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

The Japanese and puppet troops actively deployed in an attempt to intercept the 201st Division and the independent detachment.

The 21st Division and the 27th Division continued to carry out offensive operations with all their strength, preparing to completely annihilate the first brigade of Henglingguan and other units in the shortest possible time.

But they didn't know that at this time, the infantry artillery commander of the 201st Division, Chen Ming, had been authorized to uniformly command all units to conduct operations.

The 201st Division's [-]nd Brigade, [-]rd Brigade, Mountain Artillery Regiment, [-]nd Field Supplementary Regiment and the main force of the independent detachment.

Chen Ziyun contacted various ministries immediately. He contacted Liang Ruxian, the commander of the third brigade, in detail and asked about the situation here in Lishan.

At the same time, through the division headquarters and the scouts dispatched by various ministries, he also quickly grasped the deployment situation of the Japanese and puppet troops near Hengling Pass.

At twelve o'clock at noon, Chen Ziyun stood in front of the map and thought about it. He began to formulate the next battle plan.

The main force of the 33rd Division was assigned to the Second Division of the Imperial Association Army and was stationed in some mountain village highlands south of Henglingguan for defense in order to prevent the troops from Yuanqu City from moving north for support.

This Japanese and puppet army has a lot of strength. They have 7000 people. Of course, there are more than 6000 puppet troops among them.

Moreover, the Japanese troops are not entirely infantry. They have engineering regiments and mountain artillery regiments.

The 215th Regiment and two independent brigades of the puppet army are deployed on the west side of Hengling Pass. They have about 8000 people.

The Japanese and puppet troops assembled more than 2 troops to ensure the main force's encirclement and annihilation operation against Hengling Pass.

It's just that among these more than 2 troops, there are many puppet troops, and these puppet troops have just lost the battle in Yuanqu City.

Especially the two independent brigades of the puppet army drawn from the Kwantung Army. They initially had three independent brigades, with a strength of more than 1 troops.

But so far, they only have about 6000 troops left, and these puppet troops abandoned many of their heavy weapons when they evacuated.

It is obviously impossible for this group of Japanese and puppet troops to stick to their positions and attempt to block the 210th Division. It is obviously impossible for them to fight independently.

Chen Ziyun will definitely continue to fight a war of annihilation in this battle.

After all, if one of the ten injured fingers is injured, as long as the Japanese and puppet troops continue to be organized into formations to annihilate the Japanese and puppet troops, it will be difficult for the Japanese and puppet troops to continue to carry out combat operations.

"Commander Chen, although the Japanese and puppet troops east of Hengling Pass have about 8000 people, they are very weak."

"The main force of this Japanese and puppet army is the puppet army, and they were the troops that were defeated in Yuanqu City."

"If we can quickly assemble our troops and decisively annihilate them, it will definitely be a fatal blow to the Japanese and puppet troops."

"So I suggest that we directly carry out annihilation operations against the Japanese and puppet troops on the east side of Hengling Pass, so as to quickly open up the connection with Hengling Pass!"

The two leaders of the independent detachment, Ding Wei and Kong Jie, put forward suggestions. They advocated attacking the 215th Regiment and other Japanese and puppet troops.

The overall strength of the Japanese and puppet troops here is the weakest, and to the east of their position is the position of the third brigade of the 201st Division.

If we carry out an annihilation operation against the Japanese and puppet troops here, we will naturally have a greater advantage.

"Commander Chen, I think if we want to fight, we should hit these 1-plus puppet troops head-on. Our strength is not weak."

"We will directly engage them in a decisive battle. If we defeat the more than 1 puppet troops on the front, we will have complete control over the Hengling Pass battle."

"The main force of the 33rd Division is also here. If they can lose their combat effectiveness, the Japanese army will have no idea at all in Zhongtiao Mountain."

"I suggest gathering all troops, storming the Japanese and puppet army positions south of Hengling Pass, and engaging in a decisive battle with the Japanese and puppet troops in front of us!"

Sun Ming, Xu Yuan and other commanders of the 201st Division also stood up, and they put forward different suggestions.

Chen Ziyun had a thoughtful expression on his face after hearing these combat suggestions.

He looked at the map and made no decision yet.

Of course, he also knew that he had to come up with a plan quickly. After all, the First Brigade and other units were still under great defensive pressure.

If the delay continues, with the combat strength of the 21st Division and the 27th Division, I am afraid that the results will be achieved.

Once the little devils take Hengling Pass, it will be very difficult to regain it again.

Moreover, the 201st division headquarters is also near Hengling Pass, and the Japanese army may threaten the division headquarters here at any time.

"Li Yangshan Artillery Regiment and Tang Chunming Artillery Regiment quickly moved to the Lishan area and joined the artillery troops here."

"The artillery troops organized the Lishan Artillery Group in the Lishan area, and I personally commanded the operation."

"The new second regiment of the independent detachment, the independent regiment; the 604th regiment of the third brigade, and the second field supplementary regiment secretly assembled towards Lishan."

"The above troops will use all their strength to encircle and annihilate the Japanese and puppet troops east of Hengling Pass, and strive to quickly annihilate this Japanese and puppet army."

"The 602nd Regiment, 603rd Regiment of the Second Brigade, and the mountain artillery battalion directly under the brigade headquarters conducted a feint attack on the Japanese and puppet army positions south of Hengling Pass to contain the Japanese and puppet troops here."

"We first encircled and annihilated the Japanese and puppet troops east of Hengling Pass, and took the lead in establishing contact with the First Brigade at Hengling Pass."

After Chen Ziyun thought for a moment, he picked up the baton and said with a serious expression on his face.

After careful consideration, Chen Ziyun decided to attack the weaker Japanese and puppet troops first.

After all, the First Brigade fought very hard at Hengling Pass and they needed reinforcements.

If there is a decisive battle with the Japanese and puppet troops, even if the victory is achieved in the end, it is completely unknown whether Hengling Pass can be defended.

Even the First Brigade and other units may be severely damaged. Such a result is not what Chen Ziyun wants to see.

After receiving Chen Ziyun's order, these military officers and cadres stood up and saluted and agreed.

Naturally, they obeyed Chen Ziyun's combat arrangements unconditionally.

The main force secretly assembled towards the Lishan area one after another, and the second brigade had prepared a frontal position to feint to attack the main defense of the 33rd Division.

And here in Lishan, the third brigade is currently facing a diversionary attack by a reinforced regiment of about 3000 people from the First Division of the Royal Association Army.

The first division of the Huangdaofeng Imperial Alliance Army is currently stationed in Jiangcheng, Yangcheng, and Jincheng.

In order to cooperate with the main force of the Japanese army in attacking Hengling Pass, they dispatched 3000 troops to conduct a feint attack on Lishan.

This puppet army has fought successively and has rich combat experience.

In particular, some veterans have unique skills. They can effectively protect their own lives and cause casualties to the defenders.

The third brigade is responsible for the defense of Lishan, so the brigade commander Liang Ruxian did not dare to attack rashly.

But with a large number of troops secretly gathered here in Lishan, they have sufficient combat capital.

Especially Li Yang and Sun Xiong's mountain artillery regiment currently has an astonishing number of artillery pieces.

They have twelve Type [-] mountain guns, twelve Bofors mountain guns, and sixteen custom-made field guns.

These sixteen field guns were basically captured by the 20th, 21st and 24th Divisions of the Imperial Association Army.

The Lishan Artillery Group organized by Chen Ming currently also has a huge number of artillery pieces.

In addition to the mountain artillery regiment, they also have an independent detachment artillery regiment. They have twelve Feng orogenic cannons and twelve Jin orogenic cannons.

In addition, the third brigade is directly under the mountain artillery battalion, and there are eight built 17-type mountain artillery!
The Jin-made mountain gun of the Li Yunlong Artillery Regiment is an early Jin-made Type 13 mountain gun with a maximum range of 6000 meters.

Of course, due to technical and quality issues, the actual range of this mountain cannon is only more than 5000 meters.

However, the Jin-made 201-type mountain guns equipped by the brigades of the 17st Division were improved by Taiyuan Arsenal and can shoot more than 7000 meters.

At this time, there were a total of 72 artillery pieces in each department. According to the establishment of the Japanese artillery regiment, that was the number of artillery pieces in two artillery regiments.

Of course, if the artillery regiment is organized with 24 artillery pieces, they have three artillery regiments.

After these troops arrived in the Lishan area, Chen Ziyun met Liang Ruxian directly.

Liang Ruxian and Chen Ziyun introduced the situation in detail and took the initiative to ask for help, preparing to quickly defeat the invading troops of the First Division of the Imperial Association Army.

Chen Ziyun thought for a while, but he didn't approve it. He wanted to set a trap for the Imperial Alliance Army and solve it completely.

"Sixteen Feng-made field guns and eight Jin-made Type 17 mountain guns were organized into a mixed artillery regiment, under the unified command of Sun Xiong, deputy commander of the mountain artillery regiment."

"Three artillery regiments are deployed in different locations and are ready to support operations."

"The two regiments of the independent detachment are responsible for attacking from the left; the second regiment is supplemented in the field, and the 604th regiment attacks from the right."

"The 605th Regiment serves as a reserve team and is deployed on Mount Li to conduct defensive operations."

"All ministries are gathering at designated locations one after another. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the operation will begin immediately."

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Ziyun began to gather the officers together. With a serious expression on his face, he directly issued the combat order.

"Yes, Commander Chen." The officers agreed without any hesitation.

All ministries were actively preparing and they acted quickly.

At this time, here at Henglingguan, the 21st Division and the 27th Division continued to attack fiercely.

Two division commanders, Tanaka Kuichi and Tominaga Nobumasa, personally commanded, and a large number of little devils launched a wave-like tactical attack.

Around 01:30, Shi Yujie, the leader of the 601st Regiment, was directly injured by a grenade fired by a grenade cannon while commanding the battle.

A large amount of blood flowed down his wound, and medical soldiers rushed over to bandage it.

"Tuanzuo, the wound is too big. You have to go to the rear for treatment quickly." "Otherwise, it may cause infection and even be life-threatening..."

"Contact the stretcher team and immediately send the group to the rear for treatment."

After checking the wound, the medical soldier showed a solemn expression on his face and hurriedly made suggestions.

"No, you can't go to the back, give me stitches and bandages!"

"Brothers are fighting desperately here, what's the point of me going to the rear for treatment."

"This is running away. I can't leave."

Shi Yujian looked at the medical soldier and said with a serious expression on his face.

The 601st Regiment continues to fight, and the more than [-] troops have now suffered heavy casualties.

The number of dead officers and soldiers has almost exceeded 1000, and there are many wounded among the remaining 1000-odd troops.

These wounded soldiers were not evacuated, but continued to fight with their injuries.

Shi Yujian is very aware of the current situation of the 601st Regiment. As long as he leaves, the unit may completely collapse.

Therefore, even if he needed treatment, he had to stay on the position and continue to command.

Shi Yujian was injured by a shell fired from a Japs grenade, and the shrapnel passed directly through his chest.

This wound was huge, with bright red blood flowing continuously, and the white bones could be clearly seen.

The medical soldier looked at Shi Yujian in front of him and could only bite the bullet and treat him.

Pain came, Shi Yuzhen gritted his teeth, and cold sweat soon soaked his body.

After simple treatment, Shi Yujie continued to command the troops in combat.

The two regiments under the first brigade fought tooth and nail to defend themselves. They blocked the Japs' attacks again and again.

The troops from both sides fought fiercely, but the Japanese troops still failed to make progress as planned.

The time came to two o'clock in the afternoon unknowingly, in the area east of Hengling Pass.

The 215th Regiment and two independent brigades of the puppet army continued to build positions.

Taking into account the previous performance of the puppet troops, the little Japanese specially assigned the heavy equipment squadron directly under the regiment this time, and three transport squadrons were organized into supervising teams.

About three hundred heavy troops were armed and deployed directly behind the puppet army positions. As long as the puppet troops evacuated without authorization, these Japanese heavy troops would shoot without mercy.

Here at the wing headquarters of the 215th Wing, the captain of the Major Wing sat on a chair with a slightly relaxed expression on his face.

The 33rd Division is a security guard division organized by the Japanese army, but after its formation, it was directly integrated into the battle sequence of the 11th Army.

On the southern battlefield, the 11th Army is the only mobile strategic corps of the little devils, and they must continue to carry out combat operations.

Therefore, after the 33rd Division was incorporated into the 11th Army, they participated in several battles and continued to conduct offensive operations.

They can be said to have the designation of a security garrison division, but in fact they perform the tasks of a field division.

Coming to the North China battlefield this time, the 33rd Division believed that they could win every battle.

It's just that the officers of the 33rd Division are inevitably a little desperate after the war.

They did not expect that the 201st Division stationed at Hengling Pass would be so difficult to defeat.

"We finally don't have to continue attacking Hengling Pass. Fighting there is simply a torment."

"It is almost impossible to capture the Henglingguan position."

"I think unless their troops are completely annihilated, it is completely impossible to capture Hengling Pass."

"But if we want to annihilate so many troops, how many casualties will we pay?"

"If we continue to attack Hengling Pass, I'm afraid we will have to pay heavy losses."

"Now we stay here and carry out defensive operations. Now we can finally carry out what the security guard division should do."

The captain of the Colonel-General took a look at the map and said with emotion on his face.

Of course, he said these words when no one was around, otherwise if they were passed on, he would definitely be punished.

However, as the captain of the Colonel Colonel finished speaking, the rumble of cannons began to sound outside.

The grenades landed directly on the position without any warning.

As the explosion sounded, scorching air waves quickly spread around.

Countless shrapnel flew, and smoke and dust spread in the air.

"Your Excellency, Wing Commander, what's bad, the enemy troops have assembled a large number of artillery and deployed them near Lishan to directly bombard us violently."

"They may have assembled at least thirty or forty artillery pieces of different calibers for shelling. Our position was under intensive shelling, and the troops suffered casualties."

"With an artillery attack of this scale, it is very likely that enemy troops will launch a fierce attack on our place."

"Should we contact the division headquarters quickly and request tactical guidance?"

A captain officer quickly came to the front of the wing leader, saluted quickly and reported.

After hearing the report, the captain showed surprise on his face.

He knew the situation of these troops. If they could get thirty or forty artillery pieces to support their operations, they must be the main force.

The captain of the Dazuo Alliance did not dare to delay and quickly came to the map to check it.

"The Seventh Battalion will guard the northern position, and the other units will be ready for battle."

"Mountain artillery squadron, rapid-fire artillery squadron enter the position and prepare for battle."

"Contact the division headquarters and report the situation here to us."

After the captain thought for a while, he gave the order directly.

Of course, he only arranged for the communications troops to report on the combat situation here, but he did not ask for tactical guidance.

The Japanese army's so-called request for tactical guidance was actually a request for support.

Now that the position here has just been shelled, they have to directly contact the division headquarters to ask for help. The captain of the Colonel Corps will not do this.

Otherwise, if his message is sent out, he will definitely be reprimanded by the division headquarters.

But the captain of the Colonel Corps didn't know that at this time, they were only being tested and calibrated.

At about [-]:[-], Chen Ziyun observed through the artillery team, and he began to issue combat orders.

The signal corpsman immediately picked up the microphone and began to communicate with the three artillery regiments.

At around [-] minutes, Li Yangshan Artillery Regiment, Tang Chunming Artillery Regiment, and Sun Xiong Mixed Artillery Regiment began to fire.

Tang Chunming, the commander of the independent detachment artillery regiment, is an artillery cadre sent by Commander Chen.

He came to the Zhongtiao Mountain battlefield when Chen Ziyun and others were fighting in the northern Henan region, and he directly served as the commander of the artillery regiment.

After the three regiment commanders received the combat order, they began to focus their fire for a violent bombardment.

The positions on the north side where the little devils were stationed and the positions on the south side were heavily bombarded, while the puppet army positions in the middle were only slightly bombarded.

At 02:30, the artillery unit began extended shelling, and the Independent Regiment, New Second Regiment, 602 Regiment, and Second Field Supplementary Regiment began to advance the operation with all their strength.

The four regiments attacked from the left and right sides and directly attacked the little Japanese position.

At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops were deployed such that the 215th Battalion of the [-]th Wing held the northern position and the [-]th Battalion held the southern position.

The 3000 troops of the 215st Independent Brigade of the puppet army stick to the center. At the same time, the [-]th Wing is directly under the rapid-fire artillery squadron and the mountain artillery squadron is deployed behind the puppet army position.

These Japanese and puppet troops built the first defensive position, and behind them, there was the independent second brigade of the puppet troops and the ninth brigade of the Japanese army.

After the three artillery regiments carried out extended bombardment, the four regiments rapidly advanced,

The heavy weapons directly under each regiment established positions at different locations and prepared for cover.

Ding Weixin's Second Regiment and Kongjie Independent Regiment were responsible for attacking on the left, and what they attacked was the position of the Seventh Brigade of the Japanese 215th Regiment.

The Japanese Seventh Battalion continues to fight, but its strength is not at full strength.

They only had about [-] men, and they also suffered losses in light and heavy machine guns and grenade-laden infantry artillery.

On the contrary, although the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment suffered casualties, their main force still existed, and they had strong combat capabilities.

The two infantry artillery companies and mortar companies directly under the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment have quickly established artillery positions.

Two regiments and six infantry battalions began combat operations.

Ding Wei and Kong Jie gathered together to jointly command, and all units quickly advanced towards the Japanese positions. (End of chapter)