Bright Sword: Start with Ding Blast Bridge, Homemade Sweet Potato Cake

The division commander withstood the pressure from the headquarters for Ding Wei. The Shanxi-North Column had to face both the troops stationed in Mongolia and the surveillance of a division of the First Army.

If other troops were sent in, who could hold out?

It can tie up the main force of the 41st Division, making the Eighth Route Army in Taiyue and Taihang Mountain areas much more comfortable.

Especially in the Jinzhong direction, as soon as the pressure on Brigade Commander Chen was relieved, he immediately planned a battle against the Zhengtai Road.

Develop steadily and support the North China battlefield.

Yoshio Iwamatsu could no longer sit still. He would rather give up the eight heavy weapons and quickly eliminate the threat from the north.

Order Abe Heisuke not to just defend but to launch an offensive.

With the support of air firepower, they captured Gang County and defeated and annihilated the Eighth Route Army that was sweeping northern Shanxi.

At this moment, Lieutenant General Abe Heisuke was confused.

Obviously he should be Bai Qi in the Battle of Changping, with a powerful empire and able to hold on.

The fighting had only lasted a few days when the First Army Headquarters could no longer bear it.

Could it be that I got the wrong script, and got Zhao Kuo's?

Lieutenant General Abe Heisuke frowned. Given the current loss of troops, it would be beneficial for his 41st Division to continue holding on.

After reducing the front-line deployment, the Eighth Route Army's artillery shells will be consumed one after another.

If they continue to fight like this for more than ten days, the Eighth Route Army in northern Shanxi will have no shells left. That will be the best time for the 41st Division to launch a fierce attack.

But the First Army Command's meaning was clear;

In the trial attack, the 41st Division had three infantry regiments and an artillery battalion.

In front of them, there were only 1-2 regiments of the Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army was a paper tiger, breaking through the artillery blockade. Could it be that 8 howitzers would stop the 41st Division from moving forward?

Yoshio Iwamatsu and Heisuke Abe had different combat requirements for the 41st Division's entry into the Xinding Basin.

The former believed that the strength of a division was enough to solve the problems in northern Shanxi.

The latter believed that the strength of a division was enough to stabilize the situation in northern Shanxi.

Stop making trouble. There is the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army on the left, the Eighth Route Army on the right, and Ding Wei, a powerful enemy in the north.

Without additional troops from Datong and Zhangjiakou, can the 41st Division alone solve the problem?

There was strategic ambiguity, but as the commander of the First Army, Yoshio Iwamatsu had the right to focus on the combat situation.

The 41st Division was deployed to capture cities and retake lost occupied areas.

Instead of being a coward and allowing the Eighth Route Army to provoke you.

Who wouldn't hold on? Do we need to transfer a division?

Abe Heisuke felt very troubled. Zhao Kuo, he definitely followed Zhao Kuo's script.

I felt very depressed.

He overlooked the fact that the Japanese invaders were in urgent need of a railway line. The Tongpu Railway Line was the lifeblood of the First Army and the foundation for its connection with the Pingsui Railway.

If the railways are blocked, it will be difficult to deploy troops.

Northern Shanxi, northwestern Shanxi, and Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei all require heavy military concentration and a unified sweep.

The 41st Division readjusted its strategy and took an offensive stance.

The three main regiments of Mito, Takasaki and Utsunomiya pushed forward to the north together.

Ding Wei was somewhat surprised to notice the change in the Japanese invaders' offense and defense.

Are the Japanese no longer cowards?

They invaded the Gang County area from the directions of Xin County and Dingxiang County respectively.

Large numbers of Japanese soldiers, wave after wave, crossed the river and attacked the Eighth Route Army's defensive positions.

There was gunfire everywhere.

The Japanese artillery appeared, with 36 mountain cannons attacking along with three infantry regiments.

They launched a fierce attack towards the north in three directions, with great momentum and evil intentions.

The Japs got anxious.

The sudden change in offense and defense made the Gang County Detachment feel the pressure of the 41st Division.

Fire was opened on many fronts, and the Japanese soldiers, armed with rifles, counterattacked the positions under the cover of artillery fire.

It is worth mentioning that the rotary machine gun is better in defense than in offense.

The artillery units of both sides can fight back with fierce firepower in an open and aboveboard manner.

Ding Wei's artillery regiment, heavy artillery battalion, and heavy mortar battalion were respectively put into battle.

Unexpectedly, the fierce battle between the two sides directly increased in intensity.

"The 5th and 6th Regiments will gather in Gang County and be ready to fight at any time. Zhang Dabiao and Gao Qing's two teams will keep a close eye on the north and northeast. The cavalry regiment and the column reconnaissance battalion will join the front battlefield."

"Take on the positive pressure."

The Eighth Route Army must not only be good at guerrilla warfare, but also learn how to fight tough battles and positional warfare.

The firepower of the counterattack was fierce. Whether it was artillery or light and heavy machine gun firepower, Ding Wei had the advantage.

The only flaw comes from the sky.

As the Japanese army attacked, planes roared in and dropped bombs on the Eighth Route Army's defensive line.

The explosions continued in succession, destroying the defensive positions.

The defending soldiers suffered heavy losses.

Lacking effective anti-aircraft weapons, it was difficult to pose a threat to Japanese aircraft with only light and heavy machine guns.

Under continuous bombing, Kong Jie had to apply to withdraw from the battle and retreat to Gang County.

Or they could move into the mountainous areas, use the terrain to their advantage, and fight the Japanese. This was the combat method that the Eighth Route Army was best at.

The comrades suffered heavy casualties. If we fight like this, our troops will be wiped out.

The Jinbei Column, with its abundant firepower, still had enough strength to face the attack of a division head-on.

Ding Wei also had to deal with the pressure of the plane, which gave him a headache.

"Old Kong, calm down. Casualties among the troops are inevitable. The main battle will be held at night. During the day, we should focus on defense. Don't force the defense. We should block the retreat in stages."

As long as the enemy in the front is tied up, the Independent Regiment and the 358th Regiment can accomplish their goals on the flanks.

There are also Jinshan, Beiyunzhong River and Hutuo River as natural defensive fortifications, and the attacking side suffered heavy casualties.

The two sides fought fiercely for a day. With the support of aircraft, the Japanese invaders advanced all the way, but they also lost hundreds of troops.

Our side lost three main companies and hundreds of soldiers.

All in all, the casualties remained at 1:1.

The greatest casualties came from air raids, not from Japanese assaults.

As it was getting dark and it was our turn to attack, Ding Wei ordered the 5th and 6th Regiments to join the battle and cooperate with the Gang County Detachment to retake the lost positions.

The hidden artillery was deployed to cooperate with the troops in counterattack.

In an offensive and defensive battle, there is both attack and defense, highlighting the back and forth movement.

We can’t let the Japanese keep attacking; let them have a taste of the Shanxi-Northern Column’s offensive.

As soon as it gets dark, they immediately launch a counterattack.

Mortars and grenade launchers covered the attack, while the armored battalion quietly moved out in the dark and moved towards Gang County.

This is Ding Wei's trump card, which he wants to use to give the Japanese the final blow.

Chu Yunfei and Li Yunlong, who were observing the opportunity from the flank, also showed their fangs. Especially the shrewd Li Yunlong, he targeted the baggage train of the 41st Division and launched a surprise attack in the dark.

The main forces of the division are all in the front, and the troops in the rear are relatively empty, which is suitable for the independent regiment to steal here.

Li Yunlong is also a good at surprise attacks, and he arranged the main forces of two battalions to participate in the battle. That's quite generous.

The raid on Daming Town was a transfer point for the Japanese invaders' supplies, where a large number of combat supplies and ammunition were stored.

Chu Yunfei didn't want to help out and didn't want to get involved in the current chaos.

I was also worried that I would not be able to handle the situation alone. If the Japanese 41st Division was transferred over and I didn't deal with it, everyone would have a hard time.

They also sent troops to harass Douluo Town, destroy the enemy's logistical supply lines, and raid their baggage trains.

Xinding Basin Offensive and Defense Situation