Industry began in 1937

Chapter 44 Northern Route Raid

The explosions and gunfire at Yuanzhuang River, like the first biting wind of winter, swept across the entire Xingxi mountain area and clearly reached the ears of the Japanese troops on the northern route.

The main force of the 132nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese army on the northern route, under the command of Colonel Eiichi Ebina, is advancing westward along the Mazhai River valley.

They set off half a day later than the southern route, but their forces were stronger and their equipment was better. They carried an arrogant air of "righteous indignation" and crushing their opponents.

Eiichi Ebina was a typical mid-level Japanese commander deeply influenced by the ideas of "Bushido" and "the invincible Imperial Army".

Upon receiving the telegram about the attack on the southern route, he merely snorted coldly.

"The Chinese army's usual despicable sneak attack tactics," he said to his staff officer beside him, adjusting his glasses with his white-gloved hand as he rode on his warhorse.

"Lieutenant Colonel Takagi is being too cautious. The only way to deal with these cowardly guerrillas is to strike at their lair with lightning speed, destroy their command structure and so-called regime, and these annoying flies will naturally disappear."

He believed that in the face of overwhelming firepower and impeccable military discipline, any ambush or harassment would be nothing but a futile struggle.

He ordered his troops to speed up their march, with artillery and supplies positioned as far forward as possible, in an attempt to reach their primary objective as quickly as possible—Yingtou Village, which was believed to be the location of the "Xingtai Anti-Japanese County Government."

He wanted to achieve his goal in one fell swoop.

However, the terrain of the Taihang Mountains and the determination of the soldiers and civilians to resist soon dealt this proud colonel a heavy blow.

When the troops reached a treacherous pass known as "Tiger's Mouth," the vanguard squad triggered a Lafayette mine.

Not just one, but at least three pre-positioned at different distances, forming an overlapping coverage! The violent explosion not only engulfed the elite squad, but also blasted the already narrow road into flying rocks, blocking the passage.

Almost at the same time as the explosion, precise and sparse sniper shots rang out from the seemingly quiet hillsides on both sides.

The bullets were specifically designed to target officers, standard-bearers, and machine gunners.

Although the instantaneous casualties were far less severe than those on the southern route, it successfully threw the marching column into chaos and caused delays.

This required the troops to send out small teams to scout the mountains on both sides, which seriously affected the march.

Meanwhile, the engineers had to brave sniper fire to clear mines and obstacles, which brought the entire regiment's operations to a standstill.

When Ebina, in a fit of rage, ordered his infantry to launch a deterrent attack on the hills on both sides and sent out small teams to attempt a flanking maneuver, the attackers had already vanished without a trace thanks to their familiarity with the terrain, leaving only a few booby traps for the pursuing Japanese troops.

After the Japanese army had expended tremendous effort and, under the cover of artillery fire, occupied several insignificant hilltops, nearly two hours had passed.

After clearing the roadblocks, they continued for less than five miles when, on a gentle slope, they encountered a similar barrage of sniper shots and grenades.

This time, the attackers seemed bolder, only retreating after throwing dozens of grenades before the Japanese could mount an effective counterattack.

"Baka! Cowards! Shameless Chinese army! If you have the guts, stand up and fight!" Ebina angrily threw his binoculars in the temporary command post.

This "hit and run, run and hit again" tactic left him with superior manpower and heavy weapons, but it was like punching cotton – he had nowhere to land and felt incredibly frustrated.

What angered him even more was that the villages he passed through were almost deserted, wells were filled in or filled with filth, grains of food were nowhere to be seen, and even decent doors had been taken away.

Their desire to seize laborers, plunder grain, and vent their anger had nowhere to go.

His troops seemed to have entered a hostile, silent vacuum.

In the afternoon, scouts reported that a group of "armed personnel" carrying red flags, numbering about a hundred, had been spotted on the flank of the mountain.

Ebina was immediately energized and ordered a squadron to launch a swift attack to annihilate the "enemy" and boost morale.

This armed group was the Red Spear Society, which was entrenched in Lulou Town. They wanted to move north, but instead of following the instructions of the anti-Japanese government, they tried to cross the road and were discovered by the Japanese search team.

When they saw hundreds of Japanese soldiers wearing steel helmets, dressed in neat khaki uniforms, carrying Type 38 rifles with bayonets fixed, rapidly approaching in a skilled skirmish line, many of the congregation members' faces changed.

By the time the Red Spear Society discovered the Japanese, it was already too late.

Upon discovering that the Japanese had occupied both sides of the mountain ridge, Zhang Juejiu ordered the congregation to cease their retreat.

He thought he would block the way for a while before leaving.

The Japanese, having finally managed to capture a Chinese army, launched a full-scale psychological attack.

That chilling killing intent, that silent yet swift charging speed, was completely different from the bandits and defeated soldiers they had encountered before.

The Japanese army did not even use machine guns or grenade launchers; it was merely a standard infantry company assault.

After a volley of fire from a distance of nearly 100 meters, the Japanese soldiers charged forward with bayonets drawn and shouts of "Banzai!"

The Red Spears' front collapsed instantly.

Those talismans, those broadswords and spears, appeared so pale and laughable in the face of the dense and precise rifle bullets and gleaming bayonets.

In a single charge, the Red Spear Society's ranks were completely scattered, leaving behind more than a dozen corpses and wounded. Amid Zhang Juejiu's desperate yet terrified screams, they fled into the mountains and forests, scattering like birds and beasts.

The Japanese squadron pursued them all the way, crossing two mountain ridges and killing more than twenty members of the Red Spear Society before turning back.

They easily "defeated" the enemy and returned to their unit with a sense of pride and contempt.

Upon hearing the report, Ebina merely curled his lip, his contempt for the "Chinese armed forces" growing even stronger.

But this brief, one-sided "victory" failed to change his current predicament.

The Eighth Route Army's harassment did not stop; on the contrary, it became even more cunning.

Instead of attempting a direct interception, they focused their efforts on the long and vulnerable rear of the Japanese army trains—the supply and transport convoys.

Just as the Ebina Regiment paused briefly due to the Red Spear Society incident and regrouped to speed through a more rugged canyon, a few miles behind them, an infantry squad protecting supplies and a company of puppet troops were attacked from at least three different directions.

The attackers were few in number but extremely fierce. Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, they quickly approached from the steep slopes and used grenades and concentrated fire to target the mules and horses carrying ammunition and the soldiers escorting them.

Although the attack was quickly repelled, several mules and horses were startled and broke into the camp, dragging precious ammunition boxes and falling into a deep valley. More than a dozen Japanese and puppet troops were killed or wounded, and the transport team was in chaos, which greatly slowed down the march once again.

"Commander! Urgent report from the rear guard: the convoy has been attacked, losing five packhorses, some ammunition, and suffering fifteen casualties!" the staff officer reported with a grim expression.

"Baka yarou!" Eiichi Ebina finally lost his temper and punched the ammunition box covered with a map.

He finally began to realize that he was not facing a scattered group that could be easily "swept away," but a well-organized, tactically flexible, and tenacious opponent who was deeply rooted in this mountainous region.

His opponent did not seek a decisive battle, but rather, like leeches and poisonous bees in the mountains, constantly stung, bled, and slowed him down, making him pay the price for every step he took and leaving him exhausted.

Looking at the still long mountain road leading to Yingtou Village on the map, and the countless mountains on both sides that stand like the spines of monsters, as if hiding countless eyes and gun barrels, Ebina Eiichi's arrogance was replaced by a shadow of gloom, replaced by growing restlessness and a trace of barely perceptible anxiety.

He understood that if the Eighth Route Army's command center could not be destroyed as soon as possible, these infuriating harassments and losses would continue indefinitely.

"Order!" He ordered his staff officer, his face ashen. "First Battalion, reinforce the vanguard and accelerate the breakthrough at all costs! Artillery, move forward and conduct deterrent bombardment on any suspicious hilltops or passes!"

Tell all the captains not to get bogged down with scattered enemy forces. Our target is Yingtou! Destroy the anti-Japanese regime there, and these flies will naturally lose their nest! Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, I will set up my command post in Yingtou!

He decided to use a more intense offensive to dispel his unease and the growing fatigue and fear of his troops.

But what he didn't know was that in front of the "nest" he was so eager to find, a web of death woven from determination, landmines, bayonets, and crude yet deadly grenades had already quietly spread out among the mountains of the upper reaches of the Mazhai River, waiting for his main force to step into that pre-planned, even more dangerous slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, in Gouzi Village further behind, Chen Yuan and Wen Shizhou received urgent intelligence from the front lines regarding the initial victory on the southern route and the fact that the Japanese army on the northern route was being delayed but was accelerating its advance towards Yingtou.

The security at the village entrance was raised to the highest level, and the core team members gripped their newly sharpened rifles and broadswords tightly.

The fire in the cave behind the mountain had been completely extinguished, leaving only residual warmth.

Chen Yuan gave the camouflage at the mine entrance one last check; he was ready to seal it off.

He looked southeast, where the sounds of gunfire were not heard, but rather a heavy, unsettling silence, like the calm before a storm.