usatvline Chapter 295: The Japanese troops dispatched, and the 358th Regiment attacked
Chapter 295: The Japanese troops dispatched, and the 358th Regiment attacked
3 month 14 day.
Taiyuan was still shrouded in a thin layer of mist in the early morning.
At the Taiyuan headquarters, Okamura Yasuji issued an order to attack Yangquan.
After receiving the order, the Japanese divisions around Taiyuan acted quickly. Four divisions plus a brigade, totaling 4 people, launched an attack on the Yangquan area from three directions.
This was a large-scale military operation. The Japanese troops were like giant black dragons, winding their way along the mountain roads.
Countless Japanese soldiers marched towards the Yangquan area in a mighty force. Among them, the 65th and 66th Divisions attacked Yangquan from the front.
The 67th Division attacked from the direction of Yuxian County, while the 20th Independent Brigade and the 60th Division attacked Yangquan from the direction of Jinzhong.
With the large-scale actions of the Japanese, fierce fighting first broke out on the outskirts of Yangquan.
The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, the Central Army and the Eighth Route Army launched an attack on the Japanese marching troops in the mountainous area.
Their goal was to continuously deplete the enemy's manpower within the mountainous area.
If a head-on confrontation took place, all parties would be overwhelmed, so they chose flexible guerrilla tactics, taking advantage of the terrain to harass and attack the Japanese troops.
Fierce blocking battles broke out in the entire Yangquan periphery.
Although the three forces joined forces to act, the Japanese were not to be trifled with.
Faced with the powerful attacks of the Japanese troops, the teams fought and retreated at the same time, trying not to engage in a fight with the Japanese and trying their best to preserve their manpower.
On the outskirts of Yangquan, such battles broke out simultaneously in many places.
As night fell, the fighting outside Yangquan gradually subsided.
Both sides used this time to rest and replenish supplies in preparation for the next day's battle.
It was a long night, but for soldiers on both sides it was only a brief respite.
.............
3 month 15 day.
Songta Town.
After a day of marching and fighting, the 60th Regiment of the 116th Division of the Japanese army finally arrived at Songta Town on the outskirts of Yangquan to rest.
In the previous day, the 116th Regiment encountered many attacks and ambushes, but they were all defeated one by one by the 116th Regiment.
They became the first team to reach the outskirts of Yangquan. The large force in the rear was held back by the anti-Japanese forces in other directions.
The commander of the 116th Regiment, Nishimura, was in the temporary command post, his eyes fixed on the large map in front of him.
The red line on the map marked the route they had already traveled, and Yangquan was not far ahead.
The Japanese adjutant hurried into the command post, walked straight to Nishimura, and reported: "Report to the regiment commander, the division commander called and ordered our regiment to continue to move forward and explore the way ahead. The army in the rear will catch up in time."
Nishimura nodded and said, "Adjutant, we will enter Yangquan after passing Luzigou.
Order the reconnaissance team to conduct reconnaissance in Luzigou to see if there are any Chinese troops ambushing in Luzigou."
"Hai."
Just as the Japanese adjutant turned around and was about to leave, Nishimura continued, "Adjutant, in addition to Luzigou, send people to the surrounding areas to conduct reconnaissance and find out which Chinese troops are nearby. We need to understand the enemy's movements."
The adjutant nodded heavily: "Understood, Captain."
After saying this, the adjutant turned and left the command center.
Nishimura continued to stand in front of the map, moving his finger on it, thinking about his next plan of action.
On the streets of Songta Town, soldiers from the 116th Regiment are taking the time to rest.
They sat around the campfire, eating simple dry food while checking their weapons and equipment.
..........
at the same time.
Stationed in the 358th Regiment’s headquarters in Dazhuang Village.
After receiving the order from the headquarters, Fang Ligong ran into the headquarters to find Chu Yunfei without any hesitation.
At this moment, Chu Yunfei was standing in front of the large map and observing.
The map was densely marked with the movements and numbers of the Japanese invaders. The red and blue flags and lines were intertwined to form a complex picture of the battlefield situation.
As a professional officer who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, Chu Yunfei attached great importance to maps. He believed that maps were the commander's second pair of eyes, able to provide him with every detail of the battlefield.
Chu Yunfei saw Fang Ligong rushing in and asked, "Ligong, what do you want to report?"
"Commander, we just received a telegram from the headquarters that a regiment of Japanese soldiers broke through the outer blocking positions and arrived at Songta Town. The commander-in-chief ordered us to go to Songta Town immediately to block the Japanese troops."
After hearing Fang Ligong's words, Chu Yunfei quickly walked to the large map to check it.
Every route and every mark on the map were quickly combined into a strategic picture in his mind.
After some careful thinking, he said: "It's a great achievement. The Japanese brigade is now in Songta Town, and their goal is Yangquan.
Therefore, we don’t need to go to Songta Town. If the Japanese army wants to enter the Yangquan area, they must pass through Luzigou.”
He pointed to Luzigou on the map and continued, "You see, Luzigou is less than half the distance from our unit to Songta Town. It takes us a day to get to Songta Town, and the Japanese might have left by the time we get there. Therefore, I decided to deploy the 358th Regiment in Luzigou to block the Japanese regiment."
Fang Ligong looked at the map and nodded slightly: "Commander, I agree with your plan. This is indeed the best way now."
Chu Yunfei looked at the time on his hand. It was now 11:30.
He quickly gave the order: "Chief of Staff, pass on my order: The 358th Regiment must immediately organize its troops and prepare to set out. It must set out on time at 12:30 p.m. and reach Luzigou to establish a blocking position before 5:30 p.m. to block the advance of the Japanese regiment."
He knew that time was life for them and they had to seize advantageous terrain before the enemy.
"Yes, Commander, I will go down and make arrangements right away."
Fang Ligong saluted, then quickly turned around and left the command center.
The staff officers began to get busy, quickly conveying orders and organizing the troops.
The soldiers also began to organize their equipment, check their weapons, and prepare to set off.
after an hour
All the troops of the 358th Regiment have assembled and are ready to set off. The soldiers in the camp are all in high spirits, standing upright, waiting for Chu Yunfei's arrival.
The troops in front of them looked like an elite force, with strict discipline and strict enforcement of orders, which was enough to show that Chu Yunfei was very capable in leading troops.
Soon, Chu Yunfei appeared at the entrance of the camp.
He rode a tall warhorse, wore a neat military uniform, and had a shiny saber on his waist.
He rode his horse slowly to the front of the team and gave the order to set off: "Soldiers of the 358th Regiment, it's time to show our strength. Let's go!"
Following Chu Yunfei's order, more than 358 soldiers from the 3000th Regiment set out with their luggage and equipment.
Each soldier was equipped with a Hanyang rifle, and the team also had a large number of light and heavy machine guns and a dozen artillery pieces. Its combat effectiveness was very strong. The 358th Regiment ranked high in the entire Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.