Devil's Army

The fact that the second battalion commander did not request reinforcements from the fourth regimental commander does not mean that his crisis has been resolved.

He summoned the second, third, and fourth company commanders (the first company commander had been killed in a fierce air raid by the Japanese air force) to discuss countermeasures.

However, the company commanders could not come up with a good plan. After all, their battalion had less than 1000 men, and it was extremely difficult to withstand the attack of nearly 1 Japanese soldiers.

The consensus reached was that the soldiers' manpower should be preserved to the greatest extent possible to resist the Japanese attack and wait for reinforcements.

The Japanese offensive tactic involved artillery fire to clear the way followed by air raids. By evading both artillery and air attacks, soldiers could maximize their survival and thus better delay the Japanese advance.

As night fell, the battalion commander wanted everyone to rest and catch their breath, but the Japanese attack continued unabated.

What worried the Second Regiment Commander even more was that the Japanese troops who broke through the Fourteen Gully Pass sentry post had split into two forces to attack the Fourth Battalion of the Third Regiment defending the Twelve Gully Pass and the Second and Third Battalions of the Third Regiment defending the Yaoling Mountain position.

Although the brigade commander saw through the Japanese army's battle plan, he was helpless.

Because the troops he had left were insufficient to defend Changbai County, he was simply unable to send troops to stop the Japanese army's encirclement.

One group of Japanese troops secretly made their way north of the Twelve Gully Pass.

Battalion Commander Tian, ​​who had already made preparations, arranged for the Fourth Company to ambush in the woods inside the pass.

When the vanguard of the Japanese 21st Division arrived at the grove, they were suddenly attacked by the 4th Company.

The Japanese troops were caught off guard and their formation was thrown into chaos.

Japanese reinforcements arrived shortly afterward and launched a fierce attack on the Fourth Company's position.

The Japanese artillery bombarded the 4th Battalion's position fiercely, and machine guns continuously swept the 4th Company's position.

The soldiers of the Fourth Battalion were suppressed by the fierce artillery and machine gun fire of the Japanese army and could hardly raise their heads.

Meanwhile, the 1st Battalion of the 21st Division of the Japanese Army launched a fierce attack on the 4th Battalion's position.

More than half an hour later, the Fourth Battalion was still unable to withstand the Japanese army's pincer attack from both sides.

In order to preserve their strength for a subsequent counterattack against the Japanese army, the fourth battalion commander decided to retreat into the deep mountains and forests.

The Japanese troops in the central route were able to break through the Twelve Gully Pass and advance towards Changbai County.

Meanwhile, the Japanese troops on the left flank encountered resistance in their attack at the Yaoling Mountain position.

In order to coordinate with friendly forces to launch a surprise attack on the Yaoling Mountain position from the north, the commander of the Japanese Second Battalion continuously launched feint attacks on the Yaoling Mountain position.

The main forces of the Second and Third Battalions were constantly drawn to the Japanese Second Battalion.

Suddenly, a group of Japanese soldiers launched a sneak attack on them from behind.

The unprepared Second and Third Battalions were caught off guard.

Subsequently, the Third Battalion Commander organized his troops to block the Japanese forces that were launching a surprise attack from the north. However, the Second and Third Battalions, already short-handed, were simply unable to withstand the fierce offensive of the Japanese forces from the south of Yaoling Mountain.

At this time, the Japanese troops on the north side of Yaoling Mountain, having received the news, changed their feigned attack into a full-scale assault.

Seeing that they could not hold the position, the battalion commander had no choice but to order a retreat.

In order to cover the retreat of the Second Battalion and the Third Battalion, the Fourth Company of the Third Battalion put up a desperate resistance against the Japanese troops who launched a surprise attack from the south.

The brutal battle lasted for nearly an hour, and the entire Fourth Company sacrificed itself to ensure the successful retreat of the main force.

Subsequently, the Japanese forces on the left flank also successfully broke through the Yaoling Mountain position and advanced towards Changbai County.

In the evening, the three Japanese troops that had broken through the Yalu River arrived outside Changbai County and prepared to launch a joint attack on Changbai County the next day.