Half an hour passed, and gas bombs were thrown one after another. The poison gas in the tunnel began to pour back, but no Eighth Route Army soldier was seen emerging from the tunnel. board
Major General Fujita had to give up this time-saving and labor-saving method and sent engineers and the Imperial Army to blast it.
"Rumble..."
A violent explosion suddenly sounded underground, thick smoke billowed, and the fifteen-meter-long tunnel was instantly buried.
The Imperial Alliance Army then rushed into the explosion site, armed with engineering shovels, to dig out the newly blasted soil and find a new tunnel entrance and exit.
The engineers followed closely behind, and when they saw the tunnel entrance, they placed explosives inside...
The little Japanese who surrounded Taipingzhuang all kept an eye on the village to prevent the Eighth Route Army from suddenly emerging from the tunnel and catching them by surprise.
At ten o'clock in the evening, the blasting in the village was still continuing. The blasted tunnel was four to five hundred meters long and was hidden underground like a spider web. Major General Fujita was shocked when he saw it, and he finally understood what he had sent into the tunnel. Why do hundreds of people disappear inexplicably? board
But no matter how much the engineers bombed, no Eighth Route Army soldier ever got out of the tunnel in the village.
The little Japs surrounding Taipingzhuang gradually became lax, and some officers gathered together to discuss. They felt that the brigade commander was wasting his experience and explosives by doing this, and it was better to let everyone have a good rest and wait until tomorrow to take action.
At this moment, there was sudden movement at the entrance and exit of the tunnel outside the village. Groups of Eighth Route Army troops slowly climbed out of the tunnel, crawled forward and slowly approached the Japanese blockade, formed a fighting formation, and finally lay motionless four or five times behind the Japanese. ten meters position.
Until then, the Japs' attention was still in the village, and few people paid attention behind them.
The explosions that destroyed the tunnel were almost continuous and deafening, covering up all the noise caused by the crawling advance of the third battalion. Even if there were Japanese soldiers looking behind them, they would not notice any danger.
"Pah, pah, pah..."
Three red flares suddenly rose into the sky from the village, instantly attracting the attention of everyone on both sides. board
The Japanese and puppet troops operating in the village were like a group of hungry wolves that smelled the smell of blood, rushing towards the location where the signal flare was launched.
As a result, before anyone could rush over, the explosion went off.
An orange-red fireball mixed with thick black smoke soared from the ground. It didn't take much to know that the tunnel entrance and exit where the signal flare had just been fired had been blown up.
"Ta-ta-ta...boom-boom-boom..."
The Japanese and puppet troops looked stunned, and when they were hesitating whether to continue fighting, gunshots and explosions suddenly sounded outside the village.
When he turned around, he saw a circle of flames coming out of the village. A large amount of flames rose from the blockade. Countless soldiers were beaten into sieves by bullets and knocked to the ground by grenades.
The armored vehicle serving as a fixed firepower point was facing the village. After being attacked, it immediately turned around and tried to use the vehicle-mounted machine gun to block the attackers head-on, but the guard company did not give them this opportunity. board
As soon as the signal flare took off, the soldiers of the guard company holding Molotov cocktails got up from the ground, lit the fire and charged forward.
In less than three seconds, he rushed forward seven or eight meters, and the Molotov cocktail was ignited at the same time.
Throw your arms away and throw it out with all your strength.
The glass bottle broke into pieces when it hit the protective armor of the tank. The fuel filled in the bottle splashed everywhere, most of it stuck to the top of the tank. The flame at the mouth of the bottle ignited the fuel at the same time.
In just an instant, the protective armor of the tank was ignited, and the fire quickly spread to the surroundings. Soon, most of the vehicle body was engulfed in flames.
The little Japs hiding in the cabin scrambled to escape for their lives. As soon as their upper bodies were exposed, bullets rained down on them and beat them into pieces.
"The enemy is behind us, turn around and counterattack..." the little Japanese officers scattered in the middle of the team shouted anxiously. board
"Fire with machine guns, suppress the enemy's firepower, throw grenades before the gunners, and resolutely block the sneak attackers. Don't let them get close to us."
"Boom boom boom..."
The sound of grenade explosions first sounded on the Japanese blockade.
The Third Battalion had reached a position fifty meters behind the Japanese and puppet troops. After the attack began, the machine gunners acted as assault hands, charging forward while grabbing, and rushed to a position forty meters behind the Japanese in two or three seconds.
The riflemen followed closely behind, throwing grenades under the huge inertia of the charge.
Hundreds of bombs exploded one after another. The blockade only had a parapet and no bunkers. The spot was covered in smoke from the explosion, and screams could not be heard.
The machine gunners continued to fire at the blockade, and the riflemen continued to throw grenades, round after round. It was not until they rushed twenty meters behind the Japs that they straightened up their rifles, fixed their bayonets, and prepared to engage in close combat with the remaining Japs. board
"The Eighth Route Army is so arrogant. They actually want to defeat us with hand-to-hand combat. We, the Kwantung Army, are not vegetarians..." A squadron leader on the blockade shouted with arrogance.
Pulling out the command knife, holding the handle with both hands, looking straight ahead, he ordered with murderous intent: "Everyone put on their bayonets, kill the Eighth Route Army in front, kill them all..."
Before the order was given, he was the first to rush towards the third battalion.
Huang Qi held a box cannon in one hand and a ghost-headed sword in the other. As soon as he appeared, he was stared at by the ghost squadron leader and rushed towards him without hesitation.
Huang Qi was not as skilled as Wei Dayong, but he had rich combat experience, his mind was quick, and he fought eclectically. He had no intention of confronting the Japanese squadron leader, so he raised the box cannon and pulled the trigger on him.
After three shots, the Japanese squadron leader fell down in front of Huang Qi under the influence of inertia. Huang Qi glanced at him and snorted: "***, I have a gun, so I won't fight with you on the bayonet."
After saying that, he rushed towards the other little devil, giving orders as he rushed. board
"Comrades, continue to fight with me, fight quickly, and quickly kill the little devil mountain in front of you."
Excluding the infantry and artillery squads and the baggage troops, the reinforced brigade surrounding the village totaled more than 1,200 people.
Suddenly they were attacked by more than 70 light machine guns at close range, and they attacked from the back. These little devils killed more than 200 people on the spot.
More than a thousand grenades fell from the sky and exploded in just ten seconds. The Japanese had no trenches or bunkers and were completely exposed to the grenades. There was no way to hide. This wave of attacks cost another four to five hundred people.
More than half of the entire reinforced group of Japs were gone before they even met the Third Battalion, leaving only four to five hundred who could continue to fight.
But for the powerful Kwantung Army, this unit still has the strength to carry a regiment of the Eighth Route Army.
However, his opponent did not play according to common sense. board
The two sides attacked each other with bayonets drawn, and when they were about to strangle, the crackling sound of pistol shooting suddenly sounded.
The confident little devil was suddenly stunned. Looking at the bloody hole that suddenly appeared on his chest, his face was filled with regret.
If they had known that their opponents were so ungrateful, they would not have fought with bayonets.
Even if they hold a grenade and launch a suicide attack, they can kill many Eighth Route Army soldiers before they die.
Unlike now, the battlefield is like a one-sided massacre, and all the people who die are one's own.
Nearly two hundred pistols were plundered at the same time, including many box cannons loaded with twenty rounds.
Before the two sides collided with each other, the few little Japs killed and injured another two to three hundred people, and only about two hundred people were left to hang with the third battalion. board
Relying on the strength advantage, although the third battalion's bayonet fighting ability was far lower than that of the Kwantung Army, the first round of thrusts between the two sides was still a draw, with each suffering fifty or sixty casualties.
There were only about 200 Japanese soldiers left who could continue to fight, and the casualties of 50 or 60 people directly reduced their combat effectiveness by 20 to 30%.
For the Third Battalion, these casualties only accounted for 10% of the total strength.
The strength ratio of the two sides also changed from two to one in an instant to three to one now.
"Pah, pah, pah..."
The soldiers armed with pistols continued to shoot, looking for opportunities to shoot at the Japanese.
In particular, the company platoon leader equipped with box cannons wandered around the battlefield, specializing in shooting small Japs in groups of three. board
This is the most classic Japs formation.
The three men stood back to back, covering each other, and ran rampant on the battlefield. Even a squad of soldiers could not do anything to them.
But as long as one person is killed, the remaining two Japs will have defense holes, and the soldiers will have the opportunity to kill them.
Their opportunity.
…………
Major General Fujita waited in the village for more than an hour without seeing the Eighth Route Army. What little patience he had was quickly exhausted, and he decisively returned to the headquarters.
As the brigade commander, although he did not go to the battlefield personally, he expended no less energy in the battle than ordinary soldiers.
Age is there, if you don't get a good rest at night, you will definitely not have enough energy to direct the battle tomorrow. board
As a result, as soon as I lay down on the camp bed, the sound of firefight started.
Major General Fujita got up from the bed after a while. This was a battlefield. He didn't take off his uniform when sleeping. He got up and rushed out of the tent.
The sound of fighting around the village has become loud, the fire is shooting into the sky, and the fighting is very fierce.
"Judging from the firepower, the Eighth Route Army dispatched at least two battalions." Major General Fujita was not angry because his troops were attacked. Instead, he was very excited, as if the Eighth Route Army suddenly appeared on the battlefield was a piece of fat on his lips.
"General, something seems amiss..." the chief of staff reminded with a raised brow.
"The Eighth Route Army launched an attack from outside the village. The blockade garrison all faced the village, and their backs were exposed to the enemy. If they were suddenly attacked, the losses would be particularly heavy."
"Baga..."
Major Fujita was anxious to find the main force of the Eighth Route Army. They suddenly appeared on the battlefield. He was in a very excited mood. He did not notice the problem for a while. After being reminded by the chief of staff, he realized that the battle did not develop as he expected.
The more he looked, the deeper his frown deepened: "No, the tank squadron surrounding the village was attacked by unknown weapons of the Eighth Route Army again, causing heavy losses."
"The Eighth Route Army has reached the blockade, and melee combat will definitely be inevitable."
"Contact the Third Brigade immediately and drag the enemy on the battlefield at all costs."
"The Fourth Infantry Brigade and the Fifth Infantry Brigade will be dispatched immediately. They will be outflanked by two groups on the left and right. I want to annihilate all the Eighth Route Army there."
"Hurry up. The opponent must be the only remaining unit of the Junpei Defense Regiment. This means that no matter what, we can't let them slip from under our noses again."
