Devil's Army

The captain was ordering the artillery to launch a fierce bombardment on the west gate wall of Hengshui City.

Japanese soldiers are attacking Hengshui City in an orderly manner under the cover of artillery.

Soldiers from a company of the 2nd Regiment of the 6th Brigade were hiding from the artillery fire under the wooden anti-gun panels at the foot of the city wall. Only a few observers were left on the city wall.

The newly formed machine gun battalion of the Jidong Independent Brigade was all hiding behind the city gate, ready to attack at any time.

Before the Japanese army reached the city wall of Hengshui, the artillery of the First Army began to roar.

This time, Brigade Commander Li concentrated the Sixth Brigade, the Jidong Independent Brigade, and the artillery captured from the Japanese artillery units in the culvert to suppress the Japanese artillery positions.

Soon, the Japanese captain's artillery position was defeated by the devil troops' artillery bombardment.

The artillery that was not moved in time was all destroyed by the artillery of the devil troops. Some shells exploded, further increasing the losses of the Japanese artillery positions.

At this time, the artillery of the Devil's Army did not stop the bombing, but built a dense wall of artillery fire five or six hundred meters away from their troops.

The observer on the city wall informed the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of the Jidong Independent Brigade that artillery fire had begun to bombard the Japanese infantry. The battalion commander immediately opened the city gate and led the newly formed machine gun battalion to rush towards the Japanese troops outside the city.

Hundreds of light machine guns were like hundreds of sickles, constantly reaping the lives of Japanese soldiers outside the city walls.

The Japanese troops outside the city had not yet recovered from the fierce artillery bombardment when they were fiercely shot at by the devil soldiers and quickly organized resistance. However, they had no way to resist the rain of bullets.

Some Japanese soldiers risked their lives to break through the devil troops' artillery fire wall, but they were all blown to pieces by the shells.

The Japanese troops outside the artillery wall wanted to rush over to reinforce the Japanese troops under the city wall, but they were also blown to pieces and had to retreat.

The artillery fire from the Sixth Brigade lasted for more than half an hour before it stopped, and the massacre by the machine gun battalion also lasted for nearly half an hour before it stopped.

The soldiers of the machine gun battalion began to clean up the battlefield. When they encountered some wounded Japanese soldiers, they did not rescue them but shot them directly.

In more than half an hour, half of the Japanese infantry squadron was wiped out.

Brigade Commander Gui was also stunned at the front line. He said to Li Guozhu:

"Commander Li, your artillery fire is just as fierce as that of the Japanese."

"When I led the guerrillas to fight the Japanese in Northeast China, I suffered enough from insufficient firepower. Now I believe in firepower supremacy. If I can solve the problem with artillery, I will never argue with the Japanese."

"No wonder the Japs call you the Devil's Army. You are scarier than the devil in their eyes," said Brigade Commander Gui with a smile.

"It is our honor to be the devil who kills the Japanese." Brigade Commander Li also said with a smile.

At this time, the sentry came over and reported to Brigade Commander Li: Japanese troops were found on all sides of Hengshui City.

"Have they launched an attack on us?" Brigade Commander Li asked the sentry.

"At present, the Japanese troops at the four gates outside Hengshui City have not launched an attack, but are just surrounding them."

"Our three brigades are guarding Hengshui City. Even if the two Japanese divisions want to capture us, it depends on whether they have such strong teeth." Brigade Commander Li said to Brigade Commander Gui with a smile.

"Liu said that you were attacking Hengshui City and asked us to retreat to Hengshui City to join you. I was afraid that we would be surrounded by the Japanese in Hengshui City, but now it seems that my worries were unnecessary."

"Don't worry. Hengshui City has thick walls and the Japanese army will not be able to attack it in a short time. Moreover, our First Army's air force temporarily occupies the air superiority in this area. I will send a telegram to the army commander and ask him to arrange for the air force to come to reinforce tomorrow. The Japanese army will have to think twice before they want to capture Hengshui City."

The fierce artillery fire from the devil troops did indeed stun the division commander Ichiro Nanada.

Half of his infantry battalion was wiped out in half an hour. But he was afraid that the main force of the Eighth Route Army would escape from Hengshui City, so he had to surround Hengshui City on all sides.

In the evening, Brigade Commander Gui sent a telegram to his old superior, Division Commander Liu, to report the progress of today's battle and lament the fierce artillery fire of the First Anti-Japanese Army.

Soon, Division Commander Liu replied to the telegram, telling Brigade Commander Gui that the First Anti-Japanese Army had shocked him far more than just the fierce artillery fire. He also told him another thing that surprised him.

The Jidong Independent Brigade of the First Anti-Japanese Army was originally the Eighth Route Army unit that participated in the Jidong Uprising. After the uprising failed, the brigade was rescued by the First Anti-Japanese Army and incorporated into the First Anti-Japanese Army, participating in its training and combat operations against Japan.

Commander Gao of the Jidong Independent Brigade is a senior commander of our party.

Only then did Brigade Commander Gui realize that there was always a strange kind of intimacy in the way Brigade Commander Gao looked at him.