Devil's Army

After the fall of Nanchang, the 52nd Army strengthened the defense of Xinqiang River and Xunkou. The Japanese army could launch an attack on Hunan at any time.

This time, when Captain Liu of the Sixth Squadron led a special forces team across the Xinqiang River, they encountered a Japanese reconnaissance team.

After a brief battle, a small group of the Sixth Squadron captured two Japanese prisoners and successfully retreated to the south bank of the Xinqiang River.

After interrogation, a regimental commander learned that this Japanese reconnaissance team was from the Nara Detachment of the Japanese Army, and was ordered by Detachment Commander Nara Masahiko to scout the defense of the Xinqiang River of the Nanjing government army.

But when asked whether the Japanese army had any plans to attack the Xinqiang River recently and how many troops were gathered on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, they were clueless.

Deputy Regiment Commander He believed that the Japanese prisoners had not revealed all the information they knew, and planned to continue to use torture to force them to tell him.

The regiment commander shook his head to stop them. He believed that the rank of these Japanese scouts was not high enough and the attack on Xinqiang River was top secret and they should not have access to it.

Soon, the commander of the 52th Division of the 195nd Army, Qin, received intelligence from a regiment commander. He knew that they had annihilated a Japanese reconnaissance team not far from the north bank of the Xinqiang River. He believed that the Japanese army might launch an attack on the Xinqiang River in the near future. While reporting to the commander of the 52nd Army, Guan, he strengthened patrols and set up more sentries.

For a time, there was panic on the south bank of the Xinqiang River, and the clouds of war were looming.

The commander of the first regiment also asked Leng Junzhang for instructions, but Leng Feng told him that the battle of Xinqiang River would not be fought in the next few months. They should seize the time to expand their forces. There was a big move in the old base area recently, so there was no way to send reinforcements to them.

While the commander of the first regiment reported the judgment of their commander Leng to the division commander Qin, he asked the political commissars of the first and second regiments to mobilize the masses to actively expand the army.

Thanks to the popularity and good reputation of the First Anti-Japanese Army in the old base area of ​​Tieling County and the new base area in North China, the conscription work of the First Regiment was in full swing. Many ordinary people were willing to join the First Anti-Japanese Army.

This was in stark contrast to the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Border Region Advance Army, which was expanding its army by conscripting able-bodied men not far away.

Although Commander Kong Hechong was very dissatisfied with the First Army for not joining him in the fight against Japan and recruiting soldiers around him, he had no choice but to say nothing when the First Army joined the 52nd Army in the fight against Japan.

On this day, Commander Kong's confidant reported to him: The First Army's recruitment team was recruiting soldiers in Dayun Village within their jurisdiction, and their methods were very similar to those of the Communist Party.

Commander Kong, who had always been keen on suppressing the Communist Party, became excited upon hearing this and asked his trusted followers to bring back all the conscription teams.

"They are members of the First Anti-Japanese Army. Wouldn't it be a bad idea for us to just capture them like this?" the confidant asked a little worriedly.

"What are they afraid of? As long as they have anything to do with the Communist Party, no one can protect them."

"Yes!" The confidant led the troops and ran to Dayun Village happily.

After a while, Commander Kong's cronies tied up 12 soldiers from the conscription team and brought them back to the base.

Two civilians quickly ran to the regiment’s base and reported to the soldiers that their conscription team had been captured by Commander Kong’s men.

When the regiment commander heard that Kong Hechong had taken away his conscription team, he flew into a rage and started cursing:

"This bastard dared to arrest my people. I will make him pay for it."

He immediately asked me, Deputy Regiment Commander He, to take the soldiers from the second and third battalions to Commander Kong’s residence to seek an explanation.

Deputy Regiment Commander He led soldiers from the second and third battalions and quickly surrounded Commander Kong's command post and confronted Commander Kong's guards.

When Deputy Regiment Commander He arrived at Commander Kong's headquarters, he learned that Commander Kong's Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Border Region Advance Team had been reorganized into the 20th Division of the 54th Army, with Kong Hechong as the commander of the 54th Division.

When the troops of the 54th Division heard that the 54th Division headquarters was surrounded, they immediately sent reinforcements.

While ordering the division guards to be on alert, Commander Kong contacted Commander Qin of the 195th Division, asking him to come and mediate.

However, Kong Hechong was hunting down the Communists on the one hand, and on the other hand, he was desperately trying to make money by recruiting soldiers and embezzling military pay. Commander Tan had no good feelings towards him. It would be good to teach him a lesson through the hands of the Anti-Japanese Army. So he did not come to mediate.

At this time, Deputy Captain He was already impatient and threatened that if the person was not released within five minutes, he would immediately rush into the command center to rescue him.

Kong Hechong's confidant said to Kong Hechong in panic:

"Master Kong, they are about to take action."

Kong Hechong shook his hand and said to his relatives affirmatively:

"Don't worry, they are just trying to scare you. They don't dare to disrupt the joint anti-Japanese resistance, and they don't dare to really open fire."

"Time's up. I'll count to three. If you don't let us go, don't blame us for being rude."

The guards of the 54th Division looked at each other, a little timid.

"Don't worry, they won't dare to disrupt the united resistance against Japan!" Kong Hechong encouraged them personally. The guards became bolder again.

"One, two, three, shoot!" Following the order from Deputy Regiment Commander He, the soldiers from the Second and Third Battalions of the First Regiment immediately opened fire at the guards of the 54th Division.

Five or six guards were shot and fell to the ground at the entrance of the 54th Division.

The other guards quickly retreated into the division headquarters.

Deputy Regiment Commander He stopped the soldiers who were shooting in time and continued to shout at Kong Hechong.

At this time, a regiment deployed near the 54th Division was rushing over at full speed.

A bloody battle between the Nanjing government forces and the First Anti-Japanese Army is about to break out.