Devil's Army

In the evening, when the Japanese army was preparing to have dinner, the Second Regiment of the Jidong Independent Brigade launched a surprise attack on the Japanese army from both wings.

The Japanese army, unaware of the situation, had no choice but to continue retreating while resisting.

The Jidong Independent Brigade had no intention of letting this group of Japanese troops go, and had been following and pursuing them.

The Japanese army retreated to Nanhedi Village and, relying on the terrain, resisted the attack of the Jidong Independent Brigade and stabilized their position.

By this time, it was completely dark. The terrain of Nanhedi Village was complex, so the Jidong Independent Brigade did not dare to rush into Nanhedi Village rashly. They had no choice but to build fortifications and confront the Japanese army.

The next morning, the Japanese army, having recovered their strength, launched a fierce artillery attack on the Jidong Independent Brigade in front of the position in order to avenge yesterday's shame.

Since the fortifications of the Yidong Independent Brigade were temporary structures, they could not withstand artillery fire.

The Second Regiment Commander heard the intense Japanese artillery fire and ordered the main force to retreat, leaving a small force behind to observe, while calling for air force reinforcements.

After the Japanese artillery bombardment, the infantry quickly launched an attack on the positions of the Second Regiment.

The soldiers of the Second Regiment relied on the incomplete fortifications to desperately resist the Japanese attack.

At this time, the 1st Regiment of the Jidong Independent Brigade and the 8th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Eighth Route Army rushed over from the left and right sides to attack the Japanese army from both sides.

The Japanese army dispatched troops to resist the attacks of the 1st Regiment of the Jidong Independent Brigade and the 8th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army from both sides.

At this time, the First Army's air force rushed over and fiercely attacked the Japanese rear guard troops, support troops and artillery positions.

Lacking artillery support and with weak follow-up forces, the Japanese army finally could not hold on and continued to retreat towards Jiaozuo.

The soldiers of the Jidong Independent Brigade and the Eighth Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Eighth Route Army beat the Japanese army hard and kept chasing them until all the Japanese troops that invaded Jincheng were driven back to Jiaozuo.

In the direction of Changzhi, a Japanese army from Anyang, Henan was blocked by the 727th Regiment of the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army when it reached Hongti Pass from Anyang.

Changzhi, Shanxi Province mainly borders Anyang City, Hebi City and Xinxiang City in Henan Province.

In the border area between Changzhi and Henan, the easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack locations are mostly passes and mountainous areas along the Taihang Mountains, the most representative of which is Hongti Pass:

Hongti Pass is located in Pingshun County, Changzhi City. It is an important pass of "Hongti Pass" among the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountains. It is located between cliffs and was an important transportation route connecting Shanxi and Henan in ancient times.

The 727th Regiment of the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army, which arrived here by forced march, immediately set up artillery positions on the commanding heights.

Defensive fortifications were built on both sides of the narrow path, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Japanese army in Anyang, Henan.

After more than ten years of fighting with the First Anti-Japanese Army, the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army not only had greatly improved weapons and equipment, but its troop strength also increased dramatically from less than 3000 to more than 11000.

The first troops to enter Shanxi this time were the 727th and 728th Regiments of the 364th Brigade. The other half of the troops were handing over the defense line with the 11th Brigade of the First Army and were ready to enter Shanxi at any time.

The Japanese vanguard, with great momentum, broke through the outer positions of Hongti Pass. However, when the Japanese vanguard entered the Hongti Pass trail, it was subjected to heavy bombardment by the 364th Brigade's artillery.

The heavy casualties suffered by the Japanese army made the commander desperate, and he actually ordered two fighter planes and two bombers to take off from Zhangde Airport in Anyang, Henan to destroy the artillery positions of the 364th Brigade.

The Japanese commander didn't know that as soon as the battle on their side started, the Devil Force's air force would quickly rush to support them.

Soon, a mixed fighter-bomber squadron of the First Army encountered four Japanese fighter planes in the Changzhi airspace.