"Boom boom boom——"
After the damaging fire from the fleet, the mortars and mountain artillery belonging to the 1st Marine Regiment began to suppress the enemy positions, while several infantry guns began to move forward along with the infantry detachment.
When carrying out offensive operations against field fortifications and buildings, direct fire support is very necessary. It is more accurate and faster than indirect fire.
For example, there is a small building a few hundred meters away, and the enemy has set up a firepower point inside. The mortars can only stare at it, but if there are infantry guns or anti-tank guns, they can easily deal with it at this time.
The resistance forces in front of them seemed to have some anti-tank guns. Since they had never been captured, the officers and soldiers did not know the specific models. They only learned through interrogation of the prisoners that they were imported from Switzerland and were extremely expensive and rare.
Since the weakly armored Type 35 floating tanks could only withstand medium-caliber infantry missiles, the tank team leader ordered them to be on their own attack starting position and not to attack in coordination with the infantry.
"Who's still alive? Who's still alive?!"
"The Ming army is approaching!"
Under the intense firepower, even if it is not killed by fragments, the various sand, soil and debris kicked up by the shock wave can significantly harm the human body.
The gray-headed, ragged, and blood-stained resistance soldiers emerged from the shelter and hurriedly entered the position without shaking off the sand and soil on their clothes and hats.
"Only a mile away, shoot!"
The Lewis light machine guns and Vickers heavy machine guns imitated by the Kawasaki Ordnance Factory and the Tokyo Artillery Factory spit out dazzling orange flames, and rounds of 6.5×50mm rifle ammunition were sprayed on the oncoming Ming army infantry.
Even if the response is quick, there will always be unfortunate people who are shot and fall to the ground, screaming in pain and calling for help.
"Someone is coming! Damn!"
"Medical soldiers, come here and save people!"
Due to the very short rifling twist, the 6.5mm rifled bullet nutates more violently within 200 meters after being launched. At this time, if it hits the human body and is blocked, it will easily become unstable and roll, causing great trauma. to stability.
However, within the range of 200 to 300 meters, after hitting the human body, the higher spin speed can easily cause the warhead's armor to rupture, and the internal lead core to be squeezed and deformed, which can also cause serious injuries. .
The so-called "one shot, two eyes, half a month of recovery and a good man again" situation must be when he was hit by a 6.5×50mm rifle round three hundred meters away. At this time, the nutation has stabilized and the spin speed has also dropped. , it will not cause great trauma.
"Don't close your eyes! Open your eyes! You still owe me twenty-one yuan. Who can you pay back to me if you die?"
This medical soldier from the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Team had poor marksmanship, but he was stocky and kind-hearted. In line with the principle of making the best use of talents, the superior officer asked him to become a medical soldier.
The injured little pacesetter was now pale due to severe pain and rapid blood loss, and his speech was slurred, "It hurts so much, stop it... stop it first!"
The slender 6.5mm bullet turned over after hitting his lower abdomen, severing a section of his intestines. When it came out of his back, it tore open a gash as long as his index finger, bleeding profusely.
The medical soldier directly blocked the entrance of the nail-sized bullet in his abdomen with a piece of bandage, then turned him over, pressed the long wound tightly with the bandage, and at the same time took out a syringe of analgesic and gave it to him A needle was inserted into his calf.
The surging blood quickly soaked the bandage, and the medics had to remove it, sprinkle with styptic powder, replace it with a roll of bandage, and finally wrap a triangle towel around his torso to wrap it up.
Different from the disposable analgesics in the shape of glue tubes used by Americans during the war, the standard analgesic syringes used by Ming army medical soldiers today are L-shaped, with a trigger in front of the handle, which can be injected when pressed, and contains five A small glass bottle of ten milliliters of analgesic is placed vertically at the top. This dose can be used by two people, and the small glass bottle can be replaced after use.
In view of the fact that the intensity of resistance from the enemy in front of them was still quite high, the officers and soldiers of the third team of the first battalion who had already crossed half the distance did not attack rashly. Instead, they lay prone and started shooting at them.
Soon, the three 80mm infantry guns that moved forward with the attack began to fire at the enemy positions.
Amidst the "bang bang" sound of artillery, the machine gun fire points that were still showing off their power just now were blown up one by one. Only a few smarter machine gun teams moved in time.
The firepower of the defenders was quickly contained. Under Xue Can's order, the battalion's mortars began to alternately fire smoke and incendiary bombs in depth, and another team's follow-up troops were invested.
Clouds of gray-white smoke appeared from behind the enemy's position, mixed with dazzling hot fire. The 3,000-degree high temperature of the thermite caused all combustible materials to catch fire and melted the retardant materials.
In addition to the first battalion, which was the main frontal attack, Zhou Changfeng also ordered the second battalion, chemical defense platoon, and engineer platoon to mobilize manpower to organize several breakthrough teams.
Each detachment is composed of one squad each of infantry, engineering, and chemical defense troops, with more than 30 people. They are equipped with a large number of blasting tubes and two flamethrowers. They are used to break through the enemy's strong support points.
At this time, the Resistance Army's forward position had fallen apart, and the Ming Army had already rushed into the main position with two platoons. Seeing that the Ming Army's follow-up troops were about to arrive, the enemy army put in its reserves to carry out a "counterattack."
The main position is filled with various bomb craters, trenches, and shelters, and enemy troops may be lurking or booby traps buried everywhere.
The two sides launched a bloody battle in a complex area of less than 100 meters. The fierce battle lasted for more than half an hour, and neither side was willing to give up.
Zhao Hanfeng, who was at the frontline headquarters, was observing the battle situation in the artillery mirror. He saw more than a dozen enemy troops being annihilated. The corners of his mouth were about to rise, but the next second he saw half a squad of his own infantry being hit by side-firing machine gun fire. Knock it down - these guys are really calm, they can be patient and silent until now, and then suddenly open fire!
He couldn't help complaining: "These Japanese soldiers are resisting too resolutely, trouble!"
"Wars can't always be smooth sailing. It would be too easy if we could defeat the opponent in one breath every time." Zhou Changfeng beside him took a deep breath from his cigarette and said calmly: "But there are only a group of people who are stubborn. ”
At 17:43 in the afternoon, more than three hours of fierce battle finally made key progress.
The auxiliary attack carried out by the Second Battalion on the flanks played a great role, forcing the enemy in front of them to send part of their troops for reinforcements, thus making their already stretched defensive strength even weaker.
As the defense of the main position collapsed, the enemy was forced to shrink its troops and defense lines, abandon its peripheral positions, and retreat to the factory area to continue its stubborn resistance.
The Japanese's will to resist was beyond the expectations of the Ming army officers and men, but it was still within Zhou's expectations. He was not even surprised that his own fleet suffered a suicide collision.
Going all out and pursuing victory does not apply now. The first battalion participating in the attack was already exhausted. The bloody battle for an hour and a half left the officers and soldiers physically and mentally exhausted.
Moreover, the Second and Third Battalions also needed time to adjust their deployment, so Zhou Changfeng postponed the attack.
Next to the rear command post, looking at the wounded soldiers who were being transferred to the field hospital, Yao Liangchuan with a heavy expression suggested: "To attack the heart first, let's try to recruit and surrender."
There is no harm in mixing psychological warfare. Zhou Changfeng naturally agreed, and the officers had no objection.
So everyone set up a loudspeaker on the front line, found the translator assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment of the Second Army, and asked him to recruit the remnants of the resistance army in the factory area.
The translator, Yamada Hirono, is a thin middle-aged man who gives people a unique Japanese sense of wretchedness. He was born in Yokohama but settled in Nagasaki. He is a typical Japanese traitor.
He cupped his hands and bowed again, "Don't worry, sir. The villain's words will definitely cause them to fight among themselves, and even if it doesn't work, they will be shaken."
This guy's flattery made Zhou Changfeng very unhappy, so he just waved his hand in disgust and told him to leave quickly.
When he arrived at the front line, Yamada Hirono cleared his throat and spoke to the end of the loudspeaker:
"Gentlemen, I am here to persuade you with great respect. Please stop this unnecessary resistance. I know what you are thinking. Your loyalty and bravery are admirable, but such a wasted sacrifice is too insignificant. It’s worth it!”
"The Ming Dynasty kings are definitely not here to enslave us. They just expelled the Westerners who oppressed the people and were domineering. Isn't this a good thing? Please don't be deceived by some people. The Ming people are not so scary and cruel, otherwise I will I won’t be talking to you here.”
"Give up, this war should stop, everything ends here. After the Westerners leave, we will build a new home independently. What a great future that is. Think about your parents, wives, and children. Who doesn't want to Want a peaceful life? Why waste your life like this?"
While Yamada Hirono continued to deliver his long speech, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy in person. A hail of bullets scattered dust around him, and the whistling sound scared him to huddle in the trench.
Although it seems to have no effect, Zhou Changfeng is certain that it has actually shaken some people's defenses, but it still needs time to ferment.
Since you are not in a hurry, you might as well wait a little longer.
Therefore, he decided to postpone the siege of the factory until tomorrow morning, hoping that this night would weaken the will of the resistance army.
Night has come, and the refreshing spring evening breeze should make people feel refreshed, but the mixed smell of gunpowder smoke and blood makes people quite disgusting.
In the dilapidated factory area, a tired Lieutenant Colonel Fujiwara Yoshiharu inspected the situation of his subordinates.
Today's fierce battle consumed most of the resistance's already poor ammunition, and the small amount of ammunition left was not enough to support a resolute defense.
The wounded soldiers were moaning in pain, and some of the other soldiers were napping, some were nibbling rice balls, and some were wiping their rifles.
At this time, there was a burst of music outside.
No matter how good he was, Fujiwara Yoshiharu was still a mid-level officer, and he still knew something about musical instruments. When he heard it, he knew that it was an ensemble of waqin, shamisen, and shakuhachi.
He suddenly thought of the idiom "besieged on all sides", then sighed heavily and murmured: "I wonder if these instruments and music will disappear in a few hundred years..."
The quiet and vast music seemed to carry sadness and desolation. The sound waves penetrated every inch of the factory and lingered in the ears of the soldiers.
Some people were sobbing, and their sobs were intertwined with the groans of the wounded soldiers, making others feel heart-scratchingly uncomfortable.
Overnight, more than 400 of the remaining 3,000 people escaped. The good news is that most of them left weapons and ammunition where they were, which allowed the rest of the people to get more ammunition on average.
At 6:00 a.m. the next day, the 1st Marine Regiment's general attack was launched on time.
Because the enemy's position has been compressed to a small area, a dozen amphibious tanks of the chariot convoy can accompany the infantry in the attack this time.
"Don't get too close to the chariot! Be careful of heartbeats!"
"Da da da - da da -"
Under the ruins of the factory area, countless resistance troops fought desperately and opened fire at the approaching Ming army. However, all exposed firepower points were mercilessly bombarded by tank guns or infantry artillery.
Although the trial-produced rocket launchers have a short range, average accuracy, and are mainly used for anti-armor, officers and soldiers believe that they are more useful than rifle grenades when attacking enemy troops.
Under the cover of smoke bombs, a breakthrough team approached the southwest of the factory area.
"call--"
They used flamethrowers to destroy two heavy machine gun fire points made of reinforced concrete fragments and many sandbags.
The yellow-reddish "fire dragon" spurts out and pours on the target, emitting bursts of heat waves, making people feel as if they are being roasted by the scorching June sun.
The brutal fierce battle continued until noon. The Marine Corps had captured half of the factory area, and the remaining enemy troops were compressed to the north and northeast of the city.
The Resistance Army, which only had more than a thousand people left, ran out of ammunition, and evenly distributed less than ten rounds of bullets to each person. The two remaining mortars only had a dozen rounds of ammunition when fired.
"I decided to launch a counterattack, and everyone participated voluntarily. Others stayed put and were later allowed to surrender or retreat to the city."
In the basement of the half-collapsed No. 3 factory building, Fujiwara Yoshiharu issued orders to the officers and soldiers present.
"I will lead the counterattack, Your Excellency, the command of the army still needs you." The adjutant said sincerely.
"No, there's no point anymore."
A quarter of an hour later, about five hundred people gathered on the small flat land behind the ruins.
The clothes were all different but all were in dilapidated condition, and they all looked tired but all had sharp eyes. Among the people present, there were also wounded soldiers with arms and heads wrapped in bandages.
Under the leadership of the Lieutenant Colonel, everyone gathered in groups of three and five according to the location of their respective hometowns, then knelt down one after another and kowtowed again and again in that direction.
They whisper the names of their loved ones, and then the names of local mountains or rivers. This can be said to be a traditional custom. The samurai hope that this will allow their souls to return home after they die in battle.
This was destined to be a desperate counterattack. There was almost no ammunition, and they would face the fierce and hot firepower of the Ming army later. No one believed that this counterattack would be effective, so in fact everyone knew that this was tantamount to death.
Some people are mumbling to themselves, some are comforting each other, some are staring at photos of their wives and children, some are sharpening bayonets with stones...
The battle has reached this point. These Japanese people think that they have done everything they can, but they do not want to give up in a reasonable and reasonable way. Instead, they plan to fight to the end with a mentality of breaking the pot and breaking it.
Several officers and soldiers of the flag guard team walked to the front of the team holding a flag. The flag was red circle on a white background, with "Defend the Homeland" and "Resist" written on the right and left respectively.
Immediately afterwards, the leading officers stood up.
The other soldiers behind them also stood up and inserted their bayonets into their rifles. Under the sunlight at noon, they looked like a sea of twinkling light spots.
(End of chapter)
