Chapter 342

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Sending a report to Commander Lu: Jiyuan Xian Cheng has been basically recovered!"

"Japanese Infantry Regiment 139 Commander Colonel Nagata Fumio committed seppuku within the Regimental Headquarters."

Chu Yunfei stood beside Colonel Nagata Fumio's corpse and ordered the communications soldier.

The telegram was soon transmitted to Zhengzhou.

Inside the Youth Corps Headquarters, Zhang Fei held a telegram and reported to Lv Muzhi: "Commander Lu, good news!"

"Chu Yunfei reports that Jiyuan Xian Cheng has been recovered."

"Our Youth Corps successfully crossed the river and recovered the first piece of lost territory!"

The command headquarters immediately erupted in cheers. Lv Muzhi nodded and said: "Good, send a commendation telegram to Chu Yunfei, telling him to keep it up."

Zhang Fei walked closer to the map and said: "Chu Yunfei also made a request in the telegram."

"Currently, the 166th Division and the 95th Division are doing their utmost to block and harass Japanese reinforcements, and the Eighth Route Army's harassment is also very active, making it impossible for Japanese reinforcements to move an inch on the Daoqing Railway and the roads."

Chu Yunfei suggested that, taking advantage of this opportunity, besides Jiyuan, our Second Division can continue eastward to recover Qinyang and Meng County, two places with weak defenses, recovering three counties west of Jiaozuo in one fell swoop!"

Lv Muzhi pondered briefly and replied: "Approved, let Chu Yunfei adapt to circumstances."

"After recovering Jiyuan, Qinyang, and Meng County, switch to defense, avoid direct confrontation with the enemy's main force, and preserve our strength."

"The land of these three counties will in the future serve as our offensive base on the north bank of the Yellow River, acting as our springboard for counterattacking North China; it must be held at all costs."

"Yes!" Zhang Fei received the order and left.

Lv Muzhi immediately turned to the aviation commander and said: "Commander Gao, in this battle I want to recover the three county areas north of the Yellow River in one go. To ensure success, you must immediately dispatch additional aviation units to cross the Yellow River and cover Chu Yunfei's unit in combat."

"Yes!" Gao Zhihang also walked aside, picked up the telephone, and issued orders to the aviation troops always ready to sortie.

The radio waves reached Jiyuan City north of the Yellow River; Chu Yunfei's unit had actually long been prepared to advance eastward.

After receiving Lv Muzhi's order, Chu Yunfei left one regiment to defend Jiyuan, lest Japanese troops from the Shanxi direction to the north pass through the south of Wangwu Mountain and sneak into Jiyuan;

the main forces of the other two regiments quickly left the city and headed straight east for Qinyang and Meng County.

The geographical layout of the three county cities of Jiyuan, Qinyang, and Meng County forms a triangle in position, mutually supporting like horns and responding to each other.

The Japanese stationed three thousand troops in Jiyuan, guarding against the Xia Guo Luoyang garrison on the opposite bank of the Yellow River, but in Qinyang and Meng County there were only a few hundred Japanese each commanding puppet troops to defend the cities.

Chu Yunfei was full of confidence in capturing the remaining two county cities.

He reported to Division Commander Ma of the 166th Division and Division Commander Luo of the 95th Division: "My unit has captured Jiyuan and is now advancing east to recover Qinyang and Meng County. Please continue to pin down the enemy!"

He then asked: "Has the Eighth Route Army's Supplementary Regiment been contacted?"

The communications soldier answered: "Contact has not yet been established with the Eighth Route Army; they lack radios. The Communications Company has already sent cavalry to make contact and report the situation."

Chu Yunfei nodded: "Maintain contact, unite all forces that can be united. Ask them to do their best to block Japanese reinforcements. Our Youth Army Second Division's main force will split into two routes and directly take Qinyang and Meng County!"

At this time, the enemies defending Qinyang and Meng County were already panic-stricken, especially the puppet troops cooperating in defense, all feeling that great disaster was imminent.

Although the Japanese in the city strictly blockaded the news of Jiyuan's fall, the cannon fire from the direction of Jiyuan City to the west had already stopped. Squadron Leader Song Qi Dajiang looked flustered, and the puppet troop leaders had already guessed seven or eight tenths of the truth.

On the city wall, puppet troops in twos and threes whispered to each other: "Bad news, the devils definitely suffered a defeat."

"Will we also be attacked here?"

"I heard the Youth Corps from across the Yellow River has come, and Jiyuan is eighty percent lost... we need to make plans early."

Panic quietly spread.

If the county city is recovered, these puppet troops of theirs will inevitably be purged.

Song Qi Dajiang brought a translator to disperse the clustered puppet troops and shouted: "No whispering! Hold your posts strictly, reinforcements will arrive immediately!"

The traitor translator also put his hands on his hips and shouted: "The Imperial Army's rice isn't eaten for nothing! When defending the city later, all work hard; whoever dares to slack off, the Imperial Army won't forgive the first one!"

Squadron Leader Song Qi looked at the translator's fox-borrowing-tiger's-might appearance; although he disdained it, he still patted his shoulder and said: "Yo-shi, tell these Royal Collaborationist Army soldiers that the outer perimeter position west of the city needs a company of soldiers to defend, and the Imperial Army will cover them with machine guns from atop the city."

The traitor translator nodded and bowed, then assigned a puppet company commander who had a grudge against him, saying: "Company Commander Wang, the Taikun orders you to go defend the position west of the city."

Puppet Company Commander Wang was singled out and could only accept his fate, leading his troops out of the city to deploy under the supervision of a Japanese squad.

On the city head, Squadron Leader Song Qi kept sending telegrams requesting aid, but the reply was always "Reinforcements are on the way, hold firm at all costs."

At this time, a communications soldier reported: "The Division Headquarters telegraphs that aviation troops have taken off to provide support and will coordinate with the garrison in combat. Ground reinforcements will also arrive soon!"

This was originally good news, but thinking of the fame of the Youth Corps' aviation troops, Song Qi lost heart again.

According to what other units said, their own fighter planes compared to Lv Muzhi's aviation troops were always somewhat lacking.

Just then, a Japanese scout came to report: "A unit of Chu Yunfei's, about three thousand men, has appeared eight kilometers west of Qinyang and is about to arrive at the city gates!"

Song Qi gritted his teeth: "Order the Imperial Army at the outer perimeter to strictly supervise the battle; absolutely do not allow the Chinese collaborationist troops to desert their posts without permission!"

Inside Qinyang City, the defending Japanese were only one reinforced company, and combined with the puppet troops defending the city, the total Japanese and puppet troops in the city were about eight hundred; how could they resist over three thousand Youth Army soldiers?

"Look at the sky! It's our planes!" a Japanese soldier suddenly shouted.

Song Qi raised his binoculars to look into the distance and felt somewhat relieved: "Yo-shi, hope the aviation troops can buy us more time."

However, the Youth Corps' fighter planes also arrived shortly after.

On the premise that ground tank forces were absent, in order to ensure combat success, Lv Muzhi dispatched the Youth Corps' six fighter battalions in rotation to fight north of the Yellow River.

In the sky, fierce battles broke out one after another, and from time to time fighter planes trailing black smoke crashed.

In the outer perimeter position west of the city, the puppet troops looked up and gazed, whispering: "Is it a devil's plane falling or ours?"

"What are you talking about, what 'ours'; once we put on this uniform we are Royal Collaborationist Army, on the same side as the devils."

"Eighty percent it's a devil's plane..."

"Speak softly! Don't let the Taikun hear!"

Squadron Leader Song Qi on the city wall had an iron-dark face; through his binoculars, combined with the characteristics of the crashing planes, he could tell that most of the fallen were Japanese Army fighters.

Boom—!

Chu Yunfei's Unit's artillery fire had begun bombarding the Cheng Xi outer perimeter position, and heavy machine guns and 20mm cannons followed with a venting of firepower suppression.

The enemy defending the Cheng Xi position consisted of one Puppet Army company and one Japanese Army squad, fewer than two hundred men.

Facing Chu Yunfei's artillery fire, the Puppet Army's morale had long since scattered.

Puppet Army Company Commander Wang gathered several platoon leaders under his command and said: "Once the artillery stops, we'll run to the northern front."

Platoon Leader Yi nodded: "No problem, only a few bullets a month—why risk our lives?"

Company Commander Wang looked at the other several company commanders and asked: "Is it neutral?"

All the platoon leaders shouted in unison: "Neutral!!!"