Just when Liu Yimin led the main force of the instructor to encircle and annihilate the reading force and mix it into the Fourth Brigade, the curtain of the breakthrough of Jizhong University was completely opened.

Lei Ming, Wang Nanhu, and Li Lingfeng led the Fourth Brigade and the Second and Third Squadrons of Special Warfare under the guidance of the reconnaissance detachment of the division's reconnaissance battalion to Xinji Town, Shulu County, after two days and two nights of covert marching.

Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Xinji Town has been an important fur gathering place in China. At this time, Shulu County has not yet moved from Xincheng to Xinji, but the scale of the town is still very large. In addition, it is located on the Deshi line, and its strategic position is important, and the railway garrison of the army is stationed here with a small team, as well as the 500 troops of Zhang Anbang, the security commander of the puppet ten counties.

After the start of the Great Sweep in Jizhong, in order to strengthen the security of the Deshi Line, the 23rd Division stationed in Shijiazhuang and the 24th Division in Zhucang County each drew a wing, advanced from east to west, and with the cooperation of the Han and Annihilation forces, quickly opened up the Deshi Line, and encircled all the resistance forces operating along the Deshi Line into an encirclement.

At this time, in addition to a squadron of the railway garrison of the Yue Army, a squadron of the 23rd Division of the Yue Army and a squadron left behind by Zhang Anbang, the security commander of the puppet ten counties, were stationed in Xinji Town, with a total strength of 240 soldiers and 120 puppet troops.

The 23rd Division was formed in Kumamoto. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to the famous Mount Aso, one of the few active volcanoes in the world, which has earned Kumamoto Prefecture the nickname "Land of Fire". Kumamoto Castle, Osaka Castle, and Himeji Castle are the three famous castles of Yoshimoto, which were built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's general Kato Kiyomasa with seven years of painstaking efforts. When the castle was first built, considering that once it was besieged, the military and civilians lacked food, Kato Kiyomasa deliberately planted ginkgo trees all over the castle, so Kumamoto Castle is also known as Ginkgo Castle.

Kato Kiyoshi is one of the top two famous generals and fierce generals at the end of the Warring States Period, and the history books of the Ming Dynasty also say that "the Japanese people are upright, strong, and severe, and they are really famous generals in the chieftain." "Kumamoto soldiers, who have been passed down from him, are naturally known for their bravery. In addition, the place of Kumamoto is relatively poor, and the people are fierce, and it has always been said that Kumamoto soldiers are the first in the world.

In fact, the 6th Division from Kumamoto was indeed the vanguard of the invasion of China, and it committed a lot of blood debts in the Nanjing Massacre in history. These 23rd Divisions are also very powerful, and they are the protagonists of the Battle of Nomenkan in history.

When he went to the division headquarters to accept the task, Liu Yimin briefed him on the situation of the various units involved in the encirclement and suppression of the Hebei Central Army, and pointed out in particular that it was necessary to guard against two troops, one was the 23rd Division in Shijiazhuang, which was a unit capable of fighting tough battles. Although a wing of this brigade was completely annihilated during the Battle of Tianjin, the Zhutun Army had been stationed in North China for a long time, and was familiar with the customs and customs of North China, and could use any conspiracy and trickery.

By the time they arrived near Xinji, the scouts had already reported on the garrison of the Japanese army. Lei Ming knew that it was the time of the big war, and it was very difficult for the investigators to infiltrate Xinji, but the underground party organization in Hebei was very active, and it must be the information sent by the underground party members in Xinji.

According to Lei Ming's temper, he wanted to have a hard fight with the 23rd Division, trying to see whether he taught the 4th Brigade with a hard fist or the 23rd Division with a hard fist. However, since Liu Yimin asked Li Lingfeng to come with two special operations squadrons, the intention was still very clear.

At five o'clock in the afternoon of January 28, when the sun was about to set, a team of devil soldiers came to the east gate of Xinji Town on tricycles and cars.

Haruo Ikebe is a Kumamoto Amakusa man, and it is said that his ancestor was Kiyama Danmasa, one of the wealthy Amakusa clans, who was killed by Kato Kiyomasa, the lord of Kumamoto Castle. There is still a large concave stone in Kumamoto Castle, named "Yokote Goro Tekake Stone", which tells the story of Yokote Goro, the son of Kiyama Danmasa, who avenged his father. Originally, when Kumamoto Castle was built, several big men could not move the stone, but Goro Yokote, a strange man, hung the stone around his neck and walked two kilometers from Granite Mountain to Kumamoto Castle. Later, when Kato Kiyomasa's retainers heard that Yokote Goro had come to avenge his father, they used Gorou to dig a well and threw a boulder from it to bury him alive, but Gorou effortlessly caught the stone and placed it under his feet as a foothold, and kept rising, and the retainer had to order someone to throw a large amount of fine sand into it before burying Gorou alive. This granite, known as the "first hanging stone", weighs 1.8 tons. Later, an ancestral hall was built in Yokote Village to enshrine Gorou as the god of Yokote.

There is also a story that is also related to Mushan Danzheng. It is said that after the death of Kiyama Danmasa, his side chamber Ajing, led the twenty or thirty cavalry women's army to break into the position of the Kato army, intending to cut off the head of Kato Kiyomasa. Just as Kyo was riding towards Kiyomasa Kato, he was suddenly picked up by a plum tree branch blocking his way. Kato Jun found the military commander on the horse and the woman, and swarmed up, dragged Akyo off the horse, and stabbed him to death with a spear. Before Ah Jing died, he shouted blindly: "Even if this plum tree blooms in the future, it will never bear fruit!" After that, people named this plum tree "Doumei". Today, this Wolongmei (white plum) located in the backyard of Enkeiji Temple in Amakusa City is 3 meters tall, with a radius of about 2 meters at its roots, 11 meters from east to west, and 6 meters from north to south.

It's hard to tell whether the story is true or not, but for as long as he can remember, his father, who has long since become the owner of a horse meat restaurant, has always told him how rich his ancestors were, and that it was the damn Kato Kiyomasa who took away everything that should have belonged to him. As a descendant of Mushan Danzheng, he wants to get ahead, glorify his ancestors, and take back everything that belongs to his family.

It's been a long time, and Ikebe Chunsheng has already been annoyed by his father's chatter. But how powerful is edification? Ikebe Harusheng unconsciously regarded himself as a descendant of Mushan Danmasa, and he wanted to make a contribution. It's a pity that he doesn't have the strange power of Yokote Goro, and he is no different from the usual young man, and when he helps his father kill horses, his strength doesn't seem to be as great as his father's. The father who made him the owner of the horse meat always sigh: "Alas! One generation is not as good as the next, and the next generation is not as good as the next! ”

When the 23rd Division was formed, Haruo Ikebe, who had received military training and had good grades, was conscripted into the army and came to China to display his skills.

Now, Ikebe Harusheng was standing at the sentry post at the east gate of Xinji Town, holding a brand-new Type 38 rifle, vigilantly watching the surrounding situation.

Seeing a team of three-wheeled motorcycles and cars with machine guns on them, Ikebe Haruo didn't mind, he just wanted to routinely interrogate the password and let him go, because in his heart, the middle [***] team did not have three-wheeled motorcycles, and such equipment was only available in the industrially developed Imperial Army. What's more, the soldiers in the car are all soldiers of the Imperial Army?

Ikebe Harunsheng just had time to put the gun horizontally, and before he could ask for a password, the motorcycle stopped in front of him with a "squeak". The guy with the rank of lieutenant in the car arrogantly beckoned to him and said: "Private of the second class, password!" ”

Ikebe Haruo involuntarily shouted out the password, and strangely, the officer did not return the order, but stood up, stepped off the motorcycle, walked up to Ikebe Haruo, and said in a mocking tone: "Kumamoto's stupid boy, just joined the army, right?" Haven't you even shot a target? After saying that, he laughed out loud and unbridled.

Now, all the devils standing guard were attracted. Ikebe Harusheng felt insulted, his face flushed, he straightened his chest, and said loudly: "I have already made meritorious service to His Majesty the Emperor!" After landing on Qinhuangdao, on the way to Tianjin, I killed three people with bayonets. After garrisoning Shijiazhuang, I shot and killed a Chinese man who tried to sneak attack the imperial army while standing guard. Yesterday I killed two suspicious Shina people! ”

When the officer heard this, he said a few times, stretched out his hand and patted Chibe Chunsheng's shoulder, and asked, "You are very brave in battle, but looking at your appearance, I'm afraid you're still a virgin!" When I'm done, I'll take you to a flower girl and teach you how to be a man. ”

Saying this, several devil soldiers next to him all laughed. A devil veteran with a pimple on his face smiled and said, "Report sir, you're out of sight." Chibe Chunsheng was so blessed, he caught a little girl in the morning, had a good time, and finally let the little girl be enjoyed by his comrades in turn. The little girl's body was thrown under the earthen wall over there. After saying that, he pointed in the direction.

The smile on the officer's face grew brighter and wider, and he walked over and patted each soldier on the shoulder one by one, and kept saying yo Xi in his mouth.

Ikebe was surprised to find that the soldiers who had been tapped on the shoulder by the lieutenant began to fall limply to the ground. He woke up to the fact that there was something wrong with the lieutenant. I just wanted to shoot with a gun, but I found that my arms and legs were weak and couldn't lift up the slightest strength. I wanted to open my mouth to shout, but I opened my mouth a few times, but I couldn't make a sound. He understood that he was poisoned.

The frightened Ikebe looked at the lieutenant who turned to walk towards him, and fell limply to the ground.

Zhao Zhiyu, the captain of the second special operations squadron, took care of the devils standing guard at the east gate of Xinji, waved his hand, and left a few soldiers to stand guard at the east gate, and then got on the motorcycle again, said "go" with a gloomy face, and drove towards Xinji Town with the second squadron.

By six o'clock in the evening, the special operations brigade had completely taken control of Xinji Town. After leaving Sui Xiaofeng, who was proficient in Mandarin, to be on duty at the Devil's Squadron Headquarters, to deal with the devil's phone calls, and to hand over the defense to the Fourth Brigade, Li Lingfeng led the Special Operations Brigade to Xinlitou Town non-stop. It is a key point of Cangshi Road, and it is also the location of the breakthrough agreed with the Jizhong troops. Behind them were the elite fire support battalion of the 4th Brigade, the cavalry battalion, and the 10th and 11th regiments.

After receiving the telegram from Lei Ming to take control of Xinji Town, Cai Zhong and Zeng Zhongsheng immediately ordered the Fifth and Sixth Brigades, the Second Field Artillery Regiment, and the Mountain Artillery Regiment to speed up their advance and go to the vicinity of Xinji to receive the Fourth Brigade. In particular, the two artillery regiments were ordered to be pulled by men when the pack horses were tired and died, and even to carry the cannons to Xinji.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the phone of the Xinji Devil Squadron Headquarters rang, Sui Xiaofeng picked up the phone and listened to it, it was the Devil Squadron Headquarters stationed in Shulu County, and asked if there was any situation.

Sui Xiaofeng hurriedly reported in a Kumamoto accent that everything was normal, and the squadron leader went to the squad leader of the railway garrison to discuss defense, and the soldiers were on alert.

The Devil's Wing Headquarters immediately ordered to immediately notify the Squadron Leader Yamamu, and all the troops entered the position to strictly prevent a sneak attack by the Chinese army.

Sui Xiaofeng said hello a few times, put down the phone, and then reported to Lei Ming the content of the phone call at the Devil Wing Headquarters.

Lei Ming originally thought that this time he was afraid that he would have to fight hard, and it would not be very smooth, but after listening to Sui Xiaofeng's report, he became more and more vigilant. The engineer battalion was immediately ordered to plant explosive packs on the railways on the east and west sides of Xinji and to lay mines two kilometers east and west of Xinji Town. Anti-tank mines, in particular, should be buried at the forefront. Anti-infantry mines should be buried between ordinary mines and land mines, and mines should be treated technically to prevent devils from starting mines. Then he ordered the 12th Regiment to the west and the New 4th Regiment to the east to build a blocking position. The blocking positions must be carried out in accordance with the standards just required by our army's training, and ensure a large depth and a network configuration.

After arranging for the troops to be deployed, Lei Ming sent a report to Li Lingfeng, political commissar Wang Nanhu, and chief of staff Cao Shengli, who were operating with the special combat team, informing them of the situation of the devil's phone call and reminding Li Lingfeng that the devil had already taken precautions and must be careful.

Xinji is not far from Xinleitou Village, which is only a dozen miles away, and a few small patrols of devils encountered along the way were all packed up by the special operations team, and four armored vehicles and 12 motorcycles were seized. The corpse of the devil was also thrown into the wheat field by the side of the road by the special operations team.

This new Leitou Village was called "Tang Yinji" in the Tang Dynasty, and later changed to "Tang Yindian", which was named by Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Due to the low-lying terrain of the village, close to the Hutuo River, it is often flooded. Later, the villagers had to move south and build the village base on a mound called "Old Dragon's Head", and the name of the village was changed to Xinlongtou.

This is the intersection of Shulu to Shenze Highway and Cangshi Road, which is naturally the main point of the devil's defense, and there is also a squadron of devils. The main task is to ensure the safety of the communication line, deliver supplies to the front line, and strictly prevent our army from breaking through in central Hebei.

The leader of the devil squadron stationed at the head of the new base had just received a telegram from the wing headquarters, and hurriedly gathered his troops, brought enough ammunition, and rushed to the position. Running and scolding in my heart, these guys in the command are used to pointing fingers. It's quiet here, and you can't even see the shadow of a soldier, what kind of position are you on!

It is said that the squadron leaders of the army have all graduated from the army non-commissioned officer school, and they have been tempered in actual combat, and their military quality is very good. The squadron leader scolded in his heart, but he still carried out the order to the letter, led the whole squadron into the position, and waited for the battle.

As soon as the army entered the position, the observation post noticed that there seemed to be movement on the north side of the road. The leader of the devil squadron sighed in his heart, could it be that his own defense line was really the breakthrough point of the Zhi Na troops? This squadron leader was cunning and ordered the troops to be strictly concealed and not to shoot without an order. He also lay down next to the machine-gun position, carefully observing the movement on the opposite side.

(To be continued)