Chapter 17 second quarter

During the "Hundred Regiments War" of the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Xilian was already the brigade commander.In the first phase of the "Hundred Regiments War", he led the 385th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army to tenaciously block the Japanese attack in Shinao Mountain, playing a powerful role. Shinao Mountain has steep peaks, looking like a cone from a distance, surrounded by steep cliffs, but there is a small path leading to the top of the mountain on the east side of the mountain.At the foot of the mountain in the north is the Zhengtai Railway.Taking control of Shinao Mountain could not only prevent the Japanese army from mobilizing troops from Pingding and Liao County to support the Zhengtai Railway, but also prevent the Yangquan Japanese army from drawing troops to rescue the besieged scattered strongholds on the western section of the Zhengtai Railway. The 129th Division handed over this arduous task to Chen Xilian's 385th Brigade.

The 385th Brigade was adapted from the Red 4th Army of the Red 4th Front Army. This is a unit with brilliant records and a tenacious fighting style.Xu Xiangqian, the commander-in-chief of the Red 4th Front Army, once used the five words "ruthless, hard, fast, fierce, and lively" to summarize the fighting style of this army.Regardless of small battles or major battles, guerrilla warfare or mobile warfare, offensive or defensive, frontal assault or roundabout encirclement, external battle or internal assault, this army has a ruthless force from top to bottom, from beginning to end, and will never stop until it eliminates the enemy.

Not only ruthless, but hard.In a critical moment, you can get it, stand it, and live it hard.Being able to be a brigade commander in such an excellent unit is beyond the competence of ordinary people.In this brigade, Chen Xilian first served as the head of the main regiment, and then as the brigade commander. Under his leadership, this unit continued to maintain a brave and tenacious fighting style. Many years later, when Chen Xilian recalled his experience of leading troops, he said: The bravery of the troops is first of all a powerful spiritual force to deter the enemy.War is not only a contest of material power between the two sides, but also a contest of spiritual power. When two armies meet, the brave wins.Troops with a weak morale, malaise, and lack of fighting courage are vulnerable to a single blow no matter how well equipped they are.If you are united as one, united in the same hatred, and regard death as home, you will first defeat the opponent spiritually.When the "Hundred Regiments War" campaign was fully launched, Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping handed over the task of defending Shinao Mountain to Chen Xilian for specific command.

In the early morning of August 20, 1940, the 769th regiment climbed Shinao Mountain with extremely concealed movements.Subsequently, Chen Xilian led the 385 brigade command post to the top of the mountain. Shinao Mountain is easy to defend, not because it is high, but because it is steep.It is only 200 meters from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, but the surrounding area is almost like cutting with a knife and an axe.In a bush on the north side of the mountain, Chen Xilian looked at Yangquan several times with the help of binoculars, and said to the people in the command post: "It is a fierce battle to hold on to Shinao Mountain. However, because the Japanese army could not attack, they might turn to the air force for help. The top of Shinao Mountain is flat like a field, if the air force bombs us, the situation will be unfavorable to us, so we have to think more about difficulties.”

Under Chen Xilian's instructions, all the troops rushed to repair the fortifications immediately, trying to make the fortifications stronger before the war. On the evening of the 20th, Commander Mitsutoku Tokue, captain of the Japanese garrison stationed in Yangquan, received a report from a spy that the Eighth Route Army with about 2,000 troops was stationed about 80 kilometers south of Yangquan.De Jiangguang judged that even if the Eighth Route Army attacked, it would take two days to march on foot, so he neither reported to his superiors nor took emergency measures. The arrogant De Jiangguang didn't pay attention to the Eighth Route Army. He believed that the troops he had mastered were enough to fight a decisive battle with a large number of Eighth Route Army.He has an independent infantry brigade, a mountain artillery brigade, a light and heavy squadron, and the county police, security, and garrison. There are nearly a thousand people capable of combat. With this military force, De Jiangguang is very calm in his heart, don't say no If there is a problem, even if there is a problem, these troops can deal with it.

On the night of the 20th, part of Chen Xilian's 385th Brigade attacked Yangquan, cutting off the Japanese army's wired communications and making De Jiangguang and Shangfeng lose contact. Then, the 385th Brigade occupied Temple Heights. In the early morning of the 21st, when the communication between De Jiangguang and the military headquarters was interrupted, he felt that the situation was serious.At this time, the Wuming Bridge to the west of Yangquan, and the strongholds of Xinxing Town, Potou, Cheshi, and Luomosi Towns were all attacked by the Eighth Route Army.De Jiangguang believed that a decisive battle with the Eighth Route Army must be seized, otherwise he could only fall into the predicament of being passively beaten.So on the morning of the 21st, the infantry was first sent to attack Shinao Mountain.

Chen Xilian's staff at the Li 385th Brigade's headquarters had a very clear observation of the Japanese attack on Shinao Mountain. Chen Xilian ordered the battalions and companies to prepare to return.When the Japanese army entered the river beach and waded on foot, the mortar company of the 385th Brigade blasted fiercely. Before the Japanese army could reach the south bank, they left several corpses and turned around and ran back. In the afternoon, the Japanese army dispatched infantry and artillery, crossed the Tao River, approached the foot of Shinao Mountain, and attacked the right position of the 769th Regiment of the 385th Brigade.The 1st Battalion guarding the position on the right, with the cooperation of the 3rd Battalion, returned fire with grenades and light and heavy machine guns. In a short time, they killed Nakajima, the leader of the Japanese artillery squadron, and killed and wounded nearly 100 Japanese soldiers.The disabled Japanese army dared not love to fight, so they waded through the water and fled back to Yangquan.

In the early morning of the 22nd, more than 200 Japanese troops came out of Yangquan and attacked the 1st Battalion position on the right side of Shinao Mountain.The commanders and fighters of the 1st Battalion, who were lying in the muddy water in the rain, used volley guns and cluster grenades to beat down the Japanese soldiers who rushed up again and again.When the Japanese army attacked for the fifth time, the machine gunners of the 1st Battalion and 3rd Company were killed, and dozens of Japanese soldiers were about to break into the position. Lu Rencan, director of the Political Department of the 385th Brigade, jumped out of the command post and rushed up with a platoon of machine gunners to fight back against the enemy.At this time, a bullet flew head-on, hit Lu Rencan's shoulder, and he fell down.

Seeing this, Chen Xilian rushed forward with the machine gunner.As the machine guns fired, the Japanese soldiers approaching the position fell down one after another.Then, the 1st Battalion launched a charge and drove the remaining Japanese troops off Shinao Mountain. After the Yangquan Highway was cut off by our army, the 8th Army opened the road from Yangquan to Yuci and Taiyuan, and had to spend the most capital to compete with the Eighth Route Army for Shinao Mountain.So, at dawn on the 23rd, the Yangquan garrison Japanese troops almost all out, launching a full-line attack on Nocheng Mountain.The Japanese army first bombarded with intensive artillery fire, then released a large amount of poison gas, and then a large group of infantry attacked Shinao Mountain.

Chen Xilian knew very well that whether he could continue to defend Shinao Mountain was related to the success or failure of the 129th Division's raid on the west section of Zhengtai Road.He commanded the troops to put up a desperate resistance. The mountain artillery of the 9th Army destroyed the fortifications on the position, and our army used the bomb crater as a cover; the poisonous gas bombs thrown by the Japanese army emitted poisonous smoke on the position, and our army threw out grenades to disperse the poisonous gas smoke; After it was filled with water, the commanders and fighters lay down in the muddy water to shoot and drop bombs.The Koukou Army dispatched more than 20 planes to assist in the battle. For a while, there was loud gunfire on Shinao Mountain, and the shouts of killing shook the sky and the earth.As night fell, the 385th Brigade still drove the Japanese troops down the mountain.

In the next two days, the Japanese army mobilized their forces again, and under the cover of aircraft, launched several attacks on Shinao Mountain, but they still failed to capture Shinao Mountain.Chen Xilian led the 385th brigade to hold back a large number of enemies, creating favorable conditions for our army's raid on Zhengtai Road.It was not until the railway between Dangyangquan and Yuci was completely destroyed that Chen Xilian withdrew the 385 brigade from Shinao Mountain. After the battle, the 385th Brigade was rewarded by an order from the Eighth Route Army Headquarters. One of the tasks of the second phase of the "Hundred Regiments War" was to eradicate the Japanese and puppet strongholds along the road from Yushe to Liao County, which was called the "Battle of Yuliao".Chen Xilian served as the commander-in-chief of the right group of the campaign. Chen Xilian is very familiar with this area. He has lived in Machang Village, Shixia Village, Guaier Town, and Hanwang Village.He often went to the schools in this area to play basketball and played with many students. Many people knew that this young soldier who loved to play basketball was a brigade commander. As usual, before a major battle begins, Chen Xilian always holds a pre-war research meeting.This time the meeting was attended by the leaders of the brigade.Chen Xilian spoke first. He said to everyone: "We are fighting on the land of Liao County. The commanders and fighters of our 385 brigade must understand that Liao County is also the home of our brigade and our base. This battle must be To show our prestige, we must also show the pride and pride of the common people. Have you ever thought that there are now more than 70,000 people in Liao County, men and women, except for children, they are all members of our army, and even children are ours A combatant, they are with us in every battle. The people in Liao County now live on rice bran for half a year. Don’t they have good food to eat? Are they willing to eat rice bran? Neither, It’s that they saved good food for us.” The people attending the meeting were very excited when they heard this, and the corners of their eyes became moist.Chen Xilian continued: "We persisted in the struggle in the Taihang Mountains. It was arduous and heroic. It was not only a heroic struggle, but also a heroic sacrifice. However, we must also see that the struggle and sacrifice are not only for the army, but also for the common people. Our brigade in Liao County Many battles were fought, and after the soldiers were wounded, the common people carried one by one back home. It was like this in every battle. The troops defended them, and they supported us. relationship. That’s why I said that this battle must be won and the common people must be happy.” Chen Xilian is a brave general, but also a very intelligent warrior.If there is a difference between him and some tiger generals, it is that he is very good at combat mobilization, and his level of political mobilization is even higher than that of some political cadres. After speaking these words, Chen Xilian turned the topic to the specific deployment of the battle.The task of conquering the enemy's stronghold in Shixia Village in this battle was handed over to the 769th regiment. Zheng Guozhong, the head of the 769th Regiment, heard that the task of conquering the stone box was entrusted to their regiment, and immediately stood up and said: "Report to the brigade commander, the old 9th regiment will never disappoint the hope and great trust of the brigade leader!" Chen Xilian encouraged: "Last time I played well in Shinao Mountain, I will try to play better this time." "Yes!" Zheng Guozhong replied firmly. The 769 regiment and the brigade command post advanced to the Langya Mountain area. Liao County was originally an important military base in ancient times, and wars often occurred there.In the Qing Dynasty, there were only 19 piers and abutments that could be found in the county, including paving, pipe heads and stone boxes.Shixia is a large village with more than 200 households on the Yuliao Highway. It is 15 miles away from Liaoxian County and is the gateway to Liaoxian County. After the Japanese army occupied Liao County in July 1939, they successively sent a team from Yamamoto and Shuijing Squadrons to station in Shixia Village.The Japanese army drove away the common people in the courtyards to the north of Wangye Temple and made it their barracks.On the small hill in the west, gun towers, bunkers, and sentry sheds were also built. There are criss-crossing trenches and barbed wire around the stronghold, and the defense is very tight. After the "Hundred Regiments War" started, the strength of the Japanese army in Shixia more than doubled, and there were sufficient food and ammunition. The terrain of Shixia is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The highlands in the north of the village have been controlled by the Japanese army. The Qingzhang River is used as a barrier to the south of the road, and the road to the west is not easy for troops to move. There are old walls and barbed wire between the houses in the east of the village and the Japanese barracks. , inconvenient to approach. However, no matter how tight the enemy's defenses are, Chen Xilian will have to gnaw at this tough bone.In the middle of the night, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 769th Regiment descended from Langya Mountain, crossed the Qingzhang River, and approached Shixia Village.After more than two hours of fierce fighting, the outer obstacles of the Japanese army were cleared and most of the houses in Shixia Village were occupied. The Japanese army shrank to the hill in the northwest of the village and continued to resist based on the strong fortifications. At 6 o'clock in the morning on the 27th, the 1st Battalion launched an attack on the small hill where the Japanese army was firmly defending.It was quite smooth at the beginning, but later, because the Japanese army occupied the bunker and resisted stubbornly, the 1st Battalion was suppressed by the fierce Japanese firepower several times.Upon seeing this, Chen Xilian ordered the troops to retreat to the river embankment to rest in hiding, preparing to fight again at dusk. When the sun was setting to the west, our army launched an attack again. The 3rd Battalion served as the main attack, and the 1st Battalion and 3rd Company were the reserve team.The commando cut off all the barbed wire fences of the Japanese army, and the fire team composed of light and heavy machine guns suppressed the enemy with intensive firepower. The 3rd Battalion captured two Japanese bunkers in one fell swoop. However, the remaining Japanese troops still refused to hand in their guns, and resisted based on the last gun tower.Two Japanese planes flew in to help, hovering at low altitude and strafing and bombing.Our 3rd Battalion continued to attack without fear: the Japanese army was dying, and they released a large amount of poisonous gas to stop our army.For a while, white smoke billowed. At this time, Chen Xilian was observing the attack situation on Langya Mountain, when he suddenly felt the sound of gunshots falling in front of him, and also saw many people retreating to the riverside, not knowing what happened.Then he asked Zheng Guozhong: "What's the matter, the troops stopped attacking?" "I'll go down and have a look." Zheng Guozhong said and left. "Let's go and have a look together." After Chen Xilian finished speaking, he asked Zheng Guozhong to go down the mountain together and rushed to the river. By the river, Zheng Guozhong saw many soldiers scattered on the river beach, all of them were rinsing their mouths and washing their faces.He asked Ma Zhongquan, commander of the 3rd Battalion: "Why did the troops come down?" "The devils released poison gas bombs, and the troops were all poisoned." Ma Zhongquan cursed angrily while wiping his eyes with a towel. "It seems that the enemy can't support it anymore." Chen Xilian said to Zheng Guozhong and Ma Zhongquan: "The troops take a break, and when it gets dark, add another company to the front, and pull up the brigade special agent company on the right side, from the east of the village. Break through the walls of the village and attack the houses of the people, and strive to resolve the battle tonight!" After dark, our army attacked Shixia Village again.The Japanese army fired flares from time to time to spy on the direction of the Eighth Route Army's attack, and wanted to seize the road to counterattack. The special agent company of the 385th Brigade fought westward from the east of the village, passed through the streets and alleys, opened up the walls and houses of the village, and approached the Japanese artillery towers.Ma Zhongquan commanded 2 companies and Li Desheng led the 3rd company to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army in two ways.Rows of cluster grenades blew up the thick poisonous gas near the gun tower. Li Qingquan, the deputy squad leader of the 7th squad of the 3rd company, was the first to rush in with a basket of grenades. While throwing the grenades into the gun tower, he cursed: "You dog, you put poison gas, I told you to try the grenades from the Eighth Route Army!" The warehouse of the Japanese army was hit by a grenade and caught fire. The raging fire clearly illuminated the counterattacking Japanese soldiers.Our army concentrated its firepower and swept the Japanese army.Most of the Japanese soldiers were killed or injured, and the remnants were forced back to the gun towers. The soldiers threw grenades into the gun tower one by one, causing the Japanese army to scream and lose their combat effectiveness. The gun tower was finally captured by our army. Taking Shixia Village, removed a major obstacle to attacking Liao County.Chen Xilian then led the troops to conquer Liao County together with the Zuo Group commanded by the 386 brigade commander Chen Geng.All the Japanese strongholds on the road west of Liao County were removed.