Chapter 59: The Japanese First Army Formation Completed, Mountain Artillery Battalion Out of Ammunition!

With the continuous deterioration of the war situation in the Shanxi region, the Japanese military command immediately decided to detach the Fourteenth Division and the One Hundred and Eighth Division, moving along the Pinghan Railway, crossing Shijiazhuang, and continuing southward.

The Twentieth Division and the One Hundred and Ninth Division were ordered to attack westward into Shanxi to coordinate with Lieutenant General Itagaki Seijuro's Fifth Division.

Hisao Tani's Sixth Division was redeployed to the Songhu battlefront. With the direct intervention and command of Kiyoshi Kazuki, the First Army of the Japanese Imperial Army was now fully formed.

It had under its jurisdiction the First Independent Mixed Brigade, the Eleventh Brigade, the Fifteenth Brigade, along with the Twenty-First Infantry Brigade of the Fifth Division, the Twenty-Ninth Brigade of the Twentieth Division, and the 163rd Infantry Regiment belonging to the 109th Division.

On the frontal battlefield of the Xinkou line, the Japanese aggressors had a troop strength of approximately eighteen thousand men. Counting the Japanese invaders soon to launch an offensive against the Niangziguan area, the total came to around thirty thousand.

The situation was growing increasingly tense.

........

North of the Yuanping region, along the frontline defensive battle line.

"Boom~! Boom!"

The Japanese artillery units had arrived, and the current frontline blocking positions were facing immense pressure. The defensive fortifications were nearly completely destroyed under the incessant artillery fire.

Within a minute after the bombardment ceased, the Japanese infantry units would launch a charge under the cover of grenade launchers.

Similarly, the soldiers of the mortar platoon would seize the moment when the Japanese launched their charge to quickly counterattack, delaying the speed of the enemy's charge and buying sufficient reaction time for the infantry on the position.

The First Battalion's forward command post.

Chu Yunfei still held the receiver: "That's right, you heard correctly. Begin withdrawing in half an hour."

"Yes, voluntarily abandoning the position does not mean retreating in defeat."

"Rather, it is to buy more time. Rest assured about the withdrawal; I will have the mountain artillery battalion provide you with fire support!"

After hanging up the phone, Chu Yunfei picked up another line: "Get me the mountain artillery battalion!"

"Is that Liang Guoping? This is Chu Yunfei. Thirty-five minutes from now, conduct continuous shelling on Sector 36, expending a full half-base of ammunition!"

[Commander, our ammunition reserves are down to the final base!]

Chu Yunfei was somewhat surprised. Usually unflappable, his tone shifted slightly at this moment: "What, we've burned through it that quickly?"

[Yes, Commander. Ever since the battle at Yueyue Pass, my mountain artillery battalion hasn't received any resupply... so our ammunition count is now critically low...]

The 358th Regiment had always been well-off, wealthy enough to make even the commanders of other infantry divisions somewhat envious.

A mountain artillery battalion! Many infantry divisions didn't even possess many 82mm mortars. Aside from necessary training, the pacification and bandit-suppression operations Chu Yunfei had maintained over the past two years consumed only 60mm mortars.

The 75mm high-explosive shells had a guaranteed substantial reserve, at least ten base units. He had not expected that after accumulating less than a month of combat, they would be nearly exhausted.

Without the direct support of the mountain artillery battalion, the fighting would likely become even more difficult.

"In thirty-three minutes, expend a full half-base to cover their withdrawal!"

[Understood, Commander!]

Hanging up the phone, Chu Yunfei raised his binoculars and looked into the distance.

The battle line was drawing closer and closer to them. Five kilometers, four kilometers, and now only the final three kilometers remained.

The communications soldiers had already begun packing up the command post. According to the operational habits of the 358th Regiment, it was time for them to fall back.

A distance of three kilometers carried too much risk; once the Japanese invaders managed to sneak close, their artillery could conduct direct indirect fire.

Chu Yunfei encouraged setting the command headquarters forward, but not too far forward—at least maintaining a distance of five to seven kilometers, pressing right against the maximum range of the Japanese mountain artillery to safeguard the commander's life to the greatest extent possible.

While the First Battalion was engaged in a bitter battle, the Japanese invaders along the Shuigouzi and Hanzhuang lines paid the price of over halfing casualties, completely extinguishing any thoughts of breaking out from the Yuanping direction. Instead, they shifted their advance toward the seemingly undefended Northwest Shanxi region.

Naturally, Chu Yunfei would not give them the opportunity to break through. While the First Battalion's command post was falling back, he immediately dispatched orders for Ma Kaying to proceed and intercept them.

Having received the order, Company Commander Ma Kaying immediately marshaled his troops and set out, marching along the interception route Chu Yunfei had mapped out for them.

Upon returning to the regimental headquarters, Chu Yunfei's consciousness once again plunged into the tactical map. Confirming that there was no immediate threat in the rear:

"Ligong, have any new messages come in from the Fifty-Fourth Division?"

Fang Ligong pushed up his glasses and replied in the negative: "There is no latest news at present... Commander, the ammunition of the First and Fourth Battalions is almost completely exhausted. Do you think it is time to withdraw?"

Chu Yunfei guessed what Fang Ligong wanted to say. He nodded and continued: "Today is the last day. All things considered, we have held Yuanping for seven days."

Fang Ligong immediately urged in persuasion: "We have successfully and fully accomplished the vital task assigned by the Second War Zone Commander's Headquarters of blocking the enemy for seven days. Commander, do you think it is time to request a withdrawal?"

"Indeed, it is time. Ligong, help me draft a telegram to the Second War Zone Commander's Headquarters to inquire about General Yan's opinion!"

"Yes!"

Just as Fang Ligong turned around, Chu Yunfei added: "Ligong, send a telegram to the 386th Brigade as well, to inquire about their situation."

"Yes!"

............

At this moment, in Zhuanshui Village.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion had already moved into the blocking positions ahead of time. These Eighth Route Army soldiers fought with a ferocity even greater than Luo Weiguo had imagined.

After the Battle of Pingxingguan, the Eighth Route Army troops earned the profound respect of other military units on the Northern Shanxi front. The Yan'an leadership specifically instructed the Commander-in-Chief and Deputy Commander-in-Chief to convey to the commanders at all levels of the Eighth Route Army forces:

Once engaged in combat alongside "forces handed over to our command by the Nationalist Party," the Eighth Route Army should adopt an attitude of cherishing and assisting them, ensuring they are not tasked with the most dangerous missions.

Battalion Commander Luo Weiguo had led his troops into battle this time having already prepared himself psychologically for mockery, neglect, indifference, and hostility.

Yet none of those things materialized. Regiment Commander Xu had even slipped him a small booklet entitled the Ten-Point Program for Resistance Against Japan and National Salvation, leaving Luo Weiguo utterly astonished.

Sincere unity to jointly face the national crisis, persisting in a protracted war of resistance, and striving for final victory—all these things their own Commander Chu Yunfei had told them before.

This combat operation was a war of the entire nation, a crisis of national survival, and achieving victory in the short term was utterly impossible. They had to persist in a protracted war...

Could it be... that their Commander had long since turned red?

Surely not?

Because of the desperate, to-the-death resistance put up by the 771st and 772nd Regiments, Luo Weiguo even had the opportunity within the Zhuanshui Village command post to ponder political questions entirely unrelated to the immediate battle.

Harassment and guerrilla warfare; the fighting had raged for a day and a night.

That afternoon, notified by a cavalry courier from the 771st Regiment, a detachment of infantry from the First Independent Mixed Brigade, accompanied by three armored cars, was advancing in the direction of Zhuanshui Village.

Because of the armored vehicles, the road through Zhuanshui Village was their mandatory route. Without the Third Battalion's soldiers needing to take the initiative to sally forth, the Japanese invaders would crash right into them.

"Order each company, in accordance with the previously formulated combat plan, to let the enemy's armored cars pass and prepare for anti-armor combat."

Recovering his focus, Luo Weiguo rapidly issued detailed, corresponding arrangements: "Do not charge out arbitrarily, and do not engage the enemy in close combat. Focus exclusively on wiping out the enemy infantry. Utilize our familiarity with the terrain and defensive fortifications to inflict casualties on the enemy's living force."

"Yes!"