Songhu: Never Give Up

The volunteers of Heiyun Village finally decided to accept the incorporation of the guerrilla column, and their unit number was upgraded to the first independent battalion of the guerrilla column, with its own independent command.
As long as they do not surrender to the Japanese, the guerrilla column will not interfere with their operations and each will get what they need.

This is naturally the backup plan left by Yue Qianli in Dabie Mountains. The Fourth Front Army has a good mass base in the Dabie Mountains area. As long as they are given sufficient equipment and material support, the future development of the independent battalion will be limitless.

In another time and space, the 71st Army held out at Xiaojieling for more than a month, and only gave up when the Battle of Wuhan was almost over.

Now with the assistance of guerrilla columns on the flanks, there will be no problem holding out until the end of the Battle of Wuhan. More than a month is enough to gain a foothold.

The Nationalist army in the Fifth War Zone wanted to capture cities, so the guerrilla column established its base in mountainous areas and rural areas, leaving only one or two battalions to develop the area and deploy strategic locations in the Dabie Mountains in advance.

The First and Second Detachments flourished in the Dabie Mountains. In the early stages of the bandit suppression, the battalions gathered tens of thousands of stragglers and bandit armed forces scattered in the mountains, and the team was strengthened.

Then they went deep into the villages and towns in company and platoon units, began to establish anti-Japanese militia forces, and launched a rent and interest reduction campaign.

The Dabie Mountain area has always been a place where people are tough and sturdy. Under the stimulation of the rent and interest reduction policy and the call of the nation's survival, many people signed up to join the militia organization.

Under the leadership of the main force of the guerrilla column, they continuously attacked the enemy's logistical supply lines, seized the enemy's supplies to strengthen themselves, and effectively supported the frontal combat in Jiangbei.

At the northern foot of Dabie Mountain, in Chashu Village, the sound of gongs can be heard everywhere

This was a signal that the Japanese were coming. Some militiamen assisted the villagers in evacuating to the mountains. A main platoon stationed in the village and other militiamen held back the Japanese in a harassment battle, waiting for the main force to arrive.

This group of Japanese soldiers were very cunning. A few days ago, their three supply trucks were intercepted on the road outside Chashu Village, and more than 3 Japanese soldiers were killed or injured.

The few Japanese soldiers who escaped reported the incident to Major Tadahiro Komiya of the Chenwamiao stronghold, which was a large stronghold with more than 600 Japanese soldiers.

Major Komiya immediately dispatched more than 100 Japanese soldiers to form a elite commando team. Led by a traitor guide, they avoided the towns along the way and took a shortcut to the Tea Tree Village.

If the guerrilla column on guard outside had not discovered the situation in time, Chashu Village would have been surrounded by the Japanese.

There were more than 300 people in Chashu Village, but only one main platoon and a militia company of more than 80 people. Fortunately, many people in this village had participated in the Red Army guerrillas before and had rich experience in guerrilla warfare. They buried a large number of land mines around the village, making it difficult for the Japanese to move forward.

Although these mines were not very powerful, they could still break a soldier's legs. It took two soldiers to carry one injured soldier, and gradually there were fewer soldiers available for combat.

Captain Ishikawa Jiro was very depressed. Before he even saw the shadow of the Chinese guerrillas, they had already suffered more than a dozen casualties, most of them wounded, with legs broken by the explosion. It took more than 30 people just to carry their wounded, and the casualties were serious.
There was no other way, so he could only vent his anger on his guide, Zheng Ermazi:
"Bagayalu, what path are you taking? You are running into the Chinese people's minefields. You have a very bad conscience!
Dead, dead!"

Zheng Ermaizi was terribly frightened and begged for mercy:

"Your Highness, I am innocent. I have been to Chashu Village before and it was very safe—"

Ishikawa Jiro raised his hand and slapped him several times, making him dizzy and his face swollen. He did not dare to argue, but could only bow and beg for mercy, expressing his loyalty like a dog.

Ishikawa Jiro was taking out his anger on Zheng Ermazi, and after he was tired of beating him, he said:
"Bagayalu, lead the way quickly, or we'll be dead!"

Zheng Ermaizi was shocked and continued to lead the Japanese. All this was seen by the militiaman Ma Xiaochuan, who immediately got up and ran back to report the news.
The Japanese were about to enter the ambush circle of the main platoon. Sun Yuangui, the main platoon leader and militia company commander, was waiting for the Japanese with his brothers.

The militia company in Chashu Village had just been formed and had not received any special training, so it could only rely on the main platoon;
This time the Japanese caught them off guard. If there had not been a minefield prepared in advance to hold back the Japanese, the villagers of Chashu Village would have suffered.

Sun Yuangui's platoon was affiliated with the 2nd Company of the 2rd Battalion of the 5nd Battalion of the 67st Detachment of the Guerrilla Column, and consisted of only squads and people;
Equipped with 5 Type 1 light machine guns, 30 grenade launcher, and more than rifles.

The militia company was equipped with 1 machine gun and more than 20 rifles, while others used bird guns, three-barreled guns, spears, etc.

The main forces have now been expanded, and many platoons have 5 or even 6 squads. The number has increased, but the combat effectiveness has not improved much;

Those newly gathered scattered soldiers still need time to integrate into the guerrilla column system and win a few more battles to get used to it. "Captain, the Japanese are coming soon. There are more than a hundred of them. Shall we fight?"

The squad leader in charge of keeping watch came over to report that Sun Yuangui was a veteran of many battles. He would get excited whenever he heard about the Japs, and he immediately said loudly:

"Fight! The Japanese have come to our door, why not fight them?
Let the brothers be ready and listen to my gunshots. Once the gunshots are heard, the grenade-throwing team will throw all the grenades at the devils.

The firepower team's machine guns should fire at the Japanese with all their might. Don't be stingy with the bullets!
After the fight, follow my command and retreat to Yezhuao at the entrance of the village, and then we will give them another blow."

After hearing this, squad leader Liu Sibao excitedly took the order and left. This group of Japs were too bold, and he had long wanted to teach them a lesson.

Soon, the Japanese soldiers, led by Zheng Ermazi, sneaked into the pocket formation set up by Sun Yuangui. Without waiting for all the Japanese soldiers to enter, Sun Yuangui took the lead and fired a shot at the leader Zheng Ermazi. The bullet hit his thigh, and he cried out in pain on the ground.

Sun Yuangui's gunshot was an order. More than 20 soldiers from the grenade-throwing team threw rows of grenades into the group of Japanese soldiers, blowing them up. More than 100 grenades were thrown in one breath, causing heavy casualties among the Japanese soldiers.

Before the Japanese could react, six machine guns and dozens of rifles opened fire on the chaotic Japanese, mowing down the Japanese in rows;
The other Japanese soldiers were unaware of the situation and retreated one after another. Sun Yuangui took the opportunity to order a retreat so as not to give the Japanese soldiers a chance to fight.

Ishikawa Jiro was also very experienced in combat and soon discovered that the ambush was a bluff and that there were not many people.
So he ordered a pursuit. As for the wounded, he could no longer take care of them. He was already furious, and he would not feel relieved unless he killed them all.

Although this round of firepower assault was short, it caused a lot of casualties to Ishikawa's squadron. The vanguard squad was almost wiped out, and the second squad also had more than a dozen casualties. Only the third squad, which was lagging behind, was not damaged.

The Ishikawa Squadron came here to take revenge on the Chashu Village, but ended up losing more than they gained. Naturally, they would not give up and continued to pursue with the remaining Japanese soldiers.

Captain Ishikawa shouted angrily:
"The monk may escape, but the temple cannot. Charge into the tea village, steal money, food, women, and kill all the Chinese!"

Captain Ishikawa was determined to kill and was ready to massacre the entire village. After hearing this, the other Japanese soldiers screamed in excitement. Their morale rose again and they chased after the guerrillas.

Soon they arrived at Yezhuao, which was the only way to enter the village. It was a valley sandwiched between two mountains, shaped like a gourd bag. There were lush trees in the forests on both sides, and wild boars appeared from time to time, hence the name Yezhuao.

The Japanese didn't take the guerrillas seriously at all and rushed in headfirst. The guerrillas didn't show them any mercy and opened fire at full force, killing so many Japanese that their bodies filled the valley.
The Ishikawa Squadron belonged to the 16th Division, an elite field force of the Japanese. After getting over the initial panic, they quickly organized a counterattack.

They used one part to contain the guerrillas' firepower in the front, while the other part began to make a detour from the flank, which was also the specialty of the devils;

There are only about 40 veterans in the guerrillas, and the rest are militiamen and gathered stragglers. These people can fight a favorable battle, but they are not good enough to fight a positional battle with the ferocious Japanese invaders.

Sun Yuangui knew his own business, so after gaining the advantage, he left the main force of two squads to hold back the Japanese on the front, while the others continued to retreat deep into the mountains and annihilate the enemy in the movement.

The Ishikawa Squadron did not fall for their trick, but rushed into the Chashu Village with ferocious eyes, intending to kill all the villagers in the village.
Unfortunately, their search was in vain. The angry Japanese searched everywhere for food and property, looted everything they could, and then burned down the village.

A century-old village was destroyed by the devils, but they were not satisfied and wanted to continue to go deep into the mountains to encircle and suppress the guerrillas. The deputy squadron leader quickly dissuaded them:
"Ishikawa-kun, the mountains are high and forested, which is very suitable for guerrillas to ambush. The imperial army has suffered dozens of casualties. It will take a small team of warriors to take care of the wounded. We won't gain any advantage if we continue fighting. It is better to withdraw to the base and make long-term plans."

Captain Ishikawa was blinded by anger. He raised his hand to stop the deputy squadron leader, Lieutenant Ono, and said with disdain:
“The guerrillas could not get far with a large number of villagers, they took away all the food and livestock, and the flower girls!
You lead a squad to take care of the injured warriors in the open area outside the village, and I will lead the other warriors to continue the pursuit. If they provoke the Imperial Army, we will capture them and kill them all even if they run to the ends of the earth. The Imperial Army will not tolerate humiliation."

Lieutenant Ono saw that he could not persuade Captain Ishikawa, so he had to give up. So the Japanese made adjustments and kept all the seriously wounded soldiers who restricted their pursuit speed, while the other Japanese continued to search deep into the mountains for villagers and guerrillas.

In Dajing Town, Captain Lin Mijian was furious after hearing the report from Chashu Village and immediately yelled:
"Fuck it! A squadron of Japanese dared to come to our hinterland to cause trouble. If we don't kill these bastards, they don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is!
Captain Liu, Company 1 and the artillery company, follow me to kill these bastards!"

After receiving the order, Liu Sanpao, the company commander stationed in Dajing Town, immediately assembled his troops. Ten minutes later, they left Dajing Town and headed straight for Chashu Village.

(End of this chapter)