Pingxingguan is located in the east of Yanmen. It was an important pass on the route of the Japanese invaders to the north of Jin, and it could be said that it was the only way for the Japanese army's baggage troops. The terrain here is long and narrow, and it can be said that it is an excellent place for ambushes.

After careful planning and detailed investigation, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army decided that the 115th Division, which had entered Shanxi first, would ambush the invading Japanese invaders at Pingxingguan.

The heights and villages on both sides of the valley are good places for ambushes, but it is particularly important to think about how to deploy the troops of the entire pocket since it is to be set up in a pocket array. One is that your pockets should be strong, so that you don't have to trap the enemy and have their pockets chiseled through. Another point is that the mouth of the pocket must be tightened, if the mouth is not tightly tied and the enemies behind it continue to pour in, then this pocket array is meaningless.

The two most critical places of the pocket array outside the Pingxingguan this time are the area of the Lao Ye Temple and the area of Xigou, and the Lao Ye Temple is the commanding height of the central area of the Pingxing Pass, which is suitable for condescending ambushes. The area around Xigou can be said to be the import of the northeast direction of the pocket array, if you want this ambush to be beautiful, then this opening must be strong.

On the point of who to send here in Baozikou in the Xigou area, the division commander and the deputy division commander had different opinions.

"Division commander, here in Xigou, you are arranging Yue Siliang's 424th Regiment. Should we think about this again? ”

The deputy division commander was very cautious when he said this, but the division commander still clearly saw some clues in the expression of the political commissar.

"What? You can't trust my arrangement? Do you have any opinions about Yue Siliang? ”

The division commander said with a smile, he had already guessed that other people would have different opinions when he decided on the candidate of Yue Siliang, after all, this Grand Master Yue was a very controversial figure.

"Uh......"

The deputy division commander was stunned for a moment, and then said frankly.

"I am not familiar with this comrade Yue Siliang, but I have heard some things about him from the mouths of other comrades. It seems that Yue Siliang's reputation is not very good, and judging from his past resume, this person does not seem to have any particularly bright and commendable achievements. The Japanese army is different from the white bandits in the past, their combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the white bandits, wouldn't it be too risky to let a person who has not fought too many tough battles stay in such a key position? ”

The division commander laughed out loud.

"Your brother always speaks so subtly, I'm afraid you've also heard the nickname of Yue Siliang's 'Cotton Chief', right?"

When the division commander said this, he was also a little surprised. He is a kind-hearted man, and he is unwilling to put this kind of unworthy nickname on his comrades.

"Hey, it's not been a day or two since Yue Siliang's 'Ya name' has been called, but he has registered with the boss. Do you want to know what the boss said about Yue Siliang at the beginning? ”

The division commander's words completely aroused the interest of the deputy division commander, and he put on a posture of listening to his ears. The division commander leaned back slightly, learning the boss's Shudi accent.

"Yue Siliang, this kid, looks like a ball of cotton, he is really a ball of cotton. But he still has needles wrapped in this lump of cotton, and if you really want to handle it casually, it will prick your hands. This kid fights, he insists on fighting! ”

The deputy division commander raised his eyebrows at that time, although the boss was approachable in his daily life. But in military affairs, his requirements are very high, and being able to get such praise from the boss shows that this Yue Siliang really has some ability.

"What about the rumors I heard......"

"If you don't say that Yue Siliang, this kid is a ghost, he has not fought a tough battle that he should have fought once; But he didn't shed a drop of blood that shouldn't have been shed; It's good for him, even if you don't give it to him, he can draw a circle and put it back in his pocket. If you look closely at his resume, you will find that although their original 17th Regiment is not the most prominent, it can always ensure the least sacrifice on the basis of completing the task. ”

This time, the deputy division commander also shook his head helplessly, feeling that this was originally a fox.

"Well, then I won't say anything. Wait for this Yue Siliang to give you the good news of the master's long pass. ”

The division commander nodded lightly, didn't say anything, just walked outside the marching tent, and looked at the bleak moonlight in the sky. Tonight, the lead clouds recurred, and even the faint moon and stars that could still be seen were quickly obscured.

"I'm afraid there will be heavy rain tonight, I don't know if they can reach the ambush site within the specified time."

……

The division commander stood on the top of the hill overlooking the mountains, and Yue Siliangbu was rushing to the ambush site with the brigade headquarters at this time.

The weather in the mountains was not good for several days, and seeing that the black clouds in the sky were getting heavier and heavier, they all knew that it was going to rain, and the team hurriedly moved forward.

"...... Uproar"

The pouring rain rained as soon as it was said, without a trace of defense. The already slippery mountain road became more muddy and the steep mountain road became more difficult to navigate. After passing the small village in the east of the old man's temple, the mountain road was even worse, and many soldiers in the team slid down the hill with one foot in the air under surprise, and disappeared into the darkness in an instant, without even leaving a word.

But everyone had no time to pay attention to the comrades who had lost their footing, and what awaited them was an even more brutal battle, and no one made a sound during the march.

"Alas......"

Yue Siliang in the team sighed and didn't say anything. But his heart was clearly dripping blood, what a good soldier, how many of them survived bloody battles again and again without falling, but disappeared into such a nameless rainy night, and did not even go to the real battlefield.

"Commander, Cai Jiayu is in front."

Lei Zi, who was closely following behind Yue Siliang, had a face full of rain and shouted at him against the sound of the rain.

"I know, when we get to Caijiayu, it's our place to go forward."

Yue Siliang responded loudly, his feet struggling in the muddy water. As early as before he arrived in Xiaozhai, Yue Siliang had already given up his horse and chose to walk, and there was no point in him riding a horse alone on such a mountain road.

"Boom !!"

As the rain became heavier and heavier, the worst fear in Yue Si's conscience finally happened, the torrential rain caused a flash flood! In just a moment, the yellow muddy water overflowed his ankles! The mud soup condescendingly rushed down like a big stick hitting the ankles of the soldiers, making it difficult for people to even stand firm. Everyone could only hang the bullets on their chests and continue to move forward hand in hand in the muddy water.

After an hour of wading in the muddy water, the large army finally arrived at Caijiayu, where the main force of the 344 Brigade set up an ambush. However, Yue Siliang and his 424th Regiment had to move on.

"Yue Siliang, it's up to you in front, you were my soldiers when you first joined the revolution! Don't disgrace me! ”

The brigade commander was an amiable person, and his round face was always the same as Mito's, but now he said to Yue Siliang in an extremely solemn tone.

"Yes! Old battalion commander! Don't worry, if I'm embarrassed, I'll come back to see you with my head up! ”

Yue Siliang stood straight and gave a standard military salute.

"424 regiment! Come with me! Target West Ditch! ”

Putting down his hand and turning around, he led the team to the destination without any mud and water.

……

In the early morning of September 25, the 424th Regiment finally arrived at their ambush point, Xigou. When they arrived here, the entire 424 regiment felt as if it had been washed through muddy water. Counting from Yue Siliang, the head of the regiment, his whole body was earthy yellow, and he couldn't see the true color of his clothes at all.

"Double seal, let each battalion count the number of people."

Sitting on the ground, Yue Siliang gasped and said. After a while, Wang Shuangyin came back and reported.

"Commander, we lost a total of 35 soldiers in the march just now......"

"There are so many people."

Yue Siliang's eyelids lowered and his brows tightened, and he felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart, but in the end he still didn't say anything.

"Alright, let's start building the fortifications. Wait until the battle is over. ”

I raised my hand and looked at my watch, it was already number 25, and there would not be much time left for them. Although they had just gone through a difficult and rapid march, time did not allow them to rest. On the battlefield, perhaps only when you fall can you really rest.

The three battalions began to take turns building fortifications, and the soaked clothes blew through the wind on the top of the mountain, and the cold could not penetrate into the bones. Even if everyone was digging with a spade, it couldn't warm up much, so in order to dispel the cold, everyone dug the fortifications faster.

Three and a half hours passed, and on the unknown high ground of Xigou, a set of combat fortifications sufficient for the men of one regiment was built. Everyone stood on top of the fortifications, wearing still a little wet clothes, and looked at Yue Siliang, who was standing at the front holding torches.

"Are you all cold?"

Yue Siliang's question made the soldiers stunned, but the old brothers of the 424 Regiment had long been familiar with his unique way of questioning, and answered honestly.

"Cold !!"

"Good! You guys are cold! I'm cold too! ”

Yue Siliang shouted loudly, and the tendons in his neck collapsed.

"But it doesn't matter! In a while, let's use the blood of Japanese devils to warm us up! These guys are in the Northeast! At the Lugou Bridge! In Shanghai! They are insulting our motherland, and today they are going to pass before our eyes! Didn't say it! In a word, they know it hurts! ”

"Hit! Beat! Beat! Kill! Kill! Kill! ……”

Seeing that the morale was available, Yue Siliang looked up at the sky with a resolute face, and at this moment, most of the dark clouds in the sky had dissipated.

"Concentrate on forging swords for ten years, and try to be in the future!"

……