The more Major General Yukio Kasahara thought about it, the more he felt that the matter was not that simple. He called the chief of staff, and the two of them analyzed the map carefully for a long time. It felt that since the 21st Brigade was shattered, the situation in Shanxi had become extremely strange, as if it had broken away from the imperial army.
control. Especially this Shaanxi local army instructor, who caused the imperial army to suffer heavy losses. Now where they are and what they are planning to do are all a mystery.
Judging from the situation of the Chinese army's attack on Niangziguan, it should be the tactics of the instructor who did not follow the rules and did not follow the routine. Because the Chinese regular army suffered heavy losses after the defeat at Niangziguan, they should have been frightened by the imperial army.
, it is absolutely impossible for him to take the initiative to send it to his door again. Only the instructor would work like this, shooting here and there.
If this judgment is true, then Niangzi Pass may not be able to be defended. This instructor dares to directly challenge the main force of the fifth division, the most elite of the imperial army, so how can a brigade of defenders at Niangzi Pass be able to defend it? If this continues, the situation will become dire.
It's very serious. What if another Chinese army takes Niangzi Pass? As long as the independent 15th Brigade arrives, it will naturally be taken down very quickly. At worst, there will be a stalemate for a while, waiting for the 20th Division and the 10th Division.
The Ninth Division rushed back, and the Chinese army naturally collapsed again. But if it was really the instructors who captured Niangzi Pass, then there must be a huge intention.
The question now is what exactly is the intention of the Chinese Army? Why did the west, east, and south attack at the same time?
Major General Yukio Kasahara did not dare to think about it anymore, because the more he thought about it, the more he became afraid. Currently, Taiyuan's military strength was extremely weak. In such a large city, there are only the first independent mixed brigade and the baggage garrison of the fifth division. The first independent mixed brigade
The brigade has just transferred a brigade to reinforce the Di Detachment and the Daquan Detachment's attack on the Chinese Army to the west. Currently, there are only four infantry brigades in Taiyuan City and the light tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and engineers attached to the First Independent Mixed Brigade.
Troops. If the Chinese army attacks Taiyuan now, strategically speaking, it will be the Black Tiger's heart.
Major General Yukio Kasahara has now thought clearly and understands that if the China Army makes a big move, it must be to attack Taiyuan. Whether it is the attack on Niangziguan, the fighting in the west, or even the ambush of the 21st Brigade, I am afraid it is all for Taiyuan.
Come here. What a plan!
As for the issue of the Chinese army taking Niangzi Pass, Major General Yukio Kasahara felt that it was because the Chinese army was overestimating its capabilities. The imperial army was looking for the main force of China to fight decisively. At worst, there would be another battle for Niangzi Pass.
After thinking it through, Major General Kasahara Yukio felt relaxed. Since the Chinese Army was coming to seize Taiyuan, let him come. We were not afraid of the enemy coming to attack the fortified city, but we were afraid that he would be erratic and difficult to find. Since he
If you want to come, then let yourself create a miracle under the strong city of Taiyuan! In the face of the powerful artillery fire of the imperial army, the Chinese army could not even think of setting foot in Taiyuan even if it was bleeding like a river.
Major General Yukio Kasahara quickly telegraphed his judgment to Seishiro Itagaki and General Juichi Terauichi of the North China Front. Then he strictly ordered the independent mixed 15th Brigade to urgently rescue Niangziguan, and ordered Lieutenant Colonel Tsubuta Takaki to stop pursuing the China Army and move closer to Taiyuan.
The Independent Mixed Second Brigade stopped its pincer attack on the Chinese Army in the west, returned to secure the Tongpu Railway from Xinkou to Yangqu, and made preparations to reinforce Taiyuan.
Now, what Major General Yukio Kasahara hopes most is that the 15th independent mixed brigade can quickly rush to Niangzi Pass, attack front and back with the defenders, repel China's instructors, and guard the east gate of Shanxi.
It's a pity that Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki and General Juichi Terauchi of the North China Front thought that Major General Yukio Kasahara was simply joking. It was pure nonsense that the Chinese Army wanted to attack Taiyuan. Does the Chinese Army have the courage? However, the Chinese Army's attack on Niangzi Pass should not be careless.
Because once the Chinese army occupied Niangziguan, it would inevitably destroy Niangziguan Station and the Shota Railway. Therefore, Itagaki strictly ordered Yukio Kasahara to carry out the original plan, reinforce Niangziguan, and jointly attack the Chinese army coming from the direction of Gujiao and Hekou.
Yukio Kasahara was helpless. He thought that he might be unfounded. The Chinese Army had already been busy escaping after the melee in Taiyuan. How dare they attack Taiyuan? I hope this was just my guess! So Major General Yukio Kasahara had no choice but to give up his independence again.
The mixed 15th Brigade and Lieutenant Colonel Tsubuto Takaki sent a report to cancel their orders and let them continue to carry out the orders of Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki.
Kasahara Yukio didn't know that just when he, Itagaki and the temple were sending telegrams, the instructor's brigades had already moved to the foot of Taiyuan City, and the battle at the airport and south gate was about to begin.
After Zhang Hongtao and Chen Dayong started fighting on the east and west fronts, Liu Yimin knew that the time was ripe to attack Taiyuan.
Forcibly suppressing his excitement, Liu Yimin finally waited until dark, and ordered the First Special Operations Detachment to lead Feng Dafei's aviation students to secretly attack Taiyuan Airport. The first brigade, the second brigade, the third brigade, the artillery brigade, the engineering brigade,
The Corps moved covertly to the vicinity of the south gate, concentrated the artillery fire of two field artillery regiments and a mountain artillery regiment of the artillery brigade, stormed the city, and eliminated the Japanese troops in Taiyuan City; the fourth brigade moved covertly to the north of Taiyuan City, cut off the Tongpu Railway, and prepared to meet the attack
The enemy may be supported by the Tongpu line going south; the fifth brigade is fortified in the direction of the west gate, preparing to meet the Japanese troops who are pursuing Chen Dayong's Shanxi Corps. As for the east, Liu Yimin ordered Zhang Haitao to lead the guard regiment to set up an ambush at the east gate, ready to ambush Taiyuan City at any time.
Escaped Japanese troops.
This plan was made by the Staff Office in response to the current situation of the Japanese army's defense in Taiyuan. At this time, Taiyuan's military strength was empty, and the Japanese army was arrogant and looked down on the Chinese army from the bottom of their hearts. Therefore, there were not many Japanese troops outside Taiyuan City. It turned out that the Japanese army was large.
Most of the temporary fortifications built at that time were deserted because almost the entire army was deployed. In view of this situation, Liu Yimin would not hesitate at all and was determined to take advantage of the enemy's arrogance and lack of preparedness to concentrate the main force to break through the south gate.
Then develop towards the urban area and resolve the battle in a relatively short period of time. Then decide how to meet the enemy based on changes in the enemy's situation.
Since a large force was operating, no matter how concealed it was, it was impossible to completely hide from the enemy's eyes. Therefore, Liu Yimin chose to force a breakthrough and take advantage of the situation to test the effectiveness of the troops' training in urban offensive operations.
After receiving the order, the troops quickly divided their routes and advanced toward Taiyuan in a concealed manner.
From the northwest of Qingxu to Taiyuan City, it was originally a few dozen miles. However, due to the need to conceal their combat intentions, the troops could not light torches and the marching speed was very slow. Later, when Liu Yimin saw that this situation continued, it would be too late by the time he arrived at Taiyuan City.
The increase in non-combat casualties was unacceptable to Liu Yimin, so Liu Yimin ordered all troops to light torches and speed up the march.
At 2 o'clock in the night, all the instructor's brigades had arrived at Taiyuan City.
When Gao Yuan and Yuan Guoping arrived at the south gate, all regiments of the First Brigade had already entered the attack position. Gao Yuan immediately ordered to contact the division artillery brigade to blow open the south gate of Taiyuan City, and the entire division attacked Taiyuan.
After Major General Yukio Kasahara arranged the attack plans for each unit, he went to bed to rest. Unfortunately, before he could close his eyes, he was called out by the emergency military situation.
Judging from the reports from various units, the Chinese Army has surrounded Taiyuan. Major General Yukio Kasahara felt happy and sad at the same time: he was happy that he had anticipated the enemy's opportunity and accurately calculated the movements of the Chinese Army; sadly, the city of Taiyuan was empty of troops and he did not know
Can it block the attack of the Chinese army?
However, as a veteran Major General Yukio Kasahara, he naturally knew the importance of intercepting the first wave of attacks by the Chinese army. Therefore, he strictly ordered all the independent mixed first brigade to go to the city wall. In his opinion, the Chinese army lacked heavy artillery.
, it is absolutely impossible to blow up the city wall and invade Taiyuan.
At 2:20 in the morning on December 20, 1937, the units of the Eighth Route Army's teaching division arrived at Taiyuan City. Under the order of division commander Liu Yimin, the division's artillery brigade sent two field artillery regiments, one reinforced mountain artillery regiment, and one
The 75 medium mortar regiment all pushed to the gate of Taiyuan City.
The artillery brigade commander Li Chang and the political commissar Wang Shanzhu repeatedly asked the artillery observers to calibrate the enemy's firepower points on the Taiyuan City Wall and South Gate. At 2:50, they believed that all artillery regiments, including the medium-sized mortar regiment, were ready. Li Chang and Wang Shanzhu both directed
Liu Yimin reported: "Reporting to the division commander, the artillery brigade is ready for the bombardment and is absolutely sure to blow up the city wall and open the south gate of Taiyuan in the first wave of attacks. Please order the attack from the division commander!"
At this time, Liu Yimin had arrived at Jinci and placed the division headquarters there. After receiving the report from the artillery brigade, Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan had a brief discussion and believed that strategically, the time was ripe to seize Taiyuan. Now, it was time to use the main force to kill
It was time to enter Taiyuan and wipe out the Japanese First Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Taiyuan. So Liu Yimin ordered Zeng Zhongsheng to immediately go to the First Brigade and Cai Zhong to the Second Brigade. After the artillery brigade blasted through the city wall, the main force
Put all the troops into the gap and command the troops to develop in depth.
Cai Zhong proposed what should be done if our army's attack on Taiyuan fails and the Japanese army comes for reinforcements from the direction of Niangziguan in northern Shanxi and eastern Shanxi.
Liu Yimin told him categorically that, firstly, Shanxi belongs to our Eighth Route Army and no one can take it away; secondly, the Japanese army has been transferred to southern Shanxi, eastern Shanxi, and western Shanxi by our army. In a short period of one or two days, the Japanese army will
It cannot reach Taiyuan; thirdly, if the Japanese army marches towards Taiyuan, our army is absolutely sure to eliminate its heavy group around Taiyuan.
At three o'clock in the morning on November 20, 1937, the Taiyuan sneak attack battle, which was regarded as a classic example in military textbooks of later generations, finally started.
Li Chang, commander of the artillery brigade of the teaching division, mobilized the cadres like this: "Comrades, the division commander wants to fight the Battle of Taiyuan and take back Taiyuan from the Japanese. This determination is the biggest combat task of our entire brigade at the moment! The Japanese will not
It’s scary. What I’m afraid of is that the Japanese are cunning! However, no matter how cunning the Japanese are, as long as the division commander tells him to die at the third watch, we can’t let him live until the fourth watch! The whole brigade listened to my order and fired at the south gate of Taiyuan City.