Liu Shizhong transported supplies and planned in secret, an old general who won victories a thousand miles away.
Chen Gang looked into the distance and saw that the little devils around him were in a state of chaos, with shouts and explosions erupting from all directions. Chen Gang knew that reinforcements had arrived and shouted: "Brothers, don't panic! Our reinforcements are here! Follow me and charge out!" At this time, the 13th Division launched a counterattack against the Kumamoto Brigade, which was immediately defeated and fled in disarray. Kumamoto ordered his troops to retreat back to Qingzhou City, leaving behind a large quantity of guns, ammunition, and even the five mountain cannons. The Kumamoto Brigade was in a state of utter defeat. Chen Gang soon met up with Liu Chen Zhou, and as soon as he saw him, he rushed forward and tightly grasped Liu's hand, saying excitedly: "Commander Liu, you've arrived just in time! If you had come one day later, I'm afraid the 13th Division would have been completely annihilated. On behalf of the entire division, I thank you for saving our lives." Liu Chen Zhou smiled and said: "We are all under the command of General Chen of the 21st Army, so it's only natural that we help each other out. However, let's hurry up and leave this place. As the saying goes, 'one should not stay in a place where there is no justice for too long.'" Chen Gang said: "Why don't we take advantage of the situation and capture Qingzhou City?" Liu Chen Zhou replied: "The Kumamoto Brigade is not an ordinary opponent, and their fighting strength is extraordinary. This time, we were able to win because we caught them off guard, but I think it won't be long before they regroup and counterattack."
Chen Gang nodded and said, "Alright, I'll order the troops to retreat." Someone reported to Liu Chenzhou, "What about the 50 mountain guns?" Liu Chenzhou knew that the mountain guns were a type of heavy artillery, and without cars to transport them, it was impossible for humans to move them. Liu Chenzhou immediately ordered the destruction of all 50 mountain guns on the spot. Xiong Ben suffered a great loss this time and ran to the Yamamoto Division to seek help from Commander Yamamoto Hidetoshi. As a result, he was scolded by Yamamoto, who then supplemented Xiong Ben's troops with more soldiers, guns, and ammunition, ordering him to engage in another decisive battle with the 11th Division to wash away the shame of the Imperial Japanese Army with Liu Chenzhou's blood. This time, Xiong Ben was fully confident and prepared for a fight to the death with the 11th Division. Since his defeat by Liu Chenzhou last time, he had been filled with regret. When he fled in disarray, he didn't even know who his opponent was. Later, after asking around, he finally learned that it was Liu Chenzhou's 11th Division that had attacked him. Xiong Ben was furious and secretly vowed not to rest until the 11th Division was destroyed.
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Two weeks later, Kumamoto launched a counterattack. At that time, Liu Chenzhou had already disappeared without a trace. After successfully rescuing the 13th Division, Liu Chenzhou immediately sent a telegram to Chen Yiming. Chen Yiming was both angry and hateful, but no matter what, the 13th Division had been successfully rescued, and Liu Chenzhou's contribution could not be ignored. Liu Chenzhou was known as an old fox. He thought that Kumamoto had lost so badly last time, he would definitely not give up easily and would look for the 11th Division to fight a decisive battle. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to teach Kumamoto another lesson? Liu Chenzhou sent a telegram directly to Kumamoto in plain code, saying: "Last time, I was forced to launch a surprise attack on your unit to rescue the 13th Division, resulting in heavy casualties for your unit. I heard that your unit has been replenished with troops and equipped with large quantities of guns and ammunition. I, Liu Chenzhou, want to have a face-to-face showdown with your unit. Are you dare to accept the challenge?" Kumamoto was furious when he received the telegram. In his view, this was an insult, humiliation, and provocation against the Imperial Japanese Army. He gritted his teeth and said: "This time, I will definitely annihilate the 11th Division and avenge my previous defeat."
Kumamoto knew that Liu Chenzhou was not simple, so Kumamoto did not dare to be slightly complacent. In Kumamoto's view, the Chinese army absolutely did not have such courage and momentum, dared to openly challenge the Great Japanese Imperial Army, and even more did not dare to engage in a head-on confrontation with the Great Japanese Imperial Army. They were just making surprise attacks and guerrilla warfare, which was the strong point of the Chinese army.
As autumn harvest approached, the 11th Division's guns and ammunition were very sufficient, but food appeared to be in short supply. Liu Chenzhou planned to take back the grain from Qingzhou nearby, first to supplement military rations, secondly to allow the common people to fill their bellies, and thirdly as long as the grain was taken back, the Japanese army would have no food, which was also a contribution to the war of resistance.
However, Kumamoto was not idle either. He also knew the importance of food, so both sides launched an intense battle for the grain. Eighty miles east of Qingzhou City, there was a large mountain called Sleeping Tiger Mountain, which looked like a striped tiger lying down from afar, hence its name. The mountain road on Sleeping Tiger Mountain was very rugged and difficult to navigate, with many large and small caves on the mountain that could hold thousands or hundreds of people. These caves were extremely hidden, so they became the ideal shelter for the common people.
The battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies began in these mountains, with both sides fighting fiercely for control of the grain.
Liu Chenzhou urged the villagers to quickly harvest their crops and transport them to Wohu Mountain. To speed up the harvest, Liu Chenzhou ordered his 11th Division soldiers and the villagers to work together to bring in the crops. Xiong Ben also joined in, harvesting a portion of the crops. After making inquiries, Xiong Ben discovered that Liu Chenzhou's 11th Division was hiding on Wohu Mountain. He decided to engage in a decisive battle with Liu Chenzhou.
At this time, Liu Chenzhou saw that the harvest was almost complete and ordered the villagers to hide on Wohu Mountain, warning them not to come down until further notice. Liu Chenzhou thought to himself that although Xiong Ben had lost badly last time, it was because the 11th Division's covert operations were excellent, and Xiong Ben had not discovered their presence. Moreover, there was also Chen Gang's inside help. If they had engaged in a real battle last time, the outcome might have been different.
Liu Chenzhou thought that if Xiong Ben knew that the 11th Division was hiding on Wohu Mountain, he would probably not dare to launch a reckless attack because he would know that the mountain's terrain made it easy to defend and difficult to attack. To win, Xiong Ben would have to use Japanese planes to bomb Wohu Mountain relentlessly until he thought it was almost time to launch an attack, making it much easier for him.
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Liu Chenzhou quickly ordered his troops to hide in the caves, not to come out unless necessary. He also asked the civilians to hide in the caves as a precaution. As expected, that afternoon, Japanese bombers carried out a carpet bombing of Wohu Mountain, but everyone had already prepared and was hiding in the caves, withstanding the bombing. Liu Chenzhou thought again, if according to Kumamoto's personality, after the bombing ended, what would he plan to do? Kumamoto was arrogant and looked down on others, definitely thinking that they would only hide on Wohu Mountain, relying on the advantageous terrain to maneuver around him. This way, although it couldn't deal a heavy blow to Kumamoto's troops, it could minimize their own casualties. Therefore, Kumamoto would certainly concentrate his superior forces and launch a fierce attack on Wohu Mountain, making the situation very precarious for their army.
If we run to the foot of Wohu Mountain and ambush Kumamoto on the plain dozens of miles away, would Kumamoto think that we dare to ambush him on the plain? If we ambush Kumamoto on the plain, what if he finds out our intention and summons bombers in the air and large-caliber artillery on the ground to bombard our position wildly? We'd be going to commit suicide. The benefits and risks are equal. If we don't take the risk of fighting a guerrilla war on Wohu Mountain, although Kumamoto can't do anything about us, what if our food runs out after a long time? Liu Chen Zhou thought back and forth and decided to gamble. If Kumamoto discovers our intention, my 11th division will be completely annihilated. But if he doesn't see through it, we can also give him a fatal blow.
The bombing didn't end until the next afternoon, and Liu Chenzhou immediately ordered his troops to go to the plain below Wohu Mountain to ambush Kumamoto. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Liu Chenzhou personally went to inspect the terrain, and finally chose a large area of wild grass as the battlefield. This large area of wild grass had an area of over 100 hectares, with an average height of 50-60 cm and extremely dense and lush grass. It could be said that this was the most ideal ambush area. Liu Chenzhou ordered his troops to do their best to camouflage themselves, lying still in the grass without making a sound. If Kumamoto's division came, even if they were bitten by a poisonous snake, they couldn't make a sound. Whoever dared to expose their target would be killed immediately. The officers and soldiers of the 11th Division lay quietly in the grass, waiting for Kumamoto's division to arrive. Everyone lay in the grass for a night, until noon the next day, when Kumamoto's division finally came over in large numbers. Kumamoto looked at the vast expanse of wild grass in the distance and immediately ordered his troops to stop advancing. At this time, his staff officer, Tani Masao, said: "Commander, why have you stopped the advance? Are you afraid that Liu Chenzhou has set up an ambush here?" Kumamoto said: "That's right, Liu Chenzhou is a cunning old fox, so we must be careful."
Tanaka Masa said: "General, you are overthinking. If Liu Chenzhou dares to set up an ambush here, once he exposes his target, it's equivalent to suicide." Kumamoto nodded and said: "That's right. Here is still 70-80 miles away from Wohu Mountain. Even if they expose their target, it's likely that they won't be able to escape in time. As long as we gather bombers and a large number of mountain guns to bombard Liu Chenzhou's position, the 11th Division will only become our cannon fodder." Tanaka Masa said: "That's right. Even if Liu Chenzhou has ten times more courage, he wouldn't dare set up an ambush here."
Kumamoto nodded and said, "Good, let's advance to Wohu Mountain immediately." At this time, the surroundings were extremely quiet. More than 25,000 people lay in the grass, not making a sound. This shows that the combat quality of the Eleventh Division is very high, and their concealment is also in place. As Kumamoto's troops gradually approached the wild grassland, Liu Chenzhou shouted loudly, "Brothers, let's fight fiercely!"
In an instant, all the light and heavy firepower opened fire, with bullets pouring down on Kumamoto's troops like rain. Kumamoto's troops were thrown into chaos, but Kumamoto was a seasoned veteran who quickly stabilized his unit and adjusted their formation to launch a fierce counterattack against the 11th Division.
Liu Chenzhou couldn't help but take a deep breath in shock. In the previous battle, they had won due to a surprise attack, but it was also thanks to Chen Gang's powerful counterattack from within, combined with the coordination of other units, that Kumamoto's troops were defeated so badly. Now, without any other units to support them, could this battle still be won? It seemed Liu Chenzhou had underestimated the strength of Kumamoto's unit and his excellent command abilities.
Kumamoto immediately ordered his artillery to bombard Liu Chenzhou's position, with row after row of mortar shells landing on the 11th Division's position. The soldiers of the 11th Division fell in droves, and Liu Chenzhou quickly ordered the Divine Artillery Battalion to take out Kumamoto's artillery position. The Divine Artillery Battalion adjusted their aim and fired at Kumamoto's artillery position, with the shells falling almost perfectly on target, silencing Kumamoto's artillery position instantly.
Kumamoto was shocked, and only then did Kumamoto know the power of the 11th Division. Liu Chenzhou ordered the Divine Artillery Regiment to destroy all the light and heavy firepower of the Kumamoto Brigade. At this time, the Divine Artillery Regiment fully demonstrated its power, and those light and heavy machine guns were blown into the sky along with their operators. The Kumamoto Brigade had no artillery positions left, nor did it have any light or heavy machine gun firepower. The 11th Division suddenly felt much more relaxed. At this moment, Qin Ming, the Thunder Fire, suddenly saw a devil officer in the distance, who was holding a command knife and shouting loudly. Qin Ming shouted: "Liu Er Dangzi, can you take out that devil officer with one shot?" Liu Er Dangzi said: "No problem." Liu Er Dangzi immediately adjusted the cannon position again, and with a loud bang, the devil officer's arm was blown off. The devil officer let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to the ground, unconscious. This devil officer was Kumamoto Ichiman.
Kumamoto was knocked unconscious, and Liu Chenzhou saw that the time had come. He let out a loud shout: "Take Kumamoto alive!" The soldiers charged towards Kumamoto's position like wolves, but despite their ferocity, Kumamoto's fighting strength was still considerable. At this point, Tani Masao took command, directing his troops to fight while ordering them to retreat. Liu Chenzhou observed that Kumamoto's unit was still fighting in an orderly manner while retreating, and he couldn't help but praise them: "What a well-trained unit Kumamoto has!" However, he couldn't let them escape so easily. The 11th Division and Kumamoto's unit clashed in a fierce battle, with Kumamoto's side suffering heavy casualties. Despite Liu Chenzhou's all-out attack, some of Kumamoto's troops managed to escape.
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