The tradition of the Japs is to help them whenever they ask for help, and they are very stubborn!
"Boom boom boom..."
"Boom boom boom..."
The 219th Regiment's artillery fired first. They couldn't wait for the division's field artillery regiment to launch. Although the 219th Regiment had lost one brigade, the two main brigades plus the field artillery squadron were not something that the more than a thousand Chinese troops could humiliate. .
They really didn't notice the blockade of more than a thousand people. A Japanese regiment dared to attack the positions of a division or even an army of the Central Army.
It was a complete show, and the enemy had to act as if he was attacking. If he collapsed at the first touch, it would easily arouse the suspicion of the Japanese. Yan Haoyu decided to hold on to the Japanese for more than two hours until dusk before defeating them, allowing the Japanese to rush into the Wolf Fang Valley.
The Japanese's regiment artillery is basically light artillery, which is convenient for field combat. The disadvantage is that it is less powerful. Of course, it is more than enough for the Chinese troops who lack artillery.
Due to tight time, the 3rd Brigade and 1st Regiment of the 78th Army led by Yan Haoyu only built three simple fortifications, which were enough to resist the regiment's artillery. Once the Japanese used the division's heavy artillery, his 1,500 men were not enough for the Japanese to attack them.
Therefore, he still adopted elastic defense, echelon configuration, layer-by-layer blocking, setting up mine arrays at regular intervals, and burying a large number of mines and roadside bombs;
We don't want to kill many Japanese, but we just want to make the Japanese pay a lot of money for every step forward, consume the Japanese's time, and lead the Japanese into their pockets step by step.
It took more than ten minutes for the Japanese to prepare for the artillery fire, and more than ten rounds of artillery were fired. The regiment's forward position was almost plowed by the Japanese;
Fortunately, the regiment only placed one company in the forward position and dug a large number of anti-gun holes. The casualties were not many, but the trenches had been bombed beyond recognition.
As soon as the artillery fire extended, a squadron of Japanese soldiers rushed up screaming. The two sides soon exchanged fire, causing casualties on each other.
Half an hour later, they retreated to the second line of defense with alternating cover. The Japanese from Shibata Squadron refused to give up and pursued the victory, hoping to break through the second line of defense in one fell swoop.
The second line of defense is also a company of defenders, equipped with a large number of light and heavy machine guns. It is less than 200 meters away from the first line of defense. The third line of defense is 500 meters away from the second line. It is also a core position, with two even.
"Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta..."
"Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta..."
When the Japanese followed the first battalion and one company, nine light machine guns and two 92 heavy machine guns from the first battalion and second company of the second line of defense fired wildly at the Japanese, mowing down more than thirty Japanese in an instant. ;
The arrogant Japs suffered a big loss. When the other Japs saw that the firepower was too strong, they all fell to the ground and waited for artillery support.
Ten minutes later, the artillery shells fired by the Japanese's regiment artillery rained down on the second line of defense. The Japanese infantry also took the opportunity to launch an attack, without worrying at all about being accidentally injured by their own artillery fire.
After the previous attrition, Shibata's squadron only had more than 110 people left. There were two companies on the second line of defense. The first company also suffered more than 30 casualties in the previous battle. The total number of people was still more than 260, not Shibata's half. A squadron can capture it.
The establishment of Yan Haoyu's third brigade is different from other regiments, with more than 5,000 people. On the surface, they are Eighth Route Army troops who have defected to the 78th Army. The establishment is given to a brigade, which has three small regiments of 1,500 people;
When they pretended to be defeated before, the first regiment, the second regiment, the third regiment and the brigade headquarters retreated into the valley to participate in the encirclement and annihilation battle against the 21st Division headquarters.
The 8,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the valley were divided into two parts. The division headquarters led by Tanaka, nearly 4,000 baggage troops, and more than 2,000 puppet troops have been completely wiped out;
2,000 puppet troops were captured. Most of these 2,000 Manchurian troops have been dispersed and replenished to various regiments, and they were replenished as soon as they were captured.
Of the more than 4,000 Japs led by the Three Kingdoms and Murakami, after the previous attrition and ten rounds of Wei Yixiao's artillery strikes, only about 2,000 of the remnants were still fighting.
Chu Dapeng left behind two small regiments from the 805th Regiment and the 3rd Brigade, with more than 5,000 men continuing to besiege the remaining Japanese enemies;
The main force, about 8,000 men from the 4th Regiment, 806th Regiment, 1st Artillery Regiment, 2nd Artillery Regiment and the detachment headquarters, quietly withdrew from the battle and moved to Fenghuangling, only a few kilometers away from the sealed gate, to set up an ambush.
The terrain of Phoenix Ridge is relatively flat, and the valley below is a relatively gentle section of the Langya Valley. Phoenix Ridge is more than 2 kilometers away from the official road in the valley. Opposite of Phoenix Ridge is the cliffy Canglong Mountain, with a dragon and a phoenix facing each other across the valley.
The gentle valley between Fenghuangling and Canglong Mountain is about 3 to 5 kilometers wide from north to south and about 10 kilometers long. It is a natural valley. It is about 5 kilometers eastward from the area where the remnants of the 21st Division were besieged;
About 7 kilometers to the west from Fengmenkou, this is the cemetery chosen by Chu Dapeng for the 35th Division, the main force of the East Route Army. The Weishen artillery of the two artillery regiments has been deployed, and the remaining shells are enough to fire 6 salvos, about More than 2,000 rockets.
"Old Zhao, Second Pillar, whether you can take down the main force of the Japs this time depends on your artillery regiments. The two artillery regiments have 32 Wei Shen cannons and 2,500 shells. This is the feast we have prepared for the Japs;
Don't worry about the artillery shells, just shoot them all as fast as possible, and leave the rest to the infantry. I'll cripple the Japanese within ten minutes. Is there any problem? "
Zhao Hui and Erzhuzi said excitedly:
"Promise to complete the mission!"
Chu Dapeng waved his hands grandly, and then said:
"Okay, go ahead and do what you have to do. Wait for my order and remember to fire three red flares!
The rest depends on whether Lao Yan can catch the big fish. "
"Boom boom boom..."
"Boom boom boom..."
After sealing the entrance, the heavy artillery of the Japanese Field Artillery Regiment began to bombard the third line of defense. Yan Haoyu was not stupid enough to stay on the position and be bombed;
There were more than a dozen heavy artillery pieces, and after one shot, there were only a few men left in each platoon. To block the attack was not a matter of stubbornness. His thousand or so men simply couldn't withstand several rounds of heavy artillery bombardment.
They had already withdrawn a few hundred meters away, leaving few people on the position. When the Japanese infantry was repulsed again, the Japanese finally couldn't help but use the heavy artillery of the field artillery regiment.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the Chinese are running away like rabbits again!"
The chief of staff reported to Harada.
"Kun Yamakawa, order the 219th Regiment and the 1st Brigade of the 4th Independent Cavalry Brigade to pursue, and the 220th Regiment to follow up! The 2nd Brigade of the 4th Independent Cavalry Brigade will escort the division headquarters."
The Japanese were not stupid. After only three rounds of heavy artillery fire, they sent the 219th Infantry Regiment to pursue the third brigade.
Half an hour later, the Japanese cavalry encountered a mine array and lost dozens of cavalry;
When the main force of the 219th Regiment arrived, the troops of the Third Brigade ran away again. The two sides fought and fought all the way towards Phoenix Ridge.
The main force of the Japanese was delayed for about a kilometer and slowly followed up. The Japanese used the 219th Regiment and a cavalry brigade as the vanguard. The main force followed up and gradually got into the pocket formation set up by Chu Dapeng;
At dusk, the Japanese vanguard pursued Yan Haoyu's troops into Fenghuang Ridge. Chu Dapeng chose to let them pass because he didn't like this bit of mosquito meat.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, it will be dark soon. The 219th Regiment has already chased Phoenix Ridge. The front is Phoenix Ridge. Should we rest in the valley of Phoenix Ridge or march overnight?"
"Shanchuan-kun, rescuing troops is like putting out fire. As long as there are no problems with the 219th Regiment, the main force will continue to follow up and keep a good distance."
Half an hour later, the main force of the 35th Division plunged into the pocket formation, and the countdown to the end of the 35th Division began!
"Detachment leader, the enemy has already entered the pocket!"
Captain Gao Dezhu of the 806th Regiment excitedly reported to Chu Dapeng.
Chu Dapeng looked at the time, and it happened to be 6:15 in the evening. He didn't hesitate and ordered directly:
"Send a flare! Fire!"
