Devil's Army

Chapter 1892 Attack on the Japanese Huaiyu Mountain Defense Line

To the east of Yushan County are Kaihua County, Changshan County and Jiangshan County in Zhejiang Province. For this reason, the Japanese army in Zhejiang set up two outer defense lines around Yushan County.

When the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the 3rd Regiment arrived in Yushan County, they had already broken through the first outer defensive line of the Japanese army and were advancing towards the most important outer defensive line of Yushan County, the Huaiyushan defensive line.

Huaiyu Mountain has a high altitude and complex terrain. The mountain range runs from northeast to southwest and is mainly composed of granite mountains with interwoven peaks and large undulations.

Moreover, Huaiyu Mountain is steep and rugged, with many peaks and cliffs, and only a few narrow and winding mountain roads are passable.

The Japanese army set up roadblocks, bunkers, and firing positions at key locations such as mountain passes and bends, defending the terrain and firing down on the soldiers of the Fourth Regiment.

The soldiers of the Fourth Regiment launched several attacks, but all were repelled by the Japanese army.

After the Third Battalion and Fourth Battalion of the Third Regiment arrived, they took over the attack from the Fourth Regiment.

With strong air support, they only managed to capture a few mountain passes and bends, making very slow progress.

Even more critically, Huaiyu Mountain receives abundant rainfall, with a network of streams and numerous waterfalls (such as the Eighteen Dragon Pools). This complex water system served as a natural obstacle for the Japanese army, hindering their advance.

The Japanese army also used various streams to construct water barriers, which, in conjunction with defensive fortifications, enhanced the effectiveness of their attacks.

Yushan County is an important transportation hub connecting Jiangxi and Zhejiang, and it must be recaptured.

The third and fourth regimental commanders discussed the matter and decided to bypass Huaiyu Mountain and attack Yushan County.

The fourth regimental commander left one battalion behind to continue tying down the Japanese forces in Huaiyu Mountain. The main force, accompanied by the third regimental commander, advanced on Yushan County via the official road through Huaiyu Mountain.

Although the official road to Huaiyu Mountain was easy to travel, the Japanese army had deployed heavy troops and set up defenses along the way.

As the third regimental commander led his troops toward Yushan County, they repeatedly encountered and fought fierce battles with the Japanese defending forces.

The troops quickly advanced to Chengjiawan, Longtoushan Township, Dexing County.

This road was the route that martyr Fang Zhimin took when he led the Red Tenth Army Corps to break through the encirclement 35 years ago.

The Japanese army deployed heavy troops at Chengjiawan (where Su Yu and Fang Zhimin bid farewell to each other) and Guangcaishan (where Su Yu was ordered to prepare food and support the main force), firing fiercely at the Third Regiment from their high ground to block their advance towards Yushan County.

The third regimental commander arranged for a battalion to launch a lightly armed surprise attack on Yushan County via a side road.

These paths were rugged mountain trails at the time, "overgrown with shrubs and steep cliffs, requiring people to climb with their scepters and crawl along," making them extremely difficult to traverse. They were only suitable for small groups of troops to move about covertly or conduct guerrilla warfare, and were completely unsuitable for large armies and baggage trains.

The third regimental commander led the main force, under the cover of air power, to continue the fierce attack on the Chengjiawan position, which was heavily defended by the Japanese army.

The First Army Air Force destroyed all of the Japanese fortifications at Chengjiawan. The vanguard of the Third Regiment approached the Chengjiawan position under the fire of the First Army Air Force.

As soon as the First Army Air Force ceased its bombing raids, the vanguard of the Third Regiment immediately launched a fierce attack on the Japanese positions at Chengjiawan.

The Japanese troops hurriedly crawled out of the ruins to block the advance of the 3rd Regiment.

The vanguard of the Third Regiment, fearless in the face of death, launched continuous attacks on the Chengjiawan position.

The follow-up troops of the Third Regiment also followed closely behind, launching a fierce attack on the Chengjiawan position.

Under the fierce attack of the Third Regiment, the Japanese army's Chengjiawan position was finally breached.

The Japanese troops hastily retreated towards Yushan County.

The third regimental commander led the main force in hot pursuit, chasing them all the way to Guangcai Mountain.