Eight kilometers east of Dongyang Pass, there is Miaogou, the headquarters of the Japanese Fourth Division and the puppet Second Army.

The commander of the Fourth Division, Shigeru Sawada, the commander of the Eighth Regiment, Chunsheng Jiro, and the commander of the Second Puppet Army, Rong Ziheng, and several other major officers and guards stood on a high hill overlooking Dongyang Pass.

battlefield.

The performance of thousands of puppet soldiers Sisila La fell in the eyes of senior officers. There was no emotion or anger on Sawada Shigeru's face, and Harusu Jiro and others had already turned ashen as water.

Rong Ziheng's face was also gloomy, but it was for a different reason than Chunsheng Jiro's face was as gloomy as water.

It is a fact recognized by everyone that the combat effectiveness of the puppet army is low, and Rong Ziheng also admitted this.

But low combat effectiveness is not the reason why Japanese people who had a good life were used as cannon fodder.

Rong Ziheng protested silently. Although he knew that such protest was useless, he still did it.

The battle has been going on for almost an hour, but the puppet troops have only advanced more than 200 meters.

The firepower points in various positions in Dongyang Pass have not been tested. It can be said that it is a waste of time.

Telegrams for support from General Sugiyama Gen and the 37th Division were sent one after another. Time is extremely precious now, and the success or failure of Dongyang Pass will affect the direction of the entire battle.

Although Sawada Shigeru's Fourth Division was not as enthusiastic about war as other divisions, in their eyes, doing business was more important than fighting.

But once they decided to join the war, the 4th Division did not hesitate at all. Their attack was not blind or crazy, but based on careful planning, they used the minimum cost to win victory.

This is why even though the Fourth Division has many unreliable behaviors, the base camp and the front army still have so much trust in them.

Sawada Shigeru glanced at Rong Ziheng expressionlessly, and the coldness and grievance that the latter pretended to be dissipated immediately.

"Withdraw your troops!"

Sawada Shigeru turned around and went down the mountain.

As soon as he returned to the headquarters, the communications staff greeted him with several telegrams.

Sawada Shigeru waved his hand, he knew the contents of the telegram without reading it.

He walked straight to the battle map, and several regiment captains gathered around to wait for battle orders.

Sawada Shigeru looked around at everyone's faces with cold eyes. His expression at this moment was completely different from when he collected the small yellow croakers before. If his eyes were not so awkward, his calm and composed appearance might have a bit of a general's demeanor.

.

"The branch at Dongyang Pass has been prepared for a long time. The position is very strong and the commander is also a shrewd man. If a strong attack strategy is adopted, the troops will definitely suffer heavy losses."

He pointed two fingers in the north-south direction of Dongyang Pass and looked at Captain Chun Shengjiro of the Eighth Regiment.

"Chunshengjun, do you still remember the tactics adopted by the 108th Division when the imperial army first attacked Shanxi?"

Harujiro looked at the two fingers on the map and nodded with understanding,

"I understand what your Excellency, the division commander, means. The Eighth Regiment will not let you down."

“Yoshi!

As long as you can successfully get into position, there is nothing to fear from the enemy at Dongyang Pass."

Sawada Shigeru scratched the map with his five fingers, and then clenched it into a fist.

"The 61st Regiment and the 37th Regiment launch attacks on Xianglu Mountain and Tianzhu'ao respectively. Try to attract the enemy's attention and firepower and create opportunities for the 8th Regiment!"

"Hiyi!"

The officers temporarily turned their business minds to military matters and solemnly bowed and nodded to accept orders.

………

………

"Spread out! Spread out!"

"Get down!"

………

When they saw the waves hitting the rocks and the bodies of countless brothers being torn into pieces, the company and platoon leaders shouted at the top of their lungs.

Humans are social animals, and we instinctively feel safe when we gather together.

Especially on this battlefield where there are many guns and artillery, being alone means danger.

Therefore, the moment the wave hit the rocks, the dozens of soldiers at the front fell one after another like wheat being cut down.

The few remaining heavy machine guns and crooked handles of the 225th Regiment poured bullets wildly. The rain of locust bullets was like a sharp sword and like a wall. It would kill them if they hit it, forcing the brothers of the 42nd Division to stop charging.

The grenades were also constantly throwing grenades, and the brothers of the 42nd Division who were gathered together became the most obvious target.

Sometimes when a grenade fell, three or two soldiers would vomit blood and fall down.

The company and platoon leaders roared loudly and organized their troops to continue the attack.

The sun's rays have changed from golden to white, and the smoke on the battlefield has become even worse. The sunlight penetrates the smoke and turns orange.

Some companies stopped in front of the vast battlefield, while others were still charging forward crazily.

The weapons and equipment of Chinese soldiers are backward, and if they want to win, they can only use their lives to fill the gap.

"Call to the rear and request artillery support!"

Some officers suddenly thought of the three artillery regiments in the rear.

Not only the 42nd Division, but also the 169th Division also encountered the same problem.

As the front continued to advance, the resistance of the Japanese army became stronger and stronger.

Because there is no infantry support firepower such as mortars, they often have to pay the price of at least one company to capture a hilltop.

The officers of the 98th Army had anticipated these situations before the attack. Although the artillery was sharp, it could not help them solve all problems.

Army commander Samurai Satoshi kept an eye on the progress of each front and sent his support troops one after another.

The officers of Jiangdong's 1st Division, 2nd Division and 3rd Division organized troop training and became familiar with the weapons in their hands, while paying attention to the situation on the battlefield, a little absent-mindedly.

In Lu'an's headquarters, all kinds of news from the front line are constantly being summarized here.

Professional staff officers were busy around the sand table, presenting real-time battlefield conditions in front of the Chairman.

"In two hours, both the 42nd Division and the 169th Division highlighted the Japanese army's first line of defense. It is initially estimated that the Japanese casualties should be around 4,000 people."

A staff officer of the Military Commission said to the Chairman, Jiang Dong and others:

"The artillery fire destroyed most of the Japanese fortifications. The two main attacking divisions suffered relatively low casualties, but the attack was blocked and the advance was difficult.

Outside Dongyang Pass, the Japanese army began to attack martyrs and puppet troops, and the offensive was fierce.

The Japanese 114th Division of the Zhengtai Railway is still stationed in Xiyang County and has no plans to go south.

The 76th Army on the Western Front launched a tentative attack on Zhaocheng, but has made no progress for the time being."

Bai Chongxi frowned and said to the chairman:

"There is only one Japanese regiment on the Western Front, so why is the 76th Army lingering?

Commission, as long as the 17th Army Corps can reach Taiyuan along the railway line, the Japanese 41st Division and the 114th Regiment will definitely divide their forces for rescue, and then the pressure on the Eastern Front will be greatly reduced.

The 5th Army takes advantage of the situation and goes north, cuts off the Zhengtai Railway, captures Niangzi Pass, and the Jinzhong Plain will be in our hands."

As expected of Xiao Zhuge, he could clearly explain the battlefield situation in just a few words.

Hu Zongnan's 17th Army Corps is the Chairman's trump card and magic weapon. It has been developing forces in the rear area as the Chairman's last resort.

Now we need the 17th Corps to attack with all our strength, so only the Chairman can mobilize them.

Regarding the overall situation of Shanxi, the chairman thought for a while and said:

"Shihe, in the name of the Military Commission and myself, sent a report to Hu Zongnan, ordering the 76th Army to use all its strength to attack Taiyuan."

"yes!"

Everyone's eyes fell back on the sand table again, looking at the position of the 37th Division.

A major staff officer walked towards the Chairman of the Generalissimo with an excited telegram, and all the officers' eyes fell on him.

"Commissioner, Commander Yan of the Second War Zone sent a telegram that five divisions of the Shanxi-Sui Army have crossed the Luliang Mountains and are moving northwest of Taiyuan."

"oh!"

The commissioner raised his eyebrows, not expecting Yan Xishan to be so generous.

Jiang Dong was also startled. It seemed that Yan Laoxi was worried that once the battle was won, he would lose the right to speak in Shanxi.

Five divisions were actually sent, which was quite a feat.
Chapter completed!