Devil's Army

Wu Lang tricked the Japanese reconnaissance plane away, and the troops continued to move south along the Pinghan Railway.

How far do we have to go? Captain Li of the third squadron, who is the vanguard, came to report:

"We found a group of Japanese engineers ahead, repairing the Pinghan Railway that was destroyed by our army."

“How many people are there?”

"The engineering corps is about the size of a squadron, and the Japanese troops guarding nearby are about a squadron. But there are definitely more Japanese troops around here. Once the battle starts, there is no telling how many Japanese troops will come to reinforce."

"First Regiment Commander, you arrange a company to assist Captain Li in eliminating these devils. After completing the mission, continue to head south towards the Pinghan Railway to look for us. Remember to fight quickly and decisively."

"Yes!"

After Wu Lang led the large force away, the company commander of the first regiment ordered the first platoon to be on guard, and the second and third platoons followed the third squadron to launch an attack on the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers in the patrolling defense team fell one after another under the fierce attack of the members of the third squadron and the first company. The Japanese engineers who were busy repairing the railway stood up and tried to rush over to get weapons, but were also bombarded by fierce bullets and grenades and could not raise their heads.

The battle ended after about ten minutes, and the row on guard also engaged in a firefight with the Japanese troops coming from the direction of Baoding.

Captain Li and his men hastily cleaned up the battlefield and retreated immediately without having time to destroy the railway.

The platoon responsible for cover blocked the Japs for more than ten minutes. As more and more Japs arrived, the platoon felt more and more pressured and had to retreat in the opposite direction alternately.

When the commander of the 20th Division of the Japanese Army, Fumisaburo Kawagishi, heard that the Chief of Staff Kimura Hisazo had tracked down the traces of the devil troops, he was very happy. He immediately asked the Chief of Staff to gather the troops to prepare to encircle and destroy the devil troops. However, the Chief of Staff stood still and did not move.

"What's the matter? Is there any problem? Why don't you go and make arrangements?" Kawagishi Fumisaburo asked the chief of staff.

"This devilish army consists of only about 60 people."

Kawagishi Fumisaburo sat in a chair behind the command desk and muttered, "They are just a bunch of vagrants."

"Yes, according to the 103rd Division's commander, Tashiro Motoshi, the Devil's Army attacking them was the size of a division, about people. These dozens of soldiers could be stragglers from the Devil's Army, or they could be from other Chinese troops. Judging from the weapons they used and their combat effectiveness, it is more likely that they were stragglers from the Devil's Army."

"Let the troops surround them and eliminate them, while the others continue to search for the whereabouts of the main force of the Devil's Army." Kawagishi Fumisaburo arranged without interest.

A platoon leader led his soldiers to block the Japanese army while retreating to the Dace River Valley, while the Japanese army was chasing them closely.

A platoon leader set two booby traps under the cover of the soldiers and then fled up the hillside.

Two grenade explosions were heard behind him, and the Japanese soldiers who had been chasing the platoon leader like a dog-skin plaster were finally thrown off.

Under the cover of the platoon leader, the company commander and Captain Li successfully retreated and caught up with Wulang's large force.

The large force arrived near a small path covered with hills. Wu Lang ordered the troops to station nearby, with one regiment building an ambush and the heavy artillery unit looking for a suitable place to build an artillery position.

"Brigade Commander, will the Japanese pass through here?" asked a regimental commander.

"I don't know, but I think so. This is a shortcut to Shijiazhuang. Place sentries four or five miles ahead. If you see any Japanese invaders, report back immediately."

The captain went down to make arrangements, while Wu Lang and several guards walked around to check the terrain.

Wu Lang found that although there were many hills here that were suitable for ambushes, there were no mountains or trees to provide cover, and the large force would be exposed to the bombing of Japanese planes and suffer heavy casualties. So he decided to leave a battalion here to ambush, while the large force continued to advance.

Wu Lang led a large force to the north bank of the Hutuo River. At that time, Liao Yunzhou's regiment of the 20th Regiment of the 46th Brigade of the 738th Army of the National Army built a five-line array on the north bank of the Ci River, solving the problem of the difficulty of digging fortifications in the sand.

Song Kentang's troops of the 32st Division of the 141nd Army of the National Army entered Zhengding County, south of the Hutuo River.

The arrival of nearly two regiments of Wulang troops on the north bank of the Hutuo River naturally aroused the vigilance of the 141st Division. The 141st Division's garrison on the south bank of the Hutuo River was on full alert.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, Wu Lang ordered the troops to stop advancing and stay where they were. With the help of a boatman, he and two guards reached the south bank of the Hutuo River.

The garrison soldiers on the south bank of the Hutuo River led Wu Lang and his men into the headquarters of the 141st Division in Zhengding County.

Wu Lang met Commander Song of the 32st Division of the 141nd Army at the command center.

"Hello, Commander Song. I am He Qingwu, the commander of the Second Brigade of the First Northeast Anti-Japanese Army. This time I am crossing North China to fight against the Japanese invaders under the order of our army commander."

"Oh, the Northeast Anti-Japanese First Army, which is what the Japanese call the devil's army. I've heard of it. I heard that you wiped out an infantry battalion of the 103th Regiment of the 104rd Brigade of the Japanese Army in the Dace River Valley some time ago?"

"The elimination of two and a half infantry battalions of the Japanese 103rd Brigade was mainly due to the work of the Fifth Brigade of the First Anti-Japanese Army. We arrived later."

“Oh, you also have a 5th Brigade. Where is it stationed now?”

Division Commander Song knew that the organization of a brigade of the Northeast Anti-Japanese First Army was actually equal to the organization of their division. Moreover, they had excellent weapons and strong combat effectiveness. With the support of these two brigades, they were more confident in defending Zhengding County.

However, the answer from the Second Brigade Commander disappointed Division Commander Song.