The War of Resistance Against Japan: Special Operations Battalion Traverses Shanghai and Slaughters

On this day, Long Fei, Xu Peng, and Xie Qiang each led their own armies on a separate expedition.

Liu Wei, Gao Hong, and Ma Xu, along with the reserve forces and the Eighth and Ninth Armies, were responsible for staying behind to guard the area.

The route led by Xie Qiang consisted of the 1st Special Operations Division and the 1st and 2nd Armies.

After departing from Jinzhong, they passed through Yushe, Wuxiang, Xiangyuan and other places without finding any trace of the Japanese, and finally successfully surrounded Changzhi.

Since the 300,000 Japanese soldiers led by Yoshio Shinotsuka were wiped out, the remaining Japanese soldiers in various parts of Shanxi lived in constant fear.

They received instructions from their superiors that not only would no reinforcements be sent, but they were also ordered to retreat to major cities and hold their ground.

Therefore, after the Longyan Legion liberated eastern Shanxi, the Japanese troops in southeastern Shanxi all retreated to the cities of Changzhi and Jincheng.

Currently, the troops stationed in Changzhi and Jincheng are the 104th Brigade of the 108th Division of the Japanese Army, with the 105th and 52nd Regiments under its command, and one battalion left behind in each.

As for the other units of the 108th Division, they had already been completely annihilated at Junji Pass.

The Japanese battalion commander in Changzhi was named Sato Mitsuyoshi, and the Japanese battalion commander in Jincheng was named Ejima Masao.

When Sato Mitsuyoshi saw that Changzhi Castle was surrounded by a large army, he knew that he could not hold it, but he still decided to resist stubbornly by relying on the city's defenses.

This was Xie Qiang's first time independently commanding a battle since being promoted to deputy corps commander.

In addition, the main target this time was not the Japanese, but the militia headquarters in Lingchuan and more than 10,000 militiamen scattered in the surrounding area.

Therefore, Xie Qiang had some ideas, so he discussed them with Chen Yiding, the commander of the First Army, and Zhu Ci, the commander of the Second Army.

"Commander Chen, Commander Zhu, I think the Japanese in Changzhi and Jincheng are no longer a threat. It's only a matter of time before they are wiped out. What do you think?"

Chen Yiding and Zhu Ci nodded in agreement.

Xie Qiang then pointed to the map and said, "Please take a look, Commanders. Jincheng and Lingchuan are adjacent to Henan and Hebei. If the Japanese and the militia realize that something is wrong, they can retreat in these two directions."

"Therefore, I think we should not launch an attack on Changzhi for the time being, but leave only one division to continue to besiege Changzhi."

"The other troops were divided into two routes. One route quickly advanced south to surround Jincheng, giving the Japanese no chance to escape."

"Another force will advance directly into Lingchuan, sending only a small contingent to surround the militia headquarters and launch a feint attack."

"The rest of the troops occupied Caozhuang, Lucheng, Yangcun, Pingcheng, Yetou and other places around Lingchuan."

After hearing this, Chen Yiding looked up and asked, "Deputy Commander Xie, are you planning to cut off the militia headquarters' retreat first, and then use the militia headquarters as bait to lure them in?"

Zhu Ci added, "Commander Chen, you're right. Deputy Commander Xie is trying to stage a good show of besieging the enemy's stronghold and attacking their reinforcements."

Seeing that both army commanders understood his intentions, Xie Qiang chuckled and said...

"That's right, both of you are sensible men. What do you think of my deployment?"

Chen Yiding and Zhu Ci exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then I'll assign the tasks. Commander Zhu, please lead a division to launch a surprise attack and surround Jincheng. Just like with Changzhi, we'll besiege it for now without attacking."

"Commander Chen and I will lead the rest of the troops straight to Lingchuan to deal with the militia first."

After the order was given, Zhu Ci immediately set off with a division of troops.

Xie Qiang and Chen Yiding led the rest of their troops and quickly advanced towards Lingchuan.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yinwu was holding a grand victory celebration banquet in Lingchuan.

Yesterday, Zhang Wenxiang, the commander of the Second Regiment of the Boye Militia, decided to defect to the Hebei Militia under the instruction of Zhang Yinwu, and thus launched a surprise attack on the Boye Militia Special Service Battalion.

Taking advantage of his superior numbers, Zhang Wenxiang suddenly surrounded the Boye Militia Special Service Battalion, while the Boye Militia Special Service Battalion set out for the greater good of the united front.

They decided to exercise maximum restraint, but ultimately had no choice but to surrender.

In this way, the control of the Boye militia commander Zhang Zhonghan over the troops was effectively undermined.

This allowed Zhang Yinwu to successfully descend the mountain and recruit the Boye militia into his ranks.

Xie Qiang had no idea that the Hebei militia was no longer the original force of 10,000 men.

After they raised the so-called banner of resistance against Japan, many passionate young people and patriots, unaware of the truth, took the initiative to join them.

In addition, the Nationalist government's First War Zone recognized Zhang Yinwu's militia and even gave it an official designation.

Therefore, the Hebei militia now has an organization of eight regiments, with a strength of 30,000 men.

After learning that most of the Japanese troops in Shanxi had been annihilated by the Longyan Legion, Zhang Yinwu...

Instead of launching an attack on the Japanese, they secretly made peace with the Japanese in Changzhi and Jincheng, forming a so-called tacit understanding.

What is most infuriating is that the Lingchuan area was already poor, and after the Japanese came, they burned, killed, and looted everywhere, making it even more difficult for the people to survive.

But Zhang Yinwu is still here extorting money from the people, deceiving them into believing that they should fully support the resistance against Japan.

Zhang Yinwu also secretly provided the looted grain and other supplies to the Japanese garrison in Changzhi and Jincheng.

Zhang Yinwu's exploitative practices, disregarding the lives of ordinary people, have caused widespread resentment among the surrounding communities.

The local people even gave Zhang Yinwu's so-called "guerrilla team" the nickname "the guerrilla eating team," which shows how much resentment they had towards them.

When Xie Qiang led a regiment of the 1st Special Operations Division to surround Lingchuan, there were more than 10,000 militia troops stationed in Lingchuan at that time.

After its recent expansion, the Dragon Flame Legion's First Special Operations Division now comprises three special operations regiments, each with over three thousand men.

Therefore, even though the militia's strength was four times that of the special operations regiment, they were no match for them at all.

After all the troops had successfully arrived at their designated locations, Xie Qiang ordered the siege of Lingchuan and immediately launched a feint attack.

In order to avoid harming innocent civilians in the city, as well as officers and soldiers in the militia who were genuinely fighting against the enemy.

Xie Qiang did not order an artillery barrage, but only launched a threatening attack.

Zhang Yinwu and Zhang Wenxiang were enjoying their drinks when they suddenly heard gunfire erupting outside the city.

Immediately afterwards, a subordinate came to report that Lingchuan City had been suddenly surrounded by an unknown army, which had also opened fire.

This not only dispelled Zhang Yinwu's drunkenness but also terrified him so much that he almost lost his mind.

"That's not right. I already made an agreement with the Imperial Army that they wouldn't attack us. As for the Nationalist Army, that's even less likely. Could it be that the Eighth Route Army has come to take revenge for what happened to the Boye militia?"

Zhang Wenxiang said dismissively, "Commander Zhang, don't worry. We have three regiments with more than 10,000 troops in Lingchuan City. The Eighth Route Army has only a few broken guns and no heavy weapons. What can they do to me?"

Although Zhang Wenxiang's words were somewhat arrogant, they still made some sense, which calmed Zhang Yinwu's panicked emotions a little.

"Order all units to hold the city at all costs. Also, quickly find out which unit is attacking us outside the city."

Although Xie Qiang did not intend to launch a full-scale attack, he had to apply enough pressure, otherwise if Zhang Yinwu did not call for reinforcements, Xie Qiang's act would be over.