Devil's Army

Chapter 1881 Defeating the Japanese Reinforcements

The three Japanese armies also bypassed Wangjianao along the Ruichang-De'an Highway and reached the Minshan area. However, the 4th Regiment of the 1st Brigade had already built fortifications in the Minshan Mountains and planted explosives in front of the Minshan trails, ready for battle.

When the vanguard of the Japanese army arrived in front of Minshan, the soldiers of the Fourth Regiment detonated the explosives.

Amid a series of explosions, the Japanese vanguard soldiers were blasted into the air along with the dirt.

The Japanese troops, having recovered, continued their fierce attack on the Minshan positions. However, the massive explosion had left a considerable shadow over them, and the Japanese offensive became more cautious.

When the Japanese troops entered the ambush zone of the Fourth Regiment, the regimental commander immediately ordered his soldiers to open fire.

Intense gunfire and explosions echoed continuously in the Minshan Mountains.

The Fourth Regiment was well-equipped, possessed formidable combat capabilities, and received air support. Several waves of Japanese attacks were repelled.

Given that the battles in Jiujiang County and Nanchang City had ended, the Japanese troops in Jiangxi had fully turned to prepare for battle against the Japanese reinforcements from Zhejiang and Hubei. It would be of little significance for the Japanese reinforcements from Zhejiang and Hubei to enter Jiangxi again.

Commander Hata Shunroku then ordered the reinforcements to cease their advance into Jiangxi and return to their posts to strengthen their defenses, in order to prevent the "devil troops" from attacking Hubei and Zhejiang.

The battle to defend Nanchang in Jiujiang lasted less than a week before it was finally won.

The Southern Independent Division has officially entered a phase of rest, reorganization, and replenishment of new recruits.

Because the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Route Army attacked from Huanggang in Hubei, the counties and towns along the route from Hubei to Jiujiang in Jiangxi were basically recovered.

There are still some important cities in the Jiangxi-Zhejiang direction that have not been recovered.

During their rest period, the 2nd Brigade of the Southern Independent Division took turns sending troops to advance towards Zhejiang.

Because the Fourth Company, stationed in Nanyi Town, had recruited soldiers in advance, the First Regiment of the First Brigade had reached a strength of nearly two battalions. The First Regiment of the First Brigade was also the first to recover its strength.

Commander Zhang then assigned the defense of Jiujiang and Nanchang in the Hubei direction to the other three regiments of the First Brigade, and transferred the First Regiment to serve as the vanguard, advancing towards Zhejiang.

Soon, the regiment arrived at the outskirts of Fuzhou.

Fuzhou was a "bridgehead" for the Japanese army's eastward advance. The Japanese troops in Zhejiang, who were repelled by the Second Brigade, did not completely withdraw. Instead, they left nearly a battalion of infantry to garrison Fuzhou together with the local garrison, attempting to contain the devilish troops' eastward advance into Zhejiang.

The regiment split into three routes and advanced towards Fuzhou.

The First Battalion and the First Regiment's directly subordinate troops advanced towards Fuzhou along the banks of the Fu River in Huwan.

This place is near the Fu River and is located along the transportation route from Linchuan to Nanchang.

When the vanguard of the regiment reached Songhu Lake on the opposite bank of the Fuhe River, they were surprised to find a Japanese army with guns laid out on the lake shore and their men swimming in the lake.

It turns out that after the Japanese army was defeated, the Independent Division did not continue to pursue them.

The Japanese troops gradually lowered their guard.

The vanguard of a regiment fired light and heavy machine guns at the Japanese troops on the lake shore.

Upon seeing this, the Japanese soldiers in the lake immediately ran towards the shore.

The vanguard quickly grabbed a heavy machine gun and began firing fiercely into the lake.

In less than half an hour, a small squad of Japanese soldiers was wiped out at Songhu Lake.

After annihilating this small Japanese unit, the vanguard of the regiment continued its advance towards Fuzhou.

Because the gunfire had alerted the Japanese army, the vanguard of the First Regiment reached the hills near Lüjiatang in Yunshan, where they encountered fierce resistance from the Japanese.

After the first battalion of soldiers arrived, they immediately joined the battle.

At this time, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment also launched an attack on the Japanese army in Fuzhou from Tengqiao in the south of the city.