Devil's Army

In Shijiazhuang, the Japanese army led by Division Commander Ichiro Shichida gathered part of the 110th Division stationed in Shijiazhuang, the remnants of the 36th Division, and the remnants of the 20th Division and set off towards Jinzhou which was occupied by the devil's troops.

When the Japanese army reached the south bank of the Hutuo River, they were blocked by the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region troops.

At that time, there was a railway connecting Shijiazhuang to Hengshui City, and there was a railway bridge over the Hutuo River.

After the Sixth Brigade of the First Anti-Japanese Army recaptured Jinzhou City, they dug up the railway, so that trains from Shijiazhuang could only reach the south bank of the Hutuo River.

The Sixth Brigade deployed a battalion of troops to garrison on the north bank of the Hutuo River.

The Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region troops ambushed the Japanese army on the north bank of the Hutuo River under the order of the headquarters.

When the Japanese army left Gaocheng and reached the path between Dongli Village and Lianghe Village in Wuji County, they were attacked by troops of the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region who were ambushed in the embankments and woods.

The Japanese army knew that the devil troops occupied the railway bridge on the south bank of the Hutuo River and set up a defense line there. They did not expect to be attacked on the north bank of the Hutuo River, and their formation was in chaos.

Soon, the captain of the first battalion of the 101st Division, the vanguard of the Japanese army, stabilized his troops and began to launch a counterattack against the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region troops in the riverbank and woods.

The battle lasted for nearly an hour, and the Japanese army launched heavy artillery fire to attack the Eighth Route Army troops on the river bank and in the woods.

In order to preserve its strength, the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region Independent Regiment decided to retreat.

When the Japanese army marched to Shenze County, it was located at the confluence of the Hutuo River and the Ci River, with many embankments and trees. The independent regiment of the Jizhong Military Region used the embankments and lush trees to ambush the Japanese army again.

When the Japanese army used fierce artillery bombardment again, the Eighth Route Army Jizhong Military Region Independent Regiment had already evacuated the Shenze County position and reached the position of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade on the south bank of the Hutuo River through the Hutuo River Railway Bridge.

The Japanese vanguard stumbled and finally reached the north bank of the Hutuo River railway bridge.

At this time, the troops of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade on the south bank had received the news and were ready for battle.

The Japanese artillery units then launched a fierce bombardment on the positions of the first battalion on the south bank of the Hutuo River.

The commander of a battalion knew that the Japanese army would definitely use artillery fire to clear the way before attacking, so he did not leave even a single observer at the south bank position and all retreated to the rear to avoid the artillery fire.

After the Japanese artillery bombarded the 1st Battalion's position on the south bank for more than half an hour, they began to attack the Hutuo River Railway Bridge.

When the vanguard of the Japanese 101st Division rushed to the north bank of the Hutuo River railway bridge, it was suddenly bombarded fiercely by the artillery of the nd Regiment of the th Brigade.

The commander of the 101st Division of the Japanese Army was preparing to fight with the infantry of the Devil's Army to seize the railway bridge. Unexpectedly, he was bombarded by artillery fire before he even saw the shadow of the infantry.

The Japanese infantry was heavily bombarded by the Second Regiment's artillery, and the Japanese artillery immediately counterattacked in an attempt to counter the Second Regiment's artillery fire. The remaining infantry continued to attack the Hutuo River railway bridge.

The commander of the first battalion guessed that the Japanese army would be repelled after being bombarded by artillery fire, and then the artillery fire would retaliate against their positions on the south bank. Unexpectedly, the Japanese army not only did not retreat, but continued to attack. As a last resort, he immediately ordered the first company to enter the position.

A company commander led his soldiers and quickly ran towards the position on the south bank of the Hutuo River, killing the Japanese infantry who had already boarded the railway bridge from a long distance.

There were intensive gunshots and artillery explosions on both sides of the Hutuo River.

In the end, the vanguard of the Japanese 101st Division that survived the artillery fire was repelled by a series of dense bullets.

The 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade successfully defended the Hutuo River Railway Bridge. At this time, the artillery of both sides was still bombarding each other.

With the arrival of the main force of the Japanese 101st Division, the pressure on the company suddenly increased.

The commander of the 101st Division ordered his troops to continue attacking the railway bridge.

Japanese soldiers were shot down one after another from the Hutuo River Railway Bridge and fell into the turbulent Hutuo River.

The number of soldiers in a company on the south bank of the Hutuo River was also decreasing.

The commander of the independent regiment of the Jidong Military Region was preparing to lead his troops to provide reinforcements.

The commander of the first battalion of the Sixth Brigade stopped him and said to the commander of the independent regiment in a tragic tone:

"Defending the Hutuo River Railway Bridge is the mission assigned to our battalion by Brigade Commander Li. If our entire battalion is sacrificed and the reinforcements have not arrived, please ask the regiment commander to come forward to reinforce us."

It was the first time for the head of the independent regiment to fight together with the troops of the First Anti-Japanese Army. This unit was well-known in the central and southern regions of the wing, and its determination to fight against the Japanese and its courage to die were no less than those of the Eighth Route Army.

He nodded silently and stayed behind with his troops, ready to provide reinforcements at any time.

The Japanese battalion commander transferred four mortars from the artillery that was exchanging fire with the Devil Force's artillery, and fiercely bombarded the Devil Force's positions on the south bank of the Hutuo River.

The casualties of the soldiers in the company on the south bank of the Hutuo River rose sharply, and the blocking firepower became weaker and weaker.

Some Japanese troops began to rush onto the Hutuo River railway bridge.

The position on the south bank of the Hutuo River Railway Bridge is in danger.