Outside the iron gate, artillery roared and gunfire burst. In front of the position of the Third Xuexi Division, the attacking Japanese troops were exhausted and retreated in an orderly manner under the leadership of the commander.
Major General Sakai Hoji, the brigade commander of the first mixed brigade, was watching all this silently with a telescope, with no expression of joy or sorrow on his face. Iron Gate Pass was not the main direction of the Japanese army's attack. The reason why Sakai Hoji started He was just testing the ground by investing heavy troops. If the defenders on the opposite side were vulnerable or lacking in strength and equipment, he would not mind taking advantage of the situation to form a breakthrough. Of course, he had never had this illusion from the beginning. Sakai Hoji was a good at The thinking officer, before the battle, had obtained limited information about the Xuebing Army through various channels. The reason why it was said to be limited was because after his investigation, he suddenly discovered that this military group that had suddenly risen in North China had There was very little actual content in the imperial intelligence system, which made him wary of this mysterious force from the beginning.
He knew the strength of Doihara Kenji. The previous 108th Division was not a weak force, but it seemed to be easily eaten by Xuebingjun and Ouyang Yun. What surprised him even more It is this army that actually has advanced tanks and anti-aircraft weapons. The Kwantung Army's previous bombing of Hebei and Chacha, the loss rate of participating aircraft actually reached 50%. If the Xuebing Army does not have fighter planes, then their air defense The weapons and fighting will are really terrifying,
Based on the above considerations, Sakai Hoji quickly adjusted his position, believing that the first task of his brigade was not to attack, but to defend, and try to hold back as many Chinese troops as possible, so that the Kifengkou strategy formulated by Xiangzuki Kiyoshi It can be completed relatively easily. Therefore, unlike the Japanese troops outside many passes such as Xifengkou, the first mixed brigade's defense works are very well done. All kinds of trenches and traffic trenches are in place, and the quality is based on defensive methods. made according to the standards,
Tiemenguan is the most critical location in Ouyang Yun's battle plan. There are three troops stationed here, Li Ganjiang's Third Learning Division, Stern's Independent Brigade, and the 29th Army Commanded by General Tong Linge. Corps, among them, the strong force of the Teaching Corps was stationed in a village called Tieshuzhuang ten miles away from Tiemenguan, and temporarily hid itself.
This action of Sakai Hoji fell in the eyes of the three generals, and the three of them couldn't help but began to doubt the intentions of the Japanese army. Sakai did this, but it seemed that he had the intention of stationing here for a long time, or they had seen the intentions of the Xuebing Army. The battle plan is too terrifying. You must know that so far, the only people who know about this plan are the Xuebing Army and a few generals in the 29th Army.
After discovering the anomaly in the First Mixed Brigade, Li Ganjiang immediately reported to Ouyang Yun.
In addition to immediately asking Mu Jiandie and Zhang Zhen to strengthen confidentiality, Ouyang Yun asked Guo Biao to personally lead a small group of Langya warriors out of the Great Wall and conduct reconnaissance along the Iron Gate Pass and the Great Shogun line, but did not find any abnormal movements of Japanese troops. There was no sign of it, so he didn’t take it to heart.
There is no terrain that is conducive to defense outside Tiemeng Pass. Although Tiemeng Pass and Xifengkou are relatively close, due to the mountain barrier in the middle, it will take at least two hours for the two sides to move between each other. If you follow the example of the Third Division, it can't be done in one hour. By drilling through the position of the first mixed brigade, it will be impossible to launch a surprise attack on the big barrier in the future.
Now, the independent brigade performs this task. Although the marching speed is guaranteed, compared with the plain areas, facing the trenched position of the 1st Mixed Brigade, the advantage of the independent brigade has turned into a disadvantage.
Of course, Stern would not think so, because compared with other units of the Cadet Army, the Jewish Independence Brigade may not have the strongest combat effectiveness and the richest combat experience, but it has the most complete organization and arms. For example, for engineers and other units of the Xuebing Army, such as the First Xue Division, the Second Xue Division, etc., each division only has one engineering company, while the independent brigade has one battalion of engineering troops. Not only that, the engineering battalion of the independent brigade is not just Equipped with basic tools such as shovels, the engineering battalion of the independent brigade is fully equipped. Even a company of mine detectors, which are rarely equipped by the Chinese army, is equipped with one company.
Like Sakai Hoji, Stern is also a general who likes to use his brain. After the pre-war meeting, he carefully analyzed various possible wars and had his own corresponding ideas. In his view, Come on, although Junzao's combat plan this time is bold and risky, it is the only opportunity for the Xuebing Army at present. Compared with the Japanese army, the Xuebing Army cannot compare in terms of strength and quality of soldiers, and because of the need to maintain an investment environment The stability of the country cannot be fought in a protracted war.
Stern stood at the closed iron gate and watched the Japanese troops retreating in an orderly manner. When they were about to exit the range of the defenders, he decisively issued the order to attack.
The fence at the Iron Gate Pass was immediately opened. Amidst the loud sound of the bugle, the flag of the Independent Brigade was flying on the first truck. The truck brigade and tank regiment of the engineer battalion rushed out at once, because it was early. Taking into account today's attack, the various trenches dug by the Third Division left about ten meters of open space in the area facing the iron gate.
As soon as the three trucks at the front got out of the trench, the machine guns mounted on the cabs started firing fiercely, "Come on." Once the tanks following the trucks got out of the trench area, they began to accelerate and started working. The two sides of the barracks surrounded them and soon sandwiched the convoy of the engineering battalion in the middle. Dragging thick black oil smoke, the tanks rushed to the fortifications dug by the Japanese army. During this period, all the tanks and the machine guns on the trucks fired at the same time. After opening fire, scores of Japanese soldiers fell down, suddenly suffering such a heavy blow, and the orderly retreat of the Japanese army turned into a rout.
Sakai Hoji looked at the troops that suddenly rushed out of the pass and was completely stunned. He murmured to himself: "What do the Chinese want to do, counterattack?" Thinking of the comparison of the strength of the two sides, he sneered: "It turned out that they just wanted to defend well. , It seems that it is not possible to contain the enemy more. It seems that the credit for the first attack belongs to me." With a fierce wave of his hand, he immediately ordered: "Everyone, pounce on me, since the Chinese people Take the initiative to attack, then we will use this opportunity to attack in." After giving the order, after thinking about it, he asked his staff to send a message to Xiangyue Qingsi to report on the enemy's situation at the iron gate and the current situation of the army. ,
In the first battle of the Great Wall, the Japanese army attacked, and the Chinese army passively defended. When had there ever been such a thing as a counterattack? Not only Sakai, but also Xiangyue Qingji thought that the Chinese people were crazy. This was a God-given opportunity. As soon as they received the According to the telegram sent by the First Brigade, he ordered the Ninth Division to continue the attack, and at the same time ordered the Twentieth Division to rush to Tiemenguan.