At noon.
The Japanese have swept up to 5 kilometers away from Xiying Town.
Two groups of Japanese soldiers raided Shangzhuang Village, Xinzhuang Village and Guanyan Village respectively.
Behind the Japs, the village was on fire, and the Japs and puppet troops burned wherever they went.
However, the people and food in all villages in the base area have already been transferred.
"Captain, the scouts discovered the eight-pronged position ahead."
A staff officer hurried over, sweat dripping from his forehead, and his tone was urgent.
"Where?"
Kiyota Hamachi, captain of the 5th Battalion of the 226th Regiment of the 37th Division, asked in a deep voice.
"It's on the top of the hill opposite." The Japanese staff officer pointed to the back.
At this time, they were behind the village halfway up the mountain, and it was on a reverse slope, so they couldn't see the mountaintop on the other side.
"Order the soldiers to stay where they are."
After finishing speaking, Kiyota Hamachi ran towards the commanding heights with the guards.
"Hi!" The Japanese staff officer lowered his head, and then shouted to the Japanese and puppet soldiers to stay where they were.
Arriving at the commanding heights of the mountain top, Hamachi Kiyota raised his telescope and looked.
I saw an open space of at least 500 meters wide in front of me, with a low mountain on the opposite side. Through the field of view of the telescope, I could see that the Eighth Route Army carrying ammunition boxes was moving on the low mountain. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army had dug trenches, but the firepower points were not exposed. , and it was impossible to see clearly how many troops the Eighth Route Army had.
Hamachi Kiyota took out a map. Behind the hill on the opposite side, there were two large villages, part of their mopping up mission.
The Eighth Route Army established a position under the hilltop opposite, cutting off the road to the two villages behind the mountain.
After the staff officer gave the order, he came up. Hamachi Kiyo said:
"The Eighth Route Army did not build a position on the mountainside, but at the foot of the mountain, which shows that the Eighth Route Army did not want to defend for a long time."
"But I want to break through from the front after a wave of attacks."
The Japanese staff officer also raised his telescope and looked at it for a while, then replied: "It seems that the Eighth Route Army is ready. Captain, should we attack or defend?"
"Of course it's offense. What the Imperial Army is best at is offense."
"Order!"
"Masao Kogushi immediately moved closer to the brigade headquarters."
Hamachi Kiyota leaned on his sword and gave orders to the Japanese staff.
"Hi!" the Japanese staff officer quickly ordered.
Following the Japanese Shao Zuo's order, the Xiaogushi Squadron, which had just finished sweeping Xinzhuang Village, moved closer to Hamachi Kiyota.
As a result, Hamachi Kiyota was surrounded by two Japanese squadrons, two puppet squadrons, and dozens of people at the brigade headquarters.
As well as more than 100 true and false troops following behind, the total strength exceeds 900, which is already a force with strong combat effectiveness.
In Hamachi Kiyota's view, the troops in his hands were more than enough to defeat a regiment of the Eighth Route Army head-on.
On the opposite side, there is no more than one battalion on the Eighth Route Army.
The advantages are huge.
Hamachi Kiyota ordered: "Ogushi-kun, have your Imperial Alliance troops launch a probing attack on the Eighth Route Army."
"Hi!"
Squadron leader Xiaogushi Masao immediately ordered a squadron of fake Japanese soldiers, that is, puppet troops, to attack the Eighth Route Army position.
The puppet troops were very arrogant when they started their sweep yesterday, but when they actually went to the battlefield, everyone was scared to death.
But the Japanese set up two machine guns behind them and aimed them at their backs. They had no choice but to rush forward.
…
More than 30 puppet soldiers took the lead, and more than 180 puppet soldiers wearing Japanese uniforms followed, charging towards the Eighth Route Army position with rifles.
The Japs did not even fire artillery fire on the Eighth Route Army positions in advance. In the eyes of the Japs, the lives of these Imperial Army soldiers were far less valuable than the artillery shells.
On the opposite position is the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment, and the battalion commander is Guan Dashan.
The Independent Regiment has grown to 2,500 men, but it still has a three-by-three system, so one battalion of the Independent Regiment has a strength of 700 men.
It is equipped with 20 light and heavy machine guns alone. In addition to 20 machine guns, it is also equipped with 20 submachine guns.
And each warrior is equipped with weapons and sufficient ammunition.
"Batalion Commander, the Japanese have begun to attack."
The guard reported to Guan Dashan, who was lying behind a tree with his eyes closed and concentrating.
Upon hearing this, Guan Dashan stood up from the trench, raised his binoculars and looked, only to see the Japanese and puppet troops rushing towards the position in a skirmish line on the open ground ahead.
Although the puppet army's acting skills are very good, they can't escape the eyes of a battlefield veteran like Guan Dashan.
"Everyone who came was a Japanese devil."
Guan Dashan's tone was disdainful, with a sneer on his lips.
"Give me the order to attack with only 1 company and only use 3 machine guns."
Although the headquarters ordered an open war, it would be a waste to waste a large amount of ammunition on the puppet troops.
When the puppet troops entered the forward position more than 30 meters away, Guan Dashan raised his rifle and aimed at a puppet soldier.
Snapped!
He pulled the trigger, and as his shoulder shook, the puppet soldier he was targeting fell to the ground.
The sound of a gunshot is the signal to fire.
Da da da…
Bang bang bang…
Gunfire crackled, one heavy machine gun, two light machine guns, and more than 100 rifles fired at the puppet troops.
Although the puppet troops were also shooting at the Eighth Route Position, the puppet troops' marksmanship was impressive and difficult to hit.
But the Eighth Route Army in the position shot at the puppet troops like targets.
Less than 3 minutes after the opening of the fire, dozens of puppet troops had fallen, while the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment suffered very few casualties.
If it weren't for the Japanese machine guns watching from behind, the puppet troops would have fled long ago.
However, there were still many puppet soldiers who pretended to be shot and fell to the ground pretending to be dead.
"Captain, the gunfire on the 8th Route is very sparse, no more than 200 people at most."
"The Eighth Route Army's marksmanship is good. They should be the main force of the Eighth Route Army, not the militia."
At the Japanese position, squadron leader Masao Kogushi put down his binoculars with a sneer on his lips.
"Ogushi-kun, your judgment is correct." Kiyota Hamachi nodded, "This should be a small group trying to break out."
Masao Kogushi asked for a fight: "Captain, let our squadron go. It only takes one attack to destroy this Eighth Route Army."
"Go." Hamachi Kiyo nodded, his tone full of murderous intent: "Cut off the heads of all the Eighth Route Army."
"Hi!" Masao Kogushi lowered his head, gave a ferocious smile, turned around and walked towards where his troops were.
Walking to the front of the Japanese soldiers, Masao Kogushi took out his command saber, pointed forward, and shouted sternly: "Kill the chicken for me!"
The Japanese soldiers stood up with rifles with bayonets in their hands and rushed toward the position of the first battalion of the Independent Regiment.
The puppet troops who were preparing to retreat were all beaten to the ground, some were still fighting back, and some were pretending to be dead.
After the Japanese approached, the puppet soldiers got up one after another and continued to attack the Eighth Route Army position.
…
As the Japs joined the battlefield, the situation immediately changed. First, the Japs' light and heavy machine guns were set up in the distance to suppress the Eighth Route Army's firepower.
The Japanese riflemen's marksmanship was also excellent, with a high hit rate within a range of 200 meters. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion were shot one after another.
Just when the Japanese and puppet soldiers thought they were sure of victory, a sharp whistling sound suddenly sounded in the sky.
Both the little devils and the puppet soldiers heard the roar.
But most of the Japanese and all the puppet troops didn't care.
There are no artillery on Tubal Road. It must be artillery shells fired by the imperial army.
Although the veterans could judge the impact point by the scream of the artillery shells, the Japanese and puppet troops were already very close to the Eighth Route Army position.
Under the preconception that the Eighth Route Army had no artillery, it must have fallen on the Eighth Route Army's position.
Ordinary Japs didn't pay attention, but Masao Kogushi was a little stunned. The captain didn't say he wanted to fire?
Where did the shells come from?
The next second, the screams got closer and closer. Kogushi Masao raised his head and suddenly saw black spots falling from the sky.
Since the initial velocity of artillery shells during this period was not high, the trajectory of the shells could be seen.
But seeing it means death.
"Shelling, quick..."
Before he could even say the word "lie down", the shell landed next to Masao Kogushi and exploded!
This shell turned Masao Kogushi and two or three other Japanese around him into a pink mist.
When the smoke dissipated slightly, all four Japs disappeared without a trace. A large area of the surrounding Japs and puppet troops were also blown down by the shell.
Either dead or injured.
A member of the Sharp Sword Squadron of the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment used the radio to call for artillery support from two artillery companies.
1 mountain artillery battery, 1 howitzer battery, 4 75mm mountain guns and 4 105mm howitzers.
As for the Japanese and puppet troops, more than 400 people were spread out in the open area in front, and there was no need to test fire in advance. They came directly up and were covered by artillery fire.
Boom boom boom, boom boom, boom boom boom...
The second and third rounds of shells continued to hit the attacking Japanese and puppet troops.
Accompanied by circles of blazing red light, amidst the continuous explosions of landslides and ground cracks, mud mist tens of meters high was raised in the open area, and the corpses of the Japanese and puppet soldiers were thrown high.
The artillery fire began to spread.
Seeing this scene in the field of view of the telescope, Hamachi Kiyo was so dumbfounded that his face was full of disbelief.
How could the Eighth Route Army have such powerful artillery?
Suddenly, the Eighth Route Army position seemed to come alive, and the Eighth Route Army rushed out of the position.
Light machine guns and submachine guns spit out tongues of fire and roared towards the attacking Japanese and puppet troops. Earth-shattering shouts of killing came as the Eighth Route Army began to counterattack.
Countless Eighth Route Army soldiers jumped out of the trenches with shining bayonets, forming a gray tide. Countless white bayonets flashed dazzlingly in the sun.
After being bombarded by artillery fire, the Japanese and puppet troops stood up, and the two sides fired at each other without any cover.
But unfortunately, in terms of firepower and numbers, the Japanese and puppet troops are not on the same level as the Eighth Route Army.
Seeing that they were defeated, the Japanese and puppet soldiers turned around and ran wildly to escape. Amidst the intense gunfire like exploding beans, the Japanese and puppet soldiers fell in pieces.
…
Kiyota Hamachi felt the cold sweat slowly seeping out on his back. He suddenly tightened his grip on the telescope in his hand and said to himself: "Is this the Tubal Road? This can't be the Tubal Road..."
Immediately, he drew out the sword with a swipe and shouted loudly: "Fire, fire immediately!"
The light and heavy machine guns, mortars and infantry artillery mounted on the mountain immediately opened fire on the Eighth Route Army.
But soon, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire spread to the hilltop where the Japanese were located.
The Japanese didn't know that the Eighth Route Army would use Xu Jin's barrage, and they didn't even test-fire. They thought it was the Eighth Route Artillery that had been calibrated in advance to shoot at Zhu Yuan, so they were blown up again.
On the top of the mountain, the enemy's firepower point was instantly enveloped in a sea of fire.
This is just one of the battlefields of this great battle.
More than 20 mopping up troops of the Japanese 37th Division were violently attacked by the Eighth Route Army at the same time.
Each eight-pronged attack force was supported by artillery fire from 75mm mountain cannons and 105mm howitzers called by the special forces.
All the Japanese and puppet troops were stunned.
Some Japanese and puppet troops were even wiped out.
Some positions are suitable for ambushes, and some positions are suitable for frontal attacks. The several groups of Japanese and puppet troops that were completely wiped out were basically the Japanese and puppet troops that were ambushed.
When the news reached the headquarters of the 37th Division, the division commander Kenkichi Hirata stood still as if he had been struck by lightning, as if he had heard wrongly.
His face was full of disbelief: "Nani, the Eighth Route Army is launching a full-scale attack? The imperial army suffered heavy losses?"
