allonlinenovel Chapter 2128 Battle of Shixian Gorge
Chapter 2128 Battle of Shixian Gorge
Subsequently, the officers and soldiers of the 4th Regiment of the 7th Brigade engaged in a fierce defensive battle.
Local officials and political workers in Hunchun County are busy organizing the people to transport food, ammunition and other supplies to the soldiers on the front lines.
The people and soldiers of Hunchun County united as one and withstood multiple attacks by the Japanese army from the direction of Shuiliufeng and Yanji County.
With the withdrawal of the First and Second Regiments from Longjing County to Hunchun County, Longjing County fell.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Japanese army attacked Tumen County in the middle. The garrison in Tumen County was small and it was quickly occupied by the Japanese army.
The passage between Hunchun County and Longjing County is blocked.
The Japanese army also launched a fierce attack on Hunchun County from the direction of Longjing County.
At this point, the Hunchun Railway was under attack from three sides, with only the northern section, connecting to Wangqing County in Mudanjiang, remaining temporarily unobstructed.
Various strategic materials were also continuously transported into Hunchun County through Wangqing County.
In order to completely isolate Hunchun County and cut off its ammunition and supplies, the Japanese army brazenly launched the battle to occupy Wangqing County.
At that time, only the 4th Battalion of the 4th Regiment of the 7th Brigade and some local police forces were stationed in Wangqing County.
If Wangqing County were occupied by the Japanese army, Hunchun County would be surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the garrison in Hunchun County would not be able to receive ammunition and supplies.
The Seventh Brigade Commander was extremely anxious about this.
Upon learning of the perilous situation of the 7th Brigade, Grey Wolf telegraphed other reinforcement units.
The Sichuan Army's 364th and 11th Brigades were already engaged in battle with the Japanese army in the Changbai and Tonghua counties.
The 15th Brigade and the other brigades heading south will take several more days to reach the battlefield.
In desperation, Grey Wolf had no choice but to use his trump card, ordering the first paratrooper battalion to rush to Wangqing County.
At this time, the fighter jets at various airports in the north were under considerable pressure.
Despite the severe shortage of fighter jets at Beiping Nanyuan Airport and Tianjin Dongjuzi Airport, a number of bombers were still dispatched to transport a paratrooper battalion to Luozigou Airport in Wangqing County overnight.
Upon landing, the paratrooper battalion immediately rushed to the battlefield without even taking a break.
In the direction of Longjing County, the 1st Company of the 4th Battalion is blocking the Japanese army in Shixian Gorge.
Shixian Canyon is located in the southern part of Wangqing County, in the eastern part of Baicaogou Town, and is the canyon east of the Gaya River.
It is bordered by Baicaogou to the west and Tumen Shixian Town to the east, and is about 35 kilometers from Wangqing County and about 45 kilometers from Longjing County.
The highway runs along the left bank of the Gaya River, where the valley forms a sharp "S" bend with no parallel or winding roads.
The canyon here is narrow, with steep mountains on both sides and numerous ravines. The valley floor is only 80–150 meters wide, and the slopes of the mountains on both sides are 30°–45°, forming a natural "pocket".
Soldiers of the 1st Company, 4th Battalion, constructed the first line of defense at Shixian Pass (south entrance of the canyon).
Light and heavy machine gun emplacements were set up on both sides of the cliff to block the entrance to the canyon.
The Japanese army believed their operation was secret and that the "Devil's Unit" would be unaware of it, so they were not on guard.
When the vanguard of the Japanese army reached the entrance of the canyon, the light and heavy machine guns on both sides of the canyon opened fire simultaneously.
Fierce bullets swept across the Japanese and Korean allied forces on the path.
The combined Japanese and North Korean forces were quickly wiped out.
The Japanese convoy was pinned down in the valley by a barrage of gunfire and unable to move forward.
The Japanese soldiers quickly went down and returned fire. However, their disadvantageous terrain kept them in a passive and defensive position.
Japanese mortars arrived quickly and launched a fierce bombardment of the company's positions.
There were natural rock ledges on the cliff face that could be used as cover, reducing the damage from direct fire from Japanese artillery.
After two hours of fierce fighting, the Japanese army was still unable to break through the company's defenses.
This greatly angered the Japanese battalion commander.
His force of over 600 men was blocked at this pass for two hours by more than 100 devilish soldiers, unable to advance. How could he save face if word got out?