At 6 o'clock in the morning, on the mountain road from Jianchang Camp to Lengkou Pass, a horse team of hundreds of people was coming with torches.
Because they were traveling in the dark, the cavalry team was not moving very fast. In front were a dozen sharp soldiers exploring the road, and in the middle were a few anxious-looking officers. One of the middle-aged officers with the rank of general was General Shang Zheng, commander of the 32nd Army and commander-in-chief of the Great Wall Eastern Front Army.
It turned out that just an hour ago, General Shang Zheng, who was still sleeping, was woken up by the chief of staff and handed over a message with a stern expression: "Military seat, Commander Huang is calling. Zhao Changshu's model brigade has launched a counterattack against the Japanese army tonight. They want to encircle and annihilate the Japanese 14th Brigade."
"What?" General Shang Zheng, who was so shocked by this earth-shattering news that he almost jumped up, lost all sleep in an instant. He hurriedly got off the camp bed and took the message and read it carefully.
"Nonsense! It's just nonsense."
After reading the telegram, General Shang Zheng walked back and forth in the small room angrily, muttering: "A brigade went to fight a mixed brigade of the Japanese army. Did Zhao Changshu win a small victory and kill hundreds?" Just a little Japs? This is a Japanese army of more than 5,000 people, and an artillery brigade. How can they be so easy to fight?"
The chief of staff thought for a while and said: "Changshu is not a stable person. I am afraid that the battle situation will be deadlocked. After dawn, the Japs' planes will come to support. This battle will not be easy to fight. If the Japs take advantage of the situation, If you seize the pass, you will be in trouble."
"No, I have to rush to Lengkou Pass immediately. You go and assemble the 141st Division now, and rush to Lengkou Pass immediately after dawn for support."
…
In this way, General Shang Zheng, who didn't even have time to wash his face, led a guard company and set off on horseback in the night.
On the way, he was extremely anxious, and he kept blaming Commander Huang of the 139th Division.
As soon as he saw the telegram from Commander Huang, he knew that this plan must have been premeditated. Commander Huang would never know about it today, but he didn't expect that his old subordinate would hide it from him for such a long time, and even talk about launching a general offensive. The 139th Division actually sent two regiments to participate.
Damn it, Little Japan is really that easy to fight. Northeastern and Rehe will not be lost at the drop of a hat. What’s more, the Model Brigade has so many artillery pieces. Could it be that the Northeastern Army, which has been defeated again and again against Little Japan, has fewer artillery pieces? ?
This old subordinate is also confused. Did his ears soften after Zhao Changshu gave him some weapons? Don't bring in the veterans of my two regiments when the time comes, but don't blame me for ignoring past friendships.
In the view of General Shang Zheng, although the previous annihilation of the Mishan Brigade was an incredible victory, it was due to the right time, place, and people, and it took advantage of the Japanese army's unsteady foothold to surprise and ambush the Japanese army. The victory of the Lengkou Defense Battle on the first day was that the Model Brigade blocked the Japanese attack with its solid fortifications.
Although the Model Brigade's equipment and combat effectiveness are considered to be the best in the domestic army, it will definitely not be able to defeat the Japanese army if they are pulled out to fight in the field. This is not only a gap in weapons and equipment, but also a gap in soldiers and tactical thinking.
Why don't you guard your pass very well and rely on solid fortifications to fight defensive battles? If you have to send out the whole army to fight with the little devils in the field, isn't this using your own shortcomings to attack the enemy's strong points and looking for trouble?
It was only ten miles from Jianchang Camp to Lengkou Pass, but General Shang Zheng and his party still rode for nearly an hour in the dark. At 6:50 in the morning, it was still dark, but there were voices at Lengkou Pass. There are a lot of people and bright lights, it’s a lively scene.
Commander Huang and Zhao Changshu had been waiting for a long time when they received the command. After seeing the torches in the distance, a guard from the Model Brigade rode out to greet them. After confirming that they were General Shang Zheng and his party, he waved back.
Teacher Huang and Zhao Changshu came out immediately.
General Shang Zheng saw that the smoke on Zhao Changshu's body and face had not faded. Before he and Commander Huang could salute, he hurriedly asked: "How is the battle going? Why is there no sound of gunfire?"
Zhao Changshu reported loudly: "Reporting to the military, after two and a half hours of fierce fighting, the 139th Division and the Model Brigade worked closely together to annihilate the Japanese mixed 14th Brigade in one fell swoop, a total of more than 5,000 people from the brigade commander on down, and captured 127 people."
After General Shang Zheng put his high-spirited heart down, he still couldn't believe the achievements reported by Zhao Changshu.
He had three guesses before and was prepared to deal with them.
The best result is of course to defeat the Japanese army, then Lengkou Pass will gain time to breathe and adjust. But the defeat he guessed was not complete annihilation. Being able to defeat these devils was already an incredible military achievement.
The medium result is that the two sides are still fighting fiercely. Then the 141st Division sent after dawn can choose whether to join the battle or defend the cold pass based on the battlefield conditions.
The worst result, of course, is to encounter the defeated troops retreating from Lengkou Pass on the road, which means that the Model Brigade and the 139th Division were defeated, and Lengkou Pass was also captured by the Japanese army.
But Guai Qian Guai never expected such an ending, a record that the whole country could not believe.
A Japanese mixed brigade with more than 5,000 troops was just gone? Not even the brigade commander could run away.
This can be regarded as the greatest foreign war victory achieved by our Chinese nation since the September 18th Incident... no, it can even be said to be the greatest foreign war victory achieved by our Chinese nation since the late Qing Dynasty.
Some people may say that during the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, didn't the Japanese 24th Brigade also be annihilated?
But you must know that the Songhu War of Resistance lasted nearly two months. After the 19th Route Army repeatedly consumed the effective strength of the Japanese 24th Brigade, it was ambushed and annihilated by a mercenary group in Yunzaobang. Finally, another brigade was Chief Zhang's central army consumed the enemy all the way, and finally won the battle of Temple Walk.
However, in this annihilation battle, Zhao Changshu's model brigade of nearly ten thousand people went head-to-head with the Japanese army, and completely wiped out a Japanese mixed brigade in just a few days.
General Shang Zheng knew his own affairs, and with the combat effectiveness of Commander Huang's 139th Division, he could only play a minor role in this battle, and it was impossible for him to enter the main battlefield.
However, Zhao Changshu took great care of the face of himself, the army commander, and Commander Huang, and described this battle as the result of the coordinated fighting between the two families.
Of course, General Shang Zheng will not pretend to be pretentious and extrapolate. This incredible contribution is completely likely to change the future destiny of the 32nd Army. From then on, he and his 32nd Army have become a model of resistance against Japan, a national hero, and a leader in Nanjing. Even if you think about annexation or cancellation, you still have to consider the public opinion of the whole country, right?
General Shang Zheng thought clearly about the benefits of this victory in just a second thought.
But he still had to ask about the battle in detail and confirm the results before discussing with Zhao Changshu what wording and writing style to use to report the results.
