Zhongtiao Shanxi Line, the original position of the Third Army.
Looking at the smoke from the explosion behind him, Lieutenant Colonel Okawa Shogo's mouth twitched. One thing he now firmly believed was that no one could survive such intense fire.
The commander of his own division is 90% likely to be in trouble. But considering the current situation, dying directly under enemy fire would not be a blessing.
"Baga, at least more than a hundred cannons."
"Which enemy is so generous? Am I really on the battlefield of the Republic of China? I really don't know what Tekko does for food, and it allows such a huge enemy force to reach the rear silently."
"If I can go back alive, I will."
Having said this, Okawa Changgo fell silent.
The enemy not only has a huge artillery cluster, but also locust-like fighter jets.
Not only is our side at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and firepower, we are now sandwiched between two enemies, and we have even lost air superiority, the most important area on the modern battlefield.
To sum up, he didn't think there was any possibility of him leaving Zhongtiao Mountain alive.
If you can't be cruel to yourself, perhaps suicide is a good choice, at least you don't have to spend the rest of your life in fear.
As for surrender, let Tianzhu Nation’s thieves know about it.
Even the division commander has been killed. If a small lieutenant of mine dares to surrender, he will definitely be torn to pieces by the grassroots officers and soldiers.
Putting Fan Suo's thoughts out of his mind, Okawa Changgo tidied up his military uniform and walked towards his position as captain.
At this time, Colonel Ota Sanji was doing pre-war mobilization. He was wearing an ointment flag turban with the word "win" written on his head. He was holding a family sword in his hand, his expression and tone were full of fanaticism, he looked like a war madman.
"Our war has reached its final stage!"
"His Majesty Tian Locust needs us! My brother country also needs us! Now is the time for everyone to be loyal! Warriors! Pick up the weapons in your hands and tear into pieces the enemies who dare to provoke the 36th Division!"
"Long live the Locust! Long live our brother country Japan! Gentlemen! Let's meet at Kudanban!"
As soon as he finished speaking, nearly a hundred Japanese soldiers who also wore ointment flags and turbans and were shirtless immediately responded to the call. They chanted fanatical slogans with red eyes, and their rationality had long since disappeared without a trace.
These people looked ferocious, and most of them had foam of unknown composition at the corners of their mouths. It was obvious at a glance that they had taken drugs.
It is worth mentioning that the weapons used by the death squads are also very special. In addition to Molotov cocktails and rifles, everyone was carrying heavy explosive bags, and they were probably going to use human bombs for a while.
"Long live His Majesty Tian Locust, and long live Japan!"
"See you at Kudanzaka."
Seeing this scene, Okawa Changgo from behind the position couldn't help but sigh. This is not because he is sad because he feels sorry for those brainwashed death squads.
Bushido plus ice, the two mixed together are definitely the best way to tame low-level soldiers.
After being indoctrinated by superior officers, not many people can walk out of the recruit camp normally. Basically, they will become murderous lunatics before leaving the factory.
At the critical moment, coupled with the stimulation of drugs, each of the soldiers was absolutely fearless of death.
Throwing Molotov cocktails at close range, holding explosive bags and waiting for the opportunity to rush into the crowd are all common operations of the death squads.
As his younger brother's lieutenant general, Okawa Shogo strongly agrees to use the lowest cost to stimulate the potential of lower-level soldiers. After all, there is no way to fight without death, just use resources rationally.
The reason why he sighed was because he felt a little sad that the defeat was certain.
The situation was obviously good one second, but the command post, supply center and reserve team in the rear were all gone the next second.
Judging from the current remaining ammunition of their regiment, all the soldiers will run out of ammunition and food within an hour and a half of fighting at most.
"Your Majesty Colonel! What should we do next?"
"Should we hold our position and wait for support from the 41st Division? Or should we concentrate our existing forces and break out on both sides?"
After hearing his adjutant's inquiry, Ohta Sanji brought Okawa Changgo to the temporary command post.
When no one was around, the enthusiasm in the eyes of the Japanese commander completely disappeared.
This old devil is really a good actor, he does one thing before others and another behind him. He didn't want to die. Now that the First Army was missing two division commanders and one brigade commander, the vacant position was very tempting.
"Next we will neither hold on nor break out to the east or west!"
"Now our unit is surrounded by two enemies. We can only defend for an hour at most. Who knows if Commander Okamura Neiji has arranged for backup."
"I plan to put two infantry brigades and artillery squadrons in front, and then lead the elite force of the regiment to break out south. You go and prepare, and bring more dry food and ammunition."
In fact, Ota Sanji's decision was correct. The 120th Division had already begun to deploy defenses on the east and west sides of the battlefield. Once the Japanese rush into the encirclement in a panic, they will be greeted by a thunderous blow!
Breaking out to the south is indeed the method with the highest chance of survival. After all, after five and a half days of continuous fighting, the energy of all the soldiers of the Third Army has reached its limit.
Although the Eighth Route Army airdropped supplies to them, physical strength and energy cannot be replenished by eating.
"Get ready to fight, the enemy won't give us long time to prepare!"
"Hi!"
······
The battle on the Western Front heated up from the very beginning.
Although there are only 10,000 people left in the 36th Division, the 37th Division and the 16th Independent Mixed Brigade, and they have lost their own leaders and unified command.
However, the Japanese did not wait to be killed. All the survivors were organized as a unit and relied on the relatively high terrain to block the attack. Their determination to resist was very tenacious.
There was almost no Type 92 heavy machine gun on the frontmost position, and all tactics were based on grenades and Taisho Type 11 light machine guns.
Those were infantrymen who were short of ammunition. Their mission was to use their lives to test out the firepower of the advancing troops of the 120th Division.
Once the mission is completed or the few ammunition is used up, the Japs will charge, trying to drag as many soldiers into the water as possible at the cost of their own lives.
The heavy machine guns are placed on the flanks, and the machine gunners will patiently wait for the opportunity and never expose themselves until the critical moment. If there is a suitable opportunity, they will not hesitate to pull the trigger even if there are comrades in front.
Even the suicide squads who took the drug didn't rush forward howling. They tried their best to stay awake, hiding in bunkers or disguised as corpses.
As long as the soldiers of the 120th Division reveal a flaw, these Japanese soldiers will rush forward with a large amount of explosives.
Some lucky suicide squad members even got the chance to rush into the crowd and blow themselves up under the cover of smoke bombs or gunpowder smoke.
If the comrades had not had low combat literacy and were assisted by veterans, they might have been caught off guard by the enemy.
However, there is nothing that can be done about it. The 120th Division has been undergoing continuous personnel transfers since four years ago.
Although there is sufficient supply of food, weapons and ammunition, the army has nearly doubled in size, and each regiment-level unit strictly adheres to daily training.
But training is training after all. It is the first time for many comrades to go to the battlefield and they have a serious lack of experimental experience.
The enemy infantry who rushed out of trenches, bomb craters and even piles of corpses were really hard to guard against.
Faced with the enemy's life-for-life style of play, the casualties of troops at all levels were not optimistic. Almost every step forward comes with a price.
The battle has been going on till now, and there are vague signs of another battle.
Looking at the real-time battle report sent back from the front line, the commander of the 715th Regiment was furious. He picked up the phone next to him and issued new orders to the battalion and company levels.
"Have you forgotten what our advantage is? It's firepower! Make use of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, understand?"
"The troops are equipped with so many mortars, and this time they brought a huge number of artillery shells! You should use them!"
"We are no longer the Eighth Route Army we used to be! Use artillery shells to clear the way for me! As long as there are suspected enemies anywhere! Give me a round of bombardment to confirm the situation first!"
After receiving the order from the regiment commander, each unit gave full play to its superior firepower theory.
During the advance, the company's 50mm mortars, the battalion's 60mm mortars, and the regiment's 81mm mortars performed well.
If any organized resistance occurs, it will be eliminated immediately and quickly.
When encountering trenches or large craters, first use rifles and light and heavy machine guns to suppress surrounding enemies. The infantry then advances steadily, regardless of whether anyone throws a grenade first.
When you encounter a Japanese corpse, shoot him halfway with a submachine gun, and pretend to be dead to make him really dead.
Facing the firepower of troops at all levels of the 120th Division to clear the way, the Japanese casualties soared. This is the crushing of logistical capabilities. Why should one shovel with five steps be able to defeat the support company with two artillery pieces with nine steps?
Even though there are some suicide squads who use the lives of their comrades as cover, there are only a few who can break through the defense line, and there are even fewer Japanese who can trade their lives for their lives.
The balance of victory was already tilted towards one's own side, and Commander Huzi nodded with satisfaction. However, the political commissar did have some opinions. He pointed at the casualty column and said seriously:
"Our soldiers are too kind. We should kill them when faced with those inhumane Japanese beasts!"
"After this battle, we have to conduct special training. I don't want to exchange the hard-earned recruits with those worthless Japs."
"News just came from the Third Army. They are preparing to cooperate with us in launching a general attack!"
The words of his political commissar made Commander Beard nod. In the early days of the war, the Eighth Route Army also had death squads, but they were a helpless move due to the lack of heavy weapons.
Facing the enemy's firepower points, turrets, bunkers and even tanks, without direct firepower, the soldiers can only rely on their lives.
To put it bluntly, at the critical moment of the great battle, our own death squads were even worse than the current Japs.
However, the nature of the two sides is different. The enemy's high-level officials regard the infantry as expendable supplies and do not care about casualties at all.
Our comrades are sacrificing themselves for their comrades, not to mention that everyone will try their best to protect themselves. No one will have the idea of dying together from the beginning.
"Hey, those enemies are all brainwashed, and they've definitely taken drugs."
"We have deployed veterans in each unit. After experiencing this battle, the comrades will definitely grow up."
"Pass me an order to have troops at all levels launch a general offensive! Join the Third Army to flank the enemy's remnants! Try to end the battle before dark! It will be troublesome if you delay it until night."
"yes!"
After receiving the order for the general offensive, each department doubled its firepower.
Under the baptism of mortars of various calibers, the mountain of Zhongtiao Mountain seemed to be shorter. In a sense, it is a bit difficult to find a complete corpse in the Japanese camp.
······
Zhongtiao Shanxi Line, Third Army Defense Line.
At this moment, soldiers from the three divisions were already in position. Even in the 27th Division of the 80th Army next door, two regiment-level units broke through the enemy's blockade and successfully merged.
After a short rest, the soldiers recovered from their previous fatigue.
In the command post, except for Commander Inch of the 7th Division. A corps commander and two division commanders are all in place, and they are ready to cooperate with the 120th Division's attack.
"Commander, the Eighth Route Army is really rich."
"I just went to the forward observation post. They were really using artillery shells to clear the way every step of the way. Even the Japanese in 1937 didn't fight in such an exaggerated way."
"And the weapons they support are all good stuff! It's not like that bald man in the southwest who searches for and replenishes ammunition every time, just like sending a beggar away."
Hearing what his old subordinate said, Commander Tang glared at Commander Li without saying a word.
In fact, he understood the hidden meaning of the other party's words. It was nothing more than taking advantage of the opportunity to fight side by side to draw the relationship between the two parties closer. If possible, it would be better to join the other party directly.
But there are some things you can only think about, there are many secrets behind the scenes.
"Extremely rich? I think you eat too much meat!"
"Stop those dangerous ideas. Taking the troops to join the family now is just causing trouble for others!"
"I have just communicated with the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and we will launch a general attack on the Japanese 36th and 37th Divisions in fifteen minutes! Let us avenge our brothers on our own!"
"good!"
Boom boom boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, bursts of explosions came from the outside world.
The three people in the room rushed out immediately. Through the telescope, they saw the huge explosion smoke rising violently, kicking up soil debris on the front line.
Everyone present was an officer with rich combat experience and was familiar with various types of artillery.
The explosion and lethality just now were definitely not caused by a missed attack by the Eighth Route Army. Judging from the sound and destructive power, it is most likely the Japanese Type 92 infantry cannon and Type 94 mountain cannon.
After a while, specific information was sent back from the front line.
"Commander! There are four thousand enemies in the northwest who are launching a fierce attack on our position!"
"The opponent should be a fresh force. Not only do they have more than a dozen cannons, but the infantry also has plenty of ammunition."
This news made Commander Tang very unhappy. The Japanese still dared to fight on two fronts. It was clear that they were treating their third army as a soft persimmon.
If you can't defeat the Eighth Route Army from the front, you will leave behind the troops. The elite troops broke out southward, trying to enter Zhongtiao Mountain to join the rest of the divisions.
"Order troops at all levels to defend their positions! This is just a fight between trapped beasts of the enemy!"
"As long as we persist for two hours, the friendly forces will definitely join us! Then we can eat all the enemy forces! Execute the order!"
"yes!"
I probably won’t be able to go out in the early morning of the 15th. It’s been too hard to stay up late these days, and I can’t stand it anymore.
(End of chapter)
