Ande City was successfully captured by the 107th Column, annihilating the 211th Regiment of the 32nd Division, killing more than 2,700 Japanese soldiers, and capturing more than 1,800 puppet troops. A large city was recovered, and the loot captured piled up like a mountain;
After receiving the farewell message from Ande City, the Japanese reinforcements in Quancheng decisively gave up the rescue and retreated to Quancheng under alternate cover. Now it would be good for the Japanese in Qilu Province to hold on to their current territory.
After taking Ande City, the three main brigades of the 107th Column attacked the entire northwest of Shandong. It took only three days to clear out the Japanese and puppet troops in northwest Shandong, liberate northwest Shandong, completely cut off the Jinpu Road, and completely cut off the Yanpu Road. The Japanese headquarters in Tianjin and Jin were separated from the Japanese Second Army in Qilu Province.
Immediately afterwards, in addition to leaving a brigade to blockade Jinmen, the main force of Column 107, together with other troops from the Qilu Military Region, launched a fierce attack on the Japs along the Jiaoji Line, forcing the Japs of the Second Army to shrink towards Quancheng and Jiaoao City.
A large part of the Japs' main force is in Jiaodong, numbering about 30,000 people;
Jiaoao City has a permanent Japanese naval headquarters, which has jurisdiction over the urban area and the sea around the Qilu Peninsula and the land within 92 kilometers of the coast.
There are 1 medium-sized aircraft carrier, more than 40 aircraft, 1 medium-sized cruiser, 2 medium-sized destroyers, 3 small destroyers, 2 Marine groups, and a backup land airport at Nvgukou;
The total strength of the army is about 10,000. The main force is an independent mixed brigade, and there are also a large number of government agencies and military police units, such as the Navy's Fourth Fleet, Jin Force, Akatsuki Force, Imamura Force, Ide Force, Depot Headquarters, Navy Air Force, Army Hospital, Naval School, etc.;
It is the place with the highest level of Japanese garrison in Jiaodong and even Qilu Province, the most centralized headquarters, the most complete arms, the best equipment, and the largest number of people.
After launching a full-scale counterattack in the Qilu Military Region, it took only half a month to eliminate the sporadic Japanese and puppet troops scattered throughout the country;
Including Ande City, a total of more than 8,000 Japs were eliminated, more than 20,000 puppet troops were eliminated and captured, more than 30 artillery pieces of various types, and more than 20,000 long and short guns were seized, and all areas except Quancheng and Jiaoao City were recovered. All land.
The whole Qilu Province was in a state of excitement. Hundreds of thousands of advance teams were organized. Everywhere you looked, there were wheelbarrow convoys, so majestic that they could not be seen to the horizon;
During the fifteen days of offensive operations, the 200,000-strong Eighth Route Army in the Qilu Military Region consumed astronomical amounts of supplies and ammunition. All these were delivered to the front line by carloads by fellow villagers in the base area, and then thousands of wounded were safely carried to the rear. Ensures the continuity of the campaign.
Without the strong support of the folks in the base area, it would have been impossible to guarantee a fifteen-day offensive operation.
At the joint command, Zhong Guoliang, the former enemy deputy chief of staff, sent up the battle report of the 107th Column and the Qilu Military Region, and the entire command couldn't help but cheer;
The 107th Column and the Qilu Military Region completed the first phase of the combat mission first. The commander-in-chief couldn't help but praise him three times and said with joy:
"The comrades of Qilu fought well, annihilating more than 30,000 Japanese and puppets, forcing all the main Japanese forces to hide in two isolated strongholds in Quancheng and Jiao'ao City, and were surrounded by my 200,000-strong army;
Most of the Qilu land has been recovered, and tens of millions of compatriots have escaped from the clutches of the Japanese. This can definitely be regarded as a great victory. The battle report will be reported to Yanzhou quickly. "
At the same time, on the Jizhou Great Plains, the momentum of the counterattack was getting stronger and stronger, and there were waves of offensives along the Zhengtai Road and Pinghan Road railways;
The 100,000 field troops of columns 105 and 106, with the cooperation of a large number of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei local troops, divided the Japanese and puppet troops stationed along the line into more than a dozen large and small garrison points, and then concentrated their forces to defeat them one by one;
The 108th Column in northwest Shanxi attacked and advanced towards Suiyuan, forcing the Japanese troops stationed in Mongolia and the remnants of the First Army to retreat to the north of Guisui City, clearing the way for subsequent armored group assaults.
At Shimen, the 106th Column of the Eighth Route Army has reached the city and is still surrounding three towers;
In the headquarters of Column 106, column commander Xu Monk was summoning several brigade commanders to make final battle arrangements.
"Comrades, I won't go into details about the importance of Shimen. The Japanese have a division of garrison and a large number of puppet troops in Shimen. It is one of the key cities defended by the North China Front in North China. It is Yanjin. the portal;
Shimen is the largest city attacked by our 106th Column and even the 81st Division. It is no exaggeration to say that Shimen is a tough nut.
The joint command gave me the task of Column 106 to smash this hard bone. This is the trust that the command has placed in our Column 106. We must not only fight well, but also fight beautifully. Let everyone tell us how to fight! "
The first brigade commander Cheng Xiazi stood up first and said:
"Commander, to kill the bastard, we must first knock out the shell. We should first concentrate our forces to capture the surrounding counties, especially Zhengding City, which is the focus of the Japanese defense. The city has high walls and thick walls, and the outer perimeter is densely covered with bunkers and trenches. The defenders alone can There is a wing;
I request that Zhengding City be handed over to our first brigade, give me three days, and assign the artillery regiment to us. I will definitely smash this iron bastard to him within three days! "
"Lao Cheng, you are being unreasonable. What do you mean by handing over Zhengding to your first brigade? Our second brigade will not be able to capture the city of Zhengding?"
I, Li Tiejun, and the Second Brigade also want to compete with you for this hard nut! "
Blind Cheng knew that Li Jitou would jump out and fight with him for Zhengding City. If he didn't fight, he wouldn't be Li Tiejun.
Within the 81st Division system, the only one who dared to compete with him for the main offensive task was Li Tiejun. The third brigade commander was relatively junior, and he never participated in the fights between the two old brothers from different mountains.
"Old Li, I didn't say that you two are traveling on a first-come, first-served basis. I set my sights on this Zhengding city first, so don't argue with me. Who will eat or not, you and my brothers?"
Outsiders in the province saw the joke! "
"Lao Cheng, stop fighting, haha, this is a team of devils, not three melons and two dates;
If the Japs give you three or five hundred, then let them go. This is three or five thousand! "
When Monk Xu saw that the two brothers were arguing again, he didn't waste any time and said directly:
"Don't you two fool around with me, who has the final say? Each of you will tell me the battle plan. Whoever has the better plan will go. Whether it's a mule or a horse, it's all for the better." Do you have any objections to destroying the Japanese?"
The commander has already spoken, who dares to have an opinion? Only the Eight Immortals can cross the sea and show their magical powers;
The army is like this. It depends on qualifications and even more on ability. The three brigade commanders talked about their plans, and in the end Li Tiejun won.
"Old Cheng, what are you doing with such a shameful face? It's all for the sake of recovering Shimen. How can we brothers be divided into main and secondary attacks?
Next time, next time I will give you a hand! "
Cheng Xiazi said angrily:
"Li Tiejun, if you can believe what you say, I'll be damned if I can't believe it. Next time, you will still fight harder than anyone else!
Zhengding City will give you an advantage this time, fight is done! Don't ask us to help you. "
Li Tiejun chuckled and said:
"Old Cheng, just watch with peace of mind and see how I crack open the devil's turtle shell, brother!"
