After the Eighth Route Army advanced to the North China Plain during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it was faced with the difficult problem of how to conduct guerrilla warfare and movement warfare in the vast plains. First of all, the characteristics of the plain terrain were not conducive to the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army. The lack of favorable terrain such as mountains, forests, ravines, etc., made it easier for the enemy to reconnoitre, maneuver, and encircle, while the concealment, raid, dispersion, and transfer of the Eighth Route Army became relatively difficult. Under such circumstances, the Eighth Route Army had to pay even greater sacrifices and costs in the face of the enemy's powerful firepower, mechanized equipment, and the enemy's "three-light" policy and "sweeping" tactics.
Secondly, the social environment in the plains was also not conducive to the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army. The population is dense, the land is concentrated, the class struggle of the peasants is not fierce enough, and the mass base is relatively weak. In such an environment, the Eighth Route Army had to face the enemy's "appeasement" policy and "propaganda," as well as the Kuomintang's "restrictions" and "blows," and overcome more difficulties and obstacles. More crucially, the strategic position of the plains was also not conducive to the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army. This was the enemy's main direction of aggression and strategic focus, and the enemy deployed a large number of troops and materials here, and carried out a strict blockade and encirclement of the activities of the Eighth Route Army.
Therefore, when the Eighth Route Army conducted guerrilla warfare in the plains, it had to face the enemy's "focus" and "advantage" as well as the "pressure" and "influence" of the frontal battlefield, and assume more responsibilities and tasks. In this context, in February 1943, Chen Geng, commander of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, led the troops to take advantage of the special terrain of the Xiangchenggu area, after careful reconnaissance, skillfully lured the enemy to go deeper, and completely annihilated a Japanese squadron on the South Hebei Plain, creating a typical case of the Eighth Route Army's plain operations.
They chose Xiangchenggu as the "pig killing farm", a small village about 20 kilometers south of Wei County, surrounded by an open plain without any shelter. However, to the northwest there is a depression surrounded by high earthen embankments, forming a natural trap. Chen Geng decided to use this depression to lure the enemy and annihilate a squadron of the Japanese army. This earth-shattering battle is brewing on the southern Hebei plain. The Eighth Route Army successfully laid a trap to lure the enemy in Wei County, and successively sent a supplementary regiment, a new 1st regiment, and part of the 688th Regiment to violently attack the stronghold of the Japanese army in Wei County, which angered the other side.
At the same time, the cavalry company of the Eighth Route Army, disguised itself in a chaotic formation, raided the Japanese convoy, and then deliberately retreated in the direction of Xiangchenggu. The Japanese army desperately pursued, left the road, followed the Shahe Beach, and unwittingly fell into the trap set by the Eighth Route Army. Chen Geng carefully planned, made full use of the Japanese army's conceit and underestimation of the enemy's mentality, combined with the unique terrain of the Xiangchenggu area, and successfully created a good opportunity for ambush. He also fully took into account the superiority of the Japanese firepower, and arranged for the artillerymen and machine gunners of the ambush unit to bury the artillery and heavy machine guns in the earthen embankment, cleverly covering them up in order to launch an attack by surprise.
In addition, he had the infantry of the ambush put on white cotton jackets and melt into the snow and wait for their moment. In order to implement this plan, he made full preparations, sent scouts to learn in detail about the situation of the Japanese army, gave detailed guidance to the leading cadres of each regiment, personally surveyed the terrain, propagated the anti-Japanese concept to the local masses, and ensured logistical support. On February 10, the Japanese army sent a reinforced squadron from Weixian County to "sweep" in the direction of Xiangchenggu, intending to eliminate the harassing forces of the Eighth Route Army and maintain its prestige. The elite units of the Eighth Route Army lurked around silently, waiting for the time to come.
Suddenly, they launched a lightning attack, which caught the Japanese convoy by surprise and plunged into chaos in an instant. Not to be outdone, the Japanese immediately returned fire, using machine guns and rifles to fire heavily at the Eighth Route Army. The cavalry company deliberately showed a retreating posture to lure the Japanese into pursuit, and the Japanese confidently pursued them, unaware that they had fallen into an elaborate trap. The Japanese convoy continued unnoticed, completely exposed to the range of the ambush forces of the Eighth Route Army. Suddenly, the Eighth Route Army received Chen Geng's order and began their counterattack.
Artillery and machine gunners fired shells and bullets at the Japanese convoy from small holes in the earthen embankment, while the infantry rose from the snow and launched a fierce assault on the Japanese with bayonets and grenades. The Japanese army was caught in a sea of fire and blood, and their horror was palpable, and they found themselves surrounded by the Eighth Route Army, with no way to retreat. Although the Japanese commanders tried to organize a counterattack, the situation was already in transience. Their firepower was suppressed by the artillery and heavy machine guns of the Eighth Route Army, and the soldiers were brutally slaughtered by the infantry and cavalry of the Eighth Route Army.
As the car was hit by a shell, ** formed a ball of fire, the soldiers fell in a pool of blood, the shouts gradually weakened, and the despair became more and more pervasive. In less than an hour, the battle was over. The Eighth Route Army completely annihilated a squadron of the Japanese army, captured automobiles, artillery and heavy machine guns and other equipment, and paid only a slight **. This battle became a clear example of the Eighth Route Army's plain operations, and it was also a masterpiece of Chen Geng's outstanding command. This feat shocked the Japanese army, inspired the Chinese people, and demonstrated the bravery and wisdom of the Eighth Route Army, writing a glorious page for the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.