Chapter 59: The Great Victory at Pingxing Pass
After the Japanese army in North China occupied Beiping and Tianjin, one route followed the (North) Ping-Sui (Far) Railway to attack Zhangjiakou Nanmen, while another route followed the (North) Ping-Han (Yang) Railway southward to attack Baoding and Zhangjiakou. The Shanxi Plateau where Taiyuan is located can exit through Yanmen Pass in the north to attack the Japanese army in Suiyuan, or exit through Jingxing and Niangzi Pass in the south to attack the Japanese army in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. Therefore, if the Japanese army wants to occupy and consolidate North China, it must occupy Shanxi.
If Shanxi were in our hands, we could launch a surprise attack on the enemy from a superior position, but Yan Xishan is not that kind of person who would sacrifice himself for others. Therefore, after losing a series of favorable conditions for launching an attack, Yan Xishan had to painfully watch as the Japanese army's Mongolian army occupied not only Shanxi's barrier, Suiyuan area, but also took over Datong, this important coal-producing region.
Along the railway, the Mongolian army marched southward, and with the sudden attack of the Japanese Fifth Division on Guangling, they stepped southward, forcing Yan Xishan to retreat. The powerless Yan Xishan invited Hu Zongnan's Central Army into Shanxi on one hand, and also invited the 600,000-strong Eighth Route Army into Shanxi on the other. Yan Xishan, who was most unwilling to be an enemy of the Japanese army, painfully knew that this time the Japanese army wanted to occupy his territory, making it impossible for him to even pretend to be a local emperor! For this reason, he no longer cared about the infiltration of the Central Army and the Eighth Route Army on his land. Even if the Shanxi-Suiyuan army was not working, they could still rely on their over 1 million troops to have a foothold in Shanxi. However, with the arrival of the Japanese, even this foothold was gone! Whether it was the anti-Japanese faction or not, the Japanese army's relentless pressure had left him with no way out!
On September 14, the Eighth Route Army's 115th Division and 116th Brigade, with more than 20,000 troops, left Taiyuan, marched northward, preparing to enter the first line of resistance against Japan, penetrate deep into the enemy's rear, and deal a heavy blow to the enemy from the direction of their logistics lines and flanks.
Because of Yan Xishan's cold reception, Gao Quanfu led his troops to leave Yuanping and head north to Dai County, accompanied by the 115th Division's Chen Guang, 343rd Brigade's Li Tianyou, and 686th Regiment. As for the treatment of the remaining 115th Division's 343rd Brigade, it was surprisingly good, with Yan Xishan specially dispatching a motorcade to transport their main force and the 115th Independent Regiment. Along the way, Gao Quanfu also ignored Sun Chuan's summons at the Sixth Army Group Headquarters, and this time he understood that although he had gained great fame, he had also incurred many people's discontent, including even Sun Chuan, who did not dare to meet him. A tree standing tall in the forest will be felled by the wind! Gao Quanfu recalled the proverb "the bird that sticks its head out gets shot," or in Shanghainese, "chong tou."
Due to the harassment of Japanese aircraft, the 116th Division had to send out battalion and company-level air defense sentries in all directions, which were also the vanguard troops scattered around the troops and served as the air defense alert force of the 116th Division.
A troop of over 10,000 people marched in the mountainous area, and the four-four parallel paths made the formation particularly long. Soldiers wearing puttees and earth-colored clothes walked on the highway with high spirits, while female soldiers from the Wen Gong team sang songs and held up slogans to encourage the soldiers to march quickly. On both sides of the highway, giant rocks were constantly being written with propaganda slogans such as "Cooperation against Japan" by propaganda teams. Everything was just like in a movie.
A robust and dark-skinned body, after riding a horse for a while, felt exceptionally hot all over. He unbuttoned his windbreaker and also tucked his military cap into his waist, the high-headed black river horse was also covered in sweat due to the scorching sun. The sticky feeling made Gaoquan very uncomfortable.
Along the way, the Taihang Mountains stood like an iron wall, and the Luliang Mountains were stacked with heavy gates. There were also other large and small mountain ranges on the Shanxi Plateau. Gaoquan repeatedly measured them several times and was very fond of mountain warfare, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare. Gaoquan had a special affinity for mountainous terrain, whether it was in the Dabie Mountains or the Qinling Mountains. He relied on that strange feeling to win battle after battle.
As the vanguard of the 8th Route Army, the 116th Division was about to advance into the Wutai Mountain area at the junction of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei provinces. Pingxingguan Pass, which straddled the inner Great Wall, was a must-pass place for them. Along the winding mountain road, Gao Daquan led his troops to arrive at the foot of Pingxingguan Pass with great difficulty. As the pass located at the intersection of Beiyue Hengshan and the Buddhist holy land Wutaishan, Pingxingguan Pass was built on a mountain over 1,800 meters above sea level.
With a dozen or so combat staff and a guard platoon, Gao Quan slowly headed towards Pingxingguan Pass. The ruined pass wall, the overgrown pass, and the blurred three characters "Ping Xing Guan" printed on the dilapidated gate. In the early morning, Pingxingguan was filled with wisps of smoke, and both the northern Hengshan and the southern Wutaishan were hazy in the misty layers. The peaks of the mountains rose and fell like waves in the sea of clouds. Only the distant sound of Japanese artillery fire echoed, tearing through the sky like thunder, making the officers of the 116th Division feel the strength of the enemy in a place far from the battlefield.
It must be said that Pingxingguan is an ideal place for ambush, in front of the pass is a valley path, winding through the mountains, with steep cliffs on both sides, and a highway winds its way through it. Along the highway, you can quickly reach Lingqiu, Laiyuan and other places. Gaoquan has a sense of being on the spot, because he knows that in six days, a battle that will shock China will erupt here.
The mountain wind in the early morning, in the early autumn season, was exceptionally cold on the mountains of Shanxi Province. Although I was wearing a military overcoat, I could still deeply feel the chill. Looking at the trembling operations staff and guards, after a brief reconnaissance, everyone hastily descended the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, they encountered the logistics team and medical unit advancing with a large number of mule-drawn carts. The medic, whose cheeks were frozen bright red, was joking around with others on the cart, causing bursts of laughter from the soldiers in the rear guard battalion.
Gao Quan rode a black warhorse, smiling as he gazed at the warm scene before him. With his eyes closed, he felt the sensation of soaring through the skies and the warmth mixed with a hint of chill.
Her bright red face radiated a warm glow in the morning sun, even making the nurse with the rosy cheeks at the health center look dazed. She felt extremely happy inside, her hands tightly clasped together, no longer paying attention to her sisters' joyful chatter. When someone shook her awake, she herself didn't realize that her heart was still racing rapidly, adding layer upon layer of blush to her face.
As the commander of the Sixth Army Group, Sun Chu calculated that the Japanese army was a mechanized force with strong firepower based on their speed of action. These conditions also limited the Japanese army to fighting along highways and railways. Due to Guangling's mistake, the Japanese mechanized forces could threaten Pingxingguan at any time. Therefore, Sun Chu quickly ordered his troops to deploy along the Pingxingguan line, occupying positions and building fortifications. As for the more than 20,000 men of the Eighth Route Army, they were assigned to attack the enemy's flank and rear.
As the first cooperation with Lin Shuai, Gao Quan fully cooperated with Lin Shuai's battle plan. According to history, the Japanese Fifth Division, whose logistics line was cut off, almost got annihilated by nearly a million troops of the Nationalist and Communist Parties, because Gao Guijun's 84th Division retreated on its own initiative without cutting off the enemy's retreat route, and also due to Li Xianshou of the Central Army, which allowed the Japanese Fifth Division to escape and even occupy Pingxingguan. So when he saw the Eighth Route Army in full swing, Gao Quan began to have second thoughts again.
After all, the high and comprehensive troops still have 6 seventy-five millimeter mountain guns. If they can occupy Lingqiu County, cut off the enemy's rear road, wouldn't it be a heavy blow to the enemy? Although Gao Quan also deeply knows that with the Jin army being good at defending but not attacking, it is difficult to completely annihilate. Being able to heavily strike the enemy once is also good. Moreover, according to the experience of the Japanese army receiving an ambush and mustering aid, if they can take Lingqiu by lightning speed, and then ambush the enemy's reinforcements on their way to Lingqiu, it would be a great victory!
So after arranging a group and the 115th Division to fight together, using this "laborious but unprofitable" thing to snipe at the enemy in the direction of Pingxingguan, Commander Lin was very puzzled by taking on such a thankless task. After all, fighting is for gaining spoils and expanding one's own strength!
