Chapter 438

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The Japanese 37th and 41st Divisions were fleeing toward Taiyuan, with Sun Liren leading the Armored Cluster in pursuit,

On the mountain road east of Taigu County at this moment.

Qiu Qingquan's Youth Second Army vanguard forces were like a bursting flood, wildly weaving through the mountain gaps.

Since breaking through the 36th Division's blockade, this force had not rested for a moment; their goal was only one: to penetrate Taigu County and cut off the retreat route of the 37th and 41st Divisions.

"Report to Commander Qiu! The Vanguard Regiment has broken out of the mountains and is now exchanging fire with the Taigu County garrison!" the signalman reported loudly.

Qiu Qingquan's eyes shone with spirit: "Good! Very good! As long as we hold firm inside Taigu County, those tens of thousands of devils retreating from Pingyao City will become turtles in a jar!"

"Send a telegram to the Suppression General Headquarters! Just say my Second Army Vanguard Regiment has reached Taigu, and follow-up forces are pressing forward with all strength."

"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief Lv, that the retreat route of these 37th and 41st Divisions, I, Qiu Qingquan, will cut off immediately!"

After speaking, Qiu Qingquan jumped down from the vehicle, watching the troops endlessly pouring out of the mountain pass behind him.

To form an effective force, Qiu Qingquan also ordered the formation of a second Rapid Vanguard Regiment.

This was a force almost entirely composed of internal combustion engines, steel, and war horses, gathering all the motorcycles, bicycles, and a large number of horses of the Second Army.

They concentrated as many semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns of the Second Army as possible.

More than three thousand fighters carried Garand rifles and slung submachine guns.

Some rode motorcycles, some pedaled bicycles, some galloped on horseback.

On this Baijin Highway in the mountains, they raced like wind and lightning, wheel hubs turning, horse hooves clattering, the sounds merging into one.

Dust flew on the highway; behind the endless motorized convoy followed groups of armored vehicles.

More than thirty T-26 light tanks belched black smoke, their tracks pressing deep ruts into the road surface.

This force was cutting across to meet the 37th and 41st Divisions preparing to retreat into Taiyuan City.

At the same time, outside Yangquan on the Zhengtai Railway Line, a battle likewise broke out.

The rails of the Zhengtai Railway Line east of Taiyuan were pried out of shape, the sleepers turned to cinder in the great fire, and the once-busy transportation line had become a pile of scrap iron.

Fan Hanjie's 27th Army had long surrounded this strategic town of Yangquan.

Troops of the Shaanxi Army Fourth Group Army also arrived one after another.

【28> They bit down hard on the Japanese Independent Mixed 4th Brigade guarding the Zhengtai Railway Line, cutting off the only route for Taiyuan to retreat toward Niangzi Pass.

They bit down hard on the Japanese Army's Independent Mixed 4th Brigade stationed along the Zhengtai Railway Line, severing the only route for Taiyuan's retreat toward Niangzi Pass.

Fan Hanjie stood in the temporarily erected command post, shouting at the signalman:

"Send a telegram to the Suppression General Headquarters! The 27th Army and Fourth Group Army have reached the Zhengtai Line railway; the Independent Mixed 4th Brigade guarding Yangquan has no hope of breaking out!"

"The route for the Japanese to retreat to Niangzi Pass has been completely cut off; please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief Lv, to occupy Taiyuan!"

A telegram from Qiu Qingquan, a telegram from Fan Hanjie.

Successively delivered into Lv Muzhi's hands.

Lv Muzhi looked at the victory reports one by one on the telegram; his originally furrowed brow finally completely relaxed.

"It's done... finally done! Once these two are in place, the battle results will expand further."

"Connect Sun Liren! Tell him Qiu Qingquan is already in place, blocking the retreat route of two Japanese divisions."

"Order his Armored Cluster to press forward with the entire force, and wipe out the 37th and 41st Divisions for me!"

"In this battle, I want the main force of Xiao Zhukazuo's First Army to completely disappear!"

Outside Taigu County, the originally desolate wilderness had become a hellish battlefield at this moment.

The remnants of the 37th Division led by Lieutenant General Hirata Kengo had just retreated here when they ran into Qiu Qingquan's heavily armed vanguard force.

The firing of Garand semi-automatic rifles was crisp and dense, like endless metal storms.

The Japanese Type 99 light machine guns had just sounded twice when they were forcibly suppressed by dense semi-automatic rifle and MG34 machine gun fire.

Japanese rout soldiers lay dead in heaps, blood flowing like rivers.

Although Qiu Qingquan's forces brought no heavy artillery, their infantry firepower was despairingly fierce.

What made Hirata Kengo feel even more suffocated was the T-26 tanks and armored vehicles constantly rushing out from the Baijin Highway.

These steel little monsters fired while advancing; the rout soldiers of the 37th Division with only light weapons could not resist at all.

"It's over... all over. No matter how we calculated, we were still a step too slow!"

Hirata Kengo looked at the positions covered by firepower and slumped to the ground.

Lieutenant General Tanabe Moritake, commander of the 41st Division, was also completely stunned; his forces had completely lost the means to counterattack.

Ahead was Taigu County seized by Qiu Qingquan; behind was Sun Liren's tank cluster roaring over.

Without the cover of the Tank 3rd Division, these infantrymen on open ground were like lambs awaiting slaughter.

The two men desperately called for support from Xiao Zhukazuo inside Taiyuan City in despair.

But at this moment in Taiyuan City, where did Xiao Zhukazuo have the capital to send support?

Inside the Headquarters Compound, black smoke from burning secret documents was everywhere.

Japanese Military Police ran wildly through the streets, maintaining an order that basically did not exist.

Xiao Zhukazuo sat in the headquarters; the rescue telegram in his hand had been crumpled into a ball.

He still had one division in hand: the 26th Division, reinforcements from the Garrison Mongolia Army, which had always served as his reserve.

Besides this, the forces defending Taiyuan City also included two infantry battalions of the Independent Mixed 9th Brigade and Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade.

They seemed to still have the strength for a battle, but in reality morale had long since dissipated.

The Zhengding Line being cut meant that retreating east to Niangzi Pass had become a path to certain death;

The main force of the 36th Division was annihilated by Qiu Qingquan in Jin Dongnan a few days ago, the Tank 3rd Division was declared destroyed, and the 37th and 41st Divisions were encircled......

Relying solely on the 26th Division under his command (a three-unit division, totaling three infantry groups), one Mixed Ninth Brigade (totaling five infantry battalions), and two battalions of the Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade (which needed to divide three battalions to garrison Xinzhou north of Taiyuan).

Taiyuan City would soon be captured by Lv Muzhi.

"Commander, you cannot hesitate any longer! If you wait any longer, Lv Muzhi's tanks will drive into the headquarters gate!"

26th Division Commander Ganqiao Jutaro said urgently:

"Turn north! Retreat to Datong! That is the Garrison Mongolia Army's territory, join forces with Okabe Naosaburo's Garrison Mongolia Army!"

"Preserve the First Army's core, plan a counterattack!"

Xiao Zhukazuo looked at the land north of the map that had not yet been affected by the flames of war, and in his heart he had long wanted to turn and run.

But where did he still have the First Army's core!

The 26th Division originally belonged to someone else's Garrison Mongolia Army, and this battle had also written off the Garrison Mongolia Army's Tank 3rd Division.

He, the dignified Commander of the First Army, had only two mixed brigades left in his hands!

And as Commander of the Japanese First Army, just slipping away like this—face truly could not be saved.

After all, his troops had turned north all the way from Fenglingdu to Taiyuan, and turning north again...... it was truly too shameless.