Devil's Army

Leng Feng personally took charge of the battle aimed at connecting the old base in Tieling County and the new base in Tangshan.

At that time, Shanhaiguan had a very important strategic location. It was a key stronghold for controlling eastern Hebei and encroaching on North China.

Shanhaiguan was under the jurisdiction of the Japanese North China Front Army. At that time, Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Hisaichi stationed part of the 35th Division of the Kwantung Army and a considerable number of puppet Manchukuo military and police here.

Shanhaiguan City has high walls and thick terrain, and a strong attack would result in heavy casualties.

Leng Feng made arrangements in advance and ordered the 5th Squadron of the Special Operations Team to sneak into Shanhaiguan in batches in mid-May. Weapons and ammunition were provided by two Golden Eagle drones.

The progressive teachers at Tian’s Middle School solved their accommodation problem.

For safety reasons, Captain Tian of the 7th Squadron of the Special Operations Force sent three teams to sneak into Shanhaiguan in three days. The guerrillas rescued by Gray Wolf in Shanhaiguan last time led the way to sneak into Tian's Middle School.

Captain Tian followed behind and led five members of the third team into Shanhaiguan on the afternoon of the third day. Who knew they would meet a puppet army squad leader who was born in the year of the dog.

He stopped Captain Tian and questioned him, saying that Captain Tian had a murderous aura and must be a soldier.

Captain Tian sacrificed a month's allowance and told the puppet army squad leader that he was a hunter, and that he might have killed a lot of wild animals, so there was a bit of murderous intent in his eyes. But he was definitely not a soldier.

The puppet army squad leader put the money into his trouser pocket before letting them in.

Captain Tian and his team entered Shanhaiguan, and under the leadership of the team members who had infiltrated Shanhaiguan earlier, they successfully arrived at Tian's Middle School.

Shanhaiguan fell in early 1933. The Japanese army had been operating here for six years and had spies everywhere.

The members of the 7th Squadron of the Special Operations Team entered Tian's Middle School and hid in the teacher's dormitory at the back, without going anywhere. Principal Kang arranged for someone to take care of their meals.

At night, Captain Tian and the three team leaders held a meeting and decided that he and the three team leaders would each lead three team members to investigate the four directions of Shanhaiguan during the day. The other team members would hide in the teachers' dormitory and wait for orders.

The next day, Captain Tian brought three special forces members to the east gate of Shanhaiguan.

There was a squad of puppet soldiers guarding the city gate. Not far away, five Japanese soldiers were staring at the common people entering and leaving the city gate with boredom.

There was a Japanese soldier standing every one or two meters on the wall. There was a Type 92 heavy machine gun on each side of the wall, forming a crossfire point at the city gate. From time to time, Japanese patrol teams passed by the wall.

When we entered Shanhaiguan yesterday, there was also a squad of puppet soldiers and four Japanese soldiers guarding the city gate. As long as we launch a surprise attack and eliminate the two heavy machine gun crossfire points on the city wall, it will not be a big problem to attack Shanhaiguan.

In the evening, the teams that went out for reconnaissance returned.

Captain Tian combined the situations of the various squads and estimated that the Japanese army in Shanhaiguan had about a battalion, and there were about 2000 puppet soldiers and police.

After dinner, Principal Kang came to see Captain Tian.

"Captain Tian, ​​tell me the truth, are you planning to recapture Shanhaiguan?"

Captain Tian looked at Principal Kang and nodded slightly.

Principal Kang burst into tears and said: "God has eyes, God bless China!"

Shanhaiguan had been brutally ruled by the Japanese army for six years, and the people's minds had long since changed.

"Captain Tian, ​​when will you start to recapture Shanhaiguan? What can we do for you?"

"We don't know the exact date when we will start to retake Shanhaiguan. Commander Leng said that we have to wait for an opportunity. Your helping us with food and accommodation now is the greatest help to us."

……

Captain Tian told the truth. Commander Leng asked them to stay on standby but did not say when to start the attack on Shanhaiguan.

The next day, Captain Tian and his men were divided into five groups, focusing on reconnaissance of some Japanese strongholds in Shanhaiguan that were easy to defend and difficult to attack:

1. Dongluo City: Located to the east of Shanhaiguan City, it is an important part of the Shanhaiguan defense system. The city wall is tall and solid, echoing the main city wall, forming a multi-level defense system. The Japanese army built barracks, fortifications, and sentries here. With its solid city walls and defense facilities, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Second Dongguan Parade Ground: Located outside the East Gate of Shanhaiguan, it has an open terrain, which is convenient for the Japanese army to deploy troops and conduct military training. At the same time, it is closely connected with Dongluo City and the main city of Shanhaiguan, and can get support and coordination from all parties. The Japanese army stockpiled a large number of troops and supplies here, making it an important military stronghold.

Fort No. 34: It is close to Shanhaiguan City and is one of the important bases of the Japanese army in Shanhaiguan. The terrain here is high and the vision is wide. The Japanese army set up a large number of artillery positions and fortifications here, which can effectively cover Shanhaiguan City and surrounding areas with firepower and control the southern gate of Shanhaiguan.

1. The line from Weiyuan City to Wujialing: Located km northeast of the city, the terrain is higher than the Great Wall near Shanhaiguan. It is high above the ground and can overlook the entire city of Shanhaiguan and surrounding areas. It can detect the movements of the enemy in advance and block them. It is an important frontier position of the Japanese defense.

5. Jiumenkou: It was called "Yipianshi" in ancient times. It is another natural barrier to the north of Shanhaiguan. There are undulating mountains and steep cliffs. Jiumenkou is located in the deep valley where two mountains face each other. From here, you can go straight to the back of Shanhaiguan to launch a pincer attack, or bypass Shanhaiguan to go directly to Jinzhou and Shenyang, forming a complete defense system with Shanhaiguan, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack.