August 20, 20:00:00! The attack on Zhengtai Road has officially begun! The battle begins across the board as scheduled!
Red flares signaling an attack soared into the sky and pierced the night sky. The assault troops from all walks of life were like tigers descending from the mountain, rushing towards the enemy's stations and strongholds.
Thunderous explosions, one after another, resounded throughout the entire Zhengtai Road.
Li Yunlong led the New Second Regiment in ambush near a section of railway track, and he divided the entire regiment into four parts. He and Zhao Gang each led 500 soldiers, using the natural cover provided by the cornfields to quietly wait for the bugle call to attack.
The moment the time reached eight o'clock in the evening, the comrades rushed towards the tracks with their tools like leopards pouncing on their prey. The task of these people is to remove the rails and move the sleepers.
The remaining 200 people, led by Zhang Dabiao and Shen Quan each led a company, were ambushed in a section one kilometer away from the main force. They not only need to plant bombs here, but also need to guard the west and east sides for the main regiment headquarters.
If no Japs passed by and noticed something strange, then everything would be fine. If a railway patrol or military column happened to pass by, they would block it on the spot and buy time for the soldiers in the regiment.
The Japanese set up street lights around the railway, and these lighting equipment all relied on power poles along the way to provide power. These lights may expose the New Second Regiment on a mission, so they need to be dealt with at the beginning of the operation.
This kind of task of cutting wires is a piece of cake for veterans. Even recruits who have never participated in damaging railways before have received special training at the regiment headquarters.
I saw a soldier on every telephone pole along this nearly two-kilometer stretch.
They were as flexible as monkeys, and quickly climbed to the top with their hands and feet working together. After making sure that he would not fall, he took out the scissors that he had prepared and cut off the wires.
Some grumpy soldiers even took out the engineering shovels issued by the Logistics Department some time ago. The sharp blade only needs to be raised high to cut the wire directly under the action of gravity and inertia.
After finishing their work, the comrades immediately withdrew from the telegraph poles. This raid mission was to make it difficult for the Japanese to resume railway transportation in a short time.
The wires were cut just to turn off the lights so the warriors at work could hide in the darkness.
Next, these temporary engineers will need to saw off the telephone poles, completely cutting off the possibility of quickly repairing the circuit, and adding to the difficulty of the Japanese reconstruction work.
On the main force side, the soldiers had a clear division of labor, and all those who were responsible for sabotage were divided into three parts.
The first part is responsible for removing the spikes. Those large nails are used to fix the rails and sleepers. They must be disposed of before proceeding with the subsequent work.
At the same time, the soldiers in the second group stuck their homemade crowbars into the gap between the railway and the ground. As soon as they see all the spikes pulled out, they will use the principle of leverage to pry the rails up.
The comrades in the third group are tied to the right side of the rail with multi-section ropes. They will cooperate with the comrades in the second group to use force on the left side to overturn the rail.
The next step is to mobilize the people.
After confirming that there is no danger in the surrounding area, militiamen and fellow villagers will also participate in these operations tonight. They were originally waiting a little further away, and after receiving the signal, they would come and take away the sleepers and rails.
The rails need to be hidden deep in the mountains. These good-quality steel materials can be brought back to the logistics department for use. After the operation is over, there will be dedicated personnel responsible for recycling.
As for the sleepers, it doesn't matter. The fellow villagers can take them back and burn them or find a place to throw them away. As long as the Japanese don't find out, they can do whatever they want.
Although everyone was working enthusiastically on both sides of the railway line and the overall destruction work was proceeding in an orderly manner, Li Yunlong felt a little depressed.
After removing a piece of road nail, he finally couldn't help but complain:
"I usually sabotage the Japanese railways. I finally waited until a big battle, but ended up robbing the railways. If this continues, I will really become a road robbing army in the future."
"Old Zhao, I feel so uncomfortable. You don't know that so many people in our 129th Division saw me saying harsh words that day, and I couldn't say anything in front of the division commander."
"Hey, it turns out that now our new second regiment is actually doing the work of the guerrillas and the county brigade. From now on, I will go to the division headquarters for a meeting. Where should I put my old face?"
Although Captain Li was complaining, the work at hand did not stop because he knew the importance of following the command in all actions.
Originally, Zhao Gang was working seriously, and his thin clothes were bulging out from his powerful muscles. But after hearing his partner's words, he was so discouraged that he almost dodged his waist.
"Okay, please stop saying a few words. The comrades around you are still listening. What do you look like as a regiment leader?"
"And this operation will definitely alarm a lot of Japanese soldiers. Do the division commander and brigade commander know that good steel is used on the blade? We will definitely have to fight by then."
"What if the railway our regiment is responsible for hasn't been completed by then? Commander, you don't want the combat mission to fall into the hands of others, right?"
After hearing this, Li Yunlong, who was still a little pushy, immediately began to work hard to improve himself. It seems that he is really afraid that his combat mission will be taken away. He swings the crowbar in his hand with great vigor, not to mention how energetic he is.
The camera shifted to Zhang Dabiao and Shen Quan, who had just planted explosives. With the addition of the new sapper shovel, the work progressed surprisingly quickly.
In the past, soldiers had to dig out the gravel between the sleepers with their hands, which not only hurt their hands but was also inefficient. Now with the new equipment, a few shovels dug out the space needed to place the bomb.
In order for this raid to go smoothly, the Shanxi North Chemical Plant located in the Logistics Department worked overtime to produce large quantities of yellow explosives. Some comrades were even eager for quick success and quick success, which resulted in serious injuries.
But everyone's efforts were worth it. Almost all the 20 regiments that directly participated in the attack on the Zhengtai Railway received sufficient explosive packets.
At that time, Zhang Wanhe made harsh words to every transport team that received supplies. It was up to them to carry as much as they could. The Logistics Department opened up the supply this time.
Just when Zhang Dabiao was about to withdraw to the originally set ambush position, a soldier suddenly fell to the ground and pressed his ear against the railway track.
As we all know, sound can propagate in solids.
And the propagation speed in steel is much greater than that in the air, so you can judge whether there is a train approaching in the distance by putting your ear on the rails.
Although this comrade did not know the principle, this was what the railway guerrilla veteran who taught him step by step did. After a brief calculation, he believed that the Japanese train would appear at their current location in less than two minutes.
Soon after, a very rare armored car appeared on the railway. It is not the Type 95 railway and road dual-purpose vehicle that we have seen before, but the Type 93 cavalry armored vehicle with extremely low production.
Although both are armored vehicles that can switch forms and drive down from the railway to pursue.
But unlike the Type 95's meager firepower, the Type 93 cavalry armored vehicle is a powerful killer like a hedgehog. This thing has no natural enemies on the North China battlefield, and has always been the last thing the railway guerrillas want to face.
Its main weapon is a 37mm cannon, and there is a heading machine gun in the co-pilot's position. There is also a machine gun on each side of the armored vehicle, and an anti-aircraft machine gun is installed behind the turret.
Obviously the Japanese looked down on the Eighth Route Army in Jin Province. They actually dismantled the Type 94 anti-tank gun that could fire armor-piercing shells and high-explosive grenades and replaced it with a heavy machine gun.
However, six light and heavy machine guns can provide intensive firepower, which is indeed very threatening to the Eighth Route Army.
The soldiers hurriedly took cover because the armored vehicle was equipped with a rotating searchlight and could be discovered even at night.
Bang, bang, bang, accompanied by puffs of white smoke rising into the sky, the Japanese train approached rapidly from a distance.
Li Yunlong, who was working a little further away, also noticed the movement in the distance, but the current destruction work was at a critical juncture, and they could not leave yet, otherwise their previous efforts would be wasted.
Although he was very reassured about his men, he still sent his own platoon of guards to reinforce.
After all, it was only 8:15, so there was a certain chance that Zhang Dabiao hadn't set up the ambush circle yet. If something happens, the guard platoon can also provide certain support.
But Zhang Dabiao has not disappointed Li Yunlong so far. A group of them have already arranged the yellow explosives according to certain rules.
In order to deal with the sudden appearance of the Japanese military train, they placed two explosives almost thirty meters apart. This was a plan to blow up the train at once.
Even God is on the side of justice, and this arrangement can play a greater role now.
Seeing the Japanese train getting closer and closer, even the soldiers could clearly see the machine gun on the front of the car. But no one acted rashly. Zhang Dabiao had been waiting for an opportunity to blow up the armored vehicle and the train at the same time.
In an instant, both armored vehicles and military columns were in position to plant bombs.
"pull!"
As Zhang Dabiao shouted angrily, the company commander beside him immediately pulled the detonating rope in his hand, and violent explosions rose from the lower end of the railway track.
The Japanese's armor strength is notorious for being thin-skinned and big-hearted.
Whether it is armored vehicles or light tanks, they can only bully troops without anti-tank capabilities, but once you have the capital to counterattack, it will be relatively easy to solve.
After all, a military kettle can disable the turret of their Type 95 light tank, and the others are not much better.
A bomb of this weight directly knocked off a 4.5-ton armored vehicle. The thousands of rounds of machine gun bullets and oil inside it exploded again, causing the top turret to be blown away more than ten meters.
Machine gun bullets also flew around after being ignited. Even if the ambushing soldiers were far enough away, some stray bullets flew over. But now the soldiers have helmets, and non-combat attrition has not occurred.
As for the Japanese soldiers inside, Zhang Dabiao could only say that they were all acquaintances.
This sudden explosion caused all the Japanese who were opening the way to see the locusts in an instant. It's a pity that these devils died so quickly, and there was no pain at all.
The Japanese military train did not end well either. The more than 100-ton locomotive was lifted up by yellow explosives by one meter. It tilted to the left and derailed.
The huge inertia caused the carriage to be taken off the original track, plowing deep marks on the land on both sides.
The goods in the carriage fell into a ball with the Japanese soldiers. They never dreamed that they would be suddenly bombed while eating hot pot and singing.
Moreover, the enemy's bombs are so powerful. Are these still poor guerrillas? Could it be that their black powder has mutated?
This feels like a shot by the most superior heavy patrol before being modified. Could it be possible that the Eighth Route Army already has 155?
"Yukikaze, save me!"
When Zhang Dabiao saw this situation, he excitedly waved his fist in the air. This was his first time participating in such a violent interception.
The Japanese escorting the car were all elite. Although they were beaten to pieces, they quickly adjusted their condition.
For them, the enemy's situation is unclear now, and they don't know if there will be another explosion. If they can't figure out how to get out of the overturned train car, their fate can only be death.
So these little Baga got out of the carriage, used the train as a bunker, and began to prepare for the Eighth Route Army's attack.
This means that Zhang Dabiao didn't have enough time, otherwise he would have buried some landmines, and these enemies would have died completely.
"Hit me!"
Although it was night, the flames of the explosion provided us with a good view, and the soldiers on both sides of the railway began to beat the drowned dogs.
Several FM-24/29s began to suppress the Japanese, and the precise shooters in the team hunted down the exposed enemies. Just when the Japs were preparing to fight to the death, the mortar that had adjusted its angle showed its fangs.
The rate of fire of the 60mm is simply outrageous. With the supply from the Yellow River, the troops are now qualified to fire rapidly.
Continuous explosions erupted near the Japanese army column. Under the cover of mortars, Zhang Dabiao led the comrades of the commando team with a light machine gun and rushed towards the temporary Japanese position.
After three waves of attacks, the Japanese had almost no ability to resist.
The few enemies behind the bunker were also eliminated by the commandos like chopping melons and vegetables. Their desperate fight only brought single-digit casualties to the commandos.
At this time, the individual soldier treatment kit came into play, and the soldiers performed self-service treatment without a hygienist. Although the combat effectiveness is still affected, every wounded person can still move.
After the battle, Zhang Dabiao led the remaining comrades to start cleaning the battlefield, except for the soldiers who still needed to be alert. The main thing is to see what the Japanese trains are transporting.
When he saw bags of packed grain in the carriage, Zhang Dabiao pulled out the big blade from his back with a fierce look on his face and slashed a Japanese who was still alive.
There are only two portable radio stations in the New Second Regiment, and the ambush team is not equipped here. Zhang Dabiao held up the helmet on the armrest, turned to the correspondent on the side and said:
"Go back quickly and inform the regiment leader to ask the militiamen and fellow villagers to move the food! You have to be fast!"
In fact, it rained heavily that day, but the rain battle was too troublesome so I didn’t write about it.
If someone asks me how much explosives I have buried, I can only say that I have as many explosives as I need.
(End of chapter)
