Zhou Weihan has always been accustomed to using commandos as sharp knives, and the people below naturally followed suit. Ding Sheng gave an order, and the heavy machine guns on both wings suppressed fire. The commandos jumped out, holding submachine guns or short guns in their hands, using rapid firepower.
Clear out the enemy in front of you, and then penetrate deep into the enemy's 20th Division.
The enemy's 20th Division's Nationalist troops were already under the cover of artillery fire, and their offensive formation was on the verge of collapse. At this time, wherever the commandos went, the Nationalist soldiers and soldiers avoided them and retreated like a tide in an instant.
"Brigadier Ding, the fifth regiment of our brigade has launched a counterattack, and the results have been remarkable so far. I estimate that with the current situation, the enemy's 20th Division will not be able to hold on for long!" Wu Qin said.
Ding Wei on the other end of the walkie-talkie replied: "My side is also progressing smoothly. The enemy's fighting spirit is gradually disintegrating. Our brigade has opened a breakthrough on the northeast side and captured many prisoners. I think it will be possible in half an hour."
Launch a general attack and annihilate the enemy in front of you in one fell swoop."
Since the situation was showing signs of victory, the two of them were greatly relaxed at the moment, chatting happily with each other.
The words were divided into two parts. While the commanders and fighters of the 16th Brigade had been waiting for a long time, the brother troops were fighting lively in the north, but there was no combat order issued by their superiors, so both the cadres and the soldiers were generally grumbling.
Li Yunlong could have ordered the attack long ago, but he was waiting for the command to hear the location of Jing Dagang's 13th Brigade. Compared with before, Li Yunlong became more steady. Although he was not afraid of the Japanese attack, the target of this battle was not the Japanese.
, it is naturally best to avoid extraneous branches.
"Brigade Commander, telegram from the 13th Brigade!" The telegram from the brigade headquarters quickly came forward to report.
Li Yunlong took the telegram and read it, his face suddenly beamed: "Great, now I don't have any worries anymore!"
Jing Dagang, commander of the 13th Brigade, stated in the telegram that he had led his troops from Kaocheng to the old Kaocheng area, and could cut off traffic from Kaifeng to Shangqiu at any time, and also act as a deterrent to the Japanese troops in Shangqiu.
Li Yunlong strode out of the room where the brigade headquarters was located. He saw the three regiment commanders below standing eagerly in the yard. As soon as they saw Li Yunlong coming out, they immediately surrounded him.
"Hey, you three old men are not staying at the regiment headquarters. Are you basking in the sun one by one here? If you want to bask in the sun, you can go back, don't be an eyesore to me!" Li Yunlong's words are still thorny sometimes, but the three regiments
I have known Li Yunlong’s temper for a long time.
It's strange to say that Li Yunlong used to be very scolding and would start scolding whenever he disagreed with others. But now he has changed his temper and the people below him are a little uncomfortable with it. He hangs around Li Yunlong obsessively. When Li Yunlong loses his temper, he gets scolded a few times.
On the contrary, it feels comfortable.
In the words of the officers and soldiers of the 16th Brigade, when the brigade commander scolds you, he is just looking out for you. If he really didn't want to see you, he would have told you to stay away.
"Brigade commander, when will our brigade take action? We arrived at Liudian yesterday, we can't just stare at it like this!" The speaker was Shen Huaquan, commander of the first regiment, who was originally the commander of the third battalion of the new first regiment.
The troops of the 16th Brigade were developed based on the New 1st Regiment. The 10th Regiment was adapted from the New 1st Regiment. The 11th Regiment was the original independent regiment of the Southwest Shandong Military Division. The first regiment commander was Xin Tiebing. The old base was the original independent detachment 1.
The 1st Battalion of the Regiment, the 5th Battalion of the Independent Regiment, and the 11th Regiment were adapted from the original 36th Regiment of the Southwest Shandong Military Division.
Li Yunlong was the first commander of the new regiment, Zhang Dabiao was the second, and is now the chief of staff of the Southwest Shandong Military Division, and Shen Huaquan is the third commander.
"That's all bullshit!" Li Yunlong glared and walked a few steps in the yard with his hands behind his back: "It's no fun just staring at the small fish and shrimps in front of you. If we want to eat, our 16th Brigade must only choose meaty ones. I never eat other people’s leftovers!”
"Brigadier, if you want to say that there is a lot of meat, it's in Dayangji. How can we make money here?"
"Yeah, I don't know what my superiors thought. At the swearing-in ceremony, our 16th brigade shouted the loudest slogan. In terms of combat effectiveness, is it worse than our brother troops? At first, we came in a truck and thought we were fighting a big battle, but in the end we were all fucked. Drink the northwest wind!"
Li Yunlong waved his hand, tilted his neck and said: "Is it useful to just complain? At most, it is more than just a mouthful. You still need to use your brain to find a solution!"
"I have a critical mission here and need to use two regiments. Which of you will go?"
It seemed that he was asking for advice, but in fact Li Yunlong had already made an idea in his mind. The first regiment was the main force and needed to keep an eye on the national army assembled by Lao Wang. He could not move easily, so the only ones that could be used were the eleventh regiment and the eleventh regiment.
In the end, the 11th regiment was responsible for attacking the Niuwang Lake stronghold, and the 12th regiment was responsible for attacking the Xiaoyangji stronghold. Li Yunlong's order was that the attack must be completed within one hour from the launch of the attack to the end of the battle.
After the order was issued, the 11th Regiment and the 11th Regiment were dispatched one after another. At the same time, six 105-caliber howitzers were divided into two and followed the army.
The cage policy implemented by the Japanese army in North China could be effective when the Eighth Route Army was weak, but for the Hebei, Shandong and Henan columns, it was no longer important.
There is nothing but strength. It is no exaggeration to say that the strength of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region is no longer what it used to be.
The regiment-level combat unit under the column has a strength of about 2,300, and there is a supplementary brigade of 500. With such strength, it is not a problem to defeat the third-rate regiment in the rear of the Japanese army.
As mentioned before, the Japanese army built reinforced concrete permanent fortifications on the Longhai Railway. However, within the more than ten kilometers extending from the north to the south of the Longhai Railway, there are also multiple blockade ditches and strongholds.
Once they choose to take action, whether it is the Japanese army or the national army in Laowangji, they will definitely notice it. Therefore, the two regiments of the 16th Brigade chose to directly take Laowangji as the center and penetrate deeply into the Japanese blockade area, attacking the strongholds and blockade trenches along the way. All were wiped out.
At the Niuwang Lake stronghold, the 11th Regiment approached the Longhai Railway with a sweeping force. Dozens of trucks were parked about two kilometers away from the stronghold. All those who got off the trucks were Eighth Route Army soldiers wearing steel helmets.
The Japanese and puppet troops in the stronghold received the news half an hour ago and were confident that they could resist the Eighth Route Army with the help of reinforced concrete fortifications. However, nearly 3,000 soldiers of the 11th Regiment only attacked outside the stronghold, and the huge momentum overwhelmed the Japanese and puppet troops. Jun was so frightened that his legs went weak.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The commander of the 11th Regiment, Qin Yuezhong, immediately ordered all the battalions to deploy quickly, and then took the political commissar and chief of staff to a small high ground, and the three of them observed with telescopes After some research, I got a general understanding of the Niuwang Lake stronghold.
Niuwang Lake is a large stronghold. The living area and camp are surrounded by brick walls. Outside are five gun towers. Since the defense direction is mainly in the north, there are three gun towers on the north side, one on the east and west sides.
Bunkers are placed between the turrets or in protruding positions to enhance firepower, and the shooting holes are funnel-shaped, which to a certain extent increases the difficulty of hitting enemies inside.
Continuing to extend to the outside is a surrounding accordion-shaped barbed wire fence and a deep trench. The existence of the barbed wire fence and deep trench will greatly slow down the advancement of the attacking troops, while the enemies inside the fortress can attack at will.
Of course, all these arrangements are superficial. If the Eighth Route Army did not have artillery, the Japanese stronghold would indeed be a difficult nut to crack. And what kind of existence are the reinforced concrete permanent fortifications built to withstand the Eighth Route Army's artillery?
The Japanese and puppet troops didn't even know.
"Regiment leader, political commissar, the defense system of the Niuwang Lake stronghold is really good, but it's a pity that it's just a fake. I didn't expect that the little devil would cut corners!" said the chief of staff.
The political commissar of the 11th Regiment wore glasses and looked like a scholar: "Hey, Japan has too few domestic resources, which leads them to cut corners no matter what weapons and equipment they make. It is an old tradition to cut corners, but if they really follow the design drawings,
It’s us who suffer!”
"I think the heat is almost there. The momentum we created probably frightened the Japanese and puppet troops in the stronghold. I just don't know if the Japanese and puppet troops in Shangqiu have the courage to take the initiative to attack!"
A mere stronghold is not enough for the nearly 3,000 men of the 11th Regiment to launch an attack together. Most of the troops must be used to guard against small groups of Japanese puppet troops in surrounding strongholds and the main force of the Japanese army in Shangqiu. However, the regiment leader Qin Yuezhong believes that the momentum must be sufficient.
At the very least, the Japanese troops in Shangqiu were so frightened that they did not dare to move.
As the political commissar and chief of staff led the main force to leave quietly on foot, Qin Yuezhong only took the regimental security company and the first company as the offensive force.
In the eyes of the Japanese and puppet troops in the stronghold, the Eighth Route Army sent a small force to launch an attack. The main force seemed to be waiting for an opportunity, but the howitzers pulled by trucks could not be faked.
The truck advanced to one kilometer away from the stronghold, which was outside the killing range of the Type 92 heavy machine gun. A group of artillerymen began to make preparations, leveling the terrain and building a position while using artillery scopes to measure azimuth parameters.
During this process, the Japanese and puppet troops in the stronghold were living like a millennium, and the phone calls to Shangqiu were exploding.
"Sir, the Eighth Route Army has a large number of people. It is roughly estimated that there are tens of thousands of people, ten large-caliber heavy guns, and at least fifty or sixty heavy machine guns. Please send troops for reinforcements as soon as possible!"
The furious voice of Araki Sadahiro suddenly came from the microphone: "Bagayalu, you are full of lies. The Eighth Route Army is fighting with the National Army. It is impossible for so many people to show up. You are lying!"
"Sir, I swear by His Majesty the Emperor that everything I said is true and I dare not lie at all!"
Due to the excessive consumption of Japanese troops, many retired veterans aged around 40 were recruited by the Japanese government again. Such veterans were given priority to be recruited to the Chinese battlefield. The Fourth Independent Infantry Brigade is the most vivid example.
These people are real veterans, but they are old and have been away from the battlefield for a long time. They no longer have the bloodiness and bravery of their youth. They have all become veterans who are greedy for life and afraid of death.
Normally, they are qualified to garrison some strongholds, but whenever there is a slight disturbance, they are like a frightened bird. Ever since the 11th Regiment attacked the outermost stronghold, the calls for help in Shangqiu City have not stopped for a moment.
Unfortunately, the Eighth Route Army troops in the report varied in strength, but the main emphasis was that the Eighth Route Army had more soldiers, more artillery, and more guns.
Prior to this, the commander of the 35th Division, Taijiro Iida, had given clear instructions that in the battle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the Hebei, Shandong and Henan areas, the Imperial Japanese Army should focus on preserving its strength, and if circumstances permitted, it could send troops to assist the National Army.
Araki Sadahiro and others also planned to watch the fire from across the bank and watch the excitement, but at the critical moment when the Eighth Route Army showed weakness, they would never relent.
At this time, the number one figure in the Japanese army in Shangqiu, Sadahiro Araki, the number two figure in Kuroshima Morita, and the commander of the Puppet Fourth Army, Sun Liangcheng, were discussing countermeasures, but they all had their own agendas.
"There is absolutely no way the Eighth Route Army would use tens of thousands of troops like this. The Niuwang Lake stronghold is definitely lying about the military situation. The imperial army has stored a large amount of supplies in the stronghold store. As long as the fortifications are held fast, the Eighth Route Army will never succeed!" Araki Sadahiro said resolutely!
.
Kuroshima Morita and Sun Liangcheng looked at each other. At this moment, both of them were worried. There were some things that they knew, and some of their confidants below also knew. However, Araki Sadahiro and the people above him kept it in the dark.
The thickness of the concrete in the Japanese military stronghold was initially two and a half meters, but was reduced to two meters due to insufficient materials. However, the two men collaborated to resell a large amount of building materials. When they were inspected and accepted, the thickness was still two meters, but a layer of one meter thick was sandwiched in between.
brick wall.
As a result, the defense strength of the stronghold was greatly reduced. The two of them were afraid that the Eighth Route Army would capture the stronghold and many things would not be hidden. What Sun Liangcheng didn't know was that his trusted lieutenant had already led the Eighth Route Army into the Niuwang Lake stronghold.
"Zhang Sang, thank you very much. You are my good friend. Thank you for your cooperation. After the war, I will ask my superiors for your credit!" said the Japanese second lieutenant at the stronghold.
"Our department will definitely provide assistance!" Zhang Lindong showed a smile on his face, but in his heart he hoped that the operation would go smoothly and that he would not be left alive.
After Zhang Lindong was captured, Li Yunlong asked him to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army and lead his men into the two strongholds of Niuwang Lake and Xiaoyangji to attack the strongholds from within.
Before the 11th Regiment and the 12th Regiment launched their offensive, Zhang Lindong and another puppet army officer led more than 60 soldiers from the 16th Brigade Guard Company, following the march route prepared in advance by the Eighth Route Army, and entered the blockade area of the Japanese and puppet troops.
And successfully arrived at the two strongholds.
After that, the strongholds of the two teams along the way were removed one after another, and all the Japanese and puppet troops who had seen the two teams were not left alive.
Due to prior telegram contact, we learned that there were no artillery within the stronghold, so the howitzer position was set up one kilometer away from the stronghold.
It took about ten minutes to complete the erection of three 105-caliber howitzers. The gunners at each gun position adjusted their shooting angles. The black muzzles seemed to be pointing directly at the gun tower.
Naturally, such a movement could not be hidden from the Japanese and puppet troops in the artillery building. The Japanese second lieutenant tried his best to encourage the soldiers around him: "Don't worry, the artillery building is strong enough to withstand the bombardment of 150-caliber heavy artillery. No matter how many Eighth Route soldiers there are, it won't work!"
Zhang Lindong, who was also in the blockhouse, only felt his legs and feet were sore. As Sun Liangcheng's confidant, he knew how much water there was in the seemingly indestructible blockhouse.
What surprised him most was that the Eighth Route Army dared to let its own people enter the artillery tower. Aren't they afraid of being blown up together? Such thoughts echoed in Zhang Lindong's mind.
At the same time, on the artillery position.
"Aim completed!"
"Go ahead and reload!"
"Loading complete!"
"Let go!" As the artillery commander waved the signal flag, each gunner decisively pulled the match rope in his hand, and three armor-piercing bullets went out smoothly. Suddenly, there was a muffled thunder from the entire artillery position, and then a large amount of dust was raised.
The three artillery shells flew towards the Japanese artillery tower with a scream.