Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

At the same time that Hideki Tojo was attacking northern Shanxi, the main force on the east route, the 5th Division, commanded by Seishirō Itagaki himself, also launched a fatal assault in the northeastern direction of Shanxi!

Itagaki Seishirō stood in front of a huge sand table, staring sinisterly at Pingxingguan, a dangerous pass that meandered through the Taihang Mountains.

His face looked a little ugly.

Just a few days ago, the baggage train he sent out and a squadron of escorts were ambushed in Qiaogou, northeast of Pingxingguan. They suffered heavy losses!

Nearly a thousand officers and soldiers were annihilated! A large amount of supplies were destroyed! This is simply the greatest shame since the establishment of the Fifth Division!

"Baga Yalu!" Itagaki Seishiro slammed his fist on the edge of the sand table, sending wood chips flying! "I will not be a human being until I avenge this!"

He took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress the rage in his heart.

The shame must be washed away with blood! But the strategic goal cannot be shaken! Pingxingguan! We must take it!

"Pingxingguan! I give you three days! Take it down at all costs!" Itagaki Seishirō's eyes flashed with a venomous light: "Field artillery regiment! Tank squadron! Air force! All forces attack! I will use steel and fire!

"Raze Pingxingguan to the ground! Crush Sun Chu's 33rd Army completely!"

"Hey! Use the blood of the Chinese! To pay tribute to the heroic spirits of our empire's warriors!" All the officers in the conference room shouted in unison!

Outside Pingxingguan.

The sky was gloomy, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low.

Dozens of 75mm field guns and 105mm howitzers from the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the 5th Division were lined up like giant steel beasts, their black muzzles pointed toward the towering Pingxingguan Great Wall!

"Target! Pingxingguan main position! All guns! Rapid fire! Fire!!!"

With the artillery commander's hysterical roar! Dozens of artillery pieces simultaneously let out earth-shaking roars! The shells tore through the air, emitting a shrill scream! Like the scythe of the god of death, they smashed fiercely towards Pingxingguan!

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!”

The endless sound of explosions instantly drowned out the entire world! The ancient walls of Pingxingguan trembled in the violent explosions! Debris flew everywhere! Smoke and dust rose to the sky!

The fortifications built by the defenders relying on the terrain were torn to pieces like paper in the face of the absolute firepower advantage!

The bombardment lasted for a full hour! The entire Pingxingguan front position was reduced to a scorched earth! Thick smoke billowed, covering the sky and the sun!

The artillery fire extended! Like locusts, the Japanese infantry, under the cover of tanks, began to charge towards the pass!

"Kill them!!!"

The Japanese soldiers howled like wild beasts, held their bayonets high, and rushed madly towards the smoke-filled position!

However, they underestimated the resistance of Sun Chu's 33rd Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army! They also underestimated the dangerous terrain of Pingxingguan!

Although the artillery fire destroyed the surface fortifications, the defenders relied on rocks, broken walls and pre-built hidden firepower points to launch a tenacious resistance!

"Fight! Fight hard!" Gao Guizi, commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, roared at Tuanchengkou! His troops were guarding Tuanchengkou, an important high ground west of Pingxingguan!

Da da da da da!!!

The Maxim heavy machine gun spewed out tongues of fire, mowing down the Japanese troops rushing in front!

"Boom!" The mortar shell exploded in the crowd of Japanese soldiers! Blood and flesh flew everywhere!

"Grenades! Throw!" The soldiers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army threw bundles of grenades at the Japanese troops trying to climb the steep slope!

The battle instantly became intense! The Japanese army relied on their firepower advantage to attack wave after wave!

The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, relying on the advantageous terrain, fought for every inch of land! Positions changed hands repeatedly! Corpses were scattered everywhere! Rivers of blood flowed!

Itagaki Seishirō was at the rear command post, looking at the stalemate situation on the front line through a telescope, his face ashen.

He didn't expect that after suffering such fierce artillery fire, the Chinese army could still organize such tenacious resistance!

"Order! Air force! Send out again! Carry out saturation bombing on Tuanchengkou, Yaozijian and other high ground! Drop incendiary bombs!" Itagaki Seishirō's voice sounded like it came from the Netherworld!

Soon, the Japanese bomber group appeared over Pingxingguan again! This time, they dropped not only high-explosive bombs, but also a large number of napalm bombs!

boom! !

The incendiary bomb landed! Instantly, flames rose to tens of meters high!

The sea of ​​fire spread, turning the entire plateau into a purgatory!

Trees, rocks, and even the earth were burning! The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army soldiers on the battlefield were engulfed in flames, screaming miserably! The air was filled with the stench of burning flesh!

"Commander! Tuanchengkou... can't be defended! Brothers... are almost killed!" Gao Guizi's adjutant reported in a crying voice.

Gao Guizi looked at the Japanese troops surging down the mountain like a tide, then looked at the dozens of wounded soldiers left around him, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

He suddenly pulled out his pistol: "Brothers! Rather die with honor than live in disgrace! Fight the devils! Kill!!!"

He led the charge, leading the last of his troops, and charged towards the Japanese troops who had rushed onto the battlefield! Bayonets lashed out with blood! Flesh and blood flew everywhere!

In the end, Gao Guizi was shot several times and died a heroic death! Tuanchengkou fell!

The fall of Tuanchengkou was like tearing a hole in the Pingxingguan defense line!

The Japanese follow-up troops continued to pour in! Although the 33rd Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army fought desperately, it suffered heavy casualties due to the absolute superiority of the Japanese air-to-ground firepower! The defense line was retreating step by step!

Pingxingguan has fallen! The gateway to northeastern Shanxi is wide open!

The main force of Itagaki Seishirō's Fifth Division, like a flood that broke through a dam, moved south along the Hutuo River Valley, through Dai County and Gang County!

The troops headed straight for Xinkou! Together with Tojo Hideki's Northern Corps, they formed a pincer attack on Xinkou from the north and south!

Xinkou! Taiyuan's last barrier!

The key to northern Shanxi! If this place is lost, the gate to Taiyuan will be wide open!

Yan Xishan was so anxious that his eyes turned red! On the one hand, he ordered Wang Jingguo's 19th Army and Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army to build a defense line along the Yunzhong River and Hutuo River north of Xinkou, blocking the enemy layer by layer!

At the same time, an urgent telegram was sent to Nanjing, requesting the Central Army to provide quick reinforcements!

The Nanjing Command Headquarters also knew that if Taiyuan was lost, Shanxi would not be safe and the Northwest would be in danger!

Wei Lihuang's 14th Group Army, including Li Mo'an's 14th Army, Hao Mengling's 9th Army, Liu Maoen's 15th Army and other units, were urgently dispatched to provide assistance overnight!

Appoint Wei Lihuang as the commander-in-chief of the front line, and unify the command of all troops in the Xinkou battlefield, including the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army!

Wei Lihuang made arrangements immediately after arriving in Xinkou.

"Order!" Wei Lihuang's voice was steady and powerful, with a sense of determination, "Commander Hao Mengling!

Your 9th Army is responsible for the central position! Hold Nanhuaihua and lay a line along the boundary river!

This is the main attack direction of the Japanese army! No orders! Anyone who takes a step back will be killed without mercy! "

"Yes! Commander-in-chief! As long as Hao Mengling is at the position, he will be here! We swear to live and die with this position!" Lieutenant General Hao Mengling, commander of the 9th Army, straightened his back and spoke in a loud voice.

The central position is the core of the entire Xinkou defense line! He is under the greatest pressure!

"Commander Li Mo'an! Your 14th Army is responsible for the left wing! Rely on Longwang Hall and Dabaishui Heights! Prevent the Japanese army from making a detour!"

"Commander Liu Maoen! Your 15th Army is responsible for the right wing! Ensure the safety of the Hutuo River defense line!"

"Commander Wang Jingguo! Commander Fu Zuoyi! Your Jinsui Army troops are responsible for the second-line positions and reserves! Be ready to reinforce at any time!"

Orders were issued one after another quickly!

To the north of Xinkou, the Chinese army relied on the natural barriers of Yunzhong River and Hutuo River, as well as key points such as Longwangtang, Nanhuaihua, Jiehepu, and Dabaishui to build an arc-shaped defense line stretching for dozens of miles!

Wei Lihuang is determined to fight to the death with Itagaki Seishirō here!