Commander Okamura Ninji looked at the generals present, and then ordered: "Order the commander of the Ninth Independent Mixed Brigade Yoshimaru Kiyomu Brigade to strengthen the garrison of the Deshi Road, and strive to complete the completion of the entire line of the Deshi Road by the end of the year."

The three generals of the 180th Division, the 36th Division, and the 108th Division were ordered to adopt the 'cage plan' with railways as pillars, highways as chains, and strongholds as locks on the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese base areas on several major railway lines, such as Pinghan, Jinghan, Tongpu, and Baijin, to launch the most fierce summer sweep of the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese base areas, continue to implement the 'three-light policy,' and fundamentally eliminate the anti-Japanese base areas on which the Eighth Route Army depended for its survival.

He ordered the commander of the Xiangyue Qing Division to personally command the three divisions and regiments deployed on the railway and highway lines, and to complete the latest operational deployment of the North China Front, deal the most severe blow to the Eighth Route Army, and restore the complete smooth flow of communication lines in North China. ”

The '8.22' military conference of the Japanese North China Front established the Japanese army's all-out counterattack against the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese base areas, and the Eighth Route Army's anti-Japanese army and people will face an even more brutal counterattack.

In addition, Lei Jian led the 'only regiment' to raid the Tiger Leaping Gorge Bridge, and after arduous and courageous battles, they paid a heavy price, although they did not completely destroy the Tiger Leaping Gorge Bridge, they could destroy the 500-meter railway bridge at the southern end, causing the enemy to be completely paralyzed at the north and south ends of the Zhengtai Railway, and greatly dealing a blow to the Japanese army's transportation lines.

Commander Nie of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, according to the current progress of the Zhengtailu General Raid, ordered Lei Jian's 'only regiment' to immediately retreat to the Fuping area to rest and recuperate, waiting for a new combat order.

At the beginning of the Battle of the Hundred Regiments, the central column of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region Yang Department destroyed the Jingcheng Coal Mine and attacked Zhengtai Road, and the right column Guo Department attacked Niangzi Pass, and fought fiercely with the enemy in Mohetan Village, and both columns achieved brilliant results.

The left column was responsible for attacking two important Japanese strongholds east of Jingcheng and near Shijiazhuang, and the enemy relied on the strong stronghold fortress to make several tentative attacks, causing casualties to the troops, and finally abandoned the plan of attacking the enemy's stronghold in order to avoid greater casualties.

On 21 August, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region Command, in light of the brilliant victories won by the left, center, and right columns in different battlefields, issued an order to all columns to take advantage of the victory to expand the results of the battle: According to the estimate, "the corps has completed about one-third of the steps in the campaign, and judging from the current situation, it is conducive to expanding the results of the battle and accomplishing all the tasks of the campaign with this victory." To this end, all columns must resolutely carry out all the tasks of their respective columns, overcome the difficulties of the rain, act resolutely, and rapidly expand the results of the battle. ’

In accordance with the latest orders of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, all columns went to the battlefields of the communication lines of different sabotage sites, continued to engage in fierce battles with the enemy, and expanded the results of the battle.

At the same time, in order to fight the general sabotage battle on Zhengtai Road, Commander Liu of the Shanxi-Hebei-Henan Military Region led the forward command post to secretly stationed in Mingshuitou in Guangyang in advance, and set up a forward liaison post at Ma'anqiao, which is close to the south of Longquan on Zhengtai Road, so as to keep abreast of the advance of the campaign and the deployment of troops, and issue orders at any time.

Under the command of the Shanxi-Hebei-Henan Military Region, all units participating in the battle arrived at the combat positions as quickly as possible, waiting for the exciting Zhengtailu General Raid Campaign, and carrying out the general raid order issued by the superiors.

The sky was thick with clouds, like a cauldron was detained, and the pressure was very low, and the windless and sultry weather made the soldiers breathless, until the afternoon, when the sky was drenched with light rain, and it felt as if the air began to flow, and the soldiers who were hidden in the position felt a little more transparent from their hearts and bodies.

On August 20, when the war was about to begin, it was rainy along Zhengtai Road, indicating that a great war was about to start on this rainy day.

This battle was the first major offensive operation of the Eighth Route Army to enter the war of resistance behind enemy lines, and this campaign mobilized all the forces of all corps, military regions and local armed forces in North China to launch a general attack on the enemy on Zhengtai Road.

The deployment of this general sabotage war will be the heaviest blow to the Japanese invaders by destroying the Japanese army's transportation network, and it will also be a resounding slap in the face to those people and groups who do not know the truth and have ulterior motives who think that the Eighth Route Army is just verbally shouting about the War of Resistance and 'swimming but not attacking'.

The soldiers of the Shanxi-Hebei-Henan Military Region and the corps were waiting eagerly for the orders issued by the war.

The sky did not clear, the rain continued, and the sun, which had not been seen since the afternoon, did not come out again until the sky was about to darken.

The hour hand of history passed minute by minute, and the hour hand was fixed at 22 o'clock on 20 August, when the deputy commander-in-chief in the war room of the front commander of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army slammed his fist on the table and gave an order: The general attack on Zhengtai Road was immediately launched, and all corps and military regions were ordered to quickly enter the battle.

The troops who arrived at the combat position ahead of schedule received red radio waves from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army in a small mountain village, and countless red signal bombs flew into the air along the Zhengtai Railway.

At the same time, the seven main railway lines and highway networks in North China resounded with fierce gunfire and cannons, the flames of war burned, and the shouts of killing continued, and the entire communication line of the Japanese army in North China was under an all-out attack by the Eighth Route Army.

Before the war began, the commanders of various units carried out sabotage attacks on the Devil's Railway Line according to the deployment of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and sometimes resorted to feints to confuse the enemy, especially the defenders of the Zhengtai Road Japanese Army, who suddenly launched an attack on the Eighth Route Army, mistakenly believing that there was no major change from the usual sabotage attacks.

When the whole campaign was in full swing, the Japanese army panicked, from the panic and chaos at the beginning, to find out that the situation had settled down, and immediately issued orders to all units to carry out the most stubborn counterattack against the sabotage of the Eighth Route Army.

In the face of the powerful offensive of the Japanese army, along the railway and highway of more than 100 kilometers of Zhengtai Road, the sound of guns and artillery continued, and the entire section of the road resounded, the flames of war burned, and constantly flickered in the night sky, and the battle scene was very fierce.

Although the Japanese command organ responded in a timely manner to the general sabotage warfare adopted by the Eighth Route Army on all lines of communication, a large number of Japanese troops along the railway line could be guarded, and the main forces were all transferred to the frontal battlefield to fight, especially along the Zhengtai line, which was more than 240 kilometers long, and only three brigades and regiments of more than 3,000 Japanese troops were garrisoned.

Before the Eighth Route Army launched the Zhengtai Road General Raid Battle, it deployed defenses against the Japanese troops along the railway, and the strongholds, bridges, culverts, and stations were reconnoitred in place, and concentrated several times the enemy's superior forces to launch a fierce attack on the defending enemy.

Commander Liu, the head of the Shanxi-Hebei-Henan Military Region, stood in the room and looked at the map, and when he saw the key bridge of Zhengtai Road, Sangzhang Bridge, he frowned and asked Staff Officer Zhao beside him: "Is there a battle report of the new 10th Brigade of the right wing column?" ”

"Report to Commander Liu, you haven't gotten the battle report from the front yet?"

The right wing column undertook the task of conquering the Sangzhang Bridge on Zhengtai Road, which is another important bridge through Zhengtai Road, located between Yangquan and Yuci, the terrain is dangerous, especially this bridge has 21 holes, which is strong and difficult to destroy.

Sangzhang Bridge is an extremely important traffic pass of Zhengtai Road, but also the throat connecting Beijing, Guangzhou, Tongpu, the Japanese army attaches great importance to the protection of this bridge, in the station area on the side of Sangzhang Bridge, build strong fortifications, it builds two large two small four fortresses at key points, deep and wide traffic trenches are dug around the fortress, interpenetrate each other, it is convenient for materials and troops to support the ****** through the trench periphery and lay three barbed wire, each barbed wire is five meters apart, between the fortress and the barbed wire, there are six machine gun bunkers, For both ends of the entire Sangzhang Bridge, it can be said that the firepower is carefully deployed, and the whole body will be moved by a single shot, and a powerful firepower blocking network will be formed at the first time for the hostile armed forces that are close to the sneak attack.

The capture of the Sangzhang Bridge was the most arduous task received by the new 10th Brigade of the right wing column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Henan Military Region.

At 22 o'clock on the 20th, the deputy commander-in-chief of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army issued an order to attack the Zhengtai Road, and the entire 100-kilometer most critical Zhengtai line, under the command of the red signal flare, all units of the Eighth Route Army launched a general attack on the enemy's communication line, and the commander of the New 10th Brigade Fan fired the first shot to conquer the Sangzhang Bridge.

(End of chapter)