Devil's Army

During the fierce bombing by the Japanese army, many sections of the walls and trenches of "Hongsan Village" collapsed. The sandy roads also collapsed.

Many houses belonging to the villagers were also bombed and collapsed by the Japanese army.

To avoid causing greater losses to the people, the First and Second Battalions of the First Regiment decided to withdraw from the indefensible "Red Third Village" and retreat to Cao County.

The main force of the Japanese army then arrived outside Caoxian City, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting across the makeshift city wall of Caoxian.

The First Air Force also dispatched two fighter jets and two bombers to provide reinforcements.

Exposed in the open field, the Japanese soldiers were unable to organize a large-scale offensive under the bombing and strafing of the First Army's aircraft and had no choice but to retreat in frustration.

In the evening, after the first batch of fighter planes returned to base, they seized the opportunity to launch another fierce attack on Cao County against the Japanese army, which was not good at night fighting.

Despite the fierce resistance of the soldiers, the Japanese army still managed to breach the collapsed city walls and enter Caoxian County.

Intense gunfire erupted throughout Cao County.

Outside the city, large Japanese troops continued to enter the city.

As dawn breaks, the battle will become even bloodier.

The regimental commander decisively ordered the abandonment of Cao County and the retreat to Feng County.

Cao County was recaptured by the Japanese army less than a week later.

Driven by personal vendettas, the Japanese army carried out a bloody massacre of the people of Cao County.

This is yet another heinous atrocity committed by Japanese invaders against the Chinese nation.

The 11th Brigade of the First Army remembered the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Japanese 65th Division who committed this bloody crime.

In subsequent battles, the Japanese Third Battalion suffered heavy losses, and the Second Battalion was almost completely annihilated.

After retaking Cao County, a part of the 2nd Battalion of the Japanese 65th Division served as the vanguard and turned to advance towards Feng County.

When the Japanese Second Battalion arrived at Wangchang Village, it was ambushed by the First and Second Battalions of the First Regiment.

Wangchang Village is located southwest of Caoxian County, on the north bank of the old course of the Yellow River, with the Taihang Dike on its west and south sides. The Taihang Dike is situated on higher ground, providing the regiment with a natural advantage of high ground, and the dike itself can be used as cover to block the Japanese army's attack.

Wangchang Village also had fortifications such as earthen walls. These earthen walls were of a certain height and thickness, capable of withstanding Japanese artillery fire and infantry attacks.

During the Battle of Wangchang in 1943, Commander Zhu Cheng led his troops to seize the earthen fortress and held it for eight hours, inflicting casualties on the Japanese army and buying valuable time for the fraternal units to retreat.

However, Commander Zhu also heroically sacrificed his life in the end.

The weapons, equipment, and personnel quality of the current regiment are incomparable to those of the Eighth Route Army under Commander Zhu in 38.

When the Japanese troops approached the relatively open terrain around Wangchang Village, they were first met with a barrage of artillery fire.

The Japanese Second Battalion, which had just retaken Cao County, was arrogant and continued to attack Wangchang Village even after being shelled.

Upon learning that the unit directly in front was the culprit behind the massacre of the people of Cao County, the regimental commander immediately ordered the 1st Battalion, which was holding the line, to show weakness and gradually retreat. He also ordered the 3rd and 4th Battalions to flank from both sides, while the 2nd Battalion was responsible for blocking Japanese reinforcements.

Seeing the First Battalion retreating step by step, the Japanese army assumed that the devilish troops had been frightened by the attack of their Great Japanese Samurai and pressed forward relentlessly.

The Japanese troops pursued the enemy to the outside of the large earthen fortress, where they encountered fierce resistance from the First Battalion.

The artillery of the regiment also intensified its bombardment.

The cover outside the large earthen enclosure had been cleared before the battle began.

Under intense artillery fire, the Japanese army struggled to organize its troops to attack the large earthen fortress. The soldiers suffered heavy casualties.