In the winter of 1942, the Japanese army launched a large-scale "sweep" of the Jiaodong area, and one of the roads entered the hinterland of the Jiaodong base area along the Yanqing Highway on November 19 to carry out the so-called "drag-net sweep".
This time, the enemy was very fierce, and after entering the Mashishan area, the "net" was pulled tighter and tighter, and the speed of advance was getting faster and faster.
The Second Battalion of the 16th Regiment of the Jiaodong Military Region of the Eighth Route Army (the predecessor of the Tashan Hero Regiment) quickly moved south of Linsi Mountain under the leadership of battalion commander Tian Song and instructor Jiang Minfeng in accordance with the instructions of the superior to operate as a battalion unit.
According to the original plan, the troops should continue to move southwards in search of opportunities to break through. However, due to the constant encounters of fleeing civilians on the way, Tian Song and Jiang Minfeng were afraid that they would be slaughtered by the Japanese army, so they ordered the masses along the way to gather and take them with them.
However, many of the masses were helping the old and the young and even rushing to the cattle, pouring in from all directions, plus the commanders and fighters of the second battalion, there were more than 600 people, which made the whole team move very slowly.
On November 23, when the troops and the masses came to less than 20 miles away from the main peak of Mashi Mountain, the reconnaissance personnel suddenly came to report that the Japanese puppet army in laiyang and Qixia strongholds was coming from west to east, while the Japanese puppet army at the waterway stronghold was coming from east to west, and our military and civilians were completely surrounded by the enemy, and the situation was extremely critical!
This afternoon, Tian Song and Jiang Minfeng summoned the cadres to a meeting to discuss the current situation, and decided that no matter what, they would break out that night and bring the fleeing masses with them.
It can be said that this is undoubtedly a seemingly insurmountable task, but the cadres of the Eighth Route Army have made up their minds together: no matter how much difficulty they will face, these two goals must not be changed!
The first problem to be solved is to appease the masses. At the beginning, the crowd was in a bunch of east and west, coupled with the noise of adults and the crying of children, the chaos made the soldiers very headache.
Jiang Minfeng had no choice but to run among the masses to do his work and told them: "We are the people's contingent, and we must take everyone out, but I hope that everyone must keep quiet and obey the command." ”
Many ordinary people are fleeing with livestock, especially donkeys barking, which can easily expose the target.
An experienced old farmer proposed that as long as a small stone was hung on the tail of the donkey, the donkey would not bark.
At first, everyone didn't believe it, but after trying it, they found that this method really worked, and they couldn't help but praise the old farmer. After Jiang Minfeng learned of this, he said happily: "Haha, this is exactly 'the army has an old man, if there is a treasure'!" ”
According to the agreed plan, the entire personnel began to break through at midnight. In order to cover the masses, Wang Changxiang, commander of the Fifth Company, took the initiative to ask for help, and asked to lead the whole company to serve as the vanguard unit and be responsible for opening the way at the front.
After receiving the approval of the battalion commander, Wang Changxiang immediately returned to the company and set the requirements for the commanders and fighters of the whole company to break through: First, the action must be concealed and rapid, and absolutely not allowed to alarm the enemy; second, in case of encountering the enemy's interception, try to solve the battle with a bayonet, and do not rush to shoot.
All the commanders and fighters of the company understood that this breakthrough was difficult and dangerous, and it must be a vicious battle with the enemy to fight to the death, so everyone made very full preparations.
When midnight came, all the soldiers and civilians officially began the breakout operation. Although Wang Changxiang was a company commander, he was armed with a rifle with a bayonet and a grenade inserted in his waist, and personally stood in the front. The warriors all followed him closely, groping forward.
The enemy formed a tight encirclement around Mashi Mountain, and although there was no action at night, it lit a continuous bonfire that could not be seen, like a lantern strung with threads, like a terrifying "ghost fire array".
Logically, it is even more difficult for a military-civilian mixed brigade of more than 600 people to break through this almost airtight blockade line than to ascend to the sky. But incredibly, a miracle happened this night.
Because of the clues provided by the local people familiar with the terrain, Tian Song, Jiang Minfeng and others, after repeated reconnaissance and research, chose the breakthrough point at the shallow water of a river at the foot of the mountain. From this place across the river, there is a protruding rock wall to cover the way.
Coincidentally, due to the particularly large top of the rock wall, the puppet soldiers on duty were blown by the cold wind, and they could not stand the cold and hid elsewhere. The Japanese were also afraid of the cold, and all rested in the villages not far away.
That is to say, the enemy's seemingly airtight blockade line actually has a huge loophole.
However, the process of breaking through is still quite thrilling. When Wang Changxiang, who was in charge of opening the way, led the commanders and fighters of the Fifth Company just through this rock wall, they were confronted by a group of patrolling enemies, about a squad.
Once this group of enemies shouts, it will alarm all enemies, and the consequences are unimaginable!
This sudden situation made the nerves of the commanders and fighters of the Fifth Company suddenly tense, and an impatient soldier whispered, "Company commander, there is an enemy!" What to do? ”
At this critical juncture, Wang Changxiang was unusually calm, and he judged from the shape of the enemy's military hat that this was a group of puppet troops. Knowing that most of these puppet soldiers were greedy for life and afraid of death, he raised his bayonet in his hand and whispered in a majestic and cold tone: "Do you want to die or live?" If you want to live, flash to the side, don't make a sound! ”
The warriors raised their bayonets almost at the same time, and in the light of the moonlight, the rows of bayonets shone with a blinding cold light.
The puppet army suddenly saw a group of more than a hundred people appear in front of them, knew that it was the Eighth Route Army, and knew that no matter whether they shouted loudly or shot and stopped, they would be wiped out in the blink of an eye, so they did not dare to act rashly.
When Wang Changxiang uttered those words, the puppet army did not know whether they were frightened by the bayonet array of the commanders and fighters of the Fifth Company, or whether they did not want to be the ghosts as substitute ghosts, but they actually knelt on the ground with their heads in unison.
Interestingly, it was not until the mixed military and civilian brigade of more than 600 people passed through the "ghost fire array" that this group of puppet troops raised their heads, but they were afraid of being punished by the Japanese army and did not dare to mention the release of the Eighth Route Army.
In this way, the troops of the Eighth Route Army covered the masses, and without firing a single shot, they highlighted the enemy's heavy encirclement without any danger.
Many people think that this breakthrough is a miracle in military history, and the reason for the successful breakthrough is attributed to various coincidences, but Jiang Minfeng said: "The real decisive role is not a coincidence, but the momentum of 'the two armies meet the brave and the victorious', and only such momentum can create a miracle!" ”
Reference historical materials: "Beacon Fire Reminiscences of the War of Resistance", "Battle of Qilu: Memoirs of the War of Resistance Against Japan", Jiang Minfeng's memoirs, etc