Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

On May 7, 1941, the Japanese army, feeling that they had secured victory, suddenly set out in unison at dusk, invading the Zhongtiao Mountain area from the east, west, and north in a "pincer-like manner with a central breakthrough."

On the eastern front, the main force of the 35th Division commanded by Lieutenant General Harada Yukichi, part of the 21st Division commanded by Lieutenant General Tanaka Hisaichi, and part of the 4th Independent Cavalry Brigade, about 25000 people, with the cooperation of the puppet troops Zhang Lanfeng and Liu Yanfeng, attacked Jiyuan and Mengxian in three routes along the western section of Daoqing Road.

On the western front, the main force of the 37th Division commanded by Lieutenant General Ando Nijuzo, part of the 36th Division commanded by Lieutenant General Iseki Ren, and the 16th Independent Mixed Brigade commanded by Major General Wakamatsu Heiji, about 25000 people, attacked Zhangdian Town from the southeast of Wenxi and Xia County.

On the northern front, the Japanese 41st Division commanded by Lieutenant General Shimizu Noriyuki and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade commanded by Major General Ikegami Kenkichi, totaling about 30000 people, used the lightning tactics of a central breakthrough to launch a fierce attack from Hengling Pass towards the west side of Hengyuan Avenue.

On the northeast front, part of the 33rd Division commanded by Lieutenant General Sakurai Shozo and part of the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade, about 10,000 people, attacked Dongfeng Town from Yangcheng.

Based on intelligence, the First War Zone Commander-in-Chief's Office divided and attacked the Japanese army, attacked our communications and headquarters at all levels; used heavy troops to capture key transportation points, cut off our communication, and defeated them one by one; blocked mountain passes and ferry crossings, gradually tightened the encirclement, and completed the joint attack. "Before the battle, Chen Dongcheng ordered all units to target the transportation lines, intensify guerrilla attacks, and hinder the enemy's attack preparations and troop concentration." However, due to the absence of the war zone commander, the above orders were not effectively organized and implemented, resulting in "on the second day of the battle, due to the dramatic change in the situation, the enemy's momentum was extremely fierce. We strictly ordered all units to maintain the current situation, crush the enemy's attempt to erode Zhongtiao Mountain, lure the enemy to a favorable area, switch to the offensive, and then destroy them." The various units responded hastily and fought against the Japanese troops from different directions. The Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain officially began. [7]

The first stage

On the eastern front: The Japanese army’s “left wing took Wen County as the starting point, with a vanguard of more than 5000 infantry, more than 1,000 cavalry, more than 20 artillery pieces, dozens of aircraft, and more than 100 tank, gas and armored vehicles, advancing along the north bank of the Yellow River.” “The center took Qin and Bo as the starting points, with a vanguard of more than 1,000 people, attacking westward along the Qinji Avenue.” “Another vanguard of more than 2000 people, with more than 10 artillery pieces, fled west to Yizhuang, and then attacked Niezhang, Ziling, Dongdaizhai, and Liucun.” “At the same time, more than 3000 people on the north bank of the Qin River, with more than 10 aircraft and more than 20 artillery pieces, forced a crossing of the Qin River.” Pei Changhui’s 9th Army, the defending army, implemented a step-by-step defense and retreated step by step under the attack of the powerful enemy. [8]

At noon on the 8th, they abandoned Ji and Meng and retreated westward. In the face of a complete rout, the First War Zone headquarters ordered the 9th Army to "use its main force to establish positions north of Fengmenkou to prevent the enemy from advancing westward from Qin and Ji, while using a small force to flank the enemy."

第9军部署新编第24师主力、第54师张团守封门口一线，第47师和第54师驻王屋的独立第4旅等在孤山一线游击。封门口系日军西进必经之要隘，日军势在必夺。久攻不下，再行增兵。

Fierce fighting lasted from the morning of the 9th to the morning of the 10th, ultimately leading to the enemy's defeat. By then, the Japanese central route had already captured Yuanqu County on the evening of the 8th and was dividing its forces to attack Shaoyuan. The headquarters ordered the main force of the 9th Army to "cross south from Guanyang to support the river defense."

On the 11th, more than 100 Japanese planes bombed and blocked the Guanyang East and West Ferry crossings. The 54th Division crossed to Henan after suffering heavy casualties, and the remaining divisions retreated to the mountains north of Fengmenkou and Shaoyuan.

On the 12th, part of the Japanese army occupied the ferry crossings along the Yellow River; the main force advanced westward along Fengmenkou to Shaoyuan, where they joined forces with the enemy advancing eastward from Yuanqu, thus completing the inner encirclement of the Kuomintang 14th Army.[9]

西线：是日军的主攻方向。“守军为孔令恂的第80军第165师（师长王治岐）和新编第27师（师长王竣），唐淮源的第3军第7师（师长李世龙）和12师（师长寸性奇），以及直属第5集团司令部指挥的公秉藩第34师。”[10]