coobybook Chapter 166: The Japanese 226th Regiment
Chapter 166: The Japanese 226th Regiment
Li Yunlong slammed the telegram on the table and called the brigade commander.
"Li Yunlong, what good thing is this? It's like eating bee shit?"
Li Yunlong put away his smile and stood at attention.
"Report to the brigade commander, the independent column has occupied Yuncheng and killed a Japanese lieutenant general. Wait until the photo is developed to confirm whether it is the commander of the 37th Division, Nagano Yuichiro!"
"Good! As expected, you didn't disappoint the boss and me. Li Yunlong, I have to remind you that it's easy to take it, but it's hard to hold it! The 37th and 226th Regiments of the 227th Division of the Japanese are rushing to support Yuncheng. The 60th Brigade of Changzhi and four independent infantry battalions are also moving smoothly towards you!"
Li Yunlong had already known about the enemy's situation, and had made careful arrangements with Dai Anlan, Zhang Dabiao and Shen Quan.
As far as the Yuncheng area is concerned, even if the 226th and 227th Regiments did not come to reinforce Yuncheng, the Independent Column would have to find them and eliminate all hostile forces in the Yuncheng area.
What's more, Changzhi is only a few dozen miles away from Pingshun County, and it is like a tiger next to the bed. Li Yunlong is a light sleeper, and he can't sleep with such a 60th Brigade accompanying him!
"Brigade Commander, how about we issue a telegram to recover Yuncheng?"
"Well, if you dare to send out the message, you must be able to defend it. Otherwise, not only will you lose face, but you will also lose face for our 386th Brigade and the Eighth Route Army in front of the people of the whole country!"
"Yes! Please rest assured, Chief!"
Li Yunlong immediately issued a telegram in the name of the independent column: Yuncheng has been liberated!
The reason why the telegram was sent to the whole country was not because Li Yunlong was ambitious, but because of Wang Meng's suggestion.
Since you can't hide your strength, just show it openly. Showing off your muscles appropriately can avoid some unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, Wang Meng had another purpose, which was to convey the news of the restoration to the ears of those scientific giants.
Don’t you think our independent column is not strong enough?
This is strength!
Once the situation in Yuncheng stabilizes, we can directly send invitation letters to the people on the paper Zhou Ren wrote, and then show a little soft power. Isn't this a sure thing?
As soon as the power was turned on, the whole country was in an uproar!
For a time, public opinion was divided into two camps:
One group questioned and mocked them, saying that the Eighth Route Army Independent Column was dreaming and ambitious, and that they might have only developed a fortress village and exaggerated it as the liberation of Yuncheng.
Another group believes that an on-site investigation should be conducted before any conclusion can be drawn.
In short, except the Eighth Route Army itself, no one thought that the Independent Column would be able to capture Yuncheng and hold it.
However, there is another person who believes it, and that is Yan Laoxi on the other side of the river.
Because from last night to today, the railway has not been bombarded, and several military trains and passenger cars have passed safely.
Yan Laoxi had also sent a squad of soldiers to tentatively shout at the Fenghuangzui artillery position at Fenglingdu and demand to pass through the ferry.
Although the garrisoned 386th Brigade Independent Regiment refused in the name of preventing sabotage by enemy spies, it also firmly confirmed a fact: Fenglingdu had been controlled by the Eighth Route Army.
"You are raising a tiger to cause trouble! Send another order in the name of the Second War Zone, send a part of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to support the Eighth Route Army in the battle, and then take the opportunity to take root!"
When the boss saw Yan Laoxi's telegram, he was both angry and amused.
"This old man Yan, is he thinking of picking peaches now? It's too late! Ask Li Yunlong and Xing Zhiguo what they think. If we let them in, can they handle it?"
Li Yunlong and Xing Zhiguo discussed it and decided to agree.
Yan Laoxi didn't expect the Eighth Route Army to agree so readily. He was so happy that he sent only one battalion across the Yellow River.
But once they crossed the Yellow River, they were blocked at the ferry.
"Sorry, there is a live-fire exercise going on ahead, please wait!"
The battalion commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army looked at the 150mm howitzer with its muzzle turned and swallowed.
"Okay, how long do we have to wait? We have an order from the Second War Zone Command!"
"Sorry, it's not clear yet, please be patient!"
After waiting for four or five hours, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army could no longer wait and prepared to force their way in.
The sentry of the independent regiment did not try to stop him, but simply said:
"The area ahead is under fire from our regiment's 150mm howitzers. If you insist on passing through despite our warnings, we will not be held responsible!"
The battalion commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army looked at the black muzzle of the gun, recalled the day when Tongguan was bombed, and wiped away the cold sweat.
He returned to Tongguan in shame.
Old Xi Yan was furious, and Yoshio Shinozuka was not much better.
"Baga, arrogant Chinese, have you contacted Nagano Yuichiro?"
"Reporting to His Excellency the General, we have not yet contacted General Nagano. According to the situation in Yuncheng, I am afraid we have to prepare for the worst!"
Yoshio Shinozuka turned around helplessly and looked at the battlefield in southern Shanxi where flowers bloomed everywhere. He was a little dazed for a moment.
Shanxi’s rich mineral resources supply a large amount of blood to the empire, and no accidents can happen!
Yuncheng must be taken back.
"Before contacting Nagano Yuichiro, the 37th, 225th, and 226th Regiments of the 227th Brigade will be under the unified command of General Kei Miura Kenjiro. You must take back Yuncheng!"
"General, according to intelligence, the 225th Regiment and the 37th Brigade's subordinate units have been completely wiped out. Now only the 37th and 225th Regiments are left in the 226th Brigade."
Nagano Yuichiro shook his head helplessly. In one day, an entire regiment disappeared from the land of southern Shanxi.
"Nagano Yuichiro, your best outcome is to die in battle and be loyal to the Emperor! Otherwise, even if you escape back to Taiyuan alive, you must commit suicide to apologize!"
After receiving the order, Keisuke Miura in Nagaji immediately ordered the 60th Brigade and the 225th and 227th Regiments of Nagaji to speed up their march and launch attacks from both the east and west, leaving the independent column without any support.
The 226th Regiment of Yongji County has been engaged in a firefight with the reconnaissance battalion and anti-tank battalion of the armored division in Xizhang Township, southwest of Yuncheng.
Colonel Ishiki Kenshou, commander of the 226th Regiment, was in a dilemma when looking at the terrain of Xizhang Township.
Xizhang Township is located to the north of Yanchi (a salt lake in Yuncheng) and to the south of Zhongtiao Mountain Range. If support is needed for Yuncheng, it is necessary to pass through Xizhang Township.
However, Shi Qiqian saw through the telescope the shadow of an independent column appearing on the Zhongtiao Mountains.
"Baga, if we don't take over the Zhongtiao Mountains, we will definitely not be able to pass through Xizhang Township! If we divide our forces to attack Zhongtiao Mountains, I'm afraid we will miss the best time for support!"
The 226th Regiment was strong in both men and horses and made many achievements in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain.
It is composed of the 3800st Infantry Battalion, the 108nd Infantry Battalion, the 36rd Infantry Battalion and an artillery squadron, with a total of more than 6 people, 4 light machine guns, heavy machine guns, Type infantry guns, Type mountain guns, and a large number of grenade launchers.
Responsible for blocking the 226th Regiment were the Independent Column's Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Anti-Tank Battalion, and the st Battalion of the Armored Infantry Regiment that arrived later, all transported by armored vehicles.
合计人数1800余人，共装备75毫米步兵炮12门、37毫米反坦克炮37门，轻重迫击炮、机枪无数。
In terms of the number of artillery pieces, the independent column had the advantage, but the Type 94 mountain artillery had a long range and could easily suppress the artillery outside the range of the independent column's artillery.