There are nine fortresses in the world, and Yanmen Pass is the first. Yanmen Pass is located in Dai County, northern Shanxi, and stands on Gouzhu Mountain. The mountains on both sides are majestic and continuous.
When the Japanese army first captured Taiyuan, Yan Xishan deployed a large army here, intending to use the natural dangers of the Great Wall to block the Japanese army from invading the hinterland of Shanxi. As a result, Yan Xishan's old classmate, the commander of the Fifth Division, had committed suicide
Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki led the Fifth Division to attack from Pingxing Pass, completely disrupting Yan Xishan's deployment. When Yan Xishan led his troops back to Pingxing Pass, the Japanese Chahar sent troops to pass through Yanmen Pass and attack Pingxing Pass.
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Although Itagaki Seishiro died, the Japanese army's ambition to plot Shanxi, the roof of North China, did not die. Just when General Matsui Iwane led his troops to attack Nanjing, the 1st, 8th, and 25th Divisions of the Kwantung Army, under the cover of aircraft, attacked
Yanmen Pass came to kill, trying to pass through Yanmen Pass and kill towards Taiyuan.
This time the Japanese army learned the lesson well. Instead of dividing their troops into three divisions, they formed a group and formed a heavy group, rolling forward.
For a time, the land of Shanxi once again beat the war drum.
After receiving Liu Yimin's report on the analysis of the enemy's situation, Yan Xishan had to negotiate with the Eighth Route Army and the Central Army's Wei Lihuang Department and decided to adopt the tactics proposed by Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, to abandon Taiyuan and allow the Japanese army to occupy Shanxi's key cities and transportation arteries.
Our army, on the other hand, strictly implements the fortification of walls and clearing the country, relying on the terrain of Shanxi, proactively harassing the enemy, focusing on destroying the enemy's logistics supply lines, so that the enemy cannot find food and people in Shanxi, and is trapped in an isolated city. After the enemy divides its forces, each unit looks for fighter opportunities to eliminate isolated outcrops.
The enemy was gradually exhausted, forcing the enemy to finally withdraw from Shanxi.
Originally, Yan Xishan wanted to concentrate the main force of the Eighth Route Army and Wei Lihuang's 14th Army, relying on the terrain of northern Shanxi, to block the Japanese Northern Group outside Yanmen Pass. He would lead the main force of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to guard Niangzi Pass and block the incense forces coming along the Zhengtai Line.
The 20th Division and the 109th Division commanded by Yue Qingsi blocked the Niangzi Pass. As soon as this plan was proposed, Zhu De and Wei Lihuang did not wait for their objections. They were frightened by the Pingxingguan Battle, the Xinkou Battle, and the Taiyuan Defense Battle.
The senior generals of the Jinsui Army first disagreed. The reason is very clear. Everyone knows that one regiment was sacrificed every day during the Battle of Xinkou, and they were basically consumed by the enemy's bombs and artillery shells. Such casualties cannot be afforded.
, not to mention that the Japanese army moved quickly and had no time to adjust their deployment.
Yan Xishan was still very petty in private. He saw that after the Eighth Route Army entered Shanxi, it developed rapidly in just a few months and occupied northern Shanxi, northwest Shanxi, southeastern Shanxi and even central Shanxi. If it continues to develop like this, this
Shanxi is no longer his own Shanxi. Yan Xishan really wants to have all the main forces of the Eighth Route Army concentrated in northern Shanxi to fight the three divisions of the Kwantung Army against the Japanese army. It is best to let the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese army fight to the death, both sides will suffer, but it is a pity that his subordinates
They were all afraid of being beaten by the Japanese. First of all, they had no confidence in defending Niangziguan. How could they persuade the Eighth Route Army to defend northern Shanxi?
Yan Xishan had no choice but to withdraw from Taiyuan. This time, he did it more thoroughly than Liu Yimin. He even took away the small businessmen selling tea and rice in Taiyuan City, really leaving an empty Taiyuan for the Japanese.
Xiangyue Qingsi, who was responsible for commanding the battle in Shanxi, did not know that there had been such a big change in the strategy of the Shanxi defenders. He just kept urging the troops to speed up and encircled Taiyuan in two directions.
During this period, the 115th Division and the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army were developing rapidly. Not only were the construction of the base area booming, but the troops were also greatly expanded. When the Japanese army attacked Taiyuan for the second time, they first had to pass through the base areas of the 120th Division and the 115th Division.
Who are Lin Biao and He Long? How could they allow them to attack Taiyuan so smoothly!
Heavy groups of Japanese troops are rolling in, and there is no main force of the national army to contain and block them. It is obviously impossible to respond. We can only strictly implement the orders of the central government and the headquarters, get out of the way, let the enemy go south, and send small troops to continuously attack and harass the enemy.
, the idea was to cut off the Japanese logistics supply line so that the enemy could not attack with all its strength.
But in this case, the enemy will be like no one's land all the way south, which will be too advantageous for them.
A map had been drawn a little messy. Lin Biao, the commander of the 115th Division, finally raised his head from the map. His eyebrows were trembling and he looked particularly capable. Political Commissar Nie Rongzhen and Chief of Staff Zhou were waiting aside for a long time.
Kun also breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the teacher had made up his mind.
Sure enough, Lin Biao said: "Political Commissar, Chief of Staff, you see, the Japanese army must pass through Yanmen Pass when going south. We have been very familiar with the terrain here. It is definitely a good place to block attacks and ambush. I am determined to pass by Yanmen Pass in front of the pass."
We conducted an ambush on the Yanmen Ancient Road. The target of the battle was the Japanese vanguard. After the attack, we retreated without giving the enemy a chance to pursue us. Then, the troops concealed themselves and allowed the enemy's main force to move south. We then seized the opportunity to attack his rear troops.
This tactic is called pinching off the head and tail. The first is to hit his vanguard to weaken his spirit; the second is to hit his rear to make him feel like a ray of light on his back and possessed by an evil spirit. He will not dare to disperse his troops to sweep us away.
base area. What do you think?"
Nie Rongzhen and Lin Biao have been partners for a long time. They have never seen any tough battles. They trust Lin Biao's commanding ability, so he said: "If you can be 70% sure, I support it."
Lin Biao thought for a while and said: "About 80%!"
When Nie Rongzhen heard this, he immediately said: "Let's fight, I support it!"
Zhou Kun looked at the map and said: "There is no problem in attacking the vanguard. The key is to retreat. How can we prevent the Japanese army from biting us. Now the Japanese aircraft are starting to become rampant again. If we want to attack, we must set the target lower and ensure that
Fight quickly. Otherwise, it will be a risk, and it may provide the Japanese army with an opportunity to encircle and annihilate our main force."
Lin Biao nodded and said: "What the chief of staff said makes sense. The key to this battle is retreat. I plan to withdraw the main force immediately after the battle and use a small force to hold Yanmen Pass. This will give the enemy the illusion that my main force will stick to Yanmen Pass.
The gods made them concentrate their efforts on forcibly attacking the key points. When the enemy attacked the key points in a large-scale, the holding troops also randomly retreated. I considered that the goal of this battle would be to eliminate a Japanese regiment. We must learn from Liu Yimin. First, use mines and explosive packs.
, use all artillery to increase the intensity of firepower and reduce casualties. Secondly, we must adopt the method of luring the enemy with small units, destroy the enemy's small search force, and disguise the Japanese search force to lure the enemy to the bait. We will then do a good job of concealing the enemy.
, so that enemy aircraft cannot detect us, thinking that Yanmen Pass is an empty pass and unguarded, and come to die in a big way."
After thinking about it, Lin Biao added: "The Japanese army's current goal is Taiyuan. They are eager to join forces from the north and the south to encircle Taiyuan. Although they have suffered some losses at our hands, in order to achieve the goal of capturing Taiyuan, they will concentrate their main force and move south quickly. They will not
Too much entanglement with us.”
When Zhou Kun heard this, he said yes repeatedly, and then added: "The troops serving as two-wing cover should make a big show of force after the battle starts, creating a situation where our army is going to fight the enemy here, so that the enemy can't understand the situation before they understand it.
They did not dare to rush forward rashly. The troops responsible for sealing the bags had to bury more electro-detonated explosives to block the enemy's main reinforcements. Since then, the enemy's leading troops were in a dilemma on the narrow Yanmen Ancient and Dangerous Road, and they could not escape the fate of being annihilated no matter what.
"
Lin Biao saw that the political commissar and chief of staff had unified their opinions, so he ordered the main force to hide in Yanmen Pass and personally drafted a telegram to the chairman and headquarters.
Lin Biao wrote in the telegram: "The Japanese army is coming with ferocity. We resolutely implement the central and headquarters telegrams, get out of the way, occupy both sides, and actively launch guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. But now the enemy is moving south in a group. If we do not give it a head-on blow, we will
The Japanese army will be extremely arrogant. After they occupy the empty city of Taiyuan, they will definitely raid and destroy our base area. For this reason, we are determined to preemptively destroy their vanguard to deter the enemy, and then attack their rearguard and baggage troops to prevent the Japanese army from daring to
We underestimate our army and cannot attack and invade our anti-Japanese base areas at will. Therefore, we plan to concentrate the two main brigades and division artillery, cavalry, engineers, independent regiments and other troops to set up an ambush at Yanmen Pass to find and wipe out the vanguard of the enemy's heavy group and give the enemy a blow.
." Then, Lin Biao reported in detail the specific combat deployment in the telegram.
Shouyi, an old Japanese soldier in the temple, thought that by advancing together with a large number of troops, he could scare off all the Chinese troops who intended to block or ambush. However, he did not expect that in this vast mountain, there lurked a heroic army that could be called tigers or lions.
, a heroic lion who came down from Jinggang Mountain and was led by Lin Biao, who was known as the God of War in later generations.
After receiving Lin Biao's telegram, Mao Zedong kept thinking in front of the map, and finally made up his mind and agreed with Lin Biao to fight this battle. The reason is very simple. The strength of the 115th Division is now there, and the weapons and equipment are there.
Besides, the situation in Shaanxi's rear area is stable. The factory equipment that Liu Yimin moved back from Taiyuan has been gradually transported to various parts of Shaanxi. Even the textile factory and vinegar factory in Qingxu have been transported to Xi'an. Over time, the construction of the Shaanxi base area will inevitably see a booming trend.
The training of the garrison troops in various parts of Shaanxi is also very tight, and the main force can be replenished at any time; the production of the arsenal is also very stable, and ammunition can be mass-produced. For the first time since its establishment, our army does not worry about the source of troops.
Worrying about ammunition, for the first time, I did not have to worry about logistical supplies such as rations and uniforms. Under such circumstances, Mao Zedong, as the supreme commander of the people's armed forces, naturally became ambitious.
The call back from Mao Zedong and the headquarters arrived soon.
Mao Zedong emphasized in the telegram that after the 115th Division finished this battle, it must be prepared to deal with the enemy's revenge and not underestimate the enemy. In the future, the work should still be focused on mobilizing the masses, establishing military regions at all levels, and strengthening
Armed.
The headquarters called back and agreed to the battle plan, and ordered Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen to unified command the 115th Division, the 120th Division and all the armed forces of our army in northern Shanxi. However, it was required that a decisive battle between the main force and the enemy must be avoided, and the battle should be fought quickly, and leave with one blow, without giving any
The enemy leaves an opportunity to surround our army.
After receiving the telegram, Lin Biao immediately led the division to Yanmen Pass to conduct a detailed survey of the terrain, ordered all units to speed up their concentration, and ordered the 120th Division to concentrate its main force on both sides of the same generation highway. At the same time, more small units were sent to expand the scope of investigation and closely monitor the Japanese actions.
Conduct raids, harass and annihilate small groups of Japanese troops, striving to turn the Japanese troops into blind donkeys and blind horses.
In December in Yanbei, the weather was so cold that the rivers had already frozen. With Lin Biao's order, the main force of the 115th Division rushed toward Yanmen Pass like arrows.
After the victory at Pingxingguan, the 115th Division mobilized the masses in Hengshan, Wutai, and Luliang Mountains to create base areas behind enemy lines. After the instructors regained Taiyuan, the 115th Division received some reinforcements. In addition, with the Shaanxi Anti-Japanese Base Area as its back, ammunition supplies were sufficient, and the troops
It expanded rapidly and established several military divisions. However, Lin Biao was aroused by Liu Yimin's victory and was extremely ambitious. While expanding the army on a large scale, he always kept the main force in a group and in his hands, ready to give the Japanese army a heavy blow at any time.
, exerting the majesty of the Red Front Army.
Due to the arrival of Liu Yimin, the Red Army gained a foothold in Shaanxi, and the strength of its main force was much stronger than in history. Therefore, during the reorganization, the leaders of the three main divisions of the original Red Army naturally became the leaders of the three brigades, with the main force of the First Red Division
The main force of the reorganized 343rd Brigade and the reorganized 344th Brigade of the 2nd Red Division followed Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen to the anti-Japanese front line in Shanxi. The main force of the 3rd Red Division (formerly the 15th Red Division) was organized into an independent brigade of the 115th Division and stayed in Shaanxi. Due to the large number of troops, the 2nd Red Division
After the Fifteenth Army was incorporated, it could only be organized into an independent regiment. Wu Huanxian and Xu Haidong served as the political commissar and regimental leader respectively, while Cheng Zihua was transferred to work in the Xi'an Garrison Area. This change is very different from history. Fortunately, at this time
It is impossible for Xu Haidong to know that he was a famous general in history, and Wu Huanxian did not know that he had been sacrificed long ago.
After the troops arrived, Lin Biao held a combat meeting at Yanmen Pass, explained his intentions and deployment to the cadres, and determined to deploy Yang Dezhi and the Lilin Regiment on the mountains between Yanmen Pass and Yanmen Ancient Danger Road to serve as frontal obstruction.
For the enemy mission, Huang Kaixiang and Yang Chengwu regiments were deployed at the entrance of Yanmen Ancient Dangerous Road, responsible for cutting off the enemy's retreat and blocking enemy reinforcements. The 343rd Brigade was ambushing on the east side of the road, and the 344th Brigade was ambushing on the west side of the road. The artillery battalion built a position in the mountains on the east side.
, the engineer battalion laid anti-tank mines, electrically detonated explosive packets, and mines on both sides of the highway embankment. All rocket launchers in the division were deployed on the front line to resolutely destroy the enemy's tanks. The cavalry regiment and several independent regiments were deployed in positions
On both wings, after the battle begins, they are responsible for preventing the enemy from attacking in a roundabout way.
After the deployment was completed, Lin Biao said simply and clearly: "This time we are pulling teeth from the tiger's mouth. After the battle begins, all the firepower of the entire division should be concentrated to attack the enemy, and then each unit will attack quickly. The entire battle should not last more than 40 minutes. The battle is over.
Then quickly clean the battlefield and retreat immediately without letting the enemy catch up. After the main force retreated, Yang Dezhi's regiment held firm at Yanmen Pass to attract the enemy's main force to attack. When the enemy launched a massive attack, they retreated immediately. The timing of the retreat was determined by the regiment leader. This time, we have to
Learn from the instructors, give full play to your firepower, use bullets to speak to the enemy, and try to avoid and reduce casualties."
Nie Rongzhen immediately carried out combat mobilization. After the meeting, the troops immediately began to take action, inspecting the terrain and building concealment fortifications.
At this time, the Japanese army had moved south from Zhangjiakou, crossed Datong, and rushed toward Yanmen Pass.
In order to cooperate with the large force operations, Japanese reconnaissance aircraft repeatedly circled and conducted reconnaissance over the same generation highway to confirm that there was no Chinese military defense along the way.
The person dispatched by the Kwantung Army to coordinate the operations of the three divisions was Major General Otonzaburo Yano, the deputy chief of staff in charge of operations.
Major General Otonzaburo Yano was very happy at this time. The reason was very simple. He was only a major general deputy chief of staff, but he was authorized to coordinate three lieutenant general division commanders. Obviously Commander Ueda Kenkichi admired him very much. This
After a battle is won, he will probably become a lieutenant general when he returns home.
After receiving the aviation report, the smile on the face of Major General Otonzaburo Yano increased a little. What a joke, the three elite Kwantung Army divisions, not to mention that there are no opponents on the ground in Shanxi, look at the whole of Asia, where can you find them?
An opponent? As for Itagaki Seishiro's disastrous defeat in Shanxi, Major General Otonzaburo Yano attributed it to Itagaki being unlucky, so why did he march at night? If you didn't march at night, would the Chinese army dare to ambush the elite 21st Brigade?
Yano Otonzaburo, who was sitting in the car, looked back at the long snake-like marching team, grinned, and ordered the combat staff to send a report to the three divisions, urging them to speed up the action. He leaned his head back against the car.
I closed my eyes and rested my mind.
Sun Jixian is the battalion commander of the Laohong Regiment. His current task is to cooperate with the 115th Division Reconnaissance Section to eliminate the Japanese reconnaissance troops, and then disguise themselves as Japanese reconnaissance troops to lure the Japanese to take the bait.
Sun Jixian and his battalion had been hiding on the road north of Yanmen Pass for a day and a night. This was the coldest time in the Yanbei region. The soldiers' lips were so cold that they turned blue. Everyone could only take out their water bottles from time to time.
Take a sip of chili water to ward off the cold.
The dispatched cavalry reconnaissance squad finally returned, and Sun Jixian rushed to greet them and inquire about the situation.
The reconnaissance squad leader first grabbed Sun Jixian's kettle, drank several large sips of pepper water, wiped his mouth, and then said: "Battle Commander Sun, please report quickly. The Japanese are here. They don't have infantry or cavalry search troops. Take the lead."
They are all armored vehicles and cars, and the Japanese in the vehicles all have leather hats and leather boots. It looks like there are thousands of them!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Jixian found that it was consistent with the information provided by the 120th Division. The main force of the Japanese army was really advancing along the highway of the same generation. He asked: "How far is the distance between the Japanese vanguard and the main force?"
The reconnaissance squad leader said that all the Japs' vanguard troops were by car. The main force consisted of cars, horses, and people on foot. The distance between the two was at least 30 miles.
As soon as Sun Jixian heard this, he immediately ordered the cavalry reconnaissance squad to report to the division headquarters, especially to report clearly that the leading Japanese troops were armored vehicles clearing the way. Considering that the Japanese army relied on mechanization advantages and did not send infantry and cavalry search troops, it was meaningless to stay here. Sun Jixian
He led his troops and quickly returned to the troops responsible for blocking the enemy's retreat via a small road.
After receiving the report from the cavalry reconnaissance squad, Lin Biao thought for a while and ordered the field artillery battalion to carefully measure the bombardment points to ensure fire suppression. After each artillery fire of ten rounds, he would move his position to prevent being targeted by Japanese aircraft. He ordered the field artillery battalion to be responsible for frontal blocking.
Yang Dezhi directed the engineers to operate and use anti-tank mines and electro-detonated explosive charges to blow up the armored vehicle that was leading the way. He ordered all units to be well concealed and camouflaged and not to be exposed before opening fire.
After the deployment, Lin Biao regained his composure. Like a statue, he sat quietly in the division headquarters bunker without saying a word, waiting for the arrival of the Japanese army.