Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Therefore, the battalion commander Colonel Katsumi Horiuchi organized an assault force, combining his first and fourth squadrons, as well as the battalion's artillery squad, communications squad and medical squad to form an "integrated battalion" led by Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, commander of the first squadron, to prepare to launch a sneak attack on the Chinese army positions on Kageju Mountain.

The troops of the Japanese Army's 9th Independent Mixed Brigade had actually just been transferred from Shanxi Province to the 11th Army before the Battle of Changsha. Because they had often fought with the Eighth Route Army in mountainous areas before, they had rich experience in mountain warfare. The 11th Army also hoped that this unit could play a role in logistics support and clearing the rear of the occupied areas.

The commander of the Japanese Army's 9th Independent Mixed Brigade, Major General Kenkichi Ikegami, and officers at all levels in the brigade, because they were among the famous field divisions of the 11th Army, wanted to perform well so that the people from these main divisions would not underestimate them.

However, the Japanese Army's 9th Independent Mixed Brigade had long been engaged in small- and medium-scale guerrilla warfare and had no experience in large-scale combat. As a result, as soon as the commander of the 40th Infantry Battalion, Colonel Katsumi Horiuchi, arrived at Yingzhu Mountain with his troops, he used the old method he used in Shanxi Province and wanted to send a group of elite troops to conduct a night attack to complete the combat mission.

That night, Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, commander of the 1st Squadron, led this "integrated brigade" and, under the cover of darkness, secretly attacked the mountain from the southern foot of Mt. Yingzhu.

The Japanese night attack force led by Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the first squadron, made relatively smooth progress at the beginning. The Chinese army did not have many defensive forces on the southern slope, which allowed the Japanese night attack force to rush to a place less than 300 meters away from the top of the mountain. At this distance, the Japanese night attack force was finally stopped by the Chinese army on the top of the mountain.

In an old temple on the top of the mountain is the headquarters of the New 10th Division of the 58th Army of the Chinese government. The commander of the New 10th Division, Lu Daoyuan, saw that the Japanese troops had actually launched a night attack. As it was impossible to see the scale of the Japanese attacking forces at night, after blocking the Japanese night attack troops in the position in front of the top of the mountain, Commander Lu quickly led the division headquarters to withdraw to the left wing for safety reasons.

However, the purpose of Captain Yamazaki, the commander of the Japanese "Integrated Battalion", was not just to occupy the old temple on the hill. Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the first squadron, knew that the commanding height of Hill 559 of Yingzhu Mountain was a few hundred meters southwest of here, which was the ultimate goal of his night attack.

Seeing that the Chinese army's defense on the old temple side was relatively strong, Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the first squadron, immediately ordered the night attack troops to stop attacking the old temple on the top of the mountain and instead launched a full-scale attack on Hill 559.

When the Japanese night attack force began to exchange fire with the troops of the newly formed 10th Division, Commander Sun of the 58th Army of the Chinese government immediately dispatched all the reconnaissance officers and soldiers. He needed to find out the scale of the Japanese night attack force as soon as possible so as to formulate a plan for the subsequent defensive blocking operations.

Soon, the reconnaissance officers and soldiers of the 58th Army brought news about the scale of the Japanese night attack force. When they learned that the Japanese night attack force was at most a battalion, Commander Sun of the 58th Army immediately understood that the Japanese army was trying to bring him military merit.

Therefore, Commander Sun of the 58th Army made a prompt decision to completely encircle and destroy the Japanese night attack force at Yingzhu Mountain. At the same time, Commander Sun mobilized all the elite troops of the 58th Army and personally supervised the counterattack against the Japanese night attack force.

Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the leader of the 559st Squadron, led the night attack force and was surrounded by the th Army's troops halfway to Hill . The officers and soldiers of the Chinese troops were obviously more familiar with the terrain on the mountain and continuously launched counterattacks against the Japanese night attack force.

At this time, Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the 1st Squadron, gradually discovered that his night attack force had been besieged by the Chinese army on Yingzhu Mountain. In this situation, Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the 1st Squadron, also knew that this night attack would not be able to occupy the highest peak of Yingzhu Mountain. Now the question before him was not whether he could occupy the highest peak of Yingzhu Mountain, but whether the night attack force he led could retreat and see the captain alive.

The officers and soldiers of the 58th Army surrounded the Japanese night attack troops in a small area. It was a great pleasure to fight them. The happiest ones were the officers and soldiers of the 58th Army's mortar unit. The Japanese night attack troops were in such a small area, and they reaped a lot of rewards with one shot.

The officers and men of the 58th Army were very happy that night, but Colonel Katsumi Horiuchi, commander of the 40th Independent Infantry Battalion at the foot of Yingzhu Mountain, was extremely anxious when he heard the fierce gunfire and explosions on the mountain.

From the time when Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, commander of the 1st Squadron, led the night attack force to set out until now, Battalion Commander Colonel Katsumi Horiuchi has not seen a single signalman sent back, and he is completely in the dark about the combat situation of the night attack force on the mountain.

However, Colonel Katsumi Horiuchi, commander of the 40th Independent Infantry Battalion, could roughly judge from the fierce gunfire and explosions coming from the mountain that his night attack troops were under fierce attack from the Chinese army. But there was nothing he could do now. He only had two squadrons of troops with him. Even if he wanted to reinforce, it would be difficult to break through the Chinese army's blocking line.

Before Colonel Katsumimi Horiuchi, commander of the 40th Independent Infantry Battalion, could decide whether to take the two squadrons of officers and soldiers around him to reinforce the mountain, suddenly, fierce gunfire was heard around the temporary base of the 40th Independent Infantry Battalion at the foot of the mountain.

Commander Sun of the 58th Army learned from the intelligence feedback from the reconnaissance officers and soldiers that there was less than a battalion of Japanese troops at the foot of Yingzhu Mountain. So, Commander Sun dispatched a part of his troops to entangle these Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain. After destroying the Japanese night attack troops on the mountain, he surrounded and destroyed the Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain.

For Commander Sun of the 58th Army, these were all military achievements given to him for free by the Japanese Army. You little Japanese underestimated your 58th Army too much. Just a battalion of troops dared to attack your defensive positions. No one would tolerate this.

After a night of beating, the Japanese night attack force led by Captain Shigeru Yamazaki, the captain of the 1st Squadron, was basically wiped out by the officers and soldiers of the 58th Army. Why do we say "basically"? Because in this night attack force organized by the 40th Independent Infantry Battalion, a sergeant named Saito ran away. He was the only survivor of this unit.