Battle of Changle Village Monument

　　Changle Village, located in Jianzhang Township about 45 kilometers east of Wuxiang County, was a major battlefield where the main forces of the Eighth Route Army defeated the Japanese invaders’ “Nine-Route Offensive” against the Taihang Mountain base area during the War of Resistance. In the spring of 1938, the Japanese army assembled over 30,000 troops and launched a nine-pronged offensive from locations including Bo'ai, Handan, Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Yangquan, Yuci, Taigu, Qinxian, and Changzhi, aiming to encircle and attack the revolutionary base areas in southeastern Shanxi. Their goal was to annihilate the main forces of the Eighth Route Army in the areas of Liaoxian, Wuxiang, and Yushe, and to destroy the newly established Taihang Anti-Japanese Base. On April 16, after failing to find any resistance in Yushe and abandoning Wuxiang, the Japanese troops fled toward Xiangyuan. Under the orders of Commander-in-Chief Zhu De and Deputy Commander Peng Dehuai, and under the command of Division Commander Liu Bocheng, Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping, and Division Commander Chen Geng, the main forces of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army along with part of the 115th Division pursued the enemy with four regiments. Using swift surprise attacks, our forces compressed the Japanese troops into the river valley area stretching from Majia Village and Lizhuangtan to Changle Village, dividing them into segments and defeating them one by one. Over 2,200 enemy soldiers were annihilated, marking a decisive victory in crushing the Nine-Route Offensive. To commemorate this glorious triumph, the local government erected the majestic Battle of Changle Village Monument in the village.

　　During holidays, many people visit the monument to pay their respects and honor the revolutionary martyrs.