Devil's Army

After shaking hands with the brigade commander to say goodbye, the commander of the 73rd Army immediately ordered the 15th and 77th Divisions, which were defending Shishou and Huarong, to launch an attack to contain the Japanese forces on the front.

The Japanese army was engaged in fierce fighting with the Devil Force Brigade when, unexpectedly, the government army's 15th and 77th Divisions launched a frontal attack on them.

This made their defensive forces even more stretched thin.

After the 73rd Army of the government forces entered the battle, the brigade commander left behind the 1st and 2nd Regiments to assist in the attack on the Japanese forces in Shishou, Huarong and the surrounding areas.

The Third and Fourth Regiments, which had already broken through the Japanese defenses, deployed along Taohuashan and Baihushan to resist Japanese reinforcements from Wuhan.

Taohua Mountain spans over 20 kilometers across Hunan and Hubei provinces. It is located at the border of Shishou and Huarong and is situated on a key route from Shishou and Huarong to Wuhan.

Here, towering peaks and ancient trees provide convenient cover for troops to deploy and defend.

At the same time, this area had an excellent mass base and was once the center of the Shigonghua Anti-Japanese Base Area. During battles, it could provide supplies for the fighting troops.

Baihushan is located in the eastern suburbs of Wuhan and is a necessary passage for people from Shishou and Huarong to travel to Wuhan along the Yangtze River.

Baihushan Mountain is 149.8 meters above sea level. The artillery brigade has deployed artillery on the mountain, which can directly guard the Yangtze River waterway.

In Shishou and Huarong, the remaining Japanese troops, under the fierce attack of the government army and the First Brigade, kept asking General Yokoyama Isamu for help.

Commander Yokoyama Isamu urgently ordered a Japanese battalion from Hankou to provide support with heavy artillery.

The First Army's air force was ordered to launch air raids against Japanese reinforcements to delay their arrival and buy time for the First Brigade to build a defensive line.

During the reinforcement of Japanese troops in Hankou, they constantly evaded air raids by the First Army Air Force, resulting in an extremely slow reinforcement speed, especially for the artillery.

In Shishou and Huarong, most of the Japanese defense lines have been breached by government troops and soldiers of the First Brigade. They are huddled in the command post, county government, and some tall buildings in the county, putting up a stubborn resistance and waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

The Japanese troops in Hankou split into two routes, heading to Shishou and Huarong by land and water respectively.

When the Japanese army arrived at Peach Blossom Mountain by land, it was met with fierce resistance from the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Brigade.

This time, it was the vanguard of the Japanese army that arrived, and the heavy artillery was still blocked in its advance by the air force of the First Army. However, the vanguard of the Japanese army was quite fierce, and they continued to launch fierce attacks on the Third Regiment regardless of casualties.

The three regiments lured the enemy deep into their territory, constantly taking turns providing cover during their retreat. They then lured the Japanese troops into Fosi'ao.

Shishou Fosi'ao is a hilly and mountainous area, and is the only mountain range at the intersection of the Dongting Lake Plain and the Jianghan Plain.

The mountains where Fosi'ao is located are undulating and have more than 280 peaks of varying sizes.

The artillery of the Third Regiment was positioned on the highest peak, Tunyanzi Mountain (368 meters above sea level), which allowed them to overlook and control the area around Fosi'ao.

The terrain of Fosi'ao is rugged, with dense vegetation and towering ancient trees, providing excellent concealment conditions for the main force of the Third Regiment.

After the Japanese troops were lured step by step into Fosi'ao, the artillery of the Third Regiment on Tunyanzi Mountain suddenly opened fire, fiercely bombarding the Japanese troops in Hankou who were surrounded.

The Japanese troops in Hankou, who were in full pursuit of the 3rd Regiment's entrapment force, were suddenly attacked by heavy artillery fire, causing chaos.

The lieutenant of the Japanese vanguard tried his best to control the riot among the Japanese troops, ordering them to lie down along the mountainside to avoid the bombardment of the devilish artillery.

After the artillery of the Third Regiment ceased bombardment, the soldiers of the Third Regiment, who were lying in ambush on both sides of Fosi'ao, fired in a crisscross pattern at the Japanese troops ambushed on the opposite mountainside. This left the Japanese troops with nowhere to hide, resulting in heavy casualties.