Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 56 Bloodstained Golden Mountain

On the evening of the 13th.

Just as Wang Feng dispatched a regiment to speed up the march, the situation on the front line underwent earth-shaking changes.

Seeing that the battle of Xinkou was going to fail, Fu Zuoyi hurriedly dispatched the 35th Brigade of the 218th Army, the 2nd and 3rd Independent Brigades and other troops to Xinkou.

As the elite force of the 218th Army, the 35th Brigade served as the main force in this counterattack and launched a surprise attack on the Xiawangzhuang area.

The two sides fought until 14:7 on the th, and finally defeated the Japanese troops on the line from Xiawangzhuang to Gongjiazhuang.

The Japanese army's retreat was cut off and the situation on the front line took a turn for the better.

In addition, taking advantage of the night, the 54th Division and the 21st Division launched several attacks on the Japanese invaders in Nanhuaihua, suffering heavy casualties but failing to capture the area.

Instead of inflicting heavy damage to the enemy, it exposed its own weaknesses.

After this battle, the two division-level troops suffered heavy losses, and the obstacles to the Japanese army's access to Hill 1300 were basically completely cleared.

It's like losing your wife and losing your troops!
Noon on the 14th.

Zhang Hu led his troops on an expedited march of 50 miles and arrived at the key heights before the Japanese army launched a large-scale offensive.

On the battlefield.

Li Xianzhou, commander of the 21st Division, came out to greet them personally.

After the two sides met, Zhang Hu frowned and asked first: "Captain Li, what are the current casualties of your troops?"

The 21st Division is an old acquaintance. It is affiliated with the 17th Army. The two units cooperated with each other in the Tuanchengkou Battle.

After the Pingxingguan Campaign ended, the 21st Temporary Brigade withdrew to Daying Town and clashed with subordinate units of the st Division.

Li Xianzhou's face was full of fatigue, and his tone was very helpless: "At present, there are only more than 54 soldiers left in our army who can fight. The situation of the th Division is also not optimistic."

"Even if the two armies were combined, they couldn't muster 6,000 soldiers who could continue to fight."

Hearing the numbers reported, Zhang Hu's heart skipped a beat.

Six thousand people.
If we count the 2,600 people in one regiment.

It was difficult to resist the attack of the 9th Brigade.

Zhang Hu glanced around and saw wounded soldiers wailing everywhere. There were simply too many of them, and with the 21st Division's pitiful field rescue capabilities, it was impossible to deal with them in time.

The surviving soldiers did not go anywhere. They sat on the ground holding their guns and chatted about family matters.

The entire division headquarters seemed to have come to a standstill, with no effective command being given.

The situation will only get worse.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hu ignored the star on Li Xianzhou's collar and spoke in a very tough tone: "Captain Li, our army is already in a weak situation, why do we have to continue to delay here? The 21st and 54th Divisions must quickly regroup their combat effectiveness!"

In fact, Li Xianzhou's military rank was several levels higher than Wang Fenggao.

In terms of position, as the commander of the 21st Division, Li Xianzhou had the rank of lieutenant general.

And this is not the end.

As a general of the Central Army, Li Xianzhou also received the military rank of Major General of the Army.

With the blessing of many halos, his level is much higher than Wang Feng's.

But facing Zhang Hu's livid face, Li Xianzhou did not get angry. Instead, he said in a gentle voice, "Then follow what Captain Zhang says."

Then he turned around and said, "Chief of Staff!"

"Call the commanders of all units to come to the division headquarters for a meeting immediately!"

"Yes!"

Li Xianzhou said politely, "Excuse me, Captain Zhang."

There was only one reason why he was so polite to Zhang Hu.

Throughout the Shanxi battlefield, everyone knew that the Temporary 1st Brigade was a capable fighting unit with many brave generals, well-trained soldiers and sufficient food.

Right now the 21st Division is on the verge of collapse and can only rely on the st Regiment to rescue it.

It seems that the 21st and 54th Divisions are large in number.

In fact, at least half of the combat weight of this battle should be attributed to one group.

Even if Li Xianzhou was angry, he could only wait until the battle was over and then go back to vent it alone.

On the 15th.

The 9th Brigade occupying the Nanhuaihua area began to attack the top of the mountain.

After one night, the temporary fortifications at Hill 1300 were basically completed. The 21st and 54th Divisions regrouped and confronted the Japanese head-on.

Zhang Hu personally led his troops to set up an ambush behind the Japanese attack path.

In the dense forest.

Zhang Hu crouched on the ground, trying to cover his body with dead branches and leaves. A soldier came running over, trying to keep his voice down:
"Captain, the scouts are reporting."

"We found Japanese troops two kilometers to the northwest, with almost a battalion of troops!"

Zhang Hu put down the telescope and said, "My dear, the Japanese devils have finally taken the bait. Have you notified the friendly forces?"

The soldiers nodded: "We have notified you. The telegram has been sent."

Zhang Hu looked delighted: "When the Japanese come up, the fire support company will disperse and fire to attack the Japanese defense support points, and the infantry will work together in teams to suppress them."

"Strike the Japanese quickly with sudden, intense firepower!"

After attending military school, Zhang Hu became half a cultured person, and he commanded battles in an elegant manner.

Once the combat mission was issued, all units were mobilized in full swing.

In order to avoid exposing the troops in advance, Zhang Hu chose to deploy the troops in the rear first and temporarily arrive at the ambush position before the battle.

After autumn, there are more and more dead branches and leaves on the ground. Even if you are careful, you can hear a rustling sound when you step on them.

"Shh! Slow down!"

"Don't let the devil find you."

The soldiers' pace gradually slowed down.

After arriving at the combat position, the veteran looked relaxed and even had time to check his gun.

The reactions of the recruits were completely different. It was their first time on the battlefield and their nerves were tense to the extreme.

The crosshairs on the weapon were aimed at the open space in front of him, and his index finger had already lightly rested on the trigger. The sound of swallowing saliva could be heard softly around the position, and cold sweat slid down his forehead.

call.
The hands that were gripping the rifle were shaking slightly.

After half an hour.

The vanguard of the 9th Brigade was the first to appear in front of everyone.

The recruits suppressed the urge to shoot and watched the Japanese soldiers walk past them quietly.

Although they were shouting about fighting the Japanese every day.

But this was the first time they saw Japanese soldiers with their naked eyes.

"It doesn't look like anything special, just a head and two eyes."

Da da da!
A moment later, rapid gunfire was heard in the distance.

The 9th Brigade encountered the 21st Division!

Hearing the gunshots, Zhang Hu's heart trembled: "Prepare for battle!"

"Hit me!"

Zhang Hu seized the opportunity and made a decisive move.

Da da da!
After receiving the order, the soldiers subconsciously pulled the trigger.

The barrage of bullets attacked the Japanese army like a rainstorm.

The vanguard was caught off guard.

According to the situation, there were only two remnant divisions of the Central Army stationed on Hill 1300. How come so many soldiers suddenly appeared?
Why didn’t the scouts report in advance!
Cooperating with Zhang Hu in the battle were the First Battalion and the Fire Support Company.

The dense sound of machine guns made the Japanese commander a little confused.

They thought they were ambushed by the main enemy force.

"Fall back!"

"Quick, retreat!"

When it is unclear who is the enemy or ourselves, refusing to engage in combat is the most effective and safest way.

Although it's a good idea, I'm afraid it will fail.

After hearing the gunfire from friendly forces, the morale of the 21st Division was greatly boosted. Division Commander Li Xianzhou was on the front line supervising the battle and entangled hundreds of Japanese troops.

Seeing that large numbers of troops could not be withdrawn, the Japanese commander became extremely anxious.

"idiot!"

"retreat!"

After gritting his teeth and hesitating for a long time, he finally gave the order to retreat.

The sound of gunfire in the dense forest became more and more frequent.

The second and third battalions were deployed dispersedly along the paths that might lead to the rear of the Japanese army.

Give the enemy a fierce blow!
(End of this chapter)