The Third Brigade began to build a defense line along the road from Shaoyuan to Fengmenkou. They adopted a stepped defense and built five lines along the line. The core defense line was at Fengmenkou;
If the Japanese want to attack Langtou Mountain on the eastern front, there are not many routes to choose from. If they attack from west to east and fight in large groups, they can only take Shaoyuan to Fengmenkou and enter the Wolf Valley. Other places are not suitable. Mountainous areas suitable for large corps operations.
It's okay to intersperse small units, but large units must take the main road, otherwise the artillery and baggage turned into mules and horses will not be able to keep up. Without baggage, tens of thousands of people entering the mountains will be looking for death.
The Japanese on the northern front can attack the eastern region from the flank, but they must pass through the defense area of the 315th Brigade. The current 315th Brigade has not attracted the attention of the Japanese, it is just a brigade.
Now the main regiments of the 78th Army have all gathered and broken up outside the sealed gate, and they are very scattered. Once the Japanese troops press the border and rush to fight, they will be easily defeated. This is why Yan Haoyu has to switch to defense in advance.
With more than 10,000 of them here, the Japanese did not dare to divide their forces to pursue them, so they could only push along the road from Shaoyuan to Fengmenkou, first cutting the peripheral troops of the 78th Army into two pieces, and then resorting to the old routine of divisional encirclement and suppression;
This trick is indeed effective against the Central Army, because the departments of the Central Army will not carry out guerrilla warfare in the mountains at all, and they will let go as soon as they are cut.
Tens of thousands of soldiers of the third brigade were racing against time to build defense lines. Other regiments had also received secret messages from the military headquarters and began to assemble consciously, prepare food and ammunition, and execute the decisive retreat plan as planned.
On May 21, the Japanese main forces on the Western Front, the 37th Division, the First Division of the 36th Division, and the independent mixed 16th Brigade, about 23,000 men, were divided into three groups and suddenly entered the Eastern Front. The main force of the 37th Division was directed at the In Shaoyuan City, where the 805th Regiment of the 78th Army was stationed, the Japanese finally couldn't help but take action against the 78th Army.
At the same time, nearly 27,000 people from the 41st Division and the Independent Mixed 9th Brigade, the main force of the Japanese on the northern front, jumped over Hengling Pass and entered the Northeast District, attacking the 78th Army Defense Area from the flanks. The Pioneer 9th Brigade had already taken the lead in engaging the 315th Brigade. On fire.
The purpose of the Japanese is very clear. Use the 9th Brigade to defeat the 315th Brigade and open the flank door of the 78th Army. The main 41st Division can drive straight in and attack the 78th Army from the flank.
The southern line is a large river, a natural blockade. The Japanese have deployed no less than 20,000 heavy troops along the south side of the river.
The 78th Army's only retreat is to take a small road from the east and retreat into Liuzhen, an independent brigade of the Eighth Route Army. This is an area beyond the strength of the Japanese.
The Japanese knew that the Eighth Route Army and the National Government were currently at war with each other, and the Independent Brigade did not dare to let the 78th Army of the Central Army enter the base area. Maybe the two sides would end up fighting. This was also a sinister intention of Xiao Zhuoyi'nan;
Use heavy troops to invade the defense area of the 78th Army from the northern and western fronts, and drive the main force of the 78th Army towards the base area of the Eighth Route Army's independent brigade.
The worst thing is to drive the 78th Army out of Zhongtiao Mountain and successfully complete the Zhongtiao Mountain strategy. If you are lucky, you may force the 78th Army to fight with the Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, and they can reap the benefits.
Sure enough, as soon as the Japanese moved, vital information came from Liu Zhen, which made Xiao Zhuoyi Nan, who was sitting at the First Army Headquarters, laugh.
"Miyamoto-kun, according to the information from the intelligence department, the main force of the independent brigade in Liuzhen has begun to gather and has secretly moved towards the 78th Army defense area. Anyway, I will not believe that they are going to support the 78th Army."
Seeing that the commander was in a good mood, Miyamoto also cooperated and said:
"Your Excellency, Commander, the Chinese government forces are already at loggerheads with the Eighth Route Army in the Huanghuai area. Small-scale conflicts continue between the two sides. The Eighth Route Army has been exercising restraint and has given up a large amount of territory;
The New Fourth Army in southern Anhui was also forced to abandon its base and retreat to the north of the Yangtze River. In Huangqiao, the main force of the New Fourth Army fought fiercely with an army of the Central Army for a month. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. The New Fourth Army almost completely annihilated this army.
Under such a tense situation, the Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army did not dare to let a single soldier of the 78th Army enter the base area;
The imperial army only needs heavy troops to squeeze. In order to survive, the 78th Army can only withdraw to Liuzhen. Haha, there will be a good show then. I really look forward to seeing Zhao Sihu, the tiger of Zhongtiao Mountain and the tiger of China. The two tigers are fighting against each other, this must be quite exciting! "
Xiao Zhuoyinan couldn't help laughing after hearing this. This was what he wanted to see the most.
"The one who knows me is Miyamoto!"
Xiao Zhuoyi'an was in a good mood and delivered a line of dialogue, and Miyamoto's flattery was in the right place again.
When Chu Xiong was mentioned, Xiao Zhuoyinan suddenly thought of his old rival. The Tiger of China seemed to have suddenly disappeared, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he asked Miyamoto:
"Miyamoto-kun, does the intelligence department have any new information about Chu Xiong?"
"Your Excellency, Commander, the news from Yanzhou shows that their review of Chu Xiong is about to be finalized;
Nan ZaoHuaZi also obtained vital information. Chu Xiong will secretly return to Liu Town in the near future to take charge of the military affairs of the independent brigade.
It seems that Yanzhou's sense of smell is also very sensitive. They let Chu Xiong, the Tiger of China, return to Liuzhen. I think it was more to deal with Zhao Sihu of the 78th Army. After all, this is related to the life and death of the Liuzhen base area. If Yanzhou does not release it, Chu Xiong is strange. "
Xiao Zhuoyi Nan nodded and said:
"Hey, the tiger Chu Xiong has come out of the cage again, but I don't know if he is still powerful after being imprisoned for two months?
The overall situation of the war in Zhongtiao Mountain has been decided. Yanzhou released him at this time for one purpose: to block the 78th Army and prevent them from entering Liu Town;
Liuzhen is too important to the Eighth Route Army. Anyone who wants to get involved in Liuzhen has to go through Chuxiong. I really look forward to the grand battle between the two tigers! "
"Your Excellency, Commander, after they fight to the death, the Imperial Army can advance into Liu Town from the east, destroy the Eighth Route Army's logistics foundation in one fell swoop, and uproot the Independence Brigade."
Xiao Zhuoyi's blood was boiling when he heard this. Three years have passed since he was scratched and bruised by the fierce tiger Chu Xiong. It's time to eradicate this evil in the empire in one fell swoop.
In order to celebrate his good mood, he decided to call Duanmu over...
On the eastern front, the 805th Regiment in Shaoyuan City covered the people in the city and evacuated the city overnight, leaving only one battalion in the city. They buried a large amount of explosives in the city, preparing to surprise the Japanese at the critical moment;
The bombs carried by the 805th Regiment, together with the explosive packs used by Wei Yixiao, were all left to the Third Battalion. The total amount exceeded 500 kilograms, which was enough for the Japanese to drink a pot.
In the early morning of May 22, the captain of the 225th Regiment of the 37th Division, Colonel Takeji Jinmei, issued an order to attack Shaoyuan City. The main attack task was the 1st Brigade. The Colonel Colonel Jinmei said coldly to Major Saburo Iwasaki:
"Iwasaki-kun, after capturing Shaoyuan City, the imperial army does not need any prisoners, and the military discipline will be lifted for half a day!"
When Major Iwasaki heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, his blood boiled, and he was already looking forward to entering the carnival in Shaoyuan City.
The 225th Regiment was formed in Kumamoto, a famous land of beasts. The Kumamoto Regiment massacred cities at every turn, and its reputation in China was so bad that it spread to the streets. This time, their old habits happened again...
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
The Japanese from the Iwasaki Battalion launched an attack on Shaoyuan City, and the Shaoyuan Defense Battle began.
