Chapter 62 2. He Long set up "pockets" to wait for the enemy

As early as late April, the 120th Division wiped out more than 700 people from the enemy's Yoshida Brigade in the Qihui area; in late June, it wiped out more than 2,500 people from 3 brigades of the Zhangyinwu Division of the Hebei People's Army in Zhangqian Temple, dealing a heavy blow to the enemy's stubbornness. Since July, it has been raining continuously in central Jizhong, and the river has soared. The Japanese invaders were unable to destroy our army militarily.At the same time, the Kuomintang is also actively preparing for the first anti-communist upsurge. The 120th Division relied on the masses to work hard, and after launching a two-month water guerrilla war with the enemy, in August, it was ordered to return to the Jinchaji border area for training. The detachment is under the unified command of the 3rd detachment captain He Bingyan and the political commissar Yu Qiuli. Apart from the struggle in central Hebei, the division's main independent 1st brigade (the 715th regiment is missing), the 2nd brigade, and the independent 1st detachment are divided into two echelons. Starting from East and West Huanglong, Nanbeixi Village, Daliu, Dechao and other places in Shenxian County on the 18th, it moved westward, crossed Pinghan Road, and arrived at Qinjiataiyang, Koutou Town, and Nanbeichengzhai in the northwest of Tang Dynasty in early September, Huanglong Gathering in the Hong Kong area.The troops were reorganized: the 1st and 2nd regiments of the independent 1st brigade were combined into 2 regiments; the independent 2nd brigade was changed to the 358th brigade, and the 4th and 5th regiments were combined into 4 regiments.Arrange training immediately after reorganization.

This autumn in the Jizhong base area, the mountains, rivers and valleys are full of charming scenes.Grinning long corn, bent ears of grain, bright red jujubes, apples, persimmons, and walnuts hanging on the branches are about to mature; reeds on both sides of the Ci River are dancing in the breeze, and birds are also enjoying themselves. Singing, the villagers are immersed in the joy of the harvest.In such a harvest season, in order to rob food and destroy the autumn harvest in the base areas, the Japanese army mobilized a large number of troops and stepped up preparations for the autumn raids on the base areas of the Eighth Route Army.

The head of the Eighth Route Army had expected this attempt of the enemy. On September 15, Nie Rongzhen, the then commander and political commissar of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and He Long, commander of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and Guan Xiangying, political commissars, jointly notified the soldiers and civilians in the border region that the enemy was mobilizing troops and there were signs of invading the Eighth Route Army base areas.He also ordered Zhang Zongxun, the commander of the 358th Brigade, and Zhang Pinghua, the political commissar, to command the first echelon of the 120th Division, and with the assistance of the soldiers and civilians in Beiyue District, crush the enemy's attack.At the same time, he instructed: all local armed forces, rear offices, schools, national salvation groups and the masses of the people to prepare for the anti-"mopping up".

After receiving the order, the soldiers and civilians in the border region acted urgently in accordance with the instructions of the head of the military region.On the afternoon of September 16, the East Shimen Conference was held, and deployments were made to defend the autumn harvest and crush the "mopping up".All townships and villages in the border area have made full preparations.Dozens of villages along the way from Ciyu Town to Chenzhuang Town organized youth cadre teams and anti-pioneer teams to assist the troops in digging traps and laying mines; the women's rescue associations in each village also formed stretcher teams to prepare for the wartime rescue of the wounded; The children also set up a children's group, which usually stands guard and guards.In short, on both sides of the Cihe River, which is more than ten kilometers from Tanzhuang to Chatou, the soldiers and civilians in the border area are waiting in full force, ready to join hands to slay demons and demons.

Sure enough, as Commander He Long expected, on September 24, the head of the Japanese Independent 8th Mixed Brigade, Suyuan Yizhong Brigade, led the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade, as well as the Japanese puppet troops stationed in Shijiazhuang, Zhengding, Xingtang, Lingshou and other places. More than 2,000 troops, forced to pull more than 200 farmers, and dozens of carts, suddenly concentrated in Lingshou County. On September 25, Shui Yuan personally led more than 2,000 Japanese and puppet troops, armed with cannons, cars, horses and supplies, marched out of Lingshou County, and attacked Ciyu Town to the north.

The enemy used all the cannons, grenade launchers, machine guns, and light and heavy firearms to shoot violently together, showing their power around Ciyu Town.The security troops of the 5th Regiment of the 4th Division of the Eighth Route Army fought tenaciously, but were outnumbered and had to withdraw from the battle. By noon, the Japanese army occupied Ciyu Town.Yoshishige Mizuhara proudly ordered his chief of staff to report to the Japanese North China Headquarters: "At 12:00 on September 25, the imperial army captured Ciyu, a large market town in central Lingshou." After learning of the enemy's actions, Commander He Long hurriedly led the division headquarters and the 716 regiment to rush 90 kilometers a day and a night to join the battle.He Long judged that the enemy's goal would not be simply Ciyu, and it was likely that they would use this as a basis to attack Chenzhuang.Chenzhuang is more than 50 kilometers away from Lingshou County. The main road from the county to Chenzhuang is a road passing through Ciyu and Chatou towns. The maneuvering of firearms.In the past, the enemy had harassed Chen Zhuang many times before, so He Long reckoned that the enemy might still take this road this time.Therefore, it was decided to concentrate the main force and deploy it on the valleys on both sides of the Cihe River along the line from Beitanzhuang to Chatou, forming a pocket formation and waiting for the enemy to invade.

The Eighth Route Army units occupying the positions on the east and west sides of Beitanzhuang adopted the method of luring the enemy deep and led the enemy to advance to the ambush area. waiting. But they waited from noon until the sun was about to set, but they didn't see the shadow of the enemy.After dusk, the scouts of the 719th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army reported: "The Japanese army stopped advancing when they entered the area of ​​Beitanzhuang and Xiwu River." The enemy is lured into battle, but the cunning enemy only fires back and refuses to move forward.