This was the first sentence made by Major General Kudo Nagasaki, the commander of the 31st Infantry Brigade of the 109th Division in Shecheng City, who was not surprised but overjoyed after receiving the distress telegram from the 14th Division's Baggage Regiment.
"It's worth it that I personally brought an infantry regiment here!" This was Gu Teng's second sentence after an excited expression appeared on his long, stiff face.
The coldness and cruelty of Gudo Nagake's character can be seen. Not only was he ruthless and willing to kill the Chinese anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians, he was even indifferent to attacks on his own friendly forces, and even regarded it as a means for himself to gain military exploits.
That's right, since the front army headquarters sent an order to the 109th Division Regiment Headquarters, ordering them to place an infantry brigade headquarters in Shecheng and deploy two infantry brigades to station troops in Shecheng to deter the Chinese troops hiding in the mountains around the Handan-Changchun Line, Chief Gu Teng
I decided to make my own plans.
As early as the Battle of Niangziguan, his 31st Infantry Brigade had met with the 921st Division, but both times, the 921st Division ambushed his 31st Infantry Brigade, leaving him, the major general brigade commander, disgraced and completely disgraced.
The Japanese Army Major General Brigade Commander vowed to get up wherever he fell.
For this reason, he specially studied the tactics of his old opponents, and there was nothing new about them. They were just sneak attacks, sneak attacks again, using the enemy's presence and darkness, and the dangerous roads in the mountainous areas to carry out ambushes.
He even went through the resumes, personality traits and past achievements of the top commanders of the 921 Division, from the division commander, deputy division commander to brigade commander.
In his words: "In Jin Province, there is no general who knows the 921st Division better than me!"
It is precisely because of this understanding of the 921st Division that Futeng Nagagan made a firm judgment from the moment he received the transfer order. The 921st Division, which had just tasted the sweetness in the battle of Shentou Ridge, would never let go of the 14th Division's supply chain.
This big fat piece of meat.
"The reason why people love eating cabbage is because they have never tasted meat!" This is also a famous saying that Gu Teng Changgeng often puts on his lips.
Don't tell me, although this man is cold and cruel, he has a very thorough psychological analysis of human beings.
One of the reasons why the top management of the 921st Division had a strong urge to fight this war was to weaken the combat effectiveness of the 14th Division. The large amount of materials carried by the huge baggage convoy was also a huge driving force. If they do it again, this year,
The daily supplies needed by the army may not become the most troublesome problem for the chief officers of various ministries.
Therefore, after making this judgment, Kudo Nagada not only led two infantry brigades, but an entire infantry regiment, and specially transferred a tank squadron and an artillery battalion to the division, which consisted of 15 tanks and 12
Heavy firepower composed of Men 75 mountain guns.
Kudo Naga firmly believed that with the support of such heavy firepower, the infantry regiment under his command was enough to compete with a Chinese infantry division.
He even conducted tactical deductions after arriving in Shecheng. If the Chinese wanted to ambush the convoy of the 14th Division's supply chain, they would inevitably divide their troops to block the incoming imperial army as before, but this time they would have to divide their troops into two.
One direction is towards Shecheng and the other is towards Licheng.
Such a result can only cause them to disperse their few troops. An infantry division has no more than 10,000 people, and divide it into three parts. The maximum number will not exceed 4,000 people in each direction.
With only a few thousand people, even if they occupied the high ground first, Gu Teng was confident enough to believe that the flesh and blood of the Chinese people could not stop the bombardment of his tanks and artillery.
In his view, the Chinese people's adventure of taking millet from the fire could only end in serious injuries to themselves.
As for that 'millet', they didn't take it to heart because the ancient vine was so long. That was a headache for that insidious villain Tu Feiyuan.
"Where was the location where the 14th Division was ambushed?" Gu Tengchang suppressed his secret joy and began to search the map for the location where the convoy was attacked. This would also make it easier for him to determine where the Chinese would place the blocking position.
The cavalry squadron he dispatched a day or two ago was not just a show. It was a detailed observation of the terrain on the road from Shecheng to Licheng. All observation reports have been printed in his mind.
It can be said that Gu Teng Changjiang has made full preparations for this attack, which he judged as having a probability of 70 to 80%.
"Yangjiashan, Zhanghe." As the combat staff reported the telegrams sent from Major Moriki one by one, Gu Teng's long eyes wandered around the map and finally locked on a place.
"Laoya Mountain!" Gu Teng stabbed his finger confidently somewhere on the map. If the Chinese want to block our brigade's rescue, they will definitely choose this blocking position.
There is nothing special about the terrain of Laoya Mountain, and it is not even the best blocking position in the eyes of many people.
Along the direction of the road, there are cliffs on one side and undulating slopes on the other. The vertical height of the highest hillside relative to the road on the flat road is only about 160 meters. Although this gentle area facilitates the deployment of one's troops, it does not
It also gives the attacker a lot of leeway.
The combat staff officer looked surprised, but Gudo Changji didn't waste much time explaining to him, and directly ordered: "Order the Toyama Regiment to send out the entire army according to the original reinforcement plan!"
It only took five minutes for the already prepared Japanese troops to file out of the city. The huge roar of the leading tank squadron of 15 tanks made the mountains seem to tremble.
Including Tang Dao, no one expected that this man would be so decisive and resolute. He did not leave a single soldier in Shecheng and turned Shecheng into an empty city.
The 769th Regiment, which was deployed several kilometers outside Shecheng City and was on alert when faced with this unexpected situation, was like punching into a pile of cotton, and it must have been completely confused.
"The Chinese know that our army has heavy firepower, so they will naturally not deploy their troops on steep mountains with a narrow area for our army to consume artillery shells. Moreover, because they are concerned about our empire's air support, they will definitely set up their troops in a wide area.
line of defense, in order to delay time and prevent our troops from supporting the 14th Division that was surrounded by them.' This is what Kudo Naga, who got into the jeep, said forcefully to his commander, the captain of the 69th Infantry Regiment, Sasaki Xiaoyu.
of.
"The Chinese's tactical thinking is actually very correct. They spend the minimum casualties, try their best to delay, and give them the greatest support on the main battlefield.
But their commanders may have never imagined that the 14th Division's baggage regiment is very important to the 14th Division, but to us, it is not as important as they imagined.
The reason why our brigade came here with all its strength was not because we wanted to help the 14th Division, but because we wanted to eat the Chinese who dared to block our way forward.
When the battle is over, I will hang the bodies of all the Chinese who were killed on the cliffs on both sides of this road to let the Chinese know the cost of attacking our imperial army."
At that moment, the cruel luster in Gu Teng's eyes made Xiaoyong Sasaki couldn't help but feel a chill in his chest.
His boss actually used a huge convoy of the 14th Division as bait. Only in this way could he be allowed to hunt thousands of Chinese.
"Is there something unclear about my subordinate?" Sasaki Xiaoyong put away the fear in his heart and asked cautiously.
"Sasaki-kun, you want to ask why I completely abandoned Shexian County and used all my troops to attack it, right?" Guteng's long, stiff lips raised and he answered his subordinate.
"Hi! Please forgive me for being stupid!" Sasaki Xiaoyong bowed his head respectfully.
"Then I want to ask Sasaki-kun, if the Chinese attack Shecheng, what are they planning?" Kudo Nagada did not answer directly, but asked rhetorically.
"Based on my understanding of the Chinese army, they should want to kill and injure our imperial soldiers and take advantage of opportunities to rob our army of various supplies!" Xiaoyong Sasaki thought for a moment and replied.
"That's it. Our troops came to Shecheng this time just to protect the passage of the 14th Division's baggage regiment. They didn't carry much supplies, but they were all traveling with the army. Apart from Chinese, there were no imperial officers and soldiers in the city.
What's the use of the Chinese occupying it?" The ancient vines were long and hard and were slightly exposed to the sun.
"If the Chinese really dare to come, then I can't help but ask for it. That small town will become a nightmare for all Chinese people. I will use artillery to reduce that small town and all Chinese people to ashes!"
It's a pity, I'm afraid the Chinese are not that stupid!
Believe it or not, there may be part of the 921st Division lurking in the mountains not far from Shecheng. They were waiting for some of my troops, and then attacked the city with bluff, which made me so difficult to make a decision that I even exhausted myself running on this mountain road.
But now, if they have the ability, they will try to steal my unit’s retreat, and I will let them know what it means to ‘steal chickens but lose rice’!”
"Your Excellency, the brigade commander, is wise!" Xiaoyong Sasaki said with admiration on his face.
As the saying goes, a word awakens the dreamer. Sasaki Xiaoyu instantly understood that his infantry regiment had thus avoided the dilemma of dispersed troops and fighting on two fronts. Fudo Nagago's all-out move was simply wonderful.
He even used himself as bait to lure the Chinese army ambushing around Shecheng to attack.
However, the 69th Infantry Regiment with 15 tanks and 12 artillery pieces will let any enemy know what it means to be tough, and a bad mouth can really break a mouth of teeth.
Of course, Xiaoyong Sasaki also knew that his brigade commander relied on more than 3,600 imperial infantry and 12 artillery pieces. The Army Aviation Army of the Front Army far away in the original city had prepared at least 12 bombers under the coordination of the Front Army Headquarters.
Those air threats that the Chinese cannot resist can bury the Chinese in their mountains with 500-pound aerial bombs.
Tang Dao was probably the only Japanese commander with such a cruel heart who used friendly troops as bait, even himself.
Tang Dao never underestimated his opponent, but after the war, he still admitted that he underestimated Gu Teng's long hardness.
Compared with this guy, the several Japanese army captains he had encountered and killed were simply good-natured beings.
However, Gu Tengchangjian probably did not expect that the opponent he would face was not the senior commanders of the 921 Division whom he thought he had studied thoroughly, but an iron-blooded man who came from the future and fought all the way from Songhu.
soldier.
The two commanders, both of whom were confident but neither knew the details of their opponent, met on the battlefield an hour and a half later.
Because of Gu Teng's judgment, the Japanese army maintained a high speed during the march before Laoya Mountain. After arriving near Laoya Mountain, they used one 89 tank and three 94 tanks to clear the way, and an infantry squad
Follow and act as a vanguard, conducting fire reconnaissance on the mountains and forests along the way.
This made Tang Dao's previous ambition of having the engineer company lay mines on the main road to strike head-on at the Japanese vanguard completely came to nothing.
The infantry mines planted by the engineer company without anti-tank mines could not damage the 89 tank at all. Apart from adding a few limited pits to the road, the rough-skinned and thick-bodied 89 tank even left its most fragile tracks intact.
The Japanese engineers who followed up repaired the road very quickly, allowing cars carrying Japanese infantry to pass smoothly.
"How is it? The Chinese are at the end of their rope." Gu Tengchang said with a smile on his face when he received the report that the road ahead had been successfully repaired and the army could continue to move forward.
The Chinese army's tactics of using landmines to destroy roads had long been expected by him. In order to prevent the Chinese from using large amounts of explosives to attack, the vanguard team he sent paid close attention to the grass on both sides of the road and would hardly leave such a trail to the Chinese army.
Chance.
The first contact battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies did not occur at Laoya Mountain, but at Zhaojiaguai in front of Laoya Mountain. It was a rather difficult and dangerous road. The road was sandwiched between two mountains, but its length was only
300 meters.
The 7th Steel Company from Wei Donglai was ordered to meet the engineer platoon here to deploy mines, and to look for opportunities to attack the Japanese vanguard.
Tang Dao's original plan was to attack in layers and continuously delay the march of the Japanese army. The tactical purpose of the Fourth Army Regiment this time was not to fight head-on with this Japanese army, but to try to buy time for the main battlefield so that after they annihilated the Japanese convoy, they could
Enough time to transport that precious baggage to the mountains.
Because the Japanese army's vanguard squad was so arrogant, after encountering continuous landmine explosions, they advanced instead of retreating, and even expanded the scope of the infantry's search for grass on both sides to more than 30 meters from the roadside.
Basically, he completely exposed his body to the guns of Gang 7th Company lurking on the hillside a hundred meters away.
How could Wei Donglai miss such a good opportunity?
Although the Japanese army has one 89 tank and two Type 94 tanks waiting in full swing, the 7th Gang Company has just been awarded the military flag and its morale is at a high stage, so there will be no fear of this.
"Hit!" Wei Donglai, who was in a simple trench, pulled the trigger first.
Although the muzzle of the German-made 20-gun standard for company-level cadres is very high, it has a fast rate of fire. The flat muzzle of the gun shoots out nearly ten bullets in two seconds, forming a fan.
A Japanese infantryman fell down in response!
Then came the gunfire. The 7th Steel Company is now the main company. The squad leader, deputy squad leader, and precision shooters are basically drawn from the veterans of other infantry companies. Half of the new recruits have also experienced the last battle of Dongyangguan.
My willpower is higher than it was half a month ago.
The continuous firepower composed of 15 semi-automatic rifles, 10 submachine guns, 20 shell guns, and 10 light machine guns was launched with full force, forming a hair-raising rain of bullets a hundred meters away.
At least 20 Japanese infantrymen were hit in this round of bullets, and the remaining 20 or so Japanese soldiers were also beaten to the ground in the grass, barely able to form any decent resistance.
However, the two Type 94 tanks reacted quickly, relying on their rough skin and thick flesh to carry bullets. The 7.7mm heavy machine guns they were equipped with roared desperately and fired at the smoke-filled place a hundred meters away.
Two 7.7mm heavy machine guns are nothing to the Gang 7th Company with its simple bunker, but when the 57mm gun of the Type 89 tank is also aimed at the position, it becomes a bit overwhelming.
Although the Japanese tank crews could not clearly see the specific targets due to the smoke, having them attack them like this gave the officers and soldiers of the 7th Steel Company quite a headache.
With just three shots, several people were injured by shrapnel flying everywhere.
If these three tanks dared to get off the roadbed and attack the hillside, Gang Seven Company would not be afraid of them. Before leaving, each company made more than a dozen Molotov cocktails, just so that individual soldiers could deal with these big iron blocks.
But the three tanks may have had orders and had no intention of attacking upwards, so they stayed where they were and used tank guns and machine guns to cover their infantry.
One side has strong light firepower and has the advantage of terrain, while the other side has heavy firepower that can destroy an entire group. For a moment, there is a stalemate, and no one can do anything to the other.
The Japanese infantry who were suppressed in the grass also found bunkers under the cover of their tanks, or huddled behind the tanks and shot at the mountainside.
The casualties of Steel Company 7 also increased. In less than three minutes of shooting, 5 people were injured and 1 was killed.
"Cancel the original plan and order the 7th Steel Company to withdraw to the main position! Since the Japanese want to have a head-on confrontation, let's give it a try." Tang Dao, who received Lei Xiong's call, frowned and gave the decisive order.
In this era, the light infantry was not equipped with any RPG. It was okay to rely on surprise to give the opponent a sap. But if you were to fight against a steel behemoth like a tank in a positional battle, you would just hit your head against the mountain. Tang Dao would not do such a thing.
Stupid thing.
"Nani! Thirteen members of the vanguard team were killed on the spot and 11 were injured? There were only a hundred attackers?" The proud Guteng Chang received the report from the front and couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.
He specially assigned a medium tank and two light tanks to the vanguard squad. With such a protective god following him, the Chinese army of only a hundred people caused such heavy casualties to the vanguard squad within a few minutes of fighting. They
How strong is the light firepower?
The Japanese Army Major General's brigade commander's eyes became solemn, and he seemed to have to re-examine the opponent who was about to go to war.
This is not the opponent's style that he is familiar with.
Perhaps, he could get a glimpse of the situation from the weapons and ammunition used by the opponent.
No matter what Guteng Changkou thought, this was the first contact battle between China and Japan. Tang Dao's mine warfare had no effect, wasting the few mine stocks, and Guteng Changkou's elite squad suffered heavy casualties.
