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

Lieutenant Xiaojiazi did not order the four soldiers to be killed, he intended to leave them alive.

In his opinion, if these four soldiers can be captured, it will have a great morale blow to the 201st Division.

In particular, the four soldiers took the initiative to lay down their weapons and give up fighting. The Japs could use this to spread propaganda and engage in psychological warfare.

The four soldiers looked at each other, and then they looked at the little Japanese Lieutenant with contempt.

"You little devil, you want us to lay down our weapons and surrender?"

"Hehehe, I am quite brave, but I don't dare to be a traitor and a prisoner."

"You have been fighting here for so long, but have you ever seen anyone voluntarily put down their weapons and surrender?"

"Let me tell you, you are wishful thinking in wanting us to surrender."

"Even if I die, I will not be a prisoner of a traitor!"

The four soldiers had firm expressions on their faces, and they looked coldly at the Japanese lieutenant.

As they finished speaking, the four soldiers directly chose to detonate grenades.

The explosions of grenades sounded one after another, shrapnel spread in all directions, and a blood mist appeared.

These four soldiers died heroically and chose to die with the Japanese army.

More than a dozen little devils were caught off guard and fell directly into a pool of blood.

The Japanese lieutenant also died on the spot. He did not expect that these four soldiers would be so determined.

When the nearby Japanese soldiers saw this scene, they showed frightened expressions.

Even some little devils felt like they were in a dream, and they couldn't believe what they saw.

After all, in the war situation report issued by the North China Front Army, the Shanxi-Sui Army troops have always been easy to deal with.

The weapons and equipment of these Jinsui troops are pretty good and they are good at defensive warfare, but their fighting will is weak.

As long as the position is breached, it will fall apart in an instant, and there will be no hard and vicious battles.

There was even a saying circulated within the Japanese First Army before, that is, to deal with the Jinsui Army troops, hitting the helmets with wooden sticks can scare them away.

But now, watching the four soldiers detonate grenades, the Japanese army was stunned.

"This...is this still the Jinsui Army we know?"

"They, they would rather choose death than lay down their weapons and surrender."

"How did Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun train the army? This army is completely new."

"They are completely different from other Jinsui Army troops. They have sophisticated weapons and equipment and a tenacious fighting will."

"No wonder they are able to achieve successive victories on the battlefield. This force is really terrifying."

Several Japanese officers looked at each other and said with emotional expressions on their faces.

The 27th Division, 21st Division, and 33rd Division continued to attack from different directions.

Deafening gunfire sounded one after another, and Hengling Pass became the focus of the Japanese attack.

The field artillery regiment attached to the [-]st Brigade defended tenaciously, and they defended every position completely.

The troops from both sides were fighting fiercely, and even some positions had begun to see casualties in their ranks.

"Master, I can't answer whether you can hold your position until now."

"But what I can do is to command the entire brigade to hold on to the position. When all the troops are exhausted, I will rush forward with all the brigade personnel."

"When we are all killed in the battle, that is when Hengling Pass is lost."

"We are not completely sure of holding Hengling Pass, but we are fully determined to fight to death at Hengling Pass!"

"Please rest assured that there will be no officers and soldiers in the First Brigade who evacuate their positions without authorization."

At the headquarters of the First Brigade, Chu Yunfei called to inquire.

Brigadier Li Chongtao glanced outside and said with a serious expression on his face.

Li Chongtao is capable, but he has never been reused in the Jinsui Army.

After the formation of the 201st Division, the First Brigade was Chu Yunfei's direct line unit, and the 358th Regiment and the 601st Regiment were both his old base units.

When it comes to the selection of brigade commanders, many people believe that even if Chu Yunfei does not concurrently serve as brigade commander, Chen Ziyun will still have to serve as brigade commander.

But in the end, Chen Ziyun and Chu Yunfei overcame all objections and arranged for Li Chongtao to serve as the brigade commander of the first brigade.

They chose Li Chongtao to lead the first brigade, not to ignore him, but to hope that he could fully utilize his talents.

Chen Ziyun came to the First Brigade several times and kept talking to Wu Ziqiang and Shi Yuzhen, hoping that they would cooperate with Li Chongtao to start work in the First Brigade.

Chu Yunfei also stood up for Li Chongtao time and time again, assisting him in effectively commanding the first brigade in combat.

"Okay, Brigadier Li, with your words, I feel relieved."

"The old saying goes that good generals are hard to find with a thousand armies. With you in the first brigade, I believe you can defend Hengling Pass."

"This time the Japanese army gathered the main force of three divisions to attack fiercely. If the first brigade can hold on to the end, it will definitely become famous all over the world."

"Thousands of troops from one brigade blocked the main attack of three divisions, which will greatly boost morale."

"Brigadier Li, after the battle is over, I will personally ask for credit for you!"

Hearing Li Chongtao's answer, Chu Yunfei smiled on his face and said directly.

Chu Yunfei's character is very obvious, with clear distinctions between right and wrong, rewards and punishments.

The fierce battle at Hengling Pass continued. Li Chongtao commanded calmly, and each regiment fought desperately.

Wu Ziqiang and Shi Yujie have been working under Chen Ziyun for a long time, and they have made some progress.

At this time, he commanded the 358th Regiment and the 601st Regiment in defensive operations, and they were doing pretty well.

Of course, at this time, Ding Wei and Kong Jie had already prepared their troops.

The independent detachment artillery regiment, the 201st regiment is directly under the mountain artillery regiment, and has already begun secretly constructing artillery positions.

They set up artillery at different locations and aimed at the Yuanqu City area.

As long as the order is given, these artillery units can launch intensive bombardment at any time.

The mountain artillery regiment received a system commendation, but had sufficient ammunition.

Moreover, the twelve Type [-] mountain cannons and the twelve Bofors replaced relevant parts. They were able to rely on detailed firing parameter tables to carry out precise bombardment.

Hao Shiwen, the commander of the second brigade and also the deputy division commander, currently commands the Sun Ming 602 Regiment and is directly under the mountain artillery battalion for operations.

Ding Wei and Kong Jie began to mobilize before the war, and Hao Shiwen invited Chen Ziyun to come to the 602nd Regiment to speak.

Among the three brigades under the 201st Division, Liang Ruxian's third brigade was formed by integrating stragglers from various units in the first theater of Zhongtiao Mountain.

The first brigade is an expanded unit based on the 358th Regiment.

The Second Brigade, the 602nd Regiment was formerly a field supplementary regiment organized by Yan Laoxi.

The 603rd Regiment was formed from the remnants of the guerrilla column. These troops had different origins.

Of course, the field supplementary regiment later became a unit under Chu Yunfei's command, and Chen Ziyun also served as the regiment leader.

It is natural and reasonable for Hao Shiwen to invite Chen Ziyun.

After all, according to the 201st Division commanders designated by the Chief Executive and the Supreme Headquarters, Chen Ziyun ranked only behind Chu Yunfei.

Although Hao Shiwen is the deputy division commander, he is still behind Chen Ziyun, the infantry commander.

Chen Ziyun came to the Second Brigade to mobilize, and the morale of the officers and soldiers was very high.

At around five o'clock in the morning on July [-], under the unified command of Chen Ziyun, various ministries began to launch offensive operations.

The artillery troops fired artillery shells one after another, and grenades hit the puppet troops directly.

Three infantry regiments, under the cover of two artillery regiments, advanced directly in three directions.

The mountain artillery regiment has 24 mountain cannons and eight field cannons made for fierce shooting.

They mainly destroyed the heavy weapons of the puppet troops and disrupted their formation.

The 24 mountain cannons of the independent detachment continued to kill and injure the puppet troops. The mountain cannons they equipped were all Type [-] mountain cannons and imitations.

The maximum range of these mountain cannons is only about 6000 meters.

Such a large number of artillery launched a bombardment, and dense artillery shells were fired at the puppet troops one after another.

The puppet army's two brigades, with more than 8000 troops, were beaten in a miserable state.

They had no idea that there would be such a large number of artillery shelling nearby.

These troops suffered casualties one after another, and their morale was very low.

Being hit by such a degree of artillery fire, their troops experienced a certain degree of confusion, and the officers almost lost control of the troops.

"Baga Yalu, don't panic, spread out and defend immediately."

"This must be the enemy's artillery attack on Xicheng Mountain to support the battle in Yuanqu City."

"Deploy 2000 troops to raid Jicheng Mountain and interfere with their artillery operations."

"Quickly organize troops to storm Yuanqu City, and cooperate with the Second Division of the Imperial Association Army to immediately capture Yuanqu City."

"Whoever dares to evacuate the troops without authorization will be shot on the spot!" The Japanese advisers of the puppet independent brigade took out their pistols and fired one after another, and they shouted loudly.

These two independent brigades are puppet troops supported by the Kwantung Army, which gave them sophisticated weapons and equipment.

Of course, in these puppet troops, there are also little Japanese officers of different ranks serving as advisors.

Seeing the puppet troops panic, these little Japanese officers quickly took over the command without any hesitation.

The puppet troops were quite afraid of the Japanese army, and they reacted well after hearing the order.

Many puppet army officers quickly commanded their troops to fight. However, at this time, three infantry regiments had already launched an attack in three directions.

The Kongjie Independent Regiment attacked from the left, Ding Weixin's Second Regiment attacked from the middle, and Sun Ming's 602 Regiment attacked from the right.

The mountain artillery battalion of the second brigade also deployed artillery positions to provide direct support.

The artillery troops shelled one after another, and dense artillery shells continued to hit the puppet troops.

Each regiment launched firepower one after another, and many puppet soldiers instantly fell into a pool of blood.

The two brigade commanders of the puppet army showed panic expressions when they saw such a large number of troops launching an attack.

At this time, they had no contact with each other and immediately issued a retreat order.

The first independent brigade of the puppet army quickly fled towards the Hengling Pass area, preparing to join the Japanese troops here.

The Second Independent Brigade of the puppet army quickly advanced westward, hoping to quickly join the Second Division of the Royal Association Army.

It can be said that when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. They can't wait to escape from the battlefield quickly.

However, the Independent Regiment and the New Second Regiment that had just come down from the mountain would not end the battle easily. The puppet troops withdrew from the battlefield, and they quickly launched a pursuit.

The two regiments quickly advanced to attack, and the independent artillery regiment also quickly followed to cover. The mountain guns they equipped were very light and highly maneuverable.

After seeing the situation on the battlefield, Chen Ziyun decisively issued an order, and the 602nd Regiment began to advance to Yuanqu City.

Hao Shiwen unified command of the 602nd Regiment and two field supplementary regiments to directly attack the Second Division of the Imperial Association Army.

The second brigade is directly under the command of the mountain artillery battalion. The mountain artillery regiments of Li Yang and Sun Xiong assisted the 603rd regiment in holding Xicheng Mountain.

After all, the high ground here is very important, and there must be no room for error.

At 06:30 in the morning, Chen Ziyun commanded the troops to launch combat operations.

The two independent brigades of the puppet army were instantly defeated. By about seven o'clock in the morning, three regiments of troops were gathered in Yuanqu City.

Hao Shiwen commanded these three infantry regiments and directly attacked the second division of the puppet army.

For a time, there was fierce gunfire everywhere near Yuanqu City.

"Quickly, the fourth and fifth battalions are in pursuit, the sixth battalion is assigned to the infantry artillery company, and the mortar company is in detour."

"Stop this puppet army and don't let them run to the west!"

"If you don't eat the fat that comes to your lips, we will definitely not stop fighting this time."

"After this battle is over, our new second regiment will have to expand again."

Ding Wei, leader of the new second regiment, commanded calmly, and they directly pursued the puppet independent second brigade.

The soldiers of the New Second Regiment accelerated their advance and fired continuously with various weapons.

As the puppet troops fled towards the northwest of Yuanqu City, some people continued to fall in a pool of blood.

There were even some puppet soldiers who, seeing that they could no longer escape, simply threw away their weapons and quickly fled in other directions.

Some puppet soldiers were injured and couldn't run anymore, so they simply raised their hands and chose to surrender.

The morale of this puppet army has completely dropped, and they have no will to fight.

Even if the Japanese military advisers ignored their shouts, no one paid any attention to them now.

Some puppet soldiers even used rifles to shoot black guns. Several Japanese advisers were killed by the puppet soldiers.

"Ignore the guns and ammunition on the road, pursue the puppet troops with all your strength, and cut off their connection with the little devils."

"Even if we can't annihilate them all, we still have to kill half of their troops. We must achieve results."

"After this battle is over, let Lao Li and Lao Ding see if our independent regiment has combat effectiveness."

Kong Jie carried a big knife and led his troops in pursuit at full speed.

Although the first independent brigade of the puppet army kept running, it was still bitten by the independent regiment.

A large number of puppet troops began to be annihilated, and the ground was full of weapons and equipment discarded by the puppet troops.

The so-called defeat is like a mountain. At this time, the defeat of the two independent brigades of the puppet army was completely irreversible.

For these puppet soldiers, the most important thing now is whether they can save their lives.

At 08:30, Hao Shiwen commanded the 602nd Regiment, supplementing the first in the field, and the second regiment began to carry out counterattacks.

They fought directly with the Second Division of the Imperial Association Army, and the two sides repeatedly fought fiercely in the area west of Yuanqu City.

As the two independent brigades of the puppet army retreated, the second division of the puppet army gradually lost the willpower to fight to the death.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Xu Chengpu began to direct the puppet second division to quickly evacuate to the north and hurriedly found the 21st Division troops.

At 10:30, the puppet troops besieging Yuanqu City were completely defeated.

But here in Yuanqu City, a lot of troops have been gathered one after another.

Chen Ziyun arrived at Yuanqu City immediately. He did not arrange for troops to clean the battlefield, but quickly gathered all the ministries together.

Sun Yu, who had suffered heavy casualties, replenished the first regiment in the field and returned to Xicheng Mountain for rest and recuperation.

As for the other troops, they were all assembled in Yuanqu City.

The second brigade, independent detachment, Lin Zhiqiang supplemented the second regiment, mountain artillery regiment in the field.

These troops assembled a total of five infantry regiments and two artillery regiments.

Of course, these troops all suffered casualties and losses, and they were not at full strength.

Around 10:30, Chen Ziyun directed these troops to rush toward Hehengling Pass for reinforcements along the highway from Hengling Pass to Yuanqu City.

At the same time, the third brigade in Lishan also began to mobilize troops and rushed directly towards Hengling Pass for reinforcements.

At this time, the main forces of the 210th Division and the independent detachment gathered together one after another, and they prepared for a decisive battle with the Japanese and puppet troops at Hengling Pass.

Hengling Pass, the division headquarters of the 21st Division.

Lieutenant General Tanaka Jiuichi, the commander of the division, stood in front of the map. He looked at the mark on the Hengling Pass area on the map and frowned tightly.

"Baga Yalu, these Imperial Alliance Army troops are simply trash, they have no value at all."

"Tens of thousands of troops surrounded and annihilated thousands of troops in Yuanqu City. So far, they have not made any progress. Instead, they have been defeated."

"These bastards, they should all be dealt with. They are a complete waste of our ammunition."

Tanaka Jiuichi's face was filled with anger and he roared loudly.

After knowing that the puppet army was defeated, Tanaka Jiuichi was very angry.

Of course, after he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong.

The Japanese army assembled the main force of three divisions, with more than tens of thousands of troops, but they also failed to capture Hengling Pass, which was defended by only a few thousand people.

If the puppet troops are trash, then they are probably worse than trash.

"The terrain of Hengling Pass is difficult, and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Yuanqu City is surrounded by high ground, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend."

"When the Imperial Alliance Army withdraws from the battlefield, the enemy troops will definitely rush to help along the highway. We will be very passive in fighting here."

"Based on the current situation, the main force of the enemy's 201st Division and Independent Detachment is here in Zhongtiao Mountain."

"That's fine, let them all come over, and we will let them go and fight them."

Tanaka Jiuyi showed a fierce look and said in a cold tone.

He began to issue combat orders, and the 21st Division and the 27th Division continued to attack Hengling Pass.

The 33rd Division quickly accommodated the puppet troops, built defensive positions in the area south and east of Hengling Pass, and prepared for blocking.

At the same time, Tanaka Jiuichi immediately contacted the North China Front Army Headquarters and reported in detail the situation here.

After Shozo Sakurai, commander of the 33rd Division, received the order, he began to contact various departments of the puppet army.

At this time, the puppet troops had already suffered heavy casualties and lost a lot of weapons and equipment.

At 33 o'clock in the morning, Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun contacted each other. They were determined to cooperate with foreign forces at Hengling Pass and focus on carrying out combat strikes against the [-]rd Division.

The Third Brigade dispatched the 604th Regiment to assist in the operation. At this time, Chen Ziyun was commanding many troops.

It was at this time that the 33rd Division had joined forces with the puppet troops to build defensive positions south and east of Hengling Pass.

South of Hengling Pass, they assembled the 33th Regiment, 213th Regiment, Engineer Regiment, and Mountain Artillery Regiment of the 214rd Division for defense.

At the same time, the Second Division of the Xu Cheng Pu Huang Alliance Army was assigned to them to fight. Of course, this puppet army currently has less than 7000 troops left.

To the east of Hengling Pass, there are the 33th Regiment of the 215rd Division and the remnants of two independent puppet brigades.

The total strength of these Japanese and puppet troops is about 8000, but their weapons and equipment are not very good. (End of chapter)