Devil's Army

While the Japanese army was engaged in fierce fighting with more than 30,000 troops from the Japanese 19th Division, the Korean 6th Division, and the Korean 4th Mixed Brigade in Ji'an County, Jilin Province, the Japanese 20th Division, the 21st Division, the Korean 2nd Mixed Brigade, and the Korean 4th Division, with more than 50,000 troops, split into two groups and rushed towards Changbai City, China.

The main force of the Japanese army (approximately 3.2 men) started from Hyesan County, Korea, and advanced westward along the valley north of the Yalu River. They cut through the Ma'anshan Forest Road in Changbai County and planned to cross the Badaogou and Liudaogou valleys to directly attack the southern gateway of Baishan City. The main attack route relied on the flat terrain of the valley to ensure the passage of artillery and transport vehicles.

The Japanese Second Route, a flanking maneuver of about 2 men, crossed the main peak of the Laoling Mountains, a branch of the Changbai Mountains, from Ganggye County in Korea. They then bypassed the dense forests and took a detour along the western foothills of the Changbai Mountains. The plan was to go north through the Maoershan Pass in Linjiang, encircle the western part of Baishan City, and cut off the westward retreat route of the defending troops. The two routes agreed to encircle Baishan County within 48 hours.

The platoon patrolling here is from the First Border Defense Brigade.

Platoon Leader Zhang sensed unusual noises in the woods and immediately led his team to seize the pass "Eagle's Beak Cliff" (a narrow mountain path with steep cliffs on both sides and only 5 meters wide in the middle). Two light machine guns guarded the high points on the left and right sides of the cliff top, while riflemen formed skirmish lines behind the trees along the mountain path, and grenadiers ambushed in the blind spots below the cliff, blocking the Japanese army's frontal advance.

Platoon Leader Zhang deliberately left two soldiers behind the cliff to burn dry branches in the dense forest to create thick smoke, thus creating the illusion of reinforcements.

When the Japanese vanguard arrived, Platoon Leader Zhang first fired sniper shots, disrupting the formation of the vanguard.

Seeing the sparse firepower, the Japanese assumed they had encountered scattered Chinese soldiers and immediately launched an attack.

The mountain path was long and narrow, and the Japanese troops quickly huddled together on it.

Platoon Leader Zhang immediately concentrated his grenades, launching a fierce bombardment of the Japanese troops who were attacking in groups.

The Japanese launched three consecutive assaults, all of which were repelled by Platoon Leader Zhang using this tactic, delaying the Japanese for nearly an hour.

Meanwhile, the main force of the border defense brigade was rushing to reinforce Zhang Paichang's defense line in the Changbai Mountains.

Due to the vast disparity in troop strength between the two sides, Platoon Leader Zhang and his men suffered more than half their casualties under the continuous bombardment and strafing of the Japanese artillery and machine guns. They had no choice but to retreat and continue to look for opportunities to delay the Japanese advance and buy time for the main force to build a defensive line.

Platoon Leader Zhang and three lightly wounded soldiers set up makeshift booby traps (hand grenades tied to dead branches under the snow, with ropes connecting them to tree trunks along the roadside) at the pass to delay the Japanese pursuit.

The squad leader (whose deputy platoon leader was killed in the battle at the pass) led the main force to move into the depths of the dense forest while the Japanese were clearing booby traps, thus avoiding being surrounded and annihilated.

Japanese soldiers triggered booby traps during the pursuit and fell one after another amidst a series of "boom..." explosions.

The Japanese advance troops were forced to stop and clear the booby traps.

Platoon Leader Zhang and three soldiers opened fire on the Japanese engineers, hindering their mine-clearing efforts and buying time for the squad leader and his men to retreat.

The Japanese army quickly surrounded Platoon Leader Zhang and his men and launched an attack.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Platoon Leader Zhang and his men quickly ran out of ammunition and food, and all of them were killed.

After Platoon Leader Zhang and his men were killed, the Japanese army continued to pursue the squad leader and his men.

The squad leader and his men now have only eight soldiers left, and every single one of them is wounded. Two of them are seriously wounded and have no way to escape the Japanese pursuit.

The squad leader had no choice but to have two soldiers carry the two seriously wounded soldiers to retreat first, while he and the other three soldiers retreated while simultaneously holding off and delaying the Japanese advance.

The Japanese troops quickly spotted the squad leader and his men and flanked them from both sides.