The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 496 The True Strength of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment (Two-in-One Chapter)

Indeed! Since our Party has already told Principal Baldy about Hu Biao and others' encounter with danger in the Pingxi base area, there is naturally no reason not to tell Zhao Zheng and others.

While the bald principal was still doubting the veracity of the above information.

Zhao Zheng and the other personnel who remained behind also received the news and even took action overnight.

In Zhangjiayu, Pingding County, Shanxi Province, the location of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, or the headquarters of the Nationalist Army's Northwest Shanxi Guerrilla Area, there is an exceptionally spacious cave dwelling.

A senior staff officer put down a telegram forwarded from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.

He jumped up from his seat and said anxiously to Zhao Zheng beside him, "Deputy Chief of Staff, immediately summon all officers of regimental rank and above to headquarters to discuss the battle plan."

Even if the King of Heaven himself stood in our way, we would fight our way through and rescue Commander Hu and the other officers.

As soon as the senior staff officer finished speaking, countless voices of "Yes!" and "Give the order!" rang out, each one filled with excitement.

The owners of these voices are other staff officers, officers, and even guards currently in the cave dwelling.

This shows that even though Hu Biao and his men had been gone for more than a year, almost two years, they still held terrifying prestige and absolute control within the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

This is probably due to two main reasons.

On the one hand, even after Hu Biao and his comrades left, they did not completely disappear; on the contrary, they led their men to great victories such as the Battle of Guinan, and their brilliant achievements made them feel extremely honored.

They even remembered that they had brought them a large number of powerful American weapons.

This made them willing to continue following Hu Biao and Commander Hu, and willing to fight to the death for his orders.

On the other hand, among the key personnel in the military, civil affairs, military industry, and logistics systems of the Pingding County base area today, apart from a small number, are elites sent by our Party to support the construction.

Almost all of the others were people that Hu Biao and his men had personally recruited and trained when they established their base.

They trained under Hu Biao and others, receiving hands-on instruction in shooting or engaging in military production.

He was also verbally abused by Hu Biao and others, kicked with the soles of their feet, and they also boasted and joked around together.

They even participated in the brutal battle to attack Ping'an County, annihilate an entire Japanese mixed brigade, and snipe tens of thousands of Japanese reinforcements.

They achieved a brilliant victory, marking the first time since the start of the War of Resistance against Japan that a county town had been recaptured.

Therefore, each of them considered themselves to be a direct subordinate of Commander Hu and his superiors, like the "disciples of the emperor" in a play.

In other words, Zhao Zheng was the person in charge appointed by Hu Jintao.

They had no objections whatsoever and usually obeyed orders well; if other Nationalist or Jin-Sui armies tried to interfere, their orders would be completely ineffective.

Therefore, upon hearing the news that their Commander Hu and his officers were being relentlessly pursued by the Japanese and in extremely dangerous condition, they could no longer contain themselves.

However, faced with their emotionally charged suggestion, Zhao Zheng shook his head and refused: "No."

The moment the words fell, several higher-ranking officers and staff officers, their faces flushed red, were about to start cursing.

There's no way around it! The personal style and temperament of the military commander at the founding of each unit often have a huge impact on the overall style and temperament of that unit afterwards, leaving some deep personal imprints.

Therefore, the current situation of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

In a logical turn, it also reveals the attitude of Hu Biao and his ilk, who consider themselves second only to the heavens, have a fierce fighting style, and can only take advantage of others and cannot suffer losses.

Fortunately, Zhao Zheng has managed the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment so well in the past year or two, and the development situation is so promising. His own ability and prestige are also extremely high.

He glared at the group of guys who were swearing and started cursing back rudely:
"What? My words no longer carry any weight as the deputy chief of staff? Do you want me to take over?"

After being glared at and scolded by Zhao Zheng, the troublemakers immediately shut their mouths in a huff, but judging from their eyes and expressions, they were still a hundred percent unconvinced.

Seeing this, Zhao Zheng earnestly explained his reasons:
"I only said that it was not possible to convene a meeting immediately, I did not say that we would not send troops to rescue people; do you need to doubt my friendship with Hu Biao?"
The key issue is that our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment is now distributed and partially controls fifteen counties in northwestern Shanxi, with at least one main force regiment stationed in each county.

Even if each group has a radio station, they can still get in touch quickly.

Use your pig brains to think about how much time has passed by the time these regimental commanders arrive at Zhangjiayu, discuss and arrange the battle plan, and then send out troops.

"Won't Commander Hu and Chief of Staff An be in even greater danger because of this delay? Damn it! All you do is throw tantrums and act like spoiled brats. I really want to give you all a good beating."

Good heavens! Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Zhao Zheng was still seriously influenced by Hu Biao and his group.

He used to be a well-mannered and talented student, but now he keeps spewing profanities whenever he opens his mouth.

But the people present seemed to buy into it, mainly because his explanation was very reasonable, and the others were quite convinced.

They didn't mind being scolded; instead, they smiled and suggested, "Deputy Chief of Staff, why don't you just issue the battle plan?"

"Yes, since there's no time for a meeting, just tell us what to do, and everyone will listen to you."

Under these circumstances, Zhao Zheng got up and began to study a map of North China on the wall behind him.

After silently observing for seven or eight minutes, he seemed to have made a decision; when he turned around, his expression had become unusually serious, and he uttered a series of commands:
"I order that the three main divisions equipped with Japanese, Chinese, and American weapons, along with the Guard Regiment, the Independent Regiment, and the Cavalry Regiment, be deployed."

A total of 18 main regiments, comprising 3.82 men, set off overnight upon receiving orders.

The cavalry regiment, guard regiment, and independent regiment served as the vanguard of the entire army, eliminating all Japanese checkpoints and strongholds along the way to ensure the army's marching speed.

The specific marching route was as follows: they would leave Niangziguan Pass and arrive at Tianchang Town in Jingxing County, then head north to Lingqiu County, and then take the Lingqiu Road directly to Zijingguan Pass in Yi County.

The entire journey was about 260 kilometers, and even if the vanguard died on the road, they had to arrive within four days.

If other units encounter Japanese troops, they should avoid entanglement if possible; if it cannot be avoided, they should inflict devastating damage.

All I want is a successful rescue, no other excuses. Those who insist on making excuses should go and explain to Commander Hu and the other officers themselves.

In case Commander Hu and his men have already perished by then, I will personally escort them to see him.

In addition, a second line of 4.76 people, including all security regiments, supplementary regiments, and guerrillas in the base area, were assembled overnight; another 1.5 laborers and as many mules, horses, and carts as possible were mobilized to participate in this operation.

Drain all the weapons, ammunition, food, and medicine stored in the warehouse; we're not going to live like this anymore.

The second-line troops left one-third to defend the base, while the other third, along with 1.5 civilian laborers, served as the logistics and supply troops for the main force.

One-third of the troops launched guerrilla warfare and sabotage operations against surrounding Japanese strongholds, county towns, and transportation lines.

"Damn it! How dare they hunt down Commander Hu and his officers so relentlessly? Do they really think we, the entire Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, are all dead?"

As he finished speaking, Zhao Zheng slammed his fist heavily on the table in front of him, filled with anger and frustration.

That's indeed the case. During the Hundred Regiments Offensive launched by our Party some time ago, in order to avoid exposing the secret that the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment had defected to our Party.

Although they also launched coordinated operations, they had to keep the intensity and scale to a limited extent.

They kept a very low profile throughout the entire process.

But since we gave the Japanese a chance, they didn't take it. Now let's show them the true strength of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment after two years of quiet development.

Zhao Zheng issued a series of orders, and none of the people present objected. Instead, they all showed expressions of ecstasy and anticipation.

You should know that in the past, they had been focusing on their development in silence, and their usual battles were only small-scale skirmishes.

Although they were in a state of accumulating small victories into a major victory, they had already wiped out a large number of Japanese soldiers and puppet troops, and their own development speed was astonishing, far beyond the level of when they attacked Pingding County.

However, because it was too low-key, it inevitably gave the impression of someone wearing fine clothes in the dark.

Now they can finally have a good fight and show the true might of their Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

And indeed, in the time that followed, when the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment finally stopped keeping a low profile, their formidable fighting power immediately made the Japanese soldiers' scalps tingle.

After allied forces on all sides witnessed this, their thoughts became extremely complicated...

At 11:21 p.m., on the top of a watchtower outside Gaoqiangzhuang in Yangquan area.

Private First Class Kenichi Yamanori yawned as he mechanically turned a searchlight, his mind preoccupied with the contents of the letter he had received from home a couple of days prior.

Baka yarou! I've been away from home for almost a year, but my wife is only three months pregnant.

The mere thought of it made him incredibly angry. This anger persisted until he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and he jolted awake, quickly readjusting the searchlight.

Suddenly, in the bright beam of light, he saw a horrifying scene:
To the left of the pillbox, hundreds of figures with leaves tied to their bodies were quietly approaching, with the ones in the lead getting within 300 meters.

He immediately shouted in an incredibly loud voice, "Enemy attack!"

At the sound of the alarm, the twenty-odd Japanese soldiers and thirty-odd puppet troops in the pillbox were immediately awakened and frantically picked up their weapons and opened fire.

Fortunately, soon after, Lieutenant Lin Mu, the person in charge of the pillbox, shouted:
"A bunch of cowards, what's there to be afraid of? They're just some guerrillas."

We have trenches, bunkers, and machine guns; these guys can't possibly get through. Besides, I'll send a telegram to nearby friendly forces immediately; reinforcements should arrive in at least two hours."

Upon hearing the shouts, Shan Xian recalled that the blockhouse had been attacked by the Eighth Route Army before, but it had always managed to hold out successfully.

Since the enemy didn't even have artillery and their casualties were in the single digits, they felt much more at ease.

However, he soon realized that the opponent he was facing this time was not a concept at all.

Two minutes later, a faint command to "use smoke grenades" was given. Immediately, with a series of muffled thuds, a large cloud of smoke rose up in front of the left side of the pillbox, making them unable to see anything.

Driven by an instinctive sense of danger, they could only fire their guns desperately.

But their actions were completely ineffective. At most a minute later, two blinding flashes of light appeared in the smoke, and two strange objects, trailing flames and thick smoke, quickly flew towards the pillbox.

One of the shots missed, grazing the side of the pillbox.

Another shot hit the pillbox squarely, and the sturdy wall that Shan Xian remembered as having rendered the Eighth Route Army helpless was easily blasted open with a large hole.

A Type 11 light machine gun that was firing was blown away along with its crew.

From this scene alone, Shan Xian knew they were doomed.

He wasn't wrong. Five minutes later, Lieutenant Lin Mu was shot dead from behind by a puppet soldier. Shan Xian and six other Japanese soldiers were escorted out of the pillbox by more than a dozen defecting puppet soldiers with their hands raised.

These watchtowers, placed in other areas, would have been a huge headache for our Party's county and district brigades.

They couldn't even hold out for a quarter of an hour against the serious Subei Independent Regiment.

Of course! It's not that our comrades weren't brave enough in battle, it's just that their equipment was too poor and they hadn't received relevant training.

In reality, it was not the main force of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment that was taking action at that moment, but merely a guerrilla unit numbered in the thirties.

These second-line troops, which were known as security regiments and guerrilla units, were only undertaking minor combat missions; yet, even so, they still managed to defeat the Japanese garrison so badly that they cried out for their mothers.

In comparison, the main forces that truly tackle the toughest challenges demonstrate a far more frightening combat capability…

It was a little past 2 a.m., in the famous Niangziguan Pass.

Several months ago, the Japanese only stationed a company here, with a force of about 200 men, so they suffered heavy losses in the Hundred Regiments Offensive launched by our Party.

After much painful reflection, the Japanese have now stationed half a battalion, or about 600 soldiers, here.

Furthermore, taking advantage of the treacherous terrain, they built four large fortresses, effectively controlling this transportation hub on the Zhengtai Railway, thinking they no longer needed to worry about safety.

But at that moment, Captain Hisaishi, the garrison commander, looked panicked and frantically shouted into the phone:

“Support, we need support immediately.”

Although the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment only dispatched one regiment, their firepower was too fierce, especially their super mortars, which had a caliber of over 300 mm and were so powerful that they made the soldiers despair.

We can only hold on for half an hour at most.

If no reinforcements arrive by then, we'll all die here... Hey, damn it! The phone line's been cut.

Captain Hisaishi then threw down the phone and went to the front lines to oversee the battle, cursing under his breath. Little did he know that the garrison in Yangquan County, to which he had just requested reinforcements, was only slightly better off than them.

It was all because the Art Association Division under the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment passed by outside the city an hour earlier.

Originally, they didn't want to get entangled with the Japanese soldiers in the city because they were in a hurry to get on their way. However, the Japanese soldiers in the city were courting death and sent out two companies to prepare for a flanking attack.

Division Commander Liu Peng, a graduate of the 22nd class of the Engineering Department of the Yunnan Provincial Military Academy and a former captain of the engineering battalion directly under the 10th Division of the Central Army, began to berate them harshly:
"Give them a good beating, so that the Japanese will tremble at the mere sight of our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment from now on."

After the battle order was issued, the artillery regiment deployed 18 American-made M175mm howitzers on the spot. After only three rounds of artillery fire, the two Japanese companies that had hastily left the city suffered more than half casualties.

Then, they were surrounded from both sides by a US-equipped battalion.

With the nascent three-three system tactics and the automatic firepower of a large number of domestically produced Sten submachine guns, the remaining Japanese troops were wiped out in a single charge.

When the Japanese soldiers in the city saw this scene, they all thought they had encountered a corps of the National Revolutionary Army's Central Army, and they were so scared that they almost wet themselves.

After that, they huddled in the city, none of them daring to go out and provide support, and they no longer cared about the lives of the Japanese soldiers at Niangziguan.

The above situation is also playing out simultaneously in many other places in northwestern Shanxi.

In an instant, telegrams frantically pleading for help, or farewell messages filled with despair, flooded towards Taiyuan.

But for the Japanese soldiers, this was just the beginning.

After daybreak, when the Nationalist troops in the Zhongtiao Mountains, the Nationalist troops in the guerrilla areas, and our Party's troops also took action, the entire North China region was thrown into complete chaos...

A little after seven in the morning, in the headquarters of the Japanese North China Area Army in Tieshizi Hutong, Beijing.

Tada Shun, commander of the Japanese North China Area Army, who was woken up in the middle of the night, was listening to a report from his subordinates with a grim face:
"Commander, in the entire area controlled by my North China Front Army, except for Chahar and Suiyuan, all other areas have been attacked by various Chinese armies."

Their offensive was resolute; North China had never been so chaotic since Showa 13 (1949).

The fighting was particularly fierce in northwestern and southern Shanxi.

In the Jin-Northwest region, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment mobilized almost its entire force, with an initial estimate of over 100,000 men; they were well-equipped, tactically excellent, and possessed a strong fighting spirit.

In particular, the main force of nearly 4 men was no less powerful than the elite troops of the Central Army.

They have already captured numerous checkpoints and strongholds, and a few county towns, inflicting considerable losses on our army.

The main force in the southern Shanxi direction was the Nationalist army stationed in the Zhongtiao Mountains. They mobilized no fewer than 100,000 troops and launched a fierce attack on several areas controlled by our army.

Because of the sweep, we have diverted a lot of troops from southern Shanxi, and the defending forces are currently finding it quite difficult to resist.

"Stop the sweep immediately! Have all units retreat to their original territories; and send at least one division to drive the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment back."

After letting out a long sigh, Tada Shun issued this order.

If there were any chance, he would not have wanted to issue such an order, because it would have meant that their retaliatory action against the Eighth Route Army's Hundred Regiments Offensive had completely failed.

But not giving up the mopping-up operation was not an option either. Despite the fact that the North China Front Army had a massive force of 250,000 men, consisting of eight divisions and one brigade, it was not an easy task.

However, they are responsible for an area that is many times larger than their island nation, which is really not enough.

However, even if Tada Jun wanted to give up the sweep, it seemed difficult to do so in a short time.

His subordinate said with a wry smile, "It's difficult for the sweeping force to withdraw because, for some reason, the Eighth Route Army has changed its previous practice of leading us in circles and has launched an offensive."

Although the fighting was not particularly intense, it severely hampered the retreat of the sweeping forces.

If we force a retreat, we will have to abandon a lot of equipment and supplies, and suffer considerable troop losses.

Stimulated by a series of bad news, Tada Shun finally couldn't hold back anymore and cursed, "Baka ya ru!"
Why did this suddenly happen? Have the various Chinese forces gone mad? Why are they suddenly launching a full-scale attack on our army, disregarding the costs?

In response to this question, his subordinate brought over a map and drew a large circle on it at a certain point.

He said, "We are analyzing the situation based on the fact that we cannot contact the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, the direction of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment's attack, and the combat situation of other Chinese units."

Something must have happened here that we are not yet aware of, which led to all of this.

Upon hearing this, Tada Shun looked at the map and saw the circled area, specifically the name of Yi County. He seemed to realize something, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

He roared at his men, "Quickly send a telegram to Lord Okamura, ordering him to return to the capital immediately..."

(End of this chapter)