Chapter 40: The Second Ambush on the Main Japanese Force

Thanks to the lightweight advantage of their mortars and Type 92 battalion guns, and supported by the ample manpower of the militia transport team, Zhang Yun’s recruit platoon moved with great speed, covering another three or four kilometers to the north.

The Japanese company commander responsible for the pursuit, fearing an ambush by the so-called "main force of the Eighth Route Army," was extremely cautious, allowing Zhang Yun’s unit to leave them far behind. Meanwhile, the main Japanese reinforcement force was still gathering wounded soldiers, burying their dead, and recovering damaged artillery, licking their wounds in place.

After learning of the enemy's movements from his reconnaissance squad, Zhang Yun consulted with his deputy platoon leader and several squad leaders, deciding to pull a "U-turn" and strike the main Japanese force.

Zhang Yun immediately arranged for Old Zhang and the others to scout ahead, leading the unit down the mountain from the east side of the Pingliao Highway and crossing over to the west. They followed a small path toward the main Japanese force, completing a U-shaped route that brought them from the east side—where they had first ambushed the enemy—to the northwest side of the main Japanese position.

Considering the Japanese "tail" following his unit, Zhang Yun also assigned a squad and some militiamen to use the terrain to continuously monitor the enemy’s pursuing force, ensuring these Japanese troops wouldn't suddenly cut in front of them and disrupt their withdrawal.

When Zhang Yun led his unit to the second ambush site he had selected—a relatively concealed hillside on the northwest side of the Pingliao Highway—the troops were already quite exhausted. After all, they had been moving under heavy loads for nearly ten kilometers.

This hillside was similar to the first ambush point, located about 1.3 kilometers from the highway and roughly two kilometers from the main enemy force. Zhang Yun ordered the troops to rest temporarily, then climbed the hillside with Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing, Artillery Squad Leader Wang Dachuan, and Transport Team Leader Wang to observe the enemy’s movements.

To Zhang Yun’s surprise, the main Japanese force remained in place, having gathered to occupy hills on both the east and west sides of the highway to construct a rudimentary circular defensive fortification.

This main Japanese force, sent to reinforce Heshun County, had not anticipated that Zhang Yun would stage a comeback. They had just finished burying their dead and bandaging the soldiers wounded in the artillery strike. Their commander, Major Kawazawa Jiro, was currently using the radio to request instructions from the commander of the 105th Regiment.

"My battalion set out from Liao County at 7:00 AM to reinforce Heshun County. At approximately 9:00 AM, we were subjected to heavy artillery fire on the Pingliao Highway, 17 kilometers from Heshun."

"The enemy shells fell like rain; our unit suffered heavy casualties. All artillerymen have perished, and the unit has lost 112 dead and 107 wounded."

"I ordered the First Company to attack the enemy’s artillery position, but they have yet to return."

"Our judgment is that the main force of the Eighth Route Army has moved north to Heshun and occupied the county seat; our mission to rescue it has lost its meaning. Now, my battalion is deep behind enemy lines with heavy casualties. I request guidance."

The Japanese unit sent to reinforce the area was the Kawazawa Battalion of the 105th Regiment. Having previously fought alongside the main force of the regiment, the battalion had been repeatedly intercepted and ambushed by the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, suffering devastating losses. When they set out this morning, fewer than 780 men remained, and even with the reinforcement of two mountain guns and their crews, they numbered barely 800.

After the first brutal ambush, the Kawazawa Battalion had lost another 200-plus men. Now, they had fewer than 600 able-bodied soldiers left and had lost their artillery advantage. After dispatching the First Company to pursue, only about 400 soldiers remained on the main position, alongside more than a hundred wounded.

Major Kawazawa Jiro breathed a sigh of relief after the radioman sent the report. Seeing the mortar fire from the "main force of the Eighth Route Army," Kawazawa had concluded that Heshun County had already fallen. After all, the garrison had reported fewer than 100 men remaining the previous night; faced with an Eighth Route Army force possessing so many mortars, they surely had no hope of recovery.

He had engaged the Eighth Route Army many times, and every time they deployed artillery, it was a prelude to a siege or an all-out assault. Thus, seeing such dense mortar fire, Kawazawa was convinced that Zhang Yun’s recruit platoon was merely a component of a much larger Eighth Route Army force.

With the "main force of the Eighth Route Army" now concentrated and holding the advantage in artillery, Kawazawa felt his position was perilous and felt compelled to signal for reinforcements.

Consequently, to prevent being ambushed or encircled by the main Eighth Route Army force, Kawazawa specifically ordered his troops to concentrate, build a circular defensive system, switch to a defensive posture, and rush to treat the wounded and recover damaged artillery.

Kawazawa did not believe the Eighth Route Army would launch another dense artillery barrage. After all, 82mm mortar shells were not cheap, and the Eighth Route Army typically had very few of them, using them sparingly; even the Nationalist army wouldn't launch multiple dense barrages.

Zhang Yun, at the ambush site, was unaware of the Japanese major's mental gymnastics, and even if he had known, he would have brushed it off.

For every Japanese grenade squad he destroyed, he could exchange the achievement for about 170 rounds of 82mm mortar shells; for every Type 92 battalion gun he destroyed, he could net 1,000 rounds of 70mm high-explosive shells or over 2,000 rounds of 82mm mortar ammunition. Since a battalion had 27 grenade launchers and two Type 92 guns, if he could wipe out a Japanese battalion using 8,000 mortar rounds, he wouldn't just be breaking even—it would be a massive profit.

Seeing the Japanese begin to build fortifications, Zhang Yun was overjoyed. The enemy’s tight concentration, while good for defending against a ground assault, made them even more vulnerable to artillery. After all, blast-proof fortifications couldn't be built in a moment, and makeshift works could not withstand mortar fire.

Although his troops were exhausted, Zhang Yun called Wang Dachuan over and said, "The Japanese are building fortifications, but they haven't finished the blast shelters yet. This is a rare opportunity. Use up all our mortar and battalion gun shells! Blow these little devils to pieces!"

Wang Dachuan observed carefully through the artillery sight, his face lighting up with excitement as he nodded in agreement.

The artillery squad promptly set up makeshift firing positions for the three mortars and one battalion gun, and everyone prepared to fire.

At Zhang Yun’s command, the second ambush on the Kawazawa reinforcement battalion officially began.

It was the same familiar rhythm, the same rain of mortar and battalion gun shells falling from the sky.

Because nearly 400 Japanese soldiers were crowded together digging fortifications, the effect of this barrage was even more pronounced than the first. Sparks from exploding shells bloomed among the crowd at every moment, and Japanese soldiers were struck down by shrapnel constantly.

Zhang Yun unhesitatingly ordered the battalion gun to shell the center of the fortifications, where the Japanese command post and the field hospital were located. The command post was obliterated, and nearly 100 wounded Japanese soldiers were torn to shreds.

"Baka!" The Japanese major had scrambled out of the command post as soon as the shelling began, as it was too conspicuous, but he had not expected the Eighth Route Army’s battalion gun to be so accurate. The radio and the operators inside were blown to bits.

Kawazawa Jiro wanted to slap himself. He had assumed the first barrage was merely a prelude to a full-scale siege, so he had ordered his men to concentrate and build a circular defense, specifically requesting the construction of anti-artillery shelters.

He never expected Zhang Yun to return so quickly—so quickly that the shelters weren't even finished—nor did he expect Zhang Yun to have such a massive supply of mortar shells. The result was that his own defensive preparations had only caused the Japanese to cluster together, making them easier targets for the concentrated fire.

There were explosions everywhere, chaotic soldiers everywhere, and Japanese soldiers dying under fire everywhere.

The intense barrage crippled the enemy once again. Of the 500-plus soldiers and wounded gathered there, more than half had been killed by the shelling. Left with no other choice, the lucky survivors under Kawazawa Jiro scrambled to retreat toward the mountains on the east side of the Pingliao Highway, abandoning their positions to escape the fire.

And so, some 200 Japanese soldiers were forced to abandon their heavy equipment, climbing the eastern mountain in loose formation to use the slope as cover against the relentless bombardment.

Throughout the Japanese retreat, the shelling from Zhang Yun’s recruit platoon continued, causing further significant casualties until the Japanese finally vanished into the mountains.

As the mountain wind blew, the smoke covering the battlefield gradually dissipated, revealing the shell-pitted Japanese position. The ground was littered with corpses, stained with blood and filth, along with broken rifles, shredded uniforms, and the four battalion and mountain guns lying mangled on the ground.

For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.