Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

The three men trembled and asked, "Commander Li, are you, the Jin-Cha-Ji Independent Column, really going to attack Datong?"

Li Yunlong nodded and said, "Yes, I came here to attack Datong, attack the coal mines, and rescue these suffering compatriots!"

Chapter 179 The Inhumane Devils

Li Yunlong had visited the Datong mass grave site to pay tribute in his previous life, so Li Yunlong knew the situation in the mine better than Li Youfu and others, and he also knew about the brutal things the Japanese did in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth mines.

Tens of thousands of miners work in these dark mines. Some open-pit coal mines are still okay, as they can still bask in the sun every day, but once they go down into the mines, they work almost from morning to late at night, with only two meals a day, or even only one meal.

The food was all moldy and the portions were so small that even a child wouldn't be full, let alone an adult doing heavy physical labor. And water? Mineral water.

If you are a little slow at work or fail to complete today's goals, you will be punished. These punishments are no different from the way you interrogate prisoners. Whipping is the lightest punishment, and being buried alive is a common occurrence.

Most of the miners were deceived by the Japanese, and some were sold. Bandits and some landlords sold ordinary people to the mines. One head could be worth several dollars. The Japanese even did not spare children in their teens.

In order to prevent these miners from escaping, the Japanese executed all the escaping miners and gathered them in an open space in the mining area, watching the miners who failed to escape being tortured to death.

Some people were thrown directly onto the burning coal pile by the Japanese, or the Japanese poured red-hot coal on the miners and watched them struggle and wail before they died. It was inhumane.

Others would be beheaded or hanged. In order to increase the deterrent effect, some disobedient miners were even buried alive, with only their heads exposed, and buried at the entrance of the miners' dormitories.

When the miners go to the mine and return to the dormitory every day, they can see the fate of these disobedient miners. Their heads are planted on the ground like crops.

As for the dormitories where the miners lived, dozens of people were crowded in a small and damp room. It was stuffy in the summer and they had to huddle together for warmth in the winter. In coal-producing areas, the Japanese prohibited workers from using coal for heating in winter, and people often froze to death. There were no rats or mosquitoes here because all living things that could be seen would be caught and eaten.

Moreover, you absolutely cannot get sick in the mines. Once you get sick, it is basically a dead end. If you can still move, you must continue to work. If you cannot move, the Japanese will hit you on the head with a hammer. After smashing your head, they will throw your body directly into some abandoned mines.

Therefore, there are very few survivors among the Datong miners. The Japanese were afraid that they could not deceive anyone, so they always wiped out the miners completely.

In order to dig as much coal as possible and save costs, the Japanese did not take any safety measures at all. Once a mine disaster occurred, they would not rescue people but would simply blow up the mine and look for a suitable location to continue digging. As for the living people in the mine, they would not care at all.

Even in such a harsh environment, some miners survive by enduring inhuman torture and doing almost impossible physical labor.

After the Japanese were defeated, in order to destroy evidence, they drove some miners directly into the mine and then blew up the mine. Tens of thousands of miners who survived until the Japanese surrendered did not see the victory and were massacred by the surrendered Japanese. They were not discovered until nearly 20 years later.

Therefore, no Japanese soldiers in Li Yunlong's army ever survived, because even if these Japanese soldiers died ten times, they would not be able to pay off the blood debts they owed.

"Commander, give the order!"

After meeting with Li Mingfu and others, and listening to the tragic experience of the Datong miners, the captains of each detachment all waited for Li Yunlong's combat orders in the temporary command center.

"As for the mine, Zhang Dabiao, you are the commander-in-chief, you are in charge!"

"On Datong's side, Old Xing, you will be in charge this time!"

"Shen Quan is in charge of blocking the Japanese reinforcements at Tanyaoyu. Is it okay for you to temporarily hand over your troops to Zhang Dabiao?"

Shen Quan immediately said, "Please rest assured, Commander, I will ensure that the mission is completed!"

"I'm only in charge of the reserve forces in this battle. You'll each formulate your own tactics for the battles at the mines and Datong. Do you understand?"

Li Yunlong swept his eyes over the group of team leaders in front of him, especially Zhang Dabiao, Xing Zhiguo and others, who were the targets of Li Yunlong's key training.

Li Yunlong was very clear that with his current foundation, the number of people he would need to command in the future would be more than the 15,000 people in front of him, maybe 100,000 or even more. Zhang Dabiao, Xing Zhiguo, Shen Quan and others would be the command team that Li Yunlong would use to command the 100,000-strong army in the future.

When large-scale military operations are carried out, military discipline must be strict, and there must also be enough officers and soldiers to command various tasks. The commander only needs to formulate major strategic policies.

If the combat missions of a regiment or a division need to be carried out personally by a corps commander, no matter how great the advantage is, they will not be able to win. They need to learn to delegate power. What Li Yunlong needs to do now is to cultivate his awareness of the overall situation and control the battle situation.

After issuing the combat objectives, Li Yunlong did not need to worry about how to achieve these objectives, how to attack specific cities, and what tactics to use. These were the decisions made by the commanders and staff below. He only needed to control the general direction.

A commander personally calls a regiment on the front line. This kind of leadership that goes beyond one's level will only cause chaos in the command and ultimately lead to overall defeat. The one in Shancheng is a living example. Although there is no exaggeration in moving the machine gun position five meters, a battle of hundreds of thousands of people and constantly mobilizing this division and that division are essentially the same.

"Let's adjourn the meeting and get ready!"

"Yes!"

After Zhang Dabiao and the others left, Lao Zhao asked with some concern: "Lao Li, is it okay for you not to participate in the command?"

Li Yunlong lit a cigarette and slowly said, "This is a rare opportunity to train them. The opposing defenders are only a Type B division, and their bunkers and turrets are nothing compared to rocket launchers. If they can't even complete this mission, they'll be regimental commanders at best, and I'll be a corps commander in the end. I won't be able to handle anything more than that."

Zhao Gang immediately understood what Li Yunlong meant. Now the Jin-Cha-Ji Independent Column has reached the division level in terms of scale and organization, but Li Yunlong is the only one in the combat command center who can command a battle of 10,000 people alone.

This is definitely not enough if he wants to grow and develop in the future. Li Yunlong either has to train his own people or have the headquarters airdrop some officers to command. Obviously, Li Yunlong chose the first option and train his own command team.

This is a necessary process for any general to transform from an ordinary general to a famous general.

Zhang Dabiao, Xing Zhiguo, Shen Quan and others immediately left the command center. This was the first time for these three people to command so many troops to fight alone. After leaving, the three did not go far, but gathered together to hold a simple meeting.

"Deputy Commander Xing, how are you going to fight Datong?"

Zhang Dabiao asked Old Xing first. Old Xing thought for a moment and said, "We definitely can't attack by force. Datong is not a small county like Ping'an County. The city walls are high and the moats are deep. We lack heavy weapons. A strong attack would cause too many casualties and we may not be able to take it down."

"what do you mean?"

Old Xing already had a rough plan in mind: "Da Biao, although Datong is not Ping'an County, I plan to attack Datong the same way I attacked Ping'an County. You take action at the mine first. The Japanese will definitely request reinforcements, and then..."

"Of course, this is just one of my plans. If the Japanese don't send reinforcements to the mine, then I can only storm it..."

After listening to this, Shen Quan pondered and said, "Let's set a time. I also need to prepare. I also have a plan. If it can be implemented smoothly, I can guarantee that during your attack, no Japanese reinforcements will pass through my blocking position!"

"Okay, let's check the time. We'll launch the attack on the mine at 12 noon tomorrow. Everyone, be prepared!"

"It's 10:56 PM now."

"It's ten fifty-six for me too."

"Why is it only 6:30? I'm curious why it got dark so quickly today..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

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Chapter 180 Prepare to attack!

"These beasts, I'm going to skin them alive!"

On a hidden hill outside the No. 4 old pit, Zhang Dabiao was observing the situation in the mine through a telescope and said angrily that he saw a group of miners tied to pillars and being whipped.

Several people in puppet army uniforms were holding whips and beating the miners who were tied to a pillar. There was a bucket of water next to the whips, and they would dip the water in it and whip again after every two hits.

There were more than a dozen miners around who were forced to kneel on the ground by the puppet army. The Japanese did not appear above the mine, but were observing the situation in the mine from a high watchtower.

The mine is different from other places, and the management method adopted by the Japanese is also different. These miners have tools such as shovels to dig, so the Japanese dare not enter the mine easily. They find some bandits and bullies who usually commit evil deeds to serve as puppet soldiers to manage these miners on their behalf.

These ruffians, bullies, and bandits who usually commit evil deeds are submissive to the Japanese, but they are more ruthless than each other when it comes to their compatriots and miners.

Restraining his anger, Zhang Dabiao carefully observed the terrain of the old mine. Mine No. 4, Mine No. 5, Mine No. 6 and Mine No. 9 are almost in the same area. This is the area with the most densely populated mines in the entire region. The Japanese divided the area into several areas and built many defensive fortifications in various dangerous areas of the mine.

With just a glance, Zhang Dabiao saw at least ten machine gun positions built halfway up the mountain, as well as various watchtowers, shooting points, and so on.

In addition, to attack the mine, one needs to pass through three gates, and there are artillery towers and bunkers built by the Japanese near each gate.

The Japanese also built some artillery towers in some dangerous locations, but most of the artillery towers and machine gun positions had their guns pointed towards the interior of the mine to prevent chaos in the mines.

This is also the reason why tens of thousands of miners, who had shovels and other weapons in their hands, did not dare to resist. The Japanese had already built various firepower points, and as long as anyone tried to rush out, they would immediately open fire.

"The Japanese built this firing point so that escaping is almost harder than climbing to heaven. No wonder you can only enter but not exit."

After Zhang Dabiao looked at the surrounding terrain, he had already made up his mind. There was no room for tricks in this battle. He had to eliminate the Japanese strongholds, artillery towers, machine gun positions and other fortifications one by one before he could reach the core area of ​​the mine.

If it were the New 1st Regiment or even the 129th Division in the past, they would be powerless in the face of this situation. The bunkers and artillery towers were extremely dense, and it was almost impossible to break through them. Even if they had to sacrifice their lives, they would have to wait until the Japanese ran out of ammunition.

"Order the artillery battalion to knock down the Japanese gun towers and bunkers outside the mine before the attack begins. Then immediately relocate to high point number two. Don't conserve ammunition. Blow up all the Japanese gun towers and bunkers you can see!"

“Ma Renxin!”

"To!"

"The complex terrain here is not suitable for the cavalry battalion to fight. I'm sending a telegram to Deputy Commander Xing to transfer the cavalry battalion to attack Datong. Is there any objection?"

"no!"

"Zhang Kuixi!"

"To!"

"After the artillery blows up the enemy's artillery tower, your third team will attack the mine from the left along the left side of the mountain, and the first team will attack from the right to provide mutual cover..."

"Yes!"

While Zhang Dabiao was arranging the tasks in an orderly manner, Xing Zhiguo was anxiously waiting for the return of the scouts in the mountains outside Datong City.

"Deputy Commander, Director Zhang sent a telegram!"

Zhang Dabiao is the director of the Operations Department. In the army, except for the soldiers of the first detachment who call Zhang Dabiao the detachment commander, everyone else calls Zhang Dabiao Director Zhang.

"Give me!"

After Xing Zhiguo saw Zhang Dabiao's telegram, his frown relaxed. With the addition of the cavalry battalion, Xing Zhiguo was more confident in taking Datong. Now, how to attack Datong all depends on whether the Datong devils will reinforce the mine.

Ten minutes later, a ragged man came up to the foot of the mountain, limping. After making sure that there was no one around, he took off his hat, waved it vigorously twice, and then immediately trotted up the mountain.

"Report, Deputy Commander, we've already found out. The people guarding the city gates in Datong are a platoon of puppet troops and a small group of Japanese soldiers, about forty people, who are collecting city fees at the gates."

"The Japanese headquarters in the city is located in the south. I watched at the gate for a while and asked around. There's only one squadron of Japanese soldiers at the headquarters, but the military camp at the north gate is where the Japanese are stationed. There's a tank battalion and an infantry battalion. Together with the Japanese soldiers at the headquarters, there are about two thousand of them in total."

"Datong's city walls are very thick, and there's an inner city barbican. Blowing it up is practically impossible, but the city gate is a bit dilapidated. I took a look and saw cracks in it, but I didn't find any dragon-breaking stones. If we storm, we can blow up the gate and enter the city, but with the inner city barbican, a forced attack would incur significant casualties."

"Besides that, the other comrades didn't find any loopholes to exploit after a round of investigation. The train station is outside the city, so there's no way to get into the city by train..."

As the scout spoke, he drew down everything he saw on a piece of paper and handed it to Xing Zhiguo.

"Where are the other comrades?"

"They are all hiding inside the city. If they want to storm later, they want to see if they can open the city gates!"

Xing Zhiguo did not continue speaking, but looked at the time silently. It was getting closer and closer to twelve o'clock.

At this time in Tanyaoyu, Shen Quan and his team were busy. After cutting down the trees, they immediately processed them into the shape of railroad tracks. The tools they made overnight last night had already produced more than a dozen pieces of wood that looked similar to railroad tracks.

A group of soldiers were busy painting the wooden rails with coal.

Li Yunlong asked Shen Quan to intercept the Japanese reinforcements heading north at Tanyaoyu. The Japanese troops closest to Datong were an infantry battalion stationed in Shuo County and Huairen County. The other two were the 26th Division far away in Taiyuan.

If these possible Japanese reinforcements want to get to Datong as quickly as possible, they need to take the train.

If the railway is destroyed in advance, some puppet troops or Japanese soldiers patrolling the railway will drive by and check on both sides of the road a few minutes before the train passes. They will be able to find the destroyed map at a glance and notify the train behind.

If the tracks are damaged, the train will not come, and the driver on the train will also use a telescope to observe the tracks, and will stop the train urgently if he finds there is a problem with the tracks ahead.