Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 402 Military important town, launch a general attack Seek subscription

Just after the battles around Changzhi started one after another, the independent detachment quickly moved towards Changzhi City with the first regiment and the first battalion as the vanguard.

As the reinforcements led by Kamezaburo Kawamura removed most of the defenders from the strongholds along the road, the offensive launched by the first battalion was extremely smooth.

At [-] o'clock in the morning, the independent detachment began to encircle Changzhi City without giving any extra response to the Japanese army in the city.

According to Zhou Weihan's order, the first regiment was responsible for the east and north directions of Changzhi, and the second regiment was responsible for the west and south directions of Changzhi.

The independent detachment marched from the northeast in a hurry. It had just appeared on the outskirts of Changzhi City. The first and second regiments were about to move to the predetermined location separately, but the scattered scouts came to report.

"Detachment leader, chief of staff, the defenders at the outskirts of Changzhi voluntarily abandon their strongholds and move to the fortifications outside Changzhi City!"

Zhou Weihan frowned when he heard that: "Jiro Ikeda, the commander of the Japanese army in Changzhi City, is really decisive. We acted fast, and the Japanese army acted faster, so the response was timely!"

"The Japanese army may have already guessed that our ultimate intention is to attack Changzhi City. This Ikeda Jiro is extremely cautious. It can be seen from his sending troops to reinforce Changzhi Airport that Changzhi City is not easy to fight now!" Xing Zhiguo said worriedly. .

Zhou Weihan originally planned to eat more Japanese troops in the stronghold, but who would have thought that Jiro Ikeda would take the initiative to withdraw the defenders from the outer strongholds.

"Hey, it's not easy to fight. It's also in our expectation. Don't be stunned, let the first regiment and the second regiment quickly deploy. First, take down the fortifications outside Changzhi City. Remember not to let the Japanese army give you a hand. I fled to the city!" Zhou Weihan said to Jing Dagang and Xu Dali who were still in the headquarters.

"Yes!" The two hurried away.

"Old Zhou, should we bring back the twelve mountain cannons from Changzhi Airport? I think the artillery battalion has too few cannons!" Xing Zhiguo suggested.

"No, the daylily will be cold when the twelve mountain cannons arrive, so it will be easier to call for air support!"

What Xing Zhiguo wanted to say, Zhou Weihan waved his hand and refused.

Zhou Weihan knew that Xing Zhiguo was just worried that the Eighth Route Army's possession of aircraft would be exposed too early, but in Zhou Weihan's view, good steel should be used on the blade, and it will not be used when fighting Changzhi. When will it be used?

At present, the artillery battalion following the main force to Changzhi has only six field artillery pieces and six mountain artillery pieces. The anti-war artillery company was transferred by Zhou Weihan to support the Tianpingshan guerrilla brigade in Lin County.

The two most powerful 105 howitzers were left in the Ludongnan Mountains because they were not easy to carry along with the truck.

As the core of the Shangdang area, Changzhi was one of the important dispatch points for the Japanese army to attack Zhongtiao Mountain. Its geographical location is very important and it is a military center for the Japanese army.

Outside Changzhi City, the Japanese army surrounded the entire Changzhi City and arranged a circular fortification several kilometers long and more than [-] meters wide. Adding up the four directions, there were fifty or sixty artillery towers and blockhouses.

No matter which army launched the attack, without the assistance of a large number of artillery, I am afraid that even the city walls of Changzhi will not be able to reach it, and they will have to return home.

At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops stationed outside the city were strengthening the fortifications, adding firepower points between the original traffic trenches connecting the bunkers, and a large number of weapons and ammunition supplies were being transported from the city.

Changzhi City is divided into inner and outer cities, the inner city is the activity area of ​​the Japanese army and overseas Chinese, and the outer city is the living area of ​​the puppet army and Chinese people.

After the Japanese army occupied Changzhi, the city wall was repaired many times, and multiple firepower points were arranged on the double-layered city wall fortifications.

According to the intelligence of the Enemy Engineering Division, the troops in Changzhi City include the regiment headquarters of the 238th Regiment of the [-]st Division of the Japanese Army, an infantry squadron, a machine gun squadron, a mountain artillery squadron, an engineering squadron, a logistics squadron, and a communications team. The Second Field Hospital and the Puppet Army Guard with a high combat effectiveness of more than [-] people.

The remaining forces of the 238th Regiment and the Japanese troops of the [-]st Division's Supplies and Engineers Regiment were distributed in various counties around Changzhi.

In the fortifications outside the city, the Japanese army deployed an infantry squadron on all sides, and the Imperial Association Army was mixed into a regiment of the Fourth Brigade with more than a thousand puppet troops.

In terms of literal numbers, the enemy troops in Changzhi have at least 1600 Japanese troops, the puppet troops are close to 2000, and the number of the enemy and us is close to 1:1. This is the result of Zhou Weihan's enticement of some Japanese reinforcements.

It is by no means an easy task for the independent detachment to win Changzhi with the strength of the two regiments and the artillery battalion.

But the good news is that Changzhi Airport was captured ahead of schedule, and the Japanese army had no air support for a short period of time.

In addition, the Baigui Railway (East-Lu Railway) from Baigui Town, Qixian County, Jinzhong, which was divided into two by the Eighth Route Army, led to Lucheng. It was also one of the reasons why the Japanese army carried out a big raid.

Otherwise, once the Japanese army sweeping in the hinterland of Taihang gets the order to go south for reinforcements, they can arrive at Lucheng by train. At that time, the independent detachment will be attacked from both sides.

At [-]:[-] in the morning, the two positions of the artillery battalion in the north and south outside the city had been completed, and the first and second regiments had also mobilized before the battle.

In the headquarters, Zhou Weihan got the news that all the ministries were ready, took down the phone and gave the troops an order to launch a general attack.

As soon as the order was issued, the mountain artillery company on the north side, the field artillery company on the south side, and the infantry artillery and mortar directly under the regiments on the east and west sides began to test fire one after another.

After the first round of test firing, the artillerymen began to adjust the elements.

"Ten salvos are ready!" the commander of the mountain artillery company shouted.

Hearing the order, the third gunner quickly loaded the shells, and the second gunner quickly fired after sending the shells.

"Tom tom tom!" The sound of shells sliding through the barrel, and six shells rushed to the sky immediately, and then fell towards the fortifications outside the city.

Shells continued to explode near the enemy's fortifications. The enemy in the bunker was fine. As long as they were not directly hit, they were enough to withstand the aftermath of the shell explosion.

In normal times, the puppet army would have been defeated long ago after being bombarded by such heavy artillery fire.

However, the Japanese commander had long been on guard against this move. He mixed a Japanese infantry squadron outside the city into the puppet army to monitor and suppress the riots of the puppet army.

In addition, the firepower of the staff is not only aimed at the attacking Eighth Route Army. Once the puppet army retreats hastily, the little devil will not be lenient in the slightest.

Not to mention, this method works well, fully forcing out the will to survive of the old soldiers of the puppet army.

I saw one by one puppet soldiers squatting in the trench, motionless, and some clever puppet soldiers ran towards the impact point of the shell just now.

On the fortifications of Changzhi City, Jiro Ikeda, the captain of the 238th Regiment of the Japanese Army, stood on the city wall with many Japanese officers and captains of the puppet garrison, observing the battle outside the city with binoculars.

　Thanks to Daming Shiwei for the hundred rewards, Uncle Xiaofeng for the thousand rewards, and kk for the five hundred rewards.

　　Sorry, I just saw it today, thank you guys for your support.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)