Chu Yunfei laughed and said boldly: "Brother Dalong, just tell me, what are your plans?"
The officers of the 358th Regiment had won consecutive battles and their morale was high. They all looked at Xu Dalong expectantly. Even Fang Ligong, who had always been cautious and even timid, looked at Xu Dalong with interest.
Li Kun had always been Xu Dalong's supporter. Although he did not speak, he directly asked his staff to bring him the battle map.
Chu Yunfei, Li Kun, Xu Dalong, Sun Desheng and Fang Ligong were all gathered around the combat map.
Xu Dalong first expressed his opinion.
Chu Yunfei nodded and said, "Just do it."
Li Kun also had no objection.
Fang Ligong was still a little worried. He said, "Brother Xu, will the Japanese army be in danger once they counterattack?"
Chu Yunfei said unhappily: "How can there be no danger in fighting? Just follow this battle plan."
After the plan was finalized, Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong summoned officers from the 358th regiment and above to hold a combat meeting and announced the combat order.
Xu Dalong also participated in the combat meeting of the 358th Regiment. He asked someone to find a blackboard, write and draw on the blackboard, and explain to the officers of the 358th Regiment the tactics that should be adopted in this battle.
Xu Dalong's explanation was simple and profound, and the officers of the 358th Regiment quickly understood it. Everyone didn't expect that the battle could be fought like this, and everyone was very excited.
Fang Ligong now has confidence. He said: "Each battalion company will seize the time and buy tools in the county town. In two hours, they will assemble at the east gate of the county town and set off."
Xu Dalong and Sun Desheng led the troops to set off early.
Two hours later, Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong also led the 358th Regiment to the scheduled combat area.
In their team, they pulled many carts filled with pickaxes, shovels, and a large number of sacks.
Chiba Xunyi, the commander of the 32nd Japanese Defense Division, was under great pressure and even suffered from insomnia.
He really didn't expect that he, a dignified division commander, would come to this remote rural area to deal with a small guerrilla group. Not only that, he also had no way to deal with this guerrilla group.
Nowadays, most of his main troops are inside the mountains. The guerrilla cavalry and the 358th Regiment are attacking the city outside. He can only watch helplessly because he has no troops to send.
There are so many Japanese in Shanxi, so why does Qianye Xunyi have no troops to send?
This is because each unit of the Japanese army has its own designated jurisdiction, just like the police in Shanghai are in charge of Shanghai's affairs, and the police in Guangzhou are in charge of Guangzhou's affairs.
Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for the police in Guangzhou to go to Shanghai to handle cases that occurred in Shanghai.
Chiba Xunyi is a dignified division commander. In order to deal with a small guerrilla group, it is impossible for him to mobilize troops from other divisions, and he has no shame to open his mouth.
The situation before him was very bad now, and he was in a dilemma. He didn't know whether to continue to besiege the guerrillas on the mountain, or to send troops back to restore the original order.
Qianye Xunyi couldn't sleep because he tossed and turned, making the camp bed creak.
At dawn, he had just taken a nap when he was woken up by his adjutant.
Chiba Xunyi sat up, stared with bloodshot eyes, and asked angrily: "What's going on?"
The adjutant said: "Your Excellency, the Division Commander, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff just sent a telegram, saying that the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Sui Army suddenly surrounded Guancheng County, and Your Excellency the Chief of Staff requested tactical guidance."
The word tactical guidance has a special meaning among the Japanese army. They do not ask for guidance when they encounter any difficult tactical problems during combat, but when they need to send reinforcements or want to retreat.
After hearing the news, Qianye Xunyi couldn't sit still and quickly stood up.
Guancheng County not only has a large amount of baggage needed for this battle, but also a left-behind agency of the division led by the chief of staff of the division. If something goes wrong, the joke will be big.
He quickly sent someone to call the captain of the 82nd Regiment and the brigade commander of the 7th Puppet Army Brigade Yan Guiwu, informed them of the intelligence he had just obtained, and asked for their opinions.
The captain of the 82nd Regiment didn't sleep well either. Although he was not that afraid of Xu Dalong's fatwa, it was impossible to say that he was not worried at all. Who would want to let someone chase him? ?
In the past few days, after many attacks on Qilin Peak, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness. The two ridges of Mantou Peak are purely meat grinders. No matter how many people climb up, they will die. He has basically lost the confidence to conquer Mantou Peak.
He said: "Your Excellency, the Division Commander, I believe that the county seat of Guancheng cannot be lost, and your Excellency, the Chief of Staff, cannot cause any trouble. Otherwise, the prestige of the 32nd Division will be seriously damaged.
There is a large amount of baggage stored in the county. Without this batch of baggage, we will not be able to persist here. Therefore, I believe that we should launch rescue operations in Guancheng County. "
Yan Guiwu has long been unwilling to suffer in this mountain, and he also hopes to end this battle as soon as possible. He and the captain of the 82nd Wing had the same opinion. However, he found that since the war with the Mawushan guerrillas began, every time he made a suggestion, he would be slapped in the face. This time he learned wisely and resisted the urge to make suggestions. Silent.
Qianye Xunyi knew Yan Guiwu very well and knew that this guy liked to come up with ideas. When he saw that he was silent and just blinking his eyes, he said with some dissatisfaction: "Yan Sang, what do you think?"
"this,……"
Yan Guiwu hesitated.
Qianye Xunyi said angrily: "Don't be hesitant. If you have anything to say, say it quickly."
As the saying goes, a country is easy to change, but a character is hard to change. Under Qianye Xunyi's urging, Yan Guiwu couldn't help but start to express his opinions.
He said: "Your Excellency, Division Commander, I humbly agree with Your Excellency, the Commander of the Alliance, that Guancheng County must not be lost.
The humble position suggested leaving a small number of troops to continue besieging Mantou Peak. The Eighth Route guerrillas on the mountain did not dare to come down anyway, so they concentrated the main force and rushed back to Guancheng County. They wanted to protect Guancheng County first and then make plans. "
Chiba Xunyi actually had the same idea. He asked for their opinions, just to have more reference to prevent any omissions in his decision-making.
Seeing that the two of them agreed with him, he made up his mind.
Chiba Xunyi said: "Yan Sang, you lead your seventh brigade to stay and continue to besiege Mantou Peak. Do not allow any guerrilla soldiers to escape. I will personally lead the main force to return for reinforcements."
Yan Guiwu almost cried when he heard Qianye Xunyi's decision. The guerrillas on the mountain are not so easy to deal with. Although the number of his seventh brigade has been restored now, he only has a few hundred backbones. The others lack training and can be said to be just a mob. Let him stay. He really didn't have the confidence to deal with the guerrillas alone.
Yan Guiwu wanted to make a request immediately to leave a Japanese army, but he now found that no matter what opinions he expressed, he would be slapped in the face.
He hesitated for a moment, thinking about the words to see how to say it in a way that would be more beneficial to him.
However, Qianye Xunyi no longer gave him a chance to speak. Qianye Xunyi ordered: "Yan Sang, you immediately lead your troops to take over the Huang Army's defense area."
Yan Guiwu helplessly saluted Qianye Xunyi and went out dejectedly.
Soon, Qianye Xunyi gathered all the Japanese troops around Qilin Peak and headed towards Guancheng County.
☆☆☆☆☆☆
Guancheng County.
Fang Liqiang led the second and third battalions of the 358th Regiment and the artillery company to surround Guancheng County. After simple preparations, he began to attack the county.
Chu Yunfei led the first battalion of the 358th Regiment to set up an ambush on the only way for the main force of the Japanese 32nd Division to return to Guancheng County to block the enemy's reinforcements.
To the west of Guancheng County, except for a hilly area not far from the county seat, there is a large open area in front. Chu Yunfei led the team directly under the regiment to build defensive positions on the hills and led the rest of the troops to move forward. , they left a platoon on one side of the road every two hundred meters, and then also left a platoon on the other side of the road, each platoon carrying a mortar and two light machine guns. These officers and soldiers dug trenches in the fields with shovels and picks. They put the excavated soil into sacks and piled it on one side of the trench to build a simple defense.
Soon after, a zigzag-shaped ladder-shaped defensive position system was formed on both sides of the road.
If the previous tactics of the Jinsui Army were followed, the troops would definitely be deployed in the hilly areas to defend. In this way, the Japanese army would concentrate their forces in front of the hilly areas and take advantage of their strength and firepower to attack the 358th Regiment's defensive positions. It will cause a lot of casualties to the 358th Regiment, and it may not be able to hold it.
Xu Dalong wanted to teach them mobile defense tactics, but the officers and soldiers of the Jinsui Army did not yet have this quality. Therefore, teaching them this stepped defense tactic could effectively reduce casualties and delay the advance of enemy reinforcements. speed.
Xu Dalong and others led the cavalry troops to conduct mobile operations and cooperated with the 358th Regiment to attack Guancheng County.
Chiba Xunyi led a large group of people to leave the Mawu Mountains. When they entered the wide plains, they discovered the traces of Xu Dalong's cavalry. It was only from now on that he truly appreciated the power of the guerrilla cavalry. .
A large group of Japanese troops were marching. Suddenly, the sharp whistling sound of mortar shells in flight was heard in the sky.
"Boom, boom, boom." Rows of mortar shells flew over, knocking the Japanese marching group off their feet.
The officers and soldiers of the Japanese army were experienced in combat. They immediately organized a counterattack. The officers and soldiers ran down the road and launched a charge in the direction where the guerrillas appeared.
The Japanese artillery quickly set up artillery on the road, preparing to attack the guerrillas.
This time the guerrilla cavalry was divided into two teams, Xu Dalong and Wei Monk were in one team, and Sun Desheng led the rest of the guerrilla cavalry in the other team.
It was Monk Wei and others who launched the attack this time. He directed the guerrilla mortar crews to fire three rapid rounds at the Japanese marching group, then mounted the mortars on horseback and evacuated quickly.
The Japanese officers and soldiers rushed down the road and saw that the guerrillas had mounted their horses and fled.
The distance between them was already 300 meters, but when they saw the guerrillas escaping on horseback, they reluctantly stopped their pursuit.
The Japanese army was very angry. They set up artillery and fired at the escaping guerrillas to vent their anger.
Xu Dalong had already prepared a Type 92 infantry gun, and he had been waiting for this moment.
Seeing the Japanese artillery setting up artillery on the road, he first aimed at the Japanese Type 92 infantry gun and fired at it.
With a "boom", Xu Dalong's first shot overturned a Japanese Type 92 infantry gun.
Before the Japanese soldiers could react, he fired two more shots in succession, directly destroying two more Japanese Type 92 infantry guns.
The Japanese artillerymen were extremely brave. They took the risk of being blown up and controlled the remaining Type 92 infantry cannons to look for Xu Dalong.
What Xu Dalong likes most is the stubborn character of the Japanese. What worries him most is that the Japanese drag the Type 92 infantry gun away because they are afraid of death. Since they are willing to stay on the artillery position, we have no choice but to grant them permission.
If the Japanese artillerymen want to retaliate, they must first find Xu Dalong.
They looked carefully through the cannon mirror to find Xu Dalong's whereabouts, and then adjusted the muzzle to bombard Xu Dalong.
This operation takes time, and Xu Dalong took advantage of this time to overturn the Japanese Type 92 infantry guns one by one.
When the Japs finally determined Xu Dalong's position and were about to bombard Xu Dalong, the last Type 92 infantry cannon was also killed by Xu Dalong.
Such precise artillery strikes frightened the Japanese mortar crews. They wanted to hit Xu Dalong, but the mortars were out of reach. They stayed where they were, at a loss.
Xu Dalong was not polite and pointed the muzzle at them, destroying the Japanese mortars one by one.
The Japanese artillerymen finally couldn't bear it anymore and fled in all directions, leaving the mortars on the road.
Xu Dalong shelled the mortars unhurriedly. No one of the Japanese officers and soldiers dared to stop them. They watched helplessly as the mortars were blown into scrap by Xu Dalong.
Qianye Xun was stunned when he saw it. He felt that the guerrillas on the mountain were already very powerful, but now he really saw the power of the guerrilla cavalry.
Chiba Xunyi has a mobile force in his hands, with about a hundred cavalry and 32 motorcycles. He really wanted to send them to attack Xu Dalong and others, but although the view in this area was wide, there were fields on both sides of the road. This motorcycle could not drive across those ridges and ditches in the fields. As for the hundred or so cavalry, they were all They are composed of messengers from various units. Their combat capabilities are poor, and they are not familiar with each other and lack of running-in. Rather than being called cavalry, they are actually not even mounted infantry.
Their existence is only to cooperate with the infantry squadrons directly under the Japanese army riding motorcycles to carry out operations.
Since it was of no use, Chiba Xunyi had no choice but to give up.
He did not dare to stay here and commanded the large group of troops to continue towards the county seat.
The Japanese army fled. In order to save the shells of the Type 92 infantry cannon, Xu Dalong no longer bombarded the Japanese marching brigade, so he asked the cavalry to pull up the Type 92 infantry cannon and follow the Japanese marching brigade.
Monk Wei led the guerrillas to the front of the Japanese marching group, then set up a mortar, waiting for the Japanese to come over, and fired another heavy bombardment.
Since the Japanese army still had artillery, they still used the old method of firing three rounds rapidly, and before the Japanese soldiers could react, they immediately mounted their horses and ran away.
Sun Desheng had already heard the rumbling explosions of artillery shells coming from the highway and saw the Japanese marching brigade coming. He also led the guerrillas to bombard the Japanese army.
The guerrillas' Type 92 infantry cannon has limited shells and can only be used at critical moments, but the mortar shells are abundant. Not only did they themselves capture a lot, Chu Yunfei also supplemented the guerrillas with a large number of mortars. Cannonballs.
Therefore, the guerrillas kept firing to their satisfaction.
Xu Dalong was not idle either. He followed the Japanese army on horseback, shooting one by one from a distance of 300 meters, and continuously knocked down the Japanese officers and soldiers.
The Japanese soldiers had nothing to do with him. In order to stop him from threatening the Japanese marching group, a Japanese squad leader led a dozen Japanese soldiers to stay on their own initiative. They spread out and lay on the ground to prevent Xu Dalong from getting closer to the Japanese army. marching group.
Xu Dalong killed a few Japanese soldiers and felt that it was too strenuous, so he stopped fighting with them and rode a detour to catch up with the Japanese marching group. Then he continued to eliminate the Japanese troops from the side 300 meters away from the Japanese marching group. of officers and soldiers.
The officers and soldiers of the Japanese army had never fought such a useless battle. This situation of being completely beaten made them feel very depressed.
Chiba Xunyi had been looking for an opportunity to launch a counterattack against the guerrilla cavalry. At this time, a large grassland appeared in front of him, and there were no fields. It was full of rocks and weeds, and motorcycles could drive through it.
So he ordered the mobile troops to attack the guerrillas.
The mobile troops of the Japanese army were composed of squadrons directly under the division headquarters. These Japs were the elite of the Japanese army. Along the way, they were beaten until they were furious. Now that they had the opportunity to retaliate against the guerrillas, they howled and pounced on them one by one. To the guerrillas.
Although the ground here is relatively flat, it is much worse than the road. The motorcycle rides on it constantly bumping and the speed is very slow.
Monk Wei and others did not run away this time. They mounted mortars and fired hard at the Japanese army.
The Japanese motorcycles driving slowly on the grass seemed to be dancing in the fire, constantly being overturned to the ground.
The Japanese squadron leader couldn't stand it anymore, so he jumped off his motorcycle, waved his command knife, and led the Japanese soldiers howling and rushing forward. The Japanese cavalry also followed them to attack.
The reason why Monk Wei and others ran away after firing the artillery was because they were worried about the Japanese artillery. He was not so polite to the Japanese who rushed to die. They all dismounted and lay on the ground.
The Japanese soldiers finally rushed forward, and when they reached a distance of 70 meters, Monk Wei gave the order to fire.
Eight light machine guns fired together with the rifles in the hands of the soldiers, pouring bullets on the Japanese soldiers like a heavy rain, causing the Japanese soldiers to fall in pieces.
The Japanese soldiers did not expect that the guerrillas' firepower would be so fierce. They could only lie on the ground and shoot at the guerrillas.
The guerrilla artillerymen quickly retreated 100 meters, then set up mortars and bombarded them directly in the middle of the Japanese.
The Japanese soldiers couldn't bear such a blow and finally retreated.
The guerrillas did not pursue them, but chased them with firepower and knocked them to the ground one by one. By the time the Japanese soldiers fled back to the marching group, they had lost more than 100 people, and most of their motorcycles and horses were also lost. The so-called mobile force existed in name only.
When Chiba Xun saw that this was not the way to go, he ordered some troops to disperse into skirmish lines and provide cover on both sides of the marching brigade. This indeed had a certain effect and reduced the casualties of the marching brigade.
Xu Dalong and others did not expect to completely eliminate so many Japanese. They just wanted to buy time for the 358th Regiment to attack the county town. They continued to follow the Japanese marching group, looking for opportunities to attack them.
The Japanese marching brigade lost troops and generals along the way. They didn't even dare to collect the bodies of the fallen soldiers, and they didn't even have time to pick up the discarded weapons and ammunition. They marched in such a hurry, and finally
Finally arrived at the blocking position of the 358th Regiment.
When the officers and soldiers of a platoon of the 358th Regiment saw the Japs marching group coming, they used a mortar and two light machine guns they carried to shoot at the Japs, causing considerable casualties to the Japs.
The Japanese marching brigade was forced to stop and began to organize troops to launch an attack. They began to set up artillery, and then adopted the tactics of frontal attack and flanking.
Before they could get into position, the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment in that platoon suddenly evacuated their positions and fled.
The Japanese officers and soldiers chased after them, but they were hit by firepower from the next 358th Regiment's blocking position, and they had to stop their advance again.
The Japanese soldiers jumped into the trench dug by the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment. Unexpectedly, a violent explosion occurred in the trench. The Japanese soldiers who jumped into the trench were either killed or injured.
It turned out that Xu Dalong also taught this trick to the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment. They made improvised explosive devices with grenades in the trenches, which resulted in casualties to the Japanese.
None of the Japanese soldiers dared to jump into the trenches anymore. They were exposed in the open area and were hit by firepower from the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment, causing heavy casualties.
The Japanese soldiers prepared to attack the blocking position of the second 358th Regiment again. The officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment were still doing the same thing. When they saw the Japanese taking a posture, they turned around and ran away.
In this way, the Japanese continued to lose troops and generals, but they were moving at a snail's pace.
At this time, Xu Dalong and Wei Monk led the cavalry troops to catch up again. They did not get close, but shelled the Japanese from a distance.
Qianye Xunyi was very anxious, worried that if they delayed here for too long, Guancheng County would not be able to defend it. He kept urging the Japanese soldiers to move forward to attack.
At this time, Chu Yunfei was also very anxious. He didn't understand. Xu Dalong's guerrillas and the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment here had been fighting a bloody battle with the Japanese army for so long. Why hadn't there been any troops in the county? Good news?
Chu Yunfei couldn't sit still and said to the first battalion commander Chen Guojun: "You stay here and continue to delay the Japanese attack with the guerrillas. I will go to the county seat to take a look."
At this time, in Guancheng County, the troops led by the chief of staff of the 32nd Division only had part of the troops directly under the division headquarters and the baggage troops. Together with the Japanese gendarmerie and police brigade, the total strength was only 500 people. Li Qiang led two battalions of troops, with a total strength of more than 3,000, and was supported by artillery fire from the 358th Regiment's direct artillery company. After fighting for so long, they still failed to enter the city.
Although the second and third battalions of the 358th Regiment are not as effective as the first battalion, most of them are veterans who have experienced battles, and their combat effectiveness is still quite strong. The main reason why they were unable to capture the county town was because Fang Ligong's commanding ability was weak.
Fang Ligong's character is more than cautious, lacks the ability to make decisions, and does not have the ferocity of a real military commander. He is too cautious when using troops, and is always worried that the troops will suffer heavy casualties, so that after delaying for so long, he still cannot Attack the city.
As a result, such ineffective attacks resulted in considerable casualties among the officers and soldiers of the 358th Regiment.
The second and third battalion commanders of the 358th Regiment also felt that there was something wrong with Fang Ligong's command, but since he was Chu Yunfei's designated siege commander, they had nothing to do.
At this moment, I heard the soldiers cheering: "The regiment commander is here, the regiment commander is here."
Sure enough, Chu Yunfei came over on horseback.
