The 33rd Independent Route was besieged by the Hsiang Army's cavalry regiment and fled in panic upon hearing the news.
The Kumamoto Brigade had been severely damaged since the last time it was beaten by the 11th Division, and one of its arms was also blown off. Fortunately, the rescue was timely, otherwise, even his dog's life would have been finished. After Kumamoto recovered from his injuries, he wanted to find the 11th Division to avenge his hatred. It so happened that on this day, the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade came to Qinglong Village to collect grain due to lack of military rations. The brigade commander, Guo Yiming, brought the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade to Qinglong Village. The garrison in Qinglong Village was the Royal Cooperation Army Security Regiment, and the regimental commander was Chen Xuefeng, who was also a notorious iron-clad traitor. The Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade came this time and could not avoid a fierce battle. However, Chen Xuefeng's security regiment was too weak to fight, and it was defeated in just half a day. Chen Xuefeng fled Qinglong Village in a hurry. To shirk responsibility, Chen Xuefeng said that the troops attacking Qinglong Village were *'s troops, with two or three hundred thousand people, not only numerous but also well-trained, and their weapons and equipment were also very advanced. Kumamoto originally wanted to severely punish Chen Xuefeng, but after hearing Chen Xuefeng's report, he did not pursue Chen Xuefeng's responsibility anymore. Because Kumamoto believed that the * troops described by Chen Xuefeng, from the number of people, combat effectiveness and weapon equipment, were likely to be the 11th Division of Liu Chenzhou.
The ferocity of the 11th Division was deeply felt by Kumamoto, who thought that if Chen Xuefeng was defeated by the 11th Division, it would be understandable. The 11th Division had seven or eight times more troops than the Security Regiment, and not only were they well-trained, but their equipment was also extremely advanced. Moreover, Liu Chenzhou was a cunning old fox, and Kumamoto's division was no match for the 11th Division. How could Chen Xuefeng's Security Regiment be a match for the 11th Division? Therefore, Kumamoto thought of seeking an opportunity to avenge his defeat.
As soon as Kumamoto heard Chen Xuefeng's report, he gritted his teeth in anger and immediately led his division towards Qinglongji. The Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade was still collecting grain and had not yet retreated when Kumamoto's division arrived. In fact, Kumamoto was an outstanding commander who deeply understood the importance of speed.
With the fastest speed, Kumamoto quickly surrounded the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade. Only after surrounding them did Kumamoto realize that this unit was not the 11th Division, but the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade. Kumamoto didn't even bother to punish Chen Xuefeng for his false report and thought to himself: "If I don't have the ability to eliminate the 11th Division, do I still not have the ability to eliminate the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade?" To think that eliminating the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade would be as easy as a piece of cake.
The reason why Kumamoto was so confident was that he discovered that the 8th Route Army Independent Brigade had only over 4,000 soldiers, while his own division had 20,000. As for the weapons and equipment of the 8th Route Army Independent Brigade, they were even more inferior. The brigade had only five or six light machine guns, and most of their weapons were old-fashioned Han Yang rifles and hand grenades. Their uniforms were also tattered and worn out, making them look like a beggar army. Whether in terms of military strength or equipment, the two sides were extremely unevenly matched, so Kumamoto didn't take the 8th Route Army Independent Brigade seriously at all.
Kumamoto looked through his binoculars for half a day, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions inside. He had originally come to avenge his defeat against the 11th Division, but unexpectedly encountered the 8th Route Army Independent Brigade instead. Kumamoto thought to himself that if he couldn't even eliminate this weak brigade, then he would truly be a useless good-for-nothing. Although he had been defeated twice by the 11th Division, if he could wipe out the 8th Route Army Independent Brigade, it would at least partially restore some dignity for the Imperial Japanese Army and wash away his shame from two previous defeats.
The commander of the Japanese army, Kumamoto, gave a death order to thoroughly eliminate the 8th Route Army Independent Regiment. He assembled 100 Type 92 infantry guns and bombarded the 8th Route Army's position with intense firepower. Kumamoto thought that the 8th Route Army would be easily defeated, but he was shocked to discover that although their weapons were simple, their combat strength was extremely strong. Especially their marksmanship made Kumamoto surprised, every time his troops charged forward, they were quickly repelled by the 8th Route Army and a large number of Japanese soldiers fell to the ground. The Kumamoto regiment launched more than a dozen charges against the 8th Route Army, but all were repelled. Kumamoto was like a mad dog, ordering his artillery to bombard the 8th Route Army's position with intense firepower. Kumamoto proved himself to be an excellent commander and quickly realized that although the 8th Route Army was resisting fiercely, they would not last long if this continued.
The Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade suffered heavy casualties. The brigade commander, Guo Yi Ming, thought to himself that this time his independent brigade might be completely annihilated. At this moment, a regimental commander named Ge Zhen Jiang rushed in front of Guo Yi Ming and said loudly: "Commander, our regiment's ammunition is almost gone, what should we do?" Guo Yi Ming looked at Ge Zhen Jiang and said: "The second and third regiments also have very little ammunition left. Let's wait until the devils get closer before firing, and try to conserve bullets as much as possible. If we run out of bullets, we'll charge with bayonets and fight to the death." Ge Zhen Jiang said: "Commander, you should quickly send a telegram requesting reinforcements!" Guo Yi Ming replied: "There are no other friendly troops nearby, the closest one is Chen Gang's 13th Division. I have already sent several telegrams requesting reinforcements, but there has been no response so far." Ge Zhen Jiang said: "Commander, we still have the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment! The political commissar of the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment, He Gang, not only is your old subordinate but also a Communist Party member. I believe He Gang will definitely not abandon us to die." Guo Yi Ming said: "But Changfeng County is over 500 miles away from Qinglongji. Even if they can come to reinforce us, it's likely that they won't make it in time." Ge Zhen Jiang said: "Commander, you are wrong! The warhorses of the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment are much faster than our infantry's two legs. Maybe they will arrive in time to reinforce us."
Guo Yiming said, "Alright then. Anyway, we have no other hope now. We must send out the report, even if it's just a dead horse being treated as a live one." So Guo Yiming immediately ordered someone to send a report to the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment. At this time, Xiong Ben was secretly gloating and laughed loudly, saying, "The Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade, I'd like to see how long you can hold on."
Xiong Ben probably didn't even dream that the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment was gradually approaching his division. He Guang and Jiang Zhifei led the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment, riding their horses swiftly and rapidly towards Qinglong Village. He Guang and Jiang Zhifei estimated they would arrive at Qinglong Village by 3 pm, but when they arrived, it was only 2 pm, a whole hour ahead of schedule.
Everyone could already hear the dense gunfire in front of them. He Guang said, "Brothers, all dismount and rest." Jiang Zhifei said, "He Guang, we've already arrived. Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity to defeat Xiong Ben and relieve the siege on the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade? How can you still let everyone rest?" He Guang said, "Look at our soldiers and warhorses - they're all exhausted and panting heavily. How can we fight like this? We must let our soldiers and warhorses rest for an hour to recover a bit of strength before fighting again. It's not too late even if we start fighting later. If we charge up now, our combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
Jiang Zhi Fei nodded and said, "Everyone dismounts to rest, eat some dry rations, drink some water, and also feed the war horses some fodder." Everyone dismounted to rest, eating and drinking as they should, and also feeding the war horses some fodder. After resting for over an hour, He Gang said, "Brothers, mount up and prepare for battle!" Everyone quickly mounted their horses and galloped towards the direction of the dense gunfire.
As they approached the encampment of the Kumamoto Division, He Gang suddenly ordered a halt. Jiang Zhi Fei asked, "What's wrong again, He Gang?" He Gang ignored Jiang Zhi Fei and took out his binoculars to carefully observe the area ahead. He said, "The enemy's artillery emplacement is at the southeast corner. Gao Fei Hua, take the third battalion to destroy the enemy's artillery emplacement. This will greatly reduce the pressure on the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade."
"Kill all of the enemy's artillerymen and then blow up their cannons," He Gang continued. "Then, sneak around to the enemy's rear and launch a surprise attack. Do you understand?" Gao Fei Hua replied, "I do." After finishing speaking, he led the third battalion in a charge towards the enemy's artillery emplacement.
He Gang said: Gao Fei Long, you lead the second battalion to circle around to the back of the devils and launch an attack on their left wing. Gao Fei Hu, you lead the first battalion to circle around to the back of the devils and attack their right wing. The fourth and fifth battalions will follow me to circle around to the back of the devils and launch a frontal assault. With He Gang's order, everyone rushed towards their respective targets.
Gao Fei Hua led the third battalion to circle around to the back of the devils' artillery position and launched a surprise attack on the devils' artillery position. Gao Fei Hua took advantage of the deafening cannon fire to quickly approach the devils' artillery position, and the third battalion almost reached the devils' back before they realized there was an unusual noise behind them. The devils' artillery turned around, one by one, and were frightened out of their wits.
Gao Fei Hua soon arrived in front of a devil and swung his horse sword at the devil's head with all his might. With a "pu" sound, half of the devil's head was still on his neck, but the other half had already been beheaded. The other devils were frightened out of their wits, and at this time, the third battalion's soldiers rushed forward, and in just over ten minutes, all the devils' artillerymen became ghosts under the knife.
Gao Fei Hua said: You guys hurry up, I'll blow up the devils' big cannons first. The other soldiers immediately turned their horses around and ran forward, only to see Gao Fei Hua take out a hand grenade from his waist, pull the string, and throw it at the devils' cannonballs. Then Gao Fei Hua rode his horse like flying, quickly catching up with the troops in front. At this time, Gao Fei Hua only heard the sound of intense explosions behind him, shaking the sky. Gao Fei Hua knew that the devils' cannonballs had been detonated, and without a doubt, the devils' big cannons were finished.
Gaofei Hu's battalion circled around to the rear of the enemy, launching an attack on their right flank. Fire Cloud galloped forward like a fiery red lightning bolt. Although the battalion moved quickly, when they were about 100 meters away from the enemy, the enemy heard the intense sound of horse hooves behind them and many turned back in shock. The Yamamoto Brigade was quite well-trained, with many enemies hastily raising their guns to shoot at Gaofei Hu. Seeing that things were not going well, Gaofei Hu quickly pressed his body against Fire Cloud's left side. A row of bullets whizzed past Gaofei Hu's head, and in the blink of an eye, he was only 40-50 meters away from the enemy. Gaofei Hu then quickly flipped over and sat on the horseback, raising two box-shaped cannons to shoot left and right. The enemies in front immediately fell down in a large area. Following closely behind, the soldiers of the battalion arrived, each holding two box-shaped cannons to frequently fire at the enemy. Many more enemies were killed or wounded. Before other enemies could react, the battalion had already charged to the front of the work site. The soldiers each held another box-shaped cannon at their waist, firing with their left hand and wielding a horse knife in their right hand to slash at the enemies in front. The enemies were beaten until they cried out for their fathers and mothers.
