Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 389: The Eighth Route Army's Great Raid in North China? The Japanese Army Attacked the Junction of Xiaobao Village! (Subscribe)

Sugiyama Gen suddenly came to his senses.

if it is like this.

That makes more sense.

"This is most likely a battle in which Chu Yunfei will formulate the battle plan and coordinate the battle.

The area around Huairen County was also their planned battlefield.

He himself was commanding the battle in Fanshi or Longcheng."

Qian Bojun commanded the left-wing group.

Chu Yunfei doesn't need to worry too much about the battle in the middle.

What Chu Yunfei is really concerned about is most likely Huang Baitao's troops in the right-wing group.

Huang Baitao's troops had fewer troops and were the weakest.

His attack style on Guangling.

From this perspective, there are clues to follow.

This is very similar to Chu Yunfei's previous combat strategy.

The main purpose is to pretend to threaten their logistical supply lines.

It is absolutely impossible to launch an attack on their rear areas.

Although they were at a great disadvantage in fighting on the plains.

But it’s better than a tough battle~!

After thinking along this line of thought.

All problems are solved!

A combat staff officer stepped forward and said, "Commander, this is a call from Chiba Brigade Commander."

He took the telegram and glanced at it.

He handed it to Yamashita Tomoyuki and others standing by.

He walked towards the huge battle map hanging in the middle of the headquarters operations room.

The long baton was held high in Yamashita Tomoyuki's hand.

At the suggestion of Yamashita Tomoyuki.

soon.

Sugiyama quickly found the location of Xiaobao Village on the battle map: "Is this the junction of the two enemy forces mentioned by Brigade Commander Chiba?"

"Yes, Your Excellency the Commander."

"The enemy's defense line seems to have been hastily deployed, or perhaps they simply don't have enough heavy weapons."

"But we should also be aware that this is likely a trap prepared in advance by the enemy."

Sugiyama raised his eyebrows and said, "It's just an ordinary village. Judging from the map, there isn't even any terrain suitable for an ambush."

Shan Xia Feng Wen nodded: The first and fourth main regiments are the main forces under Chu Yunfei. Their combat effectiveness. "

"But regardless of whether it is an enemy trap or not, we now have no other choice but to try to launch an assault from the weak point of the enemy's defense."

Sugiyama Gen was naturally aware of Yamashita Tomoyuki's concerns.

This was more like a breakthrough that Qian Bojun had prepared for them in advance.

Sugiyama Gen could naturally order his troops to continue the attack on all fronts.

Fight a crushing battle and order the cavalry and armored units to pursue.

Under this circumstance.

The results of the battle will also not be small.

But does he have such a choice?
From Sugiyama's perspective.

He carefully prepared a second-line counterattack.

Of course, it was not to resist the attack of Chu Yunfei's troops.

Otherwise he could have deployed the infantry to the front line.

Cavalry units are stationed in key defense nodes such as Datong.

The armored forces are deployed in Huairen and other places.

Ready to support the front line at any time.

same.

Nor was it intended to defeat Chu Yunfei's offensive.

Sugiyama prepared all of this carefully.

It is for the preset battlefield south of Huairen.

Separate, surround and annihilate Chu Yunfei's forces.

And now, there is such an opportunity before me.

Sugiyama Gen guessed that it was a fire pit, and ordered his troops to jump into it and give it a try.

He turned to look at Yamashita Tomoyuki who was standing beside him, and then asked, "What is the current situation of the 20th Division?"

"We have completed the assembly and are boarding the trains in batches. It is estimated that the assembly in Handan will be completed within three days."

"well!"

Sugiyama then gave the order: "Send a telegram to General Shinozuka to personally command this battle and divide and surround the enemy forces in the area around Huairen according to the original battle plan."

"Hai!"

The headquarters of the Eighteenth Army Group.

After receiving Chu Yunfei's telegram.

The deputy commander-in-chief and others also sent the telegram to Yan'an as soon as possible.

Just as a group of senior military officers gathered together for the final discussion.

The deputy chief of general staff walked over quickly and said, "Yan'an has agreed to our request for combat, requiring us to achieve corresponding results while maintaining our strength during the battle."

"Use explosives, artillery and other weapons as much as possible to inflict long-range damage to the Japanese invaders and avoid close combat with the enemy."

"Remember that the fundamental purpose of this operation is to cooperate with the battle in northern Shanxi."

After receiving instructions from the central government.

The deputy commander immediately motioned for everyone to look at the battle map in front of them: "At present, each detachment has opened up a corresponding base, and there are about thirteen detachments and forty-six guerrillas that can participate in the battle, plus the main force of our army's field troops, about 70,000 people.

The troops are very sufficient, and the number of artillery shells of the main force of the field army is sufficient for this operation, and it can even be said to be more than enough. "

Commander Liu asked, "How much explosive packs are in stock?"

"Some time ago, Changzhi sent us 3,000 kilograms of high explosives. We have now used all of them to produce explosive packs for this raid."

The deputy commander nodded with satisfaction: "Our main combat targets are the Pinghan Railway and the Jinpu Railway."

"We will operate at night and avoid attacking strongholds. Our main targets are bridges, passes, and corresponding railway switches in enemy-occupied areas."

"As long as we can cause enough trouble to the Japs, let's do it!"

Battle of Northern Shanxi.

The most critical supply line for the Japanese army was along the Pingsui Railway.

Unfortunately, the Eighth Route Army’s base has not yet developed to the surrounding areas.

Even if it's a raid.

They could only attack the Suiyuan section.

It actually did not help much to the overall battle situation.

Chu Yunfei naturally understood this truth.

Therefore, his goal from the beginning was not to directly influence the main force of the Japanese army in North China in northern Shanxi.

Instead, he hoped that the Eighth Route Army troops would turn the entire North China region upside down.

This caused the Japanese military headquarters and even the North China Front Army Command to have some concerns when making their judgments.

Let them understand that they cannot suffer greater losses in manpower.

To force them to further reduce the number of casualties they can tolerate in northern Shanxi.

On this basis.

The Pinghan and Jinpu railway lines became the 18th Group Army's first choice for operations.

"Our active field units around the Pinghan Road include the 115th Division, the 129th Division, and part of the 120th Division, which have field combat capabilities."

The deputy commander waved his hand and said: "Avoid direct battle with the Japanese invaders. Our mission is to cause trouble and attract the attention of the Japanese army."

"Avoid engaging the Japanese army as much as possible. I emphasize again that the goal of our operation this time is to disrupt the Japanese supply lines."

“If the main railway trunk lines such as Pinghan and Jinpu are affected, not only the Japanese troops in North China will be affected, but also the main Japanese troops in Central China may…” Commander Liu smiled, the expression on his face was self-evident.

The Japanese are probably going to get angry.

Once they get angry, they will naturally launch a large-scale sweep of the base.

The deputy commander-in-chief naturally understood this, so he explained: "When issuing the order to destroy the raid, we also asked all units to prepare for strategic transfer and not let the Japanese get in on us."

The Japanese army had not been greatly affected by the raids before.

Naturally, people don't take it very seriously.

And the commander of the North China Front Army.

When Terauchi Hisaichi was in office.

As the commander of the Shanxi First Army, Kiyoshi Kozuki attached great importance to the Eighth Route Army.

His successor, Mijiro Umezu, paid relatively more attention to security warfare.

But the main combat area was still in Shanxi.

Then came Sugiyama Hajime, the third commander of the North China Front Army.

Although he attached importance to the rear, he was also willing to increase the deployment of the Imperial Army's forces in the rear.

But he was in office for less than half a year.

During the past six months, we experienced the Battle of Beitongpu Road, the Recovery of Longcheng, and the Battle of Northern Shanxi, so naturally we had no time to focus on this.

The main idea of ​​the North China Front Army's security warfare was to find the main force and annihilate it.

The so-called cage policy was not formulated and used: railways as pillars, roads as chains, and bunkers as locks.

Division Commander Liu once again put forward his own suggestions for this operation: "The main force of this raid should be based in the Jizhong base area. They can mobilize the largest number of people, span the widest area, and cause the greatest destructive power."

The main combat force of the Ji-Zhong base area was still Lu Zhengcao's detachment.

It is huge in scale, with about 100,000 people.

The main force of He's troops is still in northwestern Shanxi and Suiyuan areas.

The specific situation of the Ji-Zhong base area was mainly reflected in the lack of guns and ammunition.

But there are a large number of troops and people who support the army.

Although it is not suitable for direct combat with the Japanese army.

But it is very suitable for such raiding operations.

The Wang traitor puppet government had not yet been formally established.

There have not yet been a large number of Kuomintang troops with wavering stances who have surrendered to the enemy.

"The Imperial Army troops that the Japanese could mobilize, apart from those recruited in the Northeast and the puppet Mongolian areas, were basically recruited locally using the influence of the Maintenance Association.

In terms of combat effectiveness, they are not even third-rate, and many of them have not even learned how to fire a gun after serving as a soldier for three months. "

The deputy commander smiled and said, "The Japanese are on guard against these locals. They want them to do things, but they don't dare to arm them, for fear that these people will turn their guns around and shoot them."

"Even those bandit armed forces recruited and converted from the Northeast have poor quality. According to intelligence from Hong Kong, they have not even been formalized so far. You know, the Japanese have occupied the Northeast for some time."

"These traitors are actually unwilling to work for the Japanese, and they are forced by the situation. If we have the time, energy and opportunity, we may try to win over a group of them and win them over to our anti-Japanese national united front."

The Deputy Chief of General Staff seemed to be lost in thought. Although he was always eager to speak, he did not open his mouth at this time.

"What are you thinking about?"

"The Lu Detachment mentioned in its previous report that the puppet troops in the central Hebei region have a strong sense of territory and are somewhat like warlord troops.

They were unwilling to use the weapons in their hands to fight their fellow villagers.

Some even believed that being a running dog of the Japanese was just a way to make a living.

For them, the soldiers in their hands are bargaining chips to maintain their own power and status.

This also provides the corresponding objective conditions for the subsequent raid.

After all, they don’t want the soldiers they depend on for survival to be lost in guerrilla warfare.”

The Jizhong region is the key area for the 18th Group Army to prepare for combat.

There are not only the Jinpu Railway and the Pinghan Railway.

There are also the Bac Ninh Railway and the Shide Railway.

The anti-Japanese forces in the Hebei-Central region were also extremely powerful.

In 38, after the Lu Detachment gained a firm foothold in the base area of ​​Cangzhou in central Hebei Province.

The Hebei guerrilla army led by Meng Qingshan.

The Hui Muslim detachment led by Ma Benzhai.

The Hebei militia led by Zhang Zhonghan joined in.

These have now become the backbone of the anti-Japanese war.

Not to mention the puppet army.

It's the Japanese army.

Without gathering heavy troops, they did not dare to rashly launch a sweep of central Hebei and other regions.

Just as several senior generals of the 18th Group Army were assigning combat missions.
The battle of Xiaobaozhuang began.

An unprecedented raid on North China is being planned in full swing.

The commander of the First Army, Yoshio Shinozuka, and the commander of the Tank Brigade, Toru Chiba, were also worried that this breakthrough was a trap carefully prepared by the enemy.

to this end.

In addition to the fierce attack on the Xiaobaozhuang position.

Yoshio Shinozuka also decided to launch a feint attack on other positions at the same time.

At least we have to tie down a certain amount of Chu Yunfei's troops.

Avoid the so-called encirclement and annihilation situation.

As the Japanese army adjusted its deployment.

Tanks and armored vehicles began to gather in the direction of the attack.

The front line position of Xiaobaozhuang at this time.

Shen Yunliang, the commander of the Sixth Company of the First Battalion of the Fourth Regiment, raised his binoculars and looked in the direction of the Japanese troops' assembly.

The Japanese army assembled at least six armored vehicles and tanks in their direction alone.

There are also a large number of cavalry units.

Although a lot of anti-tank mines were deliberately buried.

But God knows whether the Japanese tanks can get up there.

The messenger beside Shen Yunliang was a little nervous: "Captain, the number of the Japanese devils seems to be a bit too large, can we hold on?"

"According to the regiment's orders, we only need to wait until dark and then we can evacuate to the designated location."

Shen Yunliang looked down at his watch and said, "It's only five hours before dark. With so many of us, can't we stop the Japanese attack?"

"That's definitely no problem!" The messenger said with a grin, "I was thinking of you calling the regiment and asking for some artillery support."

"This way we can at least reduce casualties, right?"

Shen Yunliang nodded: "The enemy's offensive power is indeed a bit exaggerated. I have no way to deal with so many tanks. Our 60mm mortars are of little use in such a battle."

Shen Yunliang called the regiment headquarters.

After Pang Junming received the news, he reported it to Chu Yunfei without saying a word.

"Your Excellency, the Japanese army attacking Xiaobao Village has more troops than we expected. The enemy has at least ten tanks and armored vehicles. They have no anti-tank weapons. Please support us with artillery fire."

Chu Yunfei immediately agreed: "Junming, you can rest assured about this. There is an observation team in the direction of Xiaobaozhuang. Before you called, the 30th Artillery Regiment had already prepared for the bombardment!"

When the Japanese army adjusted its troop deployment.

The first thing he paid attention to was the direction of Xiaobaozhuang.

really.

The tentative attack was launched again in less than an hour and a half.

The Japanese army had already noticed the weakness of the defense line here and had assembled heavy troops.

Chu Yunfei made corresponding arrangements without saying a word.

The Japanese assembly point was within the firing range of the 30th Artillery Regiment.

If we don’t fight the Japanese when they gather, when will we fight?

that's it.

After the observation squad provided the information, Chu Yunfei directly ordered the 30th Artillery Regiment to provide half-base artillery support.

The bloody battle at Xiaobao Village thus kicked off.
(End of this chapter)