It was in such a cruel exchange of fire that the two infantry platoons with more than 90 people on the Chinese side actually lost 20 soldiers, 8 of whom were killed on the spot, and half of the 12 wounded soldiers were seriously injured, and 6
Soldiers who were slightly injured and could not get out of the firing line helped pass grenades and load bullets in magazines in the trenches.
Including the previous battle losses, the three infantry platoons and the fire support platoon on the entire hillside position totaled 180 people, with more than 50 casualties, and the casualty rate was as high as more than 20%.
At this time, it was just the second round of the Jing'an Army's attack.
If the battle losses continue like this, they may not be able to last until evening, and the two infantry companies plus a fire support platoon on Highland 3 will be exhausted.
"Captain Guard, we need fire support. If not, let the reserve team come too!" Cai Yongguan roared as he pulled the trigger hard at the Japanese army.
Wei Donglai's face muscles twitched, but he still shook his head firmly.
Although he has never experienced a formal military academy, he learned from his division commander and Tang Dao during the Battle of Jiepai Village about when to use the reserve team. The reserve team must not be used until the morale of the front-line troops has collapsed...
That was the last force used to resist on the high ground. Pulling them up was the moment of decisive battle.
But now, the Jing'an Army has just launched its second round of attack, and they are using their reserves. Even if they can repel this attack, what about the next time?
"Sir! Please ask the headquarters for mortar support! Brothers have suffered too much loss!" A second lieutenant platoon leader on the side, who was responsible for carrying the wounded and carrying the bodies with more than a dozen soldiers, begged almost in tears.
The soldiers who bravely fought against the enemy were suffering, but for the reserve team responsible for bandaging the wounded, the psychological pressure was also huge.
Death is just a matter of a moment, and all the pain and worries disappear.
But for the living, what they have to face are the bloody wounds caused by shrapnel and bullets, as well as the eyes of the unconscious and wounded soldiers begging for a shot to be happy or to survive.
No matter which one it is, it is an unparalleled torment for a person with normal psychology.
Most of the medicines carried by the army are hemostatic powder purchased from Yunnan, but anyone with a little bit of battlefield experience knows that what is the use of just stopping bleeding?
The vast majority of seriously injured people, even if they did not die from excessive blood loss, would basically die within three days.
Because in this era, there are no antibiotics.
Bacterial infection is the biggest killer of wounded soldiers.
The second lieutenant who has been in the army for several years can be considered a veteran, but has rarely experienced such a bloody battlefield. His hard nerves were almost worn out by dozens of bloody bodies.
"No, the Japs are too close to us now. Do you think our mortars really have eyes? We haven't reached the point where both sides will suffer." Wei Donglai puffed up his cheeks and also rejected the second lieutenant's request.
.
As a commander, Wei Donglai also suffered from huge battle losses, but reason reminded him that he must remain calm enough.
The battlefield tests the strong will of the soldiers and the mind of the commander.
Just like Tang Dao said when chatting with these officers after the war: "No matter how brave one person is, he can only defeat ten people! Brains are what you leaders need most."
Somewhat anxiously, he picked up a rifle, threw himself on the fighting position, aimed at the foot of the mountain and fired a shot. A Jingan soldier who was hiding behind the bushes and fired secretly fell to the ground.
Although the unburnt bushes obscured the figures of the Jing'an Army, the cloud of smoke that rose up after the shooting was too obvious, and the bushes could not block bullets.
Or maybe killing the enemy with one shot inspired some inspiration in Wei Donglai, and an idea flashed in his mind: "Captain Cai, order the brothers to hold on for another five minutes. After five minutes, abandon the No. 1 position and retreat to the No. 2 position."
"Captain Wei, these are the lives of dozens of brothers." Cai Yongguan glared out of habit.
The blood of dozens of brothers has been spilled on this battlefield, how can it be easily discarded? This behavior of the red-eyed Cai Yongguan is not surprising at all.
If Wei Donglai hadn't convinced Cai Yongguan by miraculously predicting the Japanese artillery attack 20 minutes ago, Cai Yongguan, who had a bad temper, might not have questioned this, but would have cursed loudly.
"When we went up to the high ground, didn't you, Captain Cai, go to Commander Tang to apply for explosive packs? Now is the time for you, Captain Cai, to show off your skills and let these devils know that even if we don't have cannons, we can still send bombs to their heads.
"
Wei Donglai also stared back at Cai Yongguan, with a kind of dangerous light dancing in his pupils, like the green light of a wolf flashing in the darkness.
That kind of danger made even Cai Yongguan, who cut a man in half with his gun and his body without a frown, feel a chill in his chest.
Then, it was a joy!
His old profession has come in handy...:.
In the field of view of Colonel Takeuchi Unzan's telescope, although the soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the Jingan Army suffered heavy losses, they were still tenaciously approaching the Chinese position little by little.
On the other hand, looking at the Chinese defenders on the defensive position, although they still had heavy machine gun firepower, the dilapidated fortifications that had been ravaged by artillery twice before could no longer provide them with sufficient protection.
Several grenade groups had already found its location and were launching attacks continuously. The continuous explosions made it impossible to maintain continuous firepower, and they could not exert much pressure on the infantry scattered in front of the wide position.
The reason why the Chinese position has been able to hold up until now is because they are equipped with many shell guns and submachine guns.
To be honest, if the Chinese had not had the advantage of terrain and were in a flat and open area like the North China Plain, Takeuchi Yunshan would not be able to respond to this kind of German type, which can shoot continuously but has a range of only a hundred meters at most and a very unstable ballistic trajectory.
Submachine guns don't even care.
His subordinates could easily suppress them on the ground with light and heavy machine guns, and then use rifles to kill them from 200 meters away, without having to worry about their bullets hitting them.
This is actually what most Japanese officers think. Short-range weapons like submachine guns are completely useless. Not only do they not have a long range, they also waste bullets. A rifle can last for a long time with dozens of bullets. Maybe on this kind of gun.
It only takes about ten minutes.
But it just so happens that the Chinese now have the geographical advantage. They don't need to aim at all because they are condescending. They can just sweep across a fan and the probability of hitting their opponent is much higher.
But it is a bit difficult for the Jingan Army from bottom to top. Although it is only forty or fifty meters away, if they are fully armed and want to rush up, it will take two to three times the time on flat ground. This kind of continuous-fire firearms
The power has been amplified again.
However, the current battlefield situation made Takeuchi Unzan quite satisfied with a smile on his face. The Jing'an Army showed no less determination than the regular army of the Empire. Even if there were more than a hundred casualties, they still fought fiercely with the enemy on the front line.
Didn't step back.
It seems that Li Shoushan is still worth making friends with. Although he is Chinese, the empire needs such "allies" who are dedicated to serving the empire. It is uncertain when this Manchurian major general will climb to a high position.
Li Shoushan didn't know that he had 'conquered' a Japanese colonel with his performance. Facing the friendly gaze cast by the colonel, he almost subconsciously put on a smile. It didn't seem like he was an army major general at all.
It is the reserve of an army commander who is one level below him.
However, this lack of reserve is obviously more in line with Takeuchi Yunshan's aesthetic point of view.
"General Li, I would like to wish you a successful battle in advance! You will definitely be reused by the empire because of your bravery!" Takeuchi Yunshan smiled and congratulated.
"Haha, thank you for the kind words of His Excellency Takeuchi Colonel! If Li becomes rich in the future, he will definitely not forget the kindness of His Excellency Kunisaki and His Excellency Takeuchi!" Li Shoushan's face lit up with joy.
"However, General Li, although the war is going smoothly at present, I still recommend that you order your nobles in front not to advance rashly after occupying the opponent's first-line trenches. First, switch from offense to defense, and wait until all the supporting firepower is in place before continuing the attack to prevent the Chinese from attacking.
Play tricks."
"Under the Bamboo Cabinet, I personally believe that our First Brigade of the Jing'an Army can completely wipe out the enemy while they are fleeing. Without the cover of fortifications, the Chinese army is just a group of frightened rabbits in front of the Imperial Army, vulnerable to a single blow.
." Li Shoushan's eyes moved, but he said the completely opposite plan to Takeuchi Yunshan.
"No, no, General Li, you are wrong. It's not that I have grown up with others' ambitions and destroyed my own prestige. This Chinese army is different from the Chinese armies we have seen before. They are not only brave, but also cunning enough.
Although they are equipped with very good light weapons firepower, their troops are much smaller than our army. We have infantry artillery, mountain artillery, and howitzers participating in the war, but they have not yet had any heavy firearms participating in the war. Regardless of whether there is any conspiracy, we will eventually
It still has a major firepower advantage.
But they still blocked hundreds of our soldiers in front of the position for half an hour.
Even if I execute them one by one after the war, I still believe that this is a force with a fighting will that is not inferior to that of the Imperial Army, and deserves respect from you and me.
But bravery alone cannot stop them for so long. They are very cunning. I ordered the artillery unit to hit a time lag in the hope of inflicting casualties on the enemy. But judging from the number of people participating in the defense, it is obvious that they did not achieve what I wanted.
Effect.
Facing such a tenacious and cunning opponent, we cannot be too cautious." Takeuchi Yunshan shook his head and explained patiently.
"He was beaten to death! Lord Takeuchi Colonel, this is yours!" Li Shoushan, who was deeply convinced, gave a thumbs up to Takeuchi Yunshan.
There was a smile on his face, but the pride in his eyes was fleeting.
This little trick of hiding one's edge is very common in Chinese official circles, but it should not be too practical when used in this situation.
The Japanese colonel, who was hit hard by a single blow, leaned on his belly and poked the handle of his command knife on the ground. He stood with a golden sword and looked at the position in the distance with slightly squinted eyes, and said: "General Li, don't you think, you can
Isn't it more satisfying to completely annihilate such a tenacious and cunning opponent than to annihilate a group of cowards?"
That appearance, in later generations, can only be described by the word "full of bad taste".
"Haha, I believe that after capturing Jinling, Colonel Takeuchi and I will be happier." Li Shoushan smiled wildly.
It was as if the entire highland in front of him was already within his grasp.
While the two Japanese commanders were joking, the five-minute time limit set by Wei Donglai had expired.
Wei Donglai personally led an infantry platoon to continue blocking the enemy, while Cai Yongguan led others to retreat to Position 2 on the top of the mountain, taking away all the equipment they could.
Cai Yongguan even took his few remaining brothers to the back of the mountain...
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