Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

And this wimp in front of me actually agreed to it, what a wimp he is!

In Li Yunlong's opinion, this guy in front of him was not even qualified to be a soldier. He had not won any victory in foreign wars. Everyone knew who was responsible for the few victories that he nominally won under the command title. Apart from causing trouble, corruption, and flattery, he had no positive effect at all.

It is worth mentioning that this guy’s ability to flatter and make money is indeed first-class, and his ability to come up with excuses is also unique in the world.

He bought a plane under the pretext of celebrating the birthday of the guy in Shancheng, and all the money went into his own pocket.

To the outside world, this guy has no bones and kneels down at the slightest touch, like a slug. But to the inside, this Commander He is not soft-hearted at all. During the Xi'an incident, he brought hundreds of thousands of troops and clamored to massacre Chang'an. The Wannan incident was also planned by him.

When Commander He came to Li Yunlong's place to attend his wedding, Li Yunlong felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten shit. Bah, disgusting, disgusting. When the time comes, let's set up a separate table for him and Xiaocao and the other kids to sit at the same table.

No, if we do this, Xiaocao and other children will probably feel disgusted when they grow up. It’s better to let him sit at a table alone.

"Instructor, this kid is just like that. He's quite blunt and doesn't hold back. We haven't seen each other for a long time. I've been feeling itchy lately. Instructor, can we have a sparring match?"

The brigade commander touched his fist with a smile and walked towards his old instructor with a kind smile.

This dear instructor of mine has always been ruthless to me and my comrades and has never been soft-hearted. I didn't have the chance before, but now that he is in my territory, I have to treat him well.

Seeing the brigade commander's expression, the division commander and others stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, Commander He is here to inspect our work. Everyone, welcome!"

As he spoke, he winked at the brigade commander. After hearing this, the brigade commander reluctantly took out a lighter and lit a cigarette for himself. Like Li Yunlong, he also disliked this Chief He. To be precise, no one in our army liked this Chief He. The gentleman in the mountain city even commented that this guy was a sinner for all time.

The division commander and others also considered the overall situation. After all, they had to maintain superficial peace between the two sides and could not completely tear each other apart.

The division commander patted the brigade commander on the shoulder, took the lighter, lit a cigarette for himself and said, "The overall situation is more important!"

After saying that, he smiled and pulled Commander He out of the command center.

"Bad luck!" Li Yunlong looked at Commander He's back and spat.

The brigade commander nodded in agreement, watched Li Yunlong pick up a cigarette, and subconsciously touched his pocket.

"Still a deadly star!"

The brigade commander muttered in frustration, then looked at Li Yunlong's pocket.

"Report,……"

A telegram made Li Yunlong give up lighting a cigarette and devote himself to command again.

Chapter 264 Zhang Dabiao's Memoirs

"The first shot of the Yuxian battle was fired at noon on June 11, 1941. The time couldn't be wrong. I remember it clearly. I kept an eye on my watch at the time. When Shen Quan was away, everyone's watches were very accurate."

"In the beginning, our first detachment was responsible for attacking the Japanese frontier positions. That was the most extensive battle I had ever fought in my military career. In the commander's words, when you're in trouble, you use tactical infiltration, and when you're in trouble, you use firepower coverage. That was the first time we used firepower coverage in a battle."

"Right after the battle began, the 107mm rockets developed by our commander rained down on the enemy's field artillery regiment like a meteor shower. This was the first time I'd seen such a scene. Although I saw it often when I went to fight the Americans later, I still can't forget the first time I saw a salvo of 107mm rockets."

"It's so spectacular, so shocking, so fierce! I'll never forget it!"

"At that time, the division commander, chief of staff, brigade commander and commander all improvised a poem. I said the word 'Niubi' next to them, and the commander laughed at me for a long time, saying that I was uneducated and that I could conquer the world with just one word 'Niubi'."

"The battle went very smoothly at the beginning. The Japanese Sixth Division's field artillery regiment was destroyed immediately after the battle began."

"The Japs use only three tactics to fight: artillery bombardment, infantry charge, and then the infantry charge. After the infantry charge, the artillery bombardment. Without artillery, the Japs only have the infantry charge left."

"The Japanese had no artillery, but we did. At that time, our Jin-Cha-Ji Independent Column had five 105mm heavy artillery pieces, more than mountain artillery pieces, and a bunch of grenade launchers and mortars. Those were all supplies captured by our commander when he attacked Datong."

"Under the cover of artillery fire, our attack went smoothly. The commander ordered me to take the Japanese position within two hours. I told the soldiers, 'One hour, one hour, I will take the Japanese position.' As a result, we really took the Japanese position in just one hour, hahahaha."

"The most difficult time in daytime fighting was when the Japanese planes came to support us. At that time, we had no planes and could only endure the bombing. Many soldiers fell under the Japanese bombing. Incendiary bombs, poison gas bombs, high-explosive bombs, the Japanese used every means they could."

"The battle lasted from day to night, and from night to dawn. The general attack was scheduled for 8 pm. The commander ordered us to hit Kanda Masatane's headquarters before launching the general attack.

"Our first team retreated for six hours at night and then rejoined the battle."

"The most difficult battle was when we attacked Yu County, where many comrades died."

"The battles later on were a little easier. The Japs ran out of ammunition and wanted to engage us in hand-to-hand combat. We're not stupid. The Japs didn't have ammunition, but we did. If the commander hadn't devised a plan in advance and used up all the Japs' ammunition, the outcome of this battle would have been hard to predict."

"But the Japanese soldiers didn't just sit there and wait to be killed. Some of them had their national flags wrapped around their heads, held grenades, and shouted 'Ten Thousand Victories' as they rushed into the crowd, hoping to die together with us."

"Many comrades died in the street fighting."

"Not a single comrade retreated. Everyone had only one thought: to capture Yu County in one fell swoop and wipe out the Japanese Sixth Division. At first, I didn't understand why the commander was so determined to wipe out the Japanese Sixth Division. Later, I learned about what happened in Jinling."

"The battle was very difficult, and the Japanese were very determined to resist. They wanted to drag it out until daytime, so that their planes could arrive and drop supplies or bomb us..."

"When the fighting was at its most intense, the commander personally entered Yu County to command the battle, and the guard battalion was also deployed to the Yu County battlefield."

"The shouting, gunfire, and explosions never stopped all night."

"By daybreak, Yu County had basically been taken by us. Only the bell tower in the center of Yu County remained. The Japanese had built a defensive position there and were putting up a desperate resistance."

"The commander of the Japanese 6th Division, whose name is Kanda or something, Kanda Masatane, has captured more than 20 of our soldiers. These soldiers were captured by the Japanese because they were injured, but they didn't give in..."

"By the way, let me ask you something off topic. Will your production team interview Shen Quan? If they do, that would be great. Then put in a word for me. He's already so old, but he still can't read a watch. He and I agreed to call each other every morning at 8 o'clock, but he calls me every day at either 5 or 6 o'clock. He can't sleep, but I can still eat and sleep. The commander complained to me a few days ago that Shen Quan is getting more and more..."

"You want to interview the commander? I have to apply in advance to see the commander now, so you probably don't have a chance. But I can tell you that the commander is in good health, can eat and drink, and even watches Douyin before going to bed at night, hahahaha."

——Excerpt from the first episode of the 2020 documentary "My War of Resistance", an interview clip about the Battle of Yu County with Lieutenant General Zhang Dabiao, former commander of the First Detachment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Independent Column.

The early morning sun rose from the east, casting its light back on this broken earth.

Looking down at the Yu County Basin from a high place, the smoke had not yet dissipated, wildfires were still burning outside the city, black smoke continued to billow out of the city, and flocks of crows were preying in the sky.

The sound of gunfire that had echoed throughout the night had stopped, and the battle in Yu County was nearing its end.

Starting from 8 o'clock last night, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Independent Column used heavy artillery to blow down the city wall of Yu County. After entering Yu County, the battle lasted all night.

The sound of gunfire was very intense in the first half of the night. In the second half of the night, the Japanese ran out of ammunition and started hand-to-hand combat.

There may be devils hiding in any house or corner in the city, launching sneak attacks on the Eighth Route Army soldiers who have entered the city.

The battle was extremely fierce, and there were still nearly 20,000 elite Japanese soldiers in Yu County.

The shouting and killing stopped in the early morning. The last group of Japanese devils in the city, about 600 people, gathered at the bell tower in Yu County for their final resistance.

Several heavy artillery pieces were aimed at the bell tower, but no shots were fired. There were injured and captured comrades on the tower, and the Japanese used them as human shields.

"Why did the gunfire stop? Did they take Yu County?"

Li Yunlong, who was resting, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the staff officer beside him.

"Report, Commander, the last group of Japanese soldiers in the city number approximately 600. They have gathered at the bell tower in Yu County and are putting up a desperate resistance."

"Just kill them with heavy artillery!"

"Commander, these devils have captured more than twenty of our comrades..."

After hearing this, Li Yunlong picked up his military cap and said, "Let's go and take a look!"

When Li Yunlong came near the bell tower, he saw a group of Japanese soldiers forming a temporary defensive position with the bell tower as the center. The bell tower was covered with Japanese machine gun positions, and the last ammunition of the Sixth Division was concentrated here.

On the south observation tower of the bell tower, a Japanese lieutenant general stood with his head exposed behind a group of tied-up Eighth Route Army soldiers.

Many soldiers from the Third Battalion's Sharpshooters Company wanted to shoot, but were stopped by Xizi.

"I want to see your commander. Let your commander Li Yunlong come to see me immediately. I want to talk to him!"

"Commander, these comrades were injured and captured by the Japanese during the street fighting last night. There are no cowards in our army."

Li Yunlong nodded, picked up a loud speaker and said, "Listen up, you little devils over there! I'm Li Yunlong, commander of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Independent Column of the Eighth Route Army. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Hearing Li Yunlong's voice, Kanda Masatane also held a loudspeaker and said, "Li Yunlong, there are a total of 46 of your soldiers and officers in this artillery tower. If you don't want to see them die in front of you, immediately order your troops to make way and let us withdraw from Yu County!"

"Negotiate terms with me? Fine, release my people first, and then I'll..."

Before Li Yunlong finished speaking, the soldiers on the bell tower spoke first.

"Commander, fire! My name is Sun Dali. I was captured by the Japanese because I passed out from injury. Tell my mother I'm not a coward!"

After saying that, the soldier named Sun Dali suddenly turned around and bit the Japanese soldier guarding him behind him. His hands and feet were tied and there were wounds on his body, but these soldiers still had teeth and they could still fight.

"Me too!"

"Commander, we are the only ones still alive in the bell tower. Everyone else was wounded and captured. Commander, we don't want to be prisoners. Fire!"

"Commander, fire!"

"..."

Li Yunlong looked at the soldiers tied up on the bell tower fighting the Japanese with their teeth, and couldn't help but glared: "Fire!"

"fire!"

"fire!"

"..."

Chapter 265 Why did you carve your name on my lighter?

With a loud bang, the bell tower collapsed under the bombardment of 105mm heavy artillery.

As the bell tower was destroyed, the Japanese soldiers who had built a defensive position with their backs against the bell tower also met their end. Some wanted to surrender, while others fought to the death.

However, under the bombardment of grenade launchers and mortars, the simple positions hastily built by the Japanese were unable to stop the attack of the independent column soldiers. As for surrender, the Japanese fought stubbornly and no one surrendered.

Five minutes later, the Battle of Yu County officially ended as the last Japanese soldier of the Sixth Division was beheaded by a soldier.

"we won!"

"The Sixth Division was completely wiped out by us!"

"We won!"

"We completely wiped out an entire Type A division of the Japanese!"

"Won!"

The soldiers of the Independent Column, the 120th Division, the 129th Division, the troops acting together in the Wutai Mountain base, and the Kuomintang prisoners of war were all stunned when they heard the word "win".

Many soldiers seemed to have let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath. Then they jumped up excitedly: "We won, we won, we won!"

Many soldiers only realized at this time that they had won the battle and wiped out an arrogant Type A division of the Japanese.

After completely wiping out an entire regiment of the Japanese, they also completely annihilated an entire division of the Japanese, completing another seemingly impossible task.

"Victory!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Excitement and joy were on the faces of every soldier. Some of the soldiers were still injured, but they ignored the pain and carried the flag to plant the red flag at the highest point in Yu County.