After the Japanese army successfully crossed the river from Hejin, they first rested and regrouped in Hancheng for two days, and then marched south for one day. On the morning of the fourth day, they fought with the 52nd Division of the 36th Army. In the afternoon, the main forces of both sides met. Finally, the National Army launched a charge against the encirclement.
's horn.
Zhou Weiguo, the commander at the rear, quickly received the battlefield situation from the front. When he learned that the main force of the Japanese army had not crossed the river, Zhou Weiguo was shocked and immediately realized the true intention of the Japanese army.
"It's bad, we have all been deceived by the little devils. The Japanese army's goal is not to cross the river and march westward, but to reach Zhongtiao Mountain!"
"Send a report to Chief Hu immediately, no, directly send an urgent message to the Chief of the First War Zone to warn you. I hope it's not too late!"
At this time, the headquarters of the First Theater Command had been inundated with telegrams from the front line, and reports of constant losses from the front line were heard. However, it was not clear exactly where the Japanese troops had hit. The national army in the middle of Zhongtiao Mountain and in the west was in chaos.
"Sir, we received a call from the 9th Army. Hengling Pass has been captured and is currently occupied by the Japanese army!"
"Impossible. Hengling Pass is in the hinterland. How could it be occupied by the Japanese army so quickly? Where is Pei Changhui?" Li Mo'an roared.
"After receiving the battle report from the front line, General Pei has already rushed from his residence to the ferry, but it may be too late!" the adjutant replied.
"It's over, the 16,000 soldiers of the 9th Army are all over!" Li Mo'an looked ashen. He knew the strategic position of Hengling Pass very well.
Hengling Pass is located at the southernmost end of Jiangxian County. It was a checkpoint for the Chinese army to resist the Japanese army. However, as the defense zone expanded northward, Hengling Pass gradually lost its original role.
The 9th Army was stationed north of Hengling Pass, and the 3rd Army under Zeng Wanzhong of the 5th Group Army and the 14th Army were stationed along Hengyuan Avenue to the south.
Due to the barren land and complex and changeable terrain in the middle part of Zhongtiao Mountain, only three troops, the 3rd Army, the 9th Army, and the 14th Army, were stationed. However, a few days ago, the Chief of the First Theater District was worried that a heavy Japanese army group would attack the Yuncheng area.
Move the 14th Army westward to support.
If Hengling Pass is occupied by the Japanese army and the Japanese army guards the pass, the 9th Army will be attacked from the north and south by the Japanese army. On the other hand, the Japanese army can follow Hengyuan Avenue directly to Yuanqu County where the 5th Army Headquarters is located.
By then, the Japanese troops on the east and west sides of Zhongtiao Mountain would be completely separated, and the Chinese army would also lose the opportunity to retreat across the Yuanqu River.
In fact, as early as a few months before the war began, the Japanese army conducted a detailed investigation of the defense of the Nakatōyama area, and the military discipline of the Central Army was the most corrupt. This also made Ishihara Kanji determined to break through from the center.
, thereby isolating the connection between the Liu Maoen Department of the 14th Army Group in the West and Sun Tongxuan Department of the 4th Group Army in the East.
Just as Matsunaga Junpei led the Japanese army across the river and moved south from Hancheng on the third day, the main force of the Japanese army that had been hiding in Jishan and Jiangxian mountainous areas remained stationary.
However, a plainclothes team composed of puppet troops disguised as small businessmen and hawkers was the first to clear the way and sneaked into the vicinity of the National Army garrison, but the National Army soldiers did not become wary of this.
On the evening of the third day, Ishihara Kanji, who stayed in Taiyuan to take command, received a telegram from Matsunaga Junpei.
"Yo Xi, Matsunaga-kun is a well-deserved warrior. They created opportunities for the victory of the Imperial Japanese Army!" Ishihara smiled brightly. After all, this battle was carefully prepared by him. Once the goal is achieved, the North China Dispatch can be saved.
The crisis of the army.
Yoshio Iwamatsu, who was present, immediately echoed: "Your Excellency General, the 80th Army and the 98th Army of the National Army currently stationed in the Yuncheng area have gathered south early this morning. According to reports from our personnel lurking in the Chief of the National Army's First Theater Area,
According to the intelligence, the national army is ready to move, and seems to have the intention of retaking Hejin and blocking the retreat of our troops crossing the river!"
"I feel that the opportunity is ripe for the Imperial Japanese Army to capture Mount Nakatiao. Please give the general the order to attack!"
When Ishihara Wanji saw Yoshio Iwamatsu's request to fight, he waved his hand first: "Iwamatsu-kun, please be patient. If Matsunaga-kun doesn't fight the national army of Shaanxi province for a day, the national army in Yuncheng area will not go north.
We still need to wait for the opportunity!"
In the middle of the night on the fourth day, the main force of the Japanese and puppet troops, about 20,000 people located in the mountainous area of Jiangxian County, took the lead in dispatching. Under the leadership of North China Expeditionary Army Chief of Staff Tanabe Moritake, they took advantage of the darkness and moved southward.
After dawn on the fourth day, the commander of the First Theater Command realized that the Japanese army had taken over the 34th Group Army, and Hu Zongnan sent telegrams one after another requesting the First Theater Command to provide support.
Therefore, Li Mo'an ordered the 166th Division under the 93rd Army of the 14th Group Army stationed in Vangrong to stay in place, and the 10th Division and the newly formed 8th Division to send troops northward to regain the Hejin area as a priority and seize the ferry to cut off the Japanese army's retreat.
You should slowly expand eastward and capture Jishan, Jiangxian and other places.
The First Theater Command Headquarters was completely undefended to the Japanese intelligence personnel. As soon as the order was issued, the Japanese army knew about the troop movements of the national army.
When the 93rd Army moved north, there were more than 20,000 Japanese puppet troops hidden in the Jishan Mountains. They were led southward by the Chief of Staff of the First Army, Masaru Hanagu. The two armies, one east and one west, marched north and south respectively.
When the 93rd Army arrived at the junction of Vang Vieng and Hejin, the Japanese army led by Hana Guzheng arrived at the junction of Vang Vieng and Wenxi.
The first ones to launch the attack were not the two main Japanese forces, but an airborne force specially reorganized by Yoshio Iwamatsu and modeled after the Yamamoto special agent team.
This Japanese airborne force only has more than 200 people. In terms of combat effectiveness, it is not as good as the Yamamoto special agent team, but it still has the combat capability to destroy the command center and perform beheading missions.
In the early morning of the fourth day, when the sky was bright and dim, under the guidance of plainclothes soldiers on the ground, this group of Japanese troops parachuted onto a terraced field in a mountain forest near Hengling Pass.
Although the villagers living nearby noticed the abnormality, they were controlled by lurking plainclothes early in the morning. Therefore, the nearby national troops did not know that the Japs had arrived.
Under the leadership of plainclothes, the little devils wiped out several national army garrison points near Hengling Pass with lightning speed. Many junior officers of the national army were still sleeping in the brothels. When they opened their eyes, the little devils
Already holding a gun to his head.
After sweeping several garrison points in the core area of Hengling Pass, several surrendered National Army soldiers were pressed in by plainclothes and sneaked in through the south entrance of Hengling Pass.
"The Chinese army has poor military discipline. Most of the officers and soldiers stayed away all night. The camp defenses are empty. The soldiers can come and go freely. How can they be invincible?" Seeing the signal from the city gate, Mitani Mikio, who was in charge of commanding the operation this time, immediately ordered:
"Everyone, follow me to take Hengling Pass!"
Stationed at Hengling Pass was the 141st Regiment of the 47th Division of the 9th Army. When the little devil rushed into the regiment headquarters, he found that the supreme commander was just a battalion commander.
After questioning, I found out that all the officers in the regiment were at the house of a woman in a nearby town. This small Japanese army, led by dozens of plainclothes troops, occupied Hengling Pass without any effort and captured three people.
More than a hundred national army soldiers stationed in the pass.