Chapter 87 Attack on Qinghe County
In order to attack Qinghe County this time, both the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment emptied out all their assets.
Especially on the vanguard battalion's side, six mountain cannons bombarded the stronghold without even the need for the soldiers to launch a charge.
The puppet troops in the stronghold raised a white flag and declared surrender under the powerful artillery fire.
Li Yunlong blew up the river embankment, which not only blocked the enemy's cavalry, but also had a significant impact on the offensive forces of the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment.
Especially the vanguard camp, because there were so many artillery pieces, basically a mule or horse would die every mile they advanced.
Later, a large number of wooden boards were found in the artillery tower to pave the way for the cannons to prevent them from sinking into the mud.
Under the powerful firepower attack of the Eighth Route Army, most of the troops were surrounded outside Qinghe County in less than ten hours.
Qin Yangming and Ding Wei discussed it and decided to send troops to launch the main attack from the relatively dry south gate of Qinghe County.
Two companies were sent out in each of the other three directions to launch a feint attack.
As the troops were in place, Li Yunlong also moved his command center to the front line.
"I've always known that the Vanguard Battalion has good equipment and powerful artillery. Today I'm going to open my eyes."
Ding Wei looked at the six mountain cannons lined up in a row on the artillery position behind the vanguard battalion, his eyes full of envy.
After he took over the New 1st Regiment, because the Vanguard Battalion was transferred to the headquarters, the New 1st Regiment was left with only three reassembled Type 92 infantry guns and a recoil mountain gun made by the Border Area Arsenal using the Type 41 mountain gun barrel and bolt.
There are not many shells, just over a hundred.
Now seeing so many cannons on Qin Yangming's side, it is impossible for Ding Wei not to be tempted.
Not only Ding Wei, Li Yunlong was also jealous.
The independent regiment has fewer artillery pieces than the new first regiment.
There were only a few 60mm mortars left, plus a small mountain cannon of unknown model that Qin Yangming got when he fought bandits last time.
"There's no point in being envious. Who made Qin Yangming so lucky?"
Kong Jie looked at the two of them and shook his head.
He had seen Qin Yangming's luck. He could seize such a good mountain cannon or a bunch of equipment by just attacking a random artillery tower.
Why doesn't he have such good luck?
"Report, the artillery position has been constructed. Shall we open fire and attack?!"
After Li Erhu, who was in charge of the artillery, completed the construction of the artillery position, he asked Li Yunlong and others.
Li Yunlong turned his gaze to Qin Yangming: "Your artillery, you give the order."
Qin Yangming nodded: "Fire according to the predetermined coordinates, each gun fires twenty shells first!"
"Yes!"
Before the battle, Qin Yangming sent Duan Peng with an assault platoon to sneak into Qinghe County.
All the important areas within Qinghe County were marked out, especially places like barracks and the Japanese headquarters, which were given special attention.
After receiving Qin Yangming's order, Li Erhu asked all the gunners to start preparing according to the factors he had calculated.
"boom!"
Following Li Erhu's order, the six mountain cannons roared and six shells flew towards Qinghe County.
On the front line, Wang Erniu listened to the whistling sound of artillery shells coming from the sky, and ordered the mortars and Type 92 infantry guns beside him to fire at the city walls and the outer positions of Qinghe County.
More than ten mortars and three Type 92 infantry guns quickly fired a large number of shells towards the city walls and outer positions of Qinghe County.
The Japanese and puppet troops in Qinghe County were stunned by the fierce artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army.
Because the Eighth Route Army blocked communications before attacking the stronghold, and no puppet army or Japanese devils ran back to the county town.
Therefore, the Japanese commander in the county thought that it was just a large group of Eighth Route Army soldiers coming to attack the city, and did not take it seriously.
He even thought of holding out for a while and waiting for reinforcements to arrive, so that he could completely wipe out this group of Eighth Route Army and even seize the opportunity to attack the Eighth Route Army's base in northwestern Shanxi.
But the artillery shells that fell from the sky directly destroyed the Japanese devil's wish.
"Old Li, let's attack the city!"
"If we continue to fight like this, even if we have a lot of shells, we won't be able to withstand such consumption."
Ding Wei looked at the artillerymen of the vanguard camp as if they didn't know how precious the shells were. They stuffed the shells into the gun barrels one by one and fired. Even the wall of the south gate of Qinghe County was blasted open by the shells, and the enemy could not even be seen outside the wall.
But the shelling still did not stop, as if the shells were intended to flatten Qinghe County to the ground.
Li Yunlong listened to Ding Wei's words and nodded. He also felt that it was a waste of artillery shells.
"Xiao Qin, order your artillery to stop firing and prepare to attack the city!"
"Yes!"
After receiving the order, Qin Yangming ordered the artillery to stop the bombardment and directly led the vanguard battalion to launch the siege.
Although the shelling stopped, heavy machine gun fire began again.
Under the suppression of the vanguard battalion's massive machine guns, the enemy troops in Qinghe County did not even dare to stick their heads out of the city wall to shoot.
Qin Yangming and his troops encountered no resistance at all and reached the bottom of the city wall easily.
"Dynamite!"
"boom!"
The quality of the high explosives produced by the system has always been top-notch. It only took five kilograms to blow open the city gate, and even the gate hole next to the city gate was loosened.
The city gate was blown open, and several assault artillery soldiers who had been prepared quickly placed 107 rocket launcher shells at the door.
The Japanese soldiers in the city set up machine guns with their puppet troops, ready to launch an attack as soon as the Eighth Route Army opened the city gates.
The soldiers of the assault platoon fired the artillery shells, and the wooden city gate was first completely blown open by an artillery shell. Then the remaining rockets flew through the opened hole towards the Japanese defensive position behind the city gate.
"Enter the city!"
Qin Yangming held an MG42 general-purpose machine gun and continuously fired bullets at the inside of the city gate to cover the troops passing through the gate into the city.
The soldiers of the vanguard camp rushed into the city and immediately climbed up the city wall along the stairs.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out from the city gates and walls.
Soon the soldiers of the vanguard camp took control of the city wall, and the troops behind them quickly sped up their entry into the city.
Seeing that Qin Yangming had taken over the city wall, Li Yunlong finally agreed to Kong Jie's order to lead the reserve troops to launch an attack.
After receiving the order, Kong Jie led his troops to launch a fierce attack on the remaining city gates of Qinghe County.
Those Japanese soldiers or puppet troops who wanted to support the South Gate had to continue to hold their positions.
The puppet army officers who had managed to survive saw that the city wall could no longer be defended, so they withdrew all their troops from the wall, completely abandoned the wall, and prepared to fight street battles with the Eighth Route Army in the city.
"Damn it, why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet!"
"What is this old devil Qingshan Zhengwu doing? Pianguan is so close to Qinghe County, why doesn't he send people to support us!"
“Where are the Mongolian cavalry?
Isn’t their cavalry regiment just behind Qinghe County?
Why don’t you come to support!”
Qinghe County's current highest commander, Xu Jinbiao, Major General and Commander of the Puppet Army's Eighth Brigade, yelled at a Japanese communicator.
Xu Jinbiao was not the original commander of the 8th Brigade, but was transferred from Hebei not long ago and was a die-hard traitor.
He was not as afraid of the Japanese as he was of ordinary puppet soldiers. Even if they were Japanese soldiers, those with low ranks had to salute them obediently.
Even the highest-ranking Japanese officer in Qinghe County, a major, had to be polite to him. In name, the highest commander in Qinghe County was the Japanese major who had been killed in the explosion.
In fact, Xu Jinbiao, who has the largest number of troops, is the commander of Qinghe County.
Especially now that the Japanese lieutenant commander is dead.
Therefore, the Japanese telegraph operator who was being scolded at this moment did not dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction.
Otherwise, even if Xu Jinbiao killed him now, no one would avenge him.
"General Xu, Lieutenant Colonel Masatake Aoyama said that the reinforcements they sent were blocked by the Eighth Route Army in Pianguan. He said that the reinforcements from Xianchi County are on the way and will arrive in Qinghe County by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"The Mongolian army said that the Eighth Route Army destroyed the Zhengchuan River. Their cavalry can't directly support Qinghe County. They are now waiting in the north. If we want to break out, they can support us."
Xu Jinbiao was so angry when he heard this. If it weren't for his too many sins, he would have killed those Japs and surrendered long ago.
As for breaking out, once he gave up on breaking out from Qinghe County, the Japanese would never let him go.
(End of this chapter)
