Datong.
1st Division Headquarters.
More than half an hour later, the telegram from the 1st Division was sent to the North China Front Army Headquarters.
The communications captain quickly walked into the division headquarters and immediately reported to Mitsuo Nakazawa: "Report to the division commander and commander of the North China Front, General Okamura Neiji, for a call back!"
Oh, General Neiji Okamura, commander of the North China Front, finally replied.
Mitsuo Nakazawa's expression perked up and he said, "Read it!"
The chief of staff on the side, Yoshio Noguchi, also quickly perked up his ears.
This telegram is likely to affect the life and death of the 1st Division.
"Hi!" the communications captain read while holding the telegram, "The North China Front Army Headquarters has sent a reconnaissance plane to conduct reconnaissance on the highway from northwest Shanxi to Datong. Your troops immediately eliminate the Eighth Route Army cavalry outside the north of the city and keep the northward turning channel open. North China Front Commander Neiji Okamura, His Majesty the Emperor is on board, and the Imperial Japanese Locust Army is on board!"
Mitsuo Nakazawa frowned slightly. The telegram sent by General Okamura Neji was actually not a telegram transferred to Mongolia.
But after thinking about it, Mitsuo Nakazawa could understand.
After all, the enemy situation is unknown now, so it is indeed a pity to abandon the important military town of Datong like this.
As long as the 1st Division keeps the passage to the north open, even if the main force of the new Eighth Route Army regiment is moving towards Datong, the 1st Division can easily withdraw.
At that moment, Mitsuo Nakazawa looked at Chief of Staff Yoshio Noguchi and asked: "Noguchi-san, how many troops are there in the Eighth Route Army cavalry outside the north of the city now?"
"There are about 400 people." Noguchi Yoshio immediately replied, "They are building a position outside the north of the city, about 2 kilometers away from the city wall."
Mitsuo Nakazawa snorted coldly and said in a disdainful tone: "The Eighth Route Army is still doing the same thing. It only uses a few hundred cavalry to trap the Locust Army in Datong City. We are not those idiots from the 3rd Brigade. We are the 1st Army of the Japanese Empire." Division, the most elite unit. Mr. Noguchi, immediately order the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Suzuki Regiment to eliminate this group of Eighth Route Army cavalry."
"Hi!"
Chief of Staff Yoshio Noguchi lowered his head, turned and walked towards the phone.
…
Outside Beicheng.
Japanese Suzuki Regiment, 1st Infantry Battalion Headquarters.
Lieutenant Colonel Hidehachi Fujita, captain of the 1st Infantry Battalion, was standing on the ladder, holding a telescope and looking at the Eighth Route Army position opposite.
The Suzuki Regiment has been reorganized, with one-third of its soldiers and officers, and is the main force of the original 1st Division.
And Hidehachi Fujita was one of the few captains who managed to escape from the ambush of the New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army.
The captain of the 1st Division basically has the rank of lieutenant colonel, and his tactical command ability is much stronger than that of the captain of the second division.
Captain Fujita Hidehachi was like most Japanese military officers of that era. He was not tall, but had bow legs and a strong body. His neck was about the same thickness as his head.
His face had the usual expression of a Japanese officer, cold and resolute.
Before being ambushed by the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi, Fujita Hidehachi was a samurai ready to sacrifice his life for His Majesty the Emperor.
But after escaping from death that time, Fujita Hidehachi changed his mind. Life is his own, and only by living can he make contributions to His Majesty the Emperor.
He saw with his own eyes thousands of soldiers of the 1st Division died tragically under the artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army.
In that battle, the dense density of artillery fire left a painful memory on Fujita Hidehachi that can never be erased like a brand.
In the field of vision of the telescope, the Eighth Route Army cavalry was carrying rifles and wielding shovels and hoes, sweating profusely. In just over half an hour, the Eighth Route Army had already dug a trench nearly 1 meter deep.
"Captain, why haven't you attacked the Eighth Route Army yet?"
A squadron leader ran over and asked Fujita Hidehachi:
"Only the Eighth Route Army, our 1st Infantry Brigade, wiped out the Eighth Route Army with one charge."
Fujita Hidehachi's tone and expression remained unchanged: "Matsuo-kun, please be patient. I have not received the order from the commander."
Matsuo Harushige said: "But our soldiers are ready to attack!"
Ding ding ding, ding ding ding, ding ding ding——
The phone on the table rang. Fujita Shuhachi turned around and picked up the phone: "Moxi Moxi, this is the 1st Infantry Battalion!"
Colonel Suzuki's voice rang on the phone: "Fujita-kun!"
Fujita Hidehachi straightened his body first and subconsciously made a pause: "Hi!"
Colonel Suzuki's voice was emotionless: "The division commander has just issued an order, ordering your troops to immediately eliminate the Eighth Route Army cavalry outside Beicheng and open up a channel for our 1st Division to turn north."
"Hi!" Fujita Hidehachi said, "Your Excellency, Captain, please give me half an hour. Our 1st Infantry Battalion will definitely cut off the heads of all the Eighth Route Cavalry outside the north of the city!"
After finishing speaking, Fujita Hidehachi hung up the phone with a bang.
Then, Hidehachi Fujita walked to the window, whipped out his command saber, and pointed forward: "Give me the order to fire on the Eighth Route Army cavalry!"
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
The Japanese army's four Type 92 infantry guns and four Type 97 mortars that had been prepared were ready to fire.
First, a Type 92 infantry gun and a Type 97 mortar fired test shells.
The artillery shell exploded near the Eighth Route Army cavalry position, raising several clouds of mud and mist.
After three test firings, the Japanese artillery had determined to shoot Zhu Yuan, and then opened fire with full firepower, pouring relatively dense artillery shells towards the Eighth Route Army cavalry positions.
The two artillery regiments of the 1st Division were completely lost in an ambush by the Eighth Route Army of Northwestern Shanxi.
Therefore, the current 1st Division no longer has mountain artillery and field artillery, but only 20 150mm cannons and 10 240mm heavy howitzers.
but.
To deal with the Eighth Route Army's cavalry troops, which numbered only more than 400 people, the 1st Division did not need to use 150mm cannons and 240mm heavy howitzers.
The Eighth Route Army cavalry was not to be outdone, with 60mm mortars and 82mm mortars firing on all cylinders.
The artillery on both sides poured shells on the other side's position.
However, the Japanese army's positions were very complete, with complete civil fortifications and artillery holes.
Unless a 75mm mountain gun or a 105mm howitzer is used, the Japanese defenses can be destroyed.
The 82mm and 60mm mortars on the Eighth Route Army's side caused very little casualties to Japanese soldiers.
However, the Japanese Type 92 infantry artillery and Type 97 mortars caused considerable casualties to the Eighth Route Army cavalry.
After ten minutes of shelling, Fujita Hidehachi looked at the dense craters and the piles of Eighth Route Army corpses in the field of telescope, and smiled with satisfaction.
"Yoshi!"
"Order all soldiers of the 1st Infantry Group to attack!"
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
Fujita Hidehachi waved the Lieutenant Colonel's command sword and pointed suddenly towards the Eighth Route Army position ahead.
More than a thousand Japs soldiers from the First Infantry Brigade immediately rushed out of the trenches, holding bayonets in their hands, and rushed towards the position that the Eighth Route Army had not yet established.
The Japanese soldiers used their best pig charge.
The positions of the two sides are about 1 kilometer apart.
However, at this time, the Japanese artillery continued to fire at the independent regiment's cavalry positions.
Although they are cavalry, the cavalry of the Independent Regiment, like the cavalry of the New Regiment, are light cavalry. They can dismount and fight on foot as well as mounted.
Since they were trying to block the Japanese army's escape to the north, the cavalry of the independent regiment dismounted and fought on foot.
The Japanese's light and heavy machine gunners were on the flanks. After entering the machine gun range, they set up the Type 96 light machine gun and the Type 92 heavy machine gun and poured firepower towards the Eighth Route Army's cavalry positions.
The firepower composed of artillery and light and heavy machine guns overwhelmed the cavalry on the Eighth Route Army position so that they could not lift their heads.
Fujita Hidehachi, who was in the field of vision of the telescope, saw this scene with a proud and confident smile on his face.
At this time, the Eighth Route Army cavalry withdrew from their position, returned to the position of the horse pile, mounted their horses and fled, still able to save the lives of some of the cavalry.
But the Eighth Route Army cavalry obviously chose to resist to the end, and they would only be wiped out.
No matter in terms of military strength or firepower, our own infantry brigade is no worse than the Eighth Route Army cavalry opposite.
Because he was afraid of death, Fujita Hidehachi did not personally participate in the charge. Instead, he charged with officers and soldiers watching him from the command post.
Seeing that he was almost done, the corners of Fujita Hidehachi's mouth curved upward, and his expression became more and more proud and confident.
Just when Hidehachi Fujita thought that these Eighth Route Army soldiers were dead, something unexpected happened!
In the field of view of Fujita Hidehachi's telescope, something seemed to fall towards the position of his soldiers.
Before he could react, a huge explosion appeared in the field of view of the telescope, and the sound of explosions like landslides and earth-shattering came almost simultaneously.
At this time, the charge of Japanese officers and soldiers was only halfway through.
However, this had just begun. Continuous artillery shells fell towards the charging Japanese army.
Boom boom boom boom boom…
Suddenly, accompanied by continuous explosions, circles of blazing orange-red fireballs rose up in the continuous explosions like landslides and ground cracks, and huge clouds of mud mist and gunpowder smoke filled the air.
The location of the Japanese soldiers was immediately shrouded in fireballs and smoke, and was submerged in the flames.
This is 12 Katyusha rocket launchers firing at Japanese soldiers.
192 rockets, equivalent to the power of Soviet 152mm high-explosive grenades, directly covered the charging Japanese soldiers with a round of artillery fire.
Covered by a round of artillery fire, a large group of Japanese soldiers disappeared without a trace.
"Nani?"
In the Japanese military headquarters outside the city, Hidehachi Fujita looked at the scene in the telescope in front of him and was completely stunned.
More than 1,000 elite soldiers in one of his brigade were almost torn to pieces by artillery fire in less than half a minute.
Only a dozen or so machine gunners on the flanks were left and fled back in despair.
"idiot!"
It took a while for Fujita Hidehachi to recover from the shock.
The artillery firepower of the new Eighth Route Army regiment has been strengthened again!
Fujita Hidehachi ordered in a panic: "Turn back to the city, fast!"
If the Eighth Route Army were to cover the Japanese positions outside the city with another round of heavy artillery fire, everyone would die.
This is at least the heavy artillery firepower of an artillery division. Each cannon has a caliber of 150 mm cannon!
At that moment, Fujita Hidehachi and the remaining Japanese soldiers fled into the city in despair.
Watching a group of Japanese soldiers feeding rockets, compared to the embarrassment of the Japanese soldiers, the cavalry soldiers of the independent regiment opposite were smiling.
"retreat!"
Huang Zhiyong ordered loudly.
If we don't retreat, the Japanese 150mm and 240mm artillery shells will hit our heads.
Under the order of Battalion Commander Huang Zhiyong, the cavalry soldiers immediately took the wounded and headed towards the horse pile.
(End of chapter)
