The headquarters of the 129th Division is located in the mountainous area of Heshun. In order to get in touch with the division headquarters as soon as possible, Zhou Weihan led the reconnaissance company on horseback to take the lead when the troops arrived in Heshun.
Since about half a year ago, in order to expand the strategic depth of the base area and better cope with disaster years, the Eighth Route Army in the Taihang Base Area has consciously expanded its base areas outwards.
To this day, the Taibei Third Division, relying on mountainous areas, has completely broken through the Japanese blockade, and the Japanese army's peripheral strongholds have been continuously uprooted, resulting in the Japanese army having to continue to shrink its forces in the direction of Heshun County.
At a pass into the mountain near the division headquarters, Zhou Weihan was stopped by soldiers hiding in the mountains and forests. Fortunately, the head of the division headquarters had notified the perimeter warning soldiers in advance, so no accidental injuries were caused.
"week**!"
"Zhou **, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" The heads of people in the forest nearby were shaking, and several Eighth Route Army soldiers wearing straw hats came out.
"Are you here specifically to wait for me?" Zhou Weihan asked.
"The political commissar was afraid that you would not be able to find the mountain road leading to the division headquarters, so we specially asked a few of our staff officers to wait for you at the pass into the mountain!" the staff officer said.
When Zhou Weihan heard this, he immediately asked: "How far is the division headquarters from here? How many troops are accompanying it!"
"The division headquarters is stationed alone, not with the third division. It takes half an hour to walk from here, and it only takes about ten minutes to ride a horse. However, there are too few troops with the division headquarters. These are on the periphery.
The soldiers on alert only have one battalion!" the staff officer said softly.
Zhou Weihan thought for a moment after hearing this, and then said to Cao Dabao: "Send someone to inform us that all troops are not allowed to move closer to the mountainous areas, but can move closer to Heshun County, and then let the assault regiment select a battalion to be responsible for protecting the division headquarters!"
"Yes!" Cao Dabao responded.
Sure enough, on the way into the mountain, Zhou Weihan didn't see many vigilant soldiers. Only when he approached the division headquarters did he see some popularity.
The 129th Division headquarters is located in a mountain depression, and a dozen wooden sheds were temporarily built to serve as office spaces.
At the division headquarters, Zhou Weihan was also a familiar face. Many people who passed by greeted Zhou Weihan.
"Division commander, political commissar, Zhou Weihan has been ordered to report!" Zhou Weihan stepped forward and saluted with a military salute.
"Okay, Zhou Weihan, the political commissar and I have finally come to you. I heard that you have been very prosperous in Hebei, Shandong and Yu during this period. What do you think? Now you are back under my control!
"The teacher said with a smile.
"Zhou Weihan is here to help. By the way, what did the headquarters tell you before coming?" Political Commissar D interrupted the division commander's joke.
"The headquarters said that this time they were attacking Shimen to force the Japanese troops to withdraw. I came with a total of six regiments this time, and there was no cover at all along the way. The Japanese army must have got the news, and the main force of our Eighth Route Army went northward!" Zhou Weihan
road.
"Yes, that's basically what happened. Come on, take a seat first!" the political commissar nodded and said.
The three of them sat down around a small wooden table. The division commander pointed to the map on the table and said: "Since the main forces of the Japanese divisions and brigades on the Shotai Line and Pinghan Line have been deployed, the Japanese garrison along the railway has carried out different arrangements.
The degree of shrinkage has caused many peripheral strongholds to be voluntarily abandoned!"
"A few days before you arrived, the two regiments of the New Tenth Brigade first launched an attack on Shimen, Mashan, Yingzhuang and other places around Pingding south of the Zhengtai Line. After clearing the outer strongholds, they captured Pingding County in one fell swoop.
Annihilate all its defenders!"
"Although the record is not small, it did not have the desired effect. The surrounding Japanese troops did not take the initiative to reinforce. This is the reason why the New 10th Brigade was able to successfully defeat Pingding with only two regiments!"
Zhou Weihan could hear the regret in the division commander's tone. This victory was not small, but the strategic goal was not achieved. To a certain extent, it was a waste of effort.
"To put it bluntly, the Japanese army wanted to make a desperate move this time to annihilate the main force of our Eighth Route Army in Beiyue and southern Hebei areas. It was quite desperate. For this reason, the Japanese army did not hesitate to abandon some strongholds, which were counties along the railway line, and pacification was the abandonment of the Japanese army.
, we chose the wrong target from the beginning!" Political Commissar D said.
"Division commander, political commissar, what is the specific battle plan for this time?"
"Learn the lesson from last time, be bolder and take bigger steps! We are currently in the southwest of Shimen. Shimen is due west of Huolu, Jingjing, and to the south is Luan City and Yuanshi. If we want to pose a direct threat to Shimen
, then we need to take action against these counties!"
"Now the two regiments of the New Tenth Brigade are moving eastward along the Zhengtai Line, and the two regiments of the 358th Brigade are moving northward from Zanhuang County along the Pinghan Line!"
"The six regiments you are bringing here have no experience in fighting locally, so they are divided into two parts. Three regiments will go north to support the New 10th Brigade, and three regiments will go east to support the 358th Brigade!"
"Looking at the overall battle situation, it can be divided into two lines. The Zhengtai Line is under your unified command, and the Pinghan Line is under the responsibility of Chen Xilian. No matter how the surrounding Japanese troops are mobilized, as long as the mopping up troops participating in the Japanese army do not return for one day, they will keep approaching Shimen.
, I don’t believe that Okamura Neiji can really let go of the transportation hub of Shimen! Once there are changes in Shimen, there will also be problems with the supply of the peripheral mopping up troops!"
"I only have one request. Make the noise as loud as possible. It was said to be a sheep attack, but it was revealed to the Japanese army that our army really intended to seize the opportunity to capture Shimen!"
At the same time, the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters and the Shimen garrison had just reported the developments of the Eighth Route Army to Neiji Okamura.
"Your Excellency, General, the 110th Division called. General Iinuma asked. The frontline soldiers are anxious and there is no progress in a short period of time. Can the 110th Division be sent back to support Shimen to prevent the Eighth Route Army from launching attacks around the Shimen area?" the adjutant paused.
"No, now is the critical moment of the big sweep. Why did the Eighth Route Army take the initiative to appear around Shimen? It is to force the imperial army to withdraw its troops in order to break the siege of its base area. It tells Iinuma Mamoru that he must persevere and that he does not need to worry about the safety of Shimen!"
"Notice, the troops left behind at Shimen will shrink the troops in places north and east of Shimen and fill the battlefield with the Eighth Route Army. The foreigners in the armed city must hold on for half a month!" Okamura Neiji said.
"However, according to the reaction of the Shimen defenders, in addition to the Eighth Route Army troops that appeared previously, the Eighth Route Army heading north this time has at least about 6,000 people, and they are carrying artillery. They will not show off, but really attack Shimen.
With the current strength of the Shimen garrison, once the Eighth Route Army breaks through the outer defense line, it may really have the power to destroy the city!" The adjutant observed the expression on Okamura Neji's face and said cautiously.
