On a high ground three kilometers southeast of Ryugong Village, Colonel Nakamura paced back and forth with a frown on his face. From time to time he raised his binoculars to look at the direction of the county seat, very anxious.
"Captain of the regiment...another unit has just withdrawn, and its strength is less than a squad..." the adjutant of the regiment climbed up to the high ground and reported.
"They followed closely behind the forward troops when they marched. If the forward troops encounter an accident and no one breaks out, they should be the last troops we receive!"
Colonel Nakamura suddenly became very nervous. He looked at the adjutant and asked guiltily: "How many people do we have left in total and how much equipment do we have left?"
"One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three..." the adjutant of the regiment blurted out, obviously having already guessed that the regiment captain would ask this question.
"Why are there only so few troops left?" Colonel Nakamura was already mentally prepared for the heavy losses of the troops, but he was still shocked by the data reported by the adjutant and asked quickly.
"The main force of the regiment is more than 3,500 people...the cavalry brigade has more than 300 people, and the mountain artillery brigade also has more than 300 people, adding up to more than 4,200 people..."
"In the end, we didn't even see the opponent's face clearly, and he killed most of our troops in just one surprise attack. This is too unbelievable!"
The wing adjutant explained bravely: "According to the report of the troops that were withdrawn..."
"While they were marching, they were suddenly attacked by a large number of heavy artillery, mountain field artillery, and large-caliber mortars..."
"After the two-minute artillery attack ended, we were attacked again by a large number of mortars..."
"The main force of the independent regiment is ambushing nearby and has been approaching them under the cover of artillery fire!"
"A close-range attack was launched as soon as the shelling stopped. The troops suffered heavy losses in the shelling and fought independently. They were helpless against the wolf-like Eighth Route Army and were defeated in one blow..."
"The cavalry brigade directly under the division was completely destroyed in the battle to intercept the cavalry battalion of the independent regiment, and not a single cavalry was withdrawn!"
"The mountain artillery brigade under the artillery wing was attacked by the 105mm caliber mountain artillery of the Independent Regiment, and then attacked by a large number of small-caliber mortars. Finally, it was attacked by close firepower from a main battalion of the Independent Regiment and had to blow up the artillery and evacuate the battlefield. …”
"Of more than three hundred gunners, only thirty-five were withdrawn!"
"After the cavalry battalion of the independent regiment killed the cavalry brigade, it continued to attack the official road...The second infantry battalion bore the brunt, especially their mortar squadron and heavy machine gun squadron, which were attacked by the cavalry battalion!"
"The cavalry assault was so fast that it came like wind and went like rain. The warriors didn't even have time to destroy their weapons!"
"After statistics: the first infantry battalion all went into the independent regiment's preset ambush position. Almost the entire army was destroyed, and only 213 people were withdrawn..."
"More than half of the troops of the Second Infantry Battalion entered the independent regiment's preset pocket formation. More than half were lost, and there are still more than 400 people left..."
"The Third Infantry Battalion was only attacked by long-distance artillery fire from the Independent Regiment on the way back, and lost less than a hundred people..."
Colonel Nakamura clenched his fists, his eyes were red, and he was so angry that he could no longer speak.
In his memory, whether he was the captain before or the captain now, he had never suffered such a disastrous defeat.
Two words suddenly came to mind: revenge...
We must retaliate in kind and kill the troops participating in the independent regiment. At the very least, we must make them pay the same price, otherwise it will be too embarrassing.
He immediately asked the adjutant: "Are the participating troops of the Independent Regiment still ambushing the battlefield? How many troops did they dispatch?"
"The division commander strictly ordered us to hold back the independent regiment's participating troops... We have taken such a huge advantage, and we must not let them slip away from under our noses."
"Otherwise, the Nakamura Regiment will definitely become the laughing stock of the entire division!"
The wing adjutant quickly reported: "I have sent out all the investigators of the Third Infantry Brigade!"
"The troops participating in the independent regiment are similar to our estimates at the time. There are a total of five main battalions, one heavy artillery battalion, and one cavalry battalion!"
"They were very cautious and did not chase our retreating troops all the way..."
"We are currently rescuing the wounded and cleaning the battlefield..."
"Sir..."
A report suddenly sounded not far away. Colonel Nakamura looked up and saw a second lieutenant running towards him. He gasped and reported: "The participating troops of the Independent Regiment began to withdraw from the battlefield..."
"Two infantry companies have already crossed Longgong Village with their trophies and returned to their base..."
"There are two infantry battalions behind us carrying the loot and moving towards Longgong Village, ready to withdraw to the base at any time!"
"We also found the artillery position of the Independent Regiment, but their heavy artillery battalion has retreated and there is no one there!"
Colonel Nakamura suddenly asked: "Did they capture a lot of loot? They actually dispatched two or three infantry battalions to transport it!"
"Ha Yi!" the second lieutenant nodded.
"According to our statistics, they seized at least eight mountain cannons, fifteen mortars, fifteen heavy machine guns, one thousand rifles, forty light machine guns, forty grenades, and nearly two hundred boxes of various items. caliber artillery shells, more than a hundred boxes of bullets of various calibers, more than 100,000 rounds of loose bullets, and more than 2,000 grenades..."
"Their cavalry battalion also captured all the equipment, weapons and ammunition of the cavalry brigade, and more than 160 intact horses were captured!"
"The Independence Regiment not only took away good horses..."
"The horses that were killed were not spared, and they were dismembered into horse meat and sent back to their base!"
"The two infantry companies that have crossed Longgong Village all carry rifles and bullets. Each soldier carries at least three rifles and three armed belts full of bullet boxes..."
Colonel Nakamura's face was more solemn than before. Not only did his first battle with the Independent Regiment end in a disastrous defeat, but he also sent so many weapons and ammunition to the Independent Regiment that he lost both his wife and his troops. If the division commander knew about this, not only would he be embarrassed, but he might even lose his position below his buttocks.
He immediately ordered the adjutant: "We must find a way to stop the independent regiment and not allow them to withdraw to their base!"
"Especially if they seize our weapons and ammunition, they will either take them back or destroy them. We must not allow them to take them back to their base to equip themselves and in turn fight us!"
The adjutant did not answer and turned to look at the second lieutenant standing aside.
Stopping the independent regiment from participating in the war may seem simple, but it is actually full of dangers.
Especially when the Nakamura Regiment sent out troops to intercept when they had suffered more than half of their casualties, if they were not careful, they might be killed by the independent regiment and lose hundreds more people.
As the adjutant of the wing, he must understand the latest enemy situation before he can provide feasible advice to the wing leader.
Ask directly: "In addition to the retreating troops, how many troops did the Independent Regiment send to the rear?"
"What we saw was a reinforced battalion and a cavalry battalion!" the second lieutenant reported immediately.
The adjutant's brows suddenly wrinkled, and he looked at Colonel Nakamura with confusion: "Captain, we have less than two infantry brigades left..."
"Except for one mortar squadron, all other heavy weapons were lost!"
"If the independent regiment has hidden artillery that we don't know about near the battlefield, and the troops attack now, they will probably be suppressed by the independent regiment's artillery fire like just now, without the ability to fight back, and lose a lot of troops!"
"Even if the Independent Regiment does not hide its artillery around the battlefield, their cavalry battalion is still a huge threat!"
"We only have one mortar squadron and one heavy machine gun squadron left. If we are held back by the infantry of the independent regiment, we will have no heavy weapons to contain the cavalry. No matter how many troops we have, they will be completely killed by the cavalry!"
"Please consider carefully, captain..."
"We must not attack rashly before reinforcements arrive..."
"At most, send some small groups to harass them and slow down their retreat..."
Colonel Nakamura's newly ignited hope for revenge was suddenly dashed. Although he was unwilling to do so, he knew in his heart that the adjutant was right.
With a long sigh, he raised his binoculars again and looked in the direction of the county town, hoping that reinforcements would arrive soon.
The adjutant of the alliance was also very unwilling, but for the future of the alliance and to avoid paying unnecessary costs, he could only choose to endure it for a while.
He waved his hand towards the second lieutenant and said, "Continue the investigation..."
"Report immediately if there is any situation!"
"Focus on the investigation of the rear troops of the Independent Regiment!"
"Let me find out whether they have heavy weapons, how many artillery pieces they have, and whether they have hidden artillery!"
After finishing speaking, he looked directly at the captain of the Third Infantry Battalion: "Deploy a reinforced squadron, take the combat unit as a unit, and equip it with a certain number of mortars and heavy machine guns. Attack immediately, secretly attack the retreating troops of the independent regiment, and slow down their retreat. , try to drag the reinforcements over!"
Twenty minutes later, a trace of fire finally appeared at the end of the official road...
Then he saw a fire dragon made of torches swimming toward him very fast.
Colonel Nakamura immediately felt relieved, threw the binoculars to the guard and ran towards the foot of the mountain, intending to meet the reinforcements in person, and by the way, persuade the reinforcements to lead the captain to help him avenge his shame... avenge his past humiliation.
At the Longgong Village stronghold, the Fourth Battalion Commander Yang Wanhe climbed up to the gun tower panting heavily: "Commander...all the eight captured mountain cannons have been transported back to the base..."
"The heavy machine guns and mortars captured by the cavalry battalion have also been transported away and are crossing the blockade and entering the base area..."
"We can retreat to the base in half an hour!"
"It's pretty fast!" Kong Jie glanced at his watch and said!
"But we still can't let down our guard...the more we get to the last moment, the more cautious we must be!"
"Da da da... bang bang bang..."
Before he finished speaking, a burst of gunfire rang out in the woods not far away.
"Da da da... bang bang..."
The same gunshots were heard from another direction of the stronghold.
"Boom boom boom..."
At this moment, three explosions were heard from the position of the rear troops, which made Kong Jie look puzzled. He thought that Japanese reinforcements were coming and said with an annoyed look.
"What do the reconnaissance troops do? The enemies are all right under our noses, and there is no warning at all!"
"Immediately find out what happened in the firefight just now, and whether the follow-up reinforcements sent by Sato have arrived!"
"Inform the troops to speed up their retreat, and the troops at the rear will be on alert!"
"Tonight's operation has reached its final moment, and we must not make any mistakes!"
The first update is delivered today! Please order in full!
(End of chapter)
