In Taiyuan City, in the headquarters of the First Army of the Japanese Army, there was a busy scene coming and going.

The staff officers of more than a dozen Japanese First Army Headquarters were constantly re-marking the development of the battle situation around Heixingguan on the sand table according to the battle situation, so that Okabe Naosaburo and Major General Miyano Taro, chief of staff of the headquarters, pondered the battle situation.

"Reporting to His Excellency the Acting Commander, Gu Shoufu sent another urgent telegram, requesting the military headquarters to order the reinforcements to speed up and reinforce the 6th Division. They already have less than 10,000 living forces, and the Eighth Route Army has launched a general attack, and the defensive positions that are holding on to the need for reinforcements are constantly being lost. ”

Naosaburo Okabe, who was thinking about how to save the 6th Division's defeat, heard the communications office on the side of the headquarters walk out of the headquarters and report to the communications staff officer in front of him.

Naosaburo Okabe took the telegram handed over by the communications staff officer and read it, and after reading it in less than half a minute, he gave it to Taro Miyano, who was also observing the changes in the battle situation on the sand table.

"Your Excellency, the situation is not secondary. Even Gu Shoufu, a fierce general in the empire who is not afraid of heaven and earth, kept calling to ask the headquarters to send troops to support them, I am afraid that Li Yunlong is already going to eat the 6th Division in one bite. After reading the urgent call for help sent by Gu Shoufu, Miyano Taro said with a solemn face.

Okabe Naosaburo did not expect that Gu Shoufu would give up his dignity, and within ten minutes, he continued to send several urgent telegrams asking the headquarters to send reinforcements or urging reinforcements to reinforce them east of Pingxingguan as soon as possible, indicating that Gu Shoufu was blocked by the new regiment and other units of the Eighth Route Army, and suffered heavy casualties.

Closing his eyes, Naosaburo Okabe could imagine the tragic scene of the corpses of the Japanese soldiers of the 6th Division, which had been blocked and ambushed and suffered heavy casualties in the Qiaogou Gorge east of Pingxingguan, lying all over the valley road.

It is conceivable that once the 6th Division is really annihilated, this will definitely be no less shocking than the four princes of the Wa Kingdom who were ambushed and killed by Li Yunlong and his troops before.

Okabe Naosaburo, who was silent for a while, thought of these consequences, so he said to Miyano Taro in a condensed voice: "Order the first part of the 36th Division and the first part of the 37th Division that have been dispatched to move closer to the direction of Pingxingguan as soon as possible." All units did not have to blockade the base area of the new regiment in Hengshan, and carried out a large-scale peripheral encirclement of the troops of the Eighth Route Army, which were all-out to ambush east of Pingxingguan. Call back Gu Shoufu and order him that he must control the only remaining warriors of the 6th Division in his hands, give me a firm hold and wait for reinforcements, withstand the onslaught of Li Yunlong and others, and hold on for me for an hour. ”。

"Hai, Your Excellency Commander, I understand my humble duties!"

Miyano Taro immediately responded, and then hurriedly sent someone to send a report back to Toshio Denya, issuing an order to mobilize the 36th Division, and the 37th Division to move as close as possible to the direction of Pingxingguan, at least to form a counter-encirclement posture against the main force of the ambush force of the Eighth Route Army of Li Yunlong and others.

It's just that within a few minutes of receiving a call back from Okabe Naosaburo, the main forces of the new 1st Regiment, Ding Wei's 28th Regiment and Kong Jie's Independent Regiment had already surrounded the remnants of Gu Shoufu's troops and carried out a fierce attack.

Due to the absolute geographical advantage, and Li Yunlong added a large number of artillery, mountain artillery, mortars, and grenadiers captured in the previous battles against the Japanese army to the soldiers of the 28th Regiment and the independent regiment who participated in the ambush.

At least 20 minutes after the total attack began, more than 20 fighters from the 3rd Air Brigade of the Japanese Army took off from Datong Airport came to the aid of the remnants of Tanifu.

However, Li Yunlong had already ordered Wang Chengzhu to deploy antiaircraft heavy machine guns and many light and heavy machine guns to shoot at the air and shoot away the devil's fighters.

Therefore, after about 20 minutes of fierce fighting, there were less than 5,000 remnants of the Japanese 6th Division in the hands of Gu Shoufu, and the number of casualties was very large.

And Gu Shoufu, who got the latest casualties, his eyes were full of incredulity, and he grabbed the chief of staff Shimono Yihuo Dazuo, who was bitterly reporting the casualties of the troops, and said fiercely: "Shimono-kun, how is it possible? In about twenty minutes, we actually suffered three or four thousand casualties? How can it be? ”。

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, among the more than 4,000 casualties, at least more than 2,000 were soldiers who were injured in the previous series of blocking and counterattack battles, and the severe cold weather intensified at this time. Most of our logistics baggage troops were ambushed by the enemy and most of them were blown up at the first time, so there was no way. The wounded soldiers were not treated in time and died in the battle unknowingly. ”

Shimono Kazuho explained with a wry smile that he didn't want to either. But how could the Japanese soldiers who were slightly or seriously wounded in the battle be treated in this narrow Qiaogou Gorge. Some of the wounded soldiers themselves were not badly wounded and could only persist in fighting.

But unexpectedly, the snow in this Qiaogou Canyon is getting heavier and heavier, and the cold weather is getting worse, and the wounded soldiers continue to die in the battle unconsciously.

By the time Shimono Kazuho found out that something was wrong, it was already too late.

"Damn! There are less than 5,000 left, and it is impossible for us to hold out in such conditions until reinforcements arrive. The defenders of Daisuke Kotani, the nearest pass to us, are already unable to protect themselves! Gu Shoufu said hatefully.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, there is no radio contact with the Daisuke Department of Kotani in Pingxingguan. Moreover, we can no longer hear the sound of fierce gunfire at the Heixing Pass, and I am afraid that the 1,000 Imperial warriors of our 6th Division left in the Heixing Pass by Daisuke Kotani and my 6th Division are likely to have been wiped out. Shimono Kazuho still reported to Gu Shoufu in a low voice that he could no longer contact the Pingxing Pass guards, his eyes were extremely helpless.

"What?"

Gu Shoufu was taken aback, wouldn't this be the Japanese troops that had advanced east from Fanzhi to reinforce them, at least in a short period of time, it would be possible for the troops of the Eighth Route Army to capture Pingxingguan and block them, and they would not be able to counter-encircle and flank Li Yunlong's troops and rescue them?

"Shimono-kun, hold steady! Order all soldiers who can move and hold their existing defensive positions. Ordered the soldiers to block the Eighth Route Army, otherwise, our 6th Division would really be wiped out. Then, the formation of the 6th Division will cease to exist in the future. Tell all the soldiers to hold their ground. For the honor of my 6th Division, kill! Gu Shoufu mustered up his fighting spirit and ordered Shimono Ichihuo strictly.

At this time, there was no way, Gu Shoufu could only fight for his life and wait for help.

"Hai, Your Excellency the Division Commander, obey your orders. I'll personally supervise the battle and command! Shimono paused heavily, at this time it is meaningless to continue to stay in the headquarters of the field division, it is better to go out to supervise the battle and command in person, at least be able to muster up the remnants of the Japanese army on the front line of defense to give full play to the spirit of samurai, desperately hold the existing defensive position, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.