...The details of the battle in the direction of Xicun were reported to the independent regiment headquarters. Kong Jie was determined. Sure enough, the Japs' main attack point was still in Zhangjiazhuang. They spent so much effort just to confuse his own judgment.
It’s really hard for that old devil Ishii Haraichi.
After the news reached the Zhangjiazhuang temporary headquarters, the first, second and third battalion commanders were also determined and immediately launched a battle plan all the way to Zhangjiazhuang.
Now that it has been determined that the main force of the Japs is all the way to Zhangjiazhuang, we can let go and have a good fight.
According to Kong Jie's troop deployment this time, there are 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions along the way to Zhangjiazhuang. These three veteran battalions are jointly responsible.
These three veteran battalions are more powerful, better equipped, and have more troops. After the independent regiment was expanded again, the regiment still consisted of five battalions. Each battalion alone has a strength of more than 700 people. It has five infantry companies, plus a heavy machine gun company.
It's no wonder that the commander of the first battalion, Wang Leihu, has been walking with his head raised recently.
The three old battalions put together have a strength of about 2,000.
As for the fourth and fifth battalions in charge of West Village, their strength is about 800 people.
After the expansion, the independent regiment has about 3,500 troops. The remaining troops are left in Niukou Village, such as the cavalry company, the guard company, the armory, the health department, the material department, the transportation department, and the cooking team. and other non-combatants.
In addition, in the direction of Zhangjiazhuang, Wang Chengzhu brought an artillery battery to support. Since Wang Chengzhu's artillery battery was responsible for the main attack route of the Japanese army, he borrowed two 75mm mountain guns from the howitzer battery.
…
…
West Village.
Fourth Battalion Commander Lei Dasheng continued to retreat with his team.
The Japanese and puppet troops were in hot pursuit at the rear.
The puppet army was afraid of death. The commander of the puppet army had been shot dead by Wang Xikui before. In order to ensure the safety of the main force, the remaining adjutants took three soldiers from the team as vanguards and opened a distance of 20 meters between the team. March forward to prevent more people from blindly stepping into the Eighth Route Army's minefields.
"50 meters is a matter of life and death, and wealth is in the sky. After walking 50 meters, change to the next group and continue to explore the road."
No one wanted to serve as cannon fodder to explore the road. It was just that the Japanese were watching closely from behind and the puppet troops did not dare to resist. The deputy leader of the puppet army came up with this method. A group of three people, 50 meters away. If the situation were changed once, whoever was unlucky enough to step into a minefield and be blown up to death would not be his fault.
Just like that, when the leading puppet soldiers stepped on the second minefield, the two leading puppet soldiers were killed on the spot, and another soldier was slightly injured. He squatted on the ground and watched. Looking at the bloody companion not far away, he was so scared that his crotch was wet.
The Japanese captain once again ordered mine clearance, but he frowned. He noticed something was wrong. Why were mines laid one after another on the road, but there was no sign of the Eighth Route Army's counterattack?
Is the main force of the Eighth Route Army in the West Village?
Unable to think of a reason, after the mines were removed again, the Japanese captain ordered the pursuit to continue.
The Eighth Route Army fleeing not far away seemed to be intending to lure them deeper, deliberately slowing down their pace to whet their appetite.
Then, in the middle of the second minefield and the third minefield, the Japanese captain ushered in the long-awaited attack of the Eighth Route Army.
As soon as the attack began, the Japanese soldiers experienced deep despair and fear.
Since the Japanese reconnaissance force was defeated by the Eighth Route Army in the previous sneak attack, and the Japanese army was busy chasing them along the way, they did not have time to continue to arrange scouts along the way.
Therefore, the ambush in front of them was actually caught off guard for the Japanese army.
It came so violently.
First, on both sides of the mountain road, the Japanese were on guard against the puppet troops in the front row stepping on landmines. In the mountains and bushes on both sides, a large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers suddenly appeared. The grenades in each hand had even had their fuses ripped off. Throwing them towards the Japanese troops behind the mountain road.
The soldiers of the independent regiment were attacking the Japanese. As for the puppet troops passing by first, they didn't bother to pay attention at all.
Just as Lei Dashan arranged, there were 50 bombing teams on each side, totaling 100 people. Each person had 5 grenades, and they were all thrown out within 15 seconds.
With the help of the condescending terrain, soldiers who could usually only throw grenades more than 30 meters could now throw grenades to a horizontal distance of about 50 meters.
So in just 15 seconds, a total of 500 grenades flew out from both sides of the mountain road.
This grenade was not made in the border area produced by Zhang Wanhe's arsenal and exploded in half. It was a fertilized field powder explosive produced by the Independent Regiment Repair Institute through fertilized field powder. It was used as a wooden-handled grenade filled with gunpowder.
This kind of grenade exploded to pieces after it was released, and it was very powerful. The Japanese who were close to the grenade could not even see wounds on their bodies, and they were directly shocked to death.
Amid the explosions of grenades flying all over the sky, even the Japanese troops fell into a hellish situation.
The Japanese captain roared and told the team to take cover.
In the desperate situation, he still tried to command the troops and launched a counterattack with firepower.
It's just that the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Battalions, who have been waiting for the attack for a long time, have long-prepared attack methods. How can they be so single?
"500 grenades are just an appetizer!"
Du Aiguo, who was commanding from the rear, confidently said to Lei Dasheng beside him.
After the firepower of the grenade throwing team was covered, within 100 to 150 meters from the rear, the light and heavy machine guns opened fire simultaneously, and the explosive charge ejector and explosive charge launcher that Du Aiguo had arranged long ago made their debut.
These two weapons appear to be the same, but they are actually not the same.
The purpose was the same, which was to throw the ten-kilogram explosive package a hundred meters away and into the Japanese troops down the mountain road.
But this explosive bag ejector is more similar to the ancient trebuchet.
Using simple mechanical principles, place the explosive package on the launch pad, tear off the lead and throw it out. It's that simple.
As for the explosive charge launcher.
The main body is a very simple launch tube, which can be a gun barrel, a cylinder made of steel, or even an empty gasoline barrel. After filling it with propellant, put the explosive package bundled into a disk shape. Then the propellant is ignited, and a ten kilogram explosive package can be thrown to a distance of 150-200 meters.
One exaggeration of this launcher is that there is no caliber limit. Whatever the caliber of your barrel or launch barrel is, the caliber of this alternative artillery will be.
As you can imagine, the explosive packets fired by this alternative artillery can even weigh ten kilograms.
How terrifying is the power?
The explosive packs and wooden-handled grenades produced by the Independent Regiment contain fertilized field powder explosives.
To produce a wooden handle grenade, only more than two hundred grams of gunpowder is needed.
The ten kilograms of explosive bag in front of me is equivalent to the amount of ten thousand grams of gunpowder.
To describe it briefly, it is equivalent to 50 grenades tied together and then thrown more than 100 meters away into the area where the Japanese troops were.
This is simply an upgraded application of cluster grenades.
I remember that Li Yunlong came to the Independent Regiment once. After seeing this kind of explosive charge launcher with his own eyes and listening to Kong Jie's introduction, his eyes turned red on the spot. He was stunned and didn't let go of the launcher, and kept asking questions. Kong Jie asked for one.
Of course, the price was that Lao Li produced five boxes of grenades.
However, in Li Yunlong's opinion, this transaction is definitely a sure profit.
Lao Li was worried that the wooden-handled grenades produced by his new second regiment were of no use. A dozen or so cluster grenades weighed five or six kilograms together.
In terms of manpower, even a warrior like a monk can't lose very far.
You were killed by the Japanese machine gun before you even had time to take action.
If this kind of explosive pack launcher can be used to throw the explosive pack equivalent to a cluster of 50 grenades more than 100 meters away, the power will be absolutely amazing.
Once such an explosive package is launched, the strong explosive impact will cause the sky to collapse wherever it passes.
The shock wave can even reach a radius of more than twelve meters.
Many of the enemies who were blown down around them could not find any wounds, but they would bleed from the seven holes and be shocked to death.
When seven or eight ten-kilogram explosive charges suddenly flew into the air from the mountain forest through three explosive charge ejectors and four explosive charge launchers, and then crashed down, the Japanese soldiers who witnessed all this Their eyes showed inexplicable horror.
Then, the Japanese captain witnessed with his own eyes that more than 30 imperial warriors more than 50 meters away met the emperor collectively during two explosions.
The five or six Japanese soldiers at the center of the explosion were not even dead. The Japanese soldiers within a dozen meters around were directly thrown away. After falling down, they never got up again. When the Japanese health workers came forward to investigate in a hurry, they saw only these. The soldiers bled to death one by one.
The hellish scene makes those living in it tremble.
This is a new type of weapon that the Japs have never encountered before. Even the determined Japs soldiers have frightened expressions on their faces.
On the mountain forest, looking at the astonishing results achieved by throwing explosive packets for the first time, Fourth Battalion Commander Lei Dasheng and Fifth Battalion Commander Du Aiguo couldn't help but cheer loudly.
Lei Dasheng said: "It's so enjoyable, it's so enjoyable. No wonder the regiment leader said that this kind of cannon can be called a heartless cannon. Once the gun is fired, all the devils around will see the King of Hell. It is indeed heartless."
Du Aiguo said: "It's a pity that we have to save ammunition. This kind of explosive bag cannot be used indiscriminately. The amount of gunpowder used in one explosive bag can be equivalent to 50 grenades. In our short time, it is equivalent to 500 grenades." ”
Lei Dasheng laughed and said: "That makes sense. After we finish this battle, the ammunition consumption cannot be greater than the amount captured."
"Comrades, use the cover of artillery fire to hit me hard. After ten minutes, launch the charge directly!"
…
The battle instantly became intense, but unfortunately, it was basically the Japanese troops on the mountain road who were beaten unilaterally.
As for the puppet troops in the front row, they were only affected by Chiyu, and the whole team was in chaos.
A soldier shouted, "Regimental deputy, the Eighth Route Army is going for the Japanese, we should just stay calm, otherwise these bombs will be coming for us!"
When the deputy commander of the puppet army heard this, he quickly nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice and shouted: "Brothers, no one is allowed to fight back without my order. Let's stay away from the devils!"
"idiot!"
The Japanese captain not far away vaguely heard the order of the deputy commander of the puppet army, and yelled angrily, but there was nothing he could do.
The deputy commander of the puppet army looked at the wide-eyed Japanese captain, and cursed in a low voice: "You stupid little devil, what are you trying to do? It looks like you won't be able to hold on much longer."
Looking at the extremely tough Eighth Route Army troops on both sides of the mountain forest, the deputy commander of the puppet army couldn't help but secretly swallow his saliva.
It’s no wonder it’s Master Ba!
This is too fierce.
Just stay there honestly, maybe you can still survive.
When the battle reached this point, the Japanese captain finally accepted his fate. While issuing instructions for a tactical retreat, he ordered the communications troops to send communications to the Ishii Regiment in Zhangjiazhuang through the radio.
Now the Japanese captain has determined that the one attacking him is definitely the main force of the Independent Regiment. The mountains and fields seem to be filled with enemies. Coupled with the fierce artillery fire, it will be damned if it is not the main force of the Independent Regiment.
The content of the communication is:
"Our unit was violently attacked by the main force of the Eighth Route Army. The enemy's firepower was well-equipped and the number of artillery showed an overwhelming advantage. In a short period of time, more than half of our units suffered casualties and were forced to make a tactical retreat."
At this point, the communication stopped abruptly.
The Japanese communications troops along the way to Xicun, along with the radio station, were blown up by the soldiers.
The two sides completely cut off communication.
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, the situation seems not to be good. The West Village side seems to be unable to hold on any longer!" The adjutant's face was full of urgency.
The Japanese Chief of Staff said: "Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, it seems that the Eighth Route Army was indeed fooled and arranged all its main forces along the West Village Road. This made the attacking troops in West Village unable to withstand it."
"Xicun lost to the Eighth Route Army all the way, but if it retreats, it will not be wiped out."
"Now is the best opportunity for us to break through Zhangjiazhuang and reach Niukou Village in one go."
"Since the main force of the independent regiment is deployed in the direction of Xicun, there is probably not much strength left in the Eighth Route Army along the way to Zhangjiazhuang."
Ishiihara nodded. Although he felt that the battle was going quite smoothly, he didn't think much about it.
It will be too late to support the troops along the Xicun Road now, but it will affect the attack on the Zhangjiazhuang Road.
For the current plan, the only way is to quickly break through Zhangjiazhuang, and then attack the Eighth Route Army from the back of Xicun to support the troops all the way to Xicun.
"Speed up the pace and march!" Ishiihara ordered.
"Hi!"
…
Zhangjiazhuang.
After confirming that the focus of the Japanese attack was indeed on Zhangjiazhuang, and that the 4th and 5th Battalions of Xicun had already approached the enemy first, started a confrontation with the Japanese army, and made the Japanese mistakenly believe that Xicun was the main combat force of the independent regiment.
The commanders of the first battalion, the second battalion, and the third battalion also started operations according to the combat plan formulated by Kong Jie.
"Remember, your mission is to lure the enemy. You must lead the enemy to the low cliff area."
First Battalion Commander Wang Leihu enjoined.
"Yes, battalion commander, please rest assured and promise to complete the mission!"
After speaking, the commander of the first company turned around and said to the team of more than 500 people standing behind him: "Comrades of the first company, listen up. This time we are carrying out a plan to lure the enemy and pretend to encounter the Japanese army. After the battle begins, Please protect your militia comrades."
"We must convince the little devils that we are the main combat force defending Zhangjiazhuang."
"Do you understand everything?"
"yes--"
A company of soldiers plus more than 300 militia comrades responded in unison...
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