Devil's Army

The second battalion commander's estimate was correct; the Japanese army, while conducting routine patrols, had also deployed ambush troops, preparing to ambush the devilish unit. However, the Japanese ambush troops waited until the middle of the night, but the devilish unit never launched an attack.

After daybreak, the Japanese army launched another fierce attack on the Nagaoka Mountain position.

The fortifications that the Second Battalion had hastily repaired overnight were almost entirely destroyed in the fierce bombardment by the Japanese army.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion lay prone on the collapsed fortifications, stubbornly resisting the Japanese attack. However, due to the overwhelming disparity in troop strength, the Japanese still managed to breach the position.

The second battalion commander urgently dispatched the battalion headquarters' directly subordinate units to provide reinforcements.

The Second Battalion's direct subordinate units charged into the position with shouts and engaged in fierce close combat with the Japanese army.

After a fierce and bloody battle, the soldiers of the Second Battalion managed to drive back the Japanese army. However, they also suffered considerable casualties.

The second battalion commander didn't know when reinforcements would arrive, nor how many more days he would have to hold out.

At this moment, the commander of the third regiment called to inquire about the battle situation.

The Second Battalion Commander truthfully reported the current situation to the Third Regiment Commander, and stated frankly that without reinforcements, they could only hold off the Japanese army until this evening at most.

After considering it for a moment, the Third Regiment Commander instructed the Second Battalion Commander to preserve their strength and withdraw to the Third Battalion's Tianqiaogou defense line.

Tianqiaogou Canyon (northwest of Kuandian, Liaoning) is a valley between two mountains, with the valley floor being the only passage, and its width is often less than 20 meters.

The Third Battalion deployed troops at multiple passes in the Tianqiaogou Gorge, forming a "one man can hold the pass" formation to block the Japanese army from passing through.

The slopes on both sides of Tianqiaogou Canyon are steep (30°-60°), and the ridge offers a wide view overlooking the entire valley floor.

The artillery and machine gun fire of the Third Battalion formed a crossfire with downward and side-firing, resulting in a high hit rate and making it difficult for the Japanese army to attack from below.

The Fuqiaogou Gorge is crisscrossed with numerous interconnected gullies.

The companies of the Third Battalion can support each other through secret paths, quickly relocate, divide their forces to contain or ambush reinforcements, and achieve "encirclement and suppression of reinforcements"; their retreat routes are guaranteed, avoiding being surrounded.

Moreover, the Tianqiaogou Gorge is characterized by its sheer cliffs, rocky crags, and narrow crevices, making it easy for the Japanese army to disrupt their formations; climbing is also difficult. Especially at night or in complex weather conditions, command and communication are even more difficult, which is advantageous for our army in close-quarters combat and night fighting.

After occupying the Donggangshan position, the Japanese army continued to advance and soon reached the eastern slope.

The 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion tenaciously resisted the Japanese army on both sides of the highway and under the wooden bridge at the mouth of the ditch.

Light and heavy machine guns on the ridge formed a crossfire; fiercely sweeping the Japanese troops.

Riflemen were positioned in sections to ambush and concentrate fire on the trucks carrying Japanese troops; mortars were used to suppress subsequent vehicles and disembarking infantry.

The Japanese soldiers were attacked and jumped off the trucks, seeking cover to return fire against the soldiers of the Third Battalion.

Intense gunfire and explosions echoed continuously through the mountains and forests.

Japanese artillery quickly launched a fierce bombardment of the company's positions.

In order to preserve their strength, the company commander used the dense forest and gullies to quickly relocate.

The Japanese troops quickly occupied the positions on both sides of the road of the First Company. But before they could even get a foothold, the Third Battalion's mortars bombarded the original First Company's positions fiercely.

The Japanese troops were suddenly bombarded, resulting in significant casualties.

As soon as the shelling stopped, the company commander, taking advantage of the fact that the Japanese army had not yet recovered, led his troops in a counterattack and recaptured the positions on both sides of the road.

This highway is a transportation route connecting Kuandian, Huanren, and Benxi, and the Japanese army would inevitably pass through it as they advanced from the ferry crossing towards Tonghua County. Therefore, the Japanese army was determined to take it.

The Japanese army had just repelled a series of attacks when they quickly launched a new wave of offensives.