On Highland 233, a group of artillerymen were pushing several 92 infantry guns forward slowly.
The frontline positions are still filled with life-devouring poisonous mist, but in the poisonous mist, firm figures can be vaguely seen. They wear gas masks and lie motionless in the trenches, as if they are integrated with the position.
The same situation as the Third Regiment, except for the dead and injured, most of the soldiers of the Second Regiment did not withdraw from the battle and still stayed on the front line under the leadership of their respective commanders.
"Okay, just here Gada!" When the artillerymen crossed the ridgeline, the leading officer immediately ordered loudly.
"Captain Li, how are these artillery shells used?" an artillery lieutenant asked anxiously, as he moved up the ammunition box with a skull pattern printed on it.
"How to fight, how to fight, have you never played with a howitzer? Ma Liuer, half-loaded with propellant, target... the attack route of the little devil in front!"
Li Liansheng's eyes were particularly solemn, and his voice under the gas mask sounded a little loud. This time he was transferred from the rear artillery regiment to the front line to direct the bombardment, in order to retaliate in kind and let the little devils taste the evil consequences he had sown.
The lieutenant was honest enough. He opened the lid of the box with two clicks, revealing the neatly arranged special cannonballs underneath. Without saying a word, he picked up one with one hand and stuffed it into the barrel of the cannon.
Li Liansheng was so frightened by his rude operation that he hurriedly cursed: "What the hell!? What's wrong with these two tigers? This is a poisonous gas bomb. Be careful when wearing gloves. Don't do it to the Japanese." Beat me until I’m dead!”
The lieutenant rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. He quickly put down the shells and took protective measures as instructed. Several other infantry cannons also prepared accordingly and adjusted their shooting angles.
The Type 92 infantry gun has a limited range. In addition, it needs to fire poison gas bombs, and the propellant does not dare to be fully charged, which further affects its range. It can only pose a threat to the enemy when it is close to the front line.
However, this mustard gas shell is also very standardized. The 70mm caliber is just suitable for the 92 infantry cannon. As long as the Japanese dare to attack, these infantry cannons placed on the top of the mountain will definitely make them unable to eat.
Japanese aircraft flew overhead from time to time, and the anti-aircraft guns on the position were still resisting desperately. Fortunately, the Type 92 infantry cannon in Li Liansheng's hands was small and easy to conceal, so the Japanese pilots did not detect them.
The southerly wind blew slowly on the hillside. The situation on Highland 233 was much better than that of the Third Regiment. The poisonous fog had begun to gradually dissipate, and the view ahead was becoming clearer.
But what is strange is that...the Japanese army did not launch an attack on the high ground at this time.
"Something's wrong... Is the little devil a little evil?" Li Liansheng carefully observed the front through the telescope. The poisonous fog was almost gone, but the Japanese didn't move. This was not in line with common sense.
boom!
boom!
boom!
At this moment, the sound of artillery bombardment suddenly sounded in the right front. Li Liansheng followed the sound and saw that there was already a sea of fire on the other side of the open space.
"Damn, that's bad!"
Countless artillery shells fell on the engineer regiment's position, like hail falling from the sky, causing the soldiers below to scream in agony.
Just as the bombardment was going on, the Japanese 56th Regiment and the 165th Regiment, which had taken a detour, launched an attack on the Engineer Regiment at the same time. What was even more shocking was that the leaders were actually 6 Type 97 medium tanks and 12 Type 95 tanks. Type light tank.
They were extremely fast and had already rushed 100 meters in front of the position when the shelling stopped. This scene frightened the soldiers of the Engineer Corps who had just reacted to the shelling.
"Regiment...leader, do you still want to fight?"
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The disheveled Ayi quickly gave the order to retreat, but the other party was so angry that he was beaten. Needless to say at this moment, the soldiers quickly packed up their equipment and evacuated their positions quickly.
Don't blame him for being timid and fleeing. After all, Liao Mingyu had given instructions before the battle to retreat if he couldn't defeat the next wave of attacks by the Japs.
Besides, with the cooperation of artillery fire and the two regiments, nearly 20 tracked tanks attacked them. This huge gap was like a chasm. It was not something that his engineering regiment, which was extremely short of equipment and firepower, could resist. Coming down will only lead to a dead end.
"Creak, creak, creak..."
"Boom! Boom!"
The tracks made a harsh creaking sound as they pressed against the ground. Occasionally, one or two S-shaped mines would be activated and exploded in the air. However, the shrapnel hit the tank armor without causing any pain.
The mines and explosives laid by the engineering regiment in front of the position did not have much effect at the moment. They were quickly eliminated as the enemy tank convoy passed by, while the Japanese infantry followed closely behind.
As expected, the Engineer Corps position was easily captured by the Japanese in less than half an hour.
It was originally thought that the main attack direction of the Japanese army would be here at the main position, but only then did everyone realize that they were using infrasound to attack from the east to the west.
"Haha! Ushijima, have you seen that this is what our 18th Division should look like? The warriors of the Empire of Japan are looking down upon us."
Tanaka Shinichi, who was overwhelmed with joy, burst into laughter, with a proud and complacent expression as if he was showing off.
"Hey, the division commander is far-sighted, which is really a blessing for the Japanese Empire." Chief of Staff Ushijima struck while the iron was hot and quickly flattered him. He knew very well what the headstrong Tanaka wanted to hear most.
Tanaka Shin smiled and said nothing, and stayed dormant for two days just to wait for support from the rear to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.
This time he not only called for an air strike, but also an armored force quietly arrived in Mangshi. On this plain, tanks will be the absolute protagonists. The enemy would never have thought that he had this trump card.
"Reporting to the division commander, this is the intelligence just sent by the reconnaissance and search section. A large number of sending and receiving signals were found 18 kilometers northwest of our department, which is suspected to be an enemy command unit."
At this time, another staff officer ran over and handed over a message.
Tanaka took a closer look and quickly outlined the location of the battlefield in his mind. If his predictions were correct, this should be the enemy's headquarters.
"Yoshi, send the approximate coordinates to Kato and order the chariot brigade to continue advancing westward, with the 56th Regiment following behind to coordinate operations!"
"The 165th Regiment stabilized the rear and launched a tentative attack on the high ground, allowing the mountain artillery regiment and heavy artillery brigade to move forward. The division headquarters also moved forward. The frontal battlefield continued to exert pressure. I wanted to see the Chinese people on the hillside. Do you still have the guts to continue defending after your retreat is cut off?"
At this moment, Tanaka's confidence doubled. The Chinese right wing had been lost. The 56th Regiment and the armored forces would continue to advance toward the rear of the open area like a sharp sword, heading straight for Huanglong, while the 165th Regiment would go around to the rear of Hill 233 to stab the enemy in the chrysanthemum.
Judging from the situation, the opponent's defeat is a foregone conclusion. With the retreat route cut off, no army can remain calm. As long as the morale of the army is chaotic, the defense line will be wiped out in an instant...
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