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

Chapter 321 Semi-encirclement of Japanese puppet troops of the 33rd Division

Chu Yunfei looked at the map and pondered for a while, then looked towards Chen Ziyun.

At this time, Chu Yunfei had already made a decision, and he had brought out all the main forces of the division.

Now it is obviously impossible for him to lead his troops back to the western area of ​​Zhongtiao Mountain.

"Master, as long as we fight quickly, we will definitely be able to attract their troops back."

"The Japanese and puppet troops such as the 33rd Division to the east are full of loopholes. We can assemble our troops and quickly annihilate them."

"As long as we can threaten these Japanese and puppet troops, it is absolutely impossible for the Japanese and puppet troops to launch an attack on the western part of Zhongtiao Mountain."

"They will definitely return quickly for reinforcements. On the contrary, if we hesitate, we will fall into a very passive combat."

Chen Ziyun pointed at the map and directly stated his suggestion.

At present, the main force of the 33rd Division is attacking the junction of Lishan and Xicheng Mountains, while the two independent brigades of the puppet army are conducting diversionary attacks on Lishan and Xicheng Mountains respectively.

The troops from both sides fought fiercely in the Lishan and Xichengshan areas, and neither side had any spare troops to deploy.

However, the Japs' heavy troops and search regiment of about 2000 troops cooperated with the 6000 troops of the puppet independent first brigade in the area east of Yuanqu City.

This group of Japanese and puppet troops maintained contact with the 33rd Division and other troops. At the same time, they also posed a threat to Yuanqu City, forcing the troops within Yuanqu City to be unable to move.

Chen Ziyun believed that the main force of the 201st Division could be quickly assembled at this time to quickly deal with the Japanese and puppet troops in the area east of Yuanqu City.

As long as they are annihilated, they will be a greater threat to the 33rd Division and other troops.

"Ziyun is right, we have already brought the troops here."

"It's completely unnecessary for us to bring troops back again."

"In the next battle, we will use all our strength to attack the 33rd Division and the puppet troops."

"Especially the Japanese and puppet troops east of Yuanqu City, we must completely defeat them in the shortest possible time!"

Chu Yunfei had a serious expression on his face and gave the order directly.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Ziyun began to work on the map, and he put forward his own combat suggestions.

In order to achieve a quick victory, the 201st Division will dispatch its absolute main force this time.

Sun Yu supplemented the first regiment in the field and stationed in the Henglingguan area for defense, and Lin Zhiqiang supplemented the second regiment in the field and stationed in Yuanqu City for defense.

Li Chongtao's First Brigade directly attacked the puppet independent Second Brigade fighting in the Lishan area to cooperate with the independent detachment to annihilate it.

Hao Shiwen's second brigade and Liang Ruxian's third brigade were assigned to the mountain artillery regiment. The field artillery regiment was fully engaged in attacking the Japanese and puppet troops east of Yuanqu City.

Chu Yunfei was stationed at the division headquarters to command, while Chen Ziyun went to Yuanqu City to command operations.

The main force of the division, Chu Yunfei, was handed over to Chen Ziyun to command the battle.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the various ministries began to gather secretly.

At the same time, Li Yang, Sun Xiongshan Artillery Regiment, and Zhou Wenbo and Zhu Mingxuan Field Artillery Regiment secretly built artillery positions at different locations in Yuanqu City.

These two artillery regiments have a lot of artillery!

These artillery pieces were secretly set up to cover the artillery positions, completely covering the Japanese 33rd Division Search Regiment, the Heavy Troops Regiment, and the Puppet Independent First Brigade!
As long as Chen Ming issues an artillery bombardment order, a large number of artillery can continue to bombard them and launch a covering bombardment, completely disrupting their defensive deployment.

Hao Shiwen's second brigade attacked from Yuanqu City, and the 602nd Regiment and the 603rd Regiment directly attacked the Japanese and puppet troops.

Liang Ruxian's 604rd Brigade attacked from the flank, the 605th Regiment attacked the Japanese and puppet troops from the flank, and the 33th Regiment guarded the [-]rd Division troops to prevent them from supporting.

At 02:30, the [-]st Brigade took the lead in launching combat operations.

Under the command of brigade commander Li Chongtao, Wu Ziqiang's 358th Regiment and Shi Yujie's 601st Regiment quickly attacked.

The brigade headquarters is directly under the mountain artillery battalion, and ten 75MM mountain guns provide fire cover for the two regiments.

For a time, in the Lishan area, the puppet troops responsible for attacking Lishan were attacked from behind.

Intensive firepower unfolded, and countless bullets and shells were fired at them one after another.

After receiving the report, the puppet brigade commander showed a panic expression on his face.

He hurriedly stopped the attack and quickly withdrew to launch defensive operations.

But Ding Wei, the leader of the new second regiment defending Lishan, has a strong combat vision.

After he discovered that the 201st Division troops were coming for reinforcements, Ding Wei did not hesitate and immediately mobilized the main force of the New Second Regiment to gradually advance the attack.

The mortar companies directly under the regiments of the fourth and fifth battalions launched operations. They attacked the puppet independent second brigade from a high position.

This puppet army was attacked from a pincer, and the casualties of the troops continued to increase.

The puppet brigade commander decisively adjusted his deployment. He led the main force of the brigade headquarters to pounce directly on the first brigade of the 201st Division.

In his opinion, the New Second Regiment on the Lishan Highlands had a terrain advantage, and if he attacked there, he would definitely be blocked.

But the Jinsui army behind them was attacking, and they had no cover.

The puppet brigade commander wanted to rely on weapons and troops to directly fight with him in the field, thereby quickly defeating him.

More than 5000 puppet troops began to fight back, but they directly encountered a hard nail.

Wu Ziqiang and Shi Yujian discovered that the puppet troops were counterattacking, and they responded immediately.

The two regiments commanded the main force to quickly launch defenses on the spot. At the same time, the two battalions were transferred to the joint to open up the connection between the two regiments.

Six infantry battalions set up an arc-shaped defensive position facing the puppet troops, while the heavy weapons battalion directly under the regiment quickly built positions in different areas.

"Boom boom boom."

The Jinshan artillery of the mountain artillery battalion directly under the brigade was still firing, and dense artillery shells were fired at the puppet troops.

As the explosion sounded, shrapnel quickly spread in all directions, and many puppet soldiers fell directly into a pool of blood.

The mortar companies of each battalion also carried out shelling with one 82MM mortar.

The dense artillery shells continued to fire, and deafening explosions came one after another.

At the same time, the machine gun companies of each battalion also launched fire strikes, and infantry artillery and heavy machine guns attacked the puppet troops in front of them one after another.

The puppet troops had suffered hundreds of casualties before they even got close to the [-]st Brigade.

The remaining puppet troops almost did not dare to advance further. They were completely dispersed and hidden.

At this time, Ding Wei from Lishan Mountain seconded Yang Hua's Fengzuo Mountain Artillery Battalion.

Twelve 75MM cannons fired condescendingly. The puppet independent second brigade was shelled from the front and back, causing heavy casualties.

Seeing that the attack was unsuccessful, the puppet brigade commander hurriedly issued a dispersed defense order. At the same time, he hurriedly contacted Sakurai Shozo, the commander of the 33rd Division.

After receiving the report, Shozo Sakurai had a solemn expression on his face.

He did not expect that the 201st Division would launch an attack on his own troops so soon. This was something he did not expect.

After all, he had received orders from the North China Front Army Headquarters before and knew that the 27th Division and other troops had rushed over quickly for reinforcements.

Sakurai Shozo felt that even if positions such as Hengling Pass were lost, the 27th Division and other troops could contain the 201st Division.

As a result, the 201st Division now dispatched thousands of troops to directly attack the Second Independent Brigade.

Before Shozo Sakurai could react, a deafening explosion sounded in the area east of Yuanqu City.

The two mountain artillery battalions directly under the Second Brigade and the Third Brigade took the lead in the artillery bombardment.

Twenty Jin-made Type 17 75MM mountain artillery shelled the Japanese and puppet troops, and grenades hit the Japanese and puppet positions one after another.

After they fired for a few minutes, Zhou Wenbo's field artillery regiment assisted in the bombardment.

24 field guns of different calibers fired grenades one after another. For a while, the Japanese and puppet army positions were completely covered by gunpowder smoke.

After waiting for 10 minutes, these artillerymen began to conduct extended fire.

The 9000-man troops of the Second Brigade and the Third Brigade quickly launched a direct attack on the Japanese and puppet troops.

The [-]-day puppet troops were bombarded and suffered a certain amount of casualties, and some positions were completely destroyed.

Facing two-sided attacks from three regiments, the Japanese and puppet troops hurriedly organized firepower to launch a counterattack.

But after their firepower was exposed, the mountain artillery regiment began shelling.

Eight Feng-made field guns opened fire first, followed by 24 75MM mountain guns!

These shells seemed to have eyes, accurately hitting the firepower points of the Japanese and puppet troops.

Some firepower points of the Japanese and puppet troops were completely destroyed, and the three regiments continued to advance.

"Hold the position, no retreat is allowed, everyone hold the position."

"Taijun is right behind. If you evacuate the position without authorization, Taijun will not be polite."

"Despite the ferocity of their artillery fire, they don't have much infantry. Our troops have the advantage and can completely stop them."

"What's more, we have the Third Independent Brigade behind us. They can rush over for reinforcements at any time."

The commander of the first independent brigade of the puppet army shouted loudly, and he kept asking all the troops to hold their positions.

However, three regiments quickly pressed forward, and the heavy weapons directly under each regiment continued to fire.Each battalion alternately covered the advance and fired intensive firepower. The puppet troops suffered heavy casualties.

The commander of the search wing mobilized troops to advance, hoping to help the puppet troops hold on to their positions.

But these two 300-strong Japs were willing to die even when they came to the front line.

Under the attack of the second and third brigades, the Japanese and puppet troops suffered heavy casualties.

At around three o'clock, the Japanese and puppet troops abandoned many positions and gradually retreated.

The brigade commander of the puppet army and the commander of the Japanese army sent messages to Shozo Sakurai.

Sakurai Shozo has already made adjustments to his deployment, and he gave up the attack on the junction.

The 213th Regiment stayed in place to contain the independent detachment troops facing them.

The 214th Regiment and the 215th Regiment rushed to support the north and south sides respectively.

But when the 215th Regiment went to the east of Yuanqu City for support, they were intercepted by the 605th Regiment of the Third Brigade Fangqing.

For a time, the Japanese and puppet troops and the 201st Division troops fought fiercely at the foot of Lishan and Xicheng Mountains.

The second brigade, the third brigade, the mountain artillery regiment, and the field artillery regiment, under the unified command of the infantry commander Chen Ziyun, successively advanced operations.

The first independent brigade of the puppet army, the Japanese 33rd Division heavy infantry regiment, and the search regiment suffered heavy casualties.

Fierce gunfire continued, and Li Yunlong, who personally commanded the new regiment to fight, had received reports one after another.

"Hehehehe, Brother Yunfei and Brother Ziyun are here just right."

"The Japanese and puppet forces have finished their three-point attack, and now it's time for us to take action."

"The main attack direction of the 201st Division is on the Xicheng Mountain side, and the artillery regiment will be transferred there."

"Da Biao, you go there with the first battalion and tell Lao Kong to fully assist the 201st Division in combat."

"Let them open up contact with the 201st Division and try to eat up part of the Japanese and puppet troops."

Li Yunlong raised his telescope to observe the battlefield situation, and he immediately issued combat orders.

The artillery regiment and the first battalion quickly assembled and began to advance towards Xicheng Mountain.

At this time, Kong Jie also saw the fighting situation in the Yuanqu City area to the west. He ordered the independent regiment to restrain the third independent brigade of the puppet army to prevent them from supporting.

The fierce fighting continued, but at this time the Japanese and puppet troops were obviously at a disadvantage.

They were suppressed and beaten by the troops of the [-]nd and [-]rd Brigades, and their casualties and losses continued to increase.

Sun Ming, the leader of the 602nd Regiment under the Second Brigade, led a reinforced battalion and continued to advance in depth.

Under their attack, the Japanese and puppet troops had no way to build an effective defensive position.

They could only keep retreating, and their casualties and losses were increasing.

As the ministries advanced, seriously injured people who had been abandoned by them could be seen everywhere.

There were even a small number of puppet troops who were hiding. After seeing the 201st Division troops, they obediently raised their hands and chose to surrender.

At around 33:[-] in the afternoon, Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai, the commander of the [-]rd Division, realized something was wrong.

He quickly gathered his troops and began to rush towards Xicheng Mountain with all his strength for reinforcements.

But at this time, the independent regiment had been strengthened by the artillery regiment and Zhang Dabiao's [-]st Battalion.

The Japanese and puppet troops completely gave up the battle and began to move to the north with all their strength.

On their way to transfer, the mountain artillery regiment, field artillery regiment and other artillery units carried out shelling with all their strength.

Countless artillery shells were fired at the Japanese and puppet troops, and this Japanese and puppet troops suffered heavy losses.

By about five o'clock, the Japanese and puppet troops gathered in the area west of the junction of Lishan and Xichengshan.

They began to quickly build positions, seize the commanding heights, and completely switch to a defensive state.

The 210th Division troops are also directly connected with the independent regiment and other troops in the Xicheng Mountain area defense.

Of course, at this time, the troops of the 21st Infantry Division had been quickly assembled, and they quickly dispatched one unit from Jiangcheng to support the 33rd Division.

Lieutenant General Tanaka Kuichi, the commander of the 21st Division, was still capable. After discovering the passive situation of the 33rd Division, he quickly mobilized troops to participate in the battle.

However, their division troops were blocked by Sun Yu's supplementary first regiment in the field here at Hengling Pass.

The troops from both sides fought fiercely. The 21st Division did not invest many troops, so it was intercepted directly.

Chu Yunfei transferred the first brigade back at six o'clock and continued to arrange for them to be stationed at Hengling Pass for defense.

The first regiment was replenished in the field and was responsible for the defense between Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City.

At this time, the 201st Division and the independent detachment were gradually semi-encircling the 33rd Little Japanese Division and the three independent brigades of the puppet army.

The independent detachment of the 201st Division is deployed in a U-shape. The Japanese and puppet troops have troops on the east, west, and south sides.

To the north of them, there are no troops, but the Hengling Pass and Lishan troops can effectively contain the Japanese and puppet troops.

If the Japanese and puppet troops break through from the north, the Henglingguan and Lishan troops can attack them at any time.

Chen Ziyun is currently conducting the command here in Yuanqu City, and as news continues to arrive.

He immediately marked it on the map. After discovering the situation of the Japanese and puppet troops, Chen Ziyun immediately contacted Chu Yunfei and Li Yunlong.

After understanding the importance of Hengling Pass and Lishan, Li Yunlong and Chu Yunfei made adjustments one after another.

The 201st Division Field Artillery Regiment quickly advanced towards Lishan, and they would assist the [-]st Brigade in the defense of Lishan.

The independent detachment also adjusted the defense of Lishan. A new regiment with stronger combat effectiveness and a mountain artillery regiment was stationed in Lishan for defense.

These troops completely blocked the way for the Japanese and puppet troops such as the 33rd Division to break through.

At the same time, Liang Ruxian's third brigade and Hao Shiwen's second brigade were attached to the Li Yangshan Artillery Regiment and were deployed on the south side of the Japanese and puppet troops.

They are not only responsible for the first-line contact between Jicheng Mountain and Yuanqu City, but also threaten the Japanese and puppet troops.

As long as there is an opportunity, they will attack at any time!

Time passed, and the sky gradually became dark.

At around eight o'clock in the evening, the Japanese and puppet troops established their positions, and Sakurai Shozo quickly summoned the Japanese and puppet army officers to report the situation.

The three infantry regiments of the 33rd Division have suffered hundreds of casualties after a battle.

But for tens of thousands of troops, their losses were not very large.

However, there are only more than 33 troops left in the 2000rd Division's baggage regiment and search regiment of more than 1000 troops, and they have suffered more than [-] casualties.

As for the first independent brigade of the puppet army, it suffered an astonishing 3000 casualties.

The casualties of the Second Independent Brigade and the Third Independent Brigade were also over 1000.

Of the 5000 puppet troops, only about [-] were beaten at this time.

The morale of these puppet troops was very low, and they almost lost their determination to continue fighting.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, our total strength is only about 8000, and we have already suffered thousands of casualties and losses so far."

"And there are a large number of enemy troops near us. There are many of them. The main force of the 201st Division has already arrived here."

"They are semi-encircling us. We must break out in time, otherwise we are likely to fall into a very passive combat."

"The 27th Division and the 21nd Division of the Imperial Association Army are currently rapidly advancing to the west side of the line between Hengling Pass and Yuanqu City. The main force of the [-]st Division is also gathering in Jiangcheng."

"We don't need to take risks here at this time. We can break out towards the north, and then combine these forces to completely eliminate them!"

The Chief of Staff of the 33rd Division came to Shozo Sakurai and said with a serious expression on his face.

At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops had been mobilized quickly. The 27th Division and other troops that originally planned to raid the west of Zhongtiao Mountain also quickly arrived to join the battle.

The 27th Division and the 21nd Division of the Royal Association Army would attack from the west, while the [-]st Division gathered on the north side.

The Sakuma Corps was on the south side, and the Japanese and puppet troops gradually formed an encirclement on the outside, completely encircling the independent detachment and the 201st Division.

The Chief of Staff of the 33rd Division believed that there was no need for them to stay in the dangerous area at this time.

They can break out first and continue fighting.

"We have such a large number of troops outside. As long as we hold on, we can completely annihilate them!"

"Do you think that surrounded by such a large number of troops, the 201st Division and the independent detachment have the ability to solve our problem?"

"We are holding on with all our strength to contain their troops. This is the central strategy adopted by the Central Government."

"This time, Chu Yunfei, Li Yunlong, and Chen Ziyun's troops will be completely annihilated."

Sakurai Shozo came to the map and said with a serious expression on his face.

He doesn't plan to break out, but wants to stay put!

(End of this chapter)