Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

Toshiaki Mukai frowned as he looked at the telegram in his hand, feeling a little overwhelmed. He was not a graduate of a proper military school, but was noticed and promoted on the spot because of a wine bet. However, his command ability was actually average.

However, Mukai Toshiaki didn't act on his own. After a moment's thought, he said, "Send a telegram to the regiment headquarters immediately. A large number of Eighth Route Army troops have appeared in Ping'an County and are attacking various strongholds in Ping'an County. It seems that a major force of the Chinese Communist Party has appeared in Ping'an County!"

After thinking for a moment, Toshiaki Mukai decided to make the situation more serious. After all, six bases had already lost contact.

"Hayi!"

"Can you confirm it's the Eighth Route Army?"

Toshiaki Mukai still found it hard to believe. After all, the strongholds all had artillery towers, and the Eighth Route Army had no heavy weapons. It would be very difficult to attack the strongholds. Moreover, such a large-scale operation required the mobilization of a lot of heavy weapons. The Eighth Route Army certainly did not have so much equipment. Perhaps the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army or other troops were also involved.

"The reports from the various strongholds in the telegrams said that some of the attackers were wearing Eighth Route Army uniforms, while others were wearing ragtag clothing, like guerrillas. It's likely that the main force of the Eighth Route Army was acting in conjunction with the guerrillas."

"Impossible! How could the Eighth Route Army attack so many strongholds at the same time? Where did they get their heavy weapons? Don't they want to die?"

At this moment, another telegram was delivered to Mukai Toshiaki: "Report, the Liujiawan stronghold reported that the attack on their stronghold was carried out by the Eighth Route Army's independent column!"

"Independent column?"

Toshiaki Mukai was shocked when he heard the name. This name was well-known to the Japanese devils in Shanxi Province. It was this independent column that attacked Taiyuan and captured General Kazuo Shinozuka in Taiyuan City.

"Sure?"

"I'll send another call to confirm!"

The signalman soon returned to Mukai Toshiaki's office and nodded vigorously, saying, "It's the Independent Column. They saw its flag. It seems the cavalry battalion passed by them, but didn't participate in the attack and is heading towards the county town."

Upon hearing this, Toshiaki Mukai panicked at first. The last Japanese infantry battalion stationed in Ping'an County was destroyed by the cavalry battalion. However, he quickly realized that he was a tank battalion, not infantry. He had more than 30 tanks under his command, so why should he be afraid of a cavalry battalion?

Tanks versus cavalry? Even if the cavalry's sword breaks, it can't cause any damage to the tank.

"Send a telegram to the division immediately. We are under attack from the independent column!"

"Hayi!"

When this telegram was delivered to the Sixth Division, it was directly forwarded to the Japanese First Army Headquarters. At this time, Prince Asaka Naruhiko was in a meeting. After seeing the content of the telegram, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Humph, this independent column again, and this Li Yunlong again. Is he planning to show me his power? He captured six strongholds in one day and is going to attack Ping'an County. Does he really think our First Army is useless?"

After saying this, Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko looked at the commander of the 6th Division, Kanda Masatane: "Mr. Kanda, what do you think?" As he spoke, he threw the telegram to Kanda Masatane.

"Your Highness, I think this is an opportunity. The Eighth Route Army may not know that our tank battalion is in Ping'an County. If the independent column dares to attack Ping'an County, the tank battalion can easily defeat the independent column!"

"Baga, I'm not going to defeat the independent column, I want to annihilate it completely. I want to personally chop off the head of its commander, Li Yunlong!"

Kanda Masatane immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Hayi, I will immediately order the rest of the 13th Regiment to rush to support Heian County!"

"I hope to hear good news from you!"

"Hayi!"

Kanda Masatane immediately stood up and left the meeting room to make combat deployments.

At this time, in a mountain village around Ping'an County.

Kong Jie was smoking in the independent regiment's headquarters. Part of Ping'an County was also within Kong Jie's defense zone, so if there was any movement in Ping'an County, Kong Jie would quickly receive the news.

"What? There are troops attacking the stronghold, and there are several of them at once? Which unit are they? The county brigade or the district squad?"

When Kong Jie heard the news, he was stunned. There were a lot of supplies in the stronghold. As long as they could capture the stronghold, they would be able to obtain a lot of ammunition and supplies. However, the stronghold was a tough nut to crack. The independent regiment had planned to attack the stronghold twice, but both times they failed and lost a certain number of manpower.

"Report, it's Li Yunlong's independent column!"

"Li Yunlong's independent column?"

When Kong Jie heard Li Yunlong's name, he immediately slammed the table with all his might. "This Li Yunlong, he came to my defense zone and didn't even say hello to me. I still haven't settled the score with him for the last time he tricked me!"

The political commissar of the independent regiment beside him immediately laughed and said, "Now that Li Yunlong is the column commander, he has a high degree of freedom and can attack wherever he wants. Part of Ping'an County is also within the defense zone of his independent column, so it's normal for him to attack the stronghold."

"Then he can't come to my defense zone to take advantage of me. No, this guy won't suffer any loss. Let's go join in the fun. I'm going to settle accounts with him. Last time, he used some infantry training method to exchange people with me, but within two days, headquarters sent them back. I lost several talented people for nothing!"

Kong Jie grew angrier as he spoke. He grabbed his belt and headed out the door. "Guard Company, assemble!"

"Captain, would you like to ask headquarters for instructions?"

"You send a telegram to headquarters. I'll go there first with the guard company. If we're late, this guy won't even leave me a sip of soup!"

Chapter 116: The Enemy Arrives at Ping'an City

Yegouling, ten miles outside Ping'an County, was where the cavalry battalion ambushed the Japanese infantry battalion last time. Li Yunlong once again set up the ambush site here, waiting for the arrival of the Japanese tank battalion.

"Sun Desheng!"

"To!"

"Your mission is to go to Ping'an County and provoke the Japanese. Then, they'll dispatch their tank battalion and lure them here!"

"Yes!"

Li Yunlong looked at Ma Renxin again. Now he knew who the brigade commander had assigned to him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Old Ma!"

"Commander, just call me by my name."

Ma Renxin is five years older than Li Yunlong, but his son Ma Chengfeng is already seventeen years old and is about to become an adult.

"Lao Ma, you lead a cavalry company. Once we ambush the Japanese tank brigade, immediately cut off their retreat. We absolutely cannot let them escape back to Ping'an County!"

"Yes!"

"lets go!"

Soon, more than 400 people from the cavalry battalion rushed towards Ping'an County. They did not avoid people along the way and directly displayed the flag of the independent column cavalry battalion. Sun Desheng took the lead and rushed to the front holding the flag.

Ping'an County was under martial law at this time, and the Japanese had closed the county gates. On the city wall, which was about five meters high, the puppet army and the Japanese were ready for battle.

"Report, Captain, the cavalry battalion of the independent column has appeared at the west gate of Ping'an County!"

At the county's Japanese headquarters, when Toshiaki Mukai received the news, his eyes lit up. He quickly stood up and said, "Come with me to take a look!"

"Hayi!"

Soon, Toshiaki Mukai led the deputy captain and others to the top of the city gate tower at the west gate of Ping'an County. From a distance, they could see a group of cavalrymen galloping back and forth on the open space outside Ping'an County, about 500 meters away from the top of the county city.

Even if the Japanese fired, they would not be able to hit the target accurately from this position. Moreover, Sun Desheng and others did not bring all the cavalry battalions into the range of 500 meters. The main force was at the back, and he led a small number of cavalrymen to gallop back and forth, constantly moving and not giving the Japanese any chance.

Sun Desheng had been looking at the Japanese city wall with a telescope. When he saw a Japanese soldier holding a telescope looking at him, he immediately took out a Japanese flag from his bag, threw it on the ground, and then controlled his horse to step on it.

The action of stepping on the Japanese flag immediately made many Japanese soldiers clamor and want to leave the city to kill Sun Desheng.

However, Sun Desheng felt that it was not enough, so he took out another Japanese flag, lit it directly, and then picked it up with his saber. He rode his horse and swayed it, allowing the Japanese to clearly see their national flag being burned bit by bit.

"idiot!"

After seeing this scene, a Japanese soldier could no longer bear it and aimed directly at Sun Desheng and pulled the trigger.

However, the bullet deviated more than ten meters and hit the ground with a dull sound.

After seeing this scene, Sun Desheng and others immediately laughed again. Then everyone took out the captured Japanese national flags from their pockets, lit them directly, and then rode their horses around the outskirts of Ping'an County.

"Baga, Captain, let's attack! They're going too far!"

"Captain, we've received a telegram from the Zuojiazhuang stronghold. They've been attacked by a large force of the Eighth Route Army, numbering hundreds. They're requesting support!"

On one side was the angry Japanese sergeant asking for battle, and on the other side was the telegram sent by the signalman.

The expression on Mukai Toshiaki's face was uncertain at this time.

"Remain calm. The Eighth Route Army is deliberately provoking us, trying to lure us out of the city and then ambush us!" Mukai Toshiaki said calmly as he looked at the provocative Sun Desheng in the distance.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Japanese soldiers who had just shouted that they wanted to go out of the city to fight immediately shut their mouths. These Japanese soldiers all knew that the Eighth Route Army was good at ambushes and guerrilla warfare. If the cavalry battalion in front was really luring them out of the city, there must be an ambush outside.

Mukai Toshiaki glanced at the cavalry battalion still roaring outside the city and said, "No, the Eighth Route Army wants us to think they are ambushing us so that we won't dare to send troops to rescue the stronghold outside the city. After all, the 3rd Infantry Battalion suffered a heavy loss before!"

"Then they will have time to clear out our strongholds outside Ping'an County bit by bit!"

As soon as Mukai Toshiaki said this, the surrounding Japanese officers immediately began to think, nodded, and said, "According to our intelligence, the Eighth Route Army's independent column only has about 1,500 personnel. If they join forces with the various guerrilla groups around Ping'an County, there are only about 2,000 people at most. Even if you add the independent regiment operating in Ping'an County, there are only about 3,000 people!"

"They need a large number of troops to attack our stronghold. I'm afraid this cavalry unit is the last force they have left to tie us down!"

"That Li Yunlong knew he was short on troops. To buy time to take down our artillery towers, he wanted to use the cavalry battalion to intimidate us and stop us from supporting the various strongholds!"

At this point, Mukai Toshiaki couldn't help but laugh: "But he doesn't know that I am part of the tank battalion. Their cavalry battalion encountering our tank battalion is just as ridiculous as those Polish cavalry on the battlefield of Europe. They can only be slaughtered!"

"I want to make the Chinese feel what despair is. Their plans are useless in front of the Imperial Army. Their cavalry is like paper in front of the Imperial chariots. They have no room for resistance!"

After he finished speaking, the eyes of all the surrounding Japanese officers lit up, and they immediately gave Mukai Toshiaki a thumbs-up: "Captain, your opinion is brilliant! You saw through the deployment of the troop at a glance!"

"As expected of you, Captain!"

"Captain, shall we send out our troops now?"

"Order the troops to open the city gates, send the chariot brigade out to destroy the Chinese cavalry, and then support the various strongholds!"

"Hayi!"

Toshiaki Mukai was very confident in his own judgment, and he was also very confident in the tank battalion under his command.

On the way from Shanghai to Nanjing, Toshiaki Mukai had followed a tank regiment. They encountered many ambushes along the way, but as long as the tanks launched a charge, any ambush would turn into a one-sided massacre.

Toshiaki Mukai even saw some National Army soldiers who were so frightened when they saw the tanks for the first time that they stood there in shock. Some of them tried to chop the tanks with knives, but they were ruthlessly shot and crushed by the tanks.

The Nationalist troops we encountered on the road from Nanjing to Shanghai were like this, let alone the Eighth Route Army in Taihang Mountains?

Toshiaki Mukai believed that when his tank battalion appeared on the battlefield, the troops ambushing them would be immediately defeated just like the Kuomintang troops they encountered on the road from Modu to Nanjing.

Toshiaki Mukai even thought he had seen the scene where, when the chariot brigade caught up with the cavalry battalion, these cavalrymen, who had never seen chariots before, swung their sabers and slashed at the chariots.

Chapter 117 Tank Brigade, Attack!

"Captain, are you going to go with the tank brigade?"

Just when Toshiaki Mukai was still fantasizing about defeating the independent column, a voice suddenly interrupted his fantasy.

"No, I need to stay in Ping'an County to command..."

Before he could finish his words, Toshiaki Mukai suddenly frowned, because Toshiaki Mukai thought of something. If the independent column could sneak into Taiyuan and capture General Kazuo Shinozuka, then they could also sneak into Heian County and attack his headquarters.

If the tank brigade left Ping'an County, there would only be an infantry squad of more than 50 people and a regiment of puppet troops left in the entire Ping'an County.

Mukai Toshiaki had always looked down upon the combat effectiveness of the puppet army. If the troops that had infiltrated Taiyuan had already infiltrated Ping'an County...

Toshiaki Mukai felt that he might have discovered the true purpose of the independent column. They wanted to copy the same tactics as in Taiyuan City, pretending to attack various strongholds with great momentum, provoke him under the city of Ping'an County, and then kill him. After losing command, the troops in Ping'an County would definitely be in chaos.

"I will personally lead the troops in pursuit, Mingtian-kun, and I will leave Heian County to you!"