Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

In Nankou, in the temporary command post of the 89th Division of the Central Army, the kerosene lamp swayed in the draft, and the shadow of the division commander Wang Zhonglian shook violently on the map.

His index finger repeatedly stroked the place names of Longhutai and Deshengkou, and his nails almost pierced the yellowed paper.

As night fell, the engineering company sneaked into the Japanese attack route like a ghost.

They huddled in waist-deep grass, their hands blistered by detonators, as they buried mines one by one in the soft soil.

"Three more missiles on the left!" The engineer platoon leader lowered his voice, his bayonet gleaming coldly in the moonlight, "When the Japs come up, we'll send them to hell!" However, they didn't know that the Japanese scouts had already locked onto this area. In the darkness, several pairs of scarlet eyes were watching their every move.

When the first ray of sunlight in the early morning pierced the clouds, the Japanese artillery fire poured down on time.

The roar of the 75mm howitzer shattered the silence of the valley, and shrapnel rained down on the 89th Division's positions.

Wang Zhonglian looked through the telescope and watched as the Deshengkou position was instantly engulfed in smoke. A signalman stumbled over and said, "Commander! All the telephone lines at the front line have been blown down!"

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Those carefully laid minefields were nothing but premature flowers of death under the Japanese artillery fire.

The roar of tank tracks came from far away, and Japanese infantrymen wearing gas masks and holding bayonets launched a charge under the cover of smoke.

The 89th Division's light and heavy machine guns roared simultaneously, their bullets striking the tank armor and sending sparks flying. A young soldier, clutching a cluster grenade, rushed out of cover only to be mowed down by a machine gun five meters from the tank. Wang Zhonglian closed his eyes and could hear the chattering of his teeth.

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Tang Enbo's 13th Army was a unit that had experienced the "Long March", from southern Jiangxi to northern Shaanxi. Although the soldiers were well-trained, they had no use for heavy firepower, so their superiors did not equip them with any heavy firepower.

Now, facing the powerful artillery support and armored forces of the Japanese army, this disadvantage has been infinitely magnified.

On the first day of the battle, the 529th Regiment, which was stationed at Longhutai, lost its position.

Longhutai, a small hill blocking the road from Peiping to Nankou, should have been the most important frontier position in the Nankou defense system.

But when the Japanese artillery fire poured down, the simple fortifications were unable to withstand it.

The commander of the 529th Regiment gritted his teeth and organized a counterattack, but the lack of heavy firepower support made every charge come at a heavy price.

In the end, under the continuous attack of the Japanese army, this crucial frontier position was lost.

The rapid fall of Longhutai put the Japanese Army's 11th Independent Mixed Brigade into confusion for a time.

"Why would the Chinese army give up such an important position so easily?" Brigade Commander Suzuki Shigeyasu looked at the Rising Sun Flag flying on the Dragon and Tiger Platform, his heart full of doubts.

In the next few days, the Japanese army launched exploratory attacks on positions such as Nankou, Huyukou, and Deshengkou.

Advance cautiously, fearing falling into a trap set by the Chinese army.

This caution was not without reason. Japanese military intelligence had previously reported that the Chinese army might adopt the tactic of "luring the enemy deep into our territory" in North China.

The easy capture of Longhutai now made the Japanese army suspect whether this was an elaborate trap.

When people mistakenly believed that the 529th Regiment would collapse after the loss of Longhutai, this heroic unit used its blood and lives to interpret what true military courage was.

After occupying Longhutai, the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade, after a few days of trial, finally launched a fierce attack on Nankou Town.

As the vanguard, the Sakata Regiment attacked the high ground west of Nankou. At the same time, other Japanese troops also launched a pincer attack towards Deshengkou and Huyukou.

Faced with an enemy several times stronger than itself, the 529th Regiment, which withdrew from Longhutai, did not retreat at all.

They quickly adjusted their formation and built the last line of defense in Nankou Town.

The fierce battle reached a fever pitch on the second day. With superior numbers and firepower, the Japanese launched a wave-like charge towards Nankou Town.

The soldiers of the 529th Regiment relied on the ruined fortifications and formed a dense fire network with machine guns, rifles and grenades.

In two days, the 529th Regiment built a Great Wall of Steel with their flesh and blood.

The reinforced regiment, originally composed of 2400 men, had to withstand dozens of Japanese assaults every day. By dawn on the third day, fewer than 400 men remained on the battlefield.

"Commander, if we continue fighting, our entire army will be wiped out..." The regimental staff officer choked with sobs.

Looking at the piles of Japanese corpses in front of the position and the few remaining soldiers around him, the commander of the 529th Regiment finally gave the order with difficulty: "Retreat!"

When the 529th Regiment withdrew from Nankou Town, the entire position had become a scorched earth.

But they did not retreat, but instead moved on to new battles with an unyielding will.

After withdrawing from Nankou Town, the 529th Regiment quickly rebuilt defensive positions on the hills on both sides.

They stood there like nails, blocking the Japanese army from advancing towards Juyongguan.

The Japanese army thought that they could advance straight into the city after occupying Nankou Town, but they did not expect to encounter even more stubborn resistance at the mountain pass.

Until the 16th, the Japanese army still failed to break through the defense line of the 529th Regiment after it received reinforcements.

During the Battle of Nankou Town, the 529th Regiment killed and wounded more than 1500 Japanese soldiers, and suffered more than 2300 of its own casualties.

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On August 1937, 8, the Nankou battlefield was in crisis! Tang Enbo's 11th Army was already in a tough fight, and many of its positions had been broken.

The Nanjing Command urgently ordered Wei Lihuang to lead the 14th Army Group to the north for reinforcement.

After receiving the order, Wei Lihuang immediately deployed and ordered Li Mo'an's 14th Army (comprising the 10th Division, 83rd Division, and 85th Division) to be dispatched urgently from Shijiazhuang.

However, the war situation in North China was tense and the railway capacity was seriously insufficient. The 14th Army had to transport troops to Yi County by rail first, and then take the Taihang Mountain Road to maneuver towards Mentougou and Qingbaikou.

The Taihang Mountains have steep terrain, rugged and narrow roads, and coupled with the frequent reconnaissance threats from Japanese fighter planes, the 14th Army's marching speed was extremely slow.

On August 8, the Japanese Army's 16th Division under General Itagaki Seishirō was finally deployed to the battlefield.

This elite division, known as the "Steel Army", displayed amazing combat effectiveness as soon as it entered the battlefield.

The Itagaki Division adopted a roundabout tactic. Instead of attacking Nankou head-on, it advanced gradually along the Great Wall, attempting to bypass Nankou and directly capture Huailai.

Tang Enbo was keenly aware of this tactical intention. He immediately ordered the 4th Brigade of the 12th Division to quickly seize Hengling, establish a blocking position there, and block the Japanese army's detour route at all costs.

Just when the Nankou battlefield was at a critical moment, news of an unexpected incident came from northern Chahar.

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When the Nankou battlefield was in full swing, what was Fu Zuoyi, commander of the Seventh Army, doing?

Are you watching the battle?

of course not.

At this time, Fu Zuoyi was opening up a second battlefield in northern Chahar.