At ten o'clock in the morning, the Japanese Eighth Division began to advance towards Weixian County in an attacking posture.
Lieutenant General Toshio Maeda was the president of the Mainland University and was very proficient in tactics. His deployment was the commander of the 4th Brigade, Major General Suzuki Mijin, commanding the 4th Brigade and the 8th Field Artillery Regiment and the 8th Engineer Regiment.
The squadron and the tank squadron were responsible for the frontal attack, advancing from west to east along the Longhai Road and the highway; Major General Lin Maoqing, commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade, led the 32nd Infantry Regiment and was attached to command the Cavalry Regiment, and the 8th Field Artillery Regiment
A brigade of the regiment, a squadron of the Eighth Engineer Regiment and four tanks formed the right wing. After crossing Gushan and Dawei River, they detoured to the east of Weicheng, controlled Fangzi, and cut off the Eighth Route Army's retreat to the mountainous area of Zhonglu; the infantry group
The captain of the 17th Regiment, Colonel Sato Bunji, commanded two brigades, a cavalry squadron, and four tanks as the left wing. After crossing Gushan and Dawei River, they detoured to the west of Weicheng and cooperated with the right wing to encircle Weicheng. Lieutenant General Maeda Toshiro
He led the division headquarters, the troops directly under the division and the baggage regiment to establish a headquarters in Changle.
Major General Suzuki Mijin wanted to avenge the Eighth Route Army since the Battle of Yanmen Pass. Last night, one of his brigade was wiped alive by the Eighth Route Army in a train. He was extremely jealous due to old and new grudges. Therefore, after receiving the order, he quickly organized his troops and
We drove towards Weicheng.
The Cavalry Battalion of the Fourth Teaching Brigade became famous after the Battle of Cangxian. Battalion Commander Wang Shuyou and instructor Shi Qianli were praised in person by the teaching division commander Liu Yimin and political commissar Luo Ronghuan in Nangong. They were very high-spirited. Nie Rongzhen, political commissar of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and Deng Xiaoping, political commissar of the 129th Division.
When I went to Nangong, I visited the Cavalry Battalion of the Fourth Teaching Brigade and praised the troops for their ideological and political work and training, which made hundreds of people in the whole battalion walk with high spirits.
The reason why Liu Yimin personally ordered the cavalry battalion of the Fourth Teaching Brigade to take on the task of luring the enemy and holding them back was because of their performance in the Battle of Cangxian. No, after accepting the task, Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli
They brought the troops to the edge of the county town early and hid them in a dry irrigation canal beside a large dense sorghum field. Their bodies were covered with sorghum leaves. The war horses were hidden in the sorghum fields, quietly waiting for the Japanese to move out.
As for the problem of the war horses destroying the sorghum of the fellow villagers, Shi Qianli also thought of a way to deal with it. He wrote a note and pressed it under a stone, indicating that the cavalry battalion of the Fourth Brigade of the Eighth Route Army had to ambush the Japanese because it damaged the crops of the fellow villagers and asked the fellow villagers to fight.
Later, he went to the local anti-Japanese democratic government to receive compensation by receipt.
According to Wang Shuyou's idea, Changle is too close to Weicheng and even closer to the Daxu River. His cavalry battalion only has three chances of ambush at most, and this must be done before the Japanese planes are dispatched. Wait for the Japanese planes.
As soon as they appeared, they had to hide the team, or at least the war horses. So, after discussing with Shi Qianli, he took the team to the edge of the county town, hoping to directly mess with the Japanese when they were out.
Huahua. At the very least, we should knock down the vanguard of the Japs directly and let them know that the Eighth Route Army is not someone to be trifled with.
To the surprise of Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli, the Eighth Division of the Japanese Army was an old division after all. Its officers and soldiers had high tactical literacy and rich combat experience. They suffered heavy losses due to underestimating the enemy several times in a row, and their strings were stretched from top to bottom.
Very tight. This time, unlike the usual concentrated march of the vanguard, the Japanese sent a large number of search troops, in groups of three to five, under the leadership of traitors, along the railways, highways and field paths on both sides,
Search forward.
Wang Shuyou was dumbfounded when he saw it. If you don't fight, the Japs will search for you. If you fight, the victory will be too small. Even if you want to let go of the Japs' search troops, you can't. He is a cavalry unit, and the soldiers are very concealed. No matter what happens to the horses,
It can't be hidden.
Seeing how cunning the Japs were, Wang Shuyou thought that if the Japs killed one by one and killed his search team, maybe they would gather together and the next ambush would be easier.
Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli discussed it and the troops quickly dispersed, taking the company as a unit to attack the Japanese search team.
When the crisp gunfire rang out, Major General Suzuki Mijin was preparing to set off. Hearing the report that the search team was attacked, Major General Suzuki was so angry that his nostrils were boiling. He reported directly to Lieutenant General Maeda Toshiwa and asked the aviation force to immediately
dispatch to provide sufficient air cover for the Eighth Division. Otherwise, given the ferocity and cunning of Liu Yimin's troops, they may not be able to reach Weicheng and the troops will suffer heavy losses.
Lieutenant General Maeda Toshio did not hesitate at all, and directly sent a report to Lieutenant General Higashiya Nishikihiko, requesting aviation tactical guidance.
Lieutenant General Maeda Toshio didn't know that the Battle of Lanfeng had reached a critical stage at this time. After days of hard work by all the national army, the Doihara 14th Division had only six to seven thousand defeated soldiers left, and was surrounded by the main force of the national army in Qu.
Xingji and Sanyi Village were struggling on the front line. The Japanese North China Air Force was transporting supplies to the Doihara Division around the clock and bombing the Lanfeng National Army position. His request was naturally known to Lieutenant General Nian Yan of Dongjiur Palace.
, but he can only send him a squadron of 12 aircraft, and every four aircraft are in a team, taking turns to come for reconnaissance and patrol.
Before the plane arrived, Major General Suzuki Mijin had already seen dozens of corpses of search soldiers lying on the road and in the crop fields. Furious, Major General Suzuki Mijin used his trump card and sent out two tanks and two armored vehicles.
With an infantry squadron as the vanguard, he led the main force to follow up, with a distance of only 1,000 meters, and formed a battle formation, ready for reinforcements at any time. Major General Suzuki Mijin believed that with such a powerful force, any enemy would be crushed to pieces.
.Not to mention that the troops on the left and right wings have also been dispatched, so they can protect themselves!
This decision of Major General Suzuki Mijin made Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli, who were already a little disappointed, very happy. At this time, they had retreated to the road north of Shilipu. This was the important blocking point they selected. They were already on the main road in advance.
Explosive charges were laid, and many mines were laid on both sides of the road. Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli were determined to give the Japanese a big surprise here.
As the name suggests, Shilipu is only ten miles away from Changle County. This village is at the foot of Gushan Mountain and has hundreds of households. Since it is a small mountainous area on the plain, there is very little flat land in the village, accounting for about 20% of the total area.
So people's lives are very difficult.
It was not only Wang Shuyou who chose Shilipu as an ambush site. On the night of the 27th, the Cavalry Battalion of the First Brigade also arrived here, accompanied by a sniper team. Their mission was to attack the Japanese flank troops and force them to concentrate in the center.
.However, they are hidden in the village and in the mountains and forests south of the village, and Wang Shuyou and the others don't know about it.
The investigators reported that the Japanese were coming, with two tanks and two armored vehicles, accompanied by one to two hundred Japanese. However, there was a large Japanese army two miles behind, and there were probably tens of thousands of them.
Since Liu Yimin joined the Red Army, what he has brought to this unit is invincible determination and confidence. Especially after entering the anti-Japanese battlefield, the instructors fought and won consecutively, and the cadres and soldiers looked at Little Japan as they looked at the captain of the transportation brigade.
Huge psychological advantage. Therefore, no matter which unit is active in fighting, there is no possibility of fearing the Japanese. Wang Shuyou and Shi Qianli are both generals who have come down from Jinggang Mountains, and have been tempered by Liu Yimin.
I feel happy when I see the Japanese, so I don't care how many there are.
Wang Shuyou had experience in ambushes in Cangxian County. He had expected that the Japanese would use tanks. When they were ambushing near the county town, he wanted to deal with the Japanese tanks. Unfortunately, he only fought dozens of Japanese search troops, which was not satisfying at all. This was not satisfactory at all.
When he saw that the Japs vanguard had tanks and armored vehicles, his eyes shone with joy. However, the Japs only had one squadron, and he did not want to waste the electrostatic explosives and mines he had worked so hard to lay, so he directly ordered the troops to move forward and bypass the mines.
Lying down in the wheat field, the sorghum field, the muzzle of the gun, the muzzle and the rocket launcher were all aimed at the Japanese vanguard.
Shi Qianli climbed up to Wang Shuyou and whispered: "Battal Commander, the Japanese army is too close to the vanguard. Reinforcements will come at any time. We must fight and retreat quickly."
Wang Shuyou nodded, his eyes fixed on the approaching Japanese team.
I saw the plaster flag on the Japs chariot, and soon, even the faces of the Japs infantry were clearly visible. Wang Shuyou shouted, "Hit", and the shell gun in his hand fired at the little Japs holding the flag on the rifle.
.
The two rockets entered the bellies of the two tanks almost at the same time, turning the Japanese tanks into two balls of fire. Then, the fire support company's mortars and grenade heavy machine guns, as well as the light and heavy machine guns of each company, all opened fire.
, the bullet slammed into the marching column of the Japs' leading squadron, instantly paralyzing the Japs.
Two Japanese armored vehicles suddenly encountered an accident. It was too late to reverse, and two more rockets flew in, turning the armored vehicles into a pile of scrap metal.
The lucky ones who survived became the favorites of rifle shooters. These lucky guys were often hit by several bullets at the same time, and the blood spurted from their bodies formed triangular and pentagonal patterns, which looked like paintings.
, which is somewhat pretty.
As soon as Wang Shuyou saw the success, he immediately ordered the troops to retreat quickly. The soldiers hunkered down, packed their weapons and ammunition, got into the sorghum field, and retreated back.
By the time Major General Suzuki Mijin came up, the Japanese army, which was completely enraged, had already moved forward in pursuit, but fell into the mine formation again. The sound of mine explosions one after another was nothing compared to the 200-meter-long chain of explosive packets on the road.
The explosion of the explosive line was spectacular, and the little devil became addicted to flying on a dirt plane, but the air ticket was a bit expensive, and his broken arms and legs fell on the ground.
Looking at the dust raised by the retreating cavalry, Major General Suzuki Mijin decisively ordered the troops to stop advancing, collect the bodies of the fallen soldiers, and wait for the plane to arrive to help.
The signal corpsman sent by Major General Suzuki Mijin to report to Lieutenant General Maeda Toshiwei made it very clear that this place is full of traps and conspiracies. If the Chinese come twice more, the Fourth Brigade will not need to go to Wei County and will go directly back to Jinan.
Compensated.
Here, Major General Suzuki Mijin's troops came to a temporary halt. To the east, the right-wing roundabout troops led by Major General Lin Maoqing encountered trouble again. Gunshots rang out in the woods on the slopes of Gushan Mountain and in the sorghum fields at the foot of the mountain. Strange
It was impossible to see the Chinese army. From the telescope, it could be seen that the shooter should be about 500 meters away from the imperial army. He was shot to death from such a long distance. Major General Lin Maoqing was so frightened that he was trembling in his heart. The opponent he encountered
Simply devilish.
Fortunately, this unit seems to be small in number, and the sound of shooting is sparse. Each round of shooting kills more than 40 imperial soldiers. However, these Chinese sharpshooters fire very quickly, and they can kill most of the soldiers before they lie down.
Two rounds of shooting completed.
Major General Lin Maoqing was furious and ordered to immediately set up artillery, heavy machine guns, and tanks to carry out shelling, covering the cavalry regiment to rush forward to eliminate these hateful Chinese sharpshooters. Now it became lively. The soldiers who were ordered to set up machine guns, infantry guns, and mortars first
Unfortunately, he died one after another.
Seeing that this was not a show, Major General Lin Maoqing had no choice but to order the field artillery brigade at the end of the team to set up a position on the spot to bombard these hateful Chinese sharpshooters.
The Japanese army finally opened fire, and the gunfire in the sorghum fields on the hillside also stopped. The surrounding area was quiet, as if there had never been an attack.
Major General Lin Maoqing's mission was to circle eastward and surround the Eighth Route Army that was attacking Weixian. He clearly saw the intention of the small group of Eighth Route Army to attack by surprise. It was just to hinder their advance! Therefore, after the bombardment, Major General Lin Maoqing saw the sorghum field on the hillside.
There were no more shots fired, thinking that the attackers had either been killed by artillery shells or had sneaked away. Considering the importance of the mission, Major General Lin Maoqing decided not to get entangled with the attackers, quickly crossed the lonely mountain, and carried out his detour mission.
Major General Lin Maoqing's troops took not roads, but country roads. However, this plain area can be passed everywhere, and it will only ruin the crops of the people. In Major General Lin Maoqing's heart, the Chinese people are illiterate, poor and dirty.
It would be better to starve to death more, so he doesn't care how much farmland is wasted.
When they arrived at Shilipu Village, the Japanese army encountered trouble again. There were landmines and explosive charges, which made the little Japanese howl like ghosts and wolves. Especially a kind of landmine on Tubal Road. I don’t know what it was made of, but it could blow up tanks.
Major General Lin Maoqing was equipped with a total of four tanks, but two of them were damaged by the bombing. Major General Lin Maoqing was completely angry by now, and immediately ordered artillery to bombard Shilipu Village and waved his troops to attack.
How did Major General Lin Maoqing know that hidden in Shilipu Village was the cavalry battalion of Liu Yimin's most elite teaching brigade? The weapons were more powerful than the cavalry battalion of the fourth teaching brigade. The machine guns were all the same type of Bayi machine guns. Basically, the soldiers were
Eighty-one automatic rifles, submachine guns, lances, and each person had at least two weapons, one long and one short. If Major General Lin Maoqing knew about it, he would probably call in the plane and let the plane and field artillery raze Shilipu Village to the ground.
After a brief shelling, Major General Lin Maoqing saw that Shilipu Village was quiet, so he ordered his troops to occupy Shilipu. Naturally, the Japanese cavalry took the lead in attacking. A squadron of cavalry held their swords high and rushed forward with shouts. Only when they reached the village did the Japanese cavalry discover that
What greeted them was a dense rain of bullets.
The road in the village was not wide, and it was difficult for the Japanese cavalry to turn around, so they became a target. The Japanese infantry who caught up saw the miserable state of the cavalry, and hurriedly entered the battle, trying to cover the cavalry entering the village. Unfortunately, they were too slow, and those cavalrymen ran out.
The usually superior cavalrymen had fallen on the loess road in the village. Human blood, horse blood and loess mixed together and condensed into black and red clods.
At this time, there was another unhurried gunshot from behind the Japanese team. Major General Lin Maoqing's heart kept twitching. He knew that the sharpshooters of the Eighth Route Army just started to show off their power again, and that crisp gunshot would take him away.
The life of a well-trained veteran.
Major General Lin Maoqing did not dare to attack rashly anymore. He ordered his troops to retreat quickly and break away from contact with the Eighth Route Army. After the artillery fire was ready, under the cover of aircraft, he concentrated his forces to capture Gushan and Shilipu Village.
In this way, the Eighth Division's frontal offensive troops and the right-wing roundabout troops stopped advancing. Of course, Major General Suzuki Mijin and Major General Lin Maoqing were not alone, because the same thing happened on the left wing, and the 17th Regiment had already started
Moving closer to the fourth brigade.
After receiving the report, Major General Toshio Maeda was no longer in the mood to stay in Changle, and rushed up with the division headquarters, baggage regiment, and communications team.
After meeting with Major General Suzuki Mijin and Major General Lin Maoqing, Lieutenant General Maeda Toshio's anger went straight up, and he directly cursed at the two. After he finished cursing, he cursed again and again.
The aviation force arrived, and then decided to draw four squadrons from the baggage regiment and immediately add them to the 4th and 16th brigade, and ordered the units to organize on the spot. After the aviation force arrived, they would concentrate all their efforts on capturing Gushan and Shilipu.
After occupying the target, the fourth brigade was still in the center and the left and right wings cooperated. There was no longer any roundabout attack. The whole division attacked as a group. All it took was to defeat the Eighth Route Army and recapture Weicheng.
The Japanese aircraft finally arrived, and according to ground instructions, they began bombing Gushan and Shilipu Village. The Eighth Field Artillery Regiment also opened up its position and bombarded the five low hills of Gushan and Shilipu Village.
After struggling for a long time, it was already noon. Lieutenant General Maeda Toshio couldn't wait any longer. He pointed his sword towards Gushan and Shilipu, and waved his army to attack.
What made Lieutenant General Maeda Toshio vomit blood was that the Gushan and Shilipu villages were actually empty. The Eighth Route Army had already withdrawn.
Lieutenant General Maemura Toshio was incomprehensible and scolded Liu Yimin and the Eighth Route Army like pigs and dogs. After the scolding, he still couldn't get over his anger after thinking about it. He even scolded the aviation force and the Qingdao reinforcements, saying that their poor cooperation caused the casualties of the Eighth Division.
It was terrible. After the scolding, Lieutenant General Toshio Maemura did not care about military discipline anymore. He scolded the commander of the Second Army, Lieutenant General Higashika Nurihiko, and the commander of the North China Front, General Hisaichi Terauchi, saying that they
The commander of the Eighth Division sent the Eighth Division out without fully understanding the enemy's situation. The incompetence of one general exhausted the three armies. Such a commander simply brought the Japanese Army into disgrace.
It was getting late until Major General Suzuki Mijin asked whether the soldiers should be allowed to eat before attacking Weicheng.
Lieutenant General Toshio Maemura looked at his watch and saw that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Then he ordered the troops to rest for twenty minutes to eat.
After the break, the furious Lieutenant General Toshio Maemura led the 8th Division to attack Weicheng viciously.