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

Chapter 320: Seizing the front line of Hengling Guanyuan Qucheng

Okamura Neiji did not expect that the 33rd Division would take the initiative to attack Li Yunlong's troops in the eastern part of Nakatiao Mountain without receiving orders.

But after learning that this happened, he was not too surprised.

After all, as the commander of the General Front Army, Okamura Neji was already used to such things.

Even when he served as the commander of the 11th Army, he himself would make combat orders that went against the base camp.

Of course, because of these actions, Okamura Neji has been on the bench for more than a year.

"Your Excellency, Commander, should we quickly issue an order to withdraw the troops of the 33rd Division?"

"With all their main forces attacking Li Yunlong's independent detachment, the frontline defense from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City will definitely be very empty."

"Chu Yunfei's 201st Division troops in the west may quickly advance to this line at any time and seize Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City."

"Even if the 201st Division appears behind the 33rd Division and other troops, it will pose a greater threat to these troops."

"It is obviously the best choice to quickly withdraw the 33rd Division at this time."

Chief of Staff Moritake Tanabe came to Okamura Neji and quickly reported.

Okamura Neji glanced at the map, with a playful smile on his face.

"Tianbian Jun, at this point, do you think they will fully implement the orders from the front army headquarters?"

"I don't think so. The 33rd Division and other troops have already launched combat operations, and they won't withdraw their troops even if we generate electricity."

"On the contrary, if we send the message, it will affect their combat morale and cause them to suffer greater casualties."

"What we have to do now is clean up the mess they left for the 33rd Division."

Okamura Neji said calmly, he knew very well what Sakurai Shozo was currently thinking.

Shozo Sakurai had already taken action, and he still sent out troops to fight without receiving any orders.

If he did not obtain military exploits, Shozo Sakurai would definitely be held accountable.

It is not uncommon for subordinates to defeat superiors in the Little Japanese Army, and there is only one main reason.

That is, as long as the troops below obtain results, they will not be held accountable by the superiors, but will instead be rewarded.

Most of these Japanese officers made such moves because they wanted to achieve meritorious service.

Shozo Sakurai of the 33rd Division also had the same idea.

In his opinion, as long as the independent detachment is annihilated, the superiors will not hold him responsible for anything.

Even if he is asked to stop fighting now, he will not execute it.

Okamura Neji knows this very well, after all, he has done the same thing.

"Your Excellency, Commander, do this..." Tanabe Moritake was a little worried.

But Okamura Neji waved his hand directly, and he looked at the map and pondered for a while.

Immediately afterwards, Okamura Neiji decisively issued a combat order.

The 27th Division and the 33nd Division of the Royal Association Army quickly advanced to the front lines of Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City to ensure the safety of the [-]rd Division's flanks and rear.

The 21st Division quickly advanced to Jiangcheng and other areas to maintain contact with the 36th Division and build the first blockade position.

The Sakuma Corps in Shaoyuan Town, Wangwu Town and other areas quickly gathered their main forces.

At the same time, troops from the 20th Division of the Royal Association Army were mobilized to gradually search toward the north to check the defense deployment of Wangwushan and others.

Okamura Neiji directly expressed his support for the combat actions of the 33rd Division and other troops.

The 33rd Division was transferred to the 39th Army's combat order after being organized in 11.

When Okamura Neiji served as the commander of the 11th Army, he commanded this division in combat.

Now that he serves as the commander of the North China Front and is commanding the 33rd Division again, he inevitably wants to take care of him.

What's more, he had done the same thing as Sakurai Shozo before, which directly angered the Chief of Staff, Prince Zaihi.

Later, Okamura Neji was transferred to the military council officer and sat on the bench, and now he has been reactivated.

Okamura Neji didn't care at all about Sakurai Shozo's actions.

In his opinion, only the generals commanding operations at the front line know the battlefield situation best.

The generals commanding remotely from the rear may not grasp the entire situation.

Not all decisions made by frontline generals are wrong.

Compared with some other commanders of the little devils, Okamura Neji's palace is very deep.

He knows how to better control his troops and can completely control his temper.

It is because of such a character that Okamura Neiji commanded the troops in battles and rarely suffered defeat.

When he served as the commander of the 11th Army, he won many battles one after another!

The North China Front Army Headquarters immediately made a statement and quickly conveyed combat orders one after another.

After the various units of the Little Devils received the order, they mobilized quickly.

The first to launch combat operations was naturally Xu Chengpu's Second Division of the Puppet Army.

They immediately gathered their troops in Jiangcheng, and then began to move southward towards the Hengling Pass area.

But at this time, the Japanese and puppet troops made a communication error.

The Second Division of the Royal Association Army quickly moved south, but they failed to contact the puppet independent First Brigade troops stationed at Hengling Pass.

They only informed the 27th Division, which was also gathering troops at this time, and they directly contacted the 27rd Division.

After the 33rd Division Headquarters received the news, Shosan Sakurai began to send messages to contact the troops at Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City.

It was only at this time that the troops of the first independent brigade of the puppet army at Hengling Pass abandoned Hengling Pass without receiving the order.

They were attacked by the 201st Brigade of the [-]st Division. As this puppet army discovered that the opponent was the main force gathering.

The commander of the puppet army who directed the operation made a detailed inspection and determined that Chu Yunfei's division dispatched three regiments to attack Hengling Pass.

The commander of the puppet army carried out the combat order issued by Sakurai Shozo before, and he commanded the troops to quickly abandon Hengling Pass.

Under the command of brigade commander Li Chongtao, the first brigade troops quickly stationed at Hengling Pass and quickly seized the nearby commanding heights.

The 358th Regiment, the 601st Regiment, and the Mountain Artillery Regiment quickly built defensive positions.

At the same time, here in Yuanqu City, the second brigade troops launched an offensive operation.

The heavy baggage regiment resisted on the spot. After all, this was a small Japanese army, but they held their position.

After the combat order from the 33rd Division Regiment Headquarters was conveyed, the heavy infantry regiment defended Yuanqu City with all its strength.

The search team also rushed over immediately to support the troops in the battle, trying to assist in the battle.

After abandoning their position, the first regiment of the first independent brigade of the puppet army at Henglingguan quickly advanced toward the east.

They were reunited with the main forces such as the 33rd Division, but Shozo Sakurai looked gloomy after learning that Hengling Pass had abandoned its defense.

Of course, he had issued relevant combat orders before. Although he was very angry, there was nothing he could do.

He could only order the heavy supply team and the search team to defend Yuanqu City with all their strength.

At the same time, he made adjustments to his troops. The three infantry regiments under the 33rd Division attacked the junction position with all their strength.

The first independent brigade of the puppet army was deployed in the area east of Yuanqu City to maintain contact with the main force.

At the same time, this puppet army can also rush to support Yuanqu City to fight at any time.

Starting at 33 o'clock, the 213rd Division took over the attack, and the 214th Regiment, 215th Regiment, and [-]th Regiment continued to violently attack the joint positions.

The Mountain Artillery Regiment fully supports the infantry regiment in combat.

The engineer wing continued to follow the advance and built positions in different areas to allow the infantry wing to have sufficient bunkers to support operations.

The Independent Second and Third Brigades launched a diversionary attack on Lishan and Xichengshan.

Sakurai Shozo personally directed the battle at this time, and the Japs troops continued to attack fiercely. For a while, the two sides fought fiercely at the junction.

At the same time, here in Yuanqu City, Hao Shiwen, commander of the 602nd Brigade, commanded the 603nd Regiment and the [-]rd Regiment to launch an attack.

The little devils formed a heavy troop regiment and the search regiment tried their best to defend, but they were under great pressure.

The second division of the puppet army starting from Jiangcheng, under the command of division commander Xu Chengpu, advanced toward Hengling Pass in a mighty manner.

This puppet army planned to quickly strengthen the defense of Hengling Pass, but by the time they arrived at the position, the First Brigade had already established a defensive position.

At around 11:30, the Second Division of the puppet army was attacked head-on by the First Brigade and other troops at Hengling Pass, and they suffered heavy casualties.

"Boom boom boom."

The mountain artillery battalion directly under the First Brigade Headquarters fired ten Jin-made 17-type 75MM mountain artillery guns one after another.

Intense artillery shells were fired condescendingly towards the puppet troops, and a large number of grenades continued to fall into the puppet troops.

As the explosion sounded, countless shrapnel spread, and a large number of puppet troops fell to the ground instantly.

At the same time, the heavy weapons battalions directly under each regiment also opened fire to attack the puppet troops' exposed weapons. The 20MM machine gun was specially designed to attack the heavy weapons of the puppet army. Some heavy machine guns and mortars of the puppet army were destroyed one after another.

The 82MM mortar continued to carry out covering artillery fire, and a large number of shells were fired at the puppet troops.

Many puppet troops were hit by artillery shells before they even got close to their positions, causing heavy casualties.

The Deshka anti-aircraft machine guns of the anti-aircraft machine gun company fired large-caliber bullets, and the puppet troops were completely beaten to pieces.

After suffering hundreds of casualties, the puppet second division quickly retreated.

Xu Chengpu's eyes widened with an expression of disbelief. He did not expect that Hengling Pass would be lost.

He hurriedly dispersed his troops and deployed his artillery battalions into artillery positions.

The puppet troops immediately contacted the Japanese 27th Division and reported in detail the situation here.

The 27th Division is currently gradually moving towards Jiangcheng, while the 21st Division is rapidly advancing to Jincheng and other areas to take over the defense.

Of course, it will still take some time for the 27th Division to come to the battlefield and participate in the battle.

At this time, Chu Yunfei had already commanded Liang Ruxian's third brigade to advance to the area north of Yuanqu City, and established contact with the first brigade of Hengling Pass!
"What's going on with the second brigade? They haven't taken Yuanqu City yet."

"It's almost noon. If they don't take Yuanqu City, military law will be engaged."

"Ziyun, go over immediately and be ready to take over the command."

Chu Yunfei saw that it was almost twelve o'clock, but Yuanqu City was still controlled by the Japanese troops.

With a displeased expression on his face, he sent Chen Ziyun to Yuanqu City on the spot.

Chen Ziyun did not delay and immediately set off to Yuanqu City.

When he arrived at Yuanqu City, he soon met Hao Shiwen.

Hao Shiwen currently serves as the deputy commander of the 201st Division and the commander of the [-]nd Brigade, but his position is under Chen Ziyun.

After Chen Ziyun came over, Hao Shiwen reported the combat situation in detail.

As a veteran in the Jinsui Army, Hao Shiwen knew that Chu Yunfei was dissatisfied with the progress of the battle here after seeing Chen Ziyun.

He had a pretty good relationship with Chen Ziyun. Hao Shiwen owed Chen Ziyun a favor regarding the previous incident involving Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui.

So he still respects Chen Ziyun very much.

Hao Shiwen has shortcomings, but no one is perfect, and Chen Ziyun can accept it.

In matters of right and wrong, Hao Shiwen's character is not in question.

"The puppet troops at Hengling Pass retreated without a fight, and the first brigade easily captured Hengling Pass."

"But the little Japs here in Yuanqu City are holding on with all their strength, and our attack has been blocked."

"In addition, we are assigned to the field artillery regiment, and the field artillery regiment has only come here now."

"Commander Chen, over there at the master's seat, I would like you to explain more."

"I will personally organize troops to attack and quickly capture Yuanqu City!"

After Hao Shiwen finished his report, he explained with a helpless expression on his face.

Chen Ziyun nodded, but he certainly could not disobey Chu Yunfei's order.

Otherwise, even if Chu Yunfei does not hold Chen Ziyun accountable, it will have a greater impact on the 201st Division in the future.

After careful consideration, Chen Ziyun personally directed the Zhou Wenbo and Zhu Mingxuan field artillery regiments to conduct operations.

At the same time, he also personally deployed the mountain artillery battalion directly under the Second Brigade to better carry out support operations.

The field artillery regiment currently has twelve Soviet-style 76.2MM field guns, six Type 75 77MM field guns, and six Feng-made [-]MM field guns.

Of course, the twelve Soviet field guns did not have many shells, so they could not continue the bombardment.

After Chen Ziyun, Zhou Wenbo and others discussed, the artillery unit began to conduct precise shelling.

One after another, grenades were fired towards the firepower points deployed by the little devils.

These firepower points were destroyed one after another after shelling.

The troops of the second brigade took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, while the Japs' heavy troops wanted to concentrate their forces for defense.

However, after the artillery observation post set up by the field artillery regiment noticed the Japs' attempt, they quickly launched an artillery bombardment.

A large number of artillery shells were fired, and the little Japanese troops suffered a certain amount of casualties.

The 602nd Regiment and the 603rd Regiment advanced rapidly under the command of commanders Sun Ming and Xu Yuan.

By noon, they entered Yuanqu City.

The troops from both sides started fighting in the city, and the little Japanese's heavy troops gradually became no match.

They discarded more than 300 corpses and quickly abandoned Yuanqu City.

It was not until around 12:30 that the Second Brigade troops captured Yuanqu City.

But here east of Yuanqu City, there are still thousands of Japanese and puppet troops.

They are eyeing Yuanqu City and seem to have the intention of counterattacking Yuanqu City.

Of course, there are a lot of troops here, including 6000 puppet troops. The rest are more than 1000 heavy troops and hundreds of search units.

They stayed in place and sent search troops to check.

After realizing that there were enough combat troops in Yuanqu City, they had no intention of advancing and began to strengthen their defensive positions.

At this time, the main force of the Japanese and puppet troops such as the 33rd Division was still attacking with all their strength. They continued to attack the independent detachment positions.

The troops from both sides continued to fight fiercely until one o'clock in the afternoon.

Li Yunlong began to use the artillery regiment, and Wang Chengzhu's twelve Jin orogenic cannons participated in the battle.

They fought against the joint headquarters and launched artillery attacks on the 33rd Division's little devils.

Faced with the continuous attack by the main force of the 33rd Division, the New Regiment gradually came under defensive pressure.

However, after the mountain artillery battalion rushed to help, there were twelve mountain artillery reinforcements, and they were able to hold on to their position.

It was at this time that the Japanese 21st Division urgently took over the defensive positions of the 27th Division.

The 27th Division began to assemble in the area south of Jiangcheng, and they made contact with the Second Division of the puppet army.

This Japanese and puppet army has a lot of strength, nearly 3 people!

Nobumasa Tominaga knew that Hengling Pass had been captured by the 201st Division. After careful consideration, he did not directly mobilize troops to attack.

After detailed discussions with the staff, they believed that the Henglingguan position was solid and had terrain advantages.

In addition, the 201st Division has relatively sophisticated weapons and equipment. If we directly attack here, we may suffer heavy casualties.

In this way, even if we capture Hengling Pass, the gains outweigh the losses.

Nobumasa Tominaga directly contacted the front army headquarters and reported in detail the operational concept of his division.

They were preparing to go to the front lines of Li Yuanzhen and Wenxi City to directly attack the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain.

In the view of the Japanese army, as long as they attack the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain with all their strength, they can completely mobilize the 210th Division troops.

As long as the 201st Division leaves positions such as Hengling Pass, the Japanese and puppet troops can severely damage their troops through mobile warfare, field battles and other combat methods.

If Chu Yunfei's troops stood still, the Japanese and puppet troops could take advantage of the situation and take over the western area of ​​Zhongtiao Mountain.

After the front army headquarters received the report, Okamura Neiji held repeated discussions with Chief of Staff Tanabe Moritake.

They began to approve this combat plan, and at the same time they strengthened the First Regiment of the puppet independent artillery to the 27th Division for combat.

Starting at around one o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese and puppet troops began to give up their advance towards Hengling Pass and moved all their strength to the west.

This situation was quickly grasped by Chu Yunfei.

At this time, Chu Yunfei had already established his own division headquarters in a mountain village near Hengling Pass.

Chen Ziyun also came here directly from Yuanqu City. Chu Yunfei, Chen Ziyun and others stood in front of the map and discussed based on the battlefield situation.

The 27th Division and other troops moved towards the west, and anyone could tell that they were going to hit the western area of ​​Zhongtiao Mountain.

At this time, the main force of the 201st Division was gathered on the line from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City, and the area to the west was very empty.

The baggage regiment and the guard regiment may not be able to block their attack.

"Master, should we send troops back to strengthen defense."

"According to the report from the cavalry battalion, the Japs have a division and a puppet army division."

"They have about [-] troops. If these troops move south from Wenxi City and other areas, they will pose a fatal threat to our base."

"Our main force is here. Once the rear is lost, the consequences will be disastrous."

Fang Ligong looked at Chu Yunfei and said with a solemn expression on his face.

(End of this chapter)