Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 898: The Thirty-fifth Division Commander Dies

"Brigade Commander, telegram from headquarters!"

When the 15th Brigade stopped to rest, the radio station that had just been set up received a telegram from the column headquarters. Ding Wei took the telegram and took a look.

"Okay, the superior has changed the order!" Ding Wei thought for a moment and did not execute the order immediately. Instead, he said, "Contact the Henan North Military Sub-district immediately and inquire about the current battlefield situation."

"Yes!" the telegraph operator responded and immediately sent a message to the Northern Henan Military Sub-district via the radio.

At present, Ding Wei's 15th Brigade is operating in a dispersed manner, and the only troops deployed this time, apart from the brigade headquarters, are the 7th and 8th Regiments, while the 9th Regiment is in the northern Anhui base.

At this time, the 7th Regiment, as the vanguard force, had moved northward from Sui County to the south of Minquan, and only needed to turn west to reach Lanfeng.

The brigade headquarters and the 8th Regiment acted together. They were farther away from Lanfeng and had to march from Zhecheng through Suixian and then along the route opened up by the 7th Regiment.

Not long after, the Northern Henan Military Sub-district sent a reply, saying that the unit had already withdrawn from the battle with the 35th Division of the Japanese and puppet troops.

At this time, several key cadres of the 15th Brigade gathered together, and Ding Wei was discussing how to deploy the 15th Brigade next.

Chief of Staff Li Chenglong said bluntly: "Brigade Commander, since the superiors have given orders, then we should follow their arrangements. There is no need to take risks."

Ding Wei frowned after hearing this and said to the head of the 8th Regiment, Guo Huaiwu: "Old Guo, what do you think?"

Guo Huaiwu said: "Brigade Commander, I see from the telegram from the Henan North Military Sub-district that the Japanese and puppet troops fighting against them are not strong in fighting spirit and cannot withstand the attack at all. They may really retreat."

"According to our current marching speed, we can reach Lanfeng before dawn. As long as we can cut off the enemy's retreat, we will be able to fight any battle we want."

"Yes, I think so too. As the saying goes, good things are worth waiting for, but there is a time for that!" Ding Wei directly expressed his attitude: "This battle must be as swift as the wind and as powerful as lightning, and the Japanese and puppet troops of the 35th Division must be annihilated in one fell swoop."

Ding Wei’s central idea was actually very simple. While other brother units were fighting vigorously, the 15th Brigade was always standing by and watching helplessly. They had finally gotten a chance to fight, and they couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.

"Send a telegram to the 7th Regiment. All officers and soldiers must speed up their march. Don't worry about falling behind. Those who fall behind will gather on their own. We have only one goal, which is Lanfeng."

"At the same time, we called the Henan North Military Sub-district and told them that our unit would not change its previous military deployment and asked them to cooperate on the front line."

Finally, Ding Wei certainly would not forget to report to the headquarters.

At dawn, when Yasujiro Iida was hesitating whether to withdraw to Kaifeng, a large group of Eighth Route Army suddenly appeared around the Japanese and puppet army camp.

The troops of the Northern Henan Military Sub-district, which had already retreated, turned back from the rear and appeared to the east and north of the 15th Division of the Japanese and puppet troops. The 7th Regiment of the th Brigade reached the area west of the enemy before dawn.

Ding Wei personally led the brigade headquarters and the 8th Regiment to the south of the enemy. After a brief rest, the troops on all sides communicated through walkie-talkies and approached the Japanese and puppet army camp of the th Division together.

It is not appropriate to describe the state of the Japanese and puppet troops as frightened birds, but their fighting spirit was indeed not high. After discovering the enemy situation, the soldiers responsible for the periphery immediately withdrew to the camp.

As soon as they entered the camp, the people above were still unaware of the situation, but the officers and soldiers below knew that the Eighth Route Army was approaching from all directions, and panic quickly spread throughout the camp.

"The Eighth Route Army is coming, let's run!"

"Run? Where to run?"

"Anyway, there is a chance. It's better than staying and waiting to die."

The puppet soldiers who were speaking were all veterans. Years of experience in surviving on the battlefield told them that the more crowded a place is, the more dangerous it is and they will often be the focus of attacks.

As a result, before the Eighth Route Army approached, the Japanese and puppet army's camp had already shown signs of instability. Some Japanese soldiers stationed there spoke out to stop them, but it was to no avail, and they were instead swept up in the mix.

Ding Wei was standing on a small hill. Although he couldn't see clearly through the telescope, he could observe the movements of the enemy camp opposite. "Notify the artillery battalion. After the artillery is set up, fire two rounds at the enemy first. It doesn't matter how many casualties it causes, but it must cause enough momentum."

Not long after, the mountain artillery battalion assigned to the 15th Brigade aimed 18 artillery pieces at the enemy camp and fired two rounds of artillery shells. Although the observer reported that the artillery missed the target, the camp was successfully blown up by the Japanese and puppet troops.

No matter how the Japanese army suppressed them, a large number of puppet troops poured out of the camp like a tide. Iida Taijiro heard the noise outside and led a group of high-ranking officials of the Imperial Army out of the tent.

The situation is hopeless. This was Iida Taijiro's first thought. Perhaps he should not leave Kaifeng City.

"The Imperial Japanese Army has reached this point. Is the situation really irreversible?" Iida Yasujiro murmured to himself in despair.

The high-ranking officers of the Imperial Army had no intention of listening to the Japs' lamentations. They only wanted to escape as quickly as possible. However, the division headquarters was surrounded by Japanese troops guarding the area.

Although the entire camp was in chaos, the more than a thousand Japanese troops deployed around the 35th Division Headquarters did not lose their composure.

"Division Commander, the most urgent thing is to evacuate as soon as possible. It will be too late if we delay any longer."

"Yes, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. As long as..."

The high-ranking lieutenant general of the Imperial Army who spoke was usually very impressive, but when Iida Taijiro looked at him with a fierce look, he was so scared that he didn't even finish his words.

"You Chinese have a way out, but I don't. It's a shame for a soldier not to die on the battlefield."

Yasujiro Iida closed his eyes and thought about his past. He suddenly remembered the previous commander of the 35th Division, Kumayoshi Harada. According to post-war investigations, Kumayoshi Harada died in a hail of bullets.

Iida Taijiro opened his eyes and seemed to have made up his mind. He said to his adjutant, "Take them out and shoot them all."

"Hi!" The adjutant responded, and then waved his hand. The surrounding Japanese troops immediately forcibly held down a group of high-ranking officials of the Imperial Army.

"Your Highness, I can't do that. Your Highness, I am loyal to the Imperial Army and I have never had second thoughts."

"Taijun, please spare my life. I am willing to follow the imperial army and fight to the death."

Iida Taijiro took a deep look and said without hesitation: "Execute immediately!"

More than a dozen Japanese soldiers pulled the bolts of their guns and pointed the muzzles of their guns at the back of the heads of the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Army. Then gunshots rang out one after another, and the cries for mercy stopped abruptly.

"Warriors of the Empire of Japan, I will end my life by seppuku. Please make your final pledge of loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor and go fight the Chinese."

Yasujiro Iida was determined to die. Under his order, more than a thousand Japanese troops around the division headquarters launched a final charge towards the approaching Eighth Route Army.

However, these remaining Japanese troops did not play a big role. The battle, or the capturing of prisoners, lasted for more than three hours. Even though the Eighth Route Army adopted a tactic of encircling the enemy on all sides, a few enemy troops still escaped from the encirclement.

After the war, Ding Wei and Wang Yigong rushed to the 35th Division Headquarters. They first saw the bodies of many high-ranking members of the Imperial Army lying outside the tent, and then Iida Taijiro lying neatly on a piece of white cloth in the tent, with a look of pain on his face. Most of the Japanese and puppet troops in other divisions also committed suicide.

"The Japs are pretty cruel!"

Wang Yigong shook his head. He could guess the situation at the scene at a glance.

"What a pity!" Ding Wei muttered, and then told the people around him: "Bury the bodies nearby and gather the prisoners immediately."

(End of this chapter)