Chapter 8 Section 8 Xuefeng Mountain, Xueshi Mountain!

Xuefeng Mountain, Xueshi Mountain! The Japanese rolled down in groups like ants meeting fire!The moat is full of yellow dead bodies floating From the second half of 1944, the national army retreating to the southwest region was formed into four front armies. Wang Yaowu was promoted to the commander of the fourth front army of the army, commanding the 73rd, 74th, and 100th armies.According to the agreement between China and the United States at that time, the United States helped Chiang Kai-shek to complete the After completing the equipment transformation and officer training of 36 infantry divisions, the Fourth Front Army undoubtedly became the biggest beneficiary. It was replaced with all American weapons and became a national army with first-class combat effectiveness.

In March 1945, in view of the continuous bombing of the Japanese mainland by the Chinese and American Air Force Mixed Battalions, the Japanese fascist forces at the end of the day decided to put all their eggs in one basket and squeeze out their troops. The 20th Army commanded by Lieutenant General Kazuyoshi Sakanishi totaled 200,000 horses in an attempt to capture the Chinese and American forces. Zhijiang, the base of the Air Force Mixed Brigade, opened up the Hunan-Guizhou Highway, stroked the back of Chongqing, and reversed the decline of the entire Chinese battlefield. The Fourth Front Army, which was in charge of the defensive mission in western Hunan, naturally became its first target to be attacked, and also became an important force in defending Chongqing.

At that time, in order to fully coordinate the ground and air operations of this campaign, China and the United States established a mixed combat command in Anjiang and an advanced command post in Xupu. Qiu Weida, chief of staff of the Fourth Front Army, was in charge of the frontline command. According to the strategic deployment drawn up by the Combat Command, the Fourth Front Army deployed troops at the eastern foot of Xuefeng Mountain, the 74th Army deployed in Suining, Wugang, Shixiajiang, and Dongkou areas to guard against the enemies of Dong'an and Shaoyang; the 100th Army deployed at the mountain pass , Longhui, and Xupu lines, strictly guard against the enemies of Shaodong and Xiangxiang; the 73rd Army set up formations in the Anhua and Xinhua areas, watching the enemies of Xiangxiang and Yiyang.In addition to supporting ground operations, the Sino-US mixed air brigade is also responsible for reconnaissance of enemy movements and bombing transportation hubs, stations, and warehouse facilities behind enemy lines.

After accepting the combat mission from Anjiang, Shi Zhongcheng, commander of the 74th Army, and Zhang Lingfu, deputy commander of the 74th Army, immediately rushed back to Dongkou, where the military headquarters is located, in a medium jeep. .This is the first battle that Shi Zhongcheng and Zhang Lingfu have fought since Wang Yaowu was promoted to their current positions. Now the sign of the Anti-Japanese Iron Army is handed over to them to carry on their shoulders, and they cannot be careless. After careful consideration, Shi Zhongcheng deployed the troops of each division. The 58th Division defended Wugang, the 57th Division set up Jiangkou and Shixiajiang, and the 51st Division set up Futieshan Temple, Tiantai Boundary and other key points of the Hunan-Guizhou Highway.

The 58th Division is Yu Jishi's old team. After Zhang Lingfu was promoted to deputy commander, Cai Renjie took over his position. Cai Renjie is a fifth-year student in Whampoa. He is calm and reticent but full of strategy. After receiving the important task of guarding Wugang, he took a few regiment leaders to carefully inspect the terrain around Wugang, and then followed the mountains and rivers to go outside the city. Three lines of defense were set up. Wugang is adjacent to Zishui in the east and Xuefeng Mountain in the west. It is the place where the Japanese army must pass through to seize the Hunan-Guangxi Railway.Because it is located in an important place in western Hunan, Wugang City has become very strong after generations of construction. The wall is 10 meters high and 8 meters thick. The moat is also 20 to 30 meters wide and 35 meters deep. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. place.

But Banxi Yiliang only wanted to capture Zhijiang, destroy the Sino-US Air Force base, and then lead the army straight to Chongqing. Of course, he would not take these "bones" in front of him into consideration. On May 15, the 116th Division of the Japanese Army, led by Lieutenant General Iwanaga Wang, joined the 58th Brigade of the 68th Division, with a total of 50,000 horses, and rushed towards Wugang, Huayuan City, and Dongkou in 6 routes. Come. On the morning of May 22, under the cover of the mist in the mountains, more than 30,000 people from the 116th Division attacked the defenders on the outskirts of Wugang from all directions.Zhuwang Mountain in the north of the city is the commanding height of the whole city, and it is also the focus of the Japanese attack. The 178th Regiment is guarding the position here.

Due to the cover of the morning fog, when the Japanese army began to charge, several positions at the foot of the 178th regiment were abandoned like dominoes, and the retreating soldiers rushed up the mountainside.Qi Guang grabbed the collar of a retreating platoon leader and slapped him several times, "Fuck you, such a coward, is still working for the 74th Army?" After beating and cursing, He picked up a rotary machine gun and took the lead to rush down the mountain, and the others followed suit. A ghost with the appearance of an officer was standing on the hillside, brandishing a saber and chirping to command his subordinates to advance. Qi Guang was worthy of being a "starling", and he liked to yell when he shot.Seeing such a target, he said to the people around him: "200 meters, the top of the head is blooming, and the right side is the first to fall to the ground!" As soon as the words fell, his shuttle bullets flew by, and the devil officer really had his brains splashed and fell into the ground. in the weeds.

The Japanese's offensive momentum did not seem to be affected by this. On the contrary, their howitzers and mortars fired more violently at Zhuhai. Blossoms bloomed everywhere on Mount Wang, and Qi Guang and others could hardly lift their heads. A few devils took the opportunity to rush to the mountainside position of the 178th regiment.Fortunately, the submachine guns in the hands of the soldiers of the 178th regiment were light, fast, and powerful, and the Japanese were beaten down. At noon, the Japanese used heavy machine guns to suppress the firepower of the 178th regiment, shouting and launching the biggest impact on the mountain. Qi Guang had just picked up the machine gun to prepare for a counterattack, when a bullet flew in, and his left arm was like As if being stabbed by a knife, it collapsed "shua", and the person passed out.

The leader is injured!The Japanese rushed to the 178th regiment like locusts, and the situation in Zhuwang Mountain was extremely critical for a while. At this moment, there was a sudden sound of aircraft in the air, and six fighter planes painted with the national emblem of blue sky and white sun rushed down like eagles pouncing on their food.After a while, this group of planes shuttled back and forth in front of the Japanese formation, flying and strafing.In the blink of an eye, the Japanese were in disarray, crying for their fathers and mothers one by one, rolling down the hill with their heads in their arms. Their bodies were lying everywhere in the bushes, on the hillsides, and on the ditches.

The Japanese attack was finally beaten down thoroughly. learn from mistakes.The next day, Wang Yanyong avoided Zhuwang Mountain and wanted to attack Wugang City directly from the east gate. Seeing the ant-like Japanese troops rushing towards the city wall across the moat on the pontoon bridge, Cai Renjie, the commander of the 58th Division, seemed to be fine and was not in a hurry to give orders. Seeing that the Chinese did not move, the Japanese boldly built rope ladders on the city wall.Soon, they climbed up to the city wall along more than 40 rope ladders, like groups of macaques, eager and agile, they wanted to pick the "fruit" they wanted as quickly as possible.

"Go!" Cai Renjie, who had been observing the enemy's situation at the command post on the city wall, waved his hand. The officers and soldiers of the 58th Division, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed to their respective crenels like arrows flying from the string, and slammed down with submachine guns, machine guns, and grenades. Sweep away, blow up! The Japanese rolled down in groups like ants meeting fire!Those who were beaten to death and fell to death were piled up at the base of the wall, and the moat was also full of yellow dead bodies floating! Takeoka has become a Japanese graveyard! The devil was burned into balls of fire, shaking, rolling, until lying on the ground, turned into piles of black charcoal At this time, the Chinese Army General Headquarters in Kunming urgently dispatched Hu Lian's 18th Army in the Sixth Theater and Liao Yaoxiang's New Army, which was fighting in Burma, to western Hunan to participate in the Battle of Xuefeng Mountain. The cries of the Chinese echoed everywhere in Au. Seeing that the situation was not good, Bannishi Kazuyoshi quickly ordered Iwanaga Wang to lead his troops to retreat to Dongkou, Shanmen, and Garden City in order to join the 64th and 68th Divisions. Both Wang Yaowu and Shi Zhongcheng thought of the Japanese move.Among the 200 miles of mountain roads from Wugang to Dongkou, Tieshan Temple and Tiantai Boundary are the necessary places to travel between the two places. Therefore, when he learned that Shi Zhongcheng set up Zhou Zhidao's 51st Division at this time, Wang Yaowu agreed very much. I also personally inspected the hilltop positions of the 51st Division.Of course, Wang Yaowu's visit to Zhou Zhidao has another meaning: Since he was promoted to the commander of the front army, most of the former officers of the 74th Army were promoted accordingly, and even Li Tianxia, ​​who had never been incompatible with Zhang Lingfu, was transferred to the 100th Army. But Zhou Zhidao didn't stay in his job. He was afraid that Zhou Zhidao would get angry, so he hugged the grass and beat the rabbit, and wanted to take the opportunity of the inspection to come over to comfort Zhou Zhidao.Seeing that Zhou Zhidao still had the same straight-talking, cheerful expression, he walked around excitedly and returned to Anjiang with peace of mind. When Yan Yongwang's 116th Division walked through Xuefeng Mountain with wounds and disabilities, the high mountains on both sides of the road made them shudder and shudder.Fortunately, although he was nervous in the first two days, nothing happened along the way. Yan Yong let out a sigh of relief, but on the third day he took courage and galloped on the road.The scenery on the side of the road is good, the mountain flowers are blooming like a brocade, and Yan Yongwang’s mood is also like this spring flower, bright and bright, "Chinese people are as stupid as wood! If they deploy troops here, wouldn’t I, Yan Yongwang, be unable to fly? Hey Hey, the rise of martial arts originated in China, but the true inheritance is in our Yamato!" While galloping, he thought about it, and couldn't help laughing when he thought of his pride!The laughter echoed in the valley for a long time, even though it was daytime, it was somewhat terrifying. The things in the world happen to happen by chance.Maybe it was Iwanaga's laughter that attracted the gunshots, or maybe the Japanese had entered the Chinese ambush circle. Anyway, when Iwanaga's strange smile was still floating in the air, the gunshots on the front and back hills were like rain. Like a banana leaf, it poured down like a banana leaf, and what was even more frightening was that the boulders and logs on the mountain flew straight towards the people and horses in the valley like a meteor shower.In an instant, people and horses stepped on each other, blood splattered and flesh flew, wounded soldiers with severed limbs and arms were everywhere, human corpses and horse corpses smashed into meat paste, guns and fodder were everywhere, wailing and roaring The sound of gunfire, guns, and rolling stones is like the sound of hell reproduced. Tieshan Temple became a living coffin for burying Japanese. Yan Yongwang ran hard to escape from this valley, and most of his subordinates left their lives in this death zone.When he gathered in a relatively open area with the remnants of his troops, he wanted to say a few big words to his subordinates that "the imperial army is invincible", but looking at the frightened team in front of him, he knew what to say. No matter how much they got, he still had to lead them out. He only hoped that the road ahead would be safe and smooth. Of course, he didn't know that the Tiantai Realm was ahead, and Zhou Zhidao was waiting for them with the main force of the 51st Division. The Tiantai world is not as steep as the Tieshan Temple, and the forests on both sides of the road are deep and lush. When Zhou Zhidao and the others attacked the Japanese troops in the mountain depression, Yan Yongwang and the others hurried into the forests on both sides and fought stubbornly. great difficulty. "Search!" Zhou Zhidao gave an order, and the 51st Division, using the regiment as a unit, went down the mountain to search for and destroy the scattered enemies.During this process, a squadron of enemies raised a white flag to pretend to surrender. When the soldiers of the 51st Division went to collect their guns, the group of enemies suddenly opened fire, and more than 30 soldiers died on the spot! Although this group of enemies was wiped out later, But Zhou Zhidao was greatly shocked by this incident. He immediately ordered all the ministries to retreat to the hills, and then called the air force for support by radio. After about half a bag of cigarettes, 6 Chinese and American Air Force P40 fighter jets and 12 B29 bombers flew to the Tiantai border area carrying a large number of napalm bombs, and launched a plow-like bombing of the mountain forest. After the sound, clusters of flames burst into the sky Then, the instant high temperature quickly burned the forest into a sea of ​​flames, and the devil soldiers hiding in it were burned into balls of fire, shaking and rolling, until lying on the ground, turning into piles of black charcoal! The cunning Yan Yongwang hid in a cave, and only walked out of the nightmarish rooftop world after 3 days! At the same time, Li Tianxia's 100th Army in Maxipu, Tanjiawan and other places, and Han Jun's 73rd Army in Anhua, Xinhua and other places also defeated the Japanese attack one after another.The Japanese encountered unprecedented setbacks on Xuefeng Mountain. The American general looked puzzled. Can a battalion of the national army defeat a regiment of the Japanese army? At the end of May, Liao Yaoxiang's New Army, which arrived in Zhijiang, was ordered by the Sino-US Joint Operations Commander to be a strategic general reserve, ready to be used at any time; First line attack. The advantages in weather, location, people and weapons and equipment are all on the side of the Chinese without exception, and the time is ripe to wipe out the 20th Army of Kazuyoshi Sakanishi. But how could Kazuyoshi Sakanishi, a die-hard militarist, be willing to catch him without a fight?Not only that, but he also dreamed of concentrating his forces to defeat the Chinese defenders near the entrance of the cave, so as to open up the Hunan-Guizhou Highway, attack Zhijiang in the west or withdraw from Longhui and Shaoyang in the east. At the entrance of the cave, this small town on the Hunan-Guizhou Highway suddenly became a battleground for both the enemy and us! The heavy responsibility fell on the 57th Division of the 74th Army. The 57th Division is a team cultivated by Shi Zhongcheng who can fight tough battles. During the Battle of Wuhan, Shi Zhongcheng led his troops to fight in Tianjia Town. This battle made Chiang Kai-shek remember Shi Zhongcheng as a subordinate.After Shi Zhongcheng became the commander of the 74th Army, Li Yan took over his post in the 57th Division and passed on his brave style. Jiangkou is located in the northwest of the cave entrance, and it is the throat of the entrance and exit of the cave. Li Yan placed the 171st regiment with the strongest combat effectiveness here. Du Xijin, the head of the 171st Regiment, was a 10th-term student in Whampoa. Almost all the officers under him who were platoon leaders and above were graduates from military academies, so they were all unequivocal when fighting. The battle started on June 19. The Qingshiyan position defended by the 2nd Battalion was the focus of the Japanese attack.Battalion Commander Li Guangliang is a student of the 17th batch of the Whampoa Military Academy. Contrary to other people's deep formation tactics, Li Guangliang arranged his 4th, 5th, and 6th companies in a line in front of the formation, and there was no reserve team. , He used this formation to show his invincible determination. Attacking the position of the 2nd Battalion was the 509th Infantry Regiment of the 86th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade, Captain Chuanhe Jizhong. At dawn, Chuanhejizhong's 60 mortar shells fell on the 2nd Battalion's position like hail, and the two Maxim heavy machine guns beside Li Guangliang were damaged.Taking advantage of the weakening of the opponent's firepower, Chuanhe waved his saber, and his subordinates howled and rushed towards Qingshiyan. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion mostly used carbines, which were most powerful within a range of 800 meters. Li Guangliang did not give the order to fire until the Japanese army rushed to a place about 200 meters away.All of a sudden, hundreds of tongues of fire poured down like bullets, pouring down on the Japanese soldiers. Kawagokichizhong, who was standing far behind to supervise the battle, watched his subordinates fall on their backs and fell in batches like leaves falling in the autumn wind. Scattered and fled. It has never been seen in the history of Kawai's participation in the war that the strength of a wing (equivalent to a regiment) was beaten to the brim by a battalion of the Chinese.He was so angry that he yelled, took off his shirt, was shirtless, raised his saber, and led a new round of charge. This time, Chuanhe suppressed the firepower of the Chinese with heavy machine guns, opened the way in front with light machine guns, and destroyed the bunkers of the Chinese with rocket launchers, and soon attacked the front of the 2nd Battalion. Chuanhe is good at chopping and stabbing. During the seven years since he came to China, he did not know how many Chinese people died under his sword.Because of this, when he led his subordinates to the Chinese position, he was so excited as if he was playing a game. He aimed at a Chinese officer and slashed down the cold sword with a "swish".Several of his subordinates forced a Chinese to assassinate him. This Chinese officer is Zhou Beichen, the company commander of the 6th Company of the 10th Battalion.At this time, what Zhou Beichen was holding in his hand was no longer the cumbersome Hanyang-made rifle in the Battle of Songhu eight years ago, but a black and shiny carbine submachine gun. Although this small weapon had no stabs, it fired a series of deadly bullets! There was a shot like a bean popping, and Chuanhe, who had cracked his teeth and mouth, fell down limply like a deflated ball, and the devils next to him also fell down in a large piece, and the few who were alive were abandoned. Throwing the knife and gun, he rolled down the hillside desperately. As a result, the 509th Wing of the Japanese Army suffered a devastating blow. What is quite dramatic is that when the 74th Army reported the results of the battle to the Sino-US Joint Command, several American generals looked puzzled. They had never heard of a case in which a battalion of the national army defeated a Japanese regiment. . "Can you visit the front position in person?" said General McClure of the US side. "Wow, welcome!" Shi Zhongcheng said heartily. On June 20, the US generals, He Yingqin (commander-in-chief of the army), Wang Yaowu, Qiu Weida and more than 20 journalists from the Chinese side came to the Qingshiyan position. After listening to the introductions by Li Guangliang and Zhou Beichen, and inspecting several piles of Japanese corpses on the spot, the Americans really believed in the victory of the Chinese.After the inspection, McClure awarded the Gold Star Medal to Li Guangliang, the Medal of Freedom to Zhou Beichen, and more than 20 other officers and soldiers were also awarded medals. He Yingqin let Kazuyoshi Sakanishi go In late June, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Kuomintang will be held soon.Earlier in mid-June, when life and death were still being strangled in various battlefields in Xuefeng Mountain, He Yingqin had already sent a victory report to the highest authority in Chongqing. The slogan "Celebrate the Great Victory in Western Hunan" and the sound of gongs, drums and firecrackers rang through the sky, but what he didn't expect was that until June 20, the wars were still going on in various places. More than 10 days after the victory, the war was still not over. This made it difficult for He Yingqin to "present" to the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee. He had to remind Wang Yaowu: "Zuomin, I am going to attend the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee. !" "I'm afraid it will take about 10 days at the earliest." Wang Yaowu looked at him with some puzzlement. "10 days is too long. Can you change the way of thinking about the problem, for example, it is good to be able to wipe out all Notch, how? "He Yingqin simply pointed out the theme. Wang Yaowu was startled and let out a soft "ah", but as a subordinate, he is a person who puts "obedience" above all else. He called Qiu Weida at the Xupu Advance Command Post, and wanted Qiu Weida to carry out He Yingqin's wishes.As soon as Qiu Weida heard that he was going to let the enemy go, he immediately confronted Wang Yaowu: "In the eight years of the War of Resistance, we always lost more than we won. You and I don't know that this time the soldiers shed blood and died, and they were about to wipe out the enemy. Letting these heinous beast soldiers go, I don't agree, I'm afraid the soldiers below will not agree. If you want to make a gap, I won't do it, you better go to work!" Qiu Weida, who had received German military education, has always spoken bluntly and without turning a corner. Although Wang Yaowu was choking uncomfortably, he still understood his subordinate's mood at this time. As a last resort, Wang Yaowu had no choice but to call Hu Lian directly to persuade Hu Lian's 18th Army to open the way and let go of the remnants of Kazuyoshi Sakanishi.Hu Lian is a character who changes the direction according to the wind, and usually fears that he will not be able to curry favor with the chief officer. Now, seeing that the chief officer "begged" him in turn, how could he have the guts to say "no"?So he opened the net and let Sakanishi Kazuyo slip back from under his nose. The vigorous battle of Xuefeng Mountain hastily ended the scene. Even so, this war still achieved victory by annihilating more than 50,000 enemies. This was the biggest victory won by China in the late period of the War of Resistance.