Devil's Army

The 109th Division of the Japanese Army arrived at Shandi Village, Yijing Town. The dangerous terrain here also deterred the division commander Yamaoka Atsushi.

Division Commander Yamaoka ordered the artillery to bombard the small woods on both sides of the road, and the scouts went forward to conduct reconnaissance.

The rumbling sound of artillery shells exploded around the soldiers of the 386th Brigade. A platoon leader was unfortunately hit in the butt by a mortar shell. He cursed in a low voice:

"Damn it, I won the prize before the battle even started."

After the Japanese mortars stopped bombing, the scouts stepped forward and fired machine guns. Bullets flew over the soldiers' heads.

The Japanese scouts found nothing unusual, and the large army began to pass through Shandi Village, Yijing Town.

The Japanese 119th Regiment entered the small road of Shandi Village, and Commander Liu ordered: Attack!

Instantly, countless bullets were fired at the path from both sides, and the Japanese soldiers on the path fell to the ground and died one after another.

After a brief period of confusion, the Japanese 119th Regiment quickly counterattacked, sending soldiers to seize the high ground on both sides of the path.

The regiment's mortars kept bombarding him on both sides.

Soldiers of the 386th Brigade braved the Japanese artillery fire and stubbornly blocked the Japanese troops who were trying to seize the high ground.

当时386旅的771团在山底村右侧山坡设伏，386旅的772团在山底村左侧山坡设伏。两个团有兵力6000余人，是日军119联队兵力的将近两倍。只是武器装备就差多了。

When the Japanese Army's commander Kinzo Ishida saw that his successive attacks on Xiaolu Hill had been repelled by the Eighth Route Army, he immediately asked the division commander Yamaoka to arrange for the heavy artillery unit to prepare to bomb the Eighth Route Army's positions.

Soon, the Golden Eagle that Wu Lang gave to the 129th Division discovered the Japanese heavy artillery positions that were preparing to attack.

At this time, the First Army's planes had not arrived yet. Deputy Division Commander Xu immediately ordered the 771st and 772nd Regiments to temporarily withdraw from their positions to avoid the bombing of the Japanese heavy artillery.

"Boom..." The Japanese heavy artillery began to bombard the Eighth Route Army's positions.

The Japanese heavy artillery bombardment had not lasted long before the roar of planes was heard in the sky.

Squadron Leader Ren led the aircraft of the Second Squadron of the First Air Force and flew to the sky above Shandi Village in Ci County.

The first two H-1 bombers that arrived over Shandi Village began to drop bombs on the Japanese heavy artillery positions.

Although the commander of the 119th Regiment of the Japanese Army felt that something was wrong with these planes, it was too late to retreat. His heavy artillery position suddenly exploded and flames rose up.

The wheels, barrels and gun bodies of the Japanese heavy artillery that were hit by aircraft bombs rolled down the hillside and to the side of the path.

The 771st and 772nd Regiments of the Eighth Route Army took advantage of the fact that the Japanese heavy artillery was bombed by the aircraft of the First Anti-Japanese Army and had no time to bomb them, and quickly returned to the fortifications.

The bombers of the First Army also launched a massacre-style bombing on the Japanese troops on the trail, bombing the Japanese troops who were preparing to seize the high ground on both sides of the trail and forcing them to flee in panic.

The Japanese 385th Regiment, which was fighting the trailing 107th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, was also taken care of by the First Army's bombers.

This was the third time that the officers and soldiers of the 129th Brigade of the 386th Division of the Eighth Route Army had joined forces with the air force of the First Anti-Japanese Army to fight against Japan. Seeing the Japanese soldiers hiding everywhere and their bodies flying around in the fortifications, they couldn't help but get excited.

Captain Ren completed the mission with the First Army's aircraft and returned home victoriously. The Japanese 119th and 107th Regiments on the ground had been bombed to pieces and it was difficult for them to organize an effective attack.

The 386st and 771nd Regiments of the 772th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army successively charged at the Japanese troops on the path from both sides.

The Japanese 119th Regiment, led by Captain Ishida, fought a desperate battle with the soldiers of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, but they were unable to withstand the attack of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, which had a numerical advantage.

The Japanese 107th Regiment, led by Captain Nagasawa, wanted to attack the small road of Shandi Village and bring out the 119th Regiment, but was effectively blocked by the 385th Regiment of the 770th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army.

The 385th Regiment of the 769th Brigade had also been attacking from behind to tie down the Japanese 107th Regiment.

Finally, the Japanese army used their sophisticated weapons to tear open a hole in the flank of the 770th Regiment. Most of the Japanese 107th Regiment and part of the 119th Regiment escaped from the encirclement of the Eighth Route Army through this hole on the flank.

这一战共歼灭了日军109师团119联队2000多名日军和107联队近1000名士兵。相当于109师团三支联队中，一支联队被全歼。极大地重创了日军109师团的锐气，打乱了日军寺内寿一总司令围歼唐山抗日第一军的战略部署。

At this time, the commander of the 109th Division of the Japanese Army, Yamaoka, and his remaining 136th Infantry Regiment, 109th Engineer Infantry Regiment and 109th Cavalry Battalion were rushing to Baodi County from another road. The order he received was to attack Ji County from Baodi County when the general attack order was issued.

Many signs from the Japanese reconnaissance indicated that Jixian was the command center and important military base of the devil troops.

However, the attack by the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army on his 107th and 119th Regiments disrupted his combat deployment and prevented him from reaching Baodi County on time.

Although the Japanese 109th Division failed to arrive in Baodi County on time, Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Hisaichi still decided to launch the long-planned campaign to encircle and suppress the Tangshan Devil Forces.