Songhu: Never Give Up

The notoriety of Yue Qianli and the guerrilla column could make the Japanese soldiers in the 13th Division tremble, and the same was true for Yamamura Jixiong;

Although he and the 104th Regiment had not suffered serious damage from the guerrilla column, they were strongly blocked by the guerrilla column in a battle to rescue the division headquarters. It was very difficult to deal with. If possible, he really didn't want to fight against the guerrilla column, this bitter enemy.

After learning that the troops that ambushed them were the guerrilla column that had been dormant for a while, Yamamura Jio immediately said to Major Hanada:
"Quickly, send a telegram to the division commander immediately to request tactical guidance!

Order all the breakout troops to withdraw. Yue Qianli is playing tricks."

It is true that a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. After learning that the Chinese army that ambushed them was a guerrilla column, Yamamura Jixiong's arrogance disappeared;

If he had other troops, he might have had hope of breaking through. However, after confirming that it was a siege by a 2-strong guerrilla column, he gave up on breaking out, huddled his troops into a group, went on the defensive on the spot in the valley, and held his ground waiting for reinforcements.

Huoshan was not far from the Horseshoe Valley, there was a whole division there, and they could even get support from the 8th Brigade, with 3 troops, he still had some confidence;
He even thought about implementing the center-blooming tactic, using the main force of the 104th Regiment to hold back the guerrilla column, and the main force could rush over from multiple directions to encircle and annihilate the guerrilla column and avenge the previous shame!
As the military horn sounded, the Japanese who had been fighting desperately to break out retreated like a tide, and the pressure on the encirclement and annihilation troops was greatly reduced;
They did not pursue the victory, but used the engineer shovels they carried with them to repair their positions. Now they did not need to hide their whereabouts and could dig trenches freely.
The retreating remnants of the Japanese also dug fortifications at the bottom of the valley. The two sides did not interfere with each other. It was very strange and did not look like an ambush at all. It gave people the illusion that the guerrilla column was defeated, and it also gave the Japanese unlimited hope.

West of the Horseshoe Valley, the 77th Army finally gathered the defeated soldiers. These Northwestern men were very good at running in the mountains, and the guerrilla column blocked their pursuers, so the losses were not great.

The battle of Horseshoe Valley also attracted their great attention. The commander of the 77th Army, Feng Zhian, summoned the deputy commander Zhang Lingyun, the commander of the 132nd Division, Wang Changhai, and the commander of the 179th Division, Ji Xingwen, to discuss the matter of reinforcing the guerrilla column.

The 77th Army was a heroic unit, originally under Song Zheyuan's 29th Army. During the Great Wall War, they used their swords to kill the devils and wiped out 5 enemies.

Regimental Commander Ji Xingwen, who fired the first shot of the full-scale war of resistance at Lugou Bridge, has been promoted to division commander. The army is composed of the 37th, 132nd and 179th Divisions, and the commander of the 37th Division is concurrently served by Army Commander Feng Zhian.

The Battle of Taierzhuang made the 37th Division famous, but many of the veterans were not replaced. After withstanding the fierce attacks of the 13th Division for several days, they were defeated. This made the 77th Army very ashamed. When Feng Zhian saw everyone gathered, he said directly:

"Brothers, the 13th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Division, which was pursuing our troops, has been surrounded by the guerrilla column in the Horseshoe Valley.

The two sides have been fighting fiercely for half a day, and it seems that the battle is not over yet. According to the military intelligence reported by the headquarters, the main force of the Japanese 13th Division is making every effort to reinforce the Horseshoe Valley;
The guerrilla column sent out a unit to try to stop the attack, and the fight was very difficult.

Commander Li asked our troops to fully cooperate with the guerrilla column to annihilate the 104th Regiment. Although Yue Qianli's troops are from the Central Army, they have never been vague in fighting the devils. This time, they also blocked the devil's pursuit for our 77th Army. We have to acknowledge this favor! "

Lieutenant General Ji Xingwen was the first to say:
"Commander, there is no doubt about this. No matter whether it is the Central Army or any other army, as long as they fight the Japanese, we should help them.
Besides, you are blocking the bullet for my unit. We Northwest men never forget our gratitude. Just tell us how to fight."

The commander of the 132nd Division, Wang Changhai, also took over and said:
"Commander Ji is right. We have to help this place. Besides, those bastards from the 13th Division relied on their numbers to chase us all the way. We can just destroy their 104th Regiment to vent our anger."

Feng Zhian was emboldened when he saw that the two main division commanders had no objections, and then expressed his own thoughts:
"We are not clear about the situation in the Horseshoe Valley right now. If we go there rashly, it will easily disrupt the rhythm of the guerrilla column.
I decided to send Division Commander Ji to lead the 179th Division to establish contact with Commander Yue first and hear his ideas first. "

Deputy Army Commander Lieutenant General Zhang Lingyun also took over and said:

"I agree with the commander. It will take a while for the main force of the 13th Division to reinforce us. With the reinforcement of the 179th Division, we will have more than enough manpower in a short period of time.

The main force of our 77th Army can be used as a reserve force. It won’t be too late to make plans after we understand the strategic intentions of the guerrilla column.”

No one else had any objections. After the meeting, Division Commander Ji led the 179th Division to reinforce the guerrilla column along the right wing mountain range. Soon they were stopped by the outer guards of the guerrilla column.

After learning that the other side was the reinforcement force of the 77th Army, the guards immediately reported it to the reconnaissance battalion commander Jiang Shaoying.

Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Shaoying did not dare to neglect it. He first sent someone to report to Yue Qianli, and then went to greet him in person.

After meeting Master Ji, he first introduced himself, and then asked Ji Xingwen to report:

"Reporting to Commander Ji, I have already informed Commander Yue about your coming. He should be here soon. How about you let the brothers rest here for a while?"

Ji Xingwen waved his hand and said:
"Well, you lead the way, and we'll go together. The brothers will go on the defensive and see Commander Yue first."

Ji Xingwen also knew that the guerrilla column was at regiment level, but no one regarded Yue Qianli as the regiment commander. In wartime, strength was king. Yue Qianli commanded 3 elite Central Army troops, and it was said that he had a seat in front of Commander Li. As a commander of a ragtag division, he really didn't dare to act big.

Jiang Shaoying did not refuse and led the way directly in the direction of the headquarters. The brothers of the reconnaissance battalion put the surrounding area of ​​several kilometers on alert;
He was a lieutenant general and a division commander, so nothing could happen to him. After walking a few hundred meters, he met Yue Qianli who came out to greet him. After they saluted each other, he returned to the command center.

Yue Qianli's position in the Military Commission is the Colonel Commander, but he has tens of thousands of Central Army troops under his command, which belong to the direct troops of the war zone. He is one or even several levels higher;
Therefore, he basically interacted with people above the regiment commander and below the army commander on an "equal level". When he met Ji Xingwen, he performed the subordinate's etiquette, but was stopped by Ji Xingwen.

After all, Yue Qianli is one level lower in rank, so he has to have the right attitude, otherwise others will say he is arrogant. But Ji Xingwen will not let him perform the rituals of a subordinate, which also represents Ji Xingwen's attitude, to interact with others on the same level.

After entering the headquarters, both sides were quite casual. Yue Qianli knew Ji Xingwen's name, otherwise he would not have come out to greet him.

He still admires the heroic commander who fired the first shot in the full-scale war of resistance.

He felt that he was lucky. He had met the three major "battalion commanders" of the Nationalist Army during the Anti-Japanese War. The commander of the Lone Army Battalion, Lao Xie, was the chief of staff in his army. He also saved the commander of the Baoshan Battalion, Yao Ziqing.
Now we have met Ji Xingwen, the battalion commander of the "Big Knife Team" during the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War. How many people in later generations don't know about the Big Knife Team?

Yue Qianli also took the opportunity to express his respect for Master Ji:
"Commander Ji, in the battle of Xifengkou, you led a 500-man broadsword team to attack the Japanese army camp at night, killing many Japanese soldiers and over 300 of them. The Japanese soldiers were so scared that they had to wear iron neck hoops when they slept. The song "Chop the Japanese Heads with the Broadsword" inspired thousands of people.

You were the one who led the way in firing the first shot of the all-out war of resistance at Marco Polo Bridge. I never thought that one day I would be able to fight alongside you. It is such an honor. "

Ji Xingwen didn't expect Yue Qianli to still remember the story of the Big Knife Team. This was definitely the happiest moment in his life, so he smiled and said:
"Brother Yue, you are too kind. My meager achievements are far from yours. Everyone knows that Brother Yue is known as the Colonel Harvester. The number of colonels and generals who died at the hands of the guerrilla column is too numerous to count with two hands.
The first anti-Japanese general deserves the title! "

The sedan chair was carried by the crowd. Although Ji Xingwen had already been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and Division Commander, he was actually only 30 years old, only one year older than Yue Qianli.
After chatting, they felt a sense of mutual respect and became close brothers.

Although Commander Ji was from the Northwest Army, he was highly regarded by the government after his Big Sword Team became famous in a battle. He was specially approved to study in the fifth term of the Army University. He and Yue Qianli were also classmates at Huangpu Military Academy, so they were close. It was common for the government troops to try to make friends with each other. Due to the urgency of the military situation, they could only stop at that and started talking about business;
Commander Ji first explained the reason why Commander Feng sent him here, and then asked about the battle situation and Yue Qianli's deployment.

Seeing that Lao Ji had brought up the serious matter, Yue Qianli told him his thoughts and then added:
"Brother Ji, I was not sure about this at first, but now that the 77th Army is helping me, I have to have some fun with that old devil Tanaka Shizuka."

Division Commander Ji could see that Yue Qianli was giving a big piece of cake to the 77th Army. The guerrilla column was fully capable of swallowing up the 104th Regiment on its own, and even severely damaging part of the 13th Division.
He immediately said embarrassedly:

"Brother Yue, I have learned a lot this time. It is true that a great reputation is not in vain. It turns out that the 104th Regiment is not enough for you. You are worthy of being called a colonel harvester. It seems that there will be another colonel in the account this time.

My 77th Army will help Brother Yue!"

“Brother Ji, you can’t say that. When two brothers do business, it’s natural that whoever sees it gets a share.

One more person means more strength, let alone an army. With Commander Feng at our side, we can get down to work without any hesitation."

Division Commander Ji thought about it and realized that the devils still had an 8th Brigade. With the assistance of the 77th Army, the guerrilla column would have more cards to play, and the chances of winning this battle would be greatly increased. Thinking of this, he stopped being pretentious and said directly:
"Brother Yue, then you can assign me some more tasks, so that I can vent my anger at Huo Shan."

Yue Qianli thought for a moment and then said:

"According to the news from the reconnaissance battalion, the other two regiments of the 13th Division have already attacked in the direction of Gushi. It is not so easy to turn around and break through.

Commander Li has already telegraphed the 51st Army to block the enemy along the way, and it will take at least two days to reach the vicinity of Horseshoe Valley.

The Japanese reinforcements now only have one 58th Infantry Regiment, with one cavalry regiment and one artillery regiment attached.
I only have one 58rd detachment to stop the enemy, there is a gap between the th Regiment and the artillery regiment, and there is only one cavalry regiment to protect the artillery regiment. "

As soon as Master Ji heard it, he understood it and interrupted excitedly:
"Brother Yue, do you want me to lead the 179th Division to go around and kill the enemy's artillery regiment?"

Yue Qianli added:

"To be exact, there is another cavalry regiment. I will ask Captain Jiang to lead a reconnaissance brigade to cooperate with you. They are more familiar with the terrain."

Master Ji waved his hand and said:
"It's just a cavalry regiment. The mountainous terrain is not suitable for cavalry group combat. My 179th Division can still deal with a thousand cavalrymen."

As soon as he heard that there were Japanese enemies fighting, Commander Ji's domineering attitude was revealed. He was a man who dared to chop the Japanese enemies with just a big knife.

Commander Ji first used the guerrilla column's radio to contact the military headquarters, and then sent Yue Qianli's combat deployment to Commander Feng. He also established a communication channel between the guerrilla column and the 77th Army. After that, he couldn't wait to leave.

After Commander Ji left, Chen Zhongyuan said excitedly:

"Old Yue, now it's all right. We have an army of helpers. We are more confident in defeating the Japanese. Even if the entire 13th Division comes, we can still fight."

Yue Qianli was also in a good mood. The previous reserve force was the training battalion, but now there were two divisions of the 77th Army as reserve forces, and the 51st Army was holding back the other two regiments of the Japanese.

The only reinforcement the Japanese could mobilize was the 8th Brigade, and there was a great hope of encircling and annihilating the 104th Regiment, the 58th Regiment, the Cavalry Regiment and the Mountain Artillery Regiment.

He was not greedy for more. After defeating this group of devils, the battle in the northern foothills of Dabie Mountains would be much easier.

Thinking of this, he said to Chen Zhongyuan:
"Old Chen, send a telegram to Duan Yulin immediately. Once the 179th Division has made a detour and cut off their connection with the artillery and cavalry, send the 58th Regiment into the Horseshoe Valley.

Then cooperate with the 179th Division to eat up the Japanese cavalry and artillery, and pull out the Japanese teeth! "

Chen Zhongyuan excitedly took the order and then asked Commander Feng through the radio to send a division to block the western exit and leave a division as a reserve, ready to support the first and second detachments in combat at any time.

Yue Qianli had already spread the net and was just waiting for the 179th Division to move into position.

On the eastern front, the Third Brigade blocked the position, and the Japanese offensive was repelled again. The new 58th Regiment Commander, Colonel Ueda Dohiro, was furious:

"Bagayalo, you are a bunch of useless people. You can't fight without artillery?"

"Asano-kun, how long will it take for the artillery regiment to arrive?"

Senior staff officer Ichiro Asano quickly replied:
"It's still a few kilometers away. It will take at most two hours to get there."

Colonel Ueda's face looked better. He led the 58th Infantry Regiment to arrive first.

Because the Third Detachment severely damaged the road during the process of blocking the enemy layer by layer, the artillery regiment was delayed for a day, and the cavalry regiment and a squadron of infantry provided protection along the way.

The 13th Division Artillery Regiment was equipped with a 105mm howitzer battalion, which needed to be towed by mules and horses, so the road conditions were relatively high;
Now they could only use the regiment artillery to support the infantry operations, while the defense of the Third Detachment was with the first battalion in the middle, and the second, third and artillery battalions on both wings, blocking the Japanese completely.

In order to keep the pressure on the blocking troops, Colonel Ueda once again ordered a diversionary attack and waited for the artillery regiment to arrive before launching a general attack.

(End of this chapter)