The gunshots in the dark night were like rising waves. After one after another, they gradually stopped, and the entire mountain forest returned to deathly silence.
The battle between the Independent Regiment and the Ishii Regiment lasted for more than twenty minutes and ended completely.
The monk led several soldiers from the guard company to search, and then found the temporary headquarters where Ishii Haraichi was located.
"Company Commander, the antenna set up by the Japanese is behind here. These places must be the headquarters of the Ishii Regiment."
The monk nodded and led the people to quickly attack the headquarters.
There seemed to be an explosion inside the headquarters, which was not that big. Looking under the light of the flashlight, I saw the remains of the radio station. Other than that, I only found a body in the corner.
The two searching soldiers used the light of flashlights to look at the military rank on the collar badge of the corpse, and were immediately overjoyed, "Company Commander, we found it!"
Then, two soldiers carried Ishii Haraichi's body out.
The monk who finally emerged from the Japs' temporary headquarters was fiddling with a Browning pistol seized from Ishiihara. While wiping the front half of the gun with his clothes in disgust, he faced Shen Quan who was walking over. Several people said:
"He's gone. This old devil is really cruel. He put the pistol into his mouth and shot his own head through."
"It's really disgusting. The pistol pulled out of this old devil's mouth is stained with saliva and smells bad!"
With that said, the monk handed two epaulets to Shen Quan.
"There is only one rank of colonel in the entire Ishii regiment, and it should be that old devil Ishii Haraichi."
Chen Quan waved his hand, pushed back the epaulette handed over by the monk, and said with a smile: "Monk, you should be the first to win the Ishii Regiment this time. Just hold this epaulette. When you go back to claim credit, the leader can't Not a deadbeat!"
"Hey!" The monk giggled twice and put the epaulette into his pocket. For a Japanese with the rank of colonel, this is a rare item.
Wang Leihu, the commander of the first battalion on the side, was concerned about another thing: "I said monk, your security company cleaned the battlefield in advance, but have you captured the Japanese regiment flag?"
The monk smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I asked the soldiers to clean this battlefield several times, but I didn't see any coalition flags."
"The headquarters only found one radio station that was blown up by the Japanese."
Chen Quanle said: "Speaking of Lei Hu, what do you think of the Japs' alliance flag? I heard that it was awarded by the Japs' emperor personally. In the Japs' team, it symbolizes the supreme glory. Only the alliance flag can Do you believe that if we capture this military flag that is unique to an organization like the army, tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers from Taiyuan City will come to fight for us?"
"The Japs will blow up the radio station before they die. The regiment flag should have been sent back through the Japanese troops reinforcing the county first, or it would have been destroyed by the Japs."
Wang Leihu said with a nonchalant expression: "I'm afraid the little Japs won't come! If you, Old Shen, say that, I'll really have to seize a handful of the Japs' coalition flags later."
"Blow, keep on bragging. I don't think Lei Hu has learned much about the commanding ability of the regiment leader. This bragging skill has already started in advance." Shen Quan said scornfully.
While the two battalion commanders were teasing each other, the conversation changed and the third battalion commander Wang Huaibao said:
"Come to think of it, Xicun and Zhangjiazhuang are two fat giants, and right now we have only eaten one piece. I'm afraid the Japanese Army's Fourth Mixed Brigade Headquarters will be hard to deal with."
Chen Quan said: "This old devil Yamaguchi is indeed more skilled than the old devil Ishii."
"The defenses deployed by the Fourth Mixed Brigade outside Nishimura have almost no flaws. We want to use latent tactics, like the one we are currently using to eliminate the Ishii Regiment, but it will also not work."
"So what the commander means is to eat up the Ishii regiment in one bite before dawn, and place it in the Japanese fourth mixed brigade. Let's eat as much as we can!"
Several battalion commanders were chatting with each other.
As everyone knows, the news of the destruction of the Ishii regiment spread quickly through several Japanese reinforcements and the Japanese 45th mixed brigade.
After all, the radio communication is non-directional, and the communication signals transmitted can be received by all departments of the Japanese army.
Plus they have a common codebook with each other.
These Japanese troops were even the first to learn of the destruction of the Ishii Regiment before Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's troops.
In despair, Ishii Haraichi’s last communication message was:
The Eighth Route Army Independent Regiment's troops pressed into the territory. All the soldiers of our unit decided to live and die with the position, and broke the jade to repay the emperor.
Colleagues and ministries, I hope to take this as a warning, remember the lessons and hatred, and one day destroy the independent regiment and avenge our Ishii regiment!
…
After speaking about the contents of the communication, Ishii Haraichi slowly raised the Browning pistol in his hand and pointed it at his mouth.
Then he gave the final order to the two communication soldiers beside him:
Once the message is delivered, please blow up the radio, kids, please!
boom--
As the words fell, the bullet penetrated Ishii Haraichi's skull.
Japanese commander Ishii Haraichi committed suicide by swallowing a gun.
After completing the order, the remaining two Japanese communications soldiers carried Ishii Haraichi's body to a corner, covered it with some wood and rocks, then threw two grenades next to the radio, and then rushed out of the cat's ear hole. The anti-artillery fortifications were shot dead by the Eighth Route Army soldiers who caught up.
…
West Village.
The temporary headquarters of the Japanese Fourth Mixed Brigade.
Listening to the faint sound of artillery coming from the direction of Zhangjiazhuang, nearly half an hour later, it gradually stopped and became silent.
The Japanese brigade commander Yamaguchi's heart sank to the bottom beside the tree. He knew that, as the communication message said, the entire Ishii regiment had been shattered.
Ishii's regiment and his fourth mixed brigade were trapped in Xicun and Zhangjiazhuang almost at the same time. Their lips were broken and their teeth were cold. This made Yamaguchi feel frightened and at the same time extremely humiliated.
In order to destroy a small independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army in the originally grand sweep, his empire's fourth mixed brigade even did not hesitate to join forces with the Ishii regiment.
It turned out to be the situation in front of me.
Not only did they fail to eliminate the Independent Regiment, but they suffered repeated setbacks. Now even the Ishii Regiment was destroyed in the hands of the Independent Regiment.
The remaining strength of his fourth mixed brigade is similar to that of the Ishii regiment, and its strength, firepower configuration, and defensive methods are basically the same.
Since the independent regiment was able to destroy the Ishii regiment in one fell swoop, Yamaguchi had no doubt that if tonight's attack was directed at his fourth mixed brigade, his end might not be much better.
A small independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army. At this moment, the pressure on Yamaguchi was no less than that of a division of the National Army.
Yamaguchi, who felt ashamed and angry, didn't know why the battle ended like this.
As for the reinforcements of the Japanese army headquarters, they were all shocked to learn the news of the destruction of the Ishii regiment.
Seeing that the sky was about to light up, who would have thought that the Eighth Route Army would eat up the Shijing Regiment in one go.
Taiyuan City.
Yoshio Shinozuka, the commander of the Japanese First Army in Shanxi, who had been unable to sleep well in the past few days due to the commotion of the Iron Triangle, was awakened by the sound of reports from the communications troops during a short nap.
"Your Excellency, Commander, there is news from the front line that the entire Shijing Regiment was shattered on Wuming Mountain in Zhangjiazhuang ten minutes ago."
"Nani?"
Yoshio Shinozuka's eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face. The general, who was always filled with joy and anger, was also shocked by this bolt from the blue.
Yoshio Shinozuka never thought that the Ishii Regiment would be eaten by the Eighth Route Army.
"Could it be that the main force of the Eighth Route Army in the Taihang area sent reinforcements to the Zhangjiazhuang area and eliminated Ishii?" Yoshio Shinozuka asked.
The signal soldier shook his head with a grimace.
"So, it was the three main forces of the Iron Triangle and the Eighth Route Army who forcibly breached Ishii's defenses regardless of the cost of casualties?"
The communications soldier still shook his head.
"Baga, what's going on?" Yoshio Shinozuka asked.
The communications soldier quickly replied, "General, get out of the car. The intelligence received from the front line is that the Eighth Route Army sent a small force at night to lurk outside the fortifications of the Shijing Regiment in advance, and then suddenly launched a surprise attack. The main force of the independent regiment took the opportunity to launch a general offensive. After breaking through the defense of Ishii Regiment in one fell swoop, only then..."
"Independent regiment, this independent regiment again, where are the reinforcements? Where are the reinforcements?" Shinozuka Yoshio suddenly became angry.
The communications soldier said: "The multiple reinforcements our army rushed to outside Zhangjiazhuang were all blocked by the Eighth Route Army troops and failed to provide effective support to the Shijing Regiment!"
Ishii Haraichi, who suddenly came back to his senses, leaned on the back of the seat and lost all his strength in a slump. He suddenly felt a deep sense of frustration, which was actually caused by this small independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army.
The current large-scale sweep is due to the destruction of the three Iron Triangle groups, especially this independent group.
Shinozuka Yoshio's original plan was to carry out a large-scale sweep that would last for about a week, but now it has almost dragged on to the tenth day, but still has not made any substantial progress, and has even shown signs of defeat.
At this time, news came that the Fourth Mixed Brigade and Shijing Regiment were trapped in Xicun and Zhangjiazhuang, respectively, outside the Eighth Route Army Independent Regiment base area.
Yoshio Shinozuka immediately ordered reinforcements from all armies. On the one hand, he wanted to rescue Ishii and Yamaguchi. On the other hand, Yoshio Shinozuka wanted to make a desperate move and bet the final battle in the Nishimura and Zhangjiazhang areas.
If we can continue to reinforce and force the Eighth Route Army to launch a decisive battle, we may be able to use the Ishii Regiment and the Fourth Mixed Brigade to defeat the effective forces of the Eighth Route Army in one fell swoop with the help of the Ishii Regiment and the Fourth Mixed Brigade, and lay a good foundation for the security of the occupied areas for the subsequent imperial forces to move to southern Shanxi. .
Now there is news that the Ishii United Team has been eaten!
It was like a heavy hammer swung by Yoshio Shinozuka, but it hit the air. It was impossible not to feel depressed.
After being angry for a long time, Yoshio Shinozuka, who suppressed his anger in order to take the overall situation into consideration, quickly called the staff and studied the current battle situation based on the map of Ushikou Village.
Chief of Staff Kitagawa Ayumi, after analyzing the frontline intelligence passed back, contacted the battle map and spoke first: "General, the current situation is really not quite right. Ishii's defeat has put us in a dilemma in the Niukou Village area. passive.
But not long ago, news came from the front that the Eighth Route Army troops from all sides that were originally advancing towards Niukou Village had stopped not long ago and had no intention of rushing to Niukou for support.
What do they want to do? Are you letting the independent group do nothing, or do you have other plans? "
Yoshio Shinozuka was naturally aware of this problem and analyzed:
"It is not difficult to speculate on the thinking of the Eighth Route Army headquarters. We hope to force the Eighth Route Army to engage in a decisive battle with our army in the Niukou Village area, but the Eighth Route Army absolutely does not want to do this. They do not yet have the strength to compete with our Imperial Japanese Army."
"The independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army that has emerged now is just an anomaly in the Eighth Route Army. It will affect the local battle situation, but it is not enough to change the overall situation."
"They did not want to engage in a decisive battle with our army in the Niukou Village area, and were even more afraid of being surrounded by our army, so they actively stopped the pace of reinforcements."
Kitagawa Ayushi said: "General, just because the Eighth Route Army is stationed on the outside, our army has to be cautious about its next actions."
"If our army devotes all its troops to the local area of Niukou Village, these Eighth Route Army troops will most likely surround our army from the outside."
Yoshio Shinozuka nodded and said: "Yes, this is exactly the Eighth Route Army's plan. They sent reinforcements, but they did not directly reinforce Ushikou Village, but placed them on the periphery as a deterrent."
Kitagawa Ayumi thought about it, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then said: "General, it has been nearly ten days since the big sweep began, and all combat units are almost exhausted. If we continue, I am afraid that we will not be able to handle it.
The purpose of mopping up and suppressing the Eighth Route Army in the Taihang Base Area, except for a few Eighth Route Army units such as the Independent Regiment, can be considered as achieving the task.
How about ordering all ministries to make a strategic retreat immediately and plan later? "
Yoshio Shinozuka did not reply immediately, but continued to focus on the tiny and inconspicuous point on the map where Ushiguchi Village was located. After a moment, he suddenly asked: "Kitagawa-kun, are you willing?"
Kitagawa Aushi was a little startled, "Please tell me, General!"
Yoshio Shinozuka said: "The failure of this large-scale sweep was all due to the independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army. Starting from the Battle of Cangyunling, this independent regiment gradually became a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh of our imperial troops, and it has the tendency to gradually grow. If this continues, won’t it be out of control?”
"Yamamoto-kun has always believed that small people can also change history. Now it seems that this may not be an exaggeration."
"At present, the main reinforcements of the Eighth Route Army are no longer gathering in the Niukou Village area. It seems impossible to continue to force the main force of the Eighth Route Army to fight the E army in the Niukou Village area."
"But the Eighth Route Army is too confident. The imperial troops gathered around Niukou Village are now much larger than the independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army."
"The Eighth Route Army took the lead in stopping reinforcements. This clearly shows that they believe that a small independent regiment can block the attack of my main reinforcements."
"An attempt to gain the overall initiative with one team."
"For our army, this is not an opportunity, an opportunity to uproot the independent regiment."
"Over the past year or so, the independent regiment that has gradually emerged is like the sharpest spear of the Eighth Route Army. If we can directly break the tip of the Eighth Route Army's spear before retreating during this sweep, it will definitely be a big deal for the Eighth Route Army. Strike.”
"With the failure of this large-scale sweep, the dignity of the Japanese Empire has been restored. Why not?"
The awakened Kitagawa Aushi replied: "General, what you mean is that our army's follow-up reinforcements will continue to advance, but the main force will be left behind to confront the waiting Eighth Route Army troops, so that the reinforcements that have arrived at Niukou Village The regional troops captured the Independent Regiment in one fell swoop?”
"This move is a declaration to the entire North China that the majesty of our Empire of Japan will never be challenged." Yoshio Shinozuka spoke up and asked, "What do you think Kitagawa-kun?"
Kitagawa Ayumi focused his attention on the combat map again and said with a smile: "Before last night, our army's reinforcements to the surrounding Niukou Village already had nearly five brigades. As of dawn today, the number of troops can be increased again. Double, plus the troops of the Imperial Alliance Army."
"Even if the Independent Regiment is supported by the New First Regiment and the New Second Regiment, it will not be easy to block our attack."
"The two Eighth Route Army reinforcements from the other two directions can also be stopped by our reinforcements."
"In addition, these three regiments of the Eighth Route Army have only experienced fierce battles. In the absence of reinforcements from the Eighth Route Army, there is great hope of completely annihilating the independent regiment."
Kitagawa Ayumi's affirmation made Yoshio Shinozuka even more determined.
"Xinxi, contact the various reinforcement brigades immediately and convey the order..."
"Hi!"
…
7017k
