Chapter 11 Fighting Tongpu Road

In accordance with the campaign policy and deployment determined by the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, the 120th Division, under the command of He Long and Guan Xiangying, started on August 20, 1940, with the Datong-Taiyuan section of the Tongpu Railway and the Xin (county) Jing (Le) ) Highway as the focus, launched a large-scale sabotage operation against the Japanese and puppet troops. From August 20th to 21st, the 120th Division cut off the Xinjing Highway; attacked more than 10 kilometers of the Ningwu-Yuanping section of the Tongpu Railway, destroyed 7 bridges, and collected more than 2,500 kilograms of wires; attacked the west of Xinxian County At the Pancun stronghold, more than 10 Japanese soldiers were killed, more than 100 telephone poles were cut off, and 75 kilograms of wires were collected; Qiansuo stronghold was attacked, more than 10 Japanese soldiers were killed, 4 puppet soldiers were captured, and the road from Sisuo to Qicun was destroyed 1 km, destroyed a wooden bridge, received more than 50 kilograms of wires; attacked Yumeng, Nanshu, and Beijia Village strongholds, and killed more than 30 Japanese soldiers; attacked Wuzhai City, and repelled more than 200 Japanese reinforcements. An ambush was set up in the Shihoutou area in the northwest of the city, and more than 40 Japanese soldiers were killed, and the Wuzhai-Ningwu Highway was attacked 15 kilometers away; near Jianshentou, more than 300 Japanese troops who invaded from the south of Dongwu Township in Lishi were repelled, and 30 Japanese soldiers were killed. With the cooperation of more than 800 people, they raided 20 kilometers of Dawu-Lishi highway and harvested more than 5 kilometers of Dawu-Yuting power lines.One regiment leader of the 120th Division was injured, and more than 50 others were injured.

Japanese war history writes: The Japanese Independent Mixed Ninth Brigade, which was in charge of guarding the northern section of the Tongpu Railway and the area west of it, "since midnight on the 20th, although the main force of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army that came to attack was repelled, the railway severely damaged."Its "Independent Infantry 39th Brigade was in charge of guarding the road area from Xinxian County to Jingle. Since midnight on the 20th, it has been attacked by the superior Communist army and has been fighting continuously. However, because it is a mountainous area, it is extremely difficult for the strongholds to respond to each other and reinforce each other. Jingle A part of the area is temporarily occupied by the communist army".

From August 23, the Japanese and puppet troops in the Jinsui area began to counterattack.The 120th Division repelled the invasion of more than 1,000 Japanese troops in Ninghuabao, southwest of Ningwu, and killed more than 70 Japanese troops at Tianwang Tower and Yuchunyi; defeated more than 100 Japanese soldiers near Taolin, killed more than 50 enemies, and surrendered more than 30 rifles More than 20 branches and horses.The 120th Division suffered 127 casualties. On the 24th, the Xinxian-Pingshe section of the Tongpu Railway was attacked 1 km away, a Japanese train was attacked, a locomotive was blown up, more than 30 Japanese soldiers were killed, 7 guns were seized, and railway traffic was interrupted; Nanyang Mian Village stronghold, and twice repelled the Japanese army reinforced by Jingle under the cover of several planes, killing more than 100 enemies and surrendering more than 20 guns; Wu highway 5 kilometers, more than 100 Japanese soldiers were killed, and 1 pistol was handed over; the Japanese army was ambushed near the ancient city north of Chasuqi, more than 60 enemies were killed, 11 puppet soldiers were captured, and 20 long and short guns were seized.The 120th Division suffered more than 150 casualties. On the 25th, the Temporary First Division took the initiative to attack the Jiaping stronghold in the southeast of Sanjing Town, killing more than 20 Japanese soldiers, and collected more than 500 kilograms of wires and 250 kilograms of barbed wire near Wuzhai.

On August 26, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters issued an instruction to adjust the deployment of the campaign: "The He Group should use appropriate forces to take advantage of the victory and remove some strongholds in the hinterland of the base area; in addition, nine regiments should continue to develop Xinxian, Taiyuan, Tongpu Line and Taiyuan. Work in the Jiaocheng area to open up the communication roads with the border areas and southeast Shanxi." Afterwards, while the 120th Division continued to attack the northern section of Tongpu Road, it vigorously took the initiative to attack the Japanese and puppet strongholds in and around the Anti-Japanese Base Area in Northwest Shanxi and the Daqingshan Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Base Area.With the cooperation of more than 1,000 people, the Division 1 raided the Jiaocheng-Kaizha highway about 15 kilometers away and the Gaobai-Dongshe highway, burned 1 bridge, 2 cars, collected 150 kilograms of wires, and killed the Japanese army. More than 20 people; with the cooperation of more than 700 people, a regiment continued to raid the 6 kilometers between Ningwu and Xuangang on the northern section of Tongpu Road, destroying more than 400 rails and burning more than 2,000 sleepers. On the 27th, the Ministry defeated more than 200 Japanese and puppet troops who set off from Dongzhai Town in Ningwu to build roads, killed more than 10 Japanese soldiers, captured 3 puppet soldiers, and liberated more than 40 road construction workers. On the 29th, with the cooperation of more than 1,000 people, the First Division of the Provisional First Division completely stormed the Wuzhai-Kelan Highway and collected 150 kilograms of wires. On the night of the 30th, the Yanbei Detachment attacked Chongqiao, killed more than 30 Japanese soldiers, destroyed 1 km of the Jiehekou Road, and collected more than 100 kilograms of wires; the First Independent Brigade attacked Zhaizi Village south of Kelan and the strongholds of Puming Town. More than 50 Japanese soldiers were killed.The brigade suffered 22 casualties below the platoon leader.

Since September, the 120th Division has continuously launched more violent offensives against the frontal Japanese and puppet troops.From September 1st to 6th, the fourth column of Daredevil attacked more than 20 kilometers of roads from Qingyuan to Huanfeng Village, from Jiaocheng to Kaizha, and from Wenshui to Renyan, destroying 7 wooden and stone bridges and cutting wires. More than 200 poles were collected, more than 300 kilograms of wires were collected, and 5 rifles were handed over, killing and wounding more than 110 Japanese soldiers.The column suffered more than 20 casualties including company commanders and instructors.On September 2, the Industrial Guard Brigade surrounded more than 150 Japanese soldiers who invaded from Renyan Village in the northeast of Fenyang in the northwest area of ​​Martin Village, killed more than 50 enemies, and seized 1 car, 1 mountain gun, and more than 50 shells.The first part of the Independent First Brigade took back more than 500 kilograms of wires from Nanqi Village to Zhaizi and Puming in Lanxian County on September 3.The first part of the 358th Brigade defeated more than 200 Japanese troops who invaded Shishan Village from Wuzhai Beibajiaobao, killing more than 30 of them, and injured more than 10 people below the company commander of the brigade.The first part of the Daqingshan Detachment ambushed more than 50 grain transport vehicles operated by the Japanese army in the middle southeast of Guisui on September 5, destroyed 2 vehicles, and killed more than 30 Japanese soldiers. On the evening of September 6, 250 kg of wires from Bikeqi to Chasuqi were destroyed and harvested.The first part of the 359th Brigade fought fiercely with more than 1,000 Japanese troops who invaded Liulin in Liujiazhuang on September 8, killing and wounding more than 100 Japanese troops and more than 20 casualties in the brigade.The Second Regiment of the First Independent Brigade encountered more than 300 Japanese soldiers at Nanqimapu, Lanxian County on September 9th, and fought fiercely for 5 hours, killing more than 110 Japanese soldiers, and the regiment suffered more than 60 casualties below the instructor; on September 10, the attack The road from Lan County to Xianzi Village is 5 kilometers long, and the receiving wires weigh more than 200 kilograms.The Temporary First Division also stormed the road from Yijing to Bajiaobao, west of Shenchi, defeated more than 100 invading Japanese troops, killed more than 10 of them, and collected more than 200 kilograms of wires.

So far, the 120th Division has attacked the Tongpu Railway from Ningwu to Yuanping, from Xinxian to Pingshe, and from Wuzhai to Ningwu, Kelan, Xin (kou) Jing (Le), Dawu to Lishi, Jiaocheng Roads to Kaizha, Wenshui to Renyan, Shenchi Yijing to Bajiaobao and other roads once interrupted the transportation of these railways and roads. In addition to the failure of communication such as telephones, the Japanese and puppet troops in the Shanxi-Sui area fell into chaos.