On January 10, under the cover of more than 50 fighters, the Japanese army Lieutenant General Anda 23 commanded the main force of the 37th Division to launch an attack on Xia County first. Lieutenant General Iguan Shinobu of the Japanese Army led the 36th Division to launch a feint attack on Nianci in the northeast of Xia County. At the same time, contrary to the expectations of the theater command, the 16th mixed brigade secretly requisitioned by the Japanese army from Taiyuan suddenly appeared in Xie County with the intention of capturing Pinglu. The sudden appearance of a Japanese brigade in the direction of Xie County was not expected by the theater command.

The purpose of the Japanese occupation of Pinglu was to cut off Zhangdian from the south bank of the Yellow River in an attempt to outflank the 5th Army from the south. Zhangdian was bound to be captured by the Japanese army as a key point, and the military headquarters of Tang Huaiyuan of the 3rd Army was located here. The 3rd Army is under the jurisdiction of the 7th Division Li Shilong, and the 12th Division is inch-odd. The 7th Division focused on the county seat of Xia County, and the 12th Division held the line from Zhangdian to Pinglu. However, Pinglu only had the strength of one regiment, and the situation became very serious as soon as the war began.

In the military headquarters of the 3rd Army in Zhangdian, the operational staff officers constantly answered the phone and conveyed the news from the front in a timely manner. At this time, the military commander Tang Huaiyuan stood tall and looked at the military map with a nervous expression. "Army commander, a Japanese brigade suddenly appeared in the direction of Xie County, and the target must be Pinglu, and Pinglu only has one regiment of the 12th Division, and Pinglu is in danger." One of his subordinates was a little panicked. "The telegram has been sent, why has there been no response from the theater command!" The chief of staff was anxious.

"The theater command also did not expect that there would be Japanese troops in Xie County. The order ordered the 36th Regiment of the headquarters to hold on to the flat land at any cost, and continue to report to the theater command that our unit needs reinforcements! "Report, the 37th Division of the Japanese Army launched an attack on the county seat of Xia County!" An operational staff officer reports. The eyes of the generals were aimed at the location of the county seat of Xia County, and everyone had a nervous expression on their faces.

In the Luoyang Theater Headquarters, the atmosphere became even more tense. All the generals were anxious about the safety of Pinglu, and the sudden appearance of a new Japanese army in Xie County caught all the generals by surprise. "Brother Ouyang, the 16th mixed brigade of the Japanese army, has been stationed in Taiyuan. It seems that the Japanese army has been planning this move for a long time. There was only one regiment in Pinglu, and the Japanese bombers specially bombed the ferry, with the aim of preventing our reinforcements from crossing the river on the south bank. Wei Lihuang said with a solemn expression.

"Report! The cavalry unit of the 16th Brigade of the Japanese Army occupied the Jianping Ferry! "The eyes of all the generals were all aimed at the Jianping Ferry." Command! Ouyang Jian, who hadn't squeaked for a long time, seemed to have a countermeasure, Wei Lihuang waved his hand with a shocked expression, and a combat staff officer quickly took out a notebook. The 16th mixed brigade of the Japanese army, half of which was cavalry. The cavalry units could not be used to attack the fortified positions, so the Japanese troops that were invested in the flat land attack were maximized to 2,000 men. ”

Ouyang Jian continued: Order the Pinglu defense troops to hold out until dark at any cost. After dark, the 311th Division was ordered to immediately cross the river and enter Pinglu to hold on. Command the long-range heavy artillery on the south bank to support the artillery fire on the flat land. "General Ouyang, if heavy artillery is used, enemy planes will soon discover the artillery position." The chief of staff said. "The situation is critical, even if the artillery positions are destroyed! Pinglu is related to the safety of Zhangdian, and it can't be lost because of a small one! ”

Pinglu is a ferry town on the edge of the Yellow River, usually inconspicuous, but suddenly it has become a blazing battlefield. Major General Wakamatsu Heiye, commander of the 16th Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army, commanded a Japanese cavalry brigade, two infantry brigades, and about 3,000 men and horses to launch an attack on Pinglu. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the Japanese cavalry brigade detoured back to the north side of Pinglu to prevent the enemy from reinforcing from the south, and an infantry brigade took the lead in the attack, and the battle soon became white-hot.

Dozens of warplanes bombarded indiscriminately in the air, and the Japanese army used 92 infantry guns, mortars, and heavy machine guns to form supporting firepower and launched a fierce attack on the defensive positions of the 36th Regiment of Pinglu. Although the weapons and equipment of the defenders were strengthened, there was a clear gap in the quality of the soldiers compared with that of the Japanese army. The commander of the Japanese brigade personally came to the front line to supervise the battle, aiming to win, and at this moment Wakamatsu Heiye held a telescope to check the attack. "General, the weapons and equipment of the defenders have been significantly strengthened, and the defensive formation is also tight." The chief of staff put down the binoculars and said.

"It seems that the Chinese army is indeed growing, and the weapons and equipment have not only been greatly improved, but also the combat experience has also improved. In the past, in the face of such a three-dimensional blow, it had long been washed away. However, the quality of the enemy's individual soldiers did not change much, and the Panasonic Brigade was ordered to devote all its forces to the main attack on the left flank. "By noon, the 35th Regiment defending Pinglu had suffered one-third casualties, and its position was precarious. Wakamatsu was so satisfied with his fierce attacks that he thought the battle would be over in another hour.

The 35th Regiment of the Pinglu Defense Force, with only 1,200 troops, fought fiercely for two hours, and the casualties had reached one-third. In the face of the onslaught of the Japanese army, all those who could fight entered the trenches, and the regiment commander personally went into battle. There is no way back, either die in battle or survive. "Report to the head of the regiment, the left flank position has been breached! | One of the subordinates shouted loudly. However, the regimental commander was no longer able to send troops to recapture the left flank position. In the face of the ferocious onslaught of the Japanese army, the regimental commander shouted an order: "Brothers, get on the bayonet!" "It's time for the last fight.

At that moment, there was a howling sound in the sky, and one shell exploded in the Japanese charging ranks, followed by another shells in the Japanese ranks. When the Japanese assault troops were confused, heavy artillery fire was overwhelming. A shell exploded dozens of meters away from Wakamatsu Heiye, and a huge shock wave swept around. After a while, Wakamatsu Pingye got up from the ground and found a big crater dozens of meters away, where there should be a 92 artillery cannon, but the artillery was missing.

"Brethren! Our artillery support is coming, hit me hard! The regiment commander personally operated a heavy machine gun, and a heavy rain of bullets swept towards the Japanese troops. The overwhelming artillery bombardment blew the Japanese troops on their backs, and the morale of the defending soldiers was greatly boosted, and they took the opportunity to recapture the left flank position, and the Japanese troops retreated in disarray. The Japanese not only retreated, but also retreated for several miles. For the first time, the defending soldiers felt the heavy artillery support from their own side, and the joy in their hearts could not be expressed, as if they had gone from hell to heaven.

During this period, the various departments of Zhongtiao Mountain did not form artillery units at all, and only a few artillery pieces were directly under the army, and they were still ordinary mountain artillery. They have always been ravaged by Japanese artillery fire, and have never been supported by their own artillery fire. On the contrary, the Japanese troops fighting in the north were also hit by heavy enemy artillery fire for the first time, and the Japanese soldiers could not bear it and had to retreat. "Report to the Captain! The theater command called, and asked you to report the battle situation directly! A combat staff officer reported.

The regiment commander came to the radio and immediately reported the situation to the theater command. Soon after, the theater command called and asked the regiment to shrink its forces and stick to the Pinglu crossing, and as long as it held out until dark, the support troops would cross the river. With three hours left before dark, the regimental commander immediately ordered the troops to shrink to the area of the ferry and reconstruct defensive positions. By this time, more than half of the 35th Regiment had already suffered casualties, but the determination of the officers and men to resist was indeed rising.

Japanese bombers pounced on the other side of the Yellow River, and an hour later the artillery was suppressed, and the commander of the Japanese brigade, Wakamatsu Taiye, organized a new offensive. This time, the Japanese army was cautious, and the skirmish line was very open. The heavy shelling of the party had just begun, and the Panasonic brigade almost suffered two casualties in two squadrons. More than 50 people were killed and wounded in one morning's attack, and more than 200 were killed or injured in just a few dozen minutes of shelling, so the Japanese officers and men were worried that the shells would fall on their heads again.

As all the Japanese fighters flew to the south bank of the Yellow River to strike at the artillery positions, the defensive pressure of the 35th Regiment was sharply reduced. In particular, the forces were shrinking and the firepower was greatly strengthened, and the Japanese launched two attacks to no avail. At dusk, Japanese fighters withdrew over the battlefield, and the ground offensive stopped. As soon as it was dark, the first reinforcements crossed the Yellow River and launched a counterattack against the Japanese army, and the battle lasted until midnight, when the Japanese army was forced to withdraw from Pinglu County, and the 311th Division took over the 35th Regiment and expanded the defense area in Pinglu.

In the Luoyang Theater Headquarters, the nervous mood of the generals and officers was relaxed. "Report, the losses of the 12th Artillery Regiment were reported, 4 heavy guns were destroyed by Japanese bombers, and 3 were damaged." An operational staff officer reports. "Commander Wei, General Ouyang, we have a limited number of artillery, do you want the 12th Artillery Regiment to evacuate to the banks of the Yellow River?" "The artillery regiment not only cannot be evacuated, but must also deploy all artillery units on the south bank of the Yellow River." Ouyang Jian tentatively intercepted the railway.

Wei Lihuang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Order the 10th Artillery Regiment to be stationed on the south bank of the Yellow River in Hengqu County. After Wei Lihuang gave the order, he continued: "General Ouyang's purpose is not only to let artillery support the operation, but also to attract Japanese fighters to attack and relieve the pressure on the defending troops on the south bank. Even if our artillery is lost, it will be worth it. Ouyang Jian continued: "Order the 10th and 12th Artillery Regiments to build fake artillery positions, so that they can be fake and real!" ”

In the military headquarters of the 3rd Army in Zhangdian, all the generals and officers were also relieved. Pinglu was not only out of danger, but also a reorganized division crossed the river to strengthen the defense, and the rear was stabilized, and the army commander Tang Huaiyuan and the generals were greatly relieved. The danger of Pinglu was lifted, and everyone's eyes turned to the county seat of Xia County. "Commander, the Japanese army has attacked the county seat of Xia County for a day, but the intensity of the attack is not large." As soon as the chief of staff finished speaking, a subordinate came in and reported: "Report, Li Shilong's scout cavalry found Japanese troops on the southeast side of Xia County!" ”