Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

At the same time, Liu Jiaqi had arrived at the rear command post in Nanhuaihua.

He immediately redeployed the defense: deployed reserves to key positions, organized assault teams to retake lost positions, and personally adjusted the artillery firepower distribution.

"Division Commander! The left wing position is in danger, the Japanese army has rushed up!" the communicator reported loudly.

Without a word, Liu Jiaqi grabbed a submachine gun and said, "Command staff, follow me! Even if we have to wipe out the 54th Division, we can't let the Japanese pass Nanhuaihua!"

The news that the division commander personally led the counterattack quickly spread throughout the position. The defenders, with their morale greatly boosted, launched a counterattack and engaged in a brutal tug-of-war with the Japanese army.

Although Liu Jiaqi was an officer, he was an accurate shooter and a calm commander, leading his troops to successfully drive back the Japanese troops that had broken into the position.

However, the Japanese army, relying on its absolute firepower advantage, launched another fierce attack in the afternoon.

This time they changed their tactics and concentrated their forces to attack the junction of Nanhuaihua and the adjacent positions.

Almost all the battalion defending the place were killed in the battle, and the position was in danger.

Hao Mengjun received the report at his command post behind the mountain and ordered without hesitation: "Guard Battalion, follow me!"

The Chief of Staff hurriedly stopped him: "Commander! You are the commander-in-chief of the entire army. You cannot go into danger in person!"

Hao Mengling pushed him away and said, "The soldiers on the front line are bleeding and sacrificing their lives. How can I, Hao Mengling, sit quietly in the rear?" After saying that, he led the guard battalion straight to the front line.

When Hao Mengling arrived at the Nanhuaihua front, he was shocked by the tragic scene before him.

There were almost no complete fortifications on the battlefield, the trees were cut into sharp stakes by artillery fire, and the land was turned upside down as if it had been plowed.

Casualties were seen everywhere, with medical personnel busily shuttling among them. However, medicines had long been in short supply, and many wounded soldiers could only continue fighting after receiving simple bandages.

"General! Why are you here?" Zheng Tingzhen, covered in dust and blood, asked in surprise.

Hao Mengling did not answer, but asked directly: "What is the situation now?"

"The junction position has been lost. The Japanese are attempting to expand the breakthrough point through this. Division Commander Liu has led his men to plug the gap."

Hao Mengling immediately deployed a counterattack plan: he personally commanded the main force to contain the enemy from the front, Zheng Tingzhen led the elite troops to detour to the flank of the Japanese army, and Liu Jiaqi led the reserve troops to be ready to plug the leaks at any time.

At 4 p.m., the counterattack began.

The soldiers saw Hao Mengling commanding from a relatively safe place, which greatly boosted their morale.

The cry of "The commander is with us!" resounded throughout the position.

The battle was extremely brutal, with both sides fighting repeatedly on the narrow position.

Zheng Tingzhen was hit by several bullets while leading his troops in a charge, but he still insisted on commanding until he fainted from excessive blood loss.

Liu Jiaqi was hit by shrapnel while organizing the defense. After a simple bandage, he refused to be evacuated.

There were many artillery shells falling near Hao Mengling's command post, but he remained calm.

By the end of the day, the Japanese offensive was finally contained and the junction position was recaptured, but the Chinese army paid an extremely heavy price.

As night fell, the sound of gunfire gradually became sparse, but the occasional harassing shooting by the Japanese army reminded people that more brutal battles were yet to come.

Hao Mengling inspected the positions and visited the wounded.

In a temporary emergency room, he saw Zheng Tingzhen, who was dying.

"Commander... I... I tried my best..." Zheng Tingzhen said weakly.

Hao Mengling held his hand tightly and said, "Brother Tingzhen, you are a hero of the country. The people will never forget you."

Zheng Tingzhen smiled weakly and closed his eyes forever.

Hao Mengling gently closed his eyes, tears silently sliding down his cheeks.

That night, Hao Mengling and Liu Jiaqi studied the battle situation at the command center all night.

They knew that the Japanese army would never give up and tomorrow would be an even more difficult day.

"Commander, more than half of our troops have been killed or wounded, and there are only a few reserves left." Liu Jiaqi reported tiredly.

Hao Mengling was silent for a long time, then said firmly: "Even if we have to fight to the last soldier, we must defend Xinkou."

In the next two days, the Japanese army launched a more fierce attack and even used poison gas bombs.

The Chinese defenders continued to fight by covering their mouths and noses with wet towels in the absence of gas masks.

Many positions were lost and regained, and the battle lines became blurred, with enemies and friends mixed together, each fighting on their own.

Late at night, Hao Mengling decided to launch a daring night attack in an attempt to recapture the key positions lost during the day.

He and Liu Jiaqi personally led the team to attack the Japanese front-line command post.

The night attack went smoothly at first and destroyed a Japanese artillery observation point.

But on the way back, they mistakenly fell into the Japanese machine gun fire network.

Hao Mengling and Liu Jiaqi were both shot and died heroically. Before his death, Hao Mengling said to the soldiers around him: "Tell future generations that we died fighting for our country, which is the greatest honor..."

The news that the army and division commanders died one after another shocked the whole country, but it also inspired the defenders to put up a more tenacious resistance.

Li Mo'an, the division commander who took over the command, swore: "I will live and die with this position to comfort the commander's spirit in heaven!"

In the following days, the Xinkou defenders withstood the Japanese army's repeated attacks with amazing perseverance. . . .

Just as blood and flesh were flying in Xinkou, Niangzi Pass on the ridge of Taihang Mountains in eastern Shanxi was facing the most severe test in its thousand-year history.

In the early morning of the 21st, cold rain mixed with snowflakes fell on the rolling hills.

General Sun Lianzhong stood on the city wall of Niangzi Pass, looking at the ancient road winding through the cliffs at his feet, his brows furrowed.

This Northwestern Army general, known for his calmness, was now filled with anxiety.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief, the vanguard of the Japanese army has broken through Jiulong Pass and is advancing along the mountain road towards the main position of Niangzi Pass!" The scout reported, soaked all over and panting.

Sun Lianzhong didn't say anything, but just cast his gaze towards the misty mountains in the distance.

Niangzi Pass is known as the "Ninth Pass in the World" and is the most important throat on the Zhengtai Railway. If it is lost, the Japanese army can march straight in and approach Taiyuan.

The troops under his command, except for a part of the 26th Army he brought with him, were mostly hastily assembled local troops with poor equipment, lack of training, and even difficulty in obtaining basic ammunition supplies.

"What's the news about the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army?" Sun Lianzhong asked the chief of staff beside him.

"Guerrilla warfare has been launched in the Changshengkou area, but after all, the troops are limited and it is difficult to stop the main force of the Japanese army."

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, making a dull sound when hitting the ancient city wall.

Sun Lianzhong knew that a fierce battle was about to begin.

The Japanese army's 20th Division led by General Kamikawa Isamu attacked Niangzi Pass.

Unlike the Itagaki Division on the Xinkou front, the 20th Division, which had been stationed in Korea for a long time, adopted more flexible mountain warfare tactics.

At dawn on October 22, the Japanese army, under the cover of aircraft, launched a tentative attack on the outer positions of Niangzi Pass.

The 17th Division led by Zhao Shoushan was defending Jiuguan.

These Shaanxi soldiers took advantage of the dangerous terrain and used simple weapons to repel several Japanese attacks.

Japanese artillery shells continued to fall on the hilltop, blowing up rubble all over the sky. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, but their morale did not fall.

"Division Commander, the Japanese artillery fire is too fierce. More than half of the third battalion has suffered casualties!" The chief of staff shouted loudly amid the sound of artillery fire.

Zhao Shoushan held up the telescope, his face solemn: "Tell the brothers, even if we fight to the last soldier, we must not let the Japanese pass!"