The night was getting dark, and night covered the entire sky.
While Zhang Tianhai was chewing on a piece of hard dough, the captain of the Japanese 58th Regiment, Mizusaburo Shinoda, received an order from the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Tatehei, to assemble.
Like other regiments, the 58th Regiment is also composed of officers and soldiers from one place. They come from Takata Prefecture, a county that can be said to be very close to Tokyo geographically.
Mizusaburo Shinoda is no exception. He is also an officer from Takata, but he comes from a prominent family in Takata County - the Shinoda family. He is the backbone of the new generation of the family. He is only 32 years old. Being able to serve as a captain is already quite impressive. Not bad.
“Everyone gather!!!”
With the sharp whistles and the shouts of officers at all levels, although the Takata Regiment has been beaten to only one-third of its people, it still cannot change the fact that the Takata Regiment is in order and fights very fiercely. , after all, they are also part of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army. You must know that the 13th Division is also a standing division with very fierce combat effectiveness!
Regarding the order to attack the north bank of the Suzhou River, Shinoda Mizusaburo didn't think there was any problem. There were more than 1,100 people. In addition to the more than 200 people assigned to protect the artillery positions, it was impossible for the 900 people to defeat Suzhou and Hebei. Shore, after all, the people from the Imperial High School had a detailed understanding of the nearby terrain before this.
"Warriors, the time has come to make great achievements! Let's go!"
Following Mizusaburo Shinoda's order, the remaining troops of the Japanese 58th Regiment set off to the battlefield.
At this time, Zhang Tianhai returned to the camp and fell asleep. He was recuperating his strength. There was still big action tonight. Without sufficient physical strength, he would not be able to do anything.
As night fell, the battlefield that had been fought fiercely for a day began to pause briefly. It was not known whether this was the calm before the storm or the rest before the big battle the next day.
Of course, the lull in the battle refers to both sides fighting on the front line. The logistics troops did not stop. In addition to the logistics troops, there were also Japanese artillery units, especially the artillery regiment of the 13th Division!
Artillery, as the weapon with the greatest destructive power in this war, the erection of artillery positions is particularly important. The artillery wing of the 13th Division arranged artillery positions in a small group in advance. Anyone with a discerning eye can think of the next move of the Japanese army. target of attack.
As for the defense of the big field, Ogisu Rihei has already prepared it. Now all he has to do is to penetrate the "pincer" of the offensive momentum, hit it hard and secure it!
Although he has the absolute advantage of sea, land and air artillery fire, these advantages are equivalent to nothing at night, and it is too close to the forward position, so the captain of the team, Shinoda Yao, seems to be extra cautious, and does not turn on the headlights. Moving by the light of flashlights, loading and unloading field guns.
Thirty-six 75mm caliber field guns were lined up one after another. This was the entire property of the 13th Division Artillery Regiment. Looking at the more than 200 soldiers standing guard a few hundred meters away, Shinoda Yao's eyelids twitched a little. , he had an ominous premonition.
"Perhaps the division commander usually sends more troops to protect our artillery, so he only sent so many people here. Besides, the artillery of the empire is not just paper, right?" Shinoda Yao could only do this. I comfort myself like this. I have no choice. If the division and regiment headquarters can still send troops, it is absolutely impossible to send a field artillery regiment to such a dangerous place. Moreover, there is not much protection force, and only a squadron of troops is sent. .
Indeed, Shinoda Yao's worry was not completely unreasonable. The artillery was usually placed in a relatively safe area. Although the time spent was only one night, he was still worried.
"Yamamoto-kun, order the troops to strengthen patrols!" Since you can't change the will of your superiors, you can only strengthen yourself, and that's all Shinoda Yao can do.
…
Just when Shinoda Yao gave the order, an unexpected person appeared at the 69th Army headquarters.
Ruan Zhaochang, the commander of the 69th Army, was sitting upright on a chair at the temporary headquarters, with two shining general stars hanging on his collar. At this time, standing in front of him was a young man wearing a goose-green uniform of the Central Army. , I saw that this young Central Army officer was about 1.7 meters tall, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses hung on his handsome and elegant face, which made him look even more elegant.
This is a Confucian general! This is Ruan Zhaochang's evaluation of the young man in front of him.
Ruan Zhaochang is 47 years old this year. As an old Beiyang man, he has experienced a lot. Originally, he, the lieutenant general, should not have personally received such a young lieutenant colonel, but the person opposite him was the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He is the lieutenant colonel of the 36th Division of the Army. The 36th Division is a direct descendant of the direct lineage, so I have to give him this respect.
"Hello, sir, my humble position is Fang Ren, Chief of Staff of the 216th Regiment of the 36th Division. I have met Commander Ruan." Fang Ren gave a military salute, which was very formal. The Central Army's military regulations are very strict, and there is no modern television The pictures in it are so arrogant, and if there are any, they are just a few high-ranking officers.
"May I ask if Commander Song of your army sent you here?" Ruan Zhaochang didn't hesitate and got straight to the point.
Fang Ren didn't confirm, but he didn't deny either. He just said lightly: "I'm here to tell Commander Ruan that tonight is the best time to take back the field."
"Oh? What do you mean by this?" Looking at Fang Ren's attitude, Ruan Zhaochang was a little confused about his trump card.
"Tonight our army will launch a fierce counterattack against the Japanese army. If Commander Ruan is interested, we can fight him together." Fang Ren's lips slightly raised, as if he was confident.
Hearing this, Ruan Zhaochang leaned forward slightly with his strong body, put his elbows on the table, and said with great interest: "Is your commander Song's tone so loud? As far as I know, you are the only thirty-sixth soldier in your army." Division, and there is also a regiment in the north direction of Xinjing. You only have two or three regiments against the sky, so you dare to launch a fierce counterattack against the Japanese army?"
Fang Ren smiled contemptuously and said: "That's not necessarily the case. Our Thirty-sixth Division defended Jiangwan for two months and fought for only two months. It's not like some troops can defend Jiangwan in two months. The game is lost. If Chief Ruan wants to take a gamble with us, we welcome it; if Chief Ruan wants the 69th Army to be nailed to the pillar of shame forever for not contributing to the anti-Japanese war, there is nothing to say about this humble position. Farewell."
After saying that, Fang Ren turned around and left the 69th Army headquarters immediately.
Ruan Zhaochang's face was filled with uncertainty, but he finally called out to Fang Ren: "Wait... I'll make a bet with you and leave the combat mission to us!"
But Ruan Zhaochang didn't see the smile on the corner of Fang Ren's mouth - the matter was now half done.
…
PS: Well, I never dreamed that I would update twice every day these days!
