In September 1937, the Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, and Chen Geng was the commander of the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division. After the reorganization of the troops, Chen Geng led his troops to the anti-Japanese front.
At this time, Chen Geng only knew that the Kuomintang army was afraid of the Japanese army like a tiger, and it was about to collapse, but what was the real combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, what was the equipment, what tactics did it have, and what was its supply capacity? I don't know. To this end, he personally went to the Kuomintang 3rd Army, which was on frontal defense, to learn about the situation, and also listened to the reports of the scouts, but, he said, "These are still on paper. In actual combat, we can find out the rules of fighting devils. ”
On October 21, Chen Geng personally selected the deputy regiment commander Wang Jinshan to lead the 772nd Regiment to attack the Japanese army at night at Changshengkou behind enemy lines.
The 772nd Regiment was the most famous "Night Tiger" regiment during the Red Army period. Wang Jinshan led his troops to Changshengkou before climbing the slope of Xishan, and suddenly found that a Japanese army with about a company of men was secretly attacking westward. Wang Jinshan immediately ordered: "Disperse quickly, choose favorable terrain, and ambush them." “
After the Japanese army entered the ambush circle, Wang Jinshan gave an order, and the soldiers fired guns in unison, and the sound of gunfire and grenade explosions became one. The Japanese were in disarray on the spot, shooting and retreating. The fighters used the surrounding houses and ruins as cover to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese army. The battle lasted for an hour, and except for a few devils who fled back to Banqiao, the rest of the 50 people were killed.
After the war, Wang Jinshan reported to Chen Geng:
"In this night attack on the enemy at Changshengkou, due to the unfamiliar guerrilla movements, the unquiet night movements, and the single-minded desire to catch alive, some enemies were eliminated, but only 4 rifles, 4 mules and horses, and 16 shells were captured......
Although he did not catch the prisoners, Chen Geng still praised Wang Jinshan.
This battle was called by Chen Geng as "the women's battle for me against the enemy" - that is, the first battle of the 386th Brigade against Japan. The results are not big, but the impact is not small. Chen Geng later wrote in "My Autobiography":
"(The Battle of Changshengkou shook the enemy's army, which had never been attacked on this road), so the enemy's capture of Niangzi Pass was delayed, so that the position of the (Kuomintang) Third Army in front of me was temporarily stabilized."
This "temporary stability" contributes a lot. At that time, tens of thousands of troops of the Kuomintang Sun Lianzhong and other troops could not stop the enemy's attack and rushed to retreat, so that the Kuomintang 3rd Army and the 169th Division of the 98th Army were surrounded by Japanese troops at Jiuguan, an important position southeast of Niangzi Pass. At the critical moment, the Japanese army in the rear, Changshengkou, was suddenly attacked by the 772nd Regiment of the Eighth Route Army, losing about a squadron, so the attack on the front was temporarily halted and the rear and transportation lines were reorganized.
This move by the Japanese army enabled the Kuomintang 3rd Army and the 169th Division, which were under great pressure, to turn the corner and get a respite to adjust their deployment and improve their defensive positions.
This is the story of Chen Geng's "World War I to solve the danger of the old pass".
Chen Guanren, the secretary of the Communist Party History Publishing House's "The Great River to the East: Why They Follow Mao Zedong" recounted this matter. The book is the society's annual bestseller, and once ranked ninth on China's political and military bestseller list (pictured).