Yan Guiwu had a good impression of Xu Dalong and admired him very much. With Xu Dalong cooperating with him here, his life has always been comfortable and stable. Without Xu Dalong and the others, Yan Guiwu had to look at the Japs for everything, and he felt a little aggrieved just thinking about it.
He has been mentally prepared and will cooperate with Xu Dalong's actions at the critical moment to protect Xu Dalong's guerrillas as much as possible.
At this moment, he received a telegram from Xu Dalong, saying that the guerrilla cavalry passed by his defense area and asked him to make arrangements to avoid being discovered by the Japanese army.
Yan Guiwu immediately arranged for Wang Shuhuai to go to Yang County to take charge of this matter.
Wang Shuhuai came to the headquarters of the Sixth Regiment of the Fourth Division of Huang Xiejun in Yangcheng County. The leader of the Sixth Regiment was a close confidant of Yan Guiwu. Wang Shuhuai told him that the guerrilla cavalry would pass by his defense area tonight and asked him to turn a blind eye. They closed one eye, pretended not to know, and strictly restrained their subordinates. No one was allowed to leave the barracks at night. They said that a large yellow army was going to pass through their defense area, so that their subordinates should not cause trouble.
That night, Sun Desheng and Wei Monk led the cavalry brigade and special operations squadron through the defense area of the Sixth Regiment of the Huang Xie Army.
In vain, the puppet soldiers hiding in the stronghold have been notified not to go out, so no one cares about this matter. Sun Desheng and others successfully jumped out of the encirclement of the Japanese and puppet troops.
That morning, Wang Sanqiang and others sent a telegram from the direction of Yucheng, saying that the Japanese airport was almost completed and the tunnel they were digging would soon be dug under the enemy's airport.
Xu Dalong called them back and asked them to closely monitor the movements of the Japanese army and report to him immediately if a Japanese aircraft landed at the airport.
Sun Desheng and Wei Monk led their troops to march day and night, temporarily hiding in the northwest of Yangcheng County, preparing to wait until the Japanese army surrounded the Mawushan base area, and then attack from behind to cut off their transportation and supply lines.
On March 5, the Japanese 108th Division and the 32nd Garrison Division arrived in Ping'an County and attacked the county from the northeast. The leading troops were first blocked by Li Yunlong's New 1st Brigade.
The anti-mopping up operations in the Mawushan base area officially started.
In order to consume the effective strength of the Japanese army as much as possible, the officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade dug a total of 18 trenches around Pingan County. Every six trenches constitute a line of defense. Each trench and each line of defense are connected by communication trenches to facilitate the troops at any time. to maneuver.
Guarding the first line of defense is the second regiment of the New First Brigade. The regiment leader was originally a company commander of the independent regiment, but has now grown into a mid-level commander.
He was very experienced in combat. In order to reduce the casualties caused by enemy artillery fire, he only invested two companies of troops in the first trench for the first time.
The Mawushan base area has gone through long-term combat preparations. Thanks to the trench excavators, the amount of work is much smaller. The trenches were also dug very carefully. Cat-ear holes were dug at regular intervals in the trenches. As long as the soldiers hid in the cat-ear holes, there was nothing they could do with the current power of Japanese artillery.
The officers and soldiers also learned from Chu Yunfei how to deal with the Japanese, and the trenches were dug very deep. Each of them carries a small bench. They stand on it when shooting, and take the small bench with them when they retreat. Even if the Japanese occupy the trench, they will not be able to use it.
Behind the six trenches, many artillery positions were dug. These positions were also semi-underground, with bunkers built around sandbags. If the Japanese artillery cannot hit directly, it basically poses no threat to the guerrilla artillery.
The Japanese attack began. The first to launch the attack was the troops of the 108th Division. After artillery preparations, the Japanese army dispatched two infantry squadrons and launched an attack towards the first trench of the New 1st Brigade.
When the watchman in charge of surveillance in the trench saw the Japanese troops coming up, he blew the trumpet.
When the officers and soldiers hiding in the cat's ear hole heard the sound of the alarm, they all got out of the cat's ear hole, stepped on the small bench and stretched out their guns.
The Japanese soldiers were getting closer and closer, and the officers and soldiers of the new brigade were very calm. It was not until the Japanese soldiers entered a range of 80 meters that they opened fire fiercely at them.
The Japanese soldiers had been bombarding them with artillery for such a long time. They thought that the officers and soldiers of the new brigade must have suffered heavy casualties. Maybe there were not many people left on the position.
Unexpectedly, the firepower of the officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade was so fierce. As soon as the two sides exchanged fire, dozens of Japanese soldiers lost their lives.
The Japanese soldiers were extremely brave and rushed forward regardless of casualties. They still did the same thing, running to a place 50 meters away from the trench, then crawling forward, and then throwing grenades.
Their tactics have long been thoroughly understood by the officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade. When digging trenches, the excavated soil is piled in front, so the shooting position of the officers and soldiers is higher than the ground, even if the Japanese are lying down. On the ground, the officers and soldiers aimed at them without any hindrance. The officers and soldiers had already prepared in advance. They were in groups of three and aimed at a Japanese soldier lying on the ground. The first row of Japanese soldiers lying down climbed out no more than 10 meters. , they have all been killed.
The Japanese soldiers from behind rushed up again. Under the fierce firepower, not many people were able to enter the 50m range. A small number of Japanese soldiers lay on the ground and continued to crawl forward. They were too nervous and only stared ahead. They did not notice that there was no one behind them.
A dozen Japanese soldiers crawled forward desperately, and finally three living Japanese soldiers climbed to a distance of 30 meters. They took out grenades and threw them into the trench in front. Two of the grenades fell into the trench.
The officers and soldiers of the New First Brigade also had a way to deal with this situation. They dug a pit about one foot in diameter and more than two feet deep between every two shooting positions.
When the officers and soldiers saw the grenade falling into the trench, they hurriedly jumped off the bench, kicked the grenade into the pit, and then hid aside.
The grenade exploded in the pit, and all its power was absorbed by the pit, unable to hurt the officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade at all.
When the three living Japanese soldiers heard the explosion of grenades, they jumped up and prepared to charge.
In front of them, dozens of officers and soldiers of the New First Brigade opened fire at them, and the three Japanese soldiers fell to the ground.
The Japanese soldiers' first attack was repulsed, with a total of seventy or eighty casualties.
The commander on the forward position was a Japanese regiment captain. He was so angry that he immediately organized artillery to continue bombarding the position of the new brigade.
The officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade were still doing the same thing, leaving one or two observers behind, while the others got into the cat's ear holes. They were not nervous at all, they were joking and chatting there, waiting patiently for the Japanese to attack again.
The Japanese army bombarded them indiscriminately, and then rushed up with an infantry brigade.
The soldiers were also unhurried. They waited until the Japanese army entered a range of 150 meters before drilling out the cat's ear holes and entering the position.
The weapons and equipment of the New 1st Brigade have been continuously improved and are no less than the Japanese army. Although they did not invest many troops in the forward positions, the density of firepower was quite high. When the Japanese army entered a 100-meter range, the officers and soldiers of the New First Brigade opened fire with machine guns and rifles, knocking the Japanese officers and soldiers off their feet.
After a fierce battle, the second attack was repulsed.
The Japanese commander was very angry and reported to the brigade commander, asking for more artillery to be sent to support.
Seeing that the attack had made little progress, the brigade commander agreed to the regimental commander's request and mobilized the artillery units directly under the brigade headquarters.
For two consecutive Japanese artillery attacks, the artillery of the New 1st Brigade did not return fire, so the Japanese army believed that the New 1st Brigade lacked artillery. They were very courageous and placed a large number of artillery on the position, preparing to concentrate the artillery to destroy the forward position of the new brigade.
The reason why the artillerymen of the New 1st Brigade have been hiding their strength is because they have been waiting for this moment. Seeing the Japanese artillery arrayed on the position, the artillery of the New 1st Brigade suddenly opened fire, and groups of artillery shells directly covered the Japanese artillery position.
With the arsenal in the Mawushan base area as the backing, and the large number of seizures in peacetime, the artillery of the new brigade has no shortage of artillery shells. This round of fierce bombardment directly stunned the Japanese army, and the artillery positions were bombed into a mess.
After the artillery of the New 1st Brigade stopped shelling, the Japanese artillery commander looked at his own artillery, his face turned pale, and he sat on the ground as soon as he got sick.
The artillery invested by the Japanese artillery was an infantry regiment's own artillery, plus the Type 92 infantry artillery and mortars of the artillery brigade directly under the brigade and regiment headquarters, adding up to more than 70 pieces. After the bombardment ended, the artillery commander found that there were less than 10 complete and usable artillery pieces left.
He collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
The sudden attack by the artillery of the New 1st Brigade caused considerable psychological panic to the Japanese army. Only then did they realize that they had underestimated the underground anti-Japanese armed forces in front of them.
The brigade commander had no choice but to mobilize artillery from other regiments, but this time they were much more careful in using artillery. They moved the artillery far away from the forward position, and the density and shooting accuracy of the artillery were greatly reduced.
Next, the Japanese army organized another attack, but was still beaten back by the officers and soldiers of the New 1st Brigade.
Battle reports from the front continued to reach Ping'an County, and Li Yunlong was very satisfied with the performance of his troops.
He said to Zhang Dabiao: "The little devils have been fighting for so long, but they haven't even knocked down the first trench of Laozi. There are 18 trenches. Let the little devils slowly gnaw at them."
Zhang Dabiao said happily: "Fighting here in Mawu Mountain is different. There is no shortage of weapons, ammunition, and supplies. The fortifications are so powerful. It is really easy to fight."
The Japanese brigade commander stood on a small high ground and used an artillery mirror to observe the enemy's position.
He could not see a single enemy soldier, but he could clearly see six trenches in front of him. His troops launched three attacks but failed to capture a single enemy trench. Including the infantry and artillery, the casualties have reached more than 400 people. This place is far away from Ping'an County. In addition to the six trenches in front of them, I don't know how many enemy defensive positions there will be behind.
He couldn't help but feel a little worried. He looked around and ordered his men to conduct reconnaissance in other places.
He didn't believe that the enemy's trenches could be dug around Ping'an County. How much work would it take? He hoped to find other places as a breakthrough without confronting the enemy force.
The Japanese reconnaissance team was ordered to go for reconnaissance, and it took nearly two hours before they came back. They said that enemy trenches were found in all relatively flat places, and in places with higher terrain where trenches could not be dug, enemy troops were also guarding them.
Far away from the county seat, there were two places where no trace of the enemy was found. The brigade commander decided to continue the attack from the front to attract the enemy's attention, and then organized two infantry brigades to defend the two places from the enemy. Make a roundabout outflank in the place.
This time, the Japanese army responsible for the frontal attack did not concentrate on the small frontal area when launching the attack. Three infantry squadrons launched attacks against the defenders' defensive positions at a distance of 500 meters.
The Japanese army doesn't believe that the underground party's anti-Japanese armed forces everywhere have such strong firepower?
Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao had studied countless plans for the Japanese army's tactics in advance and had corresponding countermeasures.
When the Japanese army began to mobilize, the commander of the second regiment of the New 1st Brigade ordered the troops to use the trenches to maneuver accordingly. No matter where the Japanese army launched their attack, they were greeted by fierce firepower. The attacks of the three squadrons of the Japanese army Without exception, they were defeated, and hundreds of people were lost in vain.
The two infantry brigades of the Japanese army carried out a circuitous outflank. One of the infantry brigades spotted a joint of the enemy's position and penetrated there.
They actually crossed the defensive circle formed by the defensive positions of the New 1st Brigade and were not blocked by the anti-Japanese armed forces. The Japanese captain was very happy and prepared to lead his troops to outflank the defensive positions of the New 1st Brigade.
Li Yunlong fought against the monkey spirit, and he knew the little devil's moves accurately. Although the Japanese captain led his troops through an area with complex terrain, what they didn't know was that it was not far from the road.
After receiving the report from the forward sentry, Li Yunlong immediately organized the troops of the two regiments, riding in a large number of trucks provided by Xu Dalong, along the highway to outflank the Japanese infantry brigade entering the base area.
The areas the Japanese army passed through had relatively complex terrain, and they were walking and moving at a very slow speed. The officers and soldiers of the New First Brigade rode in trucks and arrived at the predetermined location in a short time to attack the Japanese infantry. The brigade set up an ambush.
The Japanese captain had walked all the way without encountering a blow, and was triumphantly outflanking Ping'an County, preparing to cooperate with the frontal offensive troops, seize the defensive position in front of the New 1st Brigade, and open a passage for the large troops.
I have to say that the Japanese army is very tenacious. They have walked such a long way and are very tired. However, in order to achieve the suddenness of the battle, under the command of the officers, they still maintained a rapid march and prepared the position of the new brigade. To outflank.
Suddenly, the leading troops of the Japanese army discovered the appearance of anti-Japanese armed forces in front, and the two sides immediately started a fierce battle. Then a large number of anti-Japanese armed forces appeared on the left and right sides of the Japanese marching brigade, and directly attacked the Japanese army.
The anti-Japanese armed forces had a large number of troops and the artillery fire was very fierce, which quickly caused a lot of casualties to the Japanese army.
Only then did the Japanese captain realize that he had been ambushed by the enemy. He quickly assessed the situation on the battlefield and saw that the enemy had an absolute advantage in terms of strength and firepower, so he decisively ordered to return to the same route immediately. .
However, Li Yunlong spent so much effort to set up this pocket formation, how could he still allow the Japanese troops to escape?
The Japanese rear team changed to the front team, and after running less than a few hundred meters, a large number of anti-Japanese armed forces appeared head-on, and machine guns and artillery were fired at them.
The Japanese army had been surrounded by groups. The Japanese army captain saw that his troops were in a relatively flat position with no danger to defend. It was too late to dig fortifications. He knew that he could not stay here. So he decisively ordered the troops to attack with all their strength on the road they came from, hoping to break out of the encirclement.
However, Li Yunlong was well aware of the enemy's thoughts and guessed that once the Japanese army was surrounded, they would focus their attention on breaking out on the way they came.
This is easy to judge. The Japanese army was not familiar with other parts of the base area at all, and they were not attacked on the way here. Therefore, the most likely way was to return along the original road, so Li Yunlong specially strengthened his troops in this direction.
The Japanese troops charged desperately, but under the intensive machine gun fire and artillery strikes, everything was in vain.
The new brigade is well-equipped, and the firepower of one regiment far exceeds that of an infantry brigade of the Japanese army. The two regiments ambushed a Japanese infantry brigade, and they had an absolute advantage in strength and firepower.
