What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
After three dozen Dengming Temple, Zeng Guohua, commander of the 5th Detachment of the Eighth Route Army's Eastward Anti-Japanese Advance Column, led the detachment organs and the 55th Regiment to which it belonged, to the area around Dazongjia in Lingxian County for a short rest. The Dazong family was a small village with less than 100 households, and there was no longer a team of more than 1,000 people. So Zeng Guohua and political commissar Wang Xukun lived in Houjia Village with the detachment organs; Wen Xianxing, commander of the first battalion, lived in Zhao Yuzhi's house with 4 companies and a heavy machine gun platoon; Long Shujin, the leader of the Fifth Regiment, led the regimental headquarters, the direct subordinate units, and the special agent company; about 400 people lived in Dazong's house, and the rest of the troops were stationed in Xiaowang Village.
Founding Lieutenant General Zeng Guohua
Not long after our army was stationed, the traitors told the devils about it. The Japanese brigade commander in Texas, Daisa Anda, was overjoyed and saw that this was a perfect opportunity to eliminate our five detachments, so he urgently gathered more than 1,500 infantry and more than 500 cavalry to rush to The Daimyo's house overnight, in a vain attempt to use heavy sneak attack tactics to annihilate the main force of our army in one fell swoop. The Yasuda Brigade was subordinate to the Itagaki Division, the main force of the Japanese army, with more troops than our army, fiercer firepower than our army, and a sneak attack, so Yasuda thought that he was sure of victory and could not help but be overjoyed.
At about 6:00 a.m. on February 20, 1939, the Japanese army arrived at Dazong's house, and the sentry fired warning shots after discovering the enemy's situation, and the battle immediately began. The Japanese infantry split into two directions and directly attacked the Dazong family and the Hou family. The cavalry stopped at a sand dune two or three miles from the zongzong's house as a mobile reinforcement. Detachment leader Zeng Guohua and political commissar Wang Xukun and others commanded the battle while studying countermeasures. Liu Xianquan, then director of the Political Department, said: "Only by destroying the enemy can we save ourselves, and the strength of our troops is not weak." Wait until the enemy's living forces have been greatly depleted, and then organize a breakthrough. At that time, the enemy will not dare to chase after him when he loses his vitality. ”
Founding Major General Liu Xianquan
"Yes!" Wang Xukun raised an eyebrow, "In my opinion, immediately order Zhao Yuzhi's family and Xiao Wangcun's troops to enter the battle." If they attack the devil's cavalry, as long as we kill more than half of the cavalry, we can break through and move. The two legs of the ghost infantry could not catch up, and they could not drive in the field with a car. Zeng Guohua felt that Commissar Wang's idea was reasonable, so he shook the phone to a battalion of Zhao Yuzhi's family and ordered the battalion commander Wen Xianxing to lead all the first battalion and a few companies of Xiaowangcun's brother battalion to attack the enemy's cavalry. He also shook the phone to the Dazong family, asking Long Shujin, the leader of the Fifth Regiment, to attract enemy fire and cover the attack of Wen Xianxing's troops.
Wen Xianxing, the commander of the first battalion, received the call and immediately ordered the troops of Xiaowang Village to quickly move closer to the first battalion of Zhao Yuzhi's family. When the troops of the two villages were united, Commander Wen took the lead and led several companies of troops, like a gust of wind, skimming through the fields where crops had not yet grown, and rushed towards the ghost cavalry that stayed next to a sand dune near the Hou family. This move by our army greatly surprised Yasuda, who had thought that under the siege of the organs of our detachment and the regimental headquarters, the main force of our army stationed in Zhao Yuzhi's house and Xiaowang Village would definitely come to the rescue. In this way, his cavalry could take advantage of the situation and crush or even eat our reinforcements.
Japanese cavalry
Unexpectedly, Zeng Guohua did the opposite, and the main force of our army did not reinforce the Hou family nor the Dazong family, but instead rushed to kill the devil's cavalry. Yasuda was horrified and hurriedly commanded his cavalry to meet the battle. My infantry shouted and charged at the enemy cavalry. Every warrior is like a ferocious lion, and everyone raises his spear to deal with the enemy's sabre, resists the conflict of the enemy's horse, and waits for the opportunity to poke the leg and stomach of the enemy's horse with the bayonet. On the plains of the wilderness, there was a rare melee of infantry and cavalry. The Toyo horses fell to the ground with wounds, and the enemy cavalry turned into infantry.
Many soldiers of our army were also wounded. The wounded man, as long as he still had a breath, struggled to get up, clutched a horse leg, and had to trip the enemy's horse. Seeing that the time had come, Zeng Guohua immediately ordered the withdrawal of the troops guarding the west, south, and north sides of Houjia Village, and formed a road, using the cavalry guard company that had not yet entered the battle as a forward, and rushed outward from the east of the village. The devils did not expect that our army still had an elite cavalry, and in panic, they all dodged, and the cavalry company rushed out of the siege and directly attacked the sand dunes. When the warriors saw their cavalry arrive, their morale was boosted, and they fought bravely one by one.
The cavalry of the Eighth Route Army attacked
The enemy cavalry was attacked by us from front to back, and most of the casualties were inflicted, and Yasuda saw the situation and hurriedly used the banner to command the infantry surrounding Houjia Village to return to reinforcements. As soon as Yasuda's command position was exposed, he was targeted by Zeng Guohua, who immediately drew out an infantry squad and a cavalry squad and pounced on Yasuda. Seeing that the situation was not good, Yasuda hurriedly turned over on his horse and fled in the wilderness surrounded by guards. Just a few steps out, he was hit by a grenade thrown by a soldier of our army and killed on the spot.
As soon as Yasuda died, the remaining ghost cavalry took the road and fled. Zeng Guohua led his troops directly to the Dazong family, and joined forces with Long Shujin to kill the ghosts surrounding the Dazong family. In this battle, from 6 o'clock in the morning to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, our army killed and wounded more than 500 Japanese troops at the cost of more than 300 casualties, and also killed the Japanese brigade commander Anda Daisa. Being secretly attacked by the enemy and being able to achieve such outstanding results shows how strong the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army is.