppet Mongolian Army, and Puppet Manchurian Army to attack Zhongtiao Mountain in four directions.

The little devils on the North Road assembled the 41st Division and independently formed the Ninth Brigade to attack.

Here on the East Road, the little devils assembled the 21st Division and the 35th Division, which were attached to the 20th, 21st and 24th Divisions of the Imperial Association Army.

The Japanese and puppet troops here are a heavy army group, with a total strength of more than 5.

As the battle started, the commander of the 21st Division, Tanaka Jiuichi, commanded the troops to take the main offensive.

It first assembled more than [-] infantrymen, attached to the main artillery regiment, and received dozens of tanks and armored vehicles to assist in the operation, and quickly advanced along the north bank of the Yellow River.

Lieutenant General Harada Kumayoshi of the 35th Division commanded the participating troops of the 35th Division, while the Royal Association Army troops fully assisted the 21st Division in combat.

Their task is to attack the 14th Army, and they also have a more important task.

That is to quickly advance eastward along the north bank, and open up the connection with the independent mixed 16th brigade advancing to the east, thereby cutting off the retreat of the Zhongtiaoshan defenders.

At the same time, here on the West Road, this is the absolute main attack direction of the Japanese army. The little devils have assembled the 36th and 37th divisions here.

After the Army Command issued the combat order, Jing Guanren, the commander of the 36th Division, and Anda 37, the commander of the 23th Division, issued orders decisively.

More than 3 little devils advanced in multiple columns, concentrated the firepower of the machine guns, and continued to launch a continuous onslaught on the Fifth Army's position.

The troops of both sides fought fiercely here, and the deafening gunfire continued to sound.

At the same time, Major General Wakamatsu Heiji, head of the independent mixed 16th brigade on the West Road, commanded more than 1 Japanese puppet troops, and quickly advanced westward along the north bank of the Yellow River.

On the Northeast Road, there is the 33rd Brigade, and the 14th Cavalry Brigade quickly advances towards the [-]th Group Army.

At this time, the entire Zhongtiao Mountain area was filled with fierce gunfire, and thick gunpowder smoke completely covered all positions.

As the battle continued, there were more and more corpses on the ground, and the smell of blood could be clearly smelled from far away.

The 41st Division of the Little Devils fighting on the North Road, the independent mixed ninth brigade has only about 2 troops.

But they were reinforced with a certain number of tanks and armored vehicles.

Its main force continued to attack the 17th Army's positions, which put a lot of pressure on the 17th Army.

“17军之84师，14军之94师，43军暂编46师，暂编47师，70师全力防御横岭关一线阵地。”

"All ministries should stick to their positions and actively launch defensive operations to ensure the connection between the fifth and 14th armies, so as to stabilize the positions across the board."

"This battle is of great importance. Anyone who evacuates the position without authorization will be severely punished!"

At 06:30, the telegram from the Chief of the First Theater was sent directly to the armies and divisions.

Hengling Pass is where the junction of the two armies is located, and there is a road leading to Yuanqu City to the south!

As long as the little devil's North Road troops break through Hengling Pass and go south along the road, they can quickly capture Yuanqu City.

And once Yuanqu City falls, the connection between the Fifth Army and the 14th Army will be completely cut off!
There are a lot of troops responsible for the defense of the Henglingguan area, including five divisions.

However, judging from the organization of each department, its main combat force is the 43rd Army of the Shanxi-Sui Army!
The 43rd Army has three divisions, but their total strength is no more than 1, with an average division strength of less than 6000!

Moreover, this army was reorganized by Yan Laoxi at the beginning of 41, and they were mainly responsible for grabbing territory in the southeast of Shanxi.

Therefore, their combat effectiveness is not very strong. Facing the 8000 main force of the little devils to contain the attack, the 43rd Army's defense is a bit difficult.

As for the position of the 17th Army, although the 84th Division and the 94th Army are in a coordinated defense, the 17th Army is a miscellaneous army.

The 17th Army originally had the newly formed Second Division and the 84th Division, but the newly formed Second Division is a newly formed unit and is still training in the rear.

They have only one 84th Division, which is a unit from the Northwest Army.

The 94th Division is affiliated to the 14th Army and is a standard direct line unit.

You must know that before the outbreak of all-out war, there was a great conflict between the direct troops and the Northwest Army.

With the disintegration of the Northwest Army, these troops from the Northwest Army have been suppressed.

Even if the 17th Army is under unified command and operations, the 94th Division will not obey its orders at all.

Combat is a coordinated defense of the two divisions. In fact, the two divisions fight independently and do not support each other. They only care about the defense of their own positions.

When the battle lasted until seven o'clock, the commander of the 41st Division Shimizu Rulei gradually discovered loopholes in the defense of the defenders.

He began to adjust the deployment. The 41st Division and the independent mixed Ninth Brigade participated in the artillery and assembled in the southwest direction.

The two main forces of 1 troops, equipped with more than 84 tanks and armored vehicles, continued to attack the positions of the 94th Division and the [-]th Division.

A 4000-man unit advanced to the Shunwangping area to conduct containment operations against the 43rd Army.

About [-] troops, under the control of the hands, assume the reserve team.

At the same time, before dark, Ruler Shimizu contacted the First Flying Regiment again, requesting the air force to provide bombing support.

At [-]:[-], twelve planes came to the Hengling Pass area, and they carried out carpet bombing.

The little devils continued to attack, and the 84th and 94th divisions were under tremendous pressure.

Also under greater pressure is the Fifth Army defending in the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain.

As the battle started, there were many troops belonging to the Fifth Army.

The third army, the 14th army, and the 17th army are directly under the 80th army in the theater!
The strength of the four armies seems to be strong, but in fact they can mobilize not many troops for defense.

The 17th Army has only one division, responsible for the defense of the junction.

There are three divisions under the 14th Army, the 83rd Division is on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the 94th Division is attached to Hengling Pass to assist the 17th Army in defense.

The 85th Division is currently responsible for the defense of the south bank of the Yellow River, and is fighting fiercely with the independent mixed 16th Brigade on the West Road.

This means that only the Third Army and the 80th Army of the Fifth Army are defending the 36th and 37th Divisions.

The third army came from the Dian army system, and took refuge in the direct line of troops, and its combat effectiveness was quite satisfactory.

The 80th Army was basically a Shaanxi Army unit, and it was considered capable of fighting in the early stages of the War of Resistance.

However, as its old 79th Division and 97th Division were transferred away, the newly formed 27th Division and 165th Division were all newly formed troops.

The combat effectiveness of these two divisions is not very strong, and their weapon configuration is not very good.

The little devil has sufficient information, so the 36th and 37th divisions dispersed their troops to attack.

The focus of its attack was on the Third Army, the junction of the 80th Army, in an attempt to divide it and focus on seizing the 80th Army's positions.

Up to now, only the third army, the 80th army, has been able to participate in the battle and intercept the fifth army.

They have five divisions, but facing the attack of the main forces of the 36th and 37th divisions, they fought very hard.

The casualties of its troops were increasing, and at night, as the little devils' aviation units could not be dispatched, the situation improved.

However, as night fell, the special agent team commanded by Kazuki Yamamoto and the infiltration force formed by special agents and traitors began to attack.

They quickly infiltrated according to the previously planned route.

These troops will quickly advance to the designated area, raid the commanding organization of the defenders, seize the dangerous area in advance, and occupy the favorable terrain.

This time the Japanese army has drawn up a very complete battle plan. They have a strong frontal attack force, but they are not the main attack.

Their real main attack is the outflanking troops. They will quickly advance along the north bank of the Yellow River, seize the Yellow River ferry, and cut off the retreat of the Zhongtiao Mountain defenders.

At the same time, they will concentrate their superior forces to encircle, and it is a double-layer encirclement to ensure that the defenders in the encirclement will be devastated.

In addition, the little devil's aviation unit, the secret service team, and the infiltration force are also actively cooperating.

They would cut off the ministries, and they would attack the command structures.

By nine o'clock in the evening, the casualties of some troops were increasing.

Messages for help were sent out one after another!
Reports were received one after another from the senior management department, with anxious expressions on their faces.

At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops showed their full combat strength, but they were very surprised.

He Jingzhi personally started to generate electricity, and asked Lingchuan's 27th Army to rush to the Jincheng and Yangcheng areas regardless of everything, attacking the 33rd Division and the Fourth Cavalry Brigade.

The 27th Army must coordinate with the 14th Army to conduct operations so as to ensure the safety of the positions in the eastern part of Zhongtiao Mountain.

At the same time, He Jingzhi also contacted the First Division of Glory in Xiangning City immediately, asking them to pass through Houma City quickly and attack Yicheng and Jiangcheng directly.

The Glory First Division will attack the 41st Division and independently form the Ninth Brigade to ensure the safety of the junction of the two armies in Zhongtiao Mountain.

The 14rd Division of the 83th Army on the south bank also quickly crossed the river to join the battle.

Of course, because of the ferry and the bombing of the ships, it will take time for the 83rd Division to quickly reach the north bank to join the war.

At 09:30, the Chief of the Second War Zone also sent a telegram to the Glory First Division.

Yan Laoxi asked the first division of Glory to carry out the order of Chief He Jingzhi, and the troops quickly attacked Yicheng and Jiangcheng.

Of course, what Yan Laoxi was thinking after Chen Ziyun got this telegram, his heart was the same as that of Ming Jing.

The 43rd Army of the Jinsui Army was in Shunwangping. They were attacked by the 41st Division, which was independently mixed with the Ninth Brigade.

Near them are all the troops of the first theater, and there are no troops of the Jinsui Army.

This means that the 43rd Army is in a very dangerous situation and may be wiped out at any time.

The first division of Glory advances to Yicheng and Jiangcheng, so it will naturally be able to meet the withdrawal of the 43rd Army troops.

Even these two troops can stick to a certain area and stand by, wait for the situation to change, and wait for opportunities to seize territory!

"Division seat, Commander-in-Chief Zeng of the Fifth Army sent a message, hoping that we can dispatch troops quickly to help fight."

"Master, Commander Gao of the 17th Army and Commander Zhao of the 43rd Army also sent messages, hoping that we can quickly advance to Yicheng and Jiangcheng!"

Here at the division headquarters of the Glory First Division, Chief of Staff Fang Ligong took the telegram and hurried to Chu Yunfei to report.

Chu Yunfei took over the telegram to check, and he quickly issued an order that the main force of the whole division must gather at Yunqiu Mountain.

Chu Yunfei is going to send troops to quickly advance to Yicheng and Jiangcheng to help fight in the Hengling Pass and Shunwangping areas.

Chen Ziyun met Chu Yunfei at ten o'clock in the evening, and after knowing Chu Yunfei's decision, he didn't say much.

After all, the 36th Division, 37th Division and other troops have already fought fiercely with the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain.

Now even if the First Glory Division is dispatched, the little devil will not withdraw from the battle.

Of course, it would be better if they withdrew, so that the Zhongtiaoshan defenders would have a chance to breathe and adjust.

At eleven o'clock, the main force of the first division of Glory was dispatched.

The Artillery Regiment attached to the Independent 48th Brigade took the lead, followed by the Machine Gun Battalion attached to the Reserve 11th Brigade.

The cavalry battalion is attached to the guard company, and it moves northward to serve as the main guard force on the north side of the division.

The reconnaissance company of the artillery regiment moved south and served as the main force of the division's southern security force.

Chu Yunfei took Chief of Staff Fang Ligong to act together with the 11th Reserve Brigade.

Chen Ziyun led the artillery regiment and followed the Independent 48th Tour.

The brigade commander of the Independent 48th Brigade is concurrently served by Chu Yunfei, so the brigade is currently commanded by the deputy brigade commander Li Chongtao and the brigade chief of staff Lin Zhiqiang.

More than 1 troops advanced rapidly. They advanced to Houma City at one o'clock in the morning on May [-].

There are a small number of little Japanese troops left behind, and these little Japanese wanted to resist at first.

But as the first division of Glory launched a firepower attack, the little devil withdrew in an instant.

At three o'clock in the morning, the first division of Glory fully recovered Houma City, and its main force gradually began to advance towards Jiang City.

However, the Little Japanese troops had already received the news at this time, and the First Army Headquarters quickly dispatched the Suzuki detachment to rush south quickly for reinforcements.

The main force of the 27th Division also began to be commanded by division head Nobumasa Tominaga, and followed the Suzuki Detachment to fight southward.

Yoshio Shinozuka, the commander of the army, contacted the 41st Division Commander Shimizu Noriko as soon as possible to report the situation in detail.

The Frontline Command of the First Army also immediately discussed, and they wanted to find a countermeasure.

The 41st Division Headquarters is currently established in Jiangcheng County. After Qingshui Ruji got the news, he immediately discussed it.

At present, the 41st Division has deployed its main force to participate in the battle, and is attached to the independent and mixed Ninth Brigade. They have a strength of about 2.

At this time, all their main forces were participating in the battle, and Shimizu ruled in the hands of a reserve team of about 5000 people.

However, among these 5000 troops, there are heavy troops, and they number about 2000.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, according to the report from the Army Headquarters, the most elite troops of the Shanxi-Sui Army are here to attack at this time."

"They are the Glory First Division of Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun. The division has more than 1 men, well-equipped weapons and equipment, and strong combat effectiveness."

"With the strength of our current forces, even if we deploy all our defenses, it may be difficult to block their attacks."

"Should we temporarily stop attacking the Hengling Pass and Shunwangping areas now and gather all the troops together?"

The chief of staff of the division came to the head of the division, Shimizu Rule, and said with a serious expression on his face.

The Glory First Division has a very strong strength, and they have achieved amazing results in Jin Province several times.

At this time, they are about to come in Jiangcheng, which is likely to cause serious damage to the 41st Division and other troops.

The chief of staff of the division feels that they should withdraw all troops quickly, otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous.

Once the Glory First Division appeared behind them and cooperated with the Zhongtiaoshan defenders to directly launch combat strikes, the 41st Division and other troops would be flanked back and forth.

They have to pay heavy casualties. Under such circumstances, it is obviously the best choice for them to withdraw their troops quickly.

The 41st Division and other troops withdrew and tried their best to defend themselves. Even if the Glory First Division attacked, they would still be able to deal with it.

What's more, the frontline headquarters of the First Army has already issued a combat order, and the 27th Division and other troops have rushed to help.

As long as these troops can come, maybe they can quickly annihilate the Glory First Division.

"Now that the attack has entered the most critical time, how can we easily withdraw the troops."

"If all the attacking troops are withdrawn, leading to the failure of the Zhongtiao Mountain battle, we will not be able to bear the consequences."

"Contact the Army Command and ask the 27th Division to rush south to help fight."

"At the same time, 4000 troops will be deployed, and quickly stationed in Zijin Mountain for defense!"

"Defend Zijin Mountain with all our strength, and ensure that our troops will not be affected by the First Division of Glory!"

Qingshui stood in front of the map and thought for a long time, with a serious expression on his face, and then personally issued the order.

He directly mobilized 5000 troops from the 4000 troops in his hands, and went directly to the Zijin Mountain in the northeast of Jiangcheng for defense.

Zijin Mountain is also known as Jiangshan Mountain, because most of the rocks are red, so it is called Jiangshan Mountain, also known as Zijin Mountain.

This is a branch of Zhongshan Tiao, entrenched in Mianheng, and is the boundary mountain between towns such as Jiangcheng and Houma City.

There are quite a few highlands here. At this time, Qingshui, the head of the 41st Division, intends to stick to Jiangshan and intercept the troops of the First Division of Glory.

For him, the front-line combat troops are in full swing at this time, and they are about to reap the results.

If they were withdrawn, it would definitely give the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain a chance to readjust.

In order not to affect the battle in Zhongtiao Mountain, he arranged for troops to defend Jiangshan Mountain and intercept the troops of the First Division of Glory.

As long as Jiangshan is defended, the first division of Glory will be blocked outside Jiangcheng.

When the support troops of the 27th Division arrive, it will not affect the combat here.

Qing Shui's idea was not bad. After the division chief of staff received the order, he quickly began to make deployments.

The 4000 Japs mobilized quickly, and they quickly moved toward the Purple Mountain in the northeast.

But at this time, the main force of the Japs had already gone to Hengling Pass and Shunwangping area to fight.

The remaining troops contained heavy equipment, and they lacked heavy weapons.

Most of these little devils are equipped with rifles, light machine guns, grenades, and only a few heavy weapons.

There are only 4000 heavy machine guns in the [-]-man army, which is less than two machine gun squadrons.

As for artillery, they only have eight Type [-] mountain guns.

These heavy machine guns, mountain cannons, are their only heavy weapons.

They quickly advanced to Purple Mountain, quickly seized the high ground, and launched defensive arrangements.

At the same time, the 41st Division Headquarters is constantly in contact with the Army Command and the 27th Division Headquarters, hoping that they can quickly advance to the battlefield.

The Suzuki Detachment, the vanguard of the 27th Division, has already set off quickly. Thousands of them took trucks and motorcycles and sped south along the road.

However, at this time, the vanguard of the Glory First Division had already begun to pass through Houma City and gradually moved towards the Jiangcheng area.

The avant-garde troops of the 358th Regiment advanced rapidly towards Zijin Mountain, preparing to quickly seize this commanding height.

Of course, Chen Ziyun also knew that there might be little devils stationed here in Zijin Mountain, so he deliberately gave an early warning to make the vanguard troops ready for battle.

(End of this chapter)