Devil's Army

Chapter 1967 Attack on Baijishan Pass

Baijishan Ancient Pass is located in the Baijishan Mountains at the border of Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province and Xiuning County, Anhui Province. It is an ancient pass with important military value.

This pass was built during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, and has a history of more than 600 years. Legend has it that Zhu Yuanzhang once led his troops into Huizhou through this pass, and the local people commonly call it the "Copper Gate".

The pass was built with large polished bluestone slabs. The gate was 3 meters high, 2 meters wide, and 9 meters deep. It used a double gate with solid hardwood bolts.

The top of the pass is a garrison post, surrounded by a 1.4-meter-high stone wall. The wall extends about 800 meters along the mountain ridge to the north and south. At the northern end, there is a military watchtower, 3 meters high, 6 meters long, and 5.5 meters wide, with an area of ​​more than 30 square meters, which is adjacent to the cliff.

The Japanese army set up two heavy machine guns at the garrison, blocking the road through the pass.

The pass was built on a gentle mountain ridge, with steep terrain on both sides. Below it was the Zhejiang-Anhui Grand Canyon, with deep ravines and dense forests, and above it was the Baiji Mountains, with steep and precipitous terrain. It was a military stronghold guarding the border between Zhejiang and Anhui, and also an important passage for trade between Zhejiang and Anhui merchants in ancient times.

The Japanese army deployed rapidly movable mortars, small mountain gun positions, and heavy machine guns for long-range support of the passes in the gentler parts of the ridge.

When the Third Regiment attacked the outer positions of the ancient pass of Baijishan, it was subjected to long-range bombardment by Japanese artillery.

The artillery of the 3rd Regiment immediately returned fire, and the air force of the 1st Army quickly arrived to bomb the Japanese artillery positions. However, the Japanese artillery positions quickly moved away upon hearing the roar of the 1st Army's aircraft.

The bombing by the First Air Force did not achieve the desired effect.

The First Army Air Force then launched a bombing and strafing attack on the Japanese fortifications and heavy machine gun positions at the pass.

Two Japanese heavy machine gun positions were razed to the ground during intense bombing by the First Army's air force.

Most of the surface fortifications at the pass were also destroyed.

When the soldiers of the Third Regiment launched another attack on the pass with full confidence, the Japanese set up three light machine guns and fiercely blocked the passage with crossfire.

The machine gunners of the Third Regiment immediately lay prone under the earthen mounds along the road and fiercely fired at the pass to suppress the Japanese firepower. However, they were met with a counterattack from the Japanese machine guns, which were positioned on higher ground.

The battle had been going on for half a day. The other units had broken through the Japanese outer defenses and were attacking the Japanese core positions, while the Third Regiment was still blocked in front of the pass.

At this moment, two rocket soldiers stepped forward and volunteered to try out their new weapon.

The third regimental commander looked at them with suspicion.

The rocket soldiers explained: Some time ago, when they had nothing to do, they mixed chili powder from the kitchen into the rockets to see if it would have any effect.

Now that there was no other option but to try anything, the 3rd Regiment Commander immediately agreed and ordered the machine gunners to suppress the Japanese fire and cover the two rocket soldiers.

Soon, the Third Regiment added four machine gunners, who then opened fire on the Japanese positions at the pass from both sides.

As expected, the Japanese firepower was drawn to the machine gunners.

Two rocket soldiers carefully advanced along the grass and trees on both sides of the road.

The Baiyun Mountain in front of the pass is a primeval forest with no mountain paths, overgrown with weeds, and fraught with danger.

Two rocket soldiers nearly fell off the hillside several times.

After a difficult climb, the two rocket soldiers finally reached the effective firing range of the pass.

They then fired rockets loaded with chili powder at the Japanese positions in the pass.

Three Japanese machine gun positions were blown up one after another, and the entire fortification was filled with red smoke.