The reconnaissance team went deep into the Japanese-controlled area, focusing on the Lanling area. Zhuang Hailong discovered that the Japanese troops were frequently active in this area. There were always Japanese troops transporting supplies or pulling corpses on the highway. However, the Japanese troops who occupied Lanling did not build defenses. The fortifications show that their purpose here is not to hold on, but to ensure this supply base. I immediately informed Guan Linzheng, commander of the 52nd Army, of this important information. Guan Linzheng was very excited, because if his 52nd Army suddenly advanced to the front line of Lanling and caught the Japanese army by surprise, they could cut off the Japanese army's supply artery and effectively support the battle in Taierzhuang. He happily ran to the scene with the information. Next to the phone, he reported the intelligence to Tang Enbo and suggested that eight regiments of the 52nd Army attack with all their strength to capture Lanling. Tang Enbo disagreed with the 52nd Army's attack on Lanling. He ordered the 52nd Army to stay on guard and not to act without authorization. Guan Linzheng dropped the phone angrily.
Guan Linzheng said angrily: "This Tang Enbo is basically afraid of the enemy like a tiger. He doesn't want to chew bones and just wants to preserve his strength. Brother Wang, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's really that I can't do anything." I was speechless. These Yulin soldiers are so arrogant to me. They had learned this lesson as early as in their father's army. Now, with the Japanese invaders rampaging across the Central Plains, these people are still thinking not about how to kill the enemy for the country, but how to consume the strength of others and become powerful by themselves.
I returned to the regiment headquarters sadly. Wang Hongxian knew from the look on my face that this trip was not going to be good. He reminded me that I could ask Chief Li for instructions, or report directly to the Chairman. "Brother Hui, these are troubled times. Who doesn't want to preserve his strength and wait for the Japanese invaders to be defeated to fight for territory? Who is willing to remove chestnuts from the fire for others? I have seen through it. Northeast, North China, and East China have fallen into the hands of the Japanese invaders one after another. It is not that our army cannot defeat the opponent at all, it is actually the result of holding each other back to preserve our strength. In the battle of Jinan, the troops of Han Fuqu and Hu Zongnan were only 20 miles apart. No one informed the other, and they all turned back, leaving an empty city. If either side can hold on for a few days and wait for our backup to arrive, the Japanese army will not be defeated. It is a pity." I continued: "Every junior officer can execute orders quickly, and the battalion commander and commander The quality varies, but there are many outstanding people; as for those division commanders and army commanders, there is a big problem. They rarely supervise whether orders are implemented. Reports from the front line are reported to the higher level without verification, regardless of whether they are right or wrong." Wang Hongxian He said with emotion: "The Chairman of the Generalissimo told us privately that our generals are firstly cowardly. They come into contact with the enemy and leave after a little resistance. They are shameless, undisciplined, and disobeying orders. Secondly, they are hypocritical. The reports to the superiors are inaccurate, deceiving the military situation, and deceiving the superiors. Thirdly, it is corruption, smuggling for personal gain, and excessive debauchery.” We became more and more enthusiastic: “Our country’s generals are all professional soldiers who have nothing to do but lead troops to fight. It is their home, and our country does not have a good retirement system. Once they leave the army, they cannot survive. The central government uses various methods to eliminate them, and they also use various methods to save themselves. Usually on the front line, if they are afraid of being When the enemy attacks, we are afraid of being eaten by enemy troops, and what we are most afraid of is being disarmed by our friendly forces. In this case, the plan is not flawless, so why bother to fight?"
We lamented a lot, but we still had to report the actual battle situation to the Xuzhou Theater Command. After Li Zongren received my latest battle report, he immediately called Tang Enbo and asked him to immediately send troops to attack the Japanese army in Lanling and eliminate the Japanese supply channels. Tang Enbo was shocked. Fengyang disobeyed and apparently agreed, but still stood still. At this moment, the battle in Taierzhuang has entered a fierce state.
The Japanese army used 180 heavy artillery pieces to fire more than 10,000 artillery shells at the outer positions of Taierzhuang, destroying most of the defenses. The defenders were forced to withdraw into the village and started brutal street fighting with the Japanese army. The Chinese army set up anti-tank guns at the corner of the street and destroyed 6 Japanese tanks in a row. Listening to the screams of the tank crew on the intercom, the Japanese tank squadron leader Kumamoto became angry. His machine gun followed a Chinese infantryman. He got into a bungalow, and his bullets drilled hundreds of holes in one of the walls of the bungalow, until the house collapsed. He opened his mouth with a rat's beard and smiled, but then his smile solidified. On his face, because a native climbed up from the rubble, holding a bundle of grenades high in his hand. His last memory was the face of the Chinese soldier deformed with anger. There was a loud noise, and the Type 97 tank was exploded. The flames rolled in, and a violent explosion occurred inside. Countless fragments flew around, knocking down many Japanese infantry who could not avoid it.
Three Type 89 medium tanks fired with 45mm cannons while rolling over Chinese soldiers towards the building guarded by Squad 5. Below Squad 5 was a 45mm anti-tank gun supported by the Soviet Union. Its power was as powerful as that imported from Germany. The 37mm anti-tank gun is almost the same, but its close-range penetration capability is better than that of the 37-mm gun. The artillery squad’s strategy is to never fire until the last meter. Three medium tanks marched majestically on the street, and some Chinese soldiers shot Rifle machine gun bullets ricocheted off their armor, and several grenades exploded under their tracks, which had no effective effect. And their artillery and machine guns caused a lot of casualties to the Chinese army. Wherever their artillery fire touched, it was a mess. The Japanese tank crew in the tank laughed and fired unscrupulously.
Getting closer and closer, the soldiers of the artillery squad looked at the tanks getting closer and closer outside the small shooting port. The soldiers of the 5th squad upstairs also pointed their guns at them, ready to fire at any time. At the window next to them, the squad leader Cluster grenades being bundled. Among the three tanks, which one should be shot first? The gunner asked the gunner. The middle-aged gunner observed calmly for a while, "Don't worry, wait for them to pass in front of the building and hit the tracks and tractor pulleys of the last one. The armor there is It's the thinnest. It can be penetrated in one hit. Then hit the two tanks in front. Their tank guns can't hit us at this distance. We can destroy their turrets calmly. Follow my order and fire." Soon, this Three tanks arrived in front of the building. Half of the building had collapsed. The tank soldiers in the tanks did not pay attention to it. Bullets fired by the Chinese army from other directions attracted their attention. The gunner looked at the increasingly larger outline of the tank in the scope. In fact, at this distance, there was no need for a scope at all, and the target could be hit by direct shooting. He aimed the muzzle at the tractor pulley in the middle of the last tank and waited anxiously for the gunner's order. "Fire." The gunner shouted hastily, and the gunner hurriedly pulled the gun rope of the anti-tank gun. The shell flew less than 20 meters and hit the middle pulley of the Japanese tank. It got in effortlessly, and the warhead It flew around inside, tearing the torque steel pipes and brackets into pieces. A thick smoke came out from all around the tank. The tank suddenly stopped. The tank soldiers inside the tank screamed and opened the hatch cover to escape. As soon as the two tank soldiers jumped onto the car body, they were knocked down by the soldiers of Squad 5. The others did not dare to jump out, but turned the turret to shoot the anti-tank gun. However, due to insufficient depression angle, its tank gun could not fire at all. Unable to shoot at the half-buried anti-tank gun, the soldiers in the artillery squad adjusted the muzzle and aimed at the first tank in front of them who didn't know anything yet. Bang bang, two shells penetrated its body. This tank also lost its ability to walk, squeezing the Type 89 tank in the middle. It could neither advance nor retreat. The key was that it had no idea where the shells were coming from. A soldier from the 5th squad suddenly stood up and threw a bundle of cluster grenades onto the rear body of the tank. There was a loud noise, and its engine was blown up. Thick smoke and fire spurted out from every gap in the tank, and the tank crew screamed. They tried to open the hatch cover, but the hatch cover was severely deformed and could not be opened at all. They were mercilessly devoured by the fire, and the smell of burning human bodies suffocated the soldiers in the gun squad. The Japanese tanks were unable to move. The soldiers of the artillery squad fired their turrets one by one with steady fire. The Japanese infantry following the tanks were hit by bullets from all directions. More than half of them fell to the ground after being shot. The rest fled back to the starting position in embarrassment. Another group of Japanese cavalry was also fought back by the Chinese army. Relying on street fighting, the Chinese army killed 600 Japanese soldiers, injured more than 1,000 people, and destroyed 11 tanks in one day on the 28th. The Li-Guang Alliance's fighter jets also shot down 5 attempts to bomb. Japanese bombers on my pontoon.
