Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

Soon after, a telegram came from the Sijiagou area, and the 20th Regiment was also wiped out. After discussing the current situation, several people immediately understood that the third phase of the operation was about to begin.

Immediately, the brigade headquarters issued an order to pacify the area and let Xun Bai command several surrounding regiments to block the Independent Mixed Brigade No. 8 on its way back to Yangquan for eight hours, and then let it return to Yangquan.

At the same time, on the western front, Hong Chao commanded his troops to hold the 20th Division for five hours and then immediately withdrew.

In the south, a telegram was sent to Lao Chen, asking him to capture Changzhi. At the same time, the 771st and 772nd Regiments were sent to block the rear of the 2nd and 59th Regiments of the 14th Division respectively, cutting off the two regiments' way back to Changzhi.

At the same time, kill as many of the two regiments' manpower as possible and drive them towards Linfen.

When the two regiments of the 28th Brigade retreated in the direction of Shexian, they also tried to kill as many of the 28th Brigade's manpower as possible, forcing it to quickly withdraw to Handan.

Shortly after the 389th Brigade issued the order, the North China Front Army also bypassed the First Army and sent a telegram to several Japanese troops in southeastern Shanxi, ordering them to start withdrawing immediately.

Taiyuan, 2:30 p.m.

After Okabe Naosaburo regained consciousness after being examined by a doctor, he immediately remembered the farewell message from the 16th Division that he had seen before he fainted. He was suddenly startled and hurriedly asked the chief of staff beside him about the current situation.

When we learned from Chief of Staff Kawabe that after receiving the farewell telegrams from the 9th and 20th Regiments, the commander of the North China Front Army, Sugiyama Gen, personally issued a retreat order to the front-line troops.

At the same time, the Jinzhong Guard Brigade has now set out for Yangquan, but is currently blocked in Shouyang by the local Eighth Route Army troops and is moving slowly.

Looking at the current situation, Okabe Naosaburo was suddenly confused. The mighty locust army of the Empire of Japan was being attacked again and again by a group of beggars on the battlefield in China. What exactly was the problem?

Suddenly, he thought that if the front-line troops evacuated now, there might be problems again, so he quickly stood up and walked towards the meeting room, ordering his subordinates to send a telegram to inquire about the situation of the front-line retreat.

Sure enough, as the telegrams from the retreating troops were compiled, the 20th Division was blocked from three directions in the Mafang area, and was blocked again by the Eighth Route Army when it retreated.

In the south, the 2nd and 59th Regiments of the 14th Division reported that both units were attacked by the Eighth Route Army while marching in the morning. After the Eighth Route Army led them into an ambush circle, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire was very fierce, and there were suspected large-caliber heavy artillery. The entire regiment suffered heavy casualties.

At the same time, other Eighth Route Army soldiers were spotted on the retreat route, numbering approximately a regiment.

The situation encountered by the 28th Brigade was almost identical to that of the 2nd and 59th Regiments.

Suddenly, the signalman received another telegram from Changzhi, saying that Changzhi was attacked by the Eighth Route Army.

It turned out that when Zeng Jiwen sent the news that Changzhi could be captured to the 386th Brigade located in the mountainous areas on both sides of Changzhi, Lao Chen immediately became excited and ordered the brigade artillery regiment to start building artillery positions. The 17th, 18th, and 19th regiments began to encircle Changzhi on three sides and began to attack.

At that time, Changzhi only had a guard team of more than 500 people and a part of the brigade headquarters led by the commander of the 27th Brigade under the 14th Division, Guan Yu. The main force and equipment accompanied the two regiments to carry out the sweep.

As the 386th Brigade began to attack Changzhi, the artillery regiment began to bombard the fortifications on the city wall. At this time, the brigade commander of the 27th Brigade in the city, Guan Yu, had a solemn expression on his face. Listening to the bursts of artillery fire outside the city, he roughly estimated that there were about twenty artillery pieces.

At the same time, a large number of Eighth Route Army troops were outside the city and had begun to clear out the strongholds outside the city. Guan Yu suddenly thought of his two regiments that had been led into the mountainous area by the Eighth Route Army and were currently suffering heavy casualties. He realized that the target of this Eighth Route Army might be his own brigade.