In the conference room, Xu Dalong, Sun Desheng, Wang Chengzhu, Zheng Xirong, Wei Monk, Wang Xiaohu, Wei Heping, Qin Yu, Zhu Xiaoshan, Li Jinzhu and others were holding a summary meeting for the Mantou Peak operation.
Xu Dalong first made a summary report on the battle at Mantou Peak, and Wang Xiaohu announced the situation of the captured trophies.
Everyone was very excited and burst into warm applause. The conference room was filled with joy.
"Report."
At this time, Lin Xueying's crisp voice came from outside.
Wang Xiaohu, who was sitting by the door, went over and opened the door. Lin Xueying came in with a telegram. She said: "Captain, I just received a telegram from your brigade headquarters."
Xu Dalong quickly received the telegram and read: "Xu Dalong, Sun Desheng, and Wang Chengzhu of Mawushan Guerrilla Brigade:
Congratulations on your team's victory at Mantou Peak.
The brigade headquarters has already reported this great victory to the headquarters, and the head of the headquarters spoke highly of it. The Mawushan Guerrilla Brigade will be credited with one major meritorious service, and Xu Dalong will be credited with one special meritorious service. The rest of the meritorious personnel will be reported by the Mawushan Guerrilla Group for approval by level.
Your department must rely on the masses to expand the Mawushan Anti-Japanese Base Area, strengthen troop training, guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and strive for greater victory.
The Independent Regiment has sent Chief of Staff Zhang Dabiao to lead the First Battalion of the Independent Regiment to the Mawushan base area to receive the seized materials.
The departure time is 8 pm on the 10th of this month. The route will be Jinzhou-Lan County, the Taihang Mountain base area. We hope that your troops will be sent to greet you.
Radio contact details...
Brigade Headquarters, today."
After reading the telegram, everyone burst into warm applause again.
Xu Dalong said happily: "I finally contacted my superiors. In order to prevent the Chief of Staff and the others from being intercepted by the enemy on the road, Sun Desheng, Monk Wei and I took the guerrilla cavalry to meet the Chief of Staff and the others."
After finishing speaking, he told Wang Chengzhu and other left-behind personnel to closely monitor changes in the surrounding enemy situation, guard against sneak attacks by Japanese and puppet troops, and conduct summer grain collection and training of new recruits at home.
That evening, Xu Dalong, Sun Desheng and Wei Monk led 170 cavalry and 60 horses to transport supplies, left Qiligou Village and followed the marching route of Zhang Dabiao and others to greet them.
The brigade commander attached great importance to the Independent Regiment's operation to receive the seized materials, and specially sent a radio team with a radio to work with Zhang Dabiao and others.
Because she needed to get radio contact with Zhang Dabiao and others on the way, Lin Xueying brought a radio and followed the cavalry.
Zhang Dabiao and others traveled day and night and entered Ping'an County.
On the way before, since most of the areas they passed were former anti-Japanese base areas and they had local guides who were familiar with the terrain, they avoided the Japanese and puppet troops and moved very smoothly.
They entered Ping'an County, which was formerly an enemy-occupied area. Zhang Dabiao and others could not find a guide and could only march according to the map. They had to be extra careful.
However, after passing Ping'an County, Guancheng County was ahead. The officers and soldiers of the independent regiment were very happy at the thought of joining forces with Xu Dalong and others. Without Zhang Dabiao's urging, the soldiers consciously quickened their pace.
Seeing that it was almost dawn, Zhang Dabiao and others came to a small village.
This was not a base area and they could not enter the village, so they rested in a poplar forest outside the village and waited for dark before marching.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the sentries of the Independent Regiment saw a group of Japanese and puppet troops coming from a distance. There were more than a dozen Japanese and more than thirty puppet troops, driving several large vehicles towards this small village. It seemed that
It was the food collection team of the Japanese and puppet troops.
The sentry went over to wake up Zhang Dabiao and reported the situation to him.
Zhang Dabiao came to the edge of the grove and saw the Japanese and puppet troops entering the village. He didn't pay attention. He asked the sentry to continue monitoring and then went to sleep.
10:40. Several Japs and seven or eight puppet soldiers came out of the village and walked toward the grove.
Zhang Dabiao was wondering what the Japanese and puppet troops were doing here. He turned around and looked around, only to find that there was a forest path not far ahead. It turned out that these Japanese and puppet troops were going to pass through this forest.
Take the trail to other places.
Zhang Dabiao secretly complained, because this poplar forest looked like it had many trees from a distance, but the woods were very sparse, and the woods were not very big. When the Japanese and puppet troops entered the woods, so many officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment could not hide.
live.
Zhang Dabiao hurriedly called the first battalion commander Li Linmao and several company commanders, and arranged for them. Once the Japanese and puppet troops entered the woods, once they were discovered, they would kill them with bayonets and make as little noise as possible.
The Japanese and puppet troops came over. Since this area was previously an enemy-occupied area, and the main force of the Eighth Route Army had already evacuated, the Japanese and puppet troops were not very alert. They entered the poplar forest talking and laughing.
The officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment were lying on the ground. Because the woods were too small to hide so many people, the soldiers closest to the forest path were only six or seven meters away. The Eighth Route Army officers and soldiers in front tried their best to camouflage themselves with leaves, etc.
I hope I can hide it from the Japanese and puppet troops.
Since the Japanese and puppet troops really didn't expect such a large Eighth Route Army unit to be buried in this small forest, after entering the woods, they still talked and laughed very relaxedly, and did not notice the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment close at hand.
Zhang Dabiao was lying less than 20 meters away from the forest trail. He felt a little nervous, hoping that the Japanese and puppet troops would pass through the woods as soon as possible.
The accident happened anyway.
A puppet soldier suddenly felt urgent and left the forest path. Just as he was about to do so, he suddenly noticed a pair of bright eyes not far ahead staring at him.
The puppet soldiers shouted in horror: "There is an ambush."
When the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, who had been prepared for a long time, saw their whereabouts exposed, they immediately jumped up from the ground and rushed towards the Japanese and puppet troops.
The Japanese and puppet troops were so panicked that they had no time to resist and were instantly stabbed to death by officers and soldiers of the Independence Regiment with bayonets.
However, one of the Japanese soldiers fired a shot before he died.
This place is less than a mile away from the small village. The sound of gunshots alerted the Japanese and puppet troops in the village. Soon some people ran to the edge of the village and looked towards the place, and then several Japanese and puppet troops came towards this direction.
Zhang Dabiao knew that he could no longer hide, so he immediately discussed with Li Maolin and several company commanders.
Zhang Dabiao said: "This area is all plains, and we are not familiar with the terrain. Once there is a firefight with the Japanese and puppet troops, there will be no danger to defend, and we will definitely suffer heavy losses."
The Japanese and puppet troops in front of us are not large, so we might as well surround and annihilate them, and then control the small village in front. If the Japanese and puppet troops do not discover us, we will wait there until dark before continuing the march.
If the Japanese and puppet troops discover us, we will rely on that village to hold on and wait until dark before breaking out.
Li Linmao and several company commanders agreed with Zhang Dabiao's opinion. Li Linmao immediately ordered the first company to stay here, and the second and third companies to immediately outflank the small village from both sides.
In order to buy time for the Second Company and the Third Company to outflank, Zhang Dabiao and others continued to lie in wait in the woods, waiting for the Japanese and puppet troops to come over.
Soon after, the Japanese and puppet troops came over. They came to the edge of the woods and stopped.
The leading Japanese soldier asked two puppet soldiers to go to the woods to check. The two puppet soldiers walked toward the woods with guns in hand.
They walked slowly and looked around very carefully.
Zhang Dabiao and others hoped for this, hoping to delay a little more time, so as to buy a little more time for the officers and soldiers responsible for outflanking.
Who knew that before the two puppet soldiers walked into the woods, gunshots suddenly rang out from the other side of the village. It turned out that the officers and soldiers of the second and third companies responsible for outflanking had been discovered by the Japanese and puppet soldiers in the village. There was no way.
The thing is, this is all plains, with an unobstructed view, there is no way to approach it covertly.
Zhang Dabiao saw that he was exposed and rushed out with his soldiers.
The two puppet soldiers were defeated immediately, and the remaining Japanese and puppet soldiers ran away and were randomly shot to death by the soldiers.
Soldiers from the Eighth Route Army surrounded the small village from three sides.
The Japanese and puppet troops in the village saw the large number of Eighth Route Army troops and hurriedly ran out of the village.
The officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment were far away. Although they hurriedly and slowly rushed forward, they still had no time to block the Japanese and puppet troops. Seeing the Japanese and puppet troops fleeing, the soldiers pursued them regardless of fatigue.
The soldiers chased and fired at the same time.
The Japanese and puppet soldiers did not bother to fight back. Many people threw away their guns and ran away desperately.
Since the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment ran away a full mile, their physical strength was greater than that of the Japanese and puppet troops. After chasing for two miles, they could not run anymore, even though they eliminated another seven or eight Japanese and puppet troops.
There were still about ten Japanese and puppet troops who escaped.
Zhang Dabiao and others were very depressed, so they could only go into the village and seize the time to repair the fortifications to prevent the Japanese and puppet troops from attacking.
In order not to injure the people, Zhang Dabiao and others urgently mobilized them to leave, gave all the money they brought to the people, and promised to compensate them in the future if their houses were damaged.
When the people saw that there was going to be a war, they fled in panic.
To be honest, letting the people leave would be very detrimental to the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, because the Japanese and puppet troops could learn from them the strength of the Independent Regiment that entered the village. If they were replaced by the Jinsui Army or other Fruit Army troops, I am afraid that
They would not do this, which is one of the reasons why the Eighth Route Army is loved by the people.
Another important reason why Zhang Dabiao chose to hold on in this small village is that they already knew that Xu Dalong and others had come to meet them.
In order to inform Xu Dalong of the situation here as soon as possible, Zhang Dabiao asked the radio operator sent by the brigade headquarters to send a telegram to Xu Dalong.
The radio operator contacted for a full half hour, but there was still no news from Xu Dalong and others, because Xu Dalong and others were marching on the road at this time, and the radio station was not turned on.
Zhang Dabiao asked the radio operator to keep sending telegrams in an effort to contact Xu Dalong and others as soon as possible.
At 2:30 in the afternoon, the Japanese and puppet troops finally appeared.
First, a puppet army came from the west, with a strength of no less than one battalion.
About half an hour later, another group of Japanese soldiers arrived, including at least one infantry squadron, followed by about a battalion of puppet troops.
After the Japanese and puppet troops arrived, they did not launch an attack on the village, but spread out and surrounded the village.
At 3:30 in the afternoon, another Japanese army arrived. This Japanese army had a reinforced squadron, and behind them there was about a battalion of puppet troops.
At this time, the number of Japanese and puppet troops gathered near the small village had reached more than 1,500 people.
The commander of the Japanese army was a captain of the 81st Regiment of the 32nd Japanese Garrison Division. According to the reports of the Japanese and puppet troops who escaped and what they learned from the villagers, they knew that the Eighth Route Army surrounded by them had about a battalion.
In terms of troop strength, the Japanese captain believed that his troop strength was already three times that of the enemy, so he stopped asking his superiors to send troops for reinforcements.
After completing the encirclement of the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese and puppet troops launched an attack on the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment.
The Japanese army still followed the same old pattern and shelled the village first.
Zhang Dabiao has experienced hundreds of battles and naturally has a way of fighting.
He asked the soldiers to use the buildings to hide themselves, quietly carry the two mortars they brought to the front of the Japanese artillery position, hide them behind a wall, and wait for the Japanese shelling to end.
After the Japanese bombardment ended, they began to charge.
Zhang Dabiao ordered the artillery to open fire and kill the Japanese artillery.
The artillery brought by Zhang Dabiao was brought by Wang Chengzhu, and the level was not low. The enemy stopped shelling, they dragged the artillery to the street, aimed at the enemy's artillery position, first fired a round of artillery shells, and then quickly adjusted
The muzzle of the gun fired three rapid fire rounds.
The shells were fired very accurately and directly destroyed four Japanese mortars.
Although the Japanese army still has a Type 92 infantry gun, which is beyond the reach of the independent regiment's mortars, the Japanese army only has this Type 92 infantry gun left, so the threat is much smaller.
Seeing that the Japanese mortars had been killed, Zhang Dabiao and others breathed a sigh of relief.
The Japanese and puppet troops rushed up. The soldiers of the Independent Regiment were all very experienced. They waited calmly until the Japanese and puppet troops reached a distance of 60 meters before starting to shoot.
Soon after, the first attack by the Japanese and puppet troops was repelled.
In Captain Jaap's understanding, the Eighth Route Army's troops were poorly equipped and short of bullets. However, seeing that the Eighth Route Army in front of him seemed to have relatively strong firepower, he couldn't help but feel a little confused.
When Zhang Dabiao and others came out this time, Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang spent all their money and distributed 30 rounds of ammunition to each soldier. They carried four light machine guns, and each machine gun was issued 2,000 rounds of ammunition. Two
The mortar carried a total of 16 rounds.
When fighting in the past, the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment were rarely so wealthy.
Soon after, the Japanese and puppet troops, commanded by the Japanese captain, launched another attack.
Although the attack was still repelled, he judged from the Eighth Route Army's bullet-saving tactics and the fact that the enemy's artillery did not bombard the attacking Japanese and puppet troops that the ammunition they carried was still very limited.
So he ordered the puppet troops to launch continuous attacks to consume the ammunition of the officers and soldiers of the independent regiment.
Although the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment saved bullets, they still ran out of bullets in the face of the constant attacks of the Japanese and puppet troops.
After Zhang Dabiao made statistics, he knew that each of the soldiers had only five or six bullets left in their hands. He couldn't help but look at his watch again.
The time has reached 6 o'clock, it is summer, the days are very long, and it will not get dark until after 7:30 pm.
Zhang Dabiao knew that the Japanese and puppet troops would definitely launch another large-scale attack before dark. The bullets in the hands of the soldiers would not last long, and they would probably have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese and puppet troops.
He looked up at the dazzling sun, feeling very depressed, and urged the radio operator to get in touch with Xu Dalong and others as soon as possible.
Xu Dalong and others never turned on their phones. This was because they had agreed with Zhang Dabiao in advance to conduct radio contact at 10 o'clock every night.
At 6 o'clock that evening, Xu Dalong and others stopped to rest.
Xu Dalong walked up to Lin Xueying with a kettle, handed the kettle to her, and said to her: "We should not be far from the chief of staff of our independent regiment. I will contact them after eating for a while."
Lin Xueying took the kettle, nodded and said, "I understand."
After eating the dry food, Lin Xueying set up the radio. After turning it on, she had just tuned to the predetermined channel to contact Zhang Dabiao and the others. The radio's indicator light flashed, and Lin Xueying hurriedly copied the telegram.
After Xu Dalong read the telegram, he immediately asked Lin Xueying to call Zhang Dabiao and others back, asking them to wait for help.
He shouted loudly: "Brothers, Chief of Staff, they are under siege by the Japanese and puppet troops. Everyone, get on your horse and follow me."
The officers and soldiers of the guerrillas immediately mounted their horses and galloped away following Xu Dalong.
Zhang Dabiao and others finally received the telegram from Xu Dalong. They were all very happy and immediately asked the cadres to inform all officers and men of the good news.
After the soldiers heard this, their morale was greatly boosted.
The Japanese captain judged from the sound of gunfire that the enemy's ammunition was running low. He also looked at his watch. In order to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of darkness to break out, he decided to concentrate his forces and launch a general attack on the surrounded enemy troops.
Completely destroy this enemy force before.
The Japanese army captain sent communications troops to inform the Japanese and puppet commanders on all sides, asking them to launch an attack on the Eighth Route Army in the village at 6:30.