Ping'an County is a county seat more than 200 miles away from Liantai County.
Originally, Ping'an County was an important transportation hub with a permanent population of around 300,000 all year round. It could be said to be a famous county in Shanxi. However, since it was captured twice by the Liantai militia and experienced many wars, it has declined greatly. Today
The permanent population is less than half of its original size, and the once bustling streets have become much more depressed.
After the arrival of the Sixth Division, the people in Ping'an County looked at the Japanese Japs filling the streets and were so frightened that they almost did not dare to go out during the day. The entire county was in a state of depression.
Although it is already April, the weather in Shanxi is still slightly chilly.
The current commander of the Sixth Division, Lieutenant General Kanda Masane, stood by the window of a three-story building and listened to the report from Chief of Staff Shimono Ichiho.
Looking at the street with few pedestrians outside, he had a solemn expression. He didn't know what he was thinking. Behind him, Chief of Staff Shimono Yihuo said solemnly: "After our division arrived in Ping'an County, we received the order from the division commander.
The 36th Brigade was sent to march towards Liantai County. As of this morning, the 36th Brigade was less than 50 kilometers away from Liantai County. Major General Ushijima Mitsuru called to ask if he should continue to move forward."
Kanda Masane asked calmly: "How is the 108th Division doing now?"
"The 108th Division, like us, stopped after arriving in Qiuyang County. Commander Xia Yuan Xiongmi Division sent the 104th Brigade towards Liantai County, but stopped when it was 70 kilometers away from Liantai County.
The commander of the regiment, Major General Tomimidi Fourth Floor, only sent two squadrons of troops to search and advance in the direction of Liantai County."
"Two squadrons?"
Kanda Masane snorted softly, "Xia Yuanjun is still as "steady" as ever. Is he planning to defeat the Liantai militia with two squadrons? If so, then I have to congratulate him."
Seeing his division commander's sarcastic remarks, Shimono Ichiho did not dare to say a word. As the chief of staff, he was not qualified to get involved in the fight between division commanders.
However, after Kanda Masane said a few words, he became more and more depressed. The words Okamura Neji said when he personally explained the mission to him came to mind.
"If the Liantai Militia can be eliminated, then destroy it. If you are not sure, just hold off the Liantai Militia."
Listen... Two divisions were deployed to deal with a local Chinese army, but they were still so cowardly. Kanda Masakusa simply couldn't believe that these words were spoken by a dignified commander of the North China Front Army.
Although he was very dissatisfied, Kanda Masane was not a rookie who had just graduated from the military academy. Of course, he knew that if you wanted to do well in the military, you should not offend others easily, especially your superiors.
Since he came to Shanxi, he had been following Okamura Neiji's instructions and planned to test the strength of the Liantai Militia before making any plans. However, when he heard that the 108th Division had only sent two squadrons forward,
, the evil fire that has been suppressing my heart these days can no longer be tolerated.
"Shimono-kun, you immediately send electricity to Ushijima-kun and ask him to launch a tentative attack on the Rendai militia and see their reaction. If the Rendai militia is not strong enough, eat him directly!"
Shimono Yihuo hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, Division Commander, would you like to inform the 108th Division? Would it be better if the two divisions acted together?"
A hint of sarcasm appeared on Kanda Masane's lips, "When did the Sixth Division need the help of a vassal division to fight a war?"
"Hi!" Seeing that his division commander was already a little impatient, Shimono Yihuo hurried down to assign tasks.
The 108th Division of the Japanese Army was established by the Japanese government in Hirosaki, Japan on August 24, 1937 from the reservists of the 8th Division. This division was far inferior to the standing division in terms of equipment and combat effectiveness, so privately
Also known as the vassal division.
This is also why Kanda Masane showed such an expression when talking about the 108th Division.
At this time, Ding Wei, who had completed rendezvous with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, led a new regiment of more than 2,000 soldiers to Liantai County at a forced march speed. At this time, he did not know that there was a place not far away from him.
There is also a Japanese army that is getting closer and closer to itself.
The 1st Battalion was at the forefront of the regiment as the vanguard. Although they had been marching for two consecutive days and the soldiers were somewhat exhausted, no one complained and they all gritted their teeth and held on.
At this time, the 1st Battalion had just come down from a hillside and was about to cross a road and detour to Liantai County. However, as soon as Gao Dachun reached the bottom of the hillside, he heard a sudden burst of gunfire in front of him.
For soldiers, the sound of gunshots is an order. When the gunfire sounds, all the soldiers are shocked.
"No, we encountered a Japanese enemy!"
A bad thought immediately appeared in Gao Dachun's mind.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the sharp knife platoon in front came to report that they encountered a group of Japanese troops just as they got off the road. Although the number of Japanese troops was not large, their firepower was very fierce. Not only did they ride in two trucks, the leader
There are even two Type 94 tanks, which is a bit troublesome
The official full name of the Type 94 tank is the "Type 94 light armored vehicle". The prototype is the "Carden Lloyd" Type 6 machine gun carrier produced by the United Kingdom in the 1920s. The total combat weight of the Type 94 tank is only 3.45 tons.
It's almost like the light trucks of later generations.
And its size is also very small. How small is it?
Let’s put it this way, it can be installed in the domestically produced Haval H6 SUV of later generations, so the Type 94 tank was also nicknamed the Doudin tank by later military fans.
Similarly, its armor is also very thin, with the thinnest part only being 6 mm. Any 12.7-caliber heavy machine gun can penetrate it at a distance of two hundred meters.
But even this tank, which even later generations of militiamen looked down upon, was difficult to deal with for the Chinese army that lacked anti-armor capabilities.
The 1st Battalion, as the vanguard, did not have any anti-tank weapons, so the two sides suffered a heavy loss as soon as they came into contact. Several soldiers fell to the Type 94 tank's machine guns in an instant, and the remaining soldiers in the vanguard hurried back.
withdraw.
The platoon leader of the front platoon said to Gao Dachun: "Batalion Commander, the road ahead is blocked by Japanese soldiers. What should we do if we can't get through?"
"What else can we do? Find a way to kill the Japanese tanks." Gao Dachun glared at the leading platoon leader, "The first company occupied favorable terrain to counterattack, and the second company organized a death squad to prepare to blow up the tank! You must move quickly, the regiment leader and the others are still behind.
Well, we must not be dragged here!"
Gao Dachun was very anxious. It was daytime now. Once they were entangled by the Japanese here, the Japanese troops would surge in in less than an hour or two, and by then the whole group would not be able to leave!