In early November 1937, the Japanese army assembled tens of thousands of elite troops and came to Taiyuan City.
The Japanese army captured Taiyuan in just three days.
During the War of Liberation, Yan Laoxi built thousands of large and small reinforced concrete permanent defenses inside and outside Taiyuan City.
The People's Liberation Army assembled hundreds of thousands of troops. Peng Shuai and Xu Shuai served as commander-in-chief successively. It took half a year to liberate Taiyuan City.
Yan Laoxi fought with the Japanese and fled all the way, but he was very stubborn when fighting the People's Liberation Army and refused to surrender.
Of course, Taiyuan's current defense is not as abnormal as it was during the Liberation War.
But after all, Taiyuan is where the headquarters of the Japanese First Army is located, and it is not that easy to capture it.
Under the leadership of Li Yunlong, the troops were still about 13 kilometers away from Taiyuan City after more than 2 hours of rapid march.
The sky was completely dark, and only the overlapping figures of the soldiers marching in a hurry could be seen. Li Yunlong raised his watch and looked at it. There was still about an hour before dawn.
Traveling 3 kilometers further ahead, you will arrive within 10 kilometers outside Taiyuan City.
There are many Japanese artillery towers and stronghold fortifications on the main roads and small roads within 10 kilometers outside Taiyuan City.
The high-power walkie-talkie carried by a guard soldier buzzed.
Chief of Staff Wang Dehou picked it up:
"Hey, this is the headquarters of Taihang 3rd Column."
"What? A Japs position was found ahead? How many Japs are there?"
"Okay, I'll report to the commander-in-chief immediately!"
After hanging up the phone, Wang Dehou ran to Li Yunlong and gave a military salute: "Report to the leader, the Lijian Squadron reported that a Japanese position was found near Xiaodian Town 3 kilometers ahead. The Lijian Squadron grabbed the tongue and asked if the Japanese were there.
There are about 2,000 people, and there are more than 3,000 puppet troops. We just received orders last night to build fortifications in Xiaodian Town."
"Map!" Li Yunlong shouted.
A combat staff officer quickly took the map and spread it out in front of Li Yunlong. With the light of a flashlight, Li Yunlong looked at the map.
"Small store town?"
Li Yunlong quickly found the location of Xiaodian Town on the map.
Zhao Gang came over and took a look: "Old Li, could it be that the whereabouts of our column have been exposed?"
Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes and shook his head: "Probably not. The Japanese probably guessed that an Eighth Route Army unit might go north to threaten Taiyuan, and temporarily sent troops to build a defense line."
Xing Zhiguo suggested: "Should we cross the Fenhe River eastward, bypass Xiaodian Town, and march directly to Taiyuan City?"
"A detour?" Li Yunlong snorted, "That's not our old Li style. These Japanese and puppet soldiers dare to leave the city. It's a godsend!"
Wang Dehou asked: "Captain, what do you mean?"
Li Yunlong said: "Think about it, if these 2,000 Japanese and 3,000 puppet troops fight with us in street fights in the city and fight all these 2,000 Japanese and 3,000 puppet troops, how many soldiers will we lose?"
Zhao Gang said: "A conservative estimate is that at least 3,000 soldiers will be killed or injured to kill these 2,000 Japanese and 3,000 puppet troops."
"Old Zhao is right!"
"At least 3,000 soldiers must be killed or injured to kill 2,000 Japanese and 3,000 puppet troops!"
"In street fighting in the city, we can't take advantage of artillery fire, but in field fighting..."
Hehehe laughed strangely, and then Li Yunlong said to Wang Dehou: "Chief of Staff, use the walkie-talkie to inform the battalion commanders of the new regiment and the howitzer regiment commander to come here immediately for a meeting."
"Yes!" Wang Dehou quickly ordered the two combat staff officers to take out their walkie-talkies to convey the order.
Li Yunlong added: "Let the communications troops send a telegram to ask where the 1st column is."
If the 1st column led by the brigade commander had not reached the Zhengtai Railway, Li Yunlong could not launch an attack immediately.
Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the 2nd Guards Division abandoned the Shotai Railway and took a train to reinforce Taiyuan.
Although Li Yunlong was not afraid of the 2nd Guards Division, after a head-on field battle with the 2nd Guards Division, the 3rd Column probably had no chance to attack the city.
Therefore, Li Yunlong had to wait for the brigade commander to cut off the Zhengtai Railway transportation line before he could expose and attack the city.
As soon as the order was issued, the decoder hurried forward and handed a telegram to Wang Dehou.
After reading it, Wang Dehou said: "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, this is a telegram from the 1st Column. The main force of the 1st Column has arrived near Yangquan, engaged in firefights with the 2nd Guards Division, and has destroyed a section of the railway track. The Japanese Guards
The 2nd Division is no longer able to reinforce Taiyuan."
"Haha, great."
Captain Li was immediately happy.
After a while, the battalion commanders of the new regiment and Wenting, the commander of the headquarters howitzer regiment, arrived.
"Everyone is here, I'll keep the story short."
Li Yunlong glanced at everyone, pointed at the map and said: "In the Xiaodian Town area 3 kilometers ahead, 2,000 Japanese soldiers and 3,000 puppet troops have already established a defense line."
"What are these 2,000 Japanese and 3,000 puppet troops doing?"
"He's delivering food to us."
"The first, second, third and fourth battalions serve as the main attack force, and the county brigade serves as the reserve team."
"The artillery battalion and the howitzer regiment have set up their artillery. We are going to defeat the Japanese in one fell swoop. After defeating the Japanese defense line, it will be almost daylight."
"If the cavalry battalion rushes forward to collect corn, none of these Japanese and puppet soldiers will be allowed back into Taiyuan City."
"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison.
Li Yunlong was very busy and did not mobilize the commanders and fighters of the New Regiment before the war because there were too many soldiers in the New Regiment, more than 8,000 men.
Therefore, the order to mobilize before the war was given to each battalion commander and the company commander directly under him.
As Li Yunlong's order was issued, the troops quickly took action.
Li Yunlong looked at the map again. Wusu Airport is about 10 kilometers northeast of Xiaodian Town.
Later, Li Yunlong ordered Kong Jie to lead the second attack group to capture Wusu Airport.
The second attack group led by Kong Jie attacked the east gate, and after capturing Wusu Airport, they were able to attack northward and attack Taiyuan's east city wall.
…
To the south of Taiyuan City, the Japanese position is 500 meters away.
Several members of the Sword Squadron lay quietly on the ground, looking ahead with binoculars. The Japanese and puppet troops were holding torches and digging trenches and foxholes.
The fire dragon pulled out by the torch extends eastward from the Fen River bank to several kilometers away.
The Japanese guard posts scattered further away had been quietly killed by the special forces members of the Sword Squadron.
But if you go any further, you are in danger of being discovered by the Japanese.
There is still half an hour before dawn.
The first, second, third and fourth battalions of the new regiment and more than 1,000 men from a company rushed towards the Japanese defense line.
After approaching the Japanese position 500 meters away, more than 1,000 people dispersed directly and launched a group charge towards the Japanese position.
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
A puppet army guard post immediately discovered the unprotected Eighth Route Army, screamed in horror and fired a shot at the same time.
There was no obstruction in front of the Yima Pingchuan position, but it was at night, and the Japanese and puppet troops could not judge the number of the Eighth Route Army at all.
"咻咻咻..."
The Eighth Route Army's mortars opened fire first. The shells streaked through the night sky with eye-catching orange-red trajectories, landed on the Japanese positions and exploded around them.
Accompanied by loud shouts of killing, more than 1,000 soldiers of the new regiment, who were testing the attack, launched a group charge towards the Japanese and puppet army positions, and soon came within 400 meters of the Japanese and puppet army positions.
"Baga, enemy attack!"
"Launch flares and counterattack with all your firepower!"
After a brief panic, the Japanese commander, Lieutenant Colonel Takahashi Gakuro, calmly issued the order.
Commander Shinozuka is really good at predicting events. Sure enough, there were eight routes going north to try to attack Taiyuan. However, it was unlucky for them to meet me, Takahashi Koro.
This road is blocked!
Whoosh!
Several illumination bombs soared into the sky, illuminating the nearby kilometers like daylight.
On a defense line of several kilometers, the Japanese and puppet soldiers faced mortar shells, more than a hundred machine guns fired at the same time, and dense bullets poured in.
"Artillery fire preparation!"
Takahashi Coro's expression showed coldness and perseverance as he shouted loudly.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the attacking Eighth Route Army seemed to be frightened by the sudden fierce firepower and retreated hastily. The Eighth Route Army's attack came and went even faster.
When another round of flares went up, there was no longer an eight-way visible in the field of view of the telescope.
A sneer appeared at the corner of Takahashi Qoro's mouth.
That's it?
The fighting power of the Eighth Route Army does not seem to be as strong as in the legend. Hmm, they are vulnerable to a single blow.
Takahashi Quelang said: "Quickly inform Lieutenant Colonel Kasai that the Eighth Route Army launched a ferocious attack on our position, with more than 3,000 troops. The Eighth Route Army has been repulsed."
"Hi!" The phone soldier behind him quickly picked up the phone and shook the handle.
However, within 5 minutes, a sharp whistling sound suddenly sounded in the sky.
Takahashi Qoro looked up, with a horrified expression on his face. The sky was filled with dense orange-red ballistics.
Takahashi Gakuro, who has experienced many battles, determined that this was definitely not a shell that could be fired by dozens of cannons.
"Baga, anti-artillery!" Takahashi Qoro shouted and jumped into the foxhole next to him.
The moment Takahashi Qoro jumped in, the first round of artillery shells had already fallen on the Japanese and puppet army's position.
The first attack by the infantry battalions of the new regiment was just a test attack. The members of the Sharp Sword Squadron had already communicated the shooting details of the Japanese firepower points to the artillery groups in the rear through high-power walkie-talkies.
Boom boom boom...
Dense explosions exploded in the Japanese positions. Along with the fireballs and smoke, shrapnel and shock waves swept across the entire Japanese and puppet positions.
The power of the 60mm mortar is average, but the power of the 75mm mountain gun and the 105mm howitzer is no joke with the Japanese and puppet troops.
Before the Japanese and puppet troops could recover from the first round of artillery explosions, the second round of artillery fire had already arrived.
Boom boom boom…
Explosive fireballs and gunpowder smoke once again enveloped the entire Japanese and puppet army positions.
Dense artillery shells fell like raindrops, washing the ground back and forth over several kilometers of positions. The impact of the artillery shells in the dark night was extremely accurate, indicating that the Eighth Route Artillery had extremely high quality.
Takahashi Gakuro, who had served as an artilleryman, was certain that at least 1,500 artillery shells fell on the position every minute.
Such an intensive bombardment included many large-caliber guns...
Thinking of this, Takahashi Qoro's face suddenly became extremely solemn, the main force of the Eighth Route Army was really here!
This chapter has been completed!