Through the telescope, Leng Feng's face turned grim as he looked at the Japanese troops being beaten down by waves of light and heavy firepower from his own side.
As the supreme commander in blocking Japanese reinforcements, Leng Feng knew that this was just the beginning of the battle, and the most difficult moment for him and his three battalions was yet to come.
Because the two infantry companies and one machine gun company under his command had to face much more than the Japanese infantry brigade in front of him.
In order to reinforce his colleagues who were still in dire straits a few hundred meters away, all the Japanese artillery fire might be poured on his third battalion's position.
At this time, the Third Battalion did not have two-meter-deep trenches or tunnels on the back of the mountain like Mouse Mountain. Not only did the infantry only have 1.5-meter-deep trenches to hide in, but the so-called heavy machine gun fortifications were only a few placed in front of the heavy machine guns.
This earth bag is used as bulletproof for the shooter, and the Japanese infantry artillery and mountain artillery can easily blow it to pieces.
But Tang Dao had anticipated this situation before the war.
In the night of the wasteland, at the highest military meeting of the Four Lines Regiment attended only by the four giants of the regiment and the two infantry battalion commanders, Tang Dao turned his attention to Lei Xiong, Guo Shouzhi and Leng Feng, and fiercely marked the simple terrain map he had just drawn.
A horizontal bar was drawn: "Encircling and annihilating the Japanese troops in the encirclement is very important. It is related to the outcome of our Fourth Army Regiment's attack on the 14th Division. But this line is more important. It is the life and death of the entire army of our Fourth Army Regiment."
Wire!
You are all veterans who have been in the army for several years or even ten years. You know that if the Japanese army breaks through this life-and-death line and enters the flank of the Japanese army that I am besieging, then our troops will have to divide our troops to fight against it. The Japanese army in the encirclement will most likely fight to the death.
, although our unit's continuous firepower is far superior to that of the Japanese army, everyone should not forget that the Japanese army's combat effectiveness is extremely strong. Once the battle cannot be resolved quickly and falls into a dogfight, the main force of the 14th Division will come with all its strength after receiving the news.
Then our army will have to choose to retreat, and the Japanese army completely occupies air superiority. Once an air attack is carried out on our unit, our adventure will not only be in vain, but also lose troops and generals, and even cause all subsequent tactical movement plans to come to nothing.
!
Not only do we value this line of life and death, but so do the Japanese. They will not only attack with all their infantry, they will even use all their artillery to bombard this line of defense!
Therefore, I need to defend this infantry battalion, which is the life and death line for my whole regiment. No matter how heavy the losses are, we must not retreat even a step."
The three battalion commanders of the Si Xing Regiment were all silent as they looked at the line drawn by Tang Dao.
It's not because of fear, but because he is calculating whether he can stop it based on the strength of his infantry battalion.
A Japanese infantry regiment is equipped with more than 20 artillery pieces. Can they stop it with only a shallow trench?
"I'll do it!" Lei Xiong and Leng Feng said almost at the same time.
Guo Shouzhi, who was sandwiched in the middle and was about to open his mouth, had a wry smile on his face. Have these two made an appointment? He didn't save any face for Lao Guo, so he was only half a second too late and became the third place.
.
"I am the deputy commander of the regiment. You, Battalion Commander Leng, should obey the commander's orders and do what you should do. I am here to guard this life-and-death line with my battalion." Lei Xiong put on a cold face, acting like a big brother.
"Hey, Commander Lei, just because your battalion is the sharp knife battalion of our Four Lines Regiment, it is your battalion that must annihilate the encircling enemies. This seemingly dangerous but actually simple blocking task is still handed over to me, who is the lowest ranked and has the most seniority.
Let’s go to the third camp!” A smile appeared on Leng Feng’s usually stern face.
Leng Shitou's emotional intelligence has become so high? Not to mention Leng Feng's words, Lei Xiong didn't know how to refute, Guo Shouzhi, who had been basically excluded, also glanced at Leng Feng curiously.
Tang Dao's expression did not change, but there was a hint of smile in his eyes.
This may be the power of love.
In the assassination incident by a Japanese master on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Fujiwara was seriously injured and escaped. The Japanese spies in Zhengzhou City were wiped out. The first theater became the biggest winner, so the Four Troops also received the special privilege of the first theater.
subsidy.
But personally, Tang Tuanzuo was not that good. Not to mention his head was badly bruised and he was still lying in the hospital for two days. He was definitely a loser, especially when compared with this guy Leng Feng.
After that hard battle, Mrs. Yue, who may have a better understanding of life and death, threw away her previous reserve. Not only did she take the initiative to do the laundry for Leng Feng, but she also took the three boys to the headquarters of the third battalion when nothing happened. Leng Feng had always been as cold as ice.
The gentleness on his face was much more than before.
Looking at Lei Xiong and Leng Feng, Tang Dao finally made a decision: "Then let's have the third battalion! There may be more Japanese troops in the encirclement than the reinforcements. The first and second battalions must resolve the battle within two hours. The combat mission
It is by no means easier than blocking the Japanese army.
Moreover, in view that the two companies of Wei Donglai and Cai Yongguan have not been rebuilt, and the first and second battalions only have two infantry companies available, I will transfer the 9th company of the third battalion and the guard company directly under the regiment headquarters to the command of the first and second battalions, and add additional personnel
300 new soldiers serve as bombardiers."
Tang Dao stared at Leng Feng, "So, you only have two infantry companies and one machine gun company with less than 500 troops available. Leng Feng, can you guarantee to complete the mission? If you find it difficult, then I will personally lead the special agents
The company and the New Eighth Division Engineer Company will serve as your reserve team and will reinforce your third battalion at any time."
Leng Feng's face returned to a stern expression, and he stood up and saluted: "Regiment leader, I cannot guarantee whether our troops can finally complete the life-and-death line of blocking battle, but I can guarantee one thing. Even if the soldiers of my third battalion fall, they will still be shot in the chest! You
The reserve team mentioned above should be devoted to annihilating the Japanese troops in the encirclement! You and the brothers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions will kill all the Japanese in the encirclement first, which will be the greatest reinforcement for my third battalion!"
This is Leng Feng, who never makes any boasts, but is as hard as a rock. Any enemy who wants to cross his line of defense must first smash this rock.
And now this stone is not just for him, but also for hundreds of people who have gradually become accustomed to his fighting style.
Even if the Japanese artillery fire is fierce!
Yes, just as Chinese commanders such as Tang Dao and Leng Feng predicted, the Japanese army poured all artillery fire on the third battalion position.
Upon receiving the news of the attack ahead, the Japanese artillery squadrons located at the rear of the 2nd Infantry Regiment immediately stopped and pushed various types of artillery pulled by packhorses into the wilderness below the dirt road and set them up.
Because it was a rapid march and they might encounter the Chinese army at any time, the artillery unit of the 2nd Infantry Regiment did not split the infantry cannon and mountain artillery into several large pieces and transport them with pack horses as usual, but used pack horses to drag them
marching way.
In this case, it only takes five or six minutes for various types of artillery to be put into use.
The Japanese signal troops rode horses and ran wildly in the wilderness, reporting the battle situation ahead and the bombardment coordinates to three artillery positions 400 meters behind the wing headquarters.
The four mountain guns are curved guns, which can bombard all targets within 500 meters to 6,000 meters; the four infantry guns are direct-aiming guns, but in emergencies, they can also raise the muzzle and be used as curved fire guns; the six 37mm rapid-fire guns
It is a completely direct-aimed artillery, and it is a combat anti-aircraft artillery mainly used for destroying armor and fixed fortifications. The shells are also solid rounds instead of exploding rounds. They will lose their effect if they stay in the rear.
Therefore, the rapid-fire artillery squadron quickly moved forward to the battlefield, leaving the mountain artillery squadron and the infantry artillery squadron behind the wing headquarters. Because the battle situation at the front was unclear, the eight artillery pieces did not dare to fire at will. When the signal corps reported that our reinforcements were blocked and the Chinese side
After the position blocked a general area, the eight artillery pieces naturally poured all their firepower on the heads of the officers and soldiers of the third battalion.
The Japanese artillerymen were very skilled in techniques and tactics. From setting up the artillery to adjusting the muzzle angle and firing range to firing, it only took no more than 6 minutes.
"Order everyone to retreat to the trenches! Leave two observation posts in each row. If the Japanese troops don't enter 100 meters, don't pay attention. Once they enter 100 meters, even if the Japanese artillery fire doesn't stop, I'll hit them!" I saw the first bomb!
After Hua exploded less than 30 meters in front of him, Leng Feng, whose helmet was tied with dead grass branches, gave a cold command.
Although the 28 heavy machine guns no longer fire, which will cause the Japanese infantry to continue to shrink the distance, Leng Feng is not worried about the density of his own firepower. Instead, the shell guns and submachine guns can exert their greatest effect within a distance of 100 meters.
In order to defend this regiment's life-and-death line, Leng Feng was willing to sacrifice his life, but he would never let his soldiers die in vain.
All the infantry, including the heavy machine gunners, retreated into the trenches. The temporarily dug field trenches had no other protective function except for the curvature to protect people from the air waves generated by the explosion of shells falling into the trenches.
Everyone was hunkering down as much as possible, covering their heads with guns and ammunition under their bodies, and resigned themselves to fate.
After three consecutive rounds of test firings, the Japanese army's eight cannons began to bombard the third battalion's position at full speed. Bomb flowers bloomed in the wasteland, turning up the dark soil and igniting the withered grass around the position, completely
Burned into a sea of fire.
The Japanese army used incendiary bombs instead of explosive bombs.
That was Ishiguro Sadzo's idea.
"Order the 3rd Infantry Brigade to temporarily evacuate to 400 meters away, and the mountain artillery squadron will use incendiary bombs to attack the enemy!"
He had been holding a telescope to look at the Japanese army officer hiding in the dead grass, with a faint light flashing in his left eye!
The Chinese's move of using the depth of grass in the wilderness to ambush right under their noses as they marched really exceeded his expectations and almost succeeded in completing their tactical plan.
He could fully imagine that his own troops who were surrounded would suffer heavy casualties because they had no fortifications to cover them and suffered a sudden change.
But Ishiguro Sadazou also had enough confidence in his subordinates. He believed that even if the Chinese came with an infantry division, they would not be able to completely defeat his two surrounded infantry brigades in half a day.
That confidence was not gained blindly, it came from the Imperial Japanese Army's long-term experience in fighting China.
Even in the Battle of Pingxingguan in Shanxi Province, China, which was trumpeted by the Chinese official media half a year ago, the Chinese army surrounded a large baggage convoy of the Fifth Division with three infantry regiments, fighting five thousand against more than one thousand.
Almost a whole day!
The regular army fought fiercely against the second-line troops for 10 hours before the winner was determined. I heard that the infantry division was still the main force of the Chinese 18th Group Army.
Ishiguro Sadazou Daizuo had every reason to believe that even if he lost the initiative, his infantry regiment would have no problem holding on for a day or two.
What's more, he had just asked for help from the Division Headquarters. The Division Headquarters had ordered the 59th Infantry Regiment closest to Bihe and the 18th Cavalry Regiment directly under the Division Headquarters to quickly move closer to the 2nd Infantry Regiment and to the Front Army Headquarters.
Requesting air support, fighter planes taking off from Taiyuan Airport will arrive at the battlefield in less than an hour.
He may not lose this battle.
The calmness of Ishiguro Sadazō, the Japanese supreme commander at this time, was praised by many military scientists after the war as the highlight of the 2nd Infantry Regiment's performance in this battle, but that was only the opinion of the Japanese side.
In the eyes of most Western military scholars and Chinese, this calmness was the catalyst that pushed the entire 2nd Infantry Regiment into the abyss of death.
If he is scared or frightened and takes the wing headquarters, the 3rd Infantry Brigade and several artillery squadrons and runs away, Tang Dao and the Sixings Regiment may not have much choice but to eat two prisoners in one bite.
The infantry brigade surrounded by prisoners vented their anger.
But unfortunately, this is almost impossible. No matter he is smart or stupid, no commander will easily abandon his nearly two thousand colleagues and run away without caring.
They have never looked down upon the Chinese, and this is the reason why they will not run away.
Moreover, the Japanese believe that when Western and Chinese scholars laugh at Ishiguro Sadzo, they are just judging heroes based on the outcome. In the war situation at that time, staying calm was the best choice Ishiguro Sadō made.
Ishiguro Sadazou, who was calm enough, not only decided to fight to the end with the Chinese army that dared to ambush him, but also saw the biggest drawback of the Chinese position responsible for blocking his reinforcements.
There are too many dry grasses on and around their position. If you add a combustion accelerant to them and use flames instead of infantry to attack them, they can be cooked.
The mountain artillery squadron of the 2nd Infantry Regiment happened to carry a lot of incendiary bombs.
It has to be said that Ishiguro Sadazou, who is calm enough, used this very vicious move.
A large number of incendiary bombs were thrown on the third battalion's position, and the dry grass naturally caught fire at one point. The flames shot up several meters high, making the telescope lenses in the hands of the commanders on both sides turn red.
Not to mention the temperature at the burning center, the scorching heat wave can be felt hundreds of meters away.
Indeed, the temperature of the position where the Third Battalion was located continued to rise, making the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion not only subject to threats from shrapnel and air waves, but also the scorching fire.
But this shortcoming is also considered by Tang Dao. Due to the need for concealment, the third battalion position cannot clear away the dead grass. This weakness is likely to be exploited by the Japanese army. The high heat and smoke caused by a large amount of violently burning dead grass are enough to injure the officers and soldiers.
They pose a deadly threat.
Therefore, Tang Dao gave a large number of gas masks obtained from the secret arsenal of the Northeastern Army to Leng Feng's Third Battalion, and dumped a large amount of river water around them before the war to make the soil moist enough and equip the trenches with a large amount of river water.
When he felt the heat wave coming, Li Jijin gave an order. The officers and soldiers of the Seventh Company, regardless of the cold winter weather, poured water from their helmets to the soles of their feet.
The same was certainly true for the 8th company and Mo Songzi's machine gun company. Even the heavy machine guns were doused with water. Due to the high heat, the water quickly evaporated, and the entire position seemed to be shrouded in white mist, like a fairyland.
However, everyone knows that this seemingly beautiful picture may be filled with the cruelty of death.
Ishiguro Sadazou is extremely satisfied with this situation.
"Order the 3rd Infantry Battalion to wet themselves with clean water. Once the fire has subsided, they will immediately attack the Chinese position with all their strength. Tell Shenmu Dazuo that the imperial warriors in front are still fighting hard with the Chinese. He must break through the Chinese in the shortest possible time.
At the position, the artillery colleagues have done everything they can, and the rest is up to them." Ishiguro Sadazou looked ahead with a stern face and ordered.
After receiving the military order, Captain Zuo of the Third Infantry Brigade looked extremely ugly.
He knew that although his Excellency, the captain of the company, did not say the words 'Long Live the Charge', that was what he actually meant.
The Banzai Charge is often a tactic used at the last moment of a war to break through the enemy's position in one fell swoop. Although it boosts morale, it can cause heavy casualties. It is not a last resort and no commander is willing to choose this.
Unexpectedly, he hadn't even given him a chance to choose. The battle had just begun and the 3rd Infantry Battalion would use this.
But can he refuse? In other words, does he dare to refuse?
We can only hope that the Chinese people in the center of the fire were burned to death! The Japanese soldier Shao Zuo was very painful to see that because the withered grass was almost burned and the air wave caused by the shelling was replaced with shells, the fire was already very small.
On the battlefield with few people, I could only give a stern order: "Order, in three minutes, the first squadron, the second squadron, the captains of the infantry squadrons, and the squad leaders will lead the charge. Long live the charge!"
Those who retreat without receiving the order to retreat shall die!”
This may be the most tragic "Banzai Charge!" in the history of Japanese wars. It is not a question of how many people died in the battle.
Rather, others are like a bowl of wine, and they are like a pot of water, showered from head to toe.
It feels so refreshing in the middle of winter!
However, there are still good guys.
Two captains of the infantry squadron took the lead, and there were about twenty or thirty lieutenants, second lieutenants, commander Cao and other Japanese officers who took off their military uniforms and went bare-chested, showing off their muscles and their fearlessness against cold and death.
If they weren't afraid of eggs hanging on unburned grass branches while running, they might even have to take off their pants!
In the words of Captain Li Jijin and Li Dal who saw this scene: Damn it! This little devil is so frugal! You don’t even want to soil your uniform even if you die!
That was probably the most satisfying moment for Li Jiujin, who felt like he was about to be steamed.
In front of his Seventh Company, which is equipped with 30 semi-automatic rifles, 60 submachine guns, and 60 shell guns, he is not afraid at all if there are more than a hundred living targets like this, even if it is multiplied by ten.
More than 300 Japanese infantrymen were prepared to break into the fire scene in a desperate attempt, but they were not the most unlucky group.
Most of Gu Xishui's special operations squadron had withdrawn from the north bank of Bihe River since that battle, but that didn't mean that his special operations squadron was no longer involved in this battle.
On the contrary, in the grass of this wasteland, there are at least five groups of special forces lurking, including himself and Shen Laoliu, who has made great achievements, Mingxin!
Gu Xishui's lurking point was less than a kilometer away from the Japanese coalition headquarters. His eyes had been searching for what he thought was the most valuable target.
