At about 8 o'clock, the Japanese chariot group attacked the Dongshan defenders from the front of the 106th Division through the pontoon bridge, and then detoured along the west side of the Nanxun Road, and then went to an unknown place.

The whereabouts of one were unknown, which made the defenders of Fengxin County uneasy.

Han Xing's first order was that the tank battalion that swam forward quickly set off from the Nanchang airfield on the night of the 21st and entered the ambush position of the tank battalion that night. The second is to send a telegram to Xu Da, specifically stating the battle plan for the battle of Fengxin, and asking Xu Da to cooperate closely, how to cooperate, and the telegram explains the various points of action that Han Xing wants to request.

On the one hand, Han Xing sent Pan Xiaoan's reconnaissance team, carrying a radio station, to observe the movements of the enemy's mechanized troops. On the one hand, he was constantly communicating with Xu Da and constantly improving the battle plan.

On the morning of the 22nd, Han Xing said to Liu Zhiyuan: "Commander Liu, your opportunity to make a fortune has come. ”

"What a chance to make a fortune?" Liu Zhiyuan asked incomprehensibly, "I just saw that you were busy all day long, but there was no enemy at all." What's going on? Is it the mechanized troops of the little devils who ran to Nanchang. ”

Han Xing said: "We can't take care of anything else, we can only manage the enemy in front of us." If I were to return all of your 100 mortars to you, would you? ”

Liu Zhiyuan was overjoyed when he heard this, but he still said a little uneasily: "I'm wondering, when did you Commander Han become so generous?" This mortar battalion, how many times I want to go through it openly and secretly, you just don't nod. Why did you say that you were going to give it to me today, I was really a little unsure. Isn't there any condition? ”

Han Xing smiled and said, "Of course, there is no pie in the sky. This evening, the Japanese army was about to attack the artillery positions of the 49th Army, and the artillery positions were dangerous. The task of your regiment is to recapture these cannons, as long as these cannons are recaptured, then I will return Hou Dashan's mortar battalion to you. ”

At this moment, Liu Zhiyuan finally understood, and said: "Oh, it turned out to be a cannon for a small cannon!" Commander Han, you don't suffer, it's us who suffers. ”

Han Xing said solemnly: "Don't tell me the conditions!" If you don't, I'll leave this job to someone else. ”

How can there be a reason for a leader to give him a task and talk about conditions. Liu Zhiyuan said repeatedly: ",, why don't you do it!" If you don't, even this mortar battalion will be gone. I'll do business with you, and don't even think about it at any time. ”

Han Xing criticized him and said: "Don't say anything unconscionable, I didn't get these mortars for you." You speak without conscience. ”

Liu Zhiyuan stopped telling jokes, calmed down, and listened to Han Xing's arrangement of combat missions. Han Xing specifically instructed him: "Remember, in addition to one set of anti-poison equipment per person, bring one more set." Bring the health team, and borrow more tractors for Hou Dashan. ”

Liu Zhiyuan was a little puzzled, and asked: "One set of anti-virus equipment per person is enough, why do you bring so much?" ”

Han Xing frowned and said, "I estimate that the brothers of the artillery regiment are more than lucky, and if they can save one more brother of the 49th Army, it will be counted as one." ”

Liu Zhiyuan understood and said, "It turned out to be for the brothers of the artillery regiment!" ”

And besides, the mechanized units of the Japanese army.

The Japanese "Central China Dispatch Army" attempted to capture Nanchang during the Wuhan operation, but when the 106th Division attacked south along the Nanxun Road, it was surrounded and annihilated by the 1st Corps of the Chinese Ninth Theater at Wanjialing, northwest of De'an, and suffered heavy casualties and was forced to stop advancing.

After the Japanese army occupied Wuhan, in order to cut off the communication lines from Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi to the rear through the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Road, remove the threat to the Jiujiang River and the Yangtze River waterway, and occupy the Nanchang airfield in order to shorten the range of its strategic bombing of southern China, it was decided that all units of the 11th Army would first carry out the Nanchang combat operation after resting and replenishing.

This is the notorious "Operation Ren" plan.

In order to ensure the success of the offensive, Okamura Ninji sent several times during the preparation period to send a staff officer to the chief of operations to reconnoiter the terrain, the defensive system of the defenders, the condition of the fortifications, the distribution of troops, and the location of heavy weapons.

In order to increase the intensity and speed of the offensive, Okamura Ninji changed the previous method of assigning field heavy artillery and chariots to each division and regiment separately, and changed it to the centralized use and unified command of the army when forcibly crossing and repairing water.

At the same time, the method of distributing the combat vehicles in front of the infantry battle formation, covering and guiding the infantry attack, the combat vehicles were organized into a tank group, and at a distance of two days' travel in front of the front-line troops, with the support of the aviation troops, a long-range detour was carried out to break through the defenders' defense line and open the way for the troops.

The artillery was commanded by the commander of the 6th Brigade of the Field Heavy Artillery, Tsumida Ryoshiro, and there were more than 300 artillery pieces of various kinds. The vehicles were commanded by Hiroyoshi Ishii, the commander of the 5th Tank Brigade, and there were 135 tanks and armored vehicles.

This tactic of concentrated use of tanks was more than a year ahead of the concentrated use of tank units by the Germans in the German blitzkrieg. Ninji Okamura can be said to be the originator of tank blitzkrieg.

Ishii Hiroyoshi led a huge tank force, flaunted his military might, arrogantly and arrogantly broke through the Chinese defense line on the first line of Xiushui, and then carried out a great roundabout combat leap to the southwest.

Immediately behind the tank brigade was the artillery brigade.

This tank unit is composed of 38 medium tanks of the 5th Tank Brigade, 22 tanks of the "94th Tank", 38 tanks of the 7th Tank Wing, 20 tanks of the "94th Style", and 17 "94" light tanks of the 9th Independent Light Tank Squadron, with a total of 135 tanks.

The Type 89 medium tank has been designed since 1927, with a total combat weight of 11.8 tons, a maximum speed of 25 kilometers, an engine power of 118 horsepower, a width of 2 meters, more than 1 57mm gun and machine gun, a crew of four, an armor thickness of 6-17mm, and the main armor can resist the attack of 37mm shells within 600 meters.

The Type 94 light chariot is the bean chariot called by the Chinese.

Hiroyoshi Ishii asked the tank brigade to line up in two columns and forge ahead.

In order to guard against enemy air attacks, it is said that the distance between each tank should be 50 meters, but it is too far away and has the disadvantage, that is, it is difficult to deploy when encountering the enemy. Therefore, Ishii Hiroyoshi let the convoy have a distance of 30 meters and a distance of 30 meters, forming two columns and forging ahead.

In this case, once an air attack is encountered, it is not only easy to dodge, but also conducive to deployment. That's it, a tank convoy also pulled a distance of almost 2,000 meters.

Since breaking through the defenses of the Chinese army at Qiujin and Tujiabu, the tank brigade has rapidly advanced into the hinterland of China as if it were no one.

During the advance, they also encountered several small groups of Chinese troops, but as soon as the artillery fire in front was hit, the tank units rushed forward. No amount of troops could stop the onslaught of this torrent of steel, and they soon left the Chinese army behind. Ishii Hiroyoshi didn't care about him, and let the troops behind, the 101st and 106th divisions, deal with it.

At 21:30 on the evening of the 22nd, a tank convoy appeared near Beiguan in Fengxin County.

At this time, the moonlight was hazy, the stars were twinkling, and the naked eye could also see the artillery position outside the north pass of Fengxin County. At this time, the artillery was still covered with gun jackets, and the Chinese soldiers patrolling in the distance could not tell for a moment whether this was the enemy's convoy or our convoy when they saw such tanks.

In Fengxin County, which is close at hand, there is a habit of going to bed early and getting up early, and many people have already turned off the lights and fallen asleep.

The convoy of the first tank group, Masashi Kusunase reported to Hiroyoshi Ishii: "Report to the group leader, it seems that the front is the artillery position of the Chinese army, and they are all wearing gun suits, I don't know if it's true or not." ”

Ishii Hiroyoshi was also puzzled, he had seen a light enemy, but he had never seen such a light enemy, and there was still a cannon jacket on the cannon. But no matter what, the dead still have to be beaten according to the living, and Ishii Hiroyoshi immediately ordered Kusunase Masashi: "Unfold the convoy first, don't open fire, wait for my order to fire together." ”

The 1st Tank Group immediately unfolded the tank convoy, aiming 57 mm guns or 37 mm guns at the Chinese artillery positions.

When the Chinese soldiers on patrol got closer, they saw that it was a Japanese tank and immediately called the police. Sharp gunfire rang out in the air, and a loud shout: "The Japanese tanks are coming—the Japanese tanks are coming—"

Wang Dawu's artillery regiment had already entered the camp to rest when he heard the sound of the alarm. Wang Dawu immediately ordered: "The whole regiment quickly entered the artillery position and immediately prepared for battle. ”

The officers and men of the whole regiment hurriedly entered the artillery position, and although it was not far away, it was also quite embarrassed, and those with trousers, shirts, and self-defense weapons crowded into the artillery position in a disorderly manner. Then it was time to take off the artillery jacket, load the shells, and correct the shooting of Zhu Yuan, and he was very busy.

Ishii Hiroyoshi was amused when he saw it, and said loudly to Masashi Kurose: "Okay, great, this is the Chinese army that wants to give us so many cannons for nothing!" We took it. The 1st Tank Group was careful not to fire high-explosive shells, all chemical shells, aimed at Chinese artillery positions. Shoot—"

As a result, the first tank group fired a salvo, and the first round of nearly 100 rounds of poison gas shells was fired at Wang Dawu's artillery regiment.

The gas bombs were not very explosive, but after the explosion, beams of yellow smoke rose and spread everywhere over the Chinese artillery positions.

Then came the second round of gas bombs.

Wang Dawu only felt a pungent spicy smell invade his throat, and then went directly into his lungs, holding back his breath and coughing vigorously. His hands were tearing at his neck, hoping that he would be able to catch his breath, but he still couldn't breathe.

The officers and men of the artillery regiment were all like this, tearing their collars one by one, so hot that they couldn't open their eyes, and they were panting heavily. As long as the bare skin on the body is burned, it is uncomfortably burned, as if it has been scalded by boiling water. It's uncomfortable, it's uncomfortable, some of them scratch their necks, but they still can't breathe.

Only then did Wang Dawu realize that his artillery regiment had been attacked by poison gas bombs. He shouted loudly: "Gas bombs, gas bombs, anti-poison ...... Anti-poison ......" But even he himself couldn't hear these words clearly, let alone others could hear them.