Devil's Army

The next morning, the Japanese army in Zhengzhou began to attack Dazhaoying Railway Station.

Dazhaoying Railway Station is located at the junction of the Yellow River and Qin River alluvial plains and the alluvial inclined plain in front of Taihang Mountains. The terrain is flat, but the middle part is high and is an east-west earth ridge.

The Second Regiment of the First Brigade set up artillery positions on Tuling.

When attacking Dazhaoying Railway Station, the Japanese army was exposed in the flat area and had difficulty finding effective cover. They suffered heavy casualties under the fierce bombardment of the Second Regiment's artillery.

Subsequently, the Japanese artillery launched a counterattack against the Second Regiment's artillery on Tuling, and the two sides engaged in fierce bombardment.

Not long after the artillery exchange between the two sides, the Luliang Air Force, which was supporting the battle at the Jialu River Bridge, rushed over to provide reinforcements.

The smoke and flames produced by the explosion pointed out the bombing location for the Luliang Air Force.

The Japanese artillery positions in Zhengzhou were bombed again by the Luliang Air Force.

The Japanese infantry in Zhengzhou that was attacking was also attacked by air and had to temporarily stop the attack to avoid the bombing of the Luliang Air Force.

The air strike by the Luliang Air Force effectively supported the blocking battle of the first brigade.

The Japanese army failed to break through the defense line of Dazhaoying Railway Station until evening.

The Japanese army attempted to attack Dazhaoying Railway Station from the flank, but a retreating regiment deployed defenses in Dazhaoying Village, Liudazhao Village, Lidazhao Village and other villages near Dazhaoying Railway Station.

The buildings in these villages can provide natural cover for the defenders, and the villagers have a good foundation, providing the regiment with logistical services such as ammunition transportation and transporting the wounded.

This made it difficult for the Japanese troops in Zhengzhou to easily break through the outer defense line of Dazhaoying for a while.

At this time, the Japanese troops in Jiaozuo and Shangqiu also launched attacks on the defense lines of the 1st Brigade and the Jidong Independent Brigade from several other directions.

The defense lines in several places in Xinxiang are in crisis.

Gray Wolf then dispatched the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army stationed in Shanxi to reinforce the south.

Shortly after the Luliang Yan army provoked a rebellion and was beaten, another group of Yan's army also provoked a rebellion and fought for territory. They were severely defeated by the Sichuan Army 364.

All the weapons and equipment of a regiment of Yan’s army were seized by the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army.

Commander-in-Chief Yan came forward to negotiate, but the Sichuan Army refused to return the weapons.

At this point, Yan's army became much more obedient.

Under the governance of the Eighth Route Army, public security in Shanxi's territory gradually improved and the economy flourished.

Gray Wolf then dispatched the 364th Brigade of the Sichuan Army to the south for reinforcement.

When the soldiers of the First and Second Regiments of the First Brigade were in a stalemate with the Japanese army at Dazhaoying Railway Station, another group of Japanese troops in Zhengzhou attacked from the Guangwu area west of Zhengzhou.

The Guangwu area is mountainous and has a dangerous terrain, with the Yellow River in the north.

The three regiments and two battalions of the first brigade took advantage of the terrain here to block the Japanese army from advancing north.

When the Japanese tanks and trucks arrived here, they were attacked by the rocket troops of the Third Regiment.

Tanks and trucks were instantly reduced to scrap metal.

The Japanese artillery took advantage of the fact that the Devil Force's air force had not yet received support and launched a fierce bombardment on both sides of Guangwu.

The mountains on both sides of Guangwu were blown into flying debris by Japanese artillery shells.

The soldiers of the Third Regiment lowered their heads under the trenches to avoid the flying debris.

After the shelling stopped, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the Guangwu mountain position under the cover of machine guns.

By noon of the second day, the Japanese army had launched more than ten attacks under intermittent artillery bombardment, but each time they suffered heavy casualties and returned without success.

After lunch, the Japanese army took advantage of the Devil Force's air force and launched another fierce artillery bombardment of the Guangwu Mountains.

The Japanese infantry launched a charge on the Guangwu position before the artillery stopped bombing.