Chapter 22 5. Is the mountain gate lost?

Since the start of the Xiangxi battle, Chiang Kai-shek, who lives in the mountain city of Chongqing, has been paying attention to every move there all the time.Xu Yongchang, the head of the military order, reported every day and summarized in three days. He told the general situation of the enemy and ourselves on the front line to the chairman, and predicted the battle situation in the next two days, so that the chairman had a good grasp of the overall situation of the Xiangxi battlefield. Chiang Kai-shek is looking forward to winning the battle, and it is time for the Chinese army to win a big battle.Ambassador Hurley of the United States often came to report intelligence on the European battlefield, all of which were news of successive victories of the Allied forces, which made Chiang Kai-shek's face turn red and blue.Hearing the news of other people's victories, Chiang Kai-shek felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and felt that he was incompetent.

Minister Xu Yongchang saw the mood of the chairman, so when introducing the situation on the front line, he tactfully said the unfavorable situation and talked more about the favorable situation.On this day, Xu Yongchang had to report the real situation. Due to the long defensive front, many strategic points were breached by the Japanese army, especially a point called Shanmen, which was also occupied by the enemy.But Xu Yongchang didn't say it. He knew that Chiang Kai-shek had never been to Xiangxi, but he knew that the mountain gate was a traffic pass. Every time he looked at the map, he would use his hand to draw the location of the mountain gate.Xu Yongchang said that after a day of fierce fighting, the enemy continued to increase their troops, and now they are fleeing to the southeast of the mountain gate.Chiang Kai-shek was lying on the map and looking at it. He turned his head and asked, "Is the mountain gate lost?" Xu Yongchang dared not answer directly.Chiang Kai-shek was a little angry, and asked loudly, "Is the mountain gate lost?"

Xu Yongchang said he lost it, but he is organizing a counterattack.He felt that the situation there was not optimistic, so he asked the chairman of the committee to learn from him.Chiang Kai-shek asked him to call He Yingqin to transfer the defense of the 18th Army to Wang Jingjiu's Corps, transfer the 18th Army up, return to Jian as soon as possible, and hand it over to the Fourth Front Army Wang Yaowu. Shanmen is a small market town on the east side of Xuefeng Mountain. From there, there is a narrow and narrow road that leads to the ridge in a winding way.As the name suggests, Shanmen is a portal at the eastern foot of Xuefeng Mountain.If the Japanese army occupies it, it can prevent the Chinese army from entering and leaving the mountain.If the Chinese army occupies it, it can cut off the road traffic from Shaoyang to Zhijiang, threatening the Japanese army's back.Therefore, the mountain gate is a must in the battle of Xiangxi.

The 116th Division of the Japanese Army was fast. They had already aimed at the main point of the mountain gate, and they did not hesitate to fight with the Chinese army with heavy troops. After repeated seesaws, they were finally occupied by the Japanese army.Standing on the front line of the mountain gate is the 56th Regiment of the 19th Division. Liu Guangyu's camp site was improperly selected and was attacked by a regiment of the Japanese army. , had to throw away the mountain gate and retreat. Shanmen Town is a terrible stronghold.Wang Yaowu received a call from He Yingqin and handed over the defense area of ​​the 18th Army to Wang Jingjiu's 10th Army, allowing the 18th Army to return to the establishment and truly play the role of its mobile corps.Wang Yaowu's worry was relieved at once.The Fourth Front Army is the main force on the frontal battlefield, but the line of defense is 200 kilometers, and it takes two days to drive a circle, and the troops themselves cannot be arranged.

The 18th Army was originally designated as a front-line mobile force, but it has been unable to move and has become a security force. It dare not move in the station area for fear of changes in Zhijiang.The battle has come to this point. The Japanese army is attacking fiercely and advancing fast. Basically, they don’t need to lure them. Large, one division is not enough, and two divisions are often sent to fight together. Wang Yaowu immediately drove to the 18th Army. He wanted to talk to Hu Lian, commander of the 18th Army, about the situation on the battlefield, listen to his thoughts, and see how the three divisions of this army can operate more flexibly and effectively on the 200-kilometer front. .

Hu Lian was born in Hua County, Shaanxi Province in 1907. He went south to Guangzhou in 1925 and was admitted to the fourth phase of Whampoa Military Academy. Graduated in October 1926 and participated in the Northern Expedition. In 1928, he was incorporated into Chen Cheng's 11th Division and served as the company commander.From then on, Hu Lian served under Chen Cheng for a long time, and was appreciated and reused by Chen Cheng.When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, he led the 66th Regiment to participate in the Songhu Battle with the 11th Division, and was promoted to brigade commander in October.Later, he participated in the Battle of Wuhan and Changsha, and was promoted to the deputy commander of the 11th Division in 1940. After the Battle of Western Hubei in 1942, he served as the commander of the 11th Division. In the third battle in western Hubei in 1943, he made military exploits in the Shipai area, was awarded the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal, was promoted to deputy commander of the 18th Army, and still served as the commander of the 11th Division.It was not until August 1944 that he was promoted to lieutenant general of the 18th Army.

Among the Kuomintang troops, the 18th Army has a glorious history and is the basic team of Chen Cheng's military group.Therefore, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the 18th Army was reorganized into the reorganized 11th Division, and Hu Lian served as the division commander, becoming one of Chiang Kai-shek's five main forces.In the Battle of Huaihai, Huang Wei served as the commander of the 12th Corps, and he served as the deputy commander. He led the 12th Corps to break through. In October 1949, Hu Lian stood firm at Kinmen and fought against the People's Liberation Army again, causing the People's Liberation Army to take the lead in landing three regiments of the army, and more than 7,000 people suffered heavy sacrifices.Hu Lian became famous in Taiwan, became a myth, and was promoted to the rank of general.These are all for the future.

Hu Lian respected Wang Yaowu very much. Facing the urgent war situation, the 18th Army was willing to obey the command of the commander and take on the most difficult task.Wang Yaowu introduced the situation on the ground in western Hunan to Hu Lian, and analyzed the current situation of the enemy and us: Although the Japanese army is coming fiercely, their follow-up troops and supplies are not guaranteed, and they cannot keep up. This is thanks to the U.S. Air Force, especially General Chennault's support. "Now the top priority is the mountain gate. The chairman heard that the 19th Division lost the mountain gate, and he was restless. This is very detrimental to the overall situation of the war. The 18th Army is here, so we can rest assured that we must take back the mountain gate. Who do you send? Teacher to complete this task?" Wang Yaowu asked Hu Lian very modestly.

Hu Lian said: "The 11th Division is transferred up. Yang Botao is from Zhijiang in western Hunan, and he is familiar with the terrain in that area. This division is the main force, and its equipment is all American style. It has won many awards during the training. I think it is all right. .” Yang Botao was born in a peasant family in Zhijiang in 1909. He joined the army at the age of 16, was admitted to the seventh phase of the Whampoa Military Academy in 1928, and served as a company commander in 1930. He was the first Whampoa student who was promoted to a company commander among graduates of the same period. In 1937, he served as the head of the regiment.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he led the 553rd regiment of the 185th division and an engineering company to go deep into the enemy's rear to carry out guerrilla warfare.More than two months of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines fully demonstrated Yang Botao's wisdom and bravery.

When Yang Botao received the order from Commander Hu Lian to attack the mountain gate and seize the important town of the mountain gate, he kept rubbing his hands happily.The officers and soldiers of the whole division heard that the division commander was from Zhijiang, and that this battle was to defend Zhijiang.Some soldiers publicized in the ranks that Teacher Yang's hometown is in danger, we must fight this battle well, and we are not allowed to lose face to the 11th Division in the teacher's hometown.The soldiers screamed, risking their lives to take back the mountain gate and beat the Japanese devils to the ground.

When Commander Wang Yaowu and Commander Hu Lian came to inspect the expedition troops, they saw the enthusiasm of the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division, all the brand-new equipment, and the loud battle cry. Commander Wang Yaowu borrowed a sentence from Commander Hu Lian and said, "I see no problem!" The 3 regiments of the 11th Division attacked the mountain gate from three directions.The 32nd Regiment crossed Xuefeng Mountain and searched towards the mountain gate. The avant-garde battalion first caught fire with the Japanese army, and the whole battalion launched a frontal Japanese attack. The Japanese army built fortifications on this small high ground. The firepower of machine guns and heavy machine guns could not stop the attack of the 32nd regiment. Niu Zhenjiang, the avant-garde battalion commander, personally led the first company. The 2nd and 3rd companies swarmed up and defeated the Japanese army. The squadron leader of the Japanese army left more than 50 corpses and retreated. The battalion commander Niu, who was seriously injured, ordered the pursuit. The vanguard battalion blocked the retreat route of the Japanese army with light and heavy machine guns and mortars, killing more than 100 Japanese soldiers. The remnants of the Japanese army fled into a private house. , Relying on earth walls and wooden fences, standing firm and waiting for help, confronting the avant-garde battalion on the mountainside. The head of the regiment, Zhang Dixia, ordered the Qianwei Battalion to resolutely pull out this nail, otherwise the main force of the 11th Division would not be able to advance smoothly.The battalion commander was lying on a stretcher, and it was almost dusk. If no measures were taken, the Japanese army might escape at night.So they resorted to fire attack.Most of the houses are grass and wooden houses, and the fire is burning.A small number of Japanese soldiers rushed out and were knocked down by fierce machine guns. They turned back, and finally they were all buried in the sea of ​​​​fire, and even their weapons were burned by the fire. In the first battle of the 32nd Regiment, two Japanese squads were wiped out, and they won the first battle, which was a great encouragement to the whole division.After occupying this small highland, Commander Zhang analyzed the situation of the Japanese guarding in this area. He believed that the Japanese army set up defenses layer by layer on the way our division attacked, and blocked them one by one. Even if they were wiped out, they might not be able to enter the mountain gate.So he decided to abandon these small positions and leave them to the follow-up main force.The whole regiment should move forward quickly and fight a sneak attack. Commander Zhang Dixia was right in thinking. The Japanese soldiers stationed at Shanmen Town thought that the small stronghold outside the Shanmen would be enough for the Chinese army to fight for a while. After the surrounding area was cleared away, the Japanese troops who came to reinforce the Shanmen would rush to the Shanmen.Commander Zhang still let a company go the same way in order to confuse the enemy.The main force of the regiment took shortcuts over the mountains, and there was no way to open the way. The 32nd regiment crossed mountains and ridges, and passed through the deserted jungle. They wanted to catch the Japanese army by surprise.They arrived at the designated position at noon, and the whole regiment launched a charge at the same time, taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, and rushed towards the mountain gate with a devastating momentum.The Japanese army never thought that the Chinese army would arrive so soon.They were suddenly violently attacked, and panicked and retreated towards the high ground south of the mountain gate. Commander Zhang emphasized that he was going all out, and he would never give the Japanese army a chance to breathe. The whole regiment followed and chased.The guns of the Chinese army are not only continuous-fire automatic rifles, but also fire quickly. It is the first time for Chinese soldiers to use these new weapons on the battlefield, and the feeling is different. Driving the Japanese army into the jungle and fighting in the jungle is the advantage of the 11th Division.In the jungle, the submachine gun is most suitable for exerting its power. It only takes one shuttle to sweep a large area of ​​grass.They chased and suppressed the remnants of the enemy, killed many Japanese soldiers, and captured more than 20 people, with more than 20 light and heavy machine guns and more than 300 horses. The main force of the 11th Division surrounded the mountain gate and wiped out more than 30 small highlands and small groups of Japanese troops, almost cleaning up the surrounding area of ​​the mountain gate.Wang Yaowu was a little surprised when he heard that Yang Botao, the 11th Division, had regained the mountain gate. It's only been a few days.He ordered Yang Botao's division to build fortifications, guard against the Japanese army's revenge and contention, and must guard the mountain gate. It was not only Wang Yaowu who was surprised to regain the mountain gate, but even the mixed Chinese and American Air Force Brigade in Zhijiang was kept in the dark.They also had a misunderstanding with Yang Botao's 32nd Regiment, but fortunately there were no casualties.Just after the 32nd regiment captured the main position of Shanmen, the Air Force dispatched planes to bomb the headquarters of the 32nd regiment.Coincidentally, the more than 300 war horses captured by the 32nd regiment were all tied around the temple where the headquarters is located. The officers and soldiers of the headquarters were disgraced.It's a pity that the hundreds of war horses killed in the bombing were all good horses. In a rage, Commander Zhang sent the telegram to Commander Yang Botao, and Commander Yang forwarded it to Commander Wang.Wang Yaowu hurriedly reported to Zhijiang, and He Yingqin knew that the mountain gate was back to him.He hurriedly reported to Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing, and Shanmen Town was recovered.Chiang Kai-shek said: "Okay, give a commendation to the 11th Division." The recovery of Shanmen Fortress not only caused misunderstandings between the Air Force and the Army, but also continued to cause misunderstandings between the companies and battalions under the 11th Division itself.Because the offensive speed of each regiment and battalion was too fast, everyone was unwilling to lag behind and kept rushing forward. The barrier of the mountains caused the radio communication to be blocked, sometimes there was no signal, and it was difficult to communicate with each other who was in which position. Chief of Staff Wang Yuanzhi led a platoon of engineers marching in a ravine when he was suddenly shot by rifles and machine guns on the left.Wang Yuanzhi immediately got down on the ground, and the whole platoon struggled to resist. The two sides fought for more than ten minutes. Wang Yuanzhi suddenly realized that the opponent was his own. There was no shot from a Japanese 38-style rifle, and no one who was faintly shuttled through the woods. It looked like the uniform of the Japanese army, so he started shouting at the other party, only to find out that the other party was a small unit of the 31st regiment. When this misunderstanding occurred, the logistics unit following the engineer platoon reported to regiment leader Zhang Dixia that the engineer platoon was surrounded by Japanese troops.Commander Zhang immediately mobilized troops to come for reinforcements, and almost had another misunderstanding.When Commander Yang Botao heard about this, he immediately ordered the battalions of the regiments to turn on the radio, exchange information, and explain their specific location, so as to clarify the situation.Most of the Japanese troops at Shanmen had retreated to the east, and only a part of about 200 Japanese soldiers were besieged in a small village deep in the mountains. The command post of the 11th Division ordered the 32nd Regiment to be completely wiped out. At this time, the battalion commander Peng Haiqiu of the 31st Regiment also rushed here, so they surrounded the enemy on all sides.According to the battle plan, they will attack at dawn.But the Japanese army was very cunning. They got out of the encirclement and escaped in the middle of the night when they were exhausted. In the Battle of Xiangxi, the 11th Division won the first prize of martial arts, in recognition of its military exploits in the mountain gate blocking battle.