The Eighth Route Army Headquarters instructed: In North China, the "Hundred Regiment Campaign" operation should be expanded to those enemies that have not yet been attacked, in order to reduce enemy-occupied areas, expand base areas, and open up blockades. This is the general policy of current military operations.
The Eighth Route Army headquarters immediately issued the second phase of the combat order, stating that the purpose of the operation was to expand the results of the war, and the basic policy of the operation was to continue to disrupt enemy traffic and destroy strongholds deep in the base area.
Not long after, the 129th Division launched the Yuliao Campaign.
The mission of the 386th Brigade is to attack Yushe County and its surrounding strongholds.
Although all the strongholds on the Yuliao Highway were removed by the New Regiment, there are still many Japanese strongholds around Yushe County.
Moreover, because Li Yunlong had been causing trouble on the Yu-Liao Highway and Baijin Railway, the Japanese in Yushe and Liao County were so frightened that they rebuilt the surrounding strongholds and gun towers.
The rebuilt strongholds and turrets are all made of reinforced concrete materials and have been specially reinforced.
However, these reinforced concrete strongholds and turrets are no different from those in Zhihu in front of the 75mm American mountain cannon.
After intelligence determined that the Japanese had no air support, the 386th Brigade, led by Brigadier Chen, surrounded Yushe County in broad daylight.
Yushe County was an important town where the Japanese army hoarded food and ammunition. Even if the Zhengtai Railway was destroyed and Yangquan and Shouyang County were captured, the Eighth Route Army had the strength to attack the county.
The Japanese army was also unwilling to abandon this county town, which was located in the Eighth Route Army base area.
As the brigade commander issued the general offensive order, the New Second Regiment, the Independent Regiment and the 772nd Regiment immediately rushed toward Yushe County from three directions.
Brigadier Chen's command style is bold and decisive, mobile and flexible, good at grasping the battle situation, seizing fighter opportunities, and never fighting to the death.
He had already reconnoitred the enemy's situation in Yushe County twice and found out the enemy's firepower and fortification deployment.
There was an earth slope outside the Xiguan City Wall, which was convenient for attacking the city. The brigade commander ordered a mountain artillery camp to be set up outside the Xiguan City Wall, and put up dozens of camouflage nets to cooperate with the main attack of the 772 Regiment.
Ding Wei's New Second Regiment and Kong Jie's Independent Regiment attacked the Nanguan City Wall and Beiguan City Wall respectively.
Zhang Xianyong's New Third Regiment ambushed outside the Dongguan City Wall.
Li Yunlong's new regiment serves as the reserve team.
Just over half an hour after the battle started, communications troops came in one after another with good news.
"Report to the brigade commander that the 772nd Regiment has cleared the strongholds and gun towers outside the Xiguan City Wall."
"The Independent Regiment has killed all the Japanese outside the Nanguan City Wall."
"The New Second Regiment has captured the Japanese positions outside Beiguan City Wall."
Upon hearing this, the brigade commander loudly ordered: "Send my order and start attacking the city!"
Chief of Staff Zhou picked up the phone, quickly shook the handle, and then put the phone to his ear: "Start attacking the city!"
A red signal flare was raised high outside the Xiguan City Wall.
The 386th Brigade Artillery Regiment had already been calibrated to shoot at Zhuyuan. The artillerymen who received the order immediately opened fire, and the artillery shells hit the Xiguan City Wall like raindrops.
After the general offensive began, Ding Wei and Kong Jie's respective mountain artillery batteries also began to exert force.
Before the Battle of Zhengtai, the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment each obtained a 75 mm caliber gun from Li Yunlong.
After capturing Shouyang County, the two men each received an infantry cannon and a 75mm cannon.
Some time ago, Li Yunlong gave him two or three mountain cannons each. Now the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment are the richest among the Eighth Route Army units, except for the New First Regiment.
Amidst the rapid and rapid explosions like muffled thunder, the brigade commander stood on the ladder in the headquarters and raised his telescope to look at the city wall.
I saw cannonballs raining down on the city, and fireballs and smoke continued to rise amidst the terrifying explosions.
As the ground shook, the entire city wall seemed to be trembling.
"It's begun." Deputy Brigadier Han walked up to the brigade commander and said.
"Well, let's begin." The brigade commander nodded.
At this moment, Li Yunlong and guard Huang Erhu appeared at the brigade headquarters with a lot of gas masks in their hands and shouted: "Report!"
"Come in!" Hearing Li Yunlong's voice, the brigade commander was slightly startled, and then shouted loudly.
"Brigadier, I'm here to see you."
Before entering the brigade headquarters, Li Yunlong's voice came first, and then Li Yunlong and Huang Erhu walked into the brigade headquarters.
The brigade commander turned around and came down from the ladder and saw the gas masks in the hands of Li Yunlong and Huang Erhu.
"What tricks are you kidding?" asked the brigade commander. "You didn't fight for the main attack mission when it was time to fight for it. Now that you've started to attack the city, you think of doing this?"
Li Yunlong said: "Hey, brigade commander, you have misunderstood me. I am here specifically to deliver gas masks to the leaders of the brigade."
When Yangquan was captured, Li Yunlong remembered that there were more than a thousand gas masks in the Japanese arms warehouse, and they were all handed over to the brigade headquarters.
But Li Yunlong knew the character of the brigade commander very well and must have given the gas masks to the soldiers who were attacking the city.
The brigade commander also liked to go to the forward positions to observe the enemy's situation and direct battles in person. He was afraid that the brigade commander would be poisoned by the Japs, so Li Yunlong sent a gas mask.
Li Yunlong patted the gas mask in his hand: "Brigadier, this is an American product, and its anti-gas effect is much better than the little devil's gas mask."
"You've got a good idea." The brigade commander felt a little moved, but his expression remained firm. He nodded and pointed at the table, "Put it there."
Li Yunlong and Huang Erhu put more than twenty gas masks on the table.
This table is an Eight Immortals table, with maps, magnifying glasses, kettles and other things placed on it.
However, since the brigade commander ordered it to be placed on top, Li Yunlong didn't say much and filled up the Eight Immortals table in no time.
Then the brigade commander said: "Guards, hand out the gas masks, one to each person at the brigade headquarters."
The brigade commander's guards distributed gas masks to the brigade commander, Deputy Brigadier Han and Chief of Staff Zhou, as well as the combat staff and the security personnel of the brigade headquarters.
Li Yunlong winked at Huang Erhu, who immediately exited the headquarters and waited outside.
Then he pretended to be close to the brigade commander, raised his telescope and took a look at Yushe County.
Li Yunlong sighed with his tongue: "What a powerful artillery fire. According to this firepower, I estimate that we can capture the county in front of us before dark."
"Li Yunlong, do you have anything else to do?"
Seeing that Li Yunlong had not left after delivering the gas mask, the brigade commander issued an order to expel him.
"Brigadier, I still have something to do." Li Yunlong said, "Can we attack the city slower?"
"Slow down, why?" After a pause, the brigade commander suddenly became alert again: "You kid, you're not going to do anything for me again, are you?"
Li Yunlong said: "We captured the county town too quickly. What should we do if the Japanese reinforcements receive the news and return halfway?"
This is the purpose of Li Yunlong coming to the brigade headquarters to deliver gas masks this time.
If the 386th Brigade had not strengthened its equipment before attacking Yushe County, it would have taken two or three days to defeat it.
After increasing its firepower, the 386th Brigade, which had a large number of machine guns, bazookas, and artillery regiments, had enough shells and bullets to capture it in less than a day.
It was only morning now, so it was estimated that the battle would be over before dark, and it would be useless for the Japanese to release poison gas, because the siege troops of the 386th Brigade were well prepared, and the soldiers in the main attack battalions of each regiment were equipped with gas masks.
Li Yunlong was also preparing to attack the Japanese reinforcements rushing to aid Yushe County. If Yushe County was captured too early, nothing would happen to him.
Because as a reserve force, Li Yunlong could not just lead his troops to leave without orders from his superiors.
The brigade commander instantly understood what Li Yunlong meant and turned to look at him with a half-smile.
When the brigade commander saw this, Li Yunlong suddenly felt anxious, and quickly forced a smile on his face: "Brigadier Commander, the time limit given by the headquarters to our brigade is to capture Yushe County within 2 days, and it will take half a day to capture it.
, isn’t that a waste of time?”
A waste of time? The brigade commander was amused: "How could you think so?"
…
In Yushe County, the Japanese army headquarters.
Itazu Naozumi Ozuo of the 4th Brigade heard the continuous fierce gunfire. At this time, he was sitting on pins and needles, with a ray on his back and a lump in his throat.
Yushe County is an important hub for the movement of ammunition and supplies for the Japanese army. It is garrisoned by the Banjin Brigade with a battalion of puppet troops.
In addition to using the strong buildings in the county as the core of its defense, it also built 4 strongholds, 8 gun towers and bunkers.
Weapons are also equipped with mountain cannons, mortars, light and heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and other heavy firepower. We also reserve enough ammunition and food for one year.
However, Itazu Naochumi never expected that the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire would be so terrifying, and within an hour it would clear out the outer strongholds, gun towers and other fortifications.
The Eighth Route Army's attack speed was so fast and its ability to attack fortresses was beyond his expectation.
This is just the result of the brigade commander only using one mountain artillery battalion of a mountain artillery regiment directly under the brigade headquarters.
If the brigade commander's artillery regiment opened up its firepower, the firepower would be even more terrifying.
In the command post, Naozumi Itazu wiped away his cold sweat and called the leader of the communications team to him: "Give it to Major General Tsuda Mitake immediately..."
Before he finished speaking, Itazu Naojun thought that Major General Tsuda Mitake had been broken into pieces, and a moment of sadness appeared between his brows.
Then he regained his cold expression, looked at the leader of the communication team and said: "Send power to General Shinozuka immediately. Yushe County was besieged by 5,000 people from eight directions. The enemy cleared our outer strongholds within half an hour, and is now using the mountains and fields.
Artillery blasts the city wall, requesting tactical guidance from the headquarters!"
The communications squad leader wrote down the message on the folder with a pen and said in a puzzled tone: "Captain, why don't you report more troops to the Eighth Route Army, for example, 10,000 people? This will make it easier to get reinforcements from the headquarters!"
Itazu Naozumi said: "Now the Eighth Route Army is causing trouble everywhere and launching attacks on the Imperial Army's communication lines. There are not many troops that can be used for reinforcements. If I report to the Eighth Route Army, do you think the commander will send troops?"
Come to save us?"
"No!" said the squad leader, "In that case, the commander will definitely give up sending troops for reinforcements. The captain is wise, I admire him!"
"Send the telegram immediately, quickly!"
"Hi!" the leader of the Japanese squad said, holding the folder and walking quickly outside.
The 385th Brigade of the 129th Division was not idle either. The division commander transferred a mountain artillery battalion to the 385th Brigade. While the 386th Brigade was attacking Yushe County, the 385th Brigade was also attacking Liaoxian County.
Not long after, the commander of the First Army, Yoshio Shinozuka, who was far away in Taiyuan, received a telegram requesting help from Naojun Itazu and Takeo Honda at the same time.
Looking at the two urgent emails with almost the same request for tactical guidance, Shinozuka Yoshio suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
