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

Chapter 318 I want to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight (please subscribe)
Hengling Pass is currently home to three brigades of puppet troops, and these puppet troops are all drawn from outside the pass.

As we all know, the Japanese army is very face-saving.

When the little Japanese troops are in combat, they will turn their request for support into a request for tactical guidance.

They also refer to retreat as turning in. In their tradition, face is very important.

Even at the beginning of a full-scale war, some Japanese officers who had lost the battle would directly choose to have their stomachs removed.

The Japanese army base camp will also directly remove some army commanders and division commanders from their posts because they lost the battle.

After the Kwantung Army received the telegram from the dispatched army headquarters and the North China Front, it knew that the North China region needed support.

They specially selected puppet troops and mobilized the most elite troops to fight here in Jin Province.

In the eyes of these little devils, even the puppet troops are the troops trained by the Kwantung Army.

So when they come to Jin Province, what they represent is the face of the Kwantung Army.

Therefore, the Kwantung Army naturally hopes that they can win the battle and increase their glory.

If these troops lose the battle, the Kwantung Army will also lose face.

Therefore, the puppet troops of these three brigades were carefully selected, and their weapons and equipment were strengthened.

The Kwantung Army even did not hesitate to transfer some officers from the field troops to temporarily join the puppet army as advisers and be responsible for commanding operations.

For the sake of face, the little devil will do anything.

At twelve o'clock at midnight, the 33rd Division Lieutenant General Sakurai Shozo summoned three puppet army brigade commanders and Japanese advisers to the division headquarters.

At the same time, the commanders of the 33rd Division were also summoned by him.

After the Japanese and puppet army officers gathered together, Shozo Sakurai issued the combat order.

When these officers heard that Sakurai Shozo was actually preparing to attack the Eighth Route Independent Detachment eastward, they all widened their eyes and showed incredulous expressions.

After all, they did not receive combat orders from the army headquarters or the front army headquarters.

Moreover, Sakurai Shozo did not discuss with them about the eastward attack, and they did not make sufficient preparations before the battle.

All the Japanese and puppet troops from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City participated in the battle. How did the 201st Division in the west of Zhongtiao Mountain respond?
If the 201st Division quickly launches combat operations, Yuanqu City and Hengling Pass, which are not heavily defended, will be captured at any time.

Under such circumstances, these officers did not have much confidence in the next battle.

"Bagaya Road, do you think that our more than 3 troops cannot deal with the Tuba Road with less than 1 troops?"

"Or do you think these bastards are capable enough to pose a threat to us?"

"You should remember that as long as we quickly move eastward to carry out combat strikes against them, they will be completely annihilated."

"To the north of this Tubal Road, there are troops of the 27th Division, and to the south of them there is the Sakuma Corps."

"Our troops of more than 3 people pressed forward. They had no way to retreat and could only be completely annihilated by us."

"Do you still want to stick around here? I've had enough of this!"

Sakurai Shozo showed an unhappy expression on his face and looked towards the officers coldly.

When the Japanese and puppet army officers saw Sakurai Shozo getting angry, they lowered their heads and did not dare to continue talking.

After all, Shozo Sakurai is the commander of the Lieutenant General's division, and they don't have the guts to go against him.

In particular, the commanders of the 33rd Division immediately stated that they fully obeyed Sakurai Shozo's combat arrangements.

"Since the division commander is so determined, we will fully assist the 33rd Division in combat."

"But considering the defense mission in the Hengling Pass area, Your Excellency, Commander Sakurai, do we want to leave one unit to defend it?"

"In this way, the 201st Division from the west won't be able to easily capture Hengling Pass and launch a combat attack on our flanks and rear."

"What's more, there are a large amount of combat materials stored in the Hengling Pass area. If this place is easily captured, the consequences are not something we can bear."

The Japanese advisers arranged inside the puppet army looked at each other, and they agreed bravely.

The highest military rank of these little Japanese advisers is only Lieutenant Colonel. They obviously have no ability to compete with Lieutenant General Sakurai Shozo, the division commander.

What they can do now is to convince Sakurai Shozo to leave a certain number of troops to defend the Henglingguan position!

Shozo Sakurai seems to be fighting without any brains, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have any abilities.

He has already thought about these things.

Moreover, he seemed to be very impulsive in this battle, as if he decided with a slap on the forehead.

But in actual implementation, it is still relatively feasible.

The independent detachment currently has three infantry regiments and one artillery regiment, with a full strength of only more than [-] people.

The 33rd Division is attached to the puppet army, which is more than three times their strength.

Moreover, there are Japanese and puppet troops in the north and south directions of the independent detachment.

If the 33rd Division starts fighting here, these Japanese and puppet troops will definitely not stand still.

The Japanese troops were able to rush to rescue operations at any time, and there was no situation where they did not hesitate to save their lives.

Even if the 33rd Division fights here, the First Army Headquarters and the North China Front Army Headquarters will be forced to respond to cope with the 33rd Division's operations.

Sakurai Shosan's deployment, as long as there are no major obstacles, there is a certain chance to completely annihilate the independent detachment.

"The 33rd Division's baggage regiment, search regiment, and the [-]st Independent Regiment of the Imperial Association Army are responsible for staying behind."

"The main force of the 33rd Division, the independent first, second and third brigades of the Royal Association Army all went out to fight."

"We will adopt the main force to break through, divide, pursue and annihilate the strategy, and completely solve the Tubal Road in the east."

"As long as the Tubal Army troops in the east are eliminated, the Shanxi-Sui Army troops in the west are within our grasp."

"We can dispatch troops at any time to resolve it quickly."

"We strive to completely end the fighting here in Zhongtiao Mountain before the end of the month."

Shozo Sakurai stood in front of the map and said with a serious expression on his face.

He didn't want to stay in the mountainous area for a long time. After all, it was already summer here, the weather was hot and there were many mosquitoes.

In addition to the previous casualties suffered by their troops, Sakurai Shozo wanted to end the battle here as soon as possible.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Division Commander." The officers of the Japanese and puppet troops agreed one after another.

At two o'clock in the morning on July [-], the Japanese and puppet troops began to secretly mobilize from Yuanqu City to Hengling Pass.

Sakurai Province assembled more than 213 troops from the 214th Regiment, 215th Regiment, 4000th Regiment, Engineer Regiment, and Mountain Artillery Regiment.

The independent first, second and third brigades of the puppet army assembled 5000 troops!

The Japanese and puppet troops assembled nearly 3 troops and were ready to attack eastward.

A large amount of combat supplies began to be distributed, and contacts were quickly established between various ministries.

Shozo Sakurai did not direct the battle from the rear this time, but personally directed the troops to launch the attack.

Zhongtiao Mountain was previously defended by 10,000+ troops from the First War Zone, but these troops were defeated.

Although Chu Yunfei's troops and Li Yunlong's troops were stationed in Zhongtiao Mountain, they only controlled part of the area.

For example, Li Yunlong's independent detachment is mainly stationed in Lishan, Xichengshan and other areas. These troops mainly operate in mountainous areas.

The northern and southern towns such as Jincheng, Yangcheng, Shaoyuan Town, and Wangwu Town were all controlled by Japanese and puppet troops.

These Japanese and puppet troops formed an effective blockade and tightly suppressed the scope of activities of the independent detachment.

Shun Tada, the third commander of the Little Japanese North China Front, also has very strong abilities.

He had been here before the war and served as an instructor at the Army University twice.

Many artillery commanders of direct line units and miscellaneous units are students taught by Tada Shun.

He also served in the Kwantung Army, so he knew the relevant situations very well.

Tada Shun's cage strategy played a great role and posed a great threat to the Eighth Route Army.

The strategy he formulated to drive the sheep into the pen and catch them all in one go was also perfect.

However, Shun Tada was dismissed from his post before he could implement this strategy personally.

However, judging from the deployment of the Japanese and puppet troops near Nakatiao Mountain, Tada Shun still had a unique strategic plan for restricting the guerrilla forces behind enemy lines.

The main force of the independent detachment is currently deployed in the Lishan area, where there are the New First Regiment, the New Second Regiment, and the Artillery Regiment.

Here at Xicheng Mountain, there is an independent regiment stationed there.

The Sixth Battalion under the New Second Regiment is responsible for the connection between Lishan and Xichengshan and is responsible for the defense of the joint position.

The Jin-made and Feng-made mountain cannons of the Independent Detachment Artillery Regiment are imitations of the Japanese Type 300 mountain cannon. This mountain cannon has a maximum range of about [-] meters.Of course, limited by the conditions of the domestic arsenal, the Jin orogenic artillery could not reach this far.

However, these mountain artillery can be deployed on high ground and bombarded from a high position, which can increase the range to a certain extent.

Moreover, this mountain cannon has an advantage. The terrain is relatively flat, and two artillerymen can push it and move it.

After the mountain cannon is dismantled, some parts can be transported manually, and even heavy parts can be temporarily lifted and transferred.

It would be faster if transported by packhorses or mules.

When it comes to fighting on other terrains, this mountain cannon definitely has many problems such as insufficient range.

However, in mountainous terrain, this mountain cannon is definitely a magic weapon!
Little did the Japanese and puppet troops know that the overall strength of the independent detachment at this time had been enhanced.

They even ignored one thing, that is, the troops brought out by Li Yunlong were roaring with fighting spirit, and they had a very tenacious fighting will.

Especially in defensive situations, they can show strength beyond imagination.

During Li Yunlong's famous battle at Cangyunling, the new regiment had more than a thousand troops and few heavy weapons.

But Lao Li insisted on commanding such troops and blocked the attack of Sakata United Force.

Now that the independent detachment is replacing guns with cannons, it is certainly not as easy as imagined for the Japanese and puppet troops to defeat them.

By about five o'clock in the morning, it was already dark.

Shunwangping area, the main peak of Mount Li, is the detachment headquarters of the independent detachment.

Li Yunlong hadn't woken up yet, but as soon as an emergency was reported, he came to the map immediately.

The official Zhao Gang handed the document to Li Yunlong, but Li Yunlong did not accept it and asked Zhao Gang to report instead.

Only then did Zhao Gang remember that Li Yunlong didn't know a few characters.

Even though he continued teaching during this period, Li Yunlong still didn't know many words.

"Comrades in the underground sent news that the Japanese and puppet troops from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City began to gather and distributed combat materials."

"Their leading troops have already disguised themselves and are gradually advancing towards us. It seems that the Japanese and puppet troops here are preparing to attack."

"According to the observations of these comrades, the Japanese and puppet troops are quite large in number, at least 3 troops, and they carry a lot of heavy weapons."

"Based on the relevant situation, the Japanese and puppet troops on the line from Yuanqu City to Hengling Pass are very likely to launch a combat attack on us."

Zhao Gang pointed to the map and quickly reported.

When Li Yunlong heard this, he didn't panic at all, but instead had a smile on his face.

The last time the 20th Division of the Imperial Alliance Army advanced towards him, it was hit and three regiments were directly killed.

That is to say, after this battle, Li Yunlong's independent detachment made a fortune.

The artillery regiment that Lao Li cherished so much has now been organized.

"Hey, hey, [-] Japanese puppet troops. Old Zhao, do you know what this is? This is our God of Wealth!"

"We still rely on them to transport our weapons and ammunition. We really can get whatever we want."

"Well done. After this battle is over, we will try to get a new regiment to expand an infantry battalion."

"If circumstances permit, each of the three regiments will be expanded by an infantry battalion."

"With enough weapons and ammunition, it is not easy to expand the troops."

Li Yunlong said with excitement on his face that the only way to replenish the Eighth Route Army was through the Japanese and puppet troops.

Of course, the Japanese and puppet troops will not take out weapons and ammunition for no reason!

Only by killing them completely in battle can weapons and ammunition be obtained.

Now at least [-] Japanese and puppet troops came to attack. Li Yunlong looked at them as if his weapons and ammunition were being transported.

"Old Li, do we want to say hello to the 201st Division? With such a large-scale troop mobilization by the Japanese and puppet troops, the line from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City will be completely empty."

"If the 201st Division sends troops to attack, it will definitely be able to achieve results and effectively support us in the battle."

Zhao Gang looked at Li Yunlong and asked immediately.

"Contact Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun to inform us of the situation here."

"Tell them that we, Lao Li, have prepared good wine and food. It depends on whether they are willing to come over for a meal."

"Hehehehe, Lao Zhao, after this battle, we will have to trouble his more than 1 troops even if we don't say anything."

"The 201st Division alone has [-] troops. As a detachment, we cannot be much weaker than them."

"Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun are good at fighting, and we, Lao Li, are not vegetarians."

Li Yunlong looked at the map and said with his eyes shining brightly.

Zhao Gang didn't say much, Commander Chen arranged for them to develop here.

In addition to establishing base areas and developing local armed forces, they naturally also hope that they can quickly expand their troops.

The detachment headquarters of the independent detachment began to contact all parties, and the new regiment and other units quickly entered combat status.

Li Yunlong also communicated directly with Ding Wei and Kong Jie, and they built perfect positions in Lishan and Xichengshan.

The New Second Regiment was stationed in Lishan, and the Independent Regiment was stationed in Xicheng Mountain.

The new regiment, along with the artillery regiment, is responsible for the defense of the junction.

Li Yunlong will definitely not hide and command from the rear. He has already led the new regiment and other troops to the joint position to personally direct the battle.

Around seven o'clock in the morning, the Japanese and puppet troops gradually began to advance eastward.

The nearly 3 Japanese and puppet troops, under the personal command of the 33rd Division Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai, commander of the division, began to mobilize troops to search and advance quickly.

It was at this time that the 201st Division in the east of Zhongtiao Mountain had received the message from Li Yunlong.

Originally, Chu Yunfei, Chen Ziyun, and Fang Ligong were planning to attack this Japanese and puppet army.

But they didn't expect that they had not yet decided whether to fight the Japanese army or the puppet army first.

As a result, the Japanese and puppet troops took the lead in taking action and directly launched a battle against Li Yunlong's independent detachment.

Chu Yunfei, Chen Ziyun, and Fang Ligong stood in front of the map. They looked at the line between Yuanqu City and Hengling Pass, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Although the line from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City is completely a loophole, this loophole is not easy to fix.

In the previous battles, the little devils did not receive orders, and the movement was not very loud, so the little devils would not send out the main force to fight.

But the situation is different now. About [-] Japanese and puppet troops are advancing eastward with all their strength.

Regardless of whether the Japanese and puppet troops have received combat orders, in such a large-scale operation, the Japanese and puppet troops from other directions will definitely rush to support.

If the main force of the 201st Division moves towards Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City, then the main force of the Japs may be dispatched quickly.

By that time, if they attack the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain with all their strength, the consequences will be disastrous.

"The Japanese and puppet troops were stationed here before, and we launched an attack on Hengling Pass in Yuanqu City."

"The Japanese and puppet troops will take into account the troops stationed here and the Qucheng of Hengling Pass, and they will also dispatch troops to support the battle here."

"But now the Japanese and puppet troops may completely abandon this place. If we advance to Yuanqu City to fight, the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain may be hit."

"After all, the 33rd Division and other troops are no longer here in Yuanqu City. Even if the Japanese and puppet troops abandon Yuanqu City, it will not have much impact."

"On the contrary, they took advantage of the absence of the main force of our division in the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain to directly seize control of the western part. This will be beneficial to their annihilation operations against us."

Fang Ligong pointed to the map and expressed his concerns.

Chu Yunfei nodded thoughtfully, but he did not express his opinion for the time being.

Chen Ziyun frowned slightly, and his expression became more solemn.

The Japanese and puppet troops took the initiative to attack at the Yuanqu City and Hengling Pass lines, but they disrupted the pincer attack between the 201st Division and the independent detachment.

If the 210th Division advances to fight on this line, the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain will definitely be very empty.

At that time, the 21st Division and other troops can take advantage of the situation and launch an attack here, easily capture the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain and cut off the 201st Division's retreat.

But if we don't support the independent detachment in combat, once the independent detachment is severely damaged, it will be a disaster.

"Master, it would be a good choice for us to wait and see what happens at this time."

Deputy division commander Hao Shiwen, who had been silent, made a suggestion.

Chen Ziyun couldn't help but glance at Hao Shiwen, obviously he wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and tigers.

Chu Yunfei was still looking at the map, not knowing what he was thinking, and didn't speak for a long time.

(End of this chapter)