Compared with Li Yunlong's current petty fighting, a main regiment from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has already targeted Niangziguan, an important stronghold of the Japanese on the way to the Zhengtai Line.
This stronghold is a transportation fortress that runs through Hebei Province and Shanxi Province. It is the ninth pass of the Great Wall and the gateway to the southeast of Shanxi Province.
It is said that at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin and his son rebelled against the Sui Dynasty. Li Yuan's third daughter, Princess Pingyang, was both civil and military. In order to assist her father and brother, she once stationed her elite troops here and built a city gate.
In order to make it easier for her to march and fight, Princess Pingyang organized a female troop as her own garrison, hence the name of this pass.
This has been an important pass since ancient times and a battleground for military strategists.
During the Battle of Taiyuan, a big battle took place at this pass. The failure of that battle had a huge impact on the failure of the entire Taiyuan Battle at that time.
Many commanders believe that the failure of the Xinkou Battle was largely due to the fall of Niangzi Pass. If the preserved fruit troops could hold on here at that time, the Japanese would not be able to flank Taiyuan.
Now the Japanese have turned this place into an important transfer point for the transportation of troops and supplies. If the Eighth Route Army wants to achieve a major victory in the breakthrough battle, it must capture this pass.
As early as three days before the start of the war, the deputy commander of the 115th Division took his staff and set up his own forward command post in a small mountain village near Jingxing.
After the residents of the village knew that the other party was the Eighth Route Army, they welcomed the troops very enthusiastically. The villagers dreamed that someone could save them from the fire and water.
The place is sparsely populated and very secluded. Although it is not a natural danger, the terrain is very suitable for transfer. Even if they are discovered by Xiaozhi, they can take the people away safely.
This village was chosen because of its excellent location. Thirteen miles due south is the Zhengtai Line, and to the southwest is Niangziguan, one of the targets. Another target, Jingxing Coal Mine, is also very close.
As a commander with rich combat experience, the deputy division commander has already developed his own style. He always sets the command post not far from the front line.
This is done so that intelligence from the frontline troops can be received in a timely manner, and the battlefield situation can be analyzed based on the current results, so as to gain the initiative in the war.
After the deputy division commander arranged the command post, he immediately entered a state of combat readiness. He sent reconnaissance, combat, and communications personnel to conduct reconnaissance of the nearby terrain.
After the village chief knew what the troops were thinking, he took the initiative to send the hunters in the village to follow the operation. The soldiers disguised themselves as local people, and under the cover of the other party, secretly approached their target three days later.
Although Niangziguan has been under enemy rule for nearly three years, local residents have been eager for the anti-Japanese armed forces in Jin Province to recover their lost territory.
A local old man met the Eighth Route Army soldiers near the pass. After learning their purpose, the other party immediately told his comrades the information he knew.
This includes the distribution and activity patterns of Japs, traitors, and even plainclothes. After all, living in an area for a long time, the enemy simply cannot hide it from the people.
After receiving the information, the soldiers immediately followed Orion back to the command post as soon as possible. After careful analysis, the deputy division commander suddenly felt that the defenders at Niangziguan were a bit troublesome.
After all, the opponent's terrain advantage is too great, and the Japanese's firepower is not weak. The originally planned regiment was not enough, so he thought of the 386th Brigade Independent Regiment and the New Regiment which were not far from here.
These two regiments are not on the action list of the 129th Division. The most important task this time is to cooperate with the main force to destroy the railway. But their strength is indeed the strongest among all the basic groups in the three divisions. It would be a waste if they do not use their advantages.
If we can get the support of these two regiments, whether it is the Japs from the direction of Niangziguan or Jingxing Coal Mine, the pressure on the attack will be much less.
The reason why the new second regiment was not brought along does not mean that the deputy division commander is partial. If we talk about the relationship, Commander Li has some connections with the first regiment.
This is actually a manifestation of the reasonable allocation of tasks. The main reason is that he considered that Li Yunlong's army had more recruits and was more suitable to destroy the Zhengtai Line.
After determining the candidates for the attack, the next step is to formulate a specific combat plan. Nearly three years have passed, and some changes have occurred here.
And since they captured this place in Xiaori, they have learned the lessons from the failure of the Jinsui Army. In view of the weaknesses of this fortress, the original fortifications here were reinforced.
The Japanese defenders not only built four artillery towers on the nearby hills, but also stationed a small number of Japanese and puppet troops in the village under the pass.
On the whole, the station can form a rivalry with these blockhouses and the village below, and they can support each other.
Although we already have the information given by the old man, it is not easy to break the situation. According to the current situation, the troops attacking here should attack the village first, and then attack the gun tower and the station below at the same time.
This attack sequence is very particular. If the village is not captured, there will be no support points for attacking the turrets and stations.
During the subsequent attack, once the Japanese commander has the courage to fight, the attacking troops are likely to be attacked from both sides.
And if the gun towers are taken down quickly enough, they can also attack the Niangziguan Station occupied by the Japanese from a high position. Otherwise, during the attack on the station, the firepower from the Japanese gun towers will cover the attacking comrades.
After making the decision, the deputy division commander immediately contacted the forward command post of the 129th Division. After receiving approval from their superiors, Ding Wei and Kong Jie immediately set off towards Niangziguan.
When the two passed by the brigade headquarters, the chief of staff also handed Kong Jie a Type 92 infantry gun captured in Heiyun Village. Due to having to pass through a large number of enemy-occupied areas, the two regiments did not arrive at the designated location until three o'clock in the morning on the 19th.
The Japanese knew the importance of Niangzi Pass and stationed two squadrons of soldiers here. One team is in the pass on the mountain, and the other team is in the station at the foot of the mountain. This number even exceeds the garrison strength of most county towns.
Moreover, there is an auto repair shop in Niangziguan station, which is mainly responsible for repairing damaged armored vehicles and tanks. This means that when soldiers attack the station, they are likely to face the enemy's armored force.
It was almost eight o'clock in the evening, and the two group leaders were comparing their watches. After determining the time, Kong Jie was the first to speak:
"I just studied it carefully. Compared with the station, the pass is more difficult to attack. There is an infantry cannon in our regiment. With this big treasure, we can avoid upward attacks."
"Your regiment is pure infantry. If we attack, it will definitely not be able to deal with the Japanese artillery towers. Some sacrifices can be avoided."
The leader opposite nodded, now is not the time to show off. And every second is important, you must seize the time to destroy.
"Okay! I'll leave it to you then. No matter which of our regiments completes the mission first, we must support the other as soon as possible!"
After reaching an agreement, the two regiments divided into two groups and arrived at the predetermined position under the cover of the green gauze tent.
After a while, at eight o'clock, the big attack on Zhengtai Road officially started! A red flare in the distance soared into the sky, piercing the night sky.
Due to the full preparation before the war and the close cooperation of the masses, the troops blocked the news and the enemy never noticed the actions of these two regiments.
Ask for everything! I kowtow to the bosses! Boom, boom, boom!
(End of chapter)
