Chapter 151 Twenty-Three Army Aviation Planes and Ten Mountain Cannons

After hearing this special signal for help, Li Yunlong and Cheng Xiazi immediately looked at each other, and both sides saw uneasiness and confusion in each other's eyes.

As a member of the 129th Division, they knew that the person in charge of the battle on Lion's Head Mountain was a great general, and there were two main regiments deployed there.

They really couldn't figure out why the other side started asking for help just four hours after the raid began?

Even the troops of Guojian couldn't collapse so quickly.

But no matter how confused they were, they had to support the friendly forces in trouble. After a brief discussion, the two regiment leaders decided that Li Yunlong would lead the New Second Regiment to Lion's Head Mountain to assist the friendly forces in the battle.

This was mainly because Cheng Xiazi's troops were too scattered, and the other 1,200 people could not be gathered in a short time. Now the number of troops alone was not as large as that of the New Second Regiment.

Moreover, their current mission had not been completed, and the raids on several surrounding strongholds had to continue.

But the New Second Regiment was different. In the original combat arrangement, they were not considered to be the 22 regiments with rigid requirements, but were actively cooperating troops.

Even if Li Yunlong led his men away from here, there were still troops from other places to fill the position, and the mission of the New Second Regiment had been completed two hours ago.

After the discussion, the New Second Regiment immediately prepared to set off. Although they had just experienced a battle, the soldiers were still physically strong due to the enhanced diet.

Before leaving, Cheng Xiazi stopped Li Yunlong and brought out the gifts he had just asked the soldiers to prepare.

"This Type 92 infantry gun is considered as a loan from me. If you, Li Yunlong, dare not return it, I will definitely go to the brigade commander to seek justice. I don't care if you stole or robbed, remember to return me an extra box of shells after the operation."

Hearing this, Li Yunlong, a rough man, felt very moved. With his current emotional intelligence, of course he would not think that the other party was lending usury, and the concern in the words was very heartwarming.

He first signaled Zhuzi to take people to move the shells and parts of the infantry guns, then patted Cheng Xiazi on the shoulder and said:

"The scourge has lasted for thousands of years. I, Li Yunlong, haven't gone to Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms yet. I won't die! When I come back, I will visit you in person and treat you to a meal."

The two held hands tightly, and then went to their destinations.

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Shinao Mountain is a commanding height located four kilometers southwest of Yangquan. The Zhengtai Railway also passes at the foot of the mountain, which is the throat of entering the mountainous area.

Controlling this place is equivalent to blocking the neck of the Japanese reinforcements.

Not only can it prevent Xiao Rizi from withdrawing troops from Pingding and Liaoxian to the west to support Zhengtai Road.

It can also block the Japanese from Yangquan, so that they cannot send troops to rescue the strongholds and stations that are being broken one by one by the various units of the 129th Division.

Even when necessary, the Eighth Route Army can directly launch a feint attack on Yangquan City, making the Japanese unable to take care of themselves.

It was precisely because of the importance of Lion's Head Mountain that the division commander and the political commissar gave the defense task to the 385th Brigade, and its brigade commander was personally responsible for commanding the blockade of enemy reinforcements.

In order to ensure that the raid could achieve the expected results smoothly, the division commander emphasized the importance of this task.

According to his original words, the results of the battle depend on how many railways are destroyed, and the number of roads destroyed depends on how many days the Lion's Head Mountain line can effectively stop the devils.

In the early morning of August 19th.

After a night of rapid march, the main forces of the 385th Brigade, the 769th Regiment and the 14th Regiment, had secretly occupied Lion's Head Mountain after a long raid of 80 miles.

Brigade Commander Chen knew that the next few days would be fierce battles, and the devils would definitely seize this commanding height at all costs, and they must not take it lightly.

The headquarters required the 385th Brigade to defend here for at least five days, so he ordered the troops to immediately engage in preparations for the war.

After receiving the order, everyone endured the fatigue and built various fortifications. This made this hilltop, which originally had no natural shelter, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The two regiments did not take any action during the whole day of the 20th. Everyone was resting and waiting for the official start of the blocking after 8 o'clock in the evening.

When the time came, the entire Zhengtai Road began to be attacked!

The action had only started for 20 minutes when Katayama Shotaro, the commander of the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Yangquan, received a call for help from Niangzi Pass.

In the next few minutes, the strongholds between Yuci and Yangquan reported the attack one after another, which made Katayama Shotaro, the old devil, immediately realize that the situation was not good.

As a major general, this man is naturally not a fool.

He immediately ordered three infantry squadrons and one artillery squadron to leave the city and prepare to go to the west for a rescue mission, but this was exactly what the 385th Brigade wanted.

Moreover, Brigade Commander Chen was also a ruthless man. In order to teach the other party a bloody lesson in the first battle with Katayama Shotaro, he let the enemy get as close as 300 meters before starting the attack.

As the signal flares were launched, the firepower of the two regiments tilted into the valley, catching the enemy off guard. Faced with the sudden attack, the Japanese could only run away.

Katayama Shotaro, the old Japanese, was also a ruthless man. He ordered the two infantry squadrons to fight to the death to cover, and he returned to Yangquan City with the remaining remnants.

After escaping back to his headquarters by chance, the Japanese major general immediately followed the steps of Shinozuka Yoshio and Mizuhara Yoshishige. He drew out his command knife and moved closer to the realm of the swordsmanship master.

Although he was very angry, his years of combat experience still made him realize the seriousness of the situation.

The east and west lines of Yangquan are all the defense areas of his Fourth Independent Mixed Brigade. Now that the Eighth Route Army has held Lion Head Mountain, it is equivalent to cutting off their connection with the various strongholds in the western section of the Zhengtai Road.

The eastern section is more or less taken care of by the Eighth Independent Mixed Brigade, but the western section can only rely on itself.

When he thought of the report from Niangzi Pass, his scalp immediately numbed, realizing that the enemy's target was the entire Zhengtai Line.

After thinking hard for more than ten minutes, the old devil had no choice but to ask for help, but he still kept a watchful eye. As a major general brigade commander, he was qualified to apply for the First Army Aviation to be dispatched.

In order to prevent his immediate superior from questioning his ability, Katayama Shotaro decided to make a move secretly.

In order to open up the connection between Yangquan and the western section of the Zhengtai Road, he gathered 600 soldiers from the eastern section stronghold and also put his trump card on it.

An artillery battalion with 400 people and ten mountain cannons.

Even so, the old man still felt that he was not stable enough. At the reminder of the chief of staff, he remembered that there were still many Japanese expatriates in Yangquan City who came to make money from the war.

Most of these people have received formal military training. Although their overall combat effectiveness is not very good, they are definitely more useful than those imperial army that have difficulty filling the line.

After three hours of preparation, this army of two thousand people rushed towards Lion Head Mountain in a mighty manner.

At the same time, 23 army aviation planes departing from Taiyuan Airport arrived at Lion Head Mountain.

These pilots who lived a simple life, regardless of whether there were Eighth Route Army below, they used up their bullets and bombs in a very short time.

And Katayama Shotaro launched a classic Japanese attack at the foot of the mountain. Because of a brief fight a few hours ago, he more or less remembered the approximate location of the Eighth Route Army's position.

Ten mountain cannons bombarded the positions on the mountain, and then the infantry launched a pig-like attack.