But until 9 a.m., the imagined Japanese Navy bombers never appeared.
That's because His Excellency Admiral Kiyoshi Hasegawa, who received the message from the radio reconnaissance plane, thought over and over again and decided not to risk his life with those Chinese 'desperados'.
It is true that the benefits and risks are not directly proportional.
A total of only one or two thousand troops fell outside the Chinese defense line. When his bomber group flew over, they must have been within the range of the opponent's anti-aircraft guns. For such a group of 'baggage trains' carrying supplies, it was necessary to
There is no point in risking one or two fighter planes being shot down.
Although the large amount of supplies carried by the baggage troops will certainly be of great use to the Chinese, that is what the army and land forces have to worry about, so what does it have to do with the navy?
Therefore, even though Ushijima Sadao, who was so angry that his eyes turned blue, repeatedly asked Nagakawa Tanikiyo, an admiral with whom he had some personal connections, to dispatch fighter planes to indiscriminately bomb the Chinese troops who rushed into the Jiaxing defense line, Nagakawa Tanikiyo decisively refused.
No one expected that the large amount of supplies carried by the Independence Battalion at the risk of annihilation of the entire army would one day become a disguise to confuse the opponent, and become a baggage unit in the eyes of Japanese naval reconnaissance aircraft pilots.
If Nagakawa Tanakiyoshi knew that the 'baggage train' was the 'murderer' who ambushed his naval bomber formation twice in a row at Baihe Port, I am afraid he would not have considered the issue of benefits and risks.
It must be eliminated quickly, not to mention the loss of one or two fighter planes, even if it costs another half of the fighter squadron, maybe the naval admiral who was beaten with a bruised nose and face by Tang Dao is also willing.
But the Japanese missed this best opportunity.
Protected by the high muzzles of anti-aircraft guns, the exhausted independent battalion exhausted its last remaining strength and walked the last two kilometers to reach the defense line.
At that moment, more than 10,000 troops on the defense line who had entered the fortifications and had been watching them cheered involuntarily, first in one place, then in two places, and in countless places.
The mountains roared and the tsunami roared, as if a great victory had been won.
The huge sound was even heard by the Japanese reconnaissance aircraft pilots who were constantly circling in the sky overlooking the Chinese defense lines a few kilometers away.
The Japanese pilots may have realized that they had made a mistake the moment they watched the group of baggage troops transporting truckloads of supplies into the clearly visible defense line amidst the cheers of the mountains and tsunamis like hard-working little ants.
No matter how awesome the 'baggage train' is, it will not be so popular, let alone serve as the rear guard of the entire army.
However, the two Japanese pilots on the two-seater reconnaissance plane modified from the Type 96 fighter jet chose to forget it in a tacit understanding and left at high speed.
Wu and Guo, who personally arrived at the permanent fortifications on the front line, watched the independent battalion enter the defense line intact, and their hearts that had been hanging for a long time were relieved.
However, the two did not go to personally greet the independent battalion who finally returned.
It's not that they were unhappy, but that this guy Tang Dao was really too cowardly. They were so satisfied that they couldn't even sleep for a moment that night.
Guo Junzuo, who was as calm as Guo Junzuo, couldn't help but be shocked when he learned that Tang Dao actually chose to move away. He was not a big smoker, but he smoked an entire cigarette in two hours of non-stop pacing.
Bag.
The Independent Battalion was chosen as the last group of troops to retreat, of course because they were strong enough. If the Japanese army found out about the clues and pursued them regardless of the darkness, the Independent Battalion and the two infantry regiments in front of them could quickly form a line of defense to stop the Japanese army.
In the wilderness.
More than 4,000 people may still not be enough, but it can still be done to stop the Japanese army in two hours.
The task given to them was to hold off the Japanese invaders for two hours, and then run as fast as they could. The main force would be waiting for them on the second line of defense in Jiaxing.
For this reason, Lieutenant General Guo also specially found Tang Dao and asked him not to be stingy. Except for necessary ammunition and life-saving food, he should throw away the rest as much as possible to reduce the burden of the soldiers as much as possible.
At this moment, human life must be the most important thing, not materials. With people, materials will always be available.
It turned out that Tang Dao was a good guy. He acted like a good boy in front of his face, but behind his back he was moving like a soldier. On average, each soldier carried a load of 30 kilograms. On such a cold winter night, he actually
Everyone was sweating profusely while walking.
Not to mention people, even those pack horses that can usually carry a load of two hundred kilograms and walk dozens of miles, at least half of the horses have foaming mouths, which is a sign that their physical strength is almost exhausted.
The load was more than one-third of the usual weight and the horses were not given time to rest. If they walked another two or three kilometers, it is estimated that the entire army would have fresh horse meat to eat today.
Seeing this "iron-headed" Tang Dao with two bags of grain hanging on his chest and a box of grenades on his shoulders, Tang Dao, who looked a little pale for the first time, the two commanders felt hatred and distress.
I hate that this guy is so stingy that he even brought the wooden planks necessary for building fortifications and refused to listen to his superiors; but he also practiced it personally. As the supreme commander of the independent battalion, he carried more weight than the entire battalion's officers and soldiers. His 'outfit' did not have seven
Ten pounds is also sixty pounds.
On the battlefield, the Japanese failed to kill their two beloved generals, and they almost died of exhaustion on the way back. The two lieutenant generals were lying if they said they didn't feel sorry for them.
However, no matter how distressed he is, Tang Dao brought this upon himself, and the two lieutenant generals will not tolerate him.
In addition to asking the Logistics Department to send the rice soup and steamed buns that had been prepared and cooked in a big pot to relieve the officers and soldiers of the Independent Battalion, the two chief officers did not go to the Independent Battalion, which could be regarded as expressing their feelings for Tang.
Dao is dissatisfied with this maverick behavior.
The bearded Lieutenant General Gu went to the Independence Camp to express his admiration for tough guys like Tang Dao.
"Haha, you're a smart boy and didn't leave even a single hair for the Japanese. I appreciate you!" The bearded lieutenant general slapped Tang Dao on the shoulder, expressing his excitement.
Even if we take risks, we have to grit our teeth and bring all the supplies with us. We are retreating, and we are not just throwing away our armor and running away. Tang Dao's approach is very suitable for the bearded Lieutenant General.
That is, that slap that expressed his feelings almost knocked down Camp Commander Tang.
No matter how awesome the Tang Dao is, it is not a god and its power is limited. After marching for more than 20 kilometers with a load of 70 to 80 kilograms, it is also a huge loss of physical strength. Don't look at the bearded lieutenant general who practiced martial arts at a young age and served as the "Ganzi Army". 40
If there are too many, the strength is enough, even if you go into battle and kill two or three Japanese soldiers, it will be no problem.
It was Tantai Mingyue who had quick eyes and quick hands. He quickly supported Tang Dao and gave the agitated bearded lieutenant general two big white eyes.
Of course she respected the lieutenant general, but the rank of lieutenant general was not useful to her, who wanted to knock down her exhausted lover.
Tantai University reporter is also a temperamental person, gentle and will only be reserved for people she likes.
"You must be tired from the long march. Let's get some rest first. Lao Gu won't disturb you. Lao Gu doesn't have anything else to do but give some small gifts to the brothers." The bearded lieutenant general sneered and came two times faster than him.
They left separately.
However, the accompanying adjutant of the 128th Division left behind a small bag.
Master Zhuang opened it and almost burst into tears.
Is that a bag of toffee, or the advance regiment returned a few days ago. In order to express his gratitude to the two infantry regiments of the 128th Division for taking the risk to protect them, Tang Dao asked Master Zhuang to come to his door to deliver it specially to the commander of the 128th Division.
of thanks.
Unexpectedly, within a few days, the lieutenant general of the army sent the thank you back intact.
Obviously, that was because they were afraid that the officers and soldiers of their independent battalion would consume a lot of physical energy and would not be able to make up for it without enough sugar.
After this night, even the former soldiers of the security regiment knew the importance of sugar. A milk candy was even more useful than a meal at critical times.
It's not a big gift, but the thought is rare.
This is the so-called friendly army!
The senior leaders of the Independent Battalion were extremely moved by this bag of candies. Chief of Staff Zhuang, who had rarely experienced such sincere warmth from others, was in a security corps and was either revered or despised. His eyes were filled with tears.
Perhaps this is the strength that comes from standing side by side.
Not only the independent battalions that have been integrated into one, but also the entire defense line, including the Northeast Army, Sichuan Army, and Hunan Army from all over the world.
Located in the last line of defense in western Zhejiang, Jiaxing!
Tang Dao stood in front of the independent battalion troops who had unloaded supplies and were ordered to sit down to replenish food and water. He looked towards the wilderness and the looming mountains behind.
He led the entire battalion to win a battle without gunpowder, but what should he do next?
After this line of defense, there are no more defense fortifications that can stop the Japanese invaders. If this line of defense is abandoned, if you want to resist, you will have to rely on flesh and blood.
