Five minutes ago, the high ground on the left side of the Northwest Army.
The sudden sound of artillery fire attracted everyone's attention. Zhang Dabiao and others all turned their heads and looked in the direction of the main position.
"The enemy's attack has begun. It's the sound of Type 92 infantry artillery."
Everyone nodded. The core of the Japs' tactics had not changed much over the years. Basically, it is the coordination of infantry and artillery to open the way with powerful firepower.
Over time, soldiers were able to distinguish different types of barrel guns based on their sound alone.
Although the battle has officially begun, the people on the high ground can only stare and wait for orders from their superiors.
The area where they are garrisoned is very important. If any party occupies it, it will have an advantage when attacking. Naturally, such a special geographical location cannot be given to the enemy in vain.
Responsible for guarding the high ground was the first battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment, plus some soldiers of the 21st Regiment, a total of 450 people.
The terrain here is relatively complex, and the main body is a rocky mountain. It is impossible to build fortifications at all in many areas, and even foxholes cannot be dug.
A well-made grenade thrown over it can only blast a small hole in the bluestone on the ground, and a brand-new engineer shovel will dig it out in an hour.
If you want to build strong fortifications, you must use a large amount of explosives for directional blasting. Unfortunately, the army has not prepared such a thing.
The engineer platoon of the 1st Marine Regiment was also helpless. After all, it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.
In order to provide the first battalion with a bunker as much as possible, the engineers could only use sacks to fill some soil, and then cut down trees to build simple fortifications. Even if the effect is not very good, it can at least defend against the enemy's infantry.
At this time, Zhang Dabiao looked down in a daze.
The conditions of the surrounding soldiers were also very different, and everyone wanted to rush down immediately to support the friendly forces.
"Battal Commander, do you think the comrades of the Northwest Army can withstand the pressure? Looking at this movement, the Japanese have dispatched at least two infantry squadrons and one artillery squadron."
"Based on past battle damage ratios, they may not be able to withstand it."
"The fighting is in full swing on the front lines, but we can only stand by. It's really frustrating!"
As soon as these words came out, they immediately resonated with everyone. Even the company commander of the 21st Regiment, who usually didn't express his opinions very much, sighed.
However, everyone was not worried that they would not be able to fight. According to the information provided by the 129th Division, the number of enemies who broke out of the encirclement should be around 2,000.
Everyone present was a veteran who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Just by relying on the sound of gunfire, you could tell how many Japs there were. The enemy's large army must be planning something.
Suddenly, the Japs seemed to have been given a collective punch. Under the cover of grenades, light machine guns and Type 92 infantry artillery, the Pig Charge was launched.
The distance between the two sides quickly narrowed, and a hand-to-hand combat was about to begin.
The enemy's rapid offensive made Zhang Dabiao look extremely solemn. Although the Northwestern Army outnumbered two squadrons, it was supported by an artillery squadron behind the enemy lines.
Once they are rushed into the position, the Northwest Army will really be in trouble. Hand-to-hand combat is one of the Japs' strengths.
"The devil is going to fight to the death."
"Why hasn't the leader taken action? I'm really worried!"
But no matter how anxious he was, Zhang Dabiao could not lead his comrades to abandon their positions, and it was not advisable to leave their posts without permission.
At this moment, Gao Jianbai's guard platoon came to the position. Although it was a guard platoon, the opponent spent most of the time doing the work of a communications officer.
After the two sides saluted, Platoon Commander Zhang took the initiative to explain: "Our Brigadier Gao is worried about the situation on the highlands and specifically asked us to coordinate the garrison."
Zhang Dabiao also understood the other party's concerns. He was also a soldier in the Northwest Army. Before joining the Eighth Route Army, he had seen various unreliable behaviors of friendly forces.
"What's the situation down there? Are there many casualties?"
"It's quite stable now. Our brigade commander is personally leading the soldiers to hold the position. The enemy's attack is very fierce, but we have long been transformed. The casualty ratio is now between 1:2.5, which is acceptable."
"And we have formed a reserve team similar to the Broadsword Team. Even in hand-to-hand combat, we will not be weaker than the Japanese!"
Zhang Dabiao's eyes lit up as soon as these words came out. He used to be the platoon leader of the 29th Army's Broadsword Team, and he was confident in the Northwest Army's ability to use cold weapons.
What's more, even the first position was not lost, which showed that the situation was still under control.
While everyone was watching the battle, Wang Xikui's voice came from the portable communicator on Zhang Dabiao's waist.
"Batalion Commander, the Japanese are coming."
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"Quick, quick, quick, the two squadrons who are pretending to attack have lost control. What are these damn lunatics thinking!"
"We want to occupy the high ground as quickly as possible. We only need to leave a small team to guard it. The rest of the people rush down and cut into the flank of the enemy's defensive position."
The situation on the battlefield was originally very good, but for some reason the two squadrons who were feinting to attack suddenly attacked the position like crazy.
The firepower of the defenders far exceeded everyone's expectations, and the firepower points of the strafing fire affected their hearts. If the front is defeated, the detour tactics will be a joke.
Suddenly, a crisp gunshot sounded faintly from the battlefield.
The squad leader who was leading the team fell to the ground, his brains and blood splashing on the faces of the infantrymen next to him.
On the flank of a group of civil engineering works in the land battle, Wang Xikui pulled the bolt of the gun expressionlessly, and then raised the Mosin Nagant in his hand to aim at the next lucky enemy.
Sun Ergou, who was fifteen meters away, visually measured the distance between the enemy and ourselves. The Japanese second lieutenant was at least about 700 meters away from their position.
At such a long distance, he could only see clearly with a telescope.
Even if Wang Xikui's rifle has a scope, it is extremely difficult to hit the enemy.
"Awesome, Brother Xizi!"
"You can hit it from such a distance. You are worthy of being my idol."
Wang Xikui, who was about to pull the trigger, reluctantly took back the Mosin Nagant after hearing the voices of his comrades.
Although no bullets or shells have been fired yet, it is very likely that Sun Ergou's reckless behavior was exposed here. As a good sniper, you must be as stealthy as a ghost.
After observing the battlefield situation, he moved to a haystack. With the disguise around him, others couldn't see that there was a person hiding here.
"Do you think I am a god? That was the second time I hit a target 700 meters away."
"Under normal circumstances, I would not choose an enemy four hundred meters away. It was just to lower the morale of the Japanese."
After a brief explanation, he continued to look for a suitable target. Sun Ergou also followed suit, hiding behind a rock and aiming at a charging Japanese soldier.
After two gunshots, the number of enemies killed is increased by two.
This time he didn't make any big moves, but said in a voice that the two of them could hear: "Brother Xizi, we are so strong! From the 7th to now, we have killed seventy-one Japanese."
As soon as these words came out, the expressionless Wang Xikui broke his guard instantly.
I have seen shameless people, but I have never seen such shameless people.
Although the Japs on the battlefield are very vigilant and will always pay attention to changes in the battlefield during the charge, it is difficult for an ordinary soldier to kill them.
But Sun Ergou was the only accurate shooter in the 21st Regiment. He had killed ten enemies in total since the beginning of the war, which was somewhat unjustifiable.
"Er Gou, listen to my brother's advice."
"The road of sniper is too deep, and you can't control it. You haven't met a powerful enemy now, but sooner or later you will get into trouble because you can't keep your mouth shut."
After finishing speaking, Wang Xikui pulled the trigger again.
Four hundred meters away, a machine gunner was shot by him. The bullet passed through the eye socket, and it felt like seeing a pig's eye exploding.
After completing the sixty-second kill, he turned around and left without saying a word. A few seconds later, several rounds of grenades from the grenade landed at the newly concealed location.
On the frontal battlefield, the Japanese were suppressed by fierce firepower as soon as they appeared.
Although the enemy's strength was twice that of the 1st Marine Regiment, the heavy weapons were vastly different. The soldiers are not only equipped with a large number of light machine guns, but also a large number of heavy machine guns and mortars.
On the Japs side, the only artillery squadron stayed in the front to conduct a feint attack, and now the fight relied entirely on grenade launchers as support equipment.
Limited by the range, they had to advance to 400 meters to effectively counter each fire point.
There was a dense rain of bullets in the land battle, and the Japanese who were fighting could only evade hastily. Fortunately, the topography of the mountain saved them, and various rocks could serve as bunkers.
The machine gunner finally found a suitable shooting position, but after firing a few bullets, he was targeted by Wang Xikui and others.
Even if they were not killed by bullets, subsequent mortars would kill them. The division headquarters air-dropped a sufficient amount of weapons and ammunition this time, and there would be no problem with high-intensity fighting for two days.
Such fire suppression regardless of the cost reminded the Japanese of the fear of being dominated by the 129th Division.
Taking advantage of the gap when the enemy was unable to fight back, Zhang Dabiao led the commando team to take a detour from the side and saw that there was only a hundred meters away from the enemy.
It's not like the Japanese didn't see someone trying to outflank them, but they had no way to resist.
The crooked bullet bucket has a capacity of only thirty rounds, and the firepower is continuous. As for the 38-meter Gai, let’s not mention the pitiful rate of fire.
Facing a land battle group with orderly deployment of firepower and reasonable division of labor. They could only retreat steadily, trying to return to the original route to preserve their vitality.
But at this moment, the main force of the Marine Corps coming up from the right blocked the Japanese's retreat.
There was originally a gap in firepower between the two sides, but now they were outnumbered. Suddenly, the casualties of the Japanese army surged, and there were vague signs of collapse.
"Major, what should we do!"
"It's the Eighth Route Army! I can see it clearly! The enemy is wearing gray military uniforms!"
"We have been surrounded. There are too many enemies. There is no hope of rushing out!"
The helpless voices around him made Yudai Motoyama, who was already upset, even more irritable. He hid his body in a bunker and carefully observed the current battlefield.
From the beginning of the battle to now, only fifteen minutes have passed, and nearly 300 people have been killed on our side.
Being surrounded by front and rear teams, breaking out is a very luxurious thing. Since the end is destined to be death, then die vigorously, at least kill a few more Eighth Route Army soldiers.
"Leave one squadron to withstand the enemy in front!"
"The rest are in small teams! Charge to the enemies in the rear!"
"We have no hope of survival, and we can only die to be loyal to His Majesty the Locust! Warriors! We are united! Show your bayonets! Embrace the honor of battle!"
In fact, this choice is very reasonable. The enemies in the front have fierce firepower, but they are not many in number. Sacrificing a squadron can at least buy some time.
There are more troops on the back, but they must attack from the rear. If you can make full use of the advantage of high and low, you can definitely switch to more enemies before dying.
It's a pity that the Marine Corps is equipped with a large number of mortars. This kind of curved shooting weapon is very good in mountain combat.
As soon as the Japs showed up, a large number of 50- and 60-person troops suppressed them. You can only listen to the sound to identify the location and throw a melon grenade. The killing effect depends entirely on luck.
Half an hour later, more than a thousand Japanese soldiers were surrounded to death on the high ground. They were like big dumplings, swallowed up in one bite by Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao, who were like wolves and tigers.
After reuniting, the soldiers of the 21st Regiment took the initiative to take on the task of cleaning the battlefield.
"Da Biao, hurry up and gather the soldiers of the first battalion. We are going to support the Northwest Army's position and strive to end the battle as soon as possible!"
After fighting for nearly an hour, the Japanese from two squadrons had captured the first position.
The enemy is now using trenches and simple fortifications, and cooperating with the artillery squadron in the distance, to engage in positional warfare with the Northwest Army and the Shaanxi Army.
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In a mountain forest twenty miles away from Shaoyuan, the 358th Regiment is temporarily stationed.
Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong rested against a big tree. They were sweating profusely and even took off Jinsuijun's coat, leaving only a white shirt.
"Have you contacted the troops at all levels of the 43rd Army? More than a day has passed, why can't we collect the defeated troops?"
Hearing the inquiry from his own regiment, Fang Ligong replied awkwardly while wiping his sweat: "Not yet, the battle on the Eastern Front ended four days ago. Maybe they have crossed the Yellow River south and retreated to Henan Province. "
Obviously, Chu Yunfei was very dissatisfied with this answer. He punched the tree trunk with his fist, his eyes widened, and he looked just like the commander of the Third Security District of the southwest capital.
"Tell the Communications Department! If we can't find anyone within half a day, I'll knock his sand can!"
"Also, where is the artillery battalion now? How far behind us are we?"
In order to increase the marching speed, the 358th Regiment separated the infantry battalion and artillery battalion and left two companies of soldiers to protect the artillery.
"We just contacted him, it's still forty miles away."
"Why is it still forty miles away! We have rested for more than an hour. Are they bastards? Send me an order! I must see them appear in Shaoyuan before dark today!"
Looking at the furious Chu Yunfei, Fang Ligong sighed helplessly. He took off his glasses and pretended to clean them.
"This damn Li Yunlong, I really don't know what magic power he has, but he actually changed a person's personality hundreds of miles away."
"When this battle is over, I must report this matter to Commander Yan!"
Although Fang Ligong talked to himself quietly, Chu Yunfei still vaguely heard a few words.
"Brother Ligong, what are you talking about?"
"I say, hello to you all!"
Alas, the superiors did not allow me to write about large-scale army operations, so my happiness was gone.
Now this military channel is struggling!
(End of chapter)
