As soon as the guns on this side rang out, the Japanese puppet troops on both wings were like flies smelling blood, and quickly gathered in this direction. Maybe I'm worried that I will run away from this group of eight roads and go back to the Japanese. Not only will you not get any benefits, but you will also be unlucky.

Therefore, with the cooperation of the Japanese army, these puppet troops not only moved quite fast. And when it comes to counterattacking, it's also quite hard. As soon as the blockade line was opened, the puppet army over there had already appeared in front of the blocking position. Under the cover of a large number of light and heavy machine guns and mortars, they launched rounds of charges against Zhang Zijian's blocking position.

At the same time, on the side of the third battalion, dense gunfire also sounded. Along the entire highway from Huguan to Changzhi, dense gunfire rang out. Obviously, Tsuruta Numan on the side of the third battalion also launched an attack on the blocking line of the third battalion after sensing the breakthrough action on this side. Trying to cooperate with the Japanese puppet army here, Li Ziyuan's troops were completely surrounded and wiped out here.

Listening to the dense gunfire around him, and looking at the Japanese puppet army that arrived and joined the battlefield one after another on both wings, Li Ziyuan frowned and said to He Sanliang beside him: "These puppet troops are really fast enough to react, it has only been less than half an hour, and they have already rushed to reinforcements one after another." ”

"Looking at the posture of this charge, even when I fought against the Central Army during the Long March, I had never been so fierce. What I know is that they are a puppet army, and those who don't know think that this is back to the time of the civil war. I don't know if I worked so hard when I was fighting devils. Grandma's, a group of things that have milk is a mother's thing, and dogs are so hard. ”

Li Ziyuan's voice fell, and He Sanliang, who was holding a telescope to observe the battle situation, put down the telescope and said to Li Ziyuan: "Regiment leader, don't be too angry." These people turned to the Japanese in order to keep their guns. Like you said, if you have milk, you are a mother. ”

"Right now, there are little devils supervising the battle here, and there is a big Buddha like Tsuruta Numan behind him, these guys are different from those local pseudo-garrisons. It is estimated that these guys are still thinking about the little devils and Nanjing, and the equipment they have fished there to expand their strength, is it possible not to work hard? Anyway, they are not fighting with the Central Army. ”

"But Captain, we can't stay here, we have to move right away. At present, the speed and strength of the reinforcements of the Japanese puppet army around us have exceeded our previous judgment. If we don't leave, we're probably going to be entangled here. At that time, the Japanese puppet army was surrounded on three sides, and judging from the terrain here, we basically had no possibility of breaking through. ”

Before He Sanliang finished speaking, Liu Lianming, who was playing the vanguard in front, rushed back, and after seeing Li Ziyuan and He Sanliang, he couldn't even breathe and said directly: "Regiment commander, chief of staff, in several directions around us, small units of the Japanese puppet army have appeared. ”

"Especially in the direction of Huguan County, there are lights of a large number of devil cars. In the direction to the east of us, the cavalry of the devils also appeared. If we continue to delay here, we will probably be completely blocked in our diversion route. Shall we move right now?"

Liu Lianming's report made Li Ziyuan and He Sanliang look at each other, and they both saw the shock in each other's eyes. Li Ziyuan, who knew that there was not much time left for him, turned to the communication squad leader and said: "Tell Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang and the Second Battalion Commander to immediately alternately cover the retreat, get rid of the contact with the Japanese puppet army, and transfer the whole army in the direction of Shili Ling." ”

"The commander of the second battalion commanded the six companies of the second battalion, plus a platoon of the first battalion as the broken rear of the whole regiment. The commissar led a battalion of other troops, covering the non-combatants and the wounded, and collecting those who had stragged ahead. The artillery company and the heavy machine gun company seized the commanding heights along the way, covering the rapid passage of the large troops, with the 2nd Battalion and 4th Company serving as the pioneers of the whole regiment, opening a passage for the whole regiment. ”

"Tell the fourth company commander to give Lao Tzu a good bayonet and serve as the vanguard of the whole regiment, and if he encounters a devil or a puppet army, even if he runs out of the whole company, he has to open a passage for Lao Tzu. And you send an experienced veteran to find out the position of the third battalion at once and tell them about my decision. Let them never fall in love with each other, and they must be resolute when it is time to go. ”

After receiving Li Ziyuan's order, the communications squad leader did not dare to hesitate to convey the order immediately. After he left, Li Ziyuan raised his head and said to Liu Lianming: "You kid cooperate with the Fourth Company and do a good job as the vanguard of the whole regiment." Remember, I'm not asking you to gnaw bones and fight bayonets, but to be the eyes of the troops to break through. ”

Li Ziyuan's resolute tone, Liu Lianming nodded clearly. After both of them left, Li Ziyuan turned around and looked in the direction where the third battalion was still fighting. It's just that on the other side of the two mountain beams, except for the increasingly dense gunfire, there is nothing to be seen in the night.

After pondering for a while, Li Ziyuan turned his head and said to He Sanliang: "Lao He, you follow the forward, and I will pick up Lao Zhang and the second battalion here." If it is washed away, remember to meet at Shili Ridge. If you encounter a small group of Japanese puppet troops in front, don't entangle with them, just clench your fists and hit them directly. ”

He Sanliang, who also knew that this was not a place to stay for a long time, did not say anything more. nodded, turned around and walked in the direction of the fourth company. After He Sanliang led his troops to cover the transfer of non-combatants, Li Ziyuan climbed on the top of the hill and looked at the two wings that were still fighting fiercely.

It's easy to say just to retreat, but not necessarily to execute. There are some carelessness on both sides, and there are some puppet soldiers who want to make meritorious contributions in front of the devil, so as not to fly the ducks that may have arrived. As reinforcements arrived one after another, the intensity and intensity of the counterattack increased, and even a group charge of the whole company and the whole company was launched.

On the contrary, the Japanese army only dispatched one squadron, and most of the artillery covered the puppet army. The rest of his own forces continued to hold on to the strongholds and defensive lines on both sides of the road. In the face of these puppet troops who are fighting hard, Li Ziyuan's teeth itch but there is nothing he can do.

In order to get rid of the counterattack of the Japanese puppet army on both sides, under the condition that it has never been possible to get rid of the entanglement of the puppet army. Zhang Zijian gritted his teeth and concentrated the only heavy machine gun ammunition, and commanded the troops to launch a tactical counterattack, defeating a company of the charging puppet army, and then retreating safely.

After Zhang Zijian withdrew, Li Ziyuan, under the cover of the sixth company under the command of the second battalion commander, led the troops to quickly break away from the puppet army behind him and move towards Shililing. Before the Japanese mobile troops and cavalry arrived, they withdrew into the mountains south of the Huchang Highway.

But the puppet army behind him is very stubborn. Although they didn't chase all of them, they sent a group to follow them. Of course, it is limited to the overall situation of a large number of puppet troops and a small number of actual troops. The pursuing puppet army said that it was a regiment, and the actual strength of about 1,000 troops was about 1,000 under the condition that one of their divisions was only more than 3,000 people.

However, although this puppet army is only 1,000 people, it is quite well-equipped. Not only did the whole regiment have the same Liao 13 rifles, but each squad was equipped with a Czech or French light machine gun, two mortars and five French-made Hatch Chase heavy machine guns.

The squad leader all used the Dagu flower-making machine, and the officers above the company were all Dagu barge guns, which surpassed Li Ziyuan's puppet army when he broke through the blockade line. Although it is a formation, it is obvious that the equipment of this puppet army far exceeds that of their colleagues.

This puppet army was personally pressed down by the Japanese army adviser stationed in the department, a Japanese army captain, with a radio station to urge these puppet soldiers to bite Li Ziyuan's ass and chase down. Looking at the puppet army behind him, Li Ziyuan was a little annoyed. Grandma's, now pretending to be a tough guy.

There are more than a thousand devils, maybe Lao Tzu has no choice. But you, a thousand puppet soldiers, dare to be so arrogant, putting on a posture of beating the water dogs. Co-authored, Li Ziyuan is a bully in front of me, right? Even if there are no tigers in the mountains, it will not be your turn to be the overlord of the monkeys. The tiger is not powerful, and he really thinks he is a sick cat.

The reason why Li Ziyuan firmly knocked out this tail is not only that this puppet army is too rampant. There is another reason, that is, the combat effectiveness shown by this puppet army before, as well as the momentum of tailing, let Li Ziyuan clearly know that this tail must be cut off.

If you can't get rid of this tail before entering Shililing, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to stand on your feet even if you enter Shililing. Keeping this tail is equivalent to planting an eyeliner behind your butt. Even if he entered Shili Ling, it would be difficult for him to get rid of the follow-up pursuit and sweep of the Japanese army.

No one knows where the Huguan Independent Battalion has been transferred now, and without the response of the brother troops, with such a tail behind them, then they will not be able to get rid of the passive situation. Before entering Shililing, it became an inevitable choice for him to defeat this puppet army that was biting him.

Li Ziyuan fought and retreated all the way, looking for a suitable location, preparing to solve the tail behind him. It wasn't until he entered Shili Ridge that Li Ziyuan chose a location as the location for this ambush battle. Judging by general military common sense, the terrain here is not suitable for ambushes.

The slopes on both sides of the road are gentle, and the height is not too high. Generally, it is only more than 100 meters, or even less than 100 meters, and at most it is a hilly area with low mountains. However, the vegetation on the slopes is slightly better, with large areas of bush and low wood. The mountain road here is relatively narrow, and once the Japanese puppet army enters here, they can only line up in a long snake.

This kind of terrain is not a suitable place for ambush warfare. At least the troops are spread out here, relatively close to the puppet army's marching sequence. And the relatively gentle slope and low altitude allow the puppet army to launch a counterattack very calmly. But after considering the combat effectiveness of this puppet army, Li Ziyuan still decided to launch it.

If the terrain is too ambushed, the puppet army will be very cautious when entering the ambush circle. Stretching the formation or passing through in waves like this will make it impossible to ambush most of it at least. If they can't solve their large forces, even if they defeat some of them, it won't do much to ease their own situation.

Therefore, Li Ziyuan chose this ambush location, at least in a location that did not seem to be a suitable ambush location. It is to take them by surprise as much as possible and try to defeat them in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, the devil knows how many Japanese puppet troops are still around, and they are quickly closing around him.

And his old enemy, Tsuruta Numa, has he also gotten rid of the resistance of the third battalion and pursued him all the way? To defeat the puppet army in front of him as much as possible in the shortest possible time, Li Ziyuan can only do the opposite. Of course, Li Ziyuan didn't know the true identity of the puppet army chasing him. If I knew, I guess I wouldn't have taken such painstaking measures.