Chapter 34: The Defense of Xinghe County - Chen Feng's Plan

  "Whoosh"

  The unique firing sound of the mortar broke through the quietness of the night sky, and the soldiers patrolling near the Japanese military's ammunition depot looked up at the night sky in confusion. Who is so lacking in public morals that they are test-firing artillery shells so late at night? Don't they know this is an ammunition depot? If it sets off an explosion of nearby munitions, won't everyone go together to meet the God of Thunder?

  The Japanese army never thought it was an ambush by the Chinese army, on the one hand because the garrison in Tianzhen had already been surrounded by three infantry brigades and two detachments of the Japanese army as well as nine pseudo-military cavalry divisions, and in any case had no ability to counterattack.

  The vast area from Beiping to Zhangjiakou and then to Tianzhen has been completely occupied by the Japanese army, which means that there is no longer any Chinese military presence behind them, at least not in organized form.

  In addition, this place is a key defense zone of the Japanese army, a three-line defense under the protection of an infantry brigade, and the arrogant Japanese people do not think that the Chinese army can sneak in without making any noise.

  Boom

  The shell landed exactly as Han Laojiu had predicted, without any error.

  The explosive power of a single mortar shell is quite limited, with a lethal radius of no more than five meters. However, the place where this shell hit was somewhat special - the enemy's oil depot. After the shell landed, the large oil drums piled up in the center of the site immediately caught fire and exploded violently.

  "Hiss" "Hiss"

  "Boom" "Boom"

  Two more shells fell, this time the landing point was where the ammunition was stored. The power of tens of thousands of shells and hundreds of thousands of bullets exploding together could be felt even two or three kilometers away by Xu Bao and others, who clearly felt the heat wave generated by the explosion.

  "Stop fighting, withdraw!" Seeing the explosion of the Japanese military's ammunition depot in the distance, the task of destroying the Japanese military's arsenal was already considered accomplished. Xu Fang decisively issued the order to retreat.

  After giving the order, Xu Bao jumped onto a truck beside him, and Han Laojiu also hastily carried the mortar onto the car, then drove out.

  "Enemy attack... Enemy attack..."

  At this time, the Japanese army camp was in a mess. Even the most dull-headed people knew that something big had happened, and all troops rushed to the place where the explosion occurred.

  Xiaoli Village, temporary command post of the Japanese Chahar Expeditionary Force.

  "What's going on?" Higashijima Eiichi asked the guard beside him, feeling uneasy due to the huge and intense explosion.

  "Reporting to the Commander, sir, the sound came from the west and was a very intense explosion. I have already sent someone to investigate." A lieutenant colonel staff officer stood up and replied.

  "West side... eight explosions, it's an ammunition depot... immediately contact the commander of the Sakai Brigade!" Upon hearing the report from his staff officer, Tōjō Hideki immediately realized that something might have happened at the ammunition depot.

  "Hello hello...hello hello..."

  "Hello hello...hello hello..."

  "Reporting to Commander, no one is answering the phone at the arsenal."

  "Hakka, it must be an accident at the arsenal. Immediately order the 114th Infantry Regiment to support the arsenal, and order officers above regimental level to report to headquarters for a meeting. At the same time, dispatch cavalry units to conduct firepower reconnaissance within a 10-kilometer radius of headquarters." Tōjō Hideki quickly gave orders.

  "Hi!"

  Tianzhen County Town, 61st Army of Shanxi-Suiyuan Military Region, 399th Regiment Headquarters.

  "Have you figured out what happened?" Zhang Jingjun asked Wu Kaisan, who had just walked in.

  "Report to the team leader, just now the brothers on the city wall said that the explosion sound came from the east of the city, the sound was very loud, they all felt the vibration of the land, and also saw the soaring flames." Wu Kaisan reported.

  "East of the city? Isn't that where the Japanese army's arsenal and headquarters are located? Did something happen at the Japanese arsenal?" Zhang Jingjun said to himself.

  "If it were really like that, then all the military supplies of the Chahar dispatched troops would be piled up there. If something really happened, those little devils would become children without milk. Rifles would have no bullets, tanks would have no gasoline, and perhaps we could still fight back."

  "Don't be so optimistic, even if the little devil's arsenal really has an accident, we may not necessarily be able to counterattack. The little devils will distribute a week's worth of ammunition and food to each unit before each battle, and generally each soldier has at least 200 rounds of rifle bullets. That is to say, even without subsequent replenishment, the ammunition carried by the little devil units outside the city alone can support about five days. Do you think we can hold out for five days with the Japanese army in a fierce battle, abandoning the solid city defense?" Zhang Jingjun said.

  Wu Kaisan sighed and said, "Don't mention five days, if we really fight in the wilderness, our 61st army may not even last two days. The little devils are too powerful, with planes in the sky and tanks and heavy artillery on the ground, we're completely being beaten passively."

  "It's good to know! Hurry up and check, whether the little devil's arsenal really had an accident. If the little devil's arsenal is gone, it's still good news for us. Although we may not be able to counterattack, at least in a short period of time, the little devils won't think about taking Tianzhen from our 399th regiment." Zhang Jingjun said.

  "Yes, I'm going right now!"

  Xuanjia Tower. Temporary Command Center of Bao'an County Garrison.

  "Commander, just received a telegram from the special warfare team. They launched a surprise attack on the Japanese military arsenal half an hour ago and destroyed all the ammunition and fuel stored by the Chahar dispatched troops in the open field. The special warfare team is now on their way back." Li Wensheng read out the telegram excitedly.

  "Alright, alright! Haha!" Chen Feng said with a smile.

  Then he said: "Wen Sheng, with this special warfare team, the little devils' plan to take down Tianzhen is likely to be shelved."

  "Yes, the big guns were taken out by us, and now even the ammunition is gone. The Japanese army's equipment advantage and firepower advantage are all gone. As for replenishment, it will take at least ten days to half a month to arrive. At least during this period of time, the little devils will definitely not be able to take down Tianzhen County." Li Wensheng said.

  "The little devils have now taken down all the towns between Beiping and Tianzhen, even Nan Kou, a strategic location, has fallen into the hands of the Japanese. They can completely replenish their ammunition through the Pingxi Railway, I'm afraid that in just five days, the little devils' ammunition will arrive at Tianzhen." Yang Yi said worriedly.

  "We have five days, before the Japanese reinforcements arrive in Tianzhen, we can absolutely wipe out this Honda detachment." Chen Feng said confidently.

  "Commander, I'm worried that the little devils will stop attacking because their arsenal was bombed. After all, without ammunition, what can they use to fight?" Yang Yi said.

  "Wen Sheng, Yang Yi, you don't understand the Japanese army. Since the Lugou Bridge Incident, they have been advancing triumphantly, and their military strength has been unstoppable. This has made all Japanese soldiers, from generals to ordinary soldiers, extremely arrogant. They will not stop attacking just because their arsenal is bombed. On the contrary, they will become even more brutal and launch even crazier attacks, because they do not believe in defeat. Moreover, those little devils usually have some stockpiled ammunition in their troops, so even without replenishment from the General Headquarters, each Japanese combat unit can hold out for at least three to four days. So what I just said was that the Japanese plan to take down Tianzhen will be foiled, not that they will fail." Chen Feng said.

  "Commander, what should we do?" Yang Yi said.

  "Originally, we planned to block the Japanese army along the way, consume their living forces, and finally annihilate them under Xinghe City. Now the plan must be modified, so, Wen Sheng, you lead the 2nd and 3rd battalions, artillery battalion, reconnaissance company, engineer company, and the machine gun company directly under the headquarters to advance into the mountains at night and hide in ambush. And I will return to Xinpingbao tonight, wait for the arrival of the Honda Brigade, and order the 3rd Regiment to march south at night. When the Japanese army is almost exhausted in Xinpingbao, we'll launch a pincer movement from both front and rear, and wipe out this devil's infantry brigade in one go. What do you think?" Chen Feng said.

  "It's okay, the little devil's infantry regiment has only 3,800 people, and a puppet army cavalry division has only 1,500 people. After yesterday's battle, the little devil's infantry regiment may not even have 2,500 people left. Our two regiments have more than 5,000 soldiers who can fight, plus the troops directly under the command of the headquarters, our military strength is more than twice that of the Japanese and puppet armies. Moreover, our equipment is much stronger than that of the Japanese army, and our firepower is also more powerful than theirs. If we launch a surprise attack, it's very likely that we can wipe out this Japanese infantry regiment in one go." Yang Yi thought for a moment before saying.

  "I also agree with the commander's plan, but it would be better to divide a troop to guard the highway, in case the Japanese army sends reinforcements to support this dogshit Honda League." Li Wensheng said.

  "This task is handed over to the special warfare team. Wen Sheng, you immediately send a telegram to Xu Biao, ordering them to disperse and ambush the Japanese reinforcements along the mountain road from Tianzhen to Xinghe. Tell them not to engage in positional warfare with the Japanese, just need to dispatch snipers to kill low-level Japanese officers and ordinary soldiers along the way, their purpose is only to slow down the Japanese army's marching speed."

  Yes

  "Let's all take action!"

  ........