Chapter 23 Chapter 23: Yitian Slaying the Dragon (1)

Wei Lihuang had expected that the counterattack against western Yunnan would be easy and then difficult, but he really did not expect that the "difficulty" would come so quickly, and it would take so much effort to attack just one Gaoligong Mountain. Compared with Gaoligong Mountain, Songshan, another mountain on the west bank of the Nujiang River, is easier to defend and harder to attack. Therefore, Wei Lihuang has kept the 11th Army, which is called defense. In fact, he is preparing to attack the line from Songshan to Longling. of. Only when the 20th Army occupies Tengchong and the two armies work together to deal with Songshan will they have a greater chance of winning.

However, Wei Lihuang quickly changed his mind because of a phone call, more precisely, because of a map. self reliance The call was made by Song Xilian, Commander-in-Chief of the Eleventh Group Army. When he asked him what was the matter, the other party's tone was very mysterious, "You have to come in person, it's hard to say on the phone." After going there, Song Xilian showed Wei Lihuang a map, which was a military map captured from the Japanese army just now. Wei Lihuang was immediately stunned. It was exactly the same as the combat map in the commander's headquarters of the expeditionary force. In other words, Wei Lihuang's combat intentions and plans had been fully grasped by the Japanese army.

It must be a traitor, but after thinking about it, the two of them couldn't figure out what went wrong. You must know that the expeditionary force has taken strict measures in terms of confidentiality, so that when a military meeting is held, the participants are not allowed to take notes, let alone copy the map. The leak of the plan originated from the American aircraft. Wei Lihuang launched a counterattack in western Yunnan, and he must report the plan to Stilwell. It happened that a plane bound for India made an emergency landing in Tengchong due to a breakdown. The officer carrying the documents was captured, and the entire plan fell into the hands of the Japanese army. .

The head of the 56th Division originally only deployed heavy troops in Songshan. After studying Wei Lihuang's attack plan, the head of the division, Yuzo Matsuyama, hurriedly transferred 2,000 troops from Songshan to Gaoligongshan to strengthen the defense there. In any case, the expeditionary force has no secrets to speak of, and what Wei Lihuang thinks of now is to use tricks. Since the main force of the Japanese army in Songshan has reached Gaoligong Mountain, the strength of the 56th Division in this direction is bound to be empty. Why don't I hit it off guard? On June 2, the Eleventh Army also crossed the Nu River and came to Songshan.

Both Wei Lihuang and Song Xilian estimated that after the mobilization of the Japanese army in Songshan, there would be no more than a few hundred troops left, so only the New 28th Division was left in Songshan, and the main force of the rest of the group army bypassed Songshan and went straight to Longling. There is no reason why a mechanist can't deal with a few hundred Japanese troops. However, he was wrong again. A month later, Songshan still didn't move, and almost disabled the good Xinbian teacher, which made Wei Lihuang unable to sit still any longer. Before launching the counter-offensive, Wei Lihuang looked at Songshan from across the bank more than once, but this time he decided to cross the river to see for himself.

When Wei Lihuang and his party came to the foot of the mountain, there were Japanese planes shooting at the ground, and the entourage couldn't help but panic, but Wei Lihuang turned a blind eye and observed the mountain with a telescope. Wei Lihuang (the one holding the telescope) is looking ahead to understand the enemy's situation Don't be afraid, this is a reconnaissance plane, but it just passed by, and the shooting is also blind, and it can't hit people. The American journalists who followed him felt that the scene in front of them was unbelievable: a supreme commander on the battlefield could act as if nothing had happened in such a dangerous situation.

Hurry up and take pictures, and send them back to the United States, so that you can see what is bullshit and what is bullshit. Wei Lihuang was preoccupied with another matter. He tried his best, but failed to let the Japanese army fall into the trap. Wei Lihuang didn't know that at that time the Chinese army's communication codes had all been deciphered by the Japanese army, and all his telegrams could reach the opponent's desk verbatim, and the 56th Division had already deployed a brigade in Songshan , There are more than 1,300 people in total. Wei Lihuang may not know the inside story, but based on his years of experience in the battlefield, he can judge that the enemy of Songshan is not only a few hundred, but more than a thousand. Then observe the attack situation of the New 28th Division. It's not that they don't work hard, but that they are really weak.

Obviously, if you have no strength, you have to replace it with a powerful one, but the two major armies have gone up, both Tengchong and Longling are in a fierce stalemate, and they can't wait to reach out to you for reinforcements. Songshan is so difficult to deal with. If you smoke too little, it is useless. If you smoke too much, you may lose blood and pass out. Fortunately, Wei Lihuang can support himself.Unlike Zheng Dongguo who went to India, the latter was an empty commander who didn't even have a sentry at the gate. Wei Lihuang was different. He could not only dispatch two group armies freely, but also controlled a direct-controlled army.

This directly-administered army is the Eighth Army left by Zheng Dongguo before he left the country, and the current commander is He Shaozhou. He Shaozhou is the nephew of He Yingqin, Minister of Military and Political Affairs. Although he is the son of a high-ranking cadre, he is not a dude in his habits. With the latter qualifications alone, let alone Tang Enbo, even Okamura, Itagaki, and Doihara had to stand in a row and shout "Senior, hello". He Shaozhou is cautious. Although his uncle is in a high position and he has deep qualifications, he does not rely on the old to sell the old. He is not only humble and considerate in his dealings with others, but also very serious in running the army and fighting.

But sometimes, one just has to be a little lucky. During the Battle of Songhu, He Shaozhou served as the commander of the Tax Police Headquarters detachment. Because the American Legion refused to accept the "water and soil" of Huangpu, which led to a bad start, he had to give up his position to Sun Liren. Once a person comes down, it is not easy to go up.Before organizing the second expedition, He Shaozhou finally made it through and became the commander of the army again. After taking orders from Wei Lihuang, He Shaozhou immediately mobilized 50,000 elite soldiers and replaced the new 28th Division.

Bunker attack and defense I really don't know if I don't fight. It's not that it's difficult, but it's too difficult. In the first round of attacks launched by the Eighth Army, the heavy firepower of the Japanese army was basically destroyed after repeated bombing by light and heavy artillery, and even the trees covering the fortress were reduced to ashes. But no matter how fierce the artillery is, those fortresses will never be hit, even if you know where they are. When the infantry rushed up the mountain, they could only use melee weapons in order to avoid accidental injury. However, using a rifle machine gun to compete with a fortress armed like teeth is like Don Quixote stabbing a windmill with a spear. He Shaozhou organized the blasters to blow up the enemy's fort with the explosive package, but he was knocked down before the perforation before he went far. The indestructible fortress became the biggest problem in attacking Songshan. When in Zhongtiao Mountain, the Soviet adviser once told Wei Lihuang what is the real modern fortification. Now the Songshan Fortress built by the 18th Division is just the best interpretation of this term. The large and small fortresses of the Songshan Fortress are all deep underground, covered with as many as three or four layers of tree trunks and soil. It is difficult to hit, and it is not easy to destroy. Gaoligong Mountain's fortifications are considered strong, but they are still far behind Songshan Mountain.The 56th Division has also made preparations for long-term defense in Songshan. There is a small power plant underground that can provide lighting, and the food, grass and ammunition are abundantly stored, which can be consumed in a short time. The "Dragon Corps" once uttered wild words: "If the Chinese army does not sacrifice 100,000 people, it is impossible to capture Songshan!" He Shaozhou's head grew bigger. What he was facing was not just a few lines of defense, he just had to rush over with his eyes closed. There were countless densely packed bunkers. If all the bunkers and the Japanese troops inside were not wiped out, it would be impossible to talk about regaining Songshan. The war has progressed to such a cruel situation of life and death, the "Dragon Corps" has become hysterical, and its officers and soldiers have completely turned into a monster that is both human and beast. He Shaozhou's Eighth Army, except for the honorary First Division that became famous in the Kunlun Pass, the others are all Guizhou troops. Like He Shaozhou, they are all Guizhou children. In Wang Jialie's era, the Guizhou Army had a bad reputation. If the Southwest Army set a ranking list, it would have to be at the bottom. It was a standard "two-handed soldier" who would be defeated once hit.However, after becoming a direct line army, due to the test of battles such as the Songhu Battle, and the joining of many Huangpu officers, its combat effectiveness is no longer what it used to be. Guizhou people are very good at climbing mountains, but this mountain is not the other. On the Songshan Mountain, everyone competes for will and tenacity, and of course there are indispensable special weapons. In the second round of offense, He Shaozhou threw a flamethrower. The flamethrower consists of a cylinder containing a gasoline mixture solution and a leather tube. After the solution is sprayed out from the leather tube, it mixes with air and will burn by itself, thus forming a fire dragon. Since the actual shooting range of the injector can reach 40 meters, the fire-breathing soldiers don't need to get close to the bunker like putting explosives, but only need to choose an appropriate position within the range under the cover of infantry. After spraying the fire dragon into the bunker, the inside of the bunker burned and exploded immediately. If the Japanese soldier was lucky enough not to be burnt to death, he would have a worse fate. After the oxygen was completely burned, he would suffocate and die. Some people even scratched their throats with their hands before dying. There are so many bunkers on Songshan, and the expeditionary army can only use this method to make them disappear one by one from sight. On July 25, He Shaozhou launched the third round of attack. After hard work, the expeditionary force finally approached the top of Songshan Mountain. Compared with the extremely strong fortifications around, the fortifications here are the strongest, and compared with the extremely tight fire nets around, the fire nets here are the tightest. The mother castle and the child castle, the child castle Tuomu Fort, light and heavy machine gun mortars, and high mountains and steep slopes, it is impossible for the Eighth Army to get even a little closer, and the flamethrowers are helpless for a while. It has been two months, and Songshan is still unable to conquer, and the Sino-Indian highway has been cut off, and supplies cannot be transported, which has seriously affected the progress of the two battlefields of Tengchong and Longling. An urgent order from Chiang Kai-shek came from Wei Lihuang: only the first ten days of September to recover Songshan, if it fails, all the regiment leaders and above will be punished. In desperation, He Shaozhou decided to adopt a very rare big blasting attack method. From August 11th, the engineers began to work, digging two tunnels, leading directly to the 30 meters below the Japanese bunker, and building two "medicine rooms". American TNT explosives, known as the "King of Explosives" at that time, were transported into the "drug room" in two full trucks.On the day of the detonation, the entire top of Songshan Mountain was overturned, and two funnel pits as deep as 15 meters were blown out. Except for a few dying guys, the top Japanese army was reduced to ashes. Two trucks of 'King of Dynamite' topple over Mt. Pine Mountain summit It's all like this, the battle of Songshan is not over yet, and at the end there is a group of fortresses composed of villages and caves. At this time, the expeditionary army on the attacking side had already suffered heavy casualties. There were only 18 people alive in a battalion of the First Honor Division, which meant that the entire battalion was almost wiped out. The situation of the other two Guizhou Army divisions was not much better. As a result, the overall attack power and attack effect of the Eighth Army dropped sharply, and the front line stagnated again. The time had come to the September deadline set by Chiang Kai-shek, and Wei Lihuang was anxious like ants on a hot pot, so he came to Songshan again for inspection. He had seen the actual situation of the Eighth Army, and it would be best if he could call in a new force to take over, but the problem was that he had no food in his hands, and since the Songshan battlefield was so special, there must be a process of getting familiarized with it when sending new troops. That can only drag on the time. The commander-in-chief could only keep cheering He Shaozhou: "The enemy is exhausted and exhausted. As long as you use appropriate tactics and attack with surprise troops, Songshan will be captured soon." He Shaozhou could only smile wryly, "Let's go out and show me one." Since launching the first round of attack, He Shaozhou can be said to have racked his brains. He has thought about everything he should think about, what he learned in the military school, what he learned on the battlefield, and what he had to do temporarily. He really doesn’t know what else is there.” Appropriate tactics" are available. However, Wei Lihuang did not intend to spare him. After returning to the rear headquarters, he immediately issued a written attack order to He Shaozhou, and captured Songshan within two weeks. He Shao saw it on Monday and found that there were still difficulties in two weeks, so he called and asked the troops to take a breather, otherwise the attack would not continue. Shoot me and find someone else to come to Songshan." On the battlefield, obedience to orders is an iron law. Wei Lihuang never imagined that he even issued a formal order, and the other party not only refused to obey, but also dared to talk back openly. He sneered and said, "Don't worry, if you don't obey the order, of course you will be shot." After finishing speaking, he hung up the phone angrily. Seeing that something was wrong, Wei Lihuang's chief of staff hurriedly called He Shaozhou, and told him insinuatingly, "Mr. Wei is really angry this time. He is a man of courage. Don't think that your uncle is the Minister of Military and Political Affairs. He That knife can't be chopped off." He Shaozhou realized that there was a cold knife on his neck, and he couldn't care less about his soldiers. Fight hard, even if it is close combat. The head of the main attacking regiment went into battle with a submachine gun, was seriously injured and carried down, and then the deputy head was injured again. In the end, there were only dozens of people left in the regiment, and they had to be merged into other regiment commands. Under the desperate impact of the Eighth Army, the fortress group gradually melted away, and there were not many remaining Japanese troops. There were 80 people under Major Jinguang Huijiro who was in charge of stationing Matsuyama, and many of them were the same as Tengchong. disabled soldiers. On September 7, the Eighth Army wiped out the remnants of the enemy and completely occupied Songshan. It took less than ten days for Wei Lihuang to give the order to conquer the two weeks. self-defeating Although the Western Yunnan counterattack was fought in three stalls, Tengchong, Songshan, and Longling, the first two can be said to be carried out around Longling, so historians also call the entire battle the "Battle of Longling". Longling is the top priority, otherwise Song Xilian would not have been sent. Among the generals who were born in the first period of Huangpu, Song Xilian was not only very lucky, but also had a relatively bright mind, and he often liked to take shortcuts. Everyone knows that the tough battle is very difficult. If you attack hard, you don't know how long it will take. Even if Sun Liren adopted the "unreasonable style of play" in Bhamo, he fought for a full four weeks. Song Xilian thought he could go much faster. Not bragging, that's experienced.In the Battle of Lanfeng, Gui Yongqing's reputation was ruined, but Song Xilian was able to replace him, all related to Lanfeng's offense and defense, and the reason why Song Xilian was able to capture Lanfeng City was to some extent the result of the Japanese army's voluntary withdrawal. What is a dying struggle, what is a cornered beast, it is all related to the state of the person, you can't force a person to death, make him cornered, then can't you fight with your life? Lao Song had a long-term mind. What he adopted in Longling was a "open side" tactic, that is, to storm the east, south, and north sides, and deliberately let go of the west side. This side was used by the Japanese army when they ran away. It's very flattering, but if you're lucky, it can't be said that it will definitely not work. The main force of the Eleventh Army is Zhong Bin's 71st Army, including the 87th and 88th Divisions. It is no longer considered a super first-class army, but it is definitely the best among the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Forces. In addition, Song Xilian himself is the old commander of the German Armor Division, and he has a high prestige in the two divisions. It is equivalent to leading a personal army to fight, and it is really handy to command. In just two or three days, the 71st Army reached the outskirts of Longling at an astonishing speed. On the evening of June 10, the forward troops of the 71st Army entered Longling City and occupied the warehouses of the Japanese army. They saw a lot of dry food and canned food. This is too sweet, let the orderly take some to the rear. Now, there are real objects and witnesses, and it is widely rumored that the Japanese army has fled from the west, and the expeditionary force has completely occupied Longling. Song Xilian couldn't help but call the front line to check if it was true. The military commanders were eating the seized canned beef, and they replied casually: "That's right, do you want to send you two cans?" After hearing this, Lao Song was more excited than eating beef, so he quickly wrote a victory report and sent it to Chongqing. At that time, neither Tengchong nor Songshan was found. After receiving the news of "overcoming Longling", Chiang Kai-shek's command almost boiled over and immediately notified the press. But what happened next left Song Xilian and the commanding staff dumbfounded and extremely embarrassed. The news was false, it was just an empty plan sung by the 56th Division of Longling. That night, the Japanese army retreated to the surrounding mountains and counterattacked. The expeditionary army in the city was not on guard, and most of them were killed or injured, so they had to withdraw from Longling. The design of "opening the net" is very good. I will leave the west side and let you stay there, but the west side is actually a plain. If the Japanese army runs westward, there is no danger at all. Thinking about being chased and beaten by you, it would be better to turn around and bite you. In the past, Song Xilian's luck was always good, but this thing is not your relative after all, and when something goes wrong, if you are not careful, it will fall into your hand. The west side was opened, but enemy reinforcements came in from the west: 1,500 people came from the direction of Tengchong, and another 700 people came from Mangshi behind Longling. The sharp increase in the number of Japanese troops made the battle more and more serious The harder it is to fight. On the other hand, because Tengchong and Songshan were stuck, the supply could not be followed up in time, and the first attack was forced to suspend when the supply of food and ammunition was unsustainable. Song Xilian would never have imagined that he wanted to make a fool of himself, but it turned out to be self-defeating. The shortest time he had originally expected became the longest, until the battle of Tengchong and Songshan was coming to an end, and the battle of Longling was still pending. On August 10, after the supplies were in place, Song Xilian was able to regroup his troops and launched a second attack on Longling County. If it was not successful last time, it was because of carelessness. This time, he should have given enough strength, but the situation turned out to be even worse. Not only did they fail to take down Longling for more than 20 days, but they also encountered a fierce counterattack by the 56th Division. Some troops were too late to retreat to defend, and some were almost wiped out. Wei Lihuang was very surprised when he received the battle report. With this appearance, it was clear that the protagonists of the offense and defense were about to change positions. Where did the Longling Japanese army come from with such great strength? According to Wei Lihuang's deduction, the more than 2,000 reinforcements that infiltrated into Longling before were far from enough to pull out such a big wave, and there must be something strange in it. High technology is unbelievable, and the reconnaissance plane of the expeditionary air force is dispatched again. The photos taken for several consecutive days were piled up on the table. If you look at them one by one, it seems that there is nothing weird, but when Wei Lihuang spread them out and laid them in a row, immediately, a similar The strange effect of cartoons appeared. On the road south of Mangshi, many bushes can walk! People walk normally, but trees walk? Unless it's a tree ghost. Wei Lihuang immediately ordered the local guerrillas to carry out auxiliary reconnaissance. The reconnaissance results showed that the "tree ghost" was not a supernatural phenomenon, but a camouflaged Japanese military vehicle, covered with green air defense nets, and some were specially painted with jungle patterns . The secret movement of so many troops is obviously a large-scale aggressive operation, indicating that the Japanese army's combat intentions have most likely undergone major changes. Soon, information from the Burmese underground resistance organization fully confirmed Wei Lihuang's inference.