Having the honor to have dinner with General Xiangchen, the commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Forces, was a heavy blow to those colleagues and superiors in the army who despised and underestimated Togo Shinpachiro. They immediately looked at Togo in a different light and did not dare to cynicize him again. This made Togo I am very proud that the Togo family has been reduced to the status of a third-rate family during the period of Togo Shinpachiro. It no longer has the glory of the Russo-Japanese War. However, there are many complaints about these incompetent people who like to miss the past and live on the food of their ancestors. , she complained so much that she didn’t want to think about what she had done for the family. Since Togo Shinpachiro was born, her mother Togo Kumiko has been running around in the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles, hoping that they can take care of her mother and son. Among them, the one who contributed the most is Therefore, there is a rumor in the Tokyo aristocratic circle that Togo Shinpachiro is probably the illegitimate son of Prime Minister, not the son of his father Togo Yasuo, otherwise Prime Minister Isamu would spend a large sum of money to replace him for no reason. The Togo family paid off their debts, and sent Togo Shinpachiro to attend the Junior Military Academy, and then directly entered the Imperial Continent. However, Togo Yasuo suddenly died suddenly a few years ago, and Kumiko's frequent interactions with the Prime Minister further deepened this rumor in the aristocratic circle. In fact, the aristocrats The most popular thing in the circle is that someone is having an affair with someone's wife and daughter. The communicators often describe it vividly, as if they have witnessed it with their own eyes. Togo Shinpachiro had also heard of such rumors, and asked his mother for confirmation many times. His mother insisted that these were all lies fabricated by the declining nobles, and Togo Shinpachiro gradually believed his mother's statement.
After the combat meeting, the various departments of the Japanese army immediately prepared for military operations in accordance with the combat orders formulated by Dacheng. The Japanese 9th Division, which arrived at Dangshan, was shocked to find that the 333rd Brigade of the National Army guarding Dangshan did not retreat, but was desperately strengthening its defensive positions. Immediately, the Ninth Regiment of the Japanese Mountain Artillery launched 48 artillery pieces in front of the National Army position in Dangshan and conducted fire suppression for an hour. Japanese artillery shells fell like raindrops on the 333rd Brigade position of the National Army, the forward position of the National Army. Observation The positions and shelters have been bombed beyond recognition. There is smoke and flames caused by shell explosions everywhere. The air is filled with the stench of burnt human bodies. The Japanese troops preparing to launch the charge are optimistic that China is being bombarded in front. There must be no one alive at the military position. They just need to walk over and occupy it like an outing.
Attracted by the prospect of victory, even squadron leaders and captains at all levels were moved. They believed that this battle must be the easiest battle since the Battle of Xuzhou, and thus were not fully prepared for the battle. After the firepower was prepared, three squadrons of the Japanese army swarmed forward and attacked the national army positions in a dense formation. From under the still burning soil and from the collapsed anti-gun caves, they were all ragged, covered in blood, and scarred. The Chinese soldiers crawled out, stood up, and pointed their guns at the laughing Japanese soldiers. When the Japanese soldiers approached a distance of 40 meters, the commander issued an order, and the Chinese soldiers suddenly opened fire. The Japanese soldiers were laughing and chatting. Some fell down immediately after being shot, some lay down and fought back, and some turned around and ran away in panic. Rows of grenades exploded next to the Japanese soldiers who lay down and fought back, creating a violent shock wave. They were overturned, and the fragments killed them. The Chinese soldiers took advantage of the Japanese infantry's escape to collect the ammunition of the dead Japanese soldiers, strengthened the fortifications and foxholes, and prepared to face the next Japanese attack. The Japanese captain Tamada couldn't believe it. There were still Chinese soldiers alive under such a violent bombardment. The number of shells hitting the Chinese army's position was already much more than their number. Each person was hit with an average of about 2 shells. This is simply incredible.
The Yutian Brigade once again requested the Ninth Artillery Regiment to launch a fire preparation. This time, overwhelming artillery shells once again fell on the dilapidated fortifications. The collapsed fortifications and trenches buried Chinese soldiers who had been killed by the shell shock wave. The few who survived Soldiers, whose ears were blown deaf and eyes were blown blind, groped for grenades and rifles in the dirt, listened to the long live shouts of the Japanese troops to identify the direction when they charged, shot bullets, and threw grenades, but they still refused to retreat and defended China. The soldiers' position defended China's territory. The Japanese rushed into the defender's position, screaming for the surviving Chinese soldiers in an attempt to retaliate against the Chinese. The reason is very simple. Look at the corpses and the painful howls on the Japanese charging road. It was a Japanese wounded soldier. This was definitely not the outing that the Japanese originally imagined. Finally, in a corner of the position, the Japanese found a Chinese soldier who had been shot in multiple places and one of his thighs was blown off. Looking at his thin body, these The bloodthirsty Japanese couldn't believe it. He actually killed six Japanese soldiers by himself, including a Japanese second lieutenant. Lying on the ground, this thin Chinese soldier was still looking at the surrounding people with fearless eyes. The Japanese who had killed him was still groping in the mud, looking for the covered grenade, but in the end he found nothing. It was only then that the Japanese stabbed their sharp bayonets into his chest with a grin. At this time, the pierced and blooming clothes exposed the soldier's plump breasts. It turned out that this was a Chinese female soldier. Several animal-like Japanese soldiers were shocked. They stood beside the female soldier for a long time, thinking for this female soldier. Impressed by the soldier's courage, the Japanese army gave the female soldier a grand burial.
After paying a huge price, the Japanese finally occupied the defensive position in the east of Dangshan City. The Yutian Brigade occupied part of Dangshan County. The 333rd Brigade did not retreat and engaged in fierce street fighting with the Japanese army. They resisted step by step and delayed the Japanese attack with their lives. The 333 brigade originally had 520 personnel, but after adding some Shangqiu security groups, the number barely reached 800. Brigadier Chen Guang graduated from Baoding Military Academy and led his troops in several tough battles. I put him in Dangshan in the hope of using his previous defense experience to stay in Dangshan for a few more days. However, the Japanese army used an infantry regiment and an artillery unit. The regiment and a tank regiment attacked Dangshan. Chen Guang and his 800 recruits obviously could not complete this task.
Under the cover of tanks, the Japanese infantry gradually compressed the national soldiers guarding the houses in the southern part of the county to the center of the county. The 333 brigade lacked the most basic anti-tank weapons, and the personnel had not received anti-tank combat training. The soldiers relied on their personal courage to use rifles and machine guns. Shooting at the tanks, the bullets were bounced away, which was useless. The Japanese tanks used grenades to knock down the houses guarded by the national soldiers. The Japanese infantry fought with the officers and soldiers of the 333 Brigade street by street under the cover of the tanks. During the joint Japanese attack Under the attack, the number of soldiers in the 333 brigade dropped sharply. Soon, they could not even reach the establishment of a battalion. However, the tenacious Chinese defenders did not give up resistance. They bypassed the collapsed houses and attacked the Japanese tanks from behind. A soldier He even jumped onto the Japanese tank turret and successfully stuffed the grenade into the Japanese tank turret before he died. After the explosion, the Japanese tank stopped moving forward and thick smoke billowed out from all parts of the vehicle. This was the only loss of the Japanese tank unit in Dangshan. Chen Guang led the personnel directly under the brigade headquarters to charge against the Japanese troops who invaded the southern part of the county at noon. During the battle, Chen Guang and others were all killed, fulfilling the oath he made to me before departure to defend Dangshan to the death. 800 soldiers of the 333rd Brigade 763 commanders and fighters died in Dangshan, 37 broke through the encirclement and returned to Shangqiu, and the Japanese suffered more than 300 casualties. The first step of the plan was initially completed.
After the 800 warriors died for their country, I held a grand memorial ceremony in Shangqiu City. Many people who had not yet evacuated participated in the memorial ceremony. During the ceremony, I wrote a poem to express my respect for the 800 warriors.
"Eight hundred ferocious tigers roared in the mountains, Japanese demons and demons all caused mischief, the ferocious tigers flew and transformed into golden dragons, and the Japanese pirates all turned into wild ghosts."
After a short rest, the Japanese tank regiment and infantry regiment immediately advanced through the Dangshan to Shangqiu road and headed straight for Shangqiu. However, since I had ordered the engineering brigade to lay mines on all roads connecting Shangqiu, the Japanese army's advance along this way was very slow. Since Xiayi, Bozhou and other places were far away from Shangqiu, in order to avoid unnecessary losses of troops, I only sent a very small number of troops to garrison. After encountering the Japanese army, I retreated with a little resistance.
After the Kondo Alliance captured Xiayi, they continued to move northward. However, due to the sluggish defensive operations in our mountainous areas, their speed was also very slow.
The Dongxiang regiment captured Bozhou and quickly advanced westward in an attempt to reach Shangqiu before other troops. I ordered the engineering brigade to use explosives to blast several mountain passes on the road from Bozhou to Shangqiu. The explosives lifted up huge rocks and blocked them tightly. The highway made it difficult for the Japanese mechanized troops who relied on vehicle maneuvers to move forward. While the subsequent 37th Brigade cleared the blocked intersection, Dongxiang could not wait to command his troops to abandon the highway and rush towards Shangqiu on foot through the mountainous areas. In the mountainous area where the Dongxiang troops will pass, I deployed up to 8 companies of lagging troops. Each company was divided into 9 special squads. Each special squad was equipped with one or two special shooters to block and harass the Japanese troops. Special shooters are responsible for shooting Japanese officers or non-commissioned officers, and the rest of the infantry are handed over to other brothers in the special squad. This combat method is very effective in blocking the Japanese 9th Division on the northern front. The Japanese 9th Division moves slowly. The casualties were huge, while the losses of our army were relatively small. The combat ratio once reached four per day, which not only dampened the morale of the Japanese army, but also boosted the morale of our army. In the battle against the Japanese army on the southern front, I also used this method. Special tactics, I hope can continue to play a role, but this time I met my opponent.
After receiving the report of the loss of his subordinate troops, Togo Shinpachiro discovered the secrets of the Chinese army through careful research and on-site observation. He hurriedly took measures and decided to adopt special versus special tactics and also use special shooters to fight against the Chinese army's special shooters.
Dongxiang divided a brigade of soldiers into nine squads. Each squad was divided into three squads. Each squad was equipped with three special shooters and did not carry machine guns in order to enhance mobility and movement speed. When advancing, a straight line push was used. Each squad was equipped with three special shooters. The three squads formed a tactical team and searched and advanced about 30 meters apart. Once the Chinese army blocked the attack, they immediately gathered three squads to attack one squad of the Chinese army. The three special shooters equipped in the Japanese squad could ensure that the Chinese army would After the special shooter opened fire, he discovered the opponent and suppressed and eliminated the Chinese special shooter. The special shooter is the core of the Chinese army squad. Once he is injured or killed, other soldiers will be unable to resist the Japanese attack, which far outnumbers them. They are in a fight-or-fight situation. However, due to the dilemma of being unable to escape, in just over a day of fighting, my special squad lost as many as 23 soldiers, which meant that 23 special shooters and more than 200 ordinary soldiers were killed or injured. Having lost their combat effectiveness, although the Japanese's losses were similar to those of our army, every person, every soldier and even every rifle in our army is extremely precious, and I cannot afford to waste it with the Japanese army.
