Qiao Yi took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety in his heart.
It was clear that the only people in Ren City were the defeated troops of the National Army and the Central Army. How did they achieve such a record?
In other words, if this group of defeated soldiers were really capable of fighting, why would they be chased like rabbits by the imperial army?
"Who is the commander of this unit?" Qiao Yi suddenly asked.
In his view, when a unit suddenly gains combat effectiveness, it must be inextricably linked to its commander.
"Replying to your Excellency, the commander of the regiment, there is no news about the commander in the city yet." The Japanese soldier paused and said: "According to what we pointed out, there is no well-known commander in Rencheng.
Even if there are, at most they are just some battalion commanders and company commanders..."
After talking about it, the little devil's voice became smaller and smaller.
Not long ago, the fierce imperial army was defeated by officer An Xie.
Miyazuke Yusuke said solemnly: "The commanding ability of that guy in the city is indeed extraordinary. He was able to change their decadent morale in a short period of time.
This guy cannot be an ordinary officer. Perhaps he has already made a name for himself in Shanxi and has a very high prestige, so those Chinese soldiers will obey his orders."
Qiao Yi nodded with deep approval.
Remaining soldiers from various armies gathered in Rencheng, and it was really difficult for ordinary commanders to suppress them.
"But the problem is that officers above the regiment level who can be ranked in Shanxi have no possibility of going to Rencheng." Qiao Yi said.
"According to the information we have received, officers with this ability will basically not go to an unstable place like Rencheng."
"In any case, it could be the Eighth Route Army." After thinking for a long time, but still unable to figure out the clue, Miyazuke Yusuke made a random guess.
He never imagined that this random guess was the absolutely correct answer.
"Impossible, this is simply impossible!" Zuojian Qiao Yi immediately denied it and said with an ashen face: "How could a group of national troops obey the command of an Eighth Route Army officer?
Even officers of the National Army, let alone the Eighth Route Army, found it difficult to unite these soldiers from various remnants of the army."
"No matter who is in this force, it doesn't matter anymore." Yusuke Miyazuke said with a dark face: "We must resolve the battle quickly and continue to move forward.
Time will never allow us to waste too much time here. As long as we attack Ren City, we will naturally know that we are commanding this battle!"
"That's right, we have to hurry up and prepare to fight!" Qiao Yi said coldly.
"Sakuma-kun, I suggest using heavy artillery to blow the city into ruins!" Yuksuke Miyazuke raised his wrist, looked at the time, and grinned.
"No!" Qiao Yi said sternly: "We can't do this?"
"Sakuma-kun, please give me a reason. Although we are fighting together, it does not mean that I have to obey your arrangements." Miyazuke Yusuke said coldly.
"If you can't give me a suitable excuse, I will directly order the temporary artillery unit to launch an artillery bombardment against Rencheng!
I don’t believe that those guys can survive the intensive artillery bombardment!”
Sakuma Qiaoyi said: "It is no longer the early stage of the battle, and we do not need to destroy a county.
Moreover, the geographical location of Rencheng is also very important. It is a qualified technical secondary school station. In particular, we need Rencheng to develop our economy and create a steady stream of military expenditures.
What we need is not a dilapidated Rencheng, but a Rencheng that can be restored to normal operation in a very short time once it is taken over!"
After a pause, Sakuma Qiao Yi continued: "Have you forgotten what the division commander said to us before we set off?"
Miyasuke Yusuke fell into memories.
simply put.
Before leaving, the commander of the 33rd Division, Shozo Sakurai, hinted to the two of them that they must ensure the city's recovery capabilities, especially its transportation capabilities.
If Rencheng was gone, they would have to travel at least a hundred kilometers if they wanted to transport supplies, which would be too time-consuming.
And once Rencheng loses its transportation, one can imagine the future economy.
Destroy any city...
If Rencheng was captured in this way, it is estimated that Miyazuke Yusuke would also be shot in this way.
Even so, Miyasuke Yusuke still said stubbornly: "Sakuma-kun, do you have any better way?
The commander on the opposite side obviously has excellent commanding ability. If we don’t change our tactics, it won’t be long before our two regiments will all be crushed in Rencheng!”
"Gong Xiejun, have you forgotten that the leader of the third master division will also be in Rencheng to command the battle." Zuma Qiao Yi said coldly.
"Is it possible that when he arrives, he will see a dilapidated and useless city?"
"This..." Gong Xingsuke was speechless.
Only then did he remember why he and Zuoma Qiaoyi had come here, other than to assist the Third Master Division in fighting.
"Then what do you think we should do?" Gong Xingsuke asked the question to Sakuma Qiaoyi.
Hearing this, Qiao Yi was also in a dilemma.
If we want to capture Rencheng, we will probably have to fight to the death.
Otherwise, we can only use the human sea tactic to consume the supplies of the defenders in the city and wait for them to run out of ammunition and food.
But the crux of the problem is that they have no idea how much supplies are left in Rencheng and how long they will be enough for the Chinese army.
There are also more important questions.
Their operation this time was to assist the Mikami Division, and their mission this time was to smoothly allow Shinji Mikami to settle in Rencheng so that he could have a place to command.
If they fail to complete this task on time, the consequences will be unbearable for them.
"Mr. Gong Xie, why don't we send two more infantry squadrons to charge again." Qiao Yi said coldly: "The four squadrons already have the strength of a large group.
Maybe it was just a flashback of the Chinese army before, because they were fighting for their lives, so they fought very bravely."
Miyazuke Yusuke thought for a while, nodded and said: "Okay, Sakuma-kun, I will do as you wish!"
After a pause, he asked again: "What if we never win Rencheng?"
"If we can't take it, the enemy won't even think about getting Rencheng. I will directly ask the division commander for orders to turn Rencheng into ruins!" Qiao Yi Zuoma said with a fierce look in his eyes.
As the battle order is issued.
The Japanese army launched another attack.
It was the same old routine as before, the artillery started bombing, and the infantry waited for the charge.
Because of the tanks lost before, the Japanese army did not dare to dispatch tanks easily this time.
Although most of these tanks were captured by them from the national army, they lacked tanks.
The reason for the lack is because Ding Wei and others attacked the Japanese army's transport train, causing the Japanese army and others to suffer heavy losses. Otherwise, this war would have been a stalemate and it would have been more difficult to fight.
These tanks should be used in more appropriate places instead of being used in unnecessary charges.
Back to the battlefield.
Muffled sounds appeared on the Japanese artillery positions, and various artillery pieces were blasting shells towards Rencheng.
Rows and rows of artillery shells made a piercing scream and hit Rencheng, and the rumbling explosions resounded throughout the city.
The houses immediately collapsed amidst the roar and turned into ruins. The Japanese were also frightened.
Unable to suppress the attacks from both sides, they luckily used the clumsiest method to directly blow up the hiding place of the ambush troops.
Your fortifications are gone, so why are you fighting with me?
The devil took it for granted.
Rencheng Provisional Headquarters.
As the strongest building in Ren City, although it was not destroyed by artillery shells, the rumbling explosions outside made the people in the headquarters feel tight in their chests.
Through the observation port of the command headquarters, one can clearly see that explosion fires are shining everywhere in Rencheng, and the flames spread into sheets and turned into a sea of fire.
The temperature in the city rose rapidly, and almost everyone was sweating profusely.
Although the Japanese bombing seemed intensive, fortunately the defenders in the city were relatively dispersed, so they did not cause too many casualties.
This can be considered a blessing among misfortunes.
This time the Japanese were also smarter. When bombing civilian houses, they would also bomb the streets.
Some booby traps placed on the streets were also detonated.
To put it simply, the booby traps that originally posed some threat to the Japanese chariots have been forcibly removed by the Japanese.
If the Japanese send chariots out again, it will be difficult for them to deal with it.
"Commander Ding, are the Japs crazy?" Heipi said in surprise: "Looking at their posture, they want to eat us all at once."
"The little devils have gone crazy a long time ago, otherwise they wouldn't do such things of invading others." Ding Wei said in a deep voice.
"If you want to eat us in one bite, you won't even check if you are the right one. Not to mention a Japanese, even if you are the Lord of Hell, I will shave off a few of his beards."
What a joke, I went from squad leader to team leader, what kind of devil have I not seen?
Ding Wei's words were very encouraging. The temporary staff officer, who had been a little flustered by the artillery fire outside, now felt much more stable.
I don't know why, even though Ding Wei is in the Eighth Route Army, when he directs the battle, they feel very at ease and have full confidence in Ding Wei.
This bombing lasted for more than ten minutes. When the sound of artillery in Rencheng gradually weakened and the explosion range became farther and farther away, Ding Wei understood that the Japanese attack was coming.
"Pass my order, everyone is here, prepare to fight." Ding Wei said solemnly: "The little devil is ready to come up!"
"Yes!" Heipi stood up and ran down quickly.
Chi Yunfeng walked quickly to Ding Wei and said in a deep voice: "I just took a look and found that the Japanese are smarter this time and most of the booby traps on the streets have been destroyed.
If the Japanese send chariots again, I’m afraid we won’t be able to defend ourselves at all…”
"Can't prevent it?" A sneer appeared at the corner of Ding Wei's mouth: "Don't tell me, I'm not worried at all that they won't send chariots, but I'm worried that they won't send chariots to attack."
"What the hell, are you crazy?" Chi Yunfeng said in surprise: "Commander Ding, we have nothing that can stop the Japanese tanks.
Just rely on machine guns? Once the machine guns here are fired, we will have to be taken care of by tanks over there."
"I know." Ding Wei said with a smile.
Chi Yunfeng felt that Ding Wei was a little overconfident and reminded: "I want to tell you that except for anti-tank guns, we currently don't have any weapons that can counter them."
"That was what happened before you met me." Ding Wei sneered and said, "I have plenty of ways to deal with these devils."
"What can you do, just with these buildings?" Chi Yunfeng was a little worried.
"Molotov cocktail." Ding Wei said in a deep voice.
"Molotov cocktail?" Chi Yunfeng was a little confused: "What kind of equipment is this? Why have I never heard of it?"
It's not surprising that Chi Yunfeng has never heard of it. After all, he has never gone abroad to study, and he usually studies very systematic things.
Moreover, when Chi Yunfeng graduated, there was no concept of Molotov cocktails.
The country has been reduced to a mess, and how many people are concerned about the battlefields abroad? At most, they are concerned about the emergence of new equipment and new artillery.
Molotov cocktails had already been put into use during the Spanish Civil War, and often had unexpected effects against light tanks.
During World War II, all parties involved in the war used Molotov cocktails as defensive weapons. They were particularly effective in blocking light tanks.
Especially as a defender, Molotov cocktails can work wonders.
The Japanese army is all light tanks. Wherever there are big tanks like the Tiger, it is just right to use Molotov cocktails to deal with these tanks.
The bottom of a tank is often the weakest in defense. When the incendiary bottle burns on the tank body, the flammable liquid will flow down through the gaps.
Sudden high temperatures can directly cause the tank's oil cylinder to explode.
Tanks are not flexible enough to deal with Molotov cocktails and can easily fall into a passive position once they encounter them. This is one of the reasons why Molotov cocktails became a successful weapon at the time.
Once the incendiary bottle hits the tank body, the tank will have no backhand power.
Ding Wei briefly explained the effect of Molotov cocktails on the battlefield.
"I admire you. I admire you, Chi. I didn't expect you to actually care about foreign battlefields." Chi Yunfeng said with sincere admiration.
"If you want to win the war, you must understand all aspects." Ding Wei said casually: "Learning from other people's successes and improving them is the key to victory."
After a pause, Ding Wei continued: "To give you the simplest example, if I didn't know that incendiary bottles have been used on foreign battlefields, then we would have no way to deal with tanks.
We can only get beaten here and wait for the Japanese to surround us. Let alone retreat, let’s burn incense if we can find the whole body.”
Chi Yunfeng was amused by Ding Wei's words and said: "Commander Ding, tell me what to do, and I will go down and make arrangements."
The structure of the Molotov cocktail is very simple.
It is a combustion bottle used in glass bottles and other containers to hold combustion accelerants such as gasoline, phosphorus, aluminum, and engine oil.
Soon, a sample was made.
"Is this thing really useful?" Chi Yunfeng weighed the glass bottle in his hand.
The bottle is half full of liquid, according to the ratio given by Ding Wei.
Kerosene, or a liquid mixture of two-thirds gasoline and one-third oil, or methanol or ethanol, use whatever you have around.
The battle situation was urgent, and Ding Wei didn't bother to allocate it. Anyway, the final effect was the same.
The mouth of the bottle was plugged with something to ensure it was airtight, and a piece of cloth soaked in flammable liquid was tied as a primer.
The bottle in Chi Yunfeng's hand has the words Shanxi Laofen Liquor written on it. It doesn't look like a murder weapon.
If it weren't for the aluminum flakes floating up and down in the liquid, Chi Yunfeng would have thought it was a bottle of liquor.
At this moment, many soldiers in the headquarters are busy making Molotov cocktails. Dozens of them have been made. They are also skeptical about the combat effectiveness of these bottles.
Ding Wei didn't explain anything either, he always saved the surprise until the end. When they saw the power of the Molotov cocktail with their own eyes, they would be stunned by the power of the Molotov cocktail.
From the beginning, Ding Wei had calculated this. When the Japanese were already in the city and nothing could threaten the tank, the biggest threat was waiting for them!