On the same day, the 1st Battalion of the 112th Regiment of the 38th Division was surrounded and intercepted by the Japanese army and hid in the canopy of a large banyan tree. A Japanese squadron chased after them and tried to attack the trees, but was repulsed by the 1st Battalion. The Japanese army surrounded the tree for more than 1 month, and the 1st battalion dropped a few canned boxes from time to time, and the Japanese soldiers tasted it and felt a smell.
In November 1943, the 1st Battalion of the 112th Regiment of the newly organized 38th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Force accepted the order and participated in the Battle of Dalonghe. In the fierce battle, the 1st Battalion encountered 1 Japanese company in order to cover the brother troops. The enemy was several times larger than the 1st Battalion, and Li Keji, the commander of the 1st Battalion, ordered "retreat while fighting", and the Japanese army pursued it relentlessly.
The 1st Battalion and the largest unit were further and further apart until they completely lost contact with the large unit and were forced into a primeval jungle. There are many beasts and poisonous insects in the tropical jungle, and if you are not careful, your life will be in danger. Li Keji understood: "If you exit the jungle, you will fall into the hands of the Japanese army, and you will live better than die." Although the primeval forest is dangerous, there is still a glimmer of hope for survival, so go to the primeval jungle. ”
The soldiers of the 1st Battalion entered the primeval jungle, and they did not expect that 1 Japanese squadron was not afraid of death, and also chased after it. Li Keji carefully observed the situation in the jungle and saw a large banyan tree with lush branches, the trunk alone was 10 meters thick. Li Keji ordered: "All the personnel climbed to the big banyan tree and used the big banyan tree as cover." ”
The big banyan tree is tens of meters high, and the canopy radius reaches 25 meters, which is a natural "air fortress". The soldiers of the 1st Battalion helped each other and tried their best to climb the canopy of the big banyan tree. As soon as the 1st Battalion soldiers climbed the tree, the Japanese squadron chased after them and circled under the big banyan tree.
Li Keji saw that the enemy had relaxed his vigilance and ordered the soldiers: "Aim at me, and hit me hard." "When the Japanese creeps were still spinning in circles, suddenly bullets popped out of their heads and hit the brain shells of the Japanese creeps, and there was a corpse under the big banyan tree. The Japanese squadron fled in a daze and went back to the Japanese wing headquarters for help, and the Japanese wing surrounded it.
The commander of the Japanese wing used steel cannons and machine guns to shoot at the canopy of the big banyan tree, and the branches and leaves of the big banyan tree were knocked down. Fortunately, the branches and leaves of the banyan trees were luxuriant, and the shells and bullets could not penetrate the canopy at all, and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion were safe and sound. The Japanese artillery fire stopped, and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion launched a counterattack, hitting the Japanese with their heads in their hands.
The Japanese wing launched several more attacks, but they failed to capture the big banyan tree, so they had to establish a large encirclement. Li Keji understood: "The Japanese army is about to surround the tree, and wants to exhaust the ammunition and materials of the 1st battalion." Fortunately, there was also a radio station in the 1st Battalion, and Li Keji asked the transmitter to send a telegram to the Allied Headquarters in India, reporting on the situation of the 1st Battalion and asking the Allied aircraft to airdrop supplies.
The Allied command in India heard about the situation of the 1st Battalion and sent several aircraft to drop supplies at the location of the big banyan tree where the 1st Battalion was located. Fortunately, the canopy of the big banyan tree is larger, and there are markers set up by 1 battalion, and most of the supplies fall on the top of the big banyan tree. The 1st Battalion became the heroic unit of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and as long as the 1st Battalion issued a report, the Allied Headquarters in India would airdrop supplies.
In this way, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion ate cans, biscuits, ham, drank beer, and circled with the Japanese company under the tree. The soldiers of the 1st Battalion ate, drank, and slept, all of which were solved in the big banyan tree, and when they went to the toilet, they were untied in the can box, and the cans were left far under the tree. On the first day, a Japanese soldier was ordered to reconnoiter and came to the bottom of the big banyan tree.
He picked up a can, thought it was an allied parachute, quickly opened the lid of the can, and secretly tasted it. The can was put into the mouth, and a special smell came out, and the Japanese soldiers knew what it was? Gagged. When the soldiers of the 1st Battalion saw this scene, they laughed and laughed, not expecting the Japanese army to be so stupid.
There was also a reason why the Japanese stole canned food, and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion could be airdropped and the supplies could be satisfied. The Japanese army's supplies were all transported to the jungle by mules and horses, and all kinds of materials were in short supply, let alone "eating canned food". More than a month (43 days) passed, the Japanese wing never attacked the tree, and the main force of the 114th Regiment also supported it.
The main forces of the 1st Battalion and the 114th Regiment cooperated with each other, attacking the Japanese wing on both sides, and the Japanese wing retreated in a daze, and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion finally broke through the siege.