The night battle is not the first time for the Chinese and Japanese armies that are facing each other.
Whether you are in North China or Southeast China, fighting at night is inevitable.
But those were basically battles involving small groups of troops coming into contact with each other in the dark. A large-scale night battle involving a total of more than 2,000 troops from both sides would be an experience that both sides would rarely have.
Ordinary Japanese soldiers may feel that it was their Lieutenant General's division commander who was cruel and cruel, driving them to die, but for senior officers from both China and Japan, Suematsu Shigeharu's move was extremely cruel, but when used at the moment, it was the most effective one.
Good plan.
Because Songjiang must be conquered, otherwise the main force of the Japanese army will not be able to pass the road beside Songjiang City. In this case, a dangerous place like Cangcheng will have to be attacked sooner or later, so why wait until tomorrow daylight?
Suematsu Shigeharu did not intend to give the Matsue defenders another night, which would only make their fortifications stronger and stronger. The Cangcheng defenders were able to maintain strong combat effectiveness under such fierce artillery fire, naturally because of their
Fortifications to avoid artillery fire were built in Cangcheng.
Therefore, after the lieutenant general division commander inspected the front line of Cangcheng, he immediately ordered to continue the attack.
Only this time, not only was the 1st Infantry Brigade, which had a bloody encounter in front of Cangcheng in the evening, another infantry brigade, nearly 1,500 infantrymen and 600 to 700 various auxiliary units were dispatched.
Of course, before the infantry attack, it was the Japanese army's conventional tactics that had the advantage of artillery.
Using artillery to destroy the opponent's positions and fortifications and pave the way for infantry is the first choice for any army with firepower superiority. Artillery proved their status as the god of war as early as World War I.
But this is exactly the shortcoming of the Chinese Army at this time.
The ability to drag the war into a quagmire-like overtime was entirely achieved at the cost of huge sacrifices.
Dozens of cannonballs screamed and drew fiery red trails in the sky. From a distance, they looked like a meteor shower.
Hidden in the splendor is the grim smile of death.
The Cangcheng defenders keenly sensed that something was wrong as early as the Japanese infantry retreated backwards. Except for the observation post, everyone hid in the bullet hole.
Cannonballs continued to explode inside and outside Cangcheng, and the bursting fire illuminated the originally dark night sky as bright as day.
The shells hit by the 105 howitzer and the destroyer 127 gun were like a giant sledgehammer, shaking the entire city of Cang.
In other words, the area within one kilometer of Cangcheng was trembling.
The security forces hiding in the residential area looked pale as Cangcheng, which was only a few hundred meters away, was shaking under the gunfire.
The rabbit dies and the fox is sad!
Of course they knew that when the Japanese army finished solving Cangcheng, it would be their turn soon. Let alone the Japanese infantry attack, just with such a round of artillery fire, there was no telling how many people could walk out of this area alive.
Many weak-willed people were already in a state of extreme collapse after the afternoon bombing. Seeing this hellish scene again was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
In the invisible darkness, countless people encouraged their commanders to escape.
As a security force who has never experienced a war, it is actually quite good from a humanistic point of view to be able to persist until now after experiencing an artillery bombardment in the evening without completely collapsing.
If Tang Dao were here, he would definitely praise them.
However, when dozens of artillery were concentrated on Cangcheng, the fireballs and the shaking of the earth were beyond the limits of what many people could bear.
They want to escape before the position they are in is about to become a hell.
It’s just that these ordinary people are not stupid. They can only run to the city if they know they want to run. If they leave this area and go to the wilderness, they will definitely be caught by the Japanese like mice, and they will definitely be dead.
But when they ran to the city, if they didn't have a taller person to take the lead, they also knew that it was wartime, so chopping off a bunch of heads from Commissioner Wang, who could kill his own cousin with one shot, would definitely fit his current character as a madman.
Just like that, the situation in Cangcheng was still in dire straits, and many members of the Matsue Security Group in the residential area were frightened by Suematsu Shigeharu's move.
Several squad leaders joined together to encourage the platoon leader, who in turn encouraged the company commander, and dozens of people carrying guns approached Zhuang Shisan, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Security Regiment.
As the commander of the first battalion, in the absence of Wang Gongyu, who is also the commander of the security group, he is almost the first commander of the security group, although in fact, the three battalion commanders each have their own security battalion defense and are responsible for each.
Area.
Normally, the three battalion commanders do not deal with each other, which can be regarded as a method under Wang Gongyu's rule.
At this time, everyone is basically fighting on their own, and they only need to obey the orders of Wang Gongyu in the city.
Zhuang Shisan didn't have much ability. He mainly relied on his brother-in-law's wealth, enough support for Commissioner Wang, and his ability to figure out his boss's thoughts. However, he was promoted to the position of battalion commander in three or four years. The two of them were originally him.
The company commander, a close subordinate, came to him with dozens of people, so he was somewhat confident.
Mainly because of this, who is regarded as Commissioner Wang’s favorite general, with him stepping in to support us, maybe everyone will not have to run away from the battle.
Besides, as long as you don’t flee Songjiang City, you can still fight the Japanese over there, so that’s not considered a deserter, right?
In a house, dozens of heavily armed security regiment soldiers stood in the yard. Standing in front of them was Zhuang Shisan with his own security squad.
This is to watch the Japanese artillery shelling for twenty minutes, all directed at Cangcheng, and not like the result of bombing the outskirts of Songjiang and Songjiang City together in the evening.
Otherwise, no matter how scared these dozens of people were, they would not dare to gather in front of Battalion Commander Zhuang Da’s temporary headquarters like this.
Don't ask for help, or you will be killed by the Japanese with one shot, right?
"Battal Commander, do you think how the Japs bombed Cangcheng? If we bombarded us with such density of artillery fire, how many of our brothers would have a chance to kill the Japs?" A captain and company commander complained indignantly. "Besides, why should we let him?
Our security team is here to endure the bombardment of the Japanese, but a bunch of regular soldiers are huddled in the air-raid shelter in the city?"
"Yes, Lao Feng is right. Why can they hide in the city and eat hot and spicy food, while we have to be bombarded by Japanese bombs here in vain? This is not fair." Another captain and company commander were also standing by.
go along.
"Yes, battalion commander, we also want to go back to the city. We are not cowards. We fight the Japanese just like in the city. We just don't want to die in vain."
“That’s right!”
Several officers from the security regiment who usually stayed very close to Master Zhuang expressed their opinions at various times. Basically, they were unhappy that they were staying here, while the two regular armies of the 67th Army and the 43rd Army were able to hide in the city.
The security battalion commander, who usually didn't have many ethics deductions and was so careless as to write the word "bully" on his face, was looking sideways at Cangcheng, which was already a sea of flames hundreds of meters away.
, without saying a word.
From time to time, the firelight from the explosion of artillery shells shone on his face, making his expression very uncertain.
This gave several officers a little more confidence, and just as they were about to add more fire and persuasion, they saw the major battalion commander turning his head and looking at them with an extremely ugly expression.
“Is it all done?”
There was some silence at the scene.
"Then let me summarize what you just said. It's just that if you stay here, you will be bombed to death by the Japanese devils. If you stay in the city, you won't. Is that so?" Zhuang Shisan asked unhurriedly. "
Actually, you don’t need to remind me, in the afternoon, when the Japanese artillery came, I thought the same thing."
"Ha, battalion commander, you see, we are on the same page! It's still too late to leave now. While the focus of the Japanese is still in Cangcheng, we will inform all the brothers, including the other two battalions, if our security team
More than 2,000 people have withdrawn, and I believe Commander Wang will fight for us based on the actual battle situation." The captain, the company commander, who was the first to speak, was overjoyed.
"What do you want Commander Wang to fight for?" Zhuang Shisan asked calmly. "Because more than 2,000 people have fled, and the law does not punish everyone, can we ask the headquarters not to kill our heads?"
This honest question made the officers standing in front of him look a little shocked.
Obviously, that’s what they meant. The entire regiment retreated. Who will the command take to enforce military law and kill more than 2,000 people? This is obviously impossible.
"If this is the case, your heads can be saved, but my boss's head can't be saved!" Zhuang Shisan suddenly shook his head gently and said in a cold tone. "You must know that leaving the position without respecting military orders is considered a crime.
The deserter!"
“Battal Commander, that’s not what you said. We are assessing the situation.” The captain was startled when he was defined as a deserter by Master Zhuang, and he quickly defended himself subconsciously.
"Assessing the situation? Haha." Zhuang Shisan suddenly laughed. "I even used idioms for the ringgit. Fortunately, I have read a few books, otherwise I really wouldn't understand."
“Yes! Battalion Commander, it’s all because of your good teaching.” The captain felt relieved when he saw the major’s face suddenly softened, and gave him a habitual flattery along with his smiling face.
"I taught you well. When did I teach you to be deserters?" Zhuang Shisan's eyes suddenly became sharp and he waved his hand violently. "If you want to be a deserter, you should be killed!"
"Batalion Commander, I" the captain was instantly horrified.
