Devil's Army

Chapter 1971 Recapture of Kaihua County

After the soldiers of the Second Regiment fought bravely and relentlessly, they finally broke through the most dangerous pass of the Japanese-built Huihua Ancient Road and continued to advance.

When the soldiers of the Second Regiment advanced to the ancient city gate and old city wall in Zhongzhou Town, Chun'an County, they were once again blocked by the Japanese army.

The Japanese army built a military watchtower at the northern end of the pass, which was adjacent to a cliff, and built two heavy machine gun positions on the cliff.

Behind the heavy machine gun positions were mortar positions, providing medium- and long-range fire suppression for the soldiers of the 2nd Regiment.

This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an excellent defensive position.

Based on the trajectories of Japanese artillery shells, the artillerymen of the 2nd Regiment calculated the approximate location of the Japanese artillery positions and launched a counterattack. However, the effect was minimal.

When the soldiers of the Second Regiment attacked the ancient city of Zhongzhou Town, they were still subjected to a combined close-to-medium-range attack by Japanese artillery and machine guns.

By this time it was already dark, and the second regimental commander was forced to halt the attack and wait until tomorrow to devise a plan.

The next morning, the second regimental commander used the same old method: rocket troops and mortars suppressed the Japanese firepower to cover the infantry's attack on the old city gate of Zhongzhou Town.

The Japanese troops remained hidden behind firing bunkers, using their elevated position to block the attack of the 2nd Regiment.

Just as the Second Regiment's attack was stalled, intense gunfire and explosions erupted from the Japanese positions at the Old City Gate.

The 3rd Regiment of the 3rd Brigade of the Southern Independent Division, which was originally stationed in Yushan County, launched a fierce attack on the Japanese troops at the ancient city gate of Zhongzhou Town from the rear.

The 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division had been near Zhongzhou Town when it was blocking the Japanese army in Kaihua County.

Upon hearing the scouts report intense gunfire in Zhongzhou Town, they immediately guessed that the Second Army of the First Army, which was advancing south, was fighting against the Japanese army in Kaihua County.

At this time, Yushan County was relatively stable, and there were no signs of Japanese invasion.

Therefore, he ordered one battalion to remain stationed in Yushan County, while the main force went out to reinforce it.

At the ancient city gate of Zhongzhou Town, the Japanese troops were suddenly attacked from behind by soldiers of the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division, causing them to fall into disarray.

The Japanese troops at the ancient city gate of Zhongzhou Town were already short-handed, and now they no longer had the advantage of terrain, so they were quickly defeated.

Soldiers from the 2nd Regiment of the 12th Brigade and soldiers from the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division met at the ancient city gate of Zhongzhou Town.

This meeting marked the first rendezvous between the Second Army of the First Army and the Southern Independent Division. After a brief period of celebration, the two armies continued their march northwest to attack Kaihua County.

When the soldiers of the 2nd Regiment and the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division arrived in Kaihua County, the brother units had already recaptured the county and were mopping up the remaining Japanese and puppet troops.

The soldiers of the 2nd Regiment then joined forces with the soldiers of the Independent Division to clear out the Japanese and puppet army strongholds west of Kaihua County, thus connecting the defense zone of the 1st Army with Yushan County in Jiangxi Province.

There were not many Japanese and puppet troops left in Kaihua County, and the mopping-up operations of the Second and Third Regiments were progressing relatively smoothly.

When the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment, which was returning to Yushan County, reached Tongcun Town, the advance troops suddenly reported that there was something unusual in the woods ahead, and that there should be troops lying in ambush. Moreover, the number of troops was larger than those in other towns.

(At that time, most of the Japanese troops in the towns surrounding Kaihua County were stationed in small squads, accompanied by some puppet troops.)

The second regimental commander was unaware of the enemy's unit designation and situation, so he did not fire. Instead, he ordered his troops to flank the enemy from both sides.

The 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division cautiously advanced from the front, drawing the attention of the troops lying in ambush in the woods.

The troops flanking from both sides quickly reported that the ambush troops in the woods were highly vigilant and had deployed blocking forces on both sides.

For safety reasons, the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Independent Division shouted to the troops lying in ambush in the woods.

Who knew that this shout would avert a bloody conflict?