Devil's Army

While the Western Expedition Army was advancing into Chahar, the Japanese in Aozuikou had been besieged for nearly half a month. There was still food, but no drinking water.

There were many raspberries growing on the mountain, and the thirsty Japanese soldiers would climb out of the fortifications from time to time to pick berries to quench their thirst. But the price of doing so was to leave their lives behind.

Because Wulang had arranged snipers at both ends of Aozuikou, the Japanese soldiers who picked berries would either fall on the way to pick them or while picking them.

In the early morning of that day, a Japanese soldier successfully picked a small helmet of raspberries, quickly jumped down from the fortification, and called a little Japanese soldier next to him. The little Japanese soldier was his younger brother. The little Japanese soldier immediately ran towards his brother.

At this time, two LR-4 gunshots rang out, and the two Japanese soldiers were shot in the head at the same time. The blood-spattered raspberries in my brother's hand slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

The Japanese soldiers in the fortifications rushed over and scrambled for the raspberries that had fallen from his brother's helmet and were scattered in the fortifications. The few bloody raspberries that had slipped from his brother's hands were also snatched away.

The bodies of his two brothers lay alone, leaning against the fortifications, with no one paying any attention to them.

At this time, a Japanese captain came up from the fortifications with his back lowered and shouted at the group of Japanese soldiers who were snatching raspberries: "Baga!"

Two guards came forward and tried to take the berries from them. The Japanese soldiers reluctantly opened their hands and let the guards take the berries from them.

One of the corporals was probably really thirsty, so he took advantage of no one's attention and threw the raspberries in his hand into his mouth.

The Japanese captain pulled out his pistol and shot the corporal in the hand without hesitation.

The bullet passed through the palm of the corporal's hand, and he knelt down on the spot, howling in pain. The raspberry he had just stuffed into his mouth also fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the Japanese soldier next to him hurriedly handed the raspberries he had just snatched to the guard.

Rushing out would mean death, and staying in the fortifications would mean waiting for death. Either way, it would be death. The Japanese captain decided to break out.

He sent a telegram to another Japanese squadron leader on the opposite hillside to agree on a breakout plan and time. He also contacted the Japanese in Diaobingshan County to request reinforcements.

At noon, a small group of Japanese soldiers in the fortifications took off their coats and jackets, tore a strip of white cloth from their jackets, cut a hole in their fingers with bayonets, and stained a solid circle on the white cloth with blood. Then they tied the white cloth on their foreheads.

The corporal who was shot in the palm by the captain also belonged to this squad. He did not join the suicide squad because of his injury. Later he was captured and joined the anti-war alliance. Of course, this is a story for later.

At exactly twelve o'clock, the Japs launched a fierce attack on the position of a regiment in the south while the devil troops were having lunch.

"Wulang, the Japanese have broken through to the south." Deputy Brigade Commander Dai Ansheng said to Wulang after hearing the gunshots.

"The nearest stronghold of the Japanese in the south is at least hundreds of miles away. Why don't the Japanese break out to Tiaobinshan County? They seek a farther destination instead of a closer one? They want to play a feint to the east and attack in the west with me, but it's impossible." Thinking of this, Wulang shouted, "Signage soldier."

A soldier at the door came in, saluted, and asked, "Brigade Commander, you're looking for me?"

"Notify the Third Regiment to pay attention to the movement of troops to Shan County."

"Yes," the signalman had not left yet when a signalman from the Third Regiment came over to report: Seven or eight hundred Japanese devils and puppet troops were approaching from the direction of Tiaoshan County.

Wu Lang and Deputy Brigade Commander Dai smiled at each other, and Wu Lang said:

"Now that you're here, don't leave."

Wu Lang immediately ordered: "The first battalion of the third regiment will move secretly to the left to block the retreat of this group of devils; the first battalion of the second regiment will move to the left to surround this group of devils; the second battalion of the second regiment will move to the right to surround this group of devils. The third battalion of the second regiment will continue to keep an eye on the devils at Aozuikou."

The signalman saluted and immediately went out to convey the order.

There was intense gunfire coming from a regiment in the south. The devils kept rushing forward like crazy, regardless of casualties.

At this time, fierce gunfire and grenade explosions were heard from the north of Aozuikou.

The main force of the Japanese broke out to the north.

More than 300 Japanese soldiers were unable to spread out on the narrow mountainside on the north side, so they had to take turns charging at the positions of the Third Battalion of the Second Regiment.

There are more than 600 people in the Third Battalion. If these 300-plus Japanese soldiers are allowed to rush out, the commander of the Third Battalion should just hang himself with a piece of noodles.

The light and heavy firepower of the Third Battalion continued to fire, and many Japanese corpses fell in layers at the pass on the mountainside.

At this time, the Japanese reinforcements from Tiaobinshan County also launched an attack on the position of the Third Regiment. When the Japanese in Aozuikou heard the gunfire from the reinforcements from Tiaobinshan County, they attacked even more frantically as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Just as the Japanese reinforcements from Bingshan County were attacking the positions of the Third Regiment with all their might, the First Battalion on his left and the Second Battalion on his right also launched attacks on the Japanese reinforcements one after another.

The Japanese reinforcements in Tiaobinshan County had to split into two groups, one to resist the attacks of the left and the other to resist the attacks of the devil troops on the right. The Japanese in the middle continued to intensify their attack. They set up four mortars in the middle and bombarded the positions of the Third Regiment.

Unfortunately, the sweet potatoes this year are not as good as the taro in previous years. The Second Brigade is no longer a force of a few hundred people who can only launch surprise attacks and hide in caves.

As soon as the Japanese mortars began to bombard the positions of the Third Regiment, the two mountain guns and four mortars of the Second Brigade immediately launched a secondary fire coverage on the Japanese mortar positions.

After the Japanese mortar positions were destroyed, the artillery of the Second Brigade continued to bombard the Japanese who were charging towards Tiaobingshan County.

The Japanese were bombarded by the Second Brigade's artillery and blocked by the fierce light and heavy firepower of the Third Regiment, but they were never able to break into the Third Regiment's position.

At this time, the gunfire from the south of Aozuikou had stopped, and a regiment of soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield. The gunfire from the north of Aozuikou had also become much less frequent.

The commander of the Japanese reinforcements in Tiaobingshan County had no choice but to change the rear team into the front team and return to Tiaobingshan County.

The 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment rushed out of the fortifications and wiped out the Japanese who had broken out of Aozuikou, and recaptured the fortifications at Aozuikou Pass.