Devil's Army

Chapter 1993: Ambush on the Japanese Transport Team in Shaoxing

As the 12th Brigade advanced toward Shaoxing, a reconnaissance unit discovered a Japanese transport convoy in front of the Dongshushan Pass in Xiaoshan while detouring around the pass.

A reconnaissance unit immediately took up positions on the spot.

It was a little after 6 a.m., and the autumn fog was thick, with visibility less than 50 meters. The Japanese troops were not on high alert.

The Dongshushan Pass is about 300 meters long, with the railway tunnel running parallel to the highway. The highway has a small curve, so vehicles must slow down to 10 km/h.

The hills on both sides have a slope of about 30° and are covered with pine trees and shrubs, which can completely conceal troops; there is a steep slope at the exit of the pass, and vehicles have weak climbing power, making it easy to block them.

Japanese transport convoys are delivering ammunition and supplies to troops fighting the main force of a regiment at the pass.

Due to the small number of reconnaissance troops, there were concerns that they would be unable to completely intercept the Japanese transport convoy.

He then arranged for two small detonation teams to ambush behind the rock walls on both sides of the tunnel entrance, responsible for detonating the pre-set explosives to destroy the roadbed at the bend of the highway and block the Japanese army's advance and retreat routes.

Another squad of soldiers was positioned on the left flank hills with two light machine guns, tasked with suppressing the Japanese truck cabs and motorcycle riders, and cutting off the Japanese dismounted counterattack routes.

One light machine gun is mounted on the right flank hills to target Japanese machine gunners and grenade launcher operators, preventing them from setting up firing positions.

The remaining soldiers formed assault teams and ambushed the Japanese convoy below the steep slope at the pass exit. Once the Japanese convoy was paralyzed, they launched an attack from the flank and rear, clearing out the remaining enemy and seizing supplies.

A small group of soldiers formed a guard group and were stationed on high ground 1 kilometer away on the east and west sides of the pass to monitor Japanese reinforcements from the direction of Xiaoshan and Shaoxing. They agreed that three gunshots would be the signal to retreat.

The Japanese transport convoy entered the ambush zone, and the detonation team detonated the explosives planted at the bend in the road (5 kg of explosives (trigger-activated)) and at the tunnel entrance (5 kg of explosives (remote-controlled)).

The collapsed rocks and mud blocked the road.

The first truck of the Japanese transport convoy was unable to avoid the collapse and was buried under the mud.

Upon hearing the explosion, the fire support team immediately opened fire and threw grenades at the Japanese troops on the narrow path. (For ease of operation, the reconnaissance unit did not carry heavy weapons such as mortars.)

Seeing that they were surrounded by the devilish troops, the Japanese transport convoy immediately retreated. However, after the roadbed was blown up, the first truck was buried by rocks, blocking the road, and the last truck was blocked by remotely detonated explosives at the tunnel entrance, making it impossible for them to advance or retreat.

The escorting Japanese troops immediately opened fire, but the reconnaissance unit's fire support group suppressed the Japanese soldiers who showed their faces to counterattack, focusing on destroying the Japanese light machine gun positions, thus rendering the Japanese counterattack ineffective.

The battle lasted for more than half an hour. When the Japanese troops at the pass heard the intense gunfire from behind, they prepared to send troops back to reinforce.

The regimental commander ordered his troops to intensify their offensive and hold back the Japanese troops at the pass.

The Japanese convoy was trapped at both ends and fell into chaos; the assault team launched an attack from the bottom of the steep slope, throwing grenades to clear the remaining enemy near the trucks and quickly moving the ammunition and food on the trucks.

The guard group discovered that Japanese reinforcements were approaching from the direction of Shaoxing and fired three shots to signal a retreat.

The assault team destroyed the trucks that could not be taken away, and all troops withdrew along the mountain paths on the north side of the hills, moving towards the Kuaiji Mountain base.

When the Japanese reinforcements from Shaoxing arrived at the pass, the ambush troops had already withdrawn.

Unfamiliar with the terrain, the Japanese troops dared not pursue the enemy too far and only burned the corpses near the pass before returning.