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

Chapter 330 Okamura Neji’s attack deployment (please subscribe)

At four o'clock in the morning on July 201, the [-]st Brigade, [-]nd Brigade, Field Artillery Regiment and other units of the [-] Division launched operations under the command of Chu Yunfei.

They began a fierce attack on the 33rd Division and three independent brigades of the puppet army.

These troops launched combat strikes from different areas and directly fought fiercely with the 33rd Division and other Japanese and puppet troops.

Lieutenant General Sakurai Shozo, the division commander of the 33rd Division, quickly ordered all ministries to hold on, and at the same time quickly contacted the nearby Japanese and puppet troops.

At this time, the 33rd Division was in the 201st Division and was surrounded by an independent detachment.

But they still have a lot of troops, more than 1 Japanese troops, more than 1 puppet troops, and more than [-] troops.

Therefore, it is still difficult to completely annihilate them.

However, after Chu Yunfei commanded these troops to launch an attack, he was still able to deal a blow to the Japanese and puppet troops.

After all, these troops completely occupy the terrain advantage. The Japanese and puppet troops' defensive operations are very passive, and their casualties and losses are also increasing.

"Bagaya Road, launch defensive operations with all your strength."

"The Imperial Alliance Army troops are holding their positions on the periphery, and each regiment is deploying its main force to carry out counterattacks."

"The Artillery Regiment prepares for bombardment, and the Engineer Regiment urges the Imperial Army troops to carry out operations."

"Contact the 21st Division, the [-]nd Division of the Royal Association Army, and ask them to quickly assist in the operation."

Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai, commander of the 33rd Division, had a serious expression on his face and hurriedly issued the order.

At this time, the situation here in Zhongtiao Mountain is that of the 210th Division. The independent detachment controls the line from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City; as well as the line from Lishan to Xicheng Mountain.

The connection between Jicheng Mountain and Yuanqu City has also been established.

The Japanese 33rd Division and the three independent brigades of the puppet army were in the middle of the two-line positions and were in a pincer attack.

The troops on both sides are in a U-shape, with the Japanese and puppet troops inside.

Of course they could break out from the north at any time, but they didn't seize the best opportunity.

Although there are currently no troops to blockade the north, there are troops defending Hengling Pass and Lishan Highlands.

If the Japanese and puppet troops want to break out from the north, they will definitely be attacked by these two highlands and suffer heavy losses.

Now even if the ministries mobilize their main forces, there are still troops staying in these two highlands for defense.

Deafening gunfire continued, and fierce battles began.

The 21st Division of the Japanese Army and the [-]nd Division of the Imperial Japanese Army have received the messages one after another.

These two groups of Japanese and puppet troops were on the line from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City, and they maintained their offensive status.

After receiving the report from the 33rd Division, the Japanese and puppet troops did not dare to delay and quickly launched an attack.

They launched combat attacks on Yuanqu City and Henglingguan areas respectively.

However, the two field supplementary regiments and related remaining troops blocked it.

At the same time, Chu Yunfei also gradually dispatched troops back to assist in the defense to ensure that they could suppress their troops and prevent them from breaking through the position.

There was a fierce battle here in Zhongtiao Mountain, and the sky became brighter unconsciously.

It was at this time that the main force of the Second Brigade, under the command of brigade commander Hao Shiwen, had secretly arrived in the area east of Jiangcheng.

Chu Yunfei specially summoned Hao Shiwen at night and gave them combat orders.

During the battle in the Shennong Mountain area, Chu Yunfei had a complete grasp of the situation.

He knew that the Japanese and puppet troops had an advantage, and that Chen Ziyun was currently commanding the mountain artillery regiment, and the 602nd regiment was under greater pressure.

In order to support the battle here, Chu Yunfei arranged for the main force of the second brigade to attack directly through Jiangcheng and launch attacks towards Jincheng and Yangcheng.

This line was originally defended by the 27th Infantry Division.

However, as the main force of the 27th Infantry Division moves south from Jincheng to attack Shennong Mountain, this line of defense is currently relatively empty.

The Japanese 27th Division only had a baggage regiment and a search regiment with about [-] troops left behind.

The 602nd Regiment under the Second Brigade is currently following Chen Ziyun to fight in Shennong Mountain. They currently only have the 603rd Regiment and the troops directly under the brigade headquarters.

Hao Shiwen commanded these 4000 troops and came to the Yangcheng area one after another.

There are hundreds of people from the Japs Search Wing defending here, and they are very lax at this time.

After all, in their opinion, the 201st Division and the independent detachment in Zhongtiao Mountain were completely surrounded, and it was impossible for their troops to appear here.

As for Chen Ziyun and Li Yunlong's troops in the Shennong Mountain area, they are now being attacked by the 27th Division and the Sakuma Corps, and they are even more difficult to protect themselves.

These hundreds of little Japanese troops did not realize the arrival of the second brigade troops at all.

Hao Shiwen quickly ordered all units to prepare for battle, and Xu Yuan's 603rd Regiment secretly built a starting position.

The ten Jin-made 17-type 75MM mountain guns in the mountain artillery battalion directly under the brigade headquarters have also begun to set up artillery positions.

Around six o'clock in the morning, Hao Shiwen personally took command and the troops began to launch a fierce attack on Yangcheng.

The Japanese troops did not expect that Yangcheng would be attacked. It did not take long for their position to be breached.

At seven o'clock, the troops of the 603rd Regiment had begun to enter the city for combat.

Xu Yuan's regiment once followed Chen Ziyun to fight deep in the Japanese and puppet defenses, and Chen Ziyun also led them for a period of time.

Therefore, their overall combat effectiveness is still acceptable, and they have also learned a lot of offensive tactics.

After coming to the city to fight, heavy weapons continued to suppress and fire, and the whole regiment carried out offensive operations in platoon units.

The officers and soldiers advanced rapidly, the search wing continued to retreat, and their casualties continued to increase.

"Captain, what appears here is the main force of the Shanxi-Sui Army. They have more than 3000 troops."

"This Jinsui army is well-equipped with weapons and equipment, and its combat effectiveness is very strong. It is difficult for us to block their attack."

"Your Excellency, Captain, should we completely abandon Yangcheng and quickly go to Jincheng to meet with the baggage regiment?"

"If we continue to defend Yangcheng, I'm afraid we will be completely annihilated soon."

At around seven o'clock, a kid quickly came to the commander of the search team and reported to him.

The Lieutenant Colonel did not dare to delay, quickly gathered his troops and quickly moved towards Jincheng.

About three hundred little Japanese from the search team quickly got into cars and horses and quickly evacuated the battlefield.

At [-]:[-], the Second Brigade recaptured Yangcheng!

Then they set off towards Jincheng in a mighty manner, preparing to launch a combat attack on Jincheng.

Ten minutes later, the 10st Division fighting in Zhongtiao Mountain stopped moving and began to defend its position.

Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai, commander of the 33rd Division, commanded the Japanese and puppet troops and began a fierce attack on the junction of Lishan and Xichengshan.

He planned to take the opportunity to seize the junction to cut off the connection between Lishan and Xichengshan.

However, Liang Ruxian's third brigade has withdrawn here in Lishan, and there are new second regiments, independent regiments, and artillery regiments commanded by Ding Wei and Kong Jie in Xichengshan.

The 33rd Division and other Japanese and puppet troops attacked the junction with all their strength, and the independent artillery regiment assembled 24 mountain guns to launch a fierce bombardment.

Here in Lishan, eight field guns were assembled to coordinate the artillery bombardment.

At the same time, the two regiments tried their best to defend the junction and blocked the attacks of the Japanese and puppet troops time and time again.

Sakurai Shozo arranged for puppet troops to continue attacking, and a large number of puppet troops were directly killed.

There were broken arms and limbs everywhere on the ground. The puppet troops were frightened by the beatings and gradually lost their will to fight.

In desperation, Sakurai Shozo could only arrange for the 33rd Division to continue attacking.

At around eight o'clock, Liang Ruxian mobilized the main force of the 604th Regiment to take the initiative and began to attack from the flanks.

The independent detachment here in Lishan also deployed two infantry battalions of the independent regiment and launched a counterattack from the flanks.

The troops on both sides continued to fight fiercely, but the Japanese and puppet troops were unable to capture the junction.

Instead, they suffered heavy casualties under the constant attacks from the defenders on the Lishan and Xichengshan highlands.

Sakurai Shozo's face was dull, and he also knew that such a forceful attack was not the answer.

But this time he went out to fight without permission. When the fight reached such a point, he could only bite the bullet and continue fighting.

It was at this time that the troops of the 27th Division, which were supposed to storm Shennong Mountain, did not launch combat operations at this time.

Because they had already received the report, Lieutenant General Nobumasa Tominaga, the commander of the division, knew that Yangcheng had been lost and that a large number of troops were attacking Jincheng. He couldn't help but take a breath.

He did not expect that his division would catch fire in the backyard.

After hesitating for a long time, Tominaga Nobumasa decisively issued the combat order.

The third regiment of the garrisoned infantry, which had been serving as a reserve force, quickly returned to Jincheng for reinforcements.

The First Regiment of the Garrisoned Infantry followed the division headquarters in Jinmiaopu Town to provide support.

The Second Infantry Regiment, Engineer Regiment, and Mountain Artillery Regiment in the garrison continued their fierce attack on Houwan Village.

However, the offensive strength of the 27th Division has been significantly weakened, which is naturally good news for the defense of Shennong Mountain.

After Chen Ziyun comprehensively reviewed the situation, he immediately adjusted the defense deployment of various departments.

Sun Ming, the leader of the 602nd Regiment, commanded the [-]th Battalion, the heavy weapons battalion to defend Houwan Village.The Ninth Battalion was stationed at Tiancangyu and Yushuping for first-line defense.

The seventh battalion cooperates with the new regiment to defend the rear.

The mountain artillery regiment focused on supporting Houwan Village to assist in the defense of Houwan Village.

At nine o'clock, the troops of the 27th Division continued their attack, but they failed to make any progress in Houwan Village.

On the contrary, they suffered a certain amount of casualties under the attack of the mountain artillery regiment and other artillery.

The operations in the Shennong Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain areas were very detrimental to the Japanese and puppet troops, and their casualties continued to increase.

As for Hanoi County in the northern Henan region, the Sakuma Corps tightly surrounded the New [-]st Regiment and other troops here.

Sakuma Shigemori looked gloomy and raised his telescope to check.

More than 20 troops from the 1000th Division of Li Tiejian's puppet army have continued to attack Hanoi County.

These more than 1000 puppet troops are completely cannon fodder, mainly testing the defense deployment of Hanoi County.

Of course, Li Yunlong, who has been in battle for a long time, is not stupid. Faced with the attack of these puppet troops, he did not completely expose his heavy weapons.

"Taijun, we can't continue fighting, otherwise our army will be completely annihilated."

"Please leave us some foundation, otherwise we won't be able to form an army at all."

"Taijun, we have tried our best. Next, you should arrange for the 21st Division to attack."

The puppet army commander Li Tiejian saw that less than 1000 of his troops had been beaten, and he couldn't help but gasp.

After quickly arriving at Sakuma Shigemori's place, Li Tiejian said with tears in his eyes.

Sakuma Shigemori glanced at Li Tiejian coldly, and then ordered the troops to stop attacking.

At this time, there were only more than 20 troops left in the 700th Division of the puppet army.

The 21st Division of the puppet army is responsible for the attack mission.

The Japanese Cavalry Artillery Regiment under the Fourth Cavalry Brigade assembled 36 cavalry field guns to carry out artillery support.

The artillery battalion directly under the 21st Division of the puppet army also assembled twelve mountain artillery and field artillery for shelling.

Intense artillery shells were fired towards Hanoi County one after another. Three puppet army regiments with more than 7000 troops attacked in three directions.

Liu Lan, commander of the puppet army's division, took command from the rear. At the same time, the guard battalion directly under the division also set up a supervising team.

"Brothers, give me a good fight, these Tubal Road have been surrounded by us."

"Now we want to completely annihilate them, it is only a matter of time."

"As long as you deal with them, Taijun will be rewarded heavily!"

"The 24th Division of the Imperial Alliance Army has been annihilated, and only more than 20 people in the 700th Division have been defeated. Now we are at full strength."

"When the battle is over, we will definitely be promoted, and everyone can be promoted and make a fortune."

"Let me rush into the city and completely annihilate these Tubalu."

Liu Lan roared loudly and kept urging the troops to move forward.

At this time, Li Yunlong commanded the troops to rely on city defense positions to continuously defend and launch fire strikes one after another.

At this time, the new regiment has been greatly expanded, with a strength of more than 5000 men.

Facing these puppet troops, they still have a greater advantage.

On July [-]th, fierce fighting continued on various battlefields.

In the afternoon, Li Yunlong deliberately exposed a flaw.

A regiment of the 21st Puppet Division quickly entered the city, but after they entered the city, they were directly surrounded and annihilated.

More than 2000 puppet troops were killed and more than 1000 were seriously injured, and only more than 600 people retreated in embarrassment.

Under such circumstances, the puppet troops did not dare to easily enter the city to fight.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Hao Shiwen, commander of the Second Brigade, commanded the 603rd Regiment and other troops and came directly to Shennong Mountain.

A regiment of the 27th Infantry Division returned, so naturally they had no way to take Jincheng.

In order to avoid too many casualties, Hao Shiwen contacted all parties and quickly came to Shennong Mountain.

At this time, Shennong Mountain was defended by the mountain artillery regiment attached to the Second Brigade. It can be said that this place is impregnable.

By the time night fell, around eight o'clock in the evening, the Japanese and puppet troops had stopped fighting everywhere.

One message after another began to be sent to the North China Front Army Headquarters.

Okamura Neji stood in front of the map, listening to the report from Chief of Staff Tanabe Moritake, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Your Excellency, Commander, the 33rd Division and the 27th Division have suffered casualties."

"Especially the 33rd Division. If we continue to fight, we may suffer heavy losses."

"The Sakuma Corps has fought so far. There are more than 3 troops, but only more than 1 are left. A large number of Imperial Alliance troops have been completely annihilated."

"Moreover, the northern Henan region is gradually under threat. There are not many troops in the 35th Division here, and they cannot effectively assist in operations."

"The 27th Division continued its attack on Shennong Mountain, but made no progress. Instead, its search wing was severely damaged."

"Based on the current situation, we...we need to attack in full, or withdraw in full and give up the fight."

After Tanabe Moritake reported, he pointed at the map, with a serious expression on his face, and directly made suggestions.

Okamura Neiji originally did not intend to fight, but the 33rd Division acted without authorization, resulting in a large-scale battle.

As the battle has progressed to this point, Okamura Neji also knows that they must start a battle.

Otherwise, if the troops are withdrawn, each unit will suffer casualties, which requires rest and replenishment.

But at the base camp, it was impossible to quickly replenish them with enough soldiers and weapons in a short period of time.

This means that it will be difficult for them to launch operations in the future, and this time will allow the 201st Division and independent detachment to develop rapidly.

"Can the 35th Division from the area south of the Yellow River in Henan Province mobilize troops? The Sakuma Corps Imperial Alliance Army does not have any combat effectiveness."

"And the cavalry troops cannot carry out offensive operations, so we need infantry to assist them in combat."

"The 35th Division must dispatch at least one regiment to participate in the battle in the northern Henan region."

Okamura Neji pointed at the map and asked directly.

"It should be possible. I will contact the 35th Division Headquarters quickly." Tanabe Moritake immediately agreed.

Okamura Neiji nodded, and then he pointed to the location of Nakatiao Mountain on the map and began to issue combat orders one after another.

By one o'clock in the morning on July 27, the [-]th Division gave up the battle against Shennong Mountain and began to return to Jincheng.

They passed through Jincheng and advanced directly to the Jiangcheng area.

The other two puppet cavalry divisions mobilized overnight. They began to move directly to the northern Henan area along Jincheng and other areas.

The First Division of the Imperial Association Army advanced to Yangcheng and Jincheng to assume the defense tasks here.

The Xinxing special garrison on the small island in the northern Shanxi area quickly took the train and also went to the northern Henan area to assemble.

Okamura Neiji has already issued a combat order, and he asked the 27th Division to assemble in Jiangcheng.

The 33rd Division and three independent brigades of the puppet army gathered in the area west of the junction of Lishan and Xichengshan.

The 21st Division and the Second Division of the Imperial Association Army assembled in Yuanqu City, west of Hengling Pass.

These Japanese and puppet troops have a lot of strength. It is obvious that Okamura Neiji is about to launch a large-scale combat operation.

But it was at this time, in the western Henan region, that the First War Zone Commander's Headquarters was here.

Commander Jiang Mingsan had fallen asleep, but the staff quickly woke him up.

Originally Jiang Mingsan was still a little angry, but when he heard the call from his companion, he stood up hurriedly.

When he answered the call, Jiang Mingsan had a solemn expression on his face, and he immediately found Guo Jiqiao, chief of staff of the theater.

At present, Wei Junru has been transferred away, but Guo Jiqiao still retains the position of chief of staff of the first theater.

But at present, the chief executive department is a bit in name only, and Jiang Mingsan will not handle anything at all.

The command of most of the troops rests with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Tang Keqin!
"Chief of Staff Guo, along with the capital commissioner personally called and asked specifically about the situation of the battle in Zhongtiao Mountain."

"What's going on over there now? Will the 201st Division be completely annihilated by the Japs?"

"I...I didn't understand the situation. The commissioner was very angry and ordered me to quickly assist in the battle."

After Jiang Mingsan found Guo Jiqiao, he quickly asked with a solemn expression on his face.

Originally, Jiang Mingsan felt that when he served as the commander-in-chief of the First Theater Zone, Zhongtiao Mountain had been lost, and the situation there had nothing to do with him.

As long as he holds the river defense position and doesn't let the little Japs cross the river, that's all.

But Jiang Mingsan did not expect that fighting here in Zhongtiao Mountain would already alarm the capital.

(End of this chapter)