January 1940 Sui County North is cold. After a heavy snow, the mountains and rivers are bright and the weather is even colder.
As a protection against the left flank of the Quankoudian attack front in the 21st Division, a company was sent to the Jade Emperor. The battalion department’s requirement for the company is that no matter what offensive it encounters, the company must hold on for at least 3 hours.
Yuhuangding is four or five kilometers away from Quankoudian. The mountain is not high and has an altitude of 898 meters. It is the highest point within a radius of ten miles and is a key point that the enemy and our enemies must fight for. There is a small hill connected to the south of the mountain, and the defenders set up sergeants here. There are cliffs on the northeast and west sides, which are not easy to climb. The mountain is dangerous and is conducive to defense, but the mountain is lonely and has no depth, making it easy to become a target of concentrated artillery bombardment.
Guarding Company has a total of 135 people, 6 light machine guns, 65 rifles, 43 grenade launchers, and 6 grenade launchers.
Frozen after the snow, the land condenses, and it is difficult to build fortifications. Although the guard company has entered the position since the 17th, the fortifications were not built until the battle took place. There is a Jade Emperor Temple on the mountain, which is a place for the guard company to rest. The temple is 5 meters high and 1 meter thick, and is made of stone, which is also an important defense base. The temple enshrines the Jade Emperor and there is an old monk living there. There is a wild fort built on the top of the temple, which is high and far away. It can be used as an observation post. There are 5 soldiers stationed, and their firepower can echo the positions below the fort. There are low and gentle mountains extending outward in the southeast and northeast of the temple, which is the focus of defense.
20 at noon on the 20th, the scouts behind enemy lines reported that the number of Japanese troops a thousand meters away had increased to 500, with two mountain cannons attached, and an attack was expected to be launched soon. The company commander made two decisions: a few people monitored, most of them entered the temple to hide, and the enemy entered the effective range, and the entire company quickly attacked; the second commander of , Li Zihua sent all grenades to the mountain, and brought wine and meat.
On the evening, the company commander convened the squad leader to have a dinner. At the dinner, the company commander toasted everyone and said a few words. They didn’t say much, and nothing new. The general idea was that the Japanese were here, and whether our company could do a more decent job depends on everyone. The company commander came to the company and had little friendship with the squad leader, but he was very enthusiastic. Everyone here was passionate and the atmosphere was very warm. After the platoon leader returned, he made another fierce statement. Everyone at the top of Jade Emperor Mountain was a little excited that night.
21, it is still a gloomy weather after the snow.
Just just after breakfast, at nine o'clock, the cannonballs roared and rushed to the Jade Emperor. The rumbling sound of cannons echoed in the valley. The soldiers were all staying in the temple and waiting for a while. The old monk walked in, not knowing whether it was to ease the tension or to sigh from the bottom of his heart. He said, "The Jade Emperor is blessing you, but you see that the emperor's face is sweating." The officers and soldiers were amused by the old monk, and the old monk himself smiled proudly. The Buddha statue is indeed running water on its face, which is actually war and the condensation of water droplets. But everyone was very happy to hear this.
The shelling took place almost an hour later and extended backwards, and the Japanese infantry attacked from the southeastern mountains. When we were 300 meters away from me, the entire company immediately entered the position, machine gun and rifles fired at the enemy, the grenade launcher also put on counterattack, and the wild fort also responded with firepower. The Japanese army was caught off guard, with many casualties. When transporting casualties, one more was destroyed, and the rest of them retreated using the terrain. After dozens of minutes of battle, the guard company also suffered more than 30 casualties.
After lunch, the second Japanese attack began. One runs from the northeastern mountain, the other still advances along the southeastern mountain, with the focus pointing to the sergeant in the south. The main position could not provide assistance, and only the sound of grenade explosions and shouts of killing were heard in the soldiers' whistle. After about 15 minutes, no more noise was heard, and all 14 soldiers were killed. It's 12:40 this time.
to 1 pm, the Japanese army had approached the Jade Emperor Temple, and more than ten machine guns blocked the temple gate, and then formed two routes to launch an attack. The company commander sent two squads to throw grenades outside the temple gate, temporarily curbing the Japanese attack, but the grenades and were all injured and injured. The Japanese army rushed up again, and hand-to-hand combat broke out outside the temple gate, and the battle was in full swing.
Company Commander said to Li Zihua, the chief officer who was still on the mountain, "You have no combat mission, take the cooks and retreat quickly, go back and report to the command center, I will send machine guns to cover you."
Li Zihua and several cooks jumped off the cliff from the southwest of the temple and left the battlefield.At the foot of the mountain, he wanted to see the battle on the mountain again, but he saw nothing except a piece of gunpowder and the vast white mountains. The banging explosions and heart-wrenching screams pierced into his ears from time to time, but as the journey gradually got farther and farther, these sounds disappeared without a trace.
All guards were killed, except for Li Zihua and others.
23 On the evening of 23, the 21st Division re-occupied the Jade Emperor's Top. While cleaning the battlefield, it was found that 48 wounded soldiers in the guard company were killed by the Japanese army. Four of them were stabbed from the anus to the abdomen by the probe, and then burned to death by the firewood. Another old monk was inserted into the anus and burned to death by two probes.
The one guarding the Jade Emperor in the Company was the fifth company of the 68th Regiment of the 21st Division. The company commander was Zeng Guangcun, and no one else could find it.
