Chapter 221 Lugou Bridge on July 7th

Fengtai is located twenty kilometers southwest of Beiping, at the intersection of the three-tree railway lines in Beining, Pinghan and Pingsui. Fengtai's special geographical location has always been a must-fight for military strategists.

Seven kilometers west of Fengtai is the Yongding River, the great river in North China. The Yongding River is also known as Lugou. The stone bridge on the river was built in 1189 and took three years to form. It is called Lugou Bridge.

The bridge is 266.5 meters long and 8 meters wide. There are 281 large stone lions and 198 small stone lions on the railings on both sides, and two extra large bridge guarding stone lions and four roars on the sky.

Although Lugou Bridge has been through more than 800 years and has been through wind, rain and floods for many years, it still stands tall and can be regarded as a miracle in the world.

From Lugou Bridge, it is Wanping County.

Wanping County was originally named Gongbei City. The urban area is rectangular, 640 meters long from east to west and 320 meters wide from north to south. There are corner platforms at the four corners of the city, and corner towers are built on the corner platforms.

There is a door on each side of the city, for pedestrians to enter and exit. A central platform is built in the north and south, a guardhouse is built on the platform, and a military house, a perforation hole is installed on the city wall, and a watchtower is used for guarding.

Because it controlled the Lugou Railway Bridge, blocked the intersection of the three major railway lines of Pinghan, Pingjin and Pingsui, and blocked the throat of the southwest of Beiping, Wanping City also became a place that military strategists must compete for, and its strategic position is even better than that of Fengtai.

After the island army entered Fengtai, Hashimoto Qun, chief of staff of the island Chinese garrison army, went to Peking, and commander of the 3rd Brigade of the Hebian, and commander of the Regiment of the Mutaguchi Ryoya, went to Fengtai for inspection.

Seeing that Wanping City was tall and thick, the walls were controlled by Lugou Bridge and a county town that strangled the three major railway trunk lines of Pinghan, Pingjin and Pingsui, he said to the surrounding officers.

"The center of China is in North China; the center of North China is in Pingjin. If you get Pingjin, you will get North China, and half of China is in the hands of our garrison. This contribution is even better than the Kwantung Army's occupation of Manchuria and Mongolia and the establishment of Manchukuo..."

Hashimoto said with a smile when he glanced at his subordinate who was listening attentively.

"Now that Yin Rugeng announced the autonomy of the twenty-two counties in eastern Hebei, King De established the Mongolian military government in Chahar, and a pro-Japanese regime was recently established in Tangshan. In addition, our garrison troops started from Yuguan in the east, went to Fengtai in the west, and stationed along the Beining Line. Tianjin city was surrounded on all sides, and it was an isolated city, relying only on the Pingjin Railway, connected to Beiping through Langfang.

Peiping is also surrounded on three sides of the southeast, north and north, and only connects to Baoding on the west by the Pinghan Line through the Lugou Bridge, leaving a last breath.

If I use a small number of troops to seize Wanping and control Lugou Bridge, I will cut off my last breath. At that time, the two cities of Pingjin will automatically fall into the hands of our garrison without a single shot or bullet…”

"Yes, I'd like to obey the command of Your Excellency the Chief of Staff!"

The eyes of the island officers showed a fanatical light and they said loudly together.

Hashimoto's group waved over the 3rd team of the 1st garrison of the Mutaguchi Army of the Island Country, the captain of the 3rd team of the 1st garrison of the Chinese garrison army, and said in his ear for a long time...

After receiving the order, Kiyoji Kiyoshi quickly arrived at the predetermined location and immediately summoned the 8th Squadron leader Qiemizu Yaro and ordered him to lead his troops to hold a night exercise, using Huilong Temple and Dawayao as the starting point for the attack, and using Wanping City and Lugou Bridge as the assault targets for the exercise. The exercise content was to use the night sky to approach the enemy and capture the city successfully at dawn.

Kiyomizu Yoshiro was afraid that such an exercise would cause disputes, but Kiyoshi Ichiki said with a smile.

"I'm about to cause a dispute."

Seeing his subordinates looking confused, Yimuqing pointed directly at the direction of Wanping City and said.

"Tianjin was surrounded by our army, and Beiping was surrounded by three sides. If Lugou Bridge and Wanping City are occupied, then the two cities of Beiping and Tianjin can be defeated without fighting, and the Pingjin city is captured, and North China can be down soon..."

Qishui Jiro suddenly realized and nodded slowly with a ferocious smile...

July 7, 26th year of the Republic of China.

Qishui Jielang and his 8th Squadron began to march towards Wanping City. When they arrived outside Wanping City, it was already afternoon.

Qishui Jielang immediately ordered his subordinates to contact the defenders in the city, saying that he would cross the river to the Changxindian direction to exercise, and asked to open the city and borrow the road. This request was flatly rejected by the Chinese defenders.

This was originally a planned thing. Shimizu Yaro ordered the soldiers to divide them into two groups according to the exercise plan, one was supposed to be the Chinese defenders, one was responsible for defense, and the other was the island army, responsible for attack.

After the dispatch was completed, the island army quickly began to build field fortifications.

When all the fortifications were completed and night fell, Qishui Jiro looked at his watch and it was 7:30.

The exercise ended at 10:30, but when the team gathered, the counting number found that there was a soldier named Kikujiro Shimura.

While searching around, Kikujiro Shimura ran over and asked the whole story, but it turned out that he had diarrhea.

Qishui Jielang immediately took the troops to the green gauze tent in Xiwulidian and waited for the order to go up the peak.

As soon as I arrived at Xiwulidian, I met the contact officer of the Third Battalion. I reported that Major Ichimu Qingzhi received news of the disappearance of the soldiers. He had personally led the main force of the Third Battalion, including infantry, cavalry, engineers and artillery, to leave the Fengtai military camp and is advancing towards Wanping County.

Shimizu Yoshiro immediately ordered all exercises to be stopped and ready to fight against the Chinese army.

Later, Colonel Mutaguchi Ryoya also arrived, agreeing to the main force of the Ichiki Brigade to dispatch immediately to occupy the area near Shagang, and then negotiate with the Chinese army. If necessary, you can disarm the Chinese army by force without asking for instructions.

Soon, the main force of the Third Battalion of Yimu Qingzhi arrived at Xiwulidian and quickly deployed its troops. Taking advantage of the night, they occupied strategic points such as Huilongmiao, Dawayao, and Shagang, and surrounded Wanping County and Lugou Bridge on three sides.

The 29th Army of the Chinese Army stationed in Wanping to guard the city and bridge were the 3rd Battalion of the 219th Regiment of the 110th Brigade of the 37th Division, and the battalion commander was Jin Zhenzhong.

The unusual actions of the Island Army during the day have aroused Jin Zhenzhong's alertness. Therefore, at the beginning of the Island Army's exercise, he ordered the entire battalion, including the reserve team, to prepare for combat.

At midnight, the phone ringing suddenly rang. Qin Dechun, deputy commander of the 29th Army and mayor of Peking City, called from Beiping City.

Qin Dechun told Jin Zhenzhong on the phone that a trainee soldier in the Island Army suddenly disappeared and heard gunshots from Wanping City, so he suspected that the missing soldiers had been killed in Wanping City. The officers of the Island Army asked to go to Wanping City to search to verify whether the missing soldiers were killed by the Chinese army in Wanping City.

Jin Zhenzhong denied it completely and explained in detail the strange actions of the island army in the afternoon.

Qin Dechun on the phone pondered for a while and said.

"According to past experience, when the island people provoke trouble, they will be prepared. First, make the conditions and ask for a price everywhere. If we give in, we will give up. If we don't give in, we must resolve it by force. This time, the island army means that in Wanping City and Lugou Bridge, we must not take a step back to let the island army succeed. Remember, this is a basic principle."

After a long time of silence on the phone, Qin Dechun's voice came.

"Wanping City and Lugou Bridge laugh, but they blocked the Pinghan Line and the Pingjin Line. They are the only external communication channel between Pingjin and Tianjin. If there is any mistake, Beijing and Tianjin will not be able to protect it. You and I will become the sinners of the country..."

"What if the island army forces attack forcibly?" Jin Zhenzhong asked silently.

There was no hesitation in the sound on the phone.

"Even if the island army is soldier and soldier, it is definitely not allowed to be half a step above the city. If the island army forces attack forcibly, Wanping City and Lugou Bridge will be my treasury for twenty-nine years. The soldiers of the army must fight together with flesh and blood. Even if they are in a small amount of land, they must never give up to the island people!"

Jin Zhenzhong was originally a hero at Xifengkou and had only been transferred to Wanping for several months.

Since he arrived, seeing the island army showing off its power outside the city, there was an exercise every few days. The roar of guns and cannons made the whole city uneasy. He had already been filled with anger, but without the order to go up to the peak, he could only endure the fire.

But this time Qin Dechun's order was simply tough, which made Jin Zhenzhong overjoyed because it was unique in previous years.

He immediately ordered both the east and west doors to be built with sandbags, and every household in the city and the doors and windows were sealed with quilts to avoid stray bullets.

At the same time, the soldiers were ordered to climb the city to guard the people, mobilize the people, regardless of gender, age, and transport food, grass, ammunition, and build fortifications to deal with the upcoming attack of the island army.

Just as the whole city was mobilizing, the island army began to fire artillery at Wanping County and Lugou Bridge.

Late at night on July 7, 2016, the "Qiqi Lugou Bridge Incident" broke out.

This day means that the full-scale war between the island army and China has officially begun; this day means that the war against the enemy has broken out!

Ichiki Qingzhi, the captain of the Third Battalion of the Island Army, and the urgent vanguard of the Island Army in the war of aggression against China.

Qiemizu Yoshiro, the squadron leader of the 8th Squadron of the Island Army, was the direct person involved in the war of aggression against China.

Jin Zhenzhong, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 219th Regiment, commanded the national heroes of the Chinese army to fight back with heroic attacks!

On the night of July 7, 1937, Lugou Bridge and Wanping City.
Chapter completed!