On July 22, 1941, the clarion call for the Kwantung Army's collapse in Changzhi was sounded.
The siege regiment, the special agent regiment, and the 18th regiment totaled more than 6,000 people. With a panic, they squeezed the remaining Japanese troops in the city to the front line of the city wall.
Yang Han was about to ask the artillery company to set up the mortars and blast the little Japanese hard, but he heard his soldiers say: "Regiment seat, the 281st Regiment is retreating!"
"Withdrawn?" Yang Han said and looked in the direction the soldier was pointing. Sure enough, all the participating units of the 280th Regiment were slowly retreating and gathering.
Just when Yang Han was puzzled, Xu Dali came over with a group of troops: "Old Yang, the former commander ordered our troops to have other tasks. The 18th Regiment has taken over our troops. I have brought the artillery company.
I leave it to you to take unified command!"
"The previous order means that the three regiments in the city will be under your unified command. I will leave you two more correspondents to contact the special agent regiment and the 18th regiment. If there is trouble, political commissar Fu can be contacted through him. He is more suitable!" Xu
What Dali thinks about can be said to be comprehensive.
"What mission is more important than annihilating the little devil in front of you? You gave up on your own initiative. Don't tell me when the time comes. I won't even leave you a mouthful of soup!" Yang Han said as he glanced at Dong Jiang who was next to Xu Dali.
He knew that although the commander of the reconnaissance company in front of him had a low position, he was a confidant of his superiors, and most of the secret missions and instructions were carried out by him.
"Hey!" Xu Dali grinned after hearing this. He had nothing to hide from Yang Han. Yang Han's organizational relationship was in the second division.
I saw Xu Dali step forward and put his arms around Yang Han's shoulders and said: "The few iron guys outside the city must be removed as soon as possible, otherwise things will change later. You brother, please worry more here!"
"That's it, easy to say, easy to say!"
Xu Dali came to inform Yang Han before retreating, and Zhou Weihan specifically told him to avoid Yang Han's grudge.
Although the attacking force only used Type 92 infantry artillery and mortars, the little devils had become a trapped beast. There were Eighth Route Army troops inside and outside the city.
After the bombardment, the participating troops did not rush to attack. They saw a clerk from the 280th Regiment Headquarters hiding at the foot of a house with an iron trumpet, and secretly poked his head out: "You little devils across the way, listen, you have no way out."
But you escaped, I heard that you are all from outside the Guan Dynasty, you are the elite of the Kwantung Army, but when you come to us, you are beaten and unable to fight back?"
"Don't you, little Japan, pay attention to the spirit of Bushido? Why are you just hiding on the wall at this time, lingering for a while? I feel ashamed for your emperor!"
"Baga!" the little devil on the wall yelled.
There was a "pop" of gunfire. The clerk of the 280th Regiment glanced at the iron horn in his hand and saw a bullet hole: "The marksmanship is quite accurate!"
The clerk shrank his head back and continued to shout: "You are not a hero if you shoot someone coldly. If you are a man, just come down from the city wall and die an honorable death, and you are loyal to your emperor!"
At this time, the nearby streets, alleys, and rooftops were filled with Eighth Route Army soldiers. At the same time, some soldiers behind them were conducting a dragnet search in Nancheng.
"Hey, Commander, your idea is really bad. How did you come up with it?" Fu Weisheng, the political commissar of the 280th Regiment, joked as he looked at the scene in front of him.
"Hey, I also learned this from our Eighth Route Army. You have to be flexible when hitting the kid on the head. The kid is standing on the city wall, and your marksmanship is accurate. If a soldier touches the bottom of the city wall from his current position, the casualties will not be small, let alone fighting with the kid on the city wall.
The Japs are in close combat!" Yang Han said.
For a while, the clerk kept talking, and the little devils on the wall could no longer hold back. They saw the little devils pouring down the steps from the wall.
"Give me some!" A Japanese officer with the rank of Shao Zuo in the crowd raised his command knife and shouted at the Eighth Route Army opposite.
There were less than two hundred little Japs who rushed towards the prepared Eighth Route Army, only to see firepower points placed everywhere ready.
The little devil thought that the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side would give them a fair duel. At this time, in order to show the spirit of Bushido, he rushed over regardless.
"Da da da!" The light and heavy machine guns that had been arranged in advance opened fire at the same time. The little devil's charging formation suddenly stagnated and fell to the ground like wheat.
Under the dense firepower net, the place where the little Japs were was suddenly turned into a bloody mess. What was even worse was that some of the little Japs were wailing on the ground enduring the pain.
...
That night, the former enemy headquarters and the independent regiment of the New Fifth Army moved forward to Changzhi City, but Zhou Weihan did not locate the headquarters in the original 27th Army headquarters.
"Where are Lao Xing, Fan Hanjie and the others?" Zhou Weihan asked.
"The regiment just called. Commander Fan and his party are less than five miles away from Changzhi and are almost there!" Xing Zhiguo replied.
"Okay, call Deputy Commander Xing, and let's go out of the city to greet him. After all, Changzhi is still his territory, Fan Hanjie!"
In the Battle of Changzhi, Zhou Weihan admired the performance of the 27th Army or Fan Hanjie. From then on, Zhou Weihan's perception of Fan Hanjie also changed.
Although the two men belong to different camps and have different political views, they are both anti-Japanese from the bottom of their hearts. If they still insist on being pure soldiers in the future, then they may be friends.
The reconnaissance company was guarding the left and right, and Zhou Weihan and the other three were walking in the middle. After thoroughly searching the city, there were still several patrol teams patrolling the city continuously. In order to avoid misunderstandings, the special agent group, the 18th Regiment, had withdrawn and stationed outside the city.
.
At the south gate of Changzhi, several bonfires were lit. Soldiers from one regiment and one company lined up in two teams, holding torches at the city gate to drive away the darkness.
Not long after, there was a sound of horse hoofbeats. The people in the middle were led by Fan Hanjie, Liu Jin, deputy commander of the 27th Army, Huang Zuxun, commander of the 46th Division, Chen Sunong, commander of the 8th Preliminary Division, and on his right was Shu Rong, commander of the 89th Division.
Li Jiayu, commander of the 47th Army, Li Zongfang, commander of the 187th Division, and Pang Bingxun, who did not have much presence in this battle.
Among this group of people, Pang Bingxun was sixty-one and the oldest. Although he wore official uniform, he looked like a rich man, lacking in energy but holding military power.
This is also the reason why Fan Hanjie arranged the Forty Army in Gaoping and tried not to let the Forty Army participate in the war.
Even though they had just experienced a big battle, it was inevitable for everyone to greet each other when they met.
"Logically, Commander Fan should be the one to make the arrangements, but now I have indeed reversed the host and guest!" Zhou Weihan said with a smile: "Everyone, let's go to the city first!"
After hearing this, Fan Hanjie smiled and waved his hand: "I am very satisfied that I can return to Changzhi. I would also like to thank all my colleagues for your help this time, saving my 27th Army and the people of Changzhi from the fire and water.
I’m very grateful, everyone, please!”
"Commander Fan, please go first!" Zhou Weihan said.
"please!"
"please!"
Zhou Weihan and Pang Bingxun walked at the end. Pang Bingxun nodded to Zhou Weihan and smiled slightly.
Zhou Weihan looked at the people walking in front. Except for Commander Li of the 187th Division, everyone present had two stars hanging on their collar badges.