Devil's Army

Chapter 1885 Attacking Guixi County

When the second deputy brigade commander and his men arrived in Yingtan, the second brigade commander, along with the third and fourth regiments, had already recaptured Jinxian and were attacking Yingtan.

Although Yingtan was just a town at the time, its geographical location was quite important.

It is a hub for both land and water transportation, controlling the lifeline of transportation in Southeast China. It is the intersection of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway and the Xinjiang River. By land, it can connect Zhejiang and Jiangxi, and even many places in East China, via the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway. By water, it can radiate to the surrounding water system through the Xinjiang River, forming a key node for water-land intermodal transport.

This location makes it a crucial hub for the distribution of frontline supplies and the movement of troops.

After the fall of Nanchang, it became a major rear area for the western front of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, gathering a large number of military supplies and refugees.

When the Japanese army launched the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign in 1942, Yingtan Town was a key target in their western advance.

After capturing Yingtan, the Japanese army forcibly conscripted laborers to dismantle the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway tracks and transport them to Japan, thereby disrupting China's transportation and wartime supply system in southeastern China.

Subsequently, due to troop shortages, the Japanese army withdrew from Yingtan Town. The Southern Government forces then reoccupied Yingtan Town. However, the Japanese air force never ceased its air raids on Yingtan Station.

After the 4th Squadron of the 4th Air Group of the 1st Army was stationed at Nanxiong Airport, it engaged in several fierce battles with the Japanese air force over and around Yingtan Town, severely damaging the Japanese air force in Jiangxi. The Japanese air raids on Yingtan Town gradually ceased.

This time, the Japanese reinforcements from Zhejiang attacked the devil troops in Nanchang City through Yingtan, and once again occupied Yingtan Town, where they built fortifications in an attempt to stop the devil troops from advancing eastward into Zhejiang.

Although the Japanese reinforcements in Zhejiang left a large force to defend Yingtan Town, they were exhausted from the repeated attacks by the two main regiments of the Second Brigade, the Third Regiment and the Fourth Regiment.

The second deputy brigade commander then led the main force across Yingtan Town and directly attacked Guixi County.

Yingtan Town is a town under the jurisdiction of Guixi County. The Japanese troops stationed in Zhejiang also left troops to block the devil troops from advancing eastward.

The 2nd Brigade and the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade arrived in Guixi County and immediately split into two groups to launch an attack on Guixi County.

The First Brigade and First Regiment were responsible for clearing out the towns and villages occupied by Japanese and puppet troops around Guixi County.

When the Second Brigade attacked Yingtan Town, the Japanese troops in Guixi County were already prepared.

They built a defensive line along the small roads on the outskirts of Guixi County.

When the vanguard of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Brigade reached the small road on the outskirts of Guixi County, they immediately engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese army.

The Japanese army constructed two firing bunkers on either side of the path, and two heavy machine guns, like venomous snakes, relentlessly spat fire, felling the vanguard of the charging troops.

The regimental commander arranged for the first battalion to launch a feint attack on the Japanese positions from the front, while the second and third battalions would flank the Japanese positions from both sides.

Japanese scouts quickly spotted the 2nd Brigade soldiers flanking from both sides and immediately organized their troops to block them.

Soldiers from the Second and Third Battalions launched a fierce attack from both flanks on the Japanese troops who had not yet had time to organize their defenses.

The battalion on the front also launched a fierce attack on the Japanese positions, leaving them no time to attend to the Japanese troops on both flanks.

After a fierce battle, the Japanese army abandoned the outer defense line of Guixi County and retreated into the city.

The artillery of the 2nd Brigade launched a fierce bombardment of the retreating Japanese troops.

The Japanese troops on the outer defense line of Guixi County suffered heavy casualties, with only a small number retreating into Guixi County.

The soldiers of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Brigade did not give the Japanese army a chance to catch their breath and immediately launched a fierce attack on Guixi County.

In order to increase the pressure on the Japanese army, the 2nd Regiment of the 2nd Brigade bypassed the 1st Regiment's attack on the west gate of Guixi County and went around to the south gate of Guixi County.