Devil's Army

Chapter 1848 The Southern Independent Division's First Battle in Jiangxi (Part 1)

At that time, the leaders of the Nanjing government wanted to use the Japanese invaders to weaken the strength of the First Anti-Japanese Army.

Immediately instruct Director Gu to allow passage.

The Southern Independent Division then successfully entered Ganzhou.

The further north they went, the more refugees they encountered heading south. The more severely the cities were destroyed by Japanese air force.

After dinner, the troops continued their advance, arriving successively at Ganxian, Xingguo, and Ningdu counties, which are adjacent to Ji'an.

At that time, the Japanese army in Nanchang frequently sent troops to attack the government forces in Ji'an. Ji'an could be considered the front line.

The troops of the 1st and 2nd brigades of the Southern Independent Division camped in Ganxian, Xingguo and Ningdu counties.

At six o'clock the next morning, the Southern Independent Division split into four routes and advanced towards Nanchang via Ji'an.

The First Route Army: The First and Second Regiments of the First Brigade of the Independent Division traveled to Nanchang along the land and water transportation routes along the Gan River.

The Second Route Army: The Third and Fourth Regiments of the First Brigade of the Independent Division traveled to Nanchang via Jishui, Xiajiang, Xingan, Zhangshu, Fengcheng and other places.

The Third Route Army: The First and Second Regiments of the Second Brigade of the Independent Division detoured through Xiangtang, Fuzhou and other places to Nanchang.

The Fourth Route Army: The Third and Fourth Regiments of the Second Brigade of the Independent Division marched towards Nanchang along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway.

When the First Route Army arrived at Shengmi Town, they discovered Japanese troops.

Because the Southern Independent Division of the First Army entered Ji'an secretly, the Japanese army did not notice.

Moreover, four-fifths of the area within Shengmi Town is hilly, with a terrain that slopes from west to east.

The brigade commander decided to take advantage of the undulating terrain to construct multi-layered defensive fortifications, thereby gaining a superior firepower advantage to ambush the Japanese army.

In order to deceive the Japanese army, a brigade commander borrowed a company of government army uniforms and weapons from the garrison in Ji'an to act as a decoy force to attack the Japanese army in Nanchang.

Sure enough, a Japanese unit in Nanchang was suddenly attacked by "government troops." Enraged, they quickly dispatched troops to pursue them.

The government troops fought and retreated, leading this squadron of Japanese soldiers into the ambush zone of the First Brigade in Nami Town.

The Japanese company that was pursuing the "government army" was suddenly attacked by a brigade of soldiers on the hills and high ground of Nami Town.

The brigade commander, knowing that the Japanese army consisted of only one infantry company, deployed two companies on both sides of the path to ambush them.

The Japanese troops, despite being attacked from both sides by the "government forces," did not panic and quickly organized resistance.

However, they soon discovered that the government troops on both sides of the hilly terrain were using Japanese weapons, not their usual ones. And their firepower was far more intense.

After more than half an hour of fierce fighting, the two companies launched a general offensive against the Japanese troops on the small road.

The brigade commander specifically instructed that several Japanese soldiers be left behind to go back and report the death.

Soon, the Japanese lieutenant colonel in Nanchang learned that the Nanjing government forces had attacked and annihilated one of his infantry companies, and immediately dispatched three infantry companies with artillery to wipe them out.

When the Japanese troops arrived in Shengmi Town in high spirits, they discovered that the government forces that had ambushed them were not just two companies, but at least a regiment.

The lieutenant colonel hurriedly dispatched troops to reinforce the area, but they were met with fierce resistance from another unit.

The First Brigade and First Regiment launched a fierce attack on the Japanese army from three sides.

The Japanese artillery launched a fierce bombardment of the 1st Regiment's positions, but was quickly met with a counterattack from the 1st Regiment's artillery.

The lieutenant colonel was taken aback when he received the report.

He didn't know when the devil's army had arrived in Gyan.

The lieutenant colonel arranged for the naval gunboats to reach Shengmi Town from the Gan River and launch a fierce bombardment of the Devil Force's positions.

The reinforcements also launched a fierce attack on the Second Regiment's position in an attempt to rescue the besieged Japanese troops.