Devil's Army

The captain of the first squadron knew the advantages of his aircraft compared with the Japanese fighters, so he did not get entangled with the Japanese fighters that had the advantage in numbers.

He ordered the wingman on the left to leave the formation and chase the Japanese bombers. As long as the Japanese bombers were shot down, their four artillery batteries would be safe.

He circled with his wingman on the right and the Japanese fighter planes that were approaching.

The Japanese air squadron leader saw a sharp-nosed plane from the Devil Force break away from the formation and rush towards their bomber, so he quickly sent two fighters to surround and attack the fighter of the Devil Force.

Before the Japanese fighter planes caught up with the Devil Force's pointed aircraft, the left wingman had already caught up with a fleeing Japanese bomber and successfully shot it to pieces in mid-air.

Seeing this, the Japanese bombers hurriedly flew towards their fighter groups to seek protection.

The Japanese fighter planes had to encircle and annihilate the two pointed planes of the Devil Forces on the one hand, and protect their bombers on the other hand, so they began to become flustered.

The captain of the first squadron and his right wingman seized the opportunity, shot down two lagging Japanese fighters, and then increased their speed and flew away from the Japanese fighter group.

The planes of the two armies were fighting fiercely over Shanhaiguan, and the Japanese battalion commander launched a fierce attack on Shanhaiguan, but was met with fierce bombardment from the large-caliber artillery of the four artillery platforms and tenacious resistance from the three regiments of soldiers on the city wall.

Because the attack on Qinhuangdao was not going well, the commander of the 8th Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army, Maeda Toshi, sent a telegram to inquire about the battle situation in Shanhaiguan.

The captain, with a sad face, asked the signalman to reply: the troops were bombarded by large-caliber artillery from Shanhaiguan and progress was not smooth.

As time went on, more and more Japanese fighter planes were ambushed and shot down. The Japanese advantage in the number of aircraft gradually decreased, and the fuel began to run low, so they had to return.

Without the support of the air force, the captain had even less confidence in taking Shanhaiguan. However, he had sensed from the tone of the division commander Maeda that the division commander was dissatisfied with him. He quickly called together several capable squadron leaders to discuss countermeasures.

The captain of the first squadron believed that unless the artillery fire of the devil troops on the four artillery batteries was suppressed, it would be difficult to attack the Wangyang Gate (South Gate) of Shanhaiguan.

The captain of the second squadron thought that another force could be sent to bypass Wangyang Gate and Zhendong Gate (East Gate) which were close to the four artillery batteries of Shanhaiguan, and attack from Weiyuan Gate (North Gate) of Shanhaiguan.

The captain believed that the Weiyuan Gate of Shanhaiguan was backed by the Yanshan Mountains. The Yanshan Mountains were high and steep, and were a natural barrier. To attack the Weiyuan Gate from the north, it was necessary to cross or climb over the Yanshan Mountains. The transportation of cannons and other supplies was a problem.

And if they cross the Yanshan Mountains, who can guarantee that the devil troops will not set up an ambush on both sides of Yanshan? In this way, the troops will have to fight a fierce battle with the devil troops before they attack Shanhaiguan.

Moreover, Weiyuan Gate itself is located on the wall of Shanhaiguan, which is 14 meters high and 10 meters thick. The devil troops can attack them from a high position on Weiyuan Gate. However, their cannons can hardly collapse the wall of Weiyuan Gate.

Another point is that there is a moat outside Weiyuan Gate. The wide moat lies between the gate and them. If they want to approach Weiyuan Gate, they must cross the moat first, which delays their attack to a certain extent and increases the difficulty of attacking Shanhaiguan.

This was also the main reason why they deliberately bypassed Weiyuan Gate and attacked Zhendong Gate after coming from Rehe.

The captain of the third squadron believed that if they took a detour to the Ying'en Gate (West Gate) of Shanhaiguan, it would take more time. In addition, the terrain of the West Gate of Shanhaiguan was higher and the moat outside the city was not narrow, making it difficult for the troops to attack.

Finally, the captain decided to continue to request aviation reinforcements from the division commander Maeda. He left a troop to feint an attack on the east gate of the town to tie down the main force of the devil's troops in Shanhaiguan City.

He personally led a large army across the Yanshan Mountains and launched a surprise attack on Shanhaiguan from Weiyuan Gate.

As for the lack of firepower caused by transportation, it can be supplemented by air force.

At that time, the First Army's garrison at Shanhaiguan was the Third Regiment of the Fourth Brigade.

Since Shanhaiguan was easy to defend but difficult to attack, the commander of the Third Regiment left a small number of garrisons at the four gates of Shanhaiguan.

The Weiyuan Gate of Shanhaiguan is relatively close to Rehe. At the beginning of the war, the commander of the Third Regiment judged that the Japanese army would attack from here. So he organized the first line of defense in the Yanshan Mountains. He also left a battalion of troops at the Weiyuan Gate.

Although the artillery fire from the four artillery batteries could not support Weiyuan Gate, the commander of the third regiment deployed two 150mm howitzers in the depth of Weiyuan Gate.

Who knew that the Japanese army would bypass the Yanshan Mountains and attack directly the east gate of his town.

At that time, the Third Regiment suggested to its commander that the company stationed in the Yanshan Mountains be transferred back to assist in the defense of the town's east gate. He did not agree, but only transferred a company of reserve troops to assist in the defense of the town's east gate.

Leng Feng also knew the importance of the four artillery batteries, and asked Captain Xu to reserve troops to reinforce the four artillery batteries in Shanhaiguan at any time.