Devil's Army

According to intelligence provided by the New Fourth Army, the brigade commander knew that the Japanese army in Hubei and the Nanjing government army mainly had four adjacent garrison areas. The brigade commander divided these four areas into 1 to 4.

1. Anxiang-Gongan Garrison Area: This area was within the defensive perimeter of the 29th Army Group of the Japanese government forces. The Japanese 3rd Division and the 17th Independent Mixed Brigade, among other units, were entrenched in the Huarong and Shishou areas, forming a stalemate with the army group stationed along the Anxiang-Gongan line.

2. Songzi-Zhijiang Garrison Area: The 10th Army Group of the government forces was responsible for defending the line from Gong'an to Zhicheng. The 13th Division of the Japanese Army stationed in Shashi frequently crossed the river to invade, and the two sides fought fiercely in Songzi, Zhijiang, Liujiaochang and other places. The Japanese army once surrounded Gong'an, forcing the garrison to move westward step by step.

3. Yidu-Changyang-Shipai Garrison Area: This was the core defensive area of ​​the government army's river defense forces, responsible for holding the Yangtze River defense line from Yidu to Shipai. When the Japanese 13th Division and other units advanced westward, they repeatedly fought with the river defense forces stationed in Yidu, Changyang, and Shipai. The seesaw battles at Yuyangguan, Moshi, and the defense of the Shipai fortress all took place here.

4. Yichang-Dangyang Surrounding Area: The Japanese 39th Division was stationed in Dangyang, and was also adjacent to the government forces of the 26th Army Group stationed near Yichang and along the Sanyoudong-Zhuandouwan line. Government forces north of the Yangtze River took advantage of the Japanese army's weakened rear after their southward crossing to attack Japanese strongholds such as Longquanpu northwest of Yichang to support the southern front.

The brigade commander then ordered the brigade to launch an attack on the Japanese forces in the Huarong and Shishou areas of the 1st district.

The 2nd Brigade launched an attack on the Japanese troops in the Shashi, Songzi, Zhijiang, and Liujiaochang areas of Region 2.

The Third Brigade launched an offensive against three areas: Yidu, Xiandi Temple, Chayuan Temple, Wangjiafan, Moshi, Duzhenwan, Gaoji Temple, and Jiangbodu.

The Jidong Independent Brigade launched an offensive against Japanese troops in four areas, including Dangyang, Longquanpu, and Yichang.

Furthermore, each unit was ordered to decide its own attack time after arriving at its designated location.

To evade Japanese scouts, the First Army marched south, while the Second Army moved at night and hid during the day. After two days of covert marching, the Jidong Independent Brigade was the first to arrive near Dangyang and Yichang.

It was noon, and the Japanese soldiers were having lunch, unaware of the danger approaching them.

Suddenly, a barrage of mortar shells and hill gun shells rained down on the Japanese army camps and strongholds.

The Japanese army initially thought it was an attack by the Nanjing government forces on the other side, but they quickly realized something was wrong.

Because the enemy was using Japanese weapons, and their firepower was quite fierce, and their soldiers were well-trained.

In the air, there were also small planes unique to the Devil Forces scouting and attacking their firing positions.

At that time, the Nanjing government forces in the Dangyang area built defensive fortifications in the mountainous areas around Jiuzishan and Tonggubao.

The Jidong Independent Brigade bypassed the government army's fortifications and launched a direct raid on Japanese positions at Xiaoyanji, Longquansi, Jinlongshan, and other locations.

Jinlong Mountain is located at the junction of Yuan'an, Dangyang and Yiling, and was a necessary route for the Japanese army to attack Yichang. Its high mountains and deep valleys could restrict the deployment of Japanese mechanized troops.

The Japanese army spent considerable effort to capture these locations from the government forces.

Unexpectedly, the Jidong Independent Brigade launched a swift and decisive attack, capturing all the fortresses that the Japanese army had tried so hard to seize from the government forces.

Commander Yokoyama Isamu was concentrating his forces to encircle and suppress the devilish troops in the south and the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army. Unexpectedly, the devilish troops in the north also entered Hubei to fight.