Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

After the offensive was blocked, Yang Quanwu personally led his troops to the front line.

Start attacking your opponent fiercely.

Now that Yang Quanwu has come up, who among the group cadres below can retreat?

The fighting at Dongtuanbao was particularly fierce. The fortifications and bunkers built by the Japanese and puppet troops were located in a location that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. There was also a reinforced Japanese squadron with five heavy machine guns and nearly twenty light machine guns. One can imagine how tight the Japanese defenses at Dongtuanbao were.

Yang Quanwu ordered his most loyal group to charge forward.

After fifteen hours of ferocious fighting, both sides finally captured Dongtuanbao. In the battle, they annihilated 320 Japanese and over 400 puppet troops, but the First Regiment itself suffered over casualties, a truly devastating blow. Yet, it was only a core unit like the First Regiment that could withstand such heavy casualties and still fight so bravely.

If it were any other unit, with such heavy casualties, they would not be able to continue the battle.

But it’s different.

After the battle of Dongtuanbao, they also participated in the following battles. For them, the sacrifice of their comrades made their fighting power stronger. The performance of the First Regiment was so impressive that it frightened the Japanese troops of the 221st Regiment.

After the 35th Division was established, the 221st Regiment raided the Eighth Route Army bases many times, but never encountered such a reckless force.

The 221st Regiment's valiant performance stunned the 221st Regiment. Consequently, the 221st Regiment abandoned its outlying positions one after another, unwilling to engage the reckless forces of the st Division. As the battle progressed, the st Regiment grew increasingly timid.

Especially when thinking about the fact that the First Division had previously wiped out the 220th Regiment, the 221st Regiment felt a shadow in its heart.

The Battle of Dongtuanbao saw even the Japanese retreat, let alone other units. The Fourth Regiment of the Second Army of the North China Security Army, which had followed the Japanese into Laiyuan, was practically pissing themselves. They were stunned by the brutality of the battle, each one utterly terrified. They had never seen such brutal fighting before. So much so that after encountering the Eighth Route Army, the Fourth Regiment surrendered after less than twenty minutes of resistance.

The Battle of Dongtuanbao, although not a large-scale battle, was one of the most brutal battles in the Hundred Regiments Campaign. The First Regiment also used this battle to prove that the Eighth Route Army was also capable of fighting this kind of face-to-face offensive.

After four days of fighting, Yang Quanwu captured all the Japanese strongholds around Laiyuan. Several of his main regiments suffered heavy casualties, but they also dealt a heavy blow to the 221st Regiment. Ultimately, the 221st Regiment retreated into Laiyuan County, daring not to show its face at all.

They didn't want to continue fighting with these troops in Division 1.

However, seeing that Yang Quanwu continued to concentrate his troops, the 221st Regiment quickly evacuated Laiyuan and, with the support of the 219th Regiment, retreated to Yi County.

The Yinghun Campaign, the Ling Campaign, and the Yuliao Campaign fought by the 129th Division were the three most intense battles in the second phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign.

The results of the battle were brilliant.

The 41th Regiment of the 238st Division, the 26th Regiment of the 11th Division, and the 35st Regiment of the 221th Division were all severely damaged. These regiments were essentially crippled and lost their combat effectiveness. After three battles, more than 6400 Japanese soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. Of course, the 129th Division and the Jin-Cha-Ji forces suffered over 129 casualties in these three battles. Moreover, the th Division and the Jin-Cha-Ji forces sent out their strongest main forces.

These three battles had a huge impact.

Because these three battles proved that the Eighth Route Army's most powerful main force could not be defeated by the Japanese army in a head-on confrontation. The Eighth Route Army could even annihilate an entire Japanese regiment in a head-on confrontation by concentrating its forces.

Such a situation boosted the morale of the Eighth Route Army, but was unacceptable to the Japanese army.

Of course, it was not just the 129th Division and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Forces.

The Ji-Zhong Military Region concentrated seven regiments to carry out the Renhe Dasu Campaign.

The choice of the Hebei-Central Military Region was to launch an attack on both wings to pull the Japanese troops apart. Then the central troops would suddenly attack to cut off the Japanese army's transportation.

This was the original plan, but the 50th Regiment of the Eighth Division, which was to attack from the center, suddenly changed its tactics.

Because during their march they heard that the Japanese army had sent a small team, plus a hundred puppet soldiers, to rob food.

Now is the autumn harvest time in central Hebei.

The time for the general attack had not yet arrived, but the 50th Regiment changed its tactics and chose to ambush this Japanese force, completely annihilating it in just an hour. This battle immediately attracted the surrounding Japanese troops, and several strongholds sent a total of five squadrons of devils to support them, determined to annihilate this ignorant Eighth Route Army unit. Unexpectedly, after the battle, the 50th Regiment immediately chose to hide and then infiltrate the Japanese army behind them. Taking advantage of the Japanese troops' attacks, they successively captured Japanese strongholds and bunkers, and even began to attack the county town.

This immediately caused chaos among the Japanese in Hebei Province.

The Japanese 50th Independent Mixed Brigade quickly dispatched troops south to eliminate the th Regiment. With the change of plan, the Jizhong troops also adjusted their overall tactics. As the Japanese moved south, the Jizhong troops, ambushed on both flanks, suddenly appeared and organized five regiments to attack the Japanese troops.

The two sides fought for a day and a night on four battlefields, ultimately annihilating over 800 Japanese troops and over 100 puppet troops. They captured 24 Japanese soldiers, 391 puppet troops, and 244 puppet troops who defected. Combined with the previous overnight raids by the 50th Regiment, over 2000 Japanese and puppet troops were annihilated.

The situation in central Hebei changed instantly.

The Eighth Route Army in Central Hebei continued its efforts, concentrating its forces to eliminate strongholds and forts. The commotion in Central Hebei caused the 35th Regiment of the 219th Division, originally on its way south to retaliate against the First Division after suffering heavy losses in the Battle of Lailing, to divert to Central Hebei. Because the 219th Independent Mixed Brigade alone could not stabilize the situation in Central Hebei, the th Regiment was deployed to assist.

In the second phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Eighth Route Army still had the advantage.

Mainly because of the first-mover advantage.

The Eighth Route Army had been prepared long beforehand. Therefore, they took the initiative in mobilizing troops and developing tactics. The Japanese were passive throughout, caught completely off guard. The Japanese hurriedly moved their troops southward onto the Zhengtai Road, but the Eighth Route Army had already withdrawn from the Zhengtai Road.

Then the second phase began.

Therefore, the Eighth Route Army achieved very good results in the first and second phases of the Hundred Regiments Campaign.

The results of the second phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign also affected the Eighth Column.

Chapter 340: The Imperial Army Rebellion

"Why did the Eighth Route Army suddenly become so powerful?"

"Yes, yes."

"Have you heard? The Eighth Route Army has captured Datong and has also surrounded Zhangjiakou and Shijiazhuang.

"No, no. I heard the Eighth Route Army has surrounded Taiyuan?"

How terrible are rumors.

The Eighth Route Army's Hundred Regiments Campaign truly rocked North China and the entire country. After all, over 200 regiments, both main and local, participated in the campaign. These 200 regiments, totaling over 40 men, participated.

During the Hundred Regiments Campaign, there were battles every day and every moment throughout North China.

Everyone saw the hasty withdrawal of troops from Peking southward. The 35th Division, originally stationed in Peking, had two regiments withdrawn southward. This led to a surge in rumors.

Furthermore, gossip tends to become increasingly exaggerated and outrageous the more it spreads. If ten people die, once the gossip spreads, it could become a thousand deaths. That's how gossip works these days.

As this rumor spread, many puppet soldiers were shocked.

After all, everyone knew they were traitors. If China won, they would likely be liquidated. While the name "traitor" wasn't nice, at least they had enough to eat and drink. But if Japan lost, the traitors would not only be cursed, but they might even lose their lives.

While all kinds of rumors were spreading, the Eighth Route Army arrived in Wanping County.

This is the most terrible.

The previous rumors were all heard from other people.

They had never seen with their own eyes how many Japanese soldiers had died or what cities the Eighth Route Army had captured. Although they were afraid, they still had some hope in their hearts.

However, seeing the Eighth Route Army troops approach Wanping County and bombard it with artillery immediately broke the psychological defenses of many puppet troops. Many North China Security Forces were on edge, worried about their future. The Eighth Route Army's decision not to attack the city gave them some peace of mind.

But soon a large number of wounded soldiers entered Peking.

The battle between the Jin-Cha-Ji and Hebei-Central regions resulted in heavy casualties for the Japanese. Wounded Japanese soldiers were brought into Peking in droves. Due to a shortage of military hospitals, the Japanese army had to forcibly requisition those within the city to serve as makeshift hospitals for the wounded. The Imperial Army consisted of locals, well-informed about the situation. It soon became known that the Japanese were suffering heavy casualties on the front lines.

This makes them even more afraid.

Of course, the various rumors about the Imperial Army were not all spread by themselves.

A large number of rumors were deliberately leaked by Eighth Route Army insiders.

The 8th Column had spent the past two years cultivating insiders within the Imperial Army and planting its own people. Furthermore, the 8th Column had a significant advantage, having captured numerous Imperial Army officers and soldiers in several battles. They were using this opportunity to educate those officers and soldiers who were unwilling to become traitors, releasing them and using them as insiders.

Now is the time for the inside players to come into play.

"Captain, are the news outside true?

"That's right, that's too outrageous."

Wanping County.

The 7th Regiment of the North China Security Army.

Many officers gathered together to discuss the current situation. Qiu Delong said grimly, "Many of these are exaggerations, but many are also true. I heard from Peking that the Eighth Route Army has essentially destroyed all the strongholds and bunkers along the Zhengtai Road. The Japanese 129rd and th Independent Mixed Brigade were nearly annihilated, and the Eighth Route Army even killed their Major General brigade commander. Furthermore, the th Division of the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi-Chahar Wing Unit recently crippled three Japanese regiments."

Since the Eighth Route Army launched the offensive, the Japanese army has suffered more than 20,000 casualties in the past month or so."

Among the students who graduated from the North China Military Academy, Qiu Delong was promoted the fastest.

He began as the company commander of the Seventh Regiment, soon became battalion commander, and now, the Seventh Regiment's commander. His rapid promotion was certainly due to the contributions of the Pingbei Detachment. Compared to the other units of the North China Security Army, which were relatively weak in combat effectiveness, the Seventh Regiment led by Qiu Delong performed exceptionally well.

Several raids were successful.

They drove out the Eighth Route Army troops and seized many of their "weapons." Even when the Eighth Route Army attacked, other North China Security Forces were easily overwhelmed by the Eighth Route Army's charge. Their combat effectiveness was very poor, making them the Eighth Route Army's favorite target.

But the Seventh Regiment is different.

They were attacked by the Pingbei Detachment several times, and although they failed at times, they held their positions most of the time. Because of this performance, Qiu Delong was even rewarded by the North China Front Army, and Qi Xieyuan knew that he had such an outstanding unit under his command.

Besides, Qiu Delong was the first graduate of Qi Xieyuan’s North China Military Officers School, so Qi Xieyuan attached great importance to Qiu Delong, the young officer.

As a result, in less than two years, Qiu Delong had become a regimental commander of the North China Security Army.

After hearing what Qiu Delong said, several officers took a deep breath.

The officers of the North China Security Army were all educated, most having graduated from the North China Military Academy. They were somewhat knowledgeable. The entire North China Front Army was scattered across Shanxi, Suiyuan, Chahar, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and northern Jiangsu. For such a vast area, the North China Front Army numbered approximately 200,000 men.

But in just one month, there have been more than 20,000 casualties?

That's one in ten casualties.

"Commander, is it true that the Eighth Column has surrounded Zhangjiakou?"

"It's true."

Qiu Delong nodded.

"The Eighth Column troops successively captured Lu, Xiahuayuan, Kangzhuang Station, and Xinbaoan Station, and surrounded Huailai. The Eighth Route Army in the Chabei region captured Chongli County, Guyuan County, and Zhangbei County, and in the Chaxi region captured Tianzhen. The Eighth Column troops have already annihilated three independent battalions of the Japanese Second Independent Mixed Brigade. Once they have taken Huailai and Xuanhua, they will have truly surrounded Zhangjiakou. There are basically no Japanese troops in Zhangjiakou now. If there were no reinforcements, the Eighth Route Army might really be able to capture Zhangjiakou.

"how so."

Many people can't figure it out.

In previous wars, it was the Japanese army that attacked and the Eighth Route Army that retreated.

The Eighth Route Army rarely blocked the Japanese attack head-on, but usually jumped to the outside to ambush the Japanese transport troops or small Japanese units. How could they be so brave this time?

And where did the Eighth Route Army get so many troops?

Of the 200 regiments, half were local troops. Those local troops were poorly equipped, with most being unarmed and fighting with swords and spears. Even so, the sheer number of them still surprised many.

200 regiments, no matter how few people there are, still have more than troops, or even troops.

And these were only the troops in Shanxi, Hebei, and Chahar. The Eighth Route Army still had a large number of troops in Shandong. This was only a few years after the July 7 Incident, when the Nationalist army withdrew from North China with a million troops.

The Eighth Route Army actually has such strength.

"Captain, who are these Eighth Route Army soldiers outside the city?

"The 8th Column's Pingbei Detachment. The exact situation is unclear, but they've destroyed all the strongholds and forts around Wanping County. They're surrounding Wanping County because it's difficult to capture.

The atmosphere was very solemn.

Suddenly someone said, "Captain, what should we do?