Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

Before Chang Mingzhen could even finish his name, he heard a hurried voice on the other end of the line: "This is the mine command center. Our unit is under attack by the main force of the Eighth Route Army. The outer area has been lost. Requesting tactical guidance!"

"What? The main force of the Eighth Route Army is attacking? Mr. Fuben, are you sure you're not kidding? The mine is heavily guarded. How could the Eighth Route Army possibly break into the mine without heavy weapons?"

Chang Ming Zhenyi felt like he had heard the funniest joke in the world. It was not like he hadn't seen the Eighth Route Army before. A group of troops armed with homemade guns and cannons, with only a few bullets to fight with bayonets, going to attack a mine, what was the difference between that and committing suicide?

"Your Excellency, this time the main force of the Eighth Route Army possesses at least six mountain cannons, as well as a very special weapon that can..."

Before Tomimoto Ichiro could finish his words, Chomei Shinichi could hear nothing.

"Tomimoto-kun, Tomimoto-kun! Hey, hey, hey, Tomimoto Ichiro!"

After calling several times without any response, Chang Ming Zhenyi immediately hung up the phone and redialed, but the call could not be connected. Chang Ming Zhenyi immediately realized that the telephone line to the mine had been cut off.

Inside the mine, Ichiro Tomimoto was still talking on the phone, but he quickly realized the line had been cut. He hung up and said, "Send a telegram to the brigade headquarters right away. There are about 2,000 troops there, attacking the mine. Please send reinforcements as soon as possible!"

After saying that, he immediately rushed to the entrance of the command department, observed the battlefield situation with a telescope, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the attacking Eighth Route Army troops were blocked by a machine gun position built halfway up the mountain and hollowed out the mountain.

When Nagaaki Shinichi received the telegram, his expression immediately became serious. He knew that something might have really happened in the mine this time. Tomimoto Ichiro was not the kind of person who liked to make a fuss. The situation must be very critical now that he was asking for help so urgently.

Shinichi Chomei was also a little flustered at this time. After graduating from the Army Officer Academy in 1934, he was assigned to the Kwantung Army and awarded the rank of lieutenant. He served as a confidential secretary in the Kwantung Army Headquarters. In 1937, he was promoted to major and promoted to the Kwantung Army combat staff. In 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and then transferred to the Chida Regiment as the regiment commander (Type B division). He had never experienced actual combat since graduation.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Chang Mingzhen thought for a moment and said, "Immediately order the 2nd Infantry Battalion, the Tank Battalion, and the Regiment's Direct Artillery Squadron to assemble and go with me to the mine to support the 1st Infantry Battalion!"

"Hayi!"

Soon the order for an emergency assembly was sent to the military camp. When Chang Ming Zhenyi arrived at the military camp in a three-wheeled motorcycle, the Japanese troops had not yet assembled. Because in Datong, this unit had not experienced actual combat for a long time, and military discipline had become somewhat lax.

Nearly ten minutes had passed since the call was made to the military camp, and the assembly had not yet been completed.

"Move quickly!"

Chang Ming Zhenyi urged hurriedly that the mine was the most important place in Datong. The Japanese industrial department had targets every year. If he failed to complete them, he would be blamed and punished.

Therefore, Chang Ming Zhenyi now can't wait to provide support to the mine and destroy the Eighth Route Army troops attacking the mine.

Finally, under the urging of Shinichi Nagaaki, the Chida Regiment began to move out from the Japanese in Datong City.

A puppet army regiment, two tank battalions, and an infantry battalion, a force of nearly 4,000 people, set out from the west gate of Datong and headed towards the mine.

At this time, on the way to the mine, Xing Zhiguo kept looking at his watch. The time had come to 12:20, but the Japanese in Datong City did not move at all.

"Why don't you come out yet!"

According to Lao Xing's understanding of the Japanese, it would take at most five minutes from gathering to departure. Considering the time it takes for the Japanese to rush from the north to the west of Datong City, twenty minutes would be enough.

And even if the main force did not have time to set off, the small force should have set off first to explore the way for the subsequent troops, but until now nothing has been seen.

"Deputy Commander Xing, there's still a Japanese tank battalion in Datong City, with over twenty Japanese armored vehicles. They're not going to be easy to deal with..."

Li Youfu beside him whispered to Xing Zhiguo that after all, the ambush point they chose was too flat and the Japanese tanks could easily rush up. Once they were caught up by the Japanese tank brigade, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Don't worry, our independent column has a special weapon to deal with the Japanese tanks. During the Battle of Ping'an County, we relied on this weapon to kill an entire Japanese tank battalion and captured eight of their tanks!"

"real or fake?"

Although Li Youfu knew about the Ping'an County Battle, he didn't know the specific process of the battle, and he couldn't help but become interested.

But at this moment, a voice came from the walkie-talkie next to Xing Zhiguo: "Report, the Japanese army has left the city, with the puppet army leading the way. It is estimated that there are at least 3,000 people!"

At this time, in a hidden place outside the gate of Datong City, several scouts were watching the large number of Japanese troops marching out from the west gate of Datong with binoculars, and they kept reporting to Xing Zhiguo.

"The Japanese are coming out in full force. Don't you want Datong anymore?"

"I guess there are still some defenders. The devils in the Chahar region have never fought against us, so they don't know how powerful we are!"

The soldiers of the Independent Column all knew that if the Japanese in Datong City defended the city, the Independent Column would have to suffer heavy casualties in order to capture Datong. However, if the defenders in Datong City came out of the city and fought a field battle with the Independent Column.

With the current equipment of the independent column, even if they are outnumbered, the soldiers of the independent column will not be afraid, and they firmly believe that they will be the victorious side. This confidence is accumulated through battle after battle.

After Xing Zhiguo ended the call, his eyes lit up. He had originally planned to ambush the Japanese troops leaving the city, and then disguise himself as a Japanese soldier to trick the Datong city gate open. But now there was no need to do that. The Japanese soldiers in Datong had come out in full force. As long as they were wiped out, Datong could be easily captured.

"Everyone, prepare to fight!"

Chapter 183 No need to report to headquarters

"Sir, the mine has been attacked. Should we notify headquarters?"

On a truck, the staff officer of the Chida Regiment looked at Shinichi Nagaaki and asked in a low voice.

Chang Mingzhen thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to report to the headquarters for now. Wait until we eliminate the Eighth Route Army attacking the mine, and then report to the headquarters!"

"Hayi!"

Chang Ming Zhenyi did not understand the current situation of the mine, and Chang Ming Zhenyi felt that it was only the Eighth Route Army attacking the mine. Once his troops arrived, they would be able to repel the Eighth Route Army quickly. If he reported to the headquarters now, what if the Eighth Route Army was quickly repelled? Wouldn't that be an exaggeration?

Even now, Chang Ming Zhenyi felt that he was making a big deal out of nothing and mobilized all the defenders of Datong to reinforce the mine.

There haven't been any regular troops around Datong for a year or two. Every time a mine or a coal convoy is attacked, it's always a guerrilla force. There aren't many people and only a few guns. When a squadron or even a team of reinforcements arrives, they immediately run away without a trace.

If it weren't for the telegrams sent by Ichiro Tomimoto from the mine repeatedly requesting reinforcements, Shinichi Nagaaki would not have dispatched so many troops.

But thinking about the lax military discipline of the various troops just now, Chang Ming Zhenyi felt that taking these soldiers out for a walk around the mine would be a good option.

Datong City is not far from the mine, only about fifteen miles away. If the Japanese troops move faster, some reinforcements can arrive at the mine within an hour.

However, the troops led by Chang Ming Zhenyi did not march very fast. After leaving the city, they were marching at a normal speed. Nearly half an hour had passed when they arrived at the Wulipu ambush point outside Datong City.

Including the time for the military camp to be integrated, the telegram had been sent for nearly an hour, and the reinforcements from Datong had traveled less than half the distance.

"The devils are coming!"

There was no need for scouts to report; one could now see with the naked eye that teams of puppet soldiers were marching in formation towards the mine.

These puppet soldiers looked a little listless, their steps were not fast, and they were carrying guns. Although they stood in four rows, they were standing crookedly.

Occasionally, a three-wheeled motorcycle would pass by the roadside, and a Japanese officer would shout angrily at the puppet soldiers, "Hurry up, hurry up!"

But these puppet soldiers were like donkeys pulling a millstone. They would walk faster when they cursed a few words, and their pace gradually slowed down after the Japanese officers left.

"Shall we fight?"

The ambush point was less than a hundred meters away from the main road. The puppet army had entered the ambush circle, but no one came to check on both sides of the road, and the Japanese did not send a small reconnaissance force to investigate whether there was an ambush on the road ahead.

"I originally thought that the Japanese troops were all elite, but now it seems that except for those Type A divisions, the combat effectiveness of the remaining Japanese troops is average!" Fang Zheng took a look at the Japanese troops and evaluated slowly.

Old Xing nodded in agreement. He had fought extensively with Li Yunlong, and what kind of enemy units had they fought before? The Sakata Regiment, the Yamamoto Special Forces, the Yamazaki Battalion, the Kumamoto Regiment. But what was this unit before him? The puppet army plus the Chida Regiment, a Type B division.

Therefore, just by taking a look, one can judge the approximate combat effectiveness of this troop from its spirit and energy.

"But we can't be careless. The commander said that the Japanese troops are very good at taking drugs. When the fighting starts, just take two military ration pills and they will immediately turn into crazy people!"

After giving some instructions, Old Xing said, "Let the puppet troops go first. We will focus on fighting the Japanese first!"

"Yes!"

More than two thousand puppet soldiers marched towards the distance in a mighty procession. Occasionally, some puppet soldiers came to the roadside to relieve themselves, and when they looked up, they found something wrong. They were so scared that they shrank back directly, then ran to their own ranks in panic and found their company commander.

"Captain, Captain, there are guerrillas on the side of the road. I saw them!"

The puppet soldier said in a panic.

The puppet army commander walked along the road, a cigarette in his mouth, and said without turning his head: "I'm not blind, I saw it a long time ago. Did they see you?"

"You should have seen it. I'm releasing water on the side of the road..."

"I'm not interested in hearing about that. Did they shoot?"

The puppet soldier was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It seems not."

"No, if we had opened fire you would be a corpse now. Okay, we didn't see anything. If the guerrillas don't attack us, we won't do anything. They'll attack their devils. We'll just take our pay. Remember, when you fire, raise the muzzle a little higher. We're not those bastards in the mines. We only get so little money a month. Why risk our lives?"

"Ah, yes!"

"Hurry back to the team!"

After the puppet army company commander finished speaking, he continued smoking, quietly adjusted his armband and took off some officer badges on his collar, and then directly blended into the crowd of puppet soldiers and no longer walked outside alone.

After the puppet army's formation finished marching, the Japanese troops also entered the ambush circle. Compared with the previous puppet army's laxity, the Japanese soldiers still looked a bit like regular troops, and the formation was relatively neat, but compared with the quiet formations of the Type A divisions that had ambushed before.

As the Chida Regiment was marching, these Japanese soldiers were chatting as they went.

"I heard the mine was attacked by the regular Eighth Route Army!"

"Really? I heard they were going on a rotation. The treatment in the mines is much better than in the city."

"I still prefer to be in the city. There's nothing in the mines, not even women."

"You can go back to the city at night. It's not like no one has done that before. Look at the guy behind you. He ran away yesterday and didn't have time to go back today. He's mixed up with us..."

While this group of devils were chatting, Deputy Commander Xing slowly took out the signal gun in his hand.

"call out!"

A flare was launched into the air and exploded.

"beat!"

As the signal flares exploded, the artillery platoon soldiers from the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th detachments placed shells into the gun barrels one after another.

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

"..."

A total of sixteen mortars from the four artillery platoons simultaneously fired rapid shots at the designated positions.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"..."

The shells fell into the Japanese ranks like raindrops, instantly killing or injuring those Japanese who were still looking up at the signal flares.

At this time, the Japanese realized that they had been ambushed.

"ambush!"

A Japanese officer lay on the ground, looking at the high slope on the side of the road.

He shook his head to shake off the dirt, then drew his samurai sword, pointing the blade at the high slope on the side.