Chapter 170 4. Shandong Metro is advancing bravely

The Japanese army was about to surrender. Under the instruction of Chiang Kai-shek, He Siyuan, chairman of the Shandong Kuomintang Provincial Government, hurried to Jinan.After arriving in Jinan, the first thing he did was to order the Japanese and puppet troops from all over Shandong to stick to the towns and surrender to them when the Kuomintang troops arrived.The second thing is to recruit puppet troops.So this group of lackeys of the Japanese army, the guys who killed their own compatriots and worked for tigers, turned into the "Central Army". With the instigation and support of the Kuomintang army, the Japanese and puppet troops in Shandong refused to surrender to the Eighth Route Army.

In response to this new situation, on August 13, the Shandong branch and the military region issued the "Determination to Completely Eliminate the Japanese and Puppet Army" and "The Deployment to Seize the Big Cities" to their respective regions. On August 15, the military region issued the "Regulations on the Combat Direction of Troops."Regulation: The Luzhong Military Region captured Jinan and besieged enemies in Yidu, Anqiu, Tai'an, Linyi and other places. The Bohai Navy District used its main force to cooperate with the Luzhong Military District to seize Jinan, and used a part to recover all key points along the Cang (county) and De (county) sections of the Jinpu Railway, as well as Shouguang, Weixian and other places.

The main force of the Jiaodong Military Region marched into Qingdao, and part of it recovered the cities along the Jiaoji Railway east of Weixian County and along the coast. The main force of the Lunan Military Region captured Xuzhou, and a part attacked Ziyang and the enemy along the Jinpu Railway to the south. One part of the Binhai Navy District cooperated with the Jiaodong Military District to seize Qingdao, the other part recovered the coastal areas, occupied Lianyungang, etc., and moved westward along the Longhai Railway to support the Lunan Military District to capture Xuzhou. The order also stipulated that the above-mentioned five armies should first clear the small and medium-sized cities in their respective mission areas, and then march towards the areas along the Shandong Railway and the large enemy-occupied cities.

After receiving the order from the Shandong Military Region, each military region quickly organized troops and launched operations. Under the command of Luo Ronghuan, Li Yu, and Xiao Hua, the 5-way army was mighty, braved the scorching heat, traveled across mountains and rivers, and traveled day and night to various important cities and traffic arteries. Under the leadership of Wang Jian'an, the frontline commander, and Luo Shunchu, the political commissar of the First Route Army, the 3rd and 4th Divisions, the main force, rushed towards the west section of Jiaoji Road and Jinan. From August 11th to 16th, our army wiped out 23 strongholds, liberated Linqu on the 19th, and captured Boshan on the 22nd.On the evening of that day, the main force of the First Eighth Route Army, which had marched rapidly for several days, wedged into the middle section of Jiaoji Road with the force of lightning, and surrounded Yidu County.After fierce fighting, more than 2,000 puppet troops were annihilated; subsequently, Laiwu County was liberated on the 23rd, Zichuan was captured on the 25th, and more than 1,800 Japanese and puppet troops were wiped out.Afterwards, the 4th Division crossed Jiaoji Road and cooperated with the 7th Division to liberate Zhangqiu on the 26th.So far, the first army has wiped out more than 5,000 Japanese and puppet troops, cut off the western section of Jiaoji Road, and approached the suburbs of Jinan from the southeast.

On August 17, the first army returned to Linyi, and together with the second army and the special task force of the military region, they launched the Battle of Linyi.Linyi is surrounded by Mengshan Mountain in the north and Yihe River in the east. It is a transportation hub connecting the two railways of Jiaoji and Longhai, and a military center in the north of Longhai Road.After long-term operation by the Japanese and puppet forces, it has always been a fortress wedged into the center of the Eighth Route Army's Luzhong, Lunan, and Binhai theaters and a military assembly point for "sweeping" the liberated areas.The Linyi defenders, together with the puppet troops fleeing from Fei County, tried in vain to rely on high walls and deep trenches, bright forts and hidden bunkers, and a large number of weapons, ammunition and food left by the Japanese army to stand by and wait for reinforcements, and refused to surrender.Luo Ronghuan was determined to eradicate this reactionary fortress, so he ordered the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division, the 11th Regiment of the 2nd Police Brigade, the Special Service Regiment of the Shandong Military Region, and the Mushui Independent Battalion to surround Linyi.Another 3,000 militiamen served as front-line service and transportation.

On the evening of August 17, various combat units began to attack Linyi. From the 20th to the 22nd, the Eighth Route Army launched two strong attacks on the city, but none of them worked.Luo Ronghuan urgently sent an urgent message to the front line of Linyi: "Linyi has been unable to attack for a long time this time, mainly due to military delay and hesitation and lost time!" He asked the frontline commanders to study the combat plan carefully, and then attack after making preparations. On the morning of September 10th, the fully prepared Eighth Route Army launched an offensive again. The 2,000 kilograms of explosives that had been buried in advance made a loud "boom" in the tunnel, bricks flew and stones danced, dust and smoke rolled, and the city wall was immediately broken open for about an hour. 30 meters wide gap.The attacking units of the Eighth Route Army took advantage of the momentum to attack.However, under the coercion of the "supervisor team", the puppet army desperately blocked the gap.After the two charges of the Eighth Route Army were blocked, they launched a general attack from three sides at the same time on the evening of the 10th, repelling the enemy's 8 counterattacks in a row, and finally rushed into the city.The Eighth Route Army surged into the city, charging bravely.The enemy released poisonous gas 5 times, but failed to save the doom of its destruction.In addition to killing and wounding more than 600 people defending the enemy by the Eighth Route Army, more than 2,000 people were captured.

After the battle, Luo Ronghuan, Li Yu, and Xiao Hua specially issued a commendation order on September 14, extending warm congratulations and deep condolences to the participating troops.The liberation of Linyi City completely connected the three areas of southern Shandong, central Shandong and Binhai.Subsequently, the Shandong Provincial Government and the Shandong Military Region moved to Linyi. Under the leadership of the front-line commander Chen Shiju and political commissar Tang Liang, the second army marched north to the east section of Jiaoji Road and south to the east section of Longhai Road.

The 1st Division and the Binhai Detachment marching northward set off from the Zhucheng area in mid-August and quickly crossed the rugged Wulian Mountains.When the Eighth Route Army arrived more than 30 kilometers south of Jiaoxian County, the puppet army Zhang Hongfei mobilized his troops in Jiaoxian County and nearby areas, trying to resist with the help of city walls and strong fortifications.Chen Shiju immediately ordered the relevant troops to follow and compress, and surrounded them on the 19th.That night, the moon was bright and the night was quiet.The 1st Regiment of the 1st Division dispatched a company of commandos to climb the city wall in just 10 minutes. The eastern section of Jiaoji Road ensured the safety of the flanks of the third army marching towards Qingdao.On the same day, the Eighth Route Army occupied Ju County and took control of Xuejiadao, which is across the sea from Qingdao.At this time, the 2nd Division marching from the southern line to Ganyu, Linyi and Longhai Road went smoothly and made rapid progress, and successively captured Haijian, Shijiusuo and other places. On August 21, after the Eighth Route Army regained Ganyu, Qingkou and other coastal towns, it continued to advance southward, cutting off the eastern section of Longhai Road, and approaching Haizhou and Lianyungang.

On September 2, 1945, the 1st Division suddenly approached Zhucheng from Jiaoxian area.Zhucheng is located on the south side of the eastern section of Jiaoji Road, at the intersection of several roads, and is a major fortress for the Japanese army to control the Shandong Peninsula.More than 4,000 people, including the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Puppet Divisions of Zhang Buyun and the Zhucheng Puppet Guard Brigade, gathered in the city.Zhang Buyun is a cruel and vicious executioner with a mountain of crimes. After Japan surrendered, he was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as the "Jiaonan Frontier Defense Commander". Japanese soldiers fled the area.If this enemy is not eliminated, how can the people live in peace? On the evening of September 5th, the 1st and 2nd regiments of the 1st Division braved the heavy rain and occupied the Dongguan and Xiguan outside Zhucheng overnight, and began their general offensive on the evening of the 6th.The division commander Liang Xingchu commanded the Eighth Route Army to charge bravely and split the attack.The battle ended that night. Except for Zhang Buyun who led a small number of remnants to escape, more than 2,100 people under the Secretary-General of the Puppet First Group Army were captured and more than 300 people were killed.It was night, and thousands of families in Zhucheng were empty, and people carrying red lanterns rushed to the streets and shouted: "Welcome to the Eighth Route Army!" "Welcome to the rescuers!" .The entire coastal area was liberated step by step.

Under the leadership of the front-line commander Xu Shiyou and political commissar Lin Hao, the third army launched an attack on the eastern section of Jiaoji Road and the Japanese and puppet troops in coastal cities in two fronts, the south and the north. On August 17, the Eighth Route Army liberated Weihai. On August 24, Yantai and Liugong Island were occupied. Jimo was conquered on the 26th.By the end of August, the third army had killed more than 1,700 Japanese and puppet troops, captured more than 4,400 Japanese and puppet troops, and more than 1,500 puppet troops had surrendered. So far, Pingdu, located in the hinterland of Jiaodong, has become the only remaining reactionary bastion in Jiaodong.There are more than 6,000 puppet troops from Wang Tiexiang's department and the puppet troops who fled from Laiyang, Ye County, Zhaoyuan and other places in the city, and more than 600 Japanese soldiers.Since Chiang Kai-shek had just appointed Wang Tiexiang as the commander of the Ninth Army, Wang Tiexiang immediately raised the banner of the "Central Army".In response, the Eighth Route Army put up the slogan "Break into Pingdu City and capture Wang Tiexiang alive".Xu Shiyou came to the front line in person and commanded the 13th Regiment of the 5th Division to launch the Battle of Pingdu on the evening of September 7. The troops from all walks of life rushed forward like a whirlwind, rushing into the streets from the west, east, and south gates of Pingdu City. , Fighting hand to hand with the enemy, fighting all night in the streets.Wang Tiexiang was so beaten that he was unable to fight anymore, so he fled to the residential area in a hurry, and was soon captured alive by soldiers of the Eighth Route Army.In this battle, the Eighth Route Army captured more than 5,700 officers and soldiers of the puppet army, and killed and injured more than 700 people.

Under the leadership of the frontline commander Yang Guofu and political commissar Jing Xiaocun, the Fourth Route Army divided into three groups and attacked the Japanese and puppet troops along the Jinan-Cangzhou section of Jinpu Road and the western section of Jiaoji Road: August 17, Liberated Shouguang; conquered Linyi on the 19th; captured Gaoyuan, Huantai, and Boxing on the 20th; liberated Guangrao on the 21st; occupied Yangxin and Wuqiao on the 22nd; conquered Linzi, Xindian, and Zihe on Jiaoji Road on the 23rd Waiting for the station; conquering Qidong on the 22nd; liberating Huimin on the 30th; at dawn on the 31st, the Eighth Route Army stormed Zouping, broke into the city within 15 minutes, wiped out the refusal to surrender the puppet army, and captured more than 1,200 people; on the same day, Qingcheng was liberated.So far, the Fourth Route Army wiped out more than 7,800 Japanese and puppet troops, cut off the middle section of Jiaoji Road, and marched toward the suburbs of Jinan from the northeast, forming a pincer attack on Jinan with the First Route Army. Subsequently, the Fourth Route Army took advantage of the momentum to attack and liberated Jiyang on September 4, Yanshan on September 9, and Ningjin on September 10.At this time, there were still a large number of puppet troops in the Bohai area: Zhang Ziliang, the 6th Puppet Security Brigade, was entrenched in Wudi; , Scattered in the border areas of Huimin, Binxian, Qingcheng, Yangxin and other counties.Yang Guofu decided to "pull the net" to wipe out the remnants of the "four counties border area" before attacking Wudi and Shanghe. With the cooperation of the militia, the Eighth Route Army troops participating in the "net war" formed a large encirclement circle with a circumference of 80 kilometers in the "four counties border area" on September 10, and then gradually tightened the "net rope" to squeeze out the remnants and fakes. To the Tuhai River.Immediately afterwards, the Eighth Route Army launched attacks from all directions at the same time. Except for a few of the puppet troops who slipped through the net, such as Cheng Jianji, most of them were surrounded and wiped out, and more than 2,000 people were captured alive. At the same time, part of the main force of the Eighth Route Army, independent battalions from various counties, and more than 3,000 militiamen have already besieged Wudi City.The walls of Wudi are high and strong, and the surrounding fields are open. There are moats with a width of 25 meters and a depth of four to five meters around the four passes. The moats are filled with water and filled with bamboo sticks.Zhang Ziliang was arrogant, boasting that Wudi was a "golden soup city", unbreakable by attack, and the Eighth Route Army was approaching the city, so he even called people to sing a big show. Beginning on September 12, the Eighth Route Army dug three blockade trenches with a total length of more than 40 kilometers outside the city, making the defense of Wudi City a crab in an urn.Yang Guofu and Jing Xiaocun ordered the main force to attack on the evening of September 16.On the evening of the 17th, the Eighth Route Army wiped out the defending enemy, killed Zhang Ziliang, captured more than 5,400 enemies, and killed and wounded more than 400 puppet troops. At this time, defending the enemy in Shanghe City has become another turtle in the urn.The troops of the Eighth Route Army and the militia surrounded the city on September 10, and dug a blockade ditch 20 kilometers in circumference and 4 meters deep and 4 meters wide around the city.When Wudi was liberated and the main force of the Eighth Route Army moved to Shanghe, the puppet troops in the city were already panicked. On September 26, the Eighth Route Army launched a general offensive and quickly opened the East City Gate.The pseudo-teacher Tian Jingtang was so frightened that he hurriedly led his troops to surrender.In this battle, more than 300 officers and soldiers of the puppet army were killed, and more than 4,500 were captured alive.So far, the hinterland of the Bohai Sea region has been completely liberated.From October 16 to December 31, the troops of the Bohai Navy Region also launched the Battle of Pingyuan and Yucheng, annihilating more than 200 Japanese troops below the captain and nearly 1,000 puppet troops. The Fifth Army was led by Zhang Guangzhong, the frontline commander, and Wang Lushui, the political commissar, and attacked the Xuzhou-Yanzhou section of Jinpu Road and the northeast of Xuzhou. On August 11, this army attacked Yan Village and wiped out more than 2,400 enemies. On August 18, Luo Ronghuan and Li Yu sent a telegram to Zhang Guangzhong and Wang Lushui: "Advance quickly and capture Xuzhou." On that day, the Fifth Route Army liberated Guanzhuang Station south of Yanzhou and cut off Jinpu Road.Surabaya guarding the enemy saw the Eighth Route Army coming violently, and fled to Yanzhou in a hurry. On the 19th, the Eighth Route Army successfully liberated Sishui and Qufu; on the 23rd, it captured Taierzhuang; and then changed its attack target to Yi County. The county seat of Yi County is the barrier in the southern suburbs of Zaozhuang Coal Mine.Relying on the support of the Japanese army, the puppet army defending the city refused to surrender to the Eighth Route Army. On September 1, Luo Ronghuan and Li Yu sent a telegram to Zhang Guangzhong and Wang Lushui: "The focus of your operations should be on Yi and Zao. If I can capture Yi County first, Zaozhuang will be completely surrounded by us. .” Under the command of Wang Lushui, the 8th Division, the main force of the Eighth Route Army, launched the Battle of Yixian at 23:00 on September 7.Under the cover of night and artillery fire, the commandos of the Eighth Route Army quickly crossed the city wall and broke into the city from the east gate and north gate at the same time.Under the fierce attack of the Eighth Route Army, the Beimen puppet army was the first to disarm.As a result, the Eighth Route Army quickly compressed south and west, attacking the puppet county government and the city defense headquarters.By 2 o'clock in the morning, the Eighth Route Army occupied the whole city, wiped out the puppet troops defending the city, and captured more than 1,400 enemies. At the same time, the Lunan railway guerrillas also showed their talents. On the night of September 8, they set up a grenade on Jinpu Road, blowing up a Japanese armored vehicle, and the troop carrier that followed it also overturned and derailed.The armored vehicles of the Japanese army in Lincheng heard the news and came to help, but were blown up by the preset grenade.Soon, a train of Japanese soldiers coming from the south shot at each other with the Japanese soldiers who had just overturned due to unknown circumstances, killing more than 400 Japanese soldiers, injuring more than 300, and destroying one tank and two front cars. (Li Yu, Lin Hao, etc.: "The Last Battle to Sweep the Japanese and Puppet Army") Luo Ronghuan's five-way army was like five giant currents, constantly besieging the city and attacking fortifications, sweeping across the land of Shandong.