The Xizhuang stronghold is less than ten kilometers away from the Shunping Eighth Route Army base. At four o'clock in the afternoon, a Japanese commando team of more than 300 people entered here in a mighty manner.
Including the original garrison of the stronghold, the total number of Japanese and puppet troops inside directly exceeded 500. This commando team had just severely damaged a main company of Shunping Defense Regiment under the cover of aircraft, killed and injured more than a hundred civilians, and robbed a large amount of finances and livestock.
After a while, the stronghold became lively, killing pigs and sheep, stewing meat, roasting lamb, roasting chicken... just like celebrating the New Year.
The captain of the stronghold garrison team also took out the fine wine he had collected, and planned to drink with the commando squadron leader forever.
Although the Japanese food is very good, it is rare to encounter enough chicken, pork, and mutton like today.
Everyone ate with their mouths full, and officers above second lieutenant also drank a lot of wine. This is a big pain for the two Japs in the stronghold.
The Japanese drink and eat meat without thinking of them. When it comes time to clean up the mess, they suddenly think of them. They also have to take on the duty of guarding at night. You can imagine how frustrated they are.
But no matter how much resentment you have in your heart, you have to endure it. Who told them to leave the good Chinese people alone and betray their ancestors and become dogs for the little devils?
Since you have become a dog, you must have the consciousness of being a dog. At one o'clock in the morning, there were only a dozen Japanese soldiers left in the stronghold standing guard on the top of the tower.
Time passed by second by second, the cold wind kept blowing, and several Japanese soldiers couldn't help but huddle behind the battlements to avoid the cold. Their double eyelids began to fight at the same time, and they became more and more lost in the lake, and finally fell asleep completely.
"Boom, boom, boom..." Four explosions suddenly sounded around their feet, like thunder, which frightened these puppet soldiers and quickly stood up from behind the battlements.
He stuck his head out and looked out, wanting to know what just happened.
"Dongdongdong..." Heavy machine gun bullets flew towards us, and several Japanese soldiers who had their heads popped out fell down in response. Some people had half of their heads cut off, and red and white brains were splashed everywhere. Some people were shot in the face, and half of their faces were damaged. He was beaten to death, it was terrible.
A few Japanese soldiers who were slow to react were lucky enough to survive. After seeing the tragic scene after their comrades' death, they squatted next to them and vomited, their faces turning pale at the same time.
"Boom..." The second round of explosions sounded quickly, fire splashed, and the turrets under the puppet soldiers began to shake in the explosion.
"No, the turret is about to collapse..." a veteran among the puppet troops shouted, grabbed his rifle and ran towards the stairs, trying to escape before the turret collapsed.
"Rumble..." But God didn't give him this chance. As soon as he ran to the stairs, the floor began to collapse under his feet.
The veteran quickly grabbed the handrail beside him to steady his body, but the handrail hit the ground along with the floor.
Rubbles flew and dust flew, and the few surviving Japanese soldiers were instantly submerged in the ruins. Also buried inside were the Japs squad leader stationed at the stronghold and a dozen or so little Japs, all the work of the artillery company of the Shunping Garrison Regiment.
Four mountain cannons fired at the same time, two cannons were aimed at the turret, and two artillery were aimed at the bunker next to the turret. Only two rounds of shooting razed the most threatening turret in the stronghold to the ground.
The squadron leader of the Japanese commando team lived in the back barracks. Although he was very drunk from the wine, he did not forget the military qualities that had been integrated into his bones. He sat up from the bed after a while. He didn't even bother to put on his military uniform. He grabbed the command knife and heel on the table. Equipped with a gun and rush out.
The stronghold was under shelling, and it was too dangerous inside the house. If he was hit by a shell, he would be buried directly in the rubble. The chance of survival was almost zero. He had to leave the room before the next round of shells fell.
"Sir, the stronghold was attacked by unknown artillery fire..." The squadron leader rushed out of the barracks and saw his squad leader running toward him in a panic, reporting as he ran.
"Order the troops to enter the position and assist the garrison in the stronghold to defend the stronghold. Quick... boom..." As soon as the squadron leader finished shouting this word, the ten-meter-high gun tower began to collapse and turned into a pile of ruins in just three seconds.
"The enemy is attacking... Everyone, quickly enter the position and hold on to the stronghold..." More than 400 Japanese and puppet troops swarmed out of the barracks and went straight to their respective positions.
After a while, one or two hundred Japanese and puppet troops gathered in the open space at the gate of the station. There was a mess everywhere, with some people running this way and some running that way.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The third round of explosions soon sounded in the stronghold. The sound was obviously not as violent as before, but more intensive.
The squadron leader was also blown over in the explosion, but he was also lucky. A guard rushed behind him at the same time, pressing his body underneath him to block the two shell fragments coming from behind.
The guard was killed on the spot. The squadron leader got up from the ground and saw more than a dozen craters in front of him. A large number of corpses and wounded people were dumped around each crater. The screams reached his ears at the same time.
Frightened, he quickly ordered: "Enter the position quickly. The enemy is equipped with a large number of mortars. There is not even a bunker here. We can't stay any longer. Leave quickly..." Before he finished speaking, he moved, holding a self-defense pistol. Follow the command knife and head straight to the trench dozens of meters away.
The enemy is equipped with a large number of mortars and direct-fire artillery, and bunkers and gun towers are not safe. Only trenches can protect everyone's safety.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The mortar fire rate was very fast. Just as the squadron leader ran out more than ten meters, the explosion reached his ears again.
Without waiting for warning from his subordinates, he lay down to avoid this round of attacks, but other soldiers around him were not as good as him, especially the puppet troops who accounted for 30% of the troops in the team.
He was running around in the explosion, just like seeking death. The squadron leader couldn't control them. In the face of artillery fire, it was good that he could keep himself safe. He had no time to care about others.
As soon as the explosion stopped, the squadron leader got up from the ground and continued to rush towards the trench... finally jumped into the trench. As if the shells flying into the open space behind him had eyes, they all changed their targets and hit the trench.
Some exploded on the edge of the trench, and some smashed into the trench. One shell took away several lives in the trench... At the Japanese brigade headquarters in Baoding, the brigade commander Major General Kawasaki was having a sweet dream in bed. Since early morning, there has been a smile on the corner of my mouth.
At two o'clock in the morning, a rapid knock on the door suddenly sounded. The sweet dream was interrupted. Major General Kawasaki frowned for a moment. He was just about to curse at the door when an anxious voice from the left center came in: "Commander of the brigade, something big has happened..."
"The commando team was attacked. The enemy situation is unknown. Two commando teams have now lost contact..."
"Nani?" Major General Kawasaki couldn't sit still. He swallowed back the curse words he was about to say, put on his military uniform and walked to the door.
Opening the door, he went straight to the war room without waiting for the center left opening, asking as he walked.
"What's the specific situation?"
"The commandos just hit the Eighth Route Army heavily during the day yesterday under the cover of aircraft and returned with a great victory. How could they be attacked?"
"We shouldn't retaliate against the Eighth Route Army... They were attacked by commandos continuously. The troops suffered heavy losses and the morale of the army was unstable. Now we should not think of ways to protect ourselves, how to block our next round of attacks, how can we take the initiative to attack the occupied areas and attack Team, are they crazy..."
"Are you mistaken..." Cun Shang Zhongzuo followed closely behind the brigade leader and reported as he walked: "You dare to use your own head to guarantee that the commando who lost contact must have had an accident."
"Half an hour ago, a commando team suddenly sent a telegram. They were heavily attacked by the Eighth Route Army. The opponent was equipped with a large number of mortars and infantry artillery. The troops suffered heavy losses and were in urgent need of reinforcements."
"Just in case, I immediately asked the radio operator to contact the other five commandos. As a result, two of the commandos have lost contact. No matter what means we use, we can't contact them."
"The commando who asked us for help also lost contact ten minutes ago, and then came to report."
"The Eighth Route Army in Yizhong likes to use offense instead of defense. I guess they want to repeat their old tricks. They will eat up several of our commandos through active attacks, disrupt us, and prevent the troops from attacking their base areas."
"Have any troops been sent to reinforce the commandos that were attacked?" Major General Kawasaki became nervous after hearing the introduction and asked anxiously.
Cun Shangzhongzuo shook his head: "I am worried that the Eighth Route Army will surround the road for reinforcements, so I dare not send troops without orders from my superiors." Major General Kawasaki breathed a sigh of relief and said with a face full of relief: "You did a good job, no more We must not rush to send reinforcements before we understand the specific situation."
"In the Yixian offensive and defensive battle, we lost several gun troops because we were too self-righteous. We must not make the same mistake a second time."
"Contact the remaining three commandos immediately and ask them to strengthen their alert. No one can leave their respective stations without my order." The two men walked into the war room as they talked.
The three commandos under attack and their strongholds have been marked on the map. Major General Kawasaki can see them clearly at a glance, and he is more determined in his judgment.
Pointing to the three strongholds under attack, he analyzed: "The Eighth Route Army attacking the commando team was indeed calling for reinforcements at the encirclement point."
"Look at the sand table. The three strongholds that were attacked are not next to each other. They are separated by a commando team."
"If the brigade headquarters issues a reinforcement order, the remaining three commandos can be divided into three strongholds to reinforce each other, giving the Eighth Route Army a good opportunity to defeat us one by one." Cun Shangzhongzuo broke out in cold sweat after hearing this.
Just now he had the idea of sending troops to reinforce the battlefield. Fortunately, he held back at the last moment. Otherwise, the remaining three commandos on the battlefield would have suffered mishaps due to his wrong command. Then the crime would be punished. Well, he just sat on it. The chief of staff position will be lost.
He quickly interrupted, hoping that the brigade commander would avoid this topic as soon as possible: "General, what should we do next?"
"Wait until daybreak..." Major General Kawasaki couldn't think of a good solution. He looked at Zhongzuo and replied helplessly.
"There are still more than four hours before dawn. Are you worried that the three commandos under attack will not be able to withstand it?" Chief of Staff Chang Cun Shang Zhongzuo answered with an embarrassed look.
