Chapter 42: The Annihilation of the Honda Alliance in Xinghe County Defense War

  As one by one the stone bridges were blown up, Yamaguchi's plan for a swift relief of Honda's force was completely ruined. In anger, Major General Yamaguchi had to send a telegram to Tojo Hideki, requesting instructions from headquarters.

  In the headquarters, Tojo Hideki received a telegram from Yamaguchi Tadashi and slumped in his chair, secretly thinking that the Honda Brigade was probably doomed. The loss of an infantry brigade was still bearable for the Japanese army, but the annihilation of a whole Imperial Japanese Army brigade-level unit would be a stain he could not afford to have on his record. Once such a stain was on his back, his military career would be greatly affected.

  After slightly tidying up his disordered thoughts, Tōjō Hideki picked up the magnifying glass and looked at the map again and again. Finally, he turned to the junior captain staff officer Satō Iekazu beside him and said: "Satō, immediately send a telegram to that idiot Yamaguchi, ordering the troops to abandon their cars and armored vehicles and switch to marching on foot. Also, send another telegram to Honda Shigeki, saying that the reinforcements have already passed by Sekibutsu-ji Temple and will arrive at the scene in no more than an hour, telling them to hold on."

  Hi

  However, just as Sato Ietaka turned around, a nearby orderly suddenly stood up and said: "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, an urgent telegram from Honda's unit!"

  "What's the situation over there? How much longer can our troops hold on?" Tōjō Hideki asked hastily.

  "Commander, I have just received a farewell telegram from Major General Honda addressed to you..."

  "Hachi ga..." Tōjō Hideki suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, then let out a loud "gah" as he spat up a large amount of fresh blood, before collapsing entirely within the command center.

  Tōjō Hideki spat blood and fainted, causing the entire headquarters to panic. Satō Kōkichi had no choice but to send a telegram to Abe Kiyoshi, the commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade on the front lines, informing him in detail about the situation at the headquarters and requesting that he return to take charge.

  After receiving the telegram from Sato Ietaka, Abe Osamu did not dare to be careless and hastily transferred the command of the front line to Yorihara Eiichiro Major General, and he himself returned to the headquarters with a guard battalion.

  After learning the detailed situation, Abe Kikushi knew that the annihilation of the Honda Corps was already inevitable. Since the enemy's situation was unclear, in order to avoid unnecessary losses for the Yamaguchi Corps, he ordered the Yamaguchi Corps to immediately abandon its mission to rescue the Honda Corps and immediately build a defensive position on the line of Sekibutsu-ji Temple to strictly prevent a surprise attack by the Shina army.

  In view of the uncertainty of General Tōjō's life and death, the destruction of the artillery unit, the surprise attack on the arsenal, the death in battle of Major-General Sakai Kōji, commander of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade, and the severe blow to the entire army group, Abe Rulehisa had no choice but to order the entire Chahar Expeditionary Army to immediately stop its offensive against Tianzhen, withdraw its troops to the Huai'an line, and wait for support.

  Chen Feng wasn't clear about what had happened at the Chahar Expeditionary Force Headquarters, but he was still in high spirits. Looking at the officer's sword handed over by Li Yifeng, Chen Feng felt a sense of beauty in his heart.

  "Commander, we have won a great victory! The little devils' entire infantry regiment has been completely annihilated by us, not one escaped." Li Wensheng exclaimed excitedly.

  "Haha, well done! Tell the brothers that we'll have an extra meal tonight and let them hurry up to clean the battlefield." Chen Feng said loudly.

  Yes

  Yanmen Pass, Headquarters of the Seventh Group Army.

  "Report, telegram from the 61st Army."

  "Bring it over," said Fu Zuoyi hastily upon hearing that the telegram was from the 61st Army.

  Fu Zuoyi took over the telegram handed over by the telegraph operator and began to read it under the light of the command post.

  In an instant, Fu Zuoyi frowned and said: "Strange, why did the little devils withdraw?"

  "Jun Ze, what's wrong?" Ye Qijie looked at Fu Zuoyi's puzzled face and asked.

  "The 61st Army just sent a telegram saying that the little devils in Tianzhen have withdrawn, they retreated at night," said Fu Zuoyi.

  "Withdrew? What is this little devil thinking, the Little Devils in the Tianzhen direction are stronger than our army in every aspect, how can they withdraw?" Ye Qijie was also confused.

  "It's indeed strange, but no matter what the reason is, the little devils have withdrawn and Tianzhen has been preserved, which is a good thing for us. Brother Xinwu, how's the situation on Chenfeng's side? Since the devils in Tianzhen have withdrawn, those on his side should also have withdrawn, right?"

  "At more than 10 o'clock in the morning, the 447th Regiment of the 218th Brigade sent a telegram saying that they had entered the county seat of Xinghe County, but were informed by Chen Feng to stay put and defend the county seat on the spot. He said that the security team at the front could hold on its own, and then there was no more information."

  "Then let's ask quickly, has the security team withdrawn or not?" Fu Zuoyi hastily said.

  Soon, Ye Qijie reported again: "Commander, I just sent a telegram to the 447th Regiment and asked them. They said that some troops of the Security Regiment have returned to Xinghe County, but they did not see the commander of the Security Regiment Chen Feng, only saw the chief of staff Yang Yi."

  "Where did Chen Feng go? Did you send him a telegram?"

  "It was sent out, but the security team's radio remained silent."

  "This rascal! What is this kid doing, anyway? Alright, operator, get me connected to the security team at once. I must contact them today." General Fu Zuoyi ordered.

  At over 10 o'clock in the evening, all the high-ranking military officers in the headquarters were discussing the battles along the Wei County, Guangling and Lingqiu line. Suddenly, a reporter stood up and loudly said: "Report to the commander, we have found the signal of the Security Regiment."

  Fu Zuoyi threw the file in his hand on the table and rushed to the radio station, saying: "Send a message to the security team, just say I want to have direct communication with Chen Feng."

  Xinghe, City Defense Command Center.

  "Commander, Commander Fu wants to speak with you directly!"

  "Tell Commander Fu, our troops have all withdrawn to Xinghe. Also, at 3:01 this afternoon, our troops annihilated the Japanese Independent Mixed First Brigade's Honda Detachment, killing over 2,400 people including the detachment commander, Major General Honda Shin'ichi. We also annihilated the Puppet Mongolian Army's Third Cavalry Division, killing and capturing over 1,500 enemy soldiers. We seized a large amount of weapons and equipment, but our losses were severe, with more than half of the regiment killed or wounded. Urgent reinforcements are needed." Chen Feng dictated this message, which was then transmitted to the Seventh Group Army via radio by the communications officer.

  In the headquarters of the Seventh Army Group, Fu Zuoyi looked at the telegram sent by Chen Feng with a surprised face and slightly rapid breathing. After a while, he finally calmed down his excited mood and said: "The battle results need to be verified by the Second War Zone Command, your unit has suffered heavy losses and should rest on the spot. Your unit needs to list out the required materials and report back to the headquarters for approval. In addition, Shangdu and Fengzhen counties will be under your jurisdiction from now on, and the security regiments originally belonging to the two counties will be incorporated into your combat sequence."

  ........

  Taiyuan, Second War Zone Headquarters.

  Yan Changguan was in his study reviewing documents when he was suddenly startled by a light and airy footsteps, looked up to see that it was Yan Huichen, the fifth sister, who walked in with several telegrams in her hand, beaming with joy. Although she looked very happy, Yan Changguan had been in a bad mood lately, so he calmly asked: "Fifth sister, is there any news from the Eighth Route Army?"

  Yan Huiqing was the daughter of Yan Xishan's uncle, Yan Shudian. In terms of generation, she was Yan Xishan's cousin, but 27 years younger than him. As the fifth child in her family, Yan Xishan always referred to her as "Fifth Sister". Fifth Sister was mainly responsible for taking care of Yan Xishan's daily life. Yan Huiqing was good at observing people's words and actions, and she took great care of Yan Xishan, often telling him stories about their hometown's customs and traditions. At the same time, she managed Yan Xishan's diet, frequently ordering the kitchen to prepare dishes from their hometown. When Yan Xishan slept, she would cover him with a quilt, massage his back, and only turn off the lights after he fell asleep, earning his deep trust.

  Wu Mei Yan Huiqing smiled but did not answer, she just walked to the opposite side of the desk and sat down, happily saying: "Big brother, it's a telegram that Fu Zuoyi just sent."

  "What's going on?" Yan Xishan's expression slightly improved, and during this time, only the Seventh Army Group could make him slightly happy. Otherwise, other places would make him worried sick. He asked, "What happened? It's so late, yet Yisheng hasn't rested yet!"

  Yan Huiqing smiled and said, "Big brother, Fu Zuoyi sent a telegram saying that the Japanese army besieging Tianzhen has retreated, and today in Xinpingbao, a security regiment annihilated an entire infantry brigade!"

  "What?" Yan Xishan suddenly stood up and asked loudly: "Is this true?"

  "Of course it's true." Yan Huiqing said, handing over several telegrams to Yan Xishan, and smiled, "Fu Yisheng is your trusted general, not only is he exceptionally capable, but also extremely loyal to you, he wouldn't deceive you, would he?"

  Yan Xishan finished reading the telegram at the fastest speed, and then said with great emotion: "I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it. This Xinghe County Security Regiment is indeed a powerful force, surprise after surprise! Just killed a Japanese lieutenant general, and now they've wiped out an entire Japanese infantry regiment, what a feat!"

  "Big brother, I heard that the little devil's infantry regiment is equivalent to one of our brigades. It just eliminated one of the enemy's brigades, why are you so happy?" Yan Huiqing asked with a smile.

  In folklore, whenever Yan Xishan or Yan Dashi is mentioned, "Wu Meizi" or "Wu Gu'niang" Yan Huiqing is always prominently featured, portraying her as a key figure in military and political affairs, manipulating the politics of Shanxi from behind the scenes, with Yan Xishan hanging on her every word. In reality, Yan Huiqing was merely one of Yan Xishan's minor concubines, and all the stories about her being well-versed in military and political matters are purely speculative.

  "Wu Mei, you don't know this, but the little devil's brigade is equivalent to our regiment, with over 3,800 people, almost as many as one of our divisions. The little devils are fierce! Since the war began, there have been major battles in both the north and south. In the north, from Rehe to Suiyuan, and in the south, from Shandong to Jiangsu, they're fighting everywhere, with tens of millions of people clashing in the northern regions. In the Shanghai-Hangzhou war zone, nearly a million troops are engaged in bloody battles. But since the start of the war, our army has been annihilated by how many divisions? How many corps have been defeated? Yet not a single Japanese unit above battalion level has been completely annihilated. That's why I say Chen Feng is quite impressive - with just one security regiment, he first annihilated two Japanese artillery battalions and an infantry company, then killed a Japanese army major general, and again annihilated a Japanese infantry brigade! Fierce!" said Yan Xishan.