Canteen System Assistance Notes

In this ambush at Changle Village, due to the popularity of radio, the 689th Regiment of the 115th Division would not fail to receive orders due to broken telephone lines as in history, and the 772nd Regiment of the 129th Division would not be short of troops, which led to a company on the blocking position being almost wiped out, thus letting go of more than half of the 3,700 Japanese troops in the ambush circle.

By now, the 129th Division had completed its Soviet-style weaponry upgrade and, like the 115th Division, had received a new regiment of June-trained soldiers. Furthermore, unlike the 115th Division at Fanyu Pass, the 129th Division had already received some heavy weaponry during this time. These included the "Type 67" 82mm mortar, manufactured from imported seamless steel pipes, according to a strange source in the border region, and four 45mm anti-tank guns imported from the Soviet Union.

Based on these conditions, General Peng directly set the goal: we must completely eat up this 3,700-man Japanese army. A rout is no longer meaningful for the counter-siege battle. Only a complete annihilation war can thwart the Japanese devils' campaign goals and hit their arrogance!

After all, the Japanese army called this battle "catching rats in a cage": they thought they could catch our army just like catching rats in a cage!

-all-

The twisting mountain road twisted like a long snake through the yellow hills and ravines, sometimes rising, sometimes falling. Fortunately, it hadn't rained, so the road wasn't muddy. Tiechui's platoon, part of the 689th Regiment's marching column, raced forward. Gradually, on the right side of the road, a surface of water began to appear, shimmering in the moonlight. Tiechui realized this was the Zhuozhang River on the map. Their destination lay just ahead.

It seems that the new rubber shoes with large spikes are very effective. As we ran along, few people sprained their ankles.

I glanced at the watch handed to me by the platoon leader. It was 10 o'clock in the evening on the 15th. The whole regiment had arrived at Daijia La smoothly. The soldiers in my platoon did not disappoint.

Except for an unlucky kid who got a stomachache and vomited water after a long-distance run and had been sent to a fellow villager's home by the guerrillas, no one was left behind.

"We're quite far away from here. The fighting in Wuxiang should have already started as planned." The second squad leader panted and glanced towards the west. There was no sound of gunfire, but some flickering lights could be vaguely seen, illuminating the distant horizon.

This means that they achieved the first goal given by the front command - to arrive at Daijia La ahead of the Japanese troops. This is good news.

"First squad leader, third squad leader, according to the previous arrangement, take care of our defense zone and dig up the fortifications first." Wang Tiechui briefly assigned the tasks, "Second squad leader

Bring the political warriors with you, and let's go to the company headquarters for a meeting!"

"it is good!"

The Eighth Route Army had a tradition of informing its officers and soldiers of the battle deployment, intentions, and goals, and the officers and soldiers would break down the specific tasks to the commanders at the next level and inform the most basic fighters what the battle was for.

As for how to fight, after the superiors set the tone and objectives, everyone needed to use their brains and mobilize their wisdom to think about this problem. For Wang Tiechui's company, they had to think carefully about how to plug the hole in the encirclement and prevent the Japanese from escaping; then, if possible, figure out how to inflict greater damage on the enemy.

This behavior was called the Pre-War Democratic Society, also known as the "Zhuge Liang Society," and was organized at all levels.

Wang Tiechui, accompanied by the second squad leader and a political operative acting as a soldier representative, crossed a ridge and arrived at their company headquarters. The place was abuzz with activity: the kitchen staff were heating steamed buns, the communications team was working on telephones, and the baggage team was digging holes, setting up tents, and moving ammunition and supplies. The company headquarters had temporarily found a pit hut where woodcutters rested and burned charcoal. They had just set up a folding table and laid out a map.

"The slope of Daijia La is gentle in the west and steep in the east. We are faster than the Japanese now and are running ahead, so the Japanese must be coming from the west." As soon as Wang Tiechui approached the shack, he felt the air getting hot and stuffy. About ten people gathered in front of the bright aluminum table, studying the map on the table with the light of flashlights. He had no choice but to squat outside and listen to the person who was speaking.

"We must dig fortifications as quickly as possible. It would be best if we could build a two-tiered position. That way, after we finish the first line, we'll have someone to watch over us from behind."

This person looked like the third platoon leader. Tiechui thought about it and realized that their platoon's digging skills were quite proficient during training, so this speech didn't deviate too much. However, someone soon raised an objection:

"The Japanese were driven out of Wuxiang. Starting at ten o'clock, it took them five hours to get here, no matter how slow they were. In five hours, how much of our position could we dig? Probably just foxholes and communication trenches. I think it would be better to clear the trees and rocks on the slope to create a firing range!"

"The Japs have been led around in circles by the guerrillas for almost a week now, so they must be exhausted. The 769th Regiment cut off their food trucks for three days straight, and even the strongest men would be starving! Now we're marching at night again, and who else but us can run so fast at night?" The third platoon leader retorted, "I think the Japs won't arrive until tomorrow morning!"

"How can you think so badly of the Japs? We're not fighting the Nationalist army."

"Stop! There's no point in arguing," the company commander interrupted the bickering, making a judgment. "The Japs are exhausted and we're still chasing them, but they're a trapped beast of over 3,000 men, being pursued fiercely by a regiment from behind. When they encounter our interception, they'll definitely fight hard and their combat effectiveness is definitely not weak. Platoon Leader Wu, what do you think?"

I was surprised to find it was the old squad leader.

Wang Tiechui was delighted to spot an old acquaintance, his former squad leader, Wu Jin. As a veteran who had completed the entire Long March and leader of the machine gun platoon, the company's core firepower, his words carried considerable weight. Several platoon leaders and soldier representatives fell silent and looked at him.

Wu Jin didn't notice Wang Tiechui's arrival. He pointed at the Zhuozhang River on the map and asked a question: "The report said the Zhuozhang River has flat land in the south and cliffs in the north. What is it like exactly?"

"Oh!" The squad leader led by the second platoon leader stepped forward. It seemed they were charging ahead, also doing some battlefield reconnaissance. "The cliff is almost two to five meters high. The flat land to the south means that after you go down the cliff to the Zhuozhang River, and then to the south of the river, it's all flat land."

"The Japanese went north of the river?" "Yes, that's right."

Wu Jin pounded his fist on his palm. "Previous intelligence from the regimental headquarters said the Japanese troops' marching column would be quite long. The 772nd Regiment, responsible for the flanking attack, would find a relatively low spot on the northern cliff to leap down, cutting the Japanese into three sections, making it impossible to attack both ends. The 771st Regiment, on the other hand, would skirt around the south side of the Zhuozhang River and launch a flanking attack after the attack was launched. I wonder why the central government deployed them this way?"

"because.……"

Wang Tiechui continued, "The Japanese were eager to escape our pursuit. They were carrying baggage and wagons, so they could only travel on flat ground. Therefore, their primary focus was on the rear, leaving them with no time to deploy security along the cliffs to the side. And since they could see south, the Japanese felt that even if an attack came, they would be discovered early, giving them ample time to organize a defense. Therefore, the Japanese, like wild boars, were focused solely on advancing forward, paying no attention to the sides."

The company commander and Wu Jin looked up at Wang Tiechui with encouraging expressions, motioning him to continue.

"And if they were to encounter our resistance and march ahead, the Japanese who were driven in would inevitably be compressed in front of our position, turning their long strip into a dense pancake. However, the existence of the Daijia La Heights prevented this pancake from spreading out, forcing it to be densely packed together..."

"Can we... also learn from the 772nd Regiment and find a way to get down from the cliff and attack the Japanese flank?" "I think we can."

The company commander looked at everyone and nodded. "Now, let's go to the regiment headquarters to report our plan and then form a commando team! Who's willing to go?"

All hands were raised.

Chapter 85: The Tired March

Hammer was eventually chosen to join the commando team.

Because it was his regiment that had proposed the plan, and nearly all the soldiers were eager to serve as the assault team, Regimental Commander Han Xuanfeng assigned the responsibility of the flanking assault to the 2nd Company of the 689th Regiment. However, Han Xuanfeng clearly rejected the idea proposed by Wang Tiechui and others to leap from the cliff and attack the Japanese flank in a single salvo.

"Things are different now. Back then, we didn't have so many guns and artillery, so we had to rely on close combat to destroy the enemy. Now the Japanese lines can be cut off. As long as we can keep our formation compressed and shrink this little space by the river, even if a whole regiment of Japanese soldiers arrives, how many people can they rush up at once?"

Han Xuanfeng nodded to his company commanders, "Don't just rush forward! Your mission is to prevent the Japanese from attacking from behind. Go and join up with the other group that's been cut off! Next, let's see how the machine guns and artillery perform!"

On the night of April 15, 1938, the Japanese army, which had been lured along by a small group of our troops carrying shortwave radios, had walked for five days in vain in the mountainous area.

But I still couldn't find the imagined "Eighth Route Red Army Headquarters".

After the grain convoy was robbed for three consecutive days, the Japanese army was no longer able to pursue and had to flee tiredly and hastily to Wuxiang to rest and recuperate. However, they were blocked by fire from the 769th Regiment of the 129th Division of our army and the guerrillas outside Wuxiang.

The Japanese garrison squad in Wuxiang was attacked by the division reconnaissance company and guerrillas who had sneaked into the city. They had their houses blown open with turtle punches and then hung up on the city wall.

The Japanese 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Battalions, along with their attached infantry artillery and machine gun squadrons, had not received any food supplies for three days and were nearly depleted of their supplies. After telegraphing the 105th Regimental Headquarters, they followed its instructions and prepared to march along the Zhuozhang River to rendezvous with the approaching 105th Regiment and a battalion.

The journey wasn't long, just over 2 li (51 kilometers), and it would take just over two days to reach the friendly area. Although the 105th Regiment was currently under siege and attack from the Red Army, which was said to be everywhere in the mountains, and it was difficult to leave the city to rescue them, if the two armies joined forces, these guerrilla-like Eighth Route Army troops would surely disperse on their own!

The Japanese troops who entered the city had no choice but to give up their defense and wait for reinforcements, because the Eighth Route Army must have already moved all the food away, and if they stayed there, they would only continue to be deprived of food. They had no choice but to drag their exhausted bodies and began to march along the Zhuozhang River.

However, their rearguard was constantly harassed and pursued by the Eighth Route Army. Days of exhaustion and hunger had severely impacted the team's marching skills: a Japanese squadron was stationed at the rear, fighting and retreating to protect the battalion headquarters and baggage train in the center of the formation, while an infantry artillery squadron was stationed at the front, supporting the vanguard squadron's search and advance. As a result, the march of these three battalions was stretched into a nearly 5-kilometer-long snake by the Zhuozhang River valley.

In the dark night, the visual distance was greatly compressed. The Japanese army continued to advance while being shot at, bombarded and pursued at all times, and their morale continued to decline. Finally, they began to give up confirming the safety of the high cliffs on the north side and ordered the vanguard to speed up and prepare to break through this narrow and twisted river valley in one go.

As long as we can cross the river valley and the high ground ahead called "Daijia La", everything will be fine!

----—―

At this moment, Wang Tiechui was lying quietly on the cliff, holding the submachine gun he had lost and found.

The battlefield stretched out from east to west, like a rolled-up poster being unrolled bit by bit when pasting it on a wall.

It is the blocking position of Dai Jianao. To the west are the comrades of the 772nd Regiment.

On the other side of the river to the south were the comrades of the 771st Regiment - they were marching and maneuvering under the cover of darkness, with long-range firepower.

To the north of the battlefield were his own assault team and the "fire group" squatting in the rear - the heavy machine guns of the regiment were concentrated on several ridges and reverse slopes here.

60 mortars and the newly arrived 82 mortars were scattered in several places, but

Prepare to fire in a concentrated manner.

He needed to rush down the cliff with his comrades from the 772nd Regiment after the battle began. They would head east, the 772nd would head west, cutting off the Japanese lines, splitting their columns, and pushing them towards the well-prepared Daijiala blocking positions! This wasn't like the time at Fanshi Pass. This time, there were no commandos leading the way! He warned himself.

Wang Tiechui swallowed and rechecked his equipment: six cantaloupe grenades, a whistle, two long sticks that supposedly glowed, a portable machine gun with four 32-round magazines, and a strange-looking flare gun. He gave the still-warm box gun to Deputy Squad Leader Xu to provide him with some additional firepower.

In the assault team, Wang Tiechui and Deputy Squad Leader Xu's positions temporarily changed to squad leader and deputy squad leader.

But the squad leader here is different from the previous one!

You have the weight of the entire group on your shoulders!

The immense pressure rolled over him, making it hard to breathe, but Tiechui knew he couldn't afford to back down here! He took deep breaths, exhaling, exhaling, forcing himself to think about things unrelated to the battle. He thought of the Jiapigou Gold Mine, his father who had died in the coal mine, the children who had gone down into the mines halfway through their lives, then the Korean laborers there and their difficult-to-understand Korean dialect, then the invading Japanese, the three provinces that had fallen... Then, Wang Tiechui sadly realized that his thoughts had returned to how to beat the Japanese mercilessly.

"Acting platoon leader, acting platoon leader, look!"

Deputy Captain Xu beside him patted himself and reminded him in a low voice. Wang Tiechui followed his finger and saw a small group of people approaching from the other side of the riverbank under the light of the full moon.

On the moonlit night, the group walked unsteadily in small groups of three or five. Although they were exhausted and their movements were distorted, they were still able to be seen constantly scanning their surroundings, maintaining a certain level of vigilance. The Japanese were indeed a difficult target.

"These are the vanguards, let them pass!"

Behind the vanguards came the two-line marching column. Compared to the vigilant vanguards, the fatigue of these Japanese soldiers was more noticeable. Many were wounded and needed to be carried or supported. At the end of the column were carriages and a group of Japanese without guns. In the moonlight, Wang Tiechui could vaguely make out the outline of an infantry gun.

Next, I have to pay special attention to that place... He made up his mind.

The hands on the watch spun, and almost simultaneously, three flares soared into the sky. Red-red-green!

Wang Tiechui's body suddenly tensed up. He bent the plastic fluorescent stick and inserted it into the drawstring behind his hat. Then, he pulled out a rope from his belt.

He fastened the metal buckle at one end of the rope to a coil of rope!

charge!

(The shoe incident is a sequel, please wait a few chapters)

Chapter 86: Rapid Descent on a Steep Cliff

The first to open fire weren't from Tiechui's assault team. Instead, they were from a small village called "Xingcun," located beneath the Daijia Wall. This was the westernmost part of the encirclement, barricaded with roadblocks, sandbags, and even barbed wire by soldiers from the 689th Regiment.

And when this Japanese detachment acting as a vanguard hooked a 'lunch box broadsword' buried on the roadside, the slender trip wire triggered the pancake-shaped high explosive, and then drove a large number of metal beads produced by randomly freezing recycled alloys, sweeping away all living things within 50 meters in front of them.

With this signal, the battle on the eastern front of the encirclement and annihilation campaign officially began on the high ground of Daijia La. This was a campaign of encirclement and annihilation, with the 769th Regiment in pursuit, the 689th Regiment blocking the enemy, and the T72nd Regiment flanking. Thus, the three battalions of the Japanese 117th Regiment, operating in a loose marching formation, were trapped along a 5-kilometer-long riverbank, under siege from all sides by the Eighth Route Army, which outnumbered them by more than twice their own strength.

The Eighth Route Army, with only a little over a regiment of troops, was able to gain an advantage over the enemy on the local battlefield.

While the Japanese were distracted by the blocking positions and hurriedly deploying their battle formations, several agile soldiers leaped down the steep slope along the ropes. After landing, they quickly leaped to several points they had observed in advance and looped the ropes behind them around fixed objects.

The soldiers still on the slope quickly tightened the tensioners on the ropes. Wang Tiechui could only hear the humming sound of the ropes being tightened quickly from behind him. The next second,

In the clenched fist, the rope suddenly bounced up and became a taut

Rope bridge.

“Charge! Charge! Charge!”

Someone tapped his shoulder from behind, and before his brain could react, Wang Tiechui suddenly leaped from his half-crouch and rushed towards the daunting steep slope without hesitation. The intense feeling of weightlessness made Wang Tiechui feel like he was flying. Even through the protection of his gloves, the short five-meter downhill descent made his hands feel hot.

Fortunately, just as he was about to lose his balance, Wang Tiechui landed on level ground. This was the riverbank near the Zhuozhang River, right at a bend in the Zhuozhang River valley. Using the moonlight, he could see the entire Japanese army line stretched out in front of him, only a few dozen meters away.

There was no inspiring phrase "Comrades, follow me". Wang Tiechui blew the whistle in his mouth and issued the order to follow the charge. All the soldiers wearing crimson fluorescent sticks quickly identified their affiliations and followed him towards the blocking position of the 689th Regiment - towards the flank and rear of the Japanese vanguard.

The firepower on the blocking position has turned into a continuous golden barrage. Half a regiment's light and heavy machine guns are concentrated there. A total of more than 40 Maxim and DP machine guns are spraying fire, attacking the Japanese army from multiple angles. The pre-arranged pull-type lighting gasoline barrels will illuminate the attacking Japanese troops, making it impossible for them to carry out a counterattack smoothly.

The two companies stationed at Daijiala Heights and Xing Village blocked the Japanese army's advance with the fire support of the regiment headquarters.

His watch vibrated, and Wang Tiechui blew his whistle again. Following the combined command of several squad leaders, the entire assault team dropped to the ground. Then, from the clifftop, the crackle of mortar shells pierced the air: the 82mm and 60mm mortars from the regimental and battalion headquarters were firing in unison, providing fire support for the assault team.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The orange-red fireball soared in the night sky, and I felt the impact and heat waves transmitted through the air, as well as a slight dizziness, and the flying body fragments at the edge of my vision.

In an instant, Wang Tiechui had an absurd and ridiculous idea.

Is this the arrogant Japanese army? Is this the force that claims to destroy us in three months?

Damn! That’s it?

The positions on the side cliffs had already opened fire, continuing to shatter any illusions the Japanese army had about rallying. The Japanese army now faced a dilemma: charging forward, or retreating to the side. Some Japanese units, under the command of the sergeant, had already begun running toward the rear, the only area seemingly free of enemies. Wang Tiechui pulled out the flare pistol from his waist and fired at the group's heads.

This is an indicator of the target and also a signal to our artillery positions to avoid accidental damage.

"beat!"

The DP machine gun that was advancing took the lead and mowed down three Japanese soldiers who were rushing in front. Although the others tried to lie down and hide immediately with good tactical skills, the cover of the dark night brought the distance of the exchange of fire between the two sides to within 50 meters. Wang Tiechui didn't even need to raise his gun to aim. He could just hold the submachine gun at his waist and fire, which was enough to suppress the Japanese army so that they couldn't raise their heads.

And within fifty meters, if the Red Army or the Eighth Route Army achieved fire suppression, what would happen in the next second?

If these Japanese soldiers had experience serving the Nationalist army, they would have understood that grenades would surely fly over their heads next moment.

As planned, without any additional instructions, relying solely on the tacit understanding forged in battle, several soldiers in the assault team, each armed with a full twelve grenades, passed the suppressing assault team and flanked them. With the muffled thud of a grenade, the Japanese squad of twenty to thirty men was wiped out cleanly.

Go! Next!

They would fire their rifles, suppress the enemy, and then use grenades or turtle fist launchers to eliminate the enemy before it could develop into a difficult hand-to-hand combat. Wang Tiechui's commando unit was like a clean and sharp scalpel, rushing down the cliff and using accurate and fierce firepower to cut off any attempt by the Japanese to turn back and retreat.

Across the entire width of the battlefield, the 3,700-man Japanese line had been cut into three sections, unable to support each other. The abundant regimental artillery fire turned all attempts by the Japanese to charge and rally into suicidal acts that only increased casualties. Blocked from the front, attacked from both sides, and flanked by enemy forces, the Japanese seemed to have no other options. The constant rush and constant hunger seemed to have truly broken the Japanese fighting spirit, forcing them to wait for death and submit to slaughter.

Is that so?

Soon, as signal flares were fired from within the Japanese army, the Japanese troops, trapped along the riverbank, seemed to have received a unified command and began to move toward the Zhuozhang River, the only area seemingly free from enemy fire. Those Japanese troops who had previously been able to fight, under the command of some junior sergeants, began to organize their resistance, using rocks, trees, and carts as support.

What's the big deal? If you dare to get together, you'll be fired...

Wang Tiechui was about to pull out his signal gun, which had already fired several rounds in a row, when a huge spark rose from the steep slope by the river behind him. The fierce supporting firepower was stagnant, and then more explosions came out on the cliff. At the same time, the Japanese army's firepower was so strong, and the continuous volleys and machine gun fire made it impossible for the commandos to rush forward for a while, and they had to temporarily change their position.

It's infantry artillery and heavy machine guns. The Japanese are firing back!

But how can it explode?

Wang Tiechui knew that it would be difficult for direct-fire artillery to attack our troops on the reverse slope, and the grenade launchers could not reach them for the time being. If they wanted to carry out indirect fire, they would have to conduct "artillery observation" to correct the landing point of the artillery - this was the same as the battleship artillery fire in the course - in such dark conditions, they would not be able to hurt the soldiers on the blocking position by bombing like this.

unless.......

As if to confirm Wang Tiechui's idea, mortar shells with white star rays flew over from behind the slope whose view was blocked by the explosion and smoke. They did not fall as fast as ordinary shells, but pulled out parachutes, bursting out bright white light, pulling out all the Japanese troops hiding in the encircled area.