The devil's army caught up, and the roads and wheat fields were full of devils' cars, armored vehicles, tanks, cavalry, and infantry, which looked like the tide of the Qiantang River in the dark night, with black pressing a line and an amazing momentum.

Seeing that the devil tank was about to reach the side of the road, the Fourth Brigade was taught to open fire. The first to speak was the group of bazookas, hidden under the roadbed on the south side of the road. Seven rockets flew out together and drilled straight into the seven tanks that were rolling in from the north, and the power of the rockets and the explosion of the ammunition on the tank's vehicle caused by the rockets turned the tanks that had just flaunted their might into piles of scrap metal.

The number of tanks equipped by the army is not large, and it is a treasure bump in the arsenal of the army. The units of the Yue Army that participated in the encirclement and suppression of the central part of the Hebei Province, except for the Reading Brigade of the garrison army, were all troops that had just been formed and left for North China. The soldiers and officers of these units thought that the tanks of the imperial army were invincible weapons, and they would have thought that in China, which had been weak for a long time, there would be weapons to restrain tanks. This shocked all the devils, and the remaining tanks and armored vehicles did not care about the shelling and strafing, and hurriedly reversed, trying to dodge the blows from the night.

After the battle to eliminate the 21st Brigade and the Chahar Dispatch Corps, the bazooka fighters of the 4th Brigade have walked several times from the training ground to the actual combat, and now they have become masters. After the first shot, the bazooka riders fired a second rocket steadily, and the seven reversing tanks were once again on target. The explosion of ammunition and the burning flames in the tank were unusually dazzling under the illumination of the headlights. The infantry and cavalry that followed behind the tank were all on the spot.

Wang Nanhu wanted this effect, and with a wave of his hand, a long heavy machine gun hidden on the south side of the highway let out an angry roar, and the dull gunfire was connected together, like a rainstorm hitting pear blossoms and chaotic beads falling on jade plates. The devil infantry, cavalry, cars, and horses under the guns were all staggered by the fierce heavy machine gun fire, as if they were drunk.

After the heavy machine gun fired, it directly covered the shooting of the bazooka man, and these heroic old Red Army and old Eighth Road unhurriedly loaded their ammunition, chased the devil's armored vehicle, and taught the arrogant little devil a lesson with indestructible rockets.

The devils who were chasing after the stone road were already in a mess.

Cao Shengli stood on a small dirt bag 50 meters away from the road, staring coldly at the devil who had become a pot of porridge. Beside him were neatly arranged more than 100 mortars, 60 mortars, infantry guns, and grenadiers of the 4th Brigade.

This thin man, since he joined the Red Army, has been charging forward in every battle. After arriving at the 18th Red Regiment, he has been working in the baggage company, baggage battalion, and baggage regiment, which is absolutely not in line with his competitive surname, and I am sorry for the rich combat experience and command talent he has accumulated. Therefore, under his leadership, whether it was the baggage company of the Red Eighteenth Regiment or the baggage regiment of the Red Seventh Army, every time there was a big battle, his team had to compete with the brother troops for combat missions. Since serving as the chief of staff of the only division, Cao Shengli felt that he had found his place, as if he was born to be a fighter on the battlefield, and when he heard the sound of guns, his heart was extremely quiet, as quiet as an old farmer who led his cattle home at dusk.

Seeing that the bazooka was powerful, the heavy machine gun was powerful, and the devil had become a mess, Cao Shengli no longer waited, and immediately ordered ten salvos to be fired at the front.

Hordes of mortar shells and infantry shells swept across the night sky and smashed into the panicked devil infantry group. Although they are all small-caliber guns with limited lethality, they are better than a large number, even if more than a hundred grenades fall together, let alone mortar shells and infantry shells?

At this time, it was the time when the large army of devils was swarming, and the troops from all walks of life rushed to the new base area where the fierce battle was raging. Cao Shengli's running group hit the middle of the devil's team, and the purpose was to disrupt the troops in the center of the devil's body, bomb the camp, and prevent the devil's habitual surname from attacking. This style of play is the experience accumulated over many years of warfare, and it is not something that graduates who have just left the military academy can grasp freely.

Sure enough, the hordes of shells woke up the devil infantry group who were hurrying towards the Cangshi Road, mom, it turned out that there was a powerful firepower network ahead! Many devils stopped running and chose to lie down on the spot.

Cao Shengli didn't care about the results of the artillery bombardment, and he couldn't count them, but he just commanded the running group to keep shelling, hitting the northeast direction after the frontal attack, hitting the east in the northeast direction after the battle, and then the northwest and west. However, due to time constraints, the next shelling was five shells per cannon.

The heavy machine guns were firing extended, the artillery groups were firing extended, and in the face of huge casualties and powerful firepower, the rampant devils finally couldn't support it anymore and began to work with their butts opening their way backwards.

Cao Shengli saw that the time was ripe, and ordered the artillery group to turn, and fired ten more rapid shots in the direction of the devil's retreat.

The sharp sound of the cannonballs sweeping across the night sky and the explosion of the cannonballs landing, coupled with the low roar of the heavy machine guns, constituted a song from hell to hook the soul and ask for life.

Seeing that the devil had retreated, Wang Nanhu immediately ordered the troops to stop shooting, and after the cavalry camp was broken, the main force quickly moved to Xinji.

Under normal circumstances, you should blow the trumpet at this time and take advantage of the situation to cover up and kill the devil. But Wang Nanhu knew that the devil's strength was too strong, and his two regiments plus the brigade troops were only a few thousand, and once he charged and covered up, his strength would be exposed, and the devil would make his own dumplings when he came to his senses. When the devil's heavy artillery comes up again, it will immediately be a deal of stealing chickens and losing a handful of rice, not to mention the previous results, and it will soon face a catastrophe. Therefore, taking advantage of the retreat of the devils, Wang Nanhu decisively ordered the transfer of troops.

Commanding the encirclement and suppression of Jizhong was Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, commander of the 23rd Division.

Komatsubara Michitaro is a native of Kanagawa Prefecture, graduated from the Army Non-commissioned Officer School and the Army University, and served as an assistant to the military attache of the Embassy in the Soviet Union, attached to the military attaché, chief of the Russian Section of the European and American Section of the General Staff Headquarters, attached to the General Staff Headquarters, commander of the 57th Infantry Wing, chief of the special service of the General Staff Headquarters, commander of the 8th Infantry Brigade, commander of the 1st Guards Infantry Brigade, and commander Chinese of the 2nd Reading Garrison.

It stands to reason that the troops in the middle of the encirclement and suppression should be under the unified command of the commander sent by the North China Front, but there is a rule in the army: when troops of the same level are fighting together, they should be commanded by the commander with the highest seniority, that is, in terms of seniority. Lieutenant General Kuroiwa Yoshikatsu, commander of the 24th Division, and Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara were classmates at the Army Noncommissioned Officer School, but he served as a major general three years later than Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, so Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara deservedly became the commander of the 50,000 army.

As soon as the encirclement and suppression of Jizhong began, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara faithfully carried out the battle plan of the North China Front and encircled it with an iron wall. Seeing that it was about to be captured in the last drum, he did not expect that a sudden change would occur, which not only caused the Jizhong resistance forces that had collapsed to escape, but also suffered heavy losses for the imperial army. What is particularly humiliating is that the imperial army was defeated and rushed to flee for their lives! Lose face! It really disgraced His Majesty the Emperor's face.

Annoyed and angry, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara ordered a machine gun to fire at the router, and personally drew his command knife to slash seven fleeing routers in a row, so as to stabilize his position.

While the units were organizing their forces and preparing for the attack, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara sent a telegram ordering the defenders of the Tokushi Line to hold their positions and block the Shina troops that had fled to the Tokushi Line. Then he ordered all the artillery of the 23rd Division, the 24th Division, the 5th Brigade of the Reading Mixed Brigade, and the Reading Brigade of the Zhutun Army to concentrate on bombarding the blocking position of the [***] squadron on Cangshi Road in the Xinlitou area. Then, Lieutenant General Komatsubara Michitaro sent a telegram to General Terauchi Shouichi, reporting that when all the resistance forces in Jizhong were finally encircled in the Xinbeitou section of Cangshi Road, he was suddenly blocked by well-equipped Shina troops, which not only rescued the besieged troops in Jizhong, but also caused heavy losses to the imperial army. The tanks and armored vehicles of the Imperial Army were like straw paper used to go to the toilet in front of the new weapons of China, which were torn apart as soon as they were torn. The blocking Chinese troops not only had a large number of infantry guns, mortars, but also a large number of heavy machine guns, and used heavy machine gun fire to harvest the precious lives of the imperial soldiers. It is judged that this force is the main force of Liu Yimin's tutor.

With the earth-shattering sound of shelling, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara's heart felt a little better, and he felt that under such a fierce artillery fire, not to mention people, even a mountain would be flattened a few feet.

Things were a bit unexpected by Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, and when the infantry of the Yue Army trembled and touched the stone road, they found that the Chinese troops blocking the attack had disappeared without a trace.

Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, who received the report, rushed to the scene to see that it was so clean that there was not even a single bullet casing left.

After scolding a few words of meanness, shamelessness, and cowardice, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara ordered the 23rd Division to be in the front, the 24th Division to be on the left flank, the 5th Brigade to be mixed with the Reading Force on the right flank, and the Reading Brigade of the Sumitun Army to serve as a reserve.

Therefore, on the front of the army, which is about 10 miles wide, the various units of the Yue army spread out battle formations, flashlights, turned on car lights, and held torches, crossed the Cangshi Road, and rushed to the front line of Xinji.

In this action of the devils, people kept stepping on the mines planted by the sappers of the Fourth Brigade, and the cavalry battalion that had been concealed and broken off detonated explosives packets again, blowing up dust and broken arms and legs, and the cavalry battalion got on their horses and walked away, twisting the angry nose of Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara to the side.

Xinbeitou was only a dozen miles away from Xinji, and it was a quiet night, and the sound of artillery at Xinbeitou had already alarmed the enemy and our troops on the Deshi line.

The phone of the Xinji Devil Squadron Headquarters rang several times, and it was all the Devil Wing Headquarters who inquired about the enemy's situation and arranged for the troops to defend, but they were all fooled by Sui Xiaofeng. It wasn't until Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara's strict order was issued that the devil's ironclad train drove from the east and west to Xinji, and the camouflage was revealed.

There is no way, the devil's ironclad train must be blown up, otherwise, let this behemoth join the battlefield, it will definitely be a killing weapon. So, with two loud rumbling sounds, the two ironclad trains on the east and west sides rolled down the roadbed, and the captain of the devil wing who was in command of the Deshi Line finally understood that Xinji had been occupied by the Eighth Route Army.

This time, everything from the Devil Wing Captain to Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara and even General Toshiichi Terauchi knew. Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara strictly ordered the troops stationed on the Tokushi Line to advance east and west, and it was necessary to recapture Shinji, close the gap, and create conditions for the main force to completely annihilate the Shina troops.

After Shouichi Terauchi received the report, Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe was silent on the map.

General Shouichi couldn't figure out what Liu Yimin wanted to do, and he couldn't figure out how many troops Liu Yimin's instructor had. It stands to reason that Liu Yimin's troops have just fought the 21st Division, and now they are fighting with the Fourth Brigade of Reading Power, and in terms of distance and time, he can't fly to the Xinji area of Shulu County with his wings, but should gather and destroy Reading Power and mix into the Fourth Brigade. However, various circumstances show that the situation reported by Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara is accurate, and it was Liu Yimin's instructor who met the breakthrough of the Jizhong troops on the Deshi Line and Cangshi Road. Only Liu Yimin, a bold and reckless guy, can tear open his mouth and rescue the besieged Jizhong troops when the heavy troops are encircled.

Could it be a mistake in judgment, Liu Yiming quickly maneuvered to the Deshi line after finishing the 21st Division, and it was only his small unit that stayed in Linqing to fight with the Fourth Brigade of Reading Power?

Thinking about it again, there is only one possibility, that is, Liu Yimin divided his troops and implemented a two-front operation.

General Shouichi of the temple was busy reopening Liu Yimin's file and studying it carefully again. This reading scared General Terauchi Shouichi into a cold sweat. Where is Liu Yimin's instructor a division, it is all of the Red Seventh Army, which is the most powerful in the [***] army. The foundation of this unit is the Jiangxi Red Army, and the elite of Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi's Gui Army, and He Jianxiang's Army are all elite soldiers in a hundred battles, and their equipment is a collection of the most advanced weapons of the Kuomintang Army and the Imperial Army. In addition to the three years of running-in training in Shaanxi, this unit has already been integrated. And the number is huge, judging from the situation of the military parade in Xi'an, I am afraid that it has reached 70,000 people. Up to now, if Liu Yimin takes the route of elite soldiers, there will be 100,000 people to say the least, and if he expands the army arbitrarily, I am afraid that the number will be much higher.

In this way, General Terauchi Shouichi has a thorough idea in his heart, Liu Yimin dared to touch the 21st Brigade, the Chahar Dispatch Army, the 21st Division, and the Fourth Brigade of Reading Force, and he was by no means a leader, because he had in his hands a corps with the most advanced equipment, the highest quality soldiers, and the strongest strength in China today.

The situation was clear, and General Terauchi Shouichi regretted slapping himself three times, so that Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo didn't know what kind of nerves His Excellency the commander had, and stood with his hands down in panic, and the sound of breathing from his nose was as low as possible.

After inciting the slap, General Terauchi Shouichi asked Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo to immediately contact the Fourth Brigade of the Reading Force Mixed Brigade to inquire about the breakout.

By the time Naosaburo Okabe came to report that the 4th Brigade had lost contact, General Terauchi had regained his composure, sat down at his desk, and dictated the order to Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe, word by word: "One hundred thousand urgent. 1. After regaining control of the Deshi Line on the Xinji Line under the command of Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, the Jizhong Encirclement and Suppression Group was regained control of the Xinji Line, and a position was established on the spot to make long-term preparations for the entire Deshi Line, and it was absolutely not allowed to cross the Deshi Line to pursue southern Hebei. Otherwise, all the consequences will be borne by Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara. If the Xinji line cannot be recovered, strong fortifications will be built on the spot and waiting for reinforcements from the aviation force in the Ming Dynasty. 2. Lieutenant General Nishio Toshizo of the Second Army is responsible for the security of the area south of Deok County on the Jinpu Line, and it is not allowed to sweep westward on the scale of a single division or brigade. If the preparations are sufficient and the determination is made to sweep westward, it is necessary to have three or more permanent divisions and regiments to form a group, advance in unison, and should proceed on the premise of ensuring the safety of the Jinpu line. 3. Lieutenant General Tufeiyuan Xianji is responsible for the safety of the communication line south of Shijiazhuang on the Pinghan Line, and instructs Lieutenant General Tufeiyuan Xianji to command the 22nd Division and the Pinghan Line Railway Garrison to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the Pinghan Line and the Handji Highway. Fourth, Lieutenant General Xiangyue Qingsi of the First Army should speed up the clearance of Shanxi and achieve the campaign goal as soon as possible. ”

After giving the order, General Terauchi Shouichi said to Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo: "The order is to do everything possible to infiltrate southern Hebei and thoroughly find out the situation of Liu Yimin's tutor. Beauty, assassination, bribery, negotiation, any way, as long as Liu Yimin can be cleaned up, they will all be rewarded. The aviation regiment was ordered to carry out multiple batches of bombing in southern Hebei starting from the Ming Dynasty, paying special attention to finding Liu Yimin's troops and their military installations, and immediately dispatching a large group of planes to bomb and completely destroy the target when it was discovered. ”

Okabe Naosaburo glanced at Shouichi Terauchi and found that when His Excellency the Commander spoke, there was a shocking resentment in his eyes, and it seemed that he had hated Liu Yimin to the core. I couldn't help but ask: "Your Excellency Commander, does the air bombing include civilian houses?" ”

This annoyed General Terauchi Shouichi, he slapped the table with his hand, stood up suddenly, pointed at Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo's nose and scolded Baga, and only after scolding did he say: "The reason why the imperial army has lost one after another is because of a stupid commander like you with a pig's head." What kind of private houses, they are all the hiding places of Liu Yimin's instructors, if you don't blow them up, will you let the aviation troops drop bombs into the wheat field? Stupid, stupid! ”

Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe was inexplicably humiliated, and his eyes were so angry that they turned into dead fish eyes. However, Lieutenant General Okabe Naosaburo understands that this is not the time to compete with General Shouichi Terauchi, and this tone must be endured. He lowered his head and left Terauchi Shouichi's office without saying a word, and went to deliver the order.

(To be continued)