Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 112 The battle begins

After Li Yunfei arrived at Tang Xiaohu's temporary command post, he asked Dapeng to spread the map he was carrying on the ground.

"Battalion Commander Tang, please take a look. This is a topographical map of the Hekou area. I plan to ambush the Japanese in a place called Luofengpo. According to intelligence from the local squad, Luofengpo is a narrow place with dense forests on both sides, making it a good place for an ambush," Li Yunfei said directly.

"If that's the case, it is indeed a good place for an ambush, but we still need to conduct an on-site inspection to know if it's suitable."

Tang Xiaohu answered cautiously, after all, his main objective this time was to successfully capture the Hekou stronghold, and finally ambush the Japanese in the county town was an additional combat objective.

"That's exactly what I was thinking too. After we discuss the battle plan, I'll have to trouble Battalion Commander Tang to come with me to check out the terrain."

"It's what I should do," Tang Xiaohu readily agreed.

"Regarding troop deployment, Battalion Commander Tang, what do you think of this arrangement? Zhou Zheng-biao will lead the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment and the mortar company to besiege the Japanese stronghold at Hekou, while I will lead the 2nd Battalion of the Independent Regiment and your unit to ambush the Japanese at Luofengpo," Li Yunfei explained.

"Okay, but there's one question I'm not sure if I should ask," Tang Xiaohu asked after a moment's thought.

"Commander Tang, do you doubt whether our First Battalion of the Independent Regiment can successfully capture the Hekou stronghold?" Li Yunfei seemed to see through Tang Xiaohu's thoughts and then frankly said what Tang Xiaohu was thinking.

"To be honest, Commander Li, I do have this concern. Commander Li, the most important task of my mission this time is to ensure the successful capture of the Hekou stronghold."

Seeing that Li Yunfei had already said so, Tang Xiaohu also spoke his mind.

"Battalion Commander Tang, rest assured, with this arrangement, we can definitely guarantee the successful capture of the Hekou stronghold. The First Battalion is the main force of my Independent Regiment, plus the regimental mortar company, it's more than enough to take the Hekou stronghold."

"Battalion Commander Tang, there's something else you might not know. Among the puppet troops stationed at the Hekou stronghold, there's a squad of them who are part of our Eighth Route Army. If we coordinate from the inside, we can easily take over the Hekou stronghold."

"Don't worry, Battalion Commander Tang. If the Independent Regiment fails to take the Hekou stronghold, I, Li Yunfei, will offer my head in resignation." Seeing that Tang Xiaohu remained silent, Li Yunfei made a solemn pledge in front of him.

Seeing that Li Yunfei had already said so, Tang Xiaohu nodded and said:

"Alright, we'll proceed as Commander Li has arranged. The Japanese at the river mouth stronghold are now yours."

"When will we begin?" Tang Xiaohu asked.

"We'll start the operation at midnight tomorrow," Li Yunfei said.

"Alright, Commander Li, let's go to Luofeng Slope to scout out the terrain and prepare as soon as possible."

"That's exactly what I was thinking too."

So the two of them each led a squad of guards toward Luofeng Slope.

"Just as the intelligence indicated, it's a good place for an ambush," Tang Xiaohu said after examining the terrain of Luofeng Slope.

“This valley is narrow at the entrance and exit, but wide in the middle. Once the Japanese are encircled, we only need to send a small force to easily seal off the entrance and exit of the valley. Then we can trap them like turtles in a jar, and we guarantee that none of the Japanese will escape,” Li Yunfei explained.

“That’s right, Commander Li. Let’s gather the troops and prepare the ambush position now,” Tang Xiaohu said.

"Okay." After saying that, Li Yunfei instructed the communications officer to notify the Second Battalion to come over, and ordered the First Battalion and the mortar company to remain in place and rest.

After issuing the orders, Li Yunfei followed Tang Xiaohu to carefully examine the terrain around Luofengpo and discuss how to set up the positions.

"Commander Tang, how about your unit takes charge of the left flank and my unit takes charge of the right flank?" Li Yunfei said.

"Commander Li, the terrain on the left flank is steeper and easier to defend. If the Japanese are ambushed, the right flank will be more vulnerable to attack. Commander Li, you're taking all the difficulties upon yourself." Tang Xiaohu looked at Li Yunfei.

"After all, I proposed this ambush plan. If you suffer too many casualties, I won't be able to explain it to Commander Tang."

"Commander Li is indeed a man of honor," Tang Xiaohu said admiringly.

“However, Commander Li, you should leave the right flank to me. I have a mortar company providing fire support, which will make it easier to defend. Besides, Commander Li is well aware of our militia's combat capabilities, so it's more suitable for me to take on the ambush mission on the right flank,” Tang Xiaohu said, expressing his thoughts.

“In that case, I won’t compete with Battalion Commander Tang for the job. The right flank position is yours.” Li Yunfei agreed when Tang Xiaohu said this.

"Commander Li, as for the entrances and exits of Luofeng Slope, we'll each take charge of one. I'll be responsible for blocking the entrance, and you two will be responsible for blocking the exit, how about that?"

"Okay, let's do as Battalion Commander Tang says."

After Li Yunfei and Tang Xiaohu finished scouting the terrain and discussing the details of the battle, the Independent Regiment and the militia arrived.

"Company Commander, Second Company Commander, set up ambush positions along the right side of the valley. There's only one requirement: they must be concealed," Tang Xiaohu ordered.

"Yes, battalion commander."

"Artillery Company Commander, quickly set up mortar positions, remember to set up several to prevent the Japanese from counter-battering."

"Yes, battalion commander."

Before long, on both sides of the valley, the Independent Regiment followed the militia soldiers and began earthwork.

"Battalion Commander Tang, your trenches are beautifully constructed, and you've even set up sandbags and other equipment," Li Yunfei praised upon seeing the trenches built by the civilians.

"Digging trenches is a compulsory course for our militia. Our commander has always emphasized the importance of trenches. You see, our trenches are dug at a right angle of 90 degrees, which helps to reduce the lethality of enemy artillery fire. Not only that, we have also dug some cat-ear-shaped anti-artillery holes to further protect the soldiers from artillery fire."

"Furthermore, the bottom width of the trench is set at 0.5 to 0.7 meters. This design facilitates the movement of soldiers within the trench and effectively utilizes space for defense. In addition, our trenches are usually designed in a curved or zigzag shape to overcome the fact that straight trenches are more susceptible to damage from the shock waves and fragments of artillery shells."

"It's because the surface soil here is all rock underneath, otherwise I would have had the soldiers dig at least two meters deep," Tang Xiaohu said.

"Commander Tang, why don't you guide our Independent Regiment in building trenches? We'd like to learn from you," Li Yunfei asked shamelessly.

"No problem, let's go now."

"Good." Li Yunfei was overjoyed and led Tang Xiaohu to his position. He then had Tang Weiguo instruct his soldiers to make changes. Li Yunfei also had the second battalion commander follow behind Tang Xiaohu to record Tang Xiaohu's valuable experience.

By afternoon, the ambush position at Luofengpo had been completed, and the concealment work outside the position was also finished. Zhou Zhengbiao, who was in charge of attacking the Hekou stronghold of the Independent Regiment, had led the First Battalion to lie in ambush near the Hekou stronghold, waiting for Li Yunfei's order to attack.

"Report, Battalion Commander, the Regimental Commander asked me to inform you to launch the attack on time," the communications soldier said as he ran over.

"Okay, notify the mortar company. Once we engage the Japanese, have them knock out their firing positions."

"Yes, battalion commander."

As time ticked by, it finally came to around midnight. Zhou Zheng-biao then gave the order.

"attack."

"Da, da, da, da." The first battalion's bullets flew towards the Japanese soldiers at the stronghold.

"Baka yarou! Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Quickly notify the county headquarters!" The Japanese soldiers, suddenly attacked, hastily engaged in battle, and the Japanese soldiers on guard duty suffered heavy losses in a short time.

The remaining Japanese soldiers launched a counterattack from the fortified bunkers they had built. However, to their surprise, a puppet army unit at the stronghold was quietly beginning its operations.