Devil's Army

Chapter 1970 Strong Attack on the Huihua Ancient Road

The Second and Third Battalions attempted to cross Majinling to reach the other end of the tunnel and prepare to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese army, but the mountains here were steep and precipitous, making the climb quite difficult.

Moreover, with weeds and trees crisscrossing the area, the soldiers had to use their bayonets as machetes, constantly hacking their way through, and they couldn't make too much noise for fear of disturbing the Japanese army.

It took the Second and Third Battalions more than two hours to climb this short section of hillside at the entrance of the Majinling Tunnel.

The treacherous terrain also prevented the Japanese army from deploying troops to guard against it.

When the Second and Third Battalions launched a fierce attack on the Japanese troops at the tunnel entrance from both sides of the high ground, the Japanese troops at the tunnel entrance were caught off guard.

Upon hearing the intense gunfire coming from the tunnel entrance, the soldiers of the First Battalion launched a fierce attack on the Japanese troops at the tunnel entrance from the front.

After a fierce battle, the First Regiment finally captured the most treacherous pass on the Majinling Ancient Road. The road ahead was narrow, and the Japanese army could ambush them at any time under the cover of night.

The regimental commander then ordered his troops to halt their advance and build fortifications on the spot to prevent a Japanese counterattack.

Just as the soldiers were on high alert, the Japanese army launched a night attack under the cover of darkness.

At this moment, the treacherous terrain at the tunnel entrance provided excellent cover for a group of soldiers.

The small Japanese raiding force was quickly defeated.

The next morning, the regiment of soldiers continued their advance towards Kaihua County. However, they were constantly sniped by Japanese troops along the way, and their progress was slow.

At this time, the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the 12th Brigade were also advancing towards Kaihua County via the Huihua Ancient Road and Qixi Town.

The Huikai Ancient Road was an important passage from Huizhou to Kaihua, Zhejiang in ancient times. It is about 25 kilometers long, and its highest point, Baijiling, is 1208 meters above sea level. It is known as the "second Qingliang Peak".

The ancient road was built along the mountainside, often passing through cliffs and canyon edges, such as the Baijiling section, where the road is carved through the cliff face and stands on the edge of the abyss.

Upon reaching this point, the 12th Army would likely find itself isolated and helpless, caught in a dilemma. The Japanese army, occupying the high ground, could then launch an effective attack from above.

Moreover, the ancient path consisted of stone steps and slabs 3-4.5 feet (approximately 1-1.5 meters) wide, with limited width.

Although the 2nd Regiment of the 12th Brigade had a numerical advantage, it was difficult for them to deploy a large force during their advance, and they could only advance in a long, serpentine formation.

The soldiers of the Second Regiment broke through the outer defense line of the Huihua Ancient Road, but were intercepted by the Japanese army in sections, and their numerical advantage could not be fully utilized.

The Anhui Air Force of the First Army was also unable to provide full support to the Second Regiment due to the high mountains and dense forests, and the roads were sometimes hidden.

Due to the overwhelming numerical disadvantage of the Japanese troops, the 2nd Regiment, which had been cut off, was reunited by the fierce attacks of the machine gunners and rocket troops of the 2nd Regiment and continued to advance towards the ancient road.

As the soldiers of the Second Regiment approached the summit, the ancient path was completely hidden in the dense forests of the mountains; from the air, all that could be seen was the dense forest, not the path.

The First Army Air Force was completely unable to provide fire support to the soldiers of the Second Regiment.

The battalion commander encouraged his soldiers on the spot:

"Brothers, our comrades have broken through the Japanese defenses and are now attacking the county town. What should we do?"

"We need to speed things up too!"

……

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Seeing that the soldiers' morale had been boosted, the battalion commander immediately ordered the machine gunners to suppress the Japanese firepower along with the vanguard.

Rocket troops and mortar positions moved forward to provide fire support for the assault team's attack on the Japanese army.

After deployment, the soldiers of the Second Regiment launched the fiercest attack on the Huikai Ancient Road.