"Liant Commander, the contact with the Second Brigade was suddenly interrupted just now. It is suspected that the telephone line was cut off by the artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army!"
"Where's the First Brigade?"
"The First Battalion is fighting with the Eighth Route Army and is unable to escape. We are requesting reinforcements!"
The adjutant's report was like a pot of hot oil poured on the fire, which made the Japanese commander furious: "Bagaya, we clearly know that the Imperial Army still has the advantage, how could it suddenly become like this?"
The main force of the Japanese army opposite the 13th Brigade was the 132nd Infantry Regiment of the 57th Division. The division's heavy troops and engineers were temporarily mixed into the Fourth Brigade. In addition, there was an artillery brigade.
The first and second brigades of the Japanese army were placed in the first-line position, and the third brigades were in the second-line position. However, at this time, the defense lines of the two brigades in the first-line position were broken through in many places, and some Japanese troops were even driven backwards.
"Captain, our unit is far away from the railway line due to its pursuit of the Eighth Route Army during the day. I feel that we should make an immediate decision at this moment. If there is any delay, our unit may be in danger of being completely annihilated!" the adjutant suggested.
The flesh on the Japanese commander's face tightened into a ball, and he gritted his teeth and cursed: "Asshole, what decision are you going to make? Is it to retreat?"
"Ever since I joined the army, I have never known what retreat means. The army of the Empire of Japan is invincible!"
"Even if we are temporarily defeated at this moment, as long as our troops stand firm and wait for reinforcements, the reinforcements from the division headquarters will arrive in less than an hour!"
"Immediately dispatch the Fourth Brigade to reinforce the Third Brigade. The small group of Eighth Route Army that is rushing forward must be intercepted. At the same time, the Artillery Brigade shells the gap in the front line position!"
"Hi!" The adjutant bowed his head and stood at attention, not daring to have the slightest objection.
From the start of the battle, it took the commandos only two minutes to break through the Japanese front-line positions. However, the situation was not optimistic next.
Jing Dagang, who was at the brigade headquarters, saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart. He made no mistakes in his tactics and achieved good results.
If the opponent is the National Army or the general Japanese army, once the position is breached by the commando, the subsequent attacking troops can cause a complete rout with just a little pressure, but the Japanese on the opposite side are not easy to do now.
Under the cover of artillery fire, although the commando team successfully occupied a position in the Japanese second-line position, the Japanese army reacted to the attack from two sides and gradually closed the circle around the commando team.
The key is that the commando advanced too fast. As soon as they saw a gap in the Japanese position, they immediately pushed forward, causing the Japanese Third Battalion in the second-line position to cut off the connection between the commando and the 1st Regiment.
"Pick me up Mao Wenbing, the leader of the 2nd Regiment!"
The communications staff officer picked up the walkie-talkie: "Hey, this is the brigade headquarters. The brigade commander wants to speak directly to Commander Mao!"
"What? Commander Mao is not here, then let the political commissar of the 2nd regiment answer the phone!"
Jing Dagang took the phone, and an urgent voice came from the phone: "Brigade commander, this is An Chengmin, Commander Mao has led the security company to the top!"
Jing Dagang swallowed back his original curse words and could only say in a slightly softened tone: "Within five minutes, I will see the 2nd Regiment and the Japanese troops on the second line exchange fire!"
"Your military strength is three times that of the Japanese army. Why do you fight so conservatively? Are you forced to be held back by the Japanese army?"
An Chengmin complained bitterly: "Brigadier Commander, it has only been more than ten minutes since the attack started. The time is too tight. Please give our 2nd Regiment more time. At least we can capture the Japanese troops in the front line before we can continue the attack!"
"If I can give you time, will the enemy give it to you? What I want is progress!"
After Jing Dagang hung up the phone, he didn't understand the current situation of the 2nd regiment. The regiment leader was already on top of it. As long as there was enough time, it was absolutely no problem to kill the enemy in front of him, but what he wanted now was speed.
The fighter opportunity created by the commando team was fleeting. Once the Japanese army on the second line of defense stabilized the defense line, it would inevitably fall into a tug-of-war, so he had to apply pressure and immediately answered the call of the 3rd regiment.
An Chengmin put down the microphone and fiercely pointed at the area where the two sides were fighting. The gunshots kept ringing like exploding beans, and he felt really miserable.
Obviously, there have been many loopholes in the Japanese defense line, but the remaining Japanese troops still fight to the end. In the final analysis, those who refuse to retreat are the tough ones. These Japanese regiments forced the 2nd Regiment to invest most of their troops, dividing the battlefield into several encirclements.
Eclipsing the Japanese army step by step.
An Chengmin became cruel and threw his hat to the ground: "Except for the communications personnel in the regiment, everyone who is breathing will come with me!"
The pressure exerted by Jing Dagang was effective. After knowing the attitude of the brigade headquarters, the offensive of the 2nd and 3rd regiments became more fierce.
The battle progressed to such an extent that the heavy machine gun company and infantry artillery company directly under the regiment headquarters were not as maneuverable as the 50 small artillery pieces, and grenades continued to hit the Japanese army.
Looking at the overall situation, the 2nd and 3rd regiments have an absolute advantage. It is only a matter of time before they eat up the Japanese army in front of them. However, although the Japanese army is divided and surrounded, they have trenches that serve as bunkers.
"Boom boom boom!"
In an encirclement, two Type 92 heavy machine guns that the Japanese army was pouring out firepower misfired one after another, and the intensity of the counterattack suddenly dropped.
"The Japanese heavy machine gun has been knocked out, follow me! Blow the charge horn!"
More than 400 soldiers jumped up and quickly closed the distance between the two sides. The remaining 100 or so Japs in the encirclement were actually at the end of their strength.
When a Japanese captain in charge saw this situation, he was not timid at all and instead encouraged the soldiers to launch a counterattack to the surrounding areas.
"Warriors of the empire, let the Chinese experience the power of the imperial army with bayonets!"
However, after all, the Japanese army did not understand the firepower equipment of the 13th Brigade. Although many submachine gunners in the grassroots organization were removed, short guns are still a weapon that cannot be ignored in close combat.
What I was afraid of was that the Japanese would hide in the trenches and not come out. As long as the Japanese dared to come out, the soldiers of the 13th Brigade would teach the Japanese how to behave.
The Japanese army's impression of the Chinese army was still at the stage of hand-to-hand combat. Unexpectedly, the soldiers of the 13th Brigade did not give them a chance to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
It was also a three-person combat team, with two soldiers holding rifles with bayonets at the front, and the soldier holding a submachine gun or short rifle at the back.
After the little devil in front of him was shot and fell to the ground, the two soldiers quickly dealt with the wounds. The whole process was clean and neat, without any flaws.
The close combat between the two sides ended in an instant. More than a hundred little Japs were wiped out like fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind. The battlefield was littered with corpses.
The Japanese captain who had been shouting before was nailed to the ground with a bayonet. There was still an unwilling look on his face: "Baga, what a cowardly behavior the Chinese people are doing!"
This behavior obviously angered the soldier in front of him. He stepped on the wound with one foot, slowly pulled out the bayonet, and then stabbed the Japanese captain through the throat.
"Quick, don't stop!"
"The regiment headquarters ordered all battalions and companies to quickly attack the enemy's second-line positions!"
As the 2nd and 3rd regiments successively eliminated the enemy in front of them, the pressure on the Japanese second-line positions increased greatly. Due to the melee between personnel from both sides, and the fact that it was night, the enemy's and our artillery were temporarily unable to be used.
At this time, there were still more than 60 people in the commando team. Although they had repelled Japanese attacks time and time again, they did not have much ammunition left.
"Comrades, I'm afraid we won't be able to get out today, but before we die, we must recruit a few more little devils to support us!"
"Signal Corps, pick me up from brigade headquarters!"
The walkie-talkie was quickly connected, and commando captain Tang Siyi took the microphone: "Brigade commander, this is Tang Siyi!"
"How are you doing?"
"There are still more than 60 people in our commando team, and they have been trapped by the Japanese encirclement. However, there are more than 20 comrades who broke out of the encirclement before the Japanese reserve team encircled them. Maybe they can have a miraculous effect!"
"Comrades of the First Regiment, the offensive has been stalled due to previous shelling by the Japanese army, and are currently reorganizing the attack!"
Jing Dagang said: "You have to hold on. The 2nd and 3rd regiments have already pushed forward. The Japanese army cannot hold on for long. You must hold on at this last moment!"
While he was talking, a grenade fired from a Japanese grenade exploded next to Tang Siyi. Tang Siyi shook his head. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The Japanese army's grenades were not generally accurate, and many commandos were killed by grenades. They were also surrounded. The commandos had neither light or heavy machine guns nor rifles.
Since the range of the submachine gun was limited, there was no way to use the Japanese grenade.
"Brigadier, I have an idea that can break the current impasse!"
"you say!"
"Ask the artillery battalion to fire at the location of my commando team. I will expose the surrounding area with flares to provide guidance to the artillery battalion!"
"Brigade commander, please fire at my position. The Japanese are coming up again. We can't hold on for long!"
Jing Dagang put down the phone tremblingly, knowing that this was the best way to end the battle quickly.
After the communication was interrupted, Tang Siyi gathered the wounded who were unable to move and solemnly handed the flare bullet to one of the wounded.
"Time is running out, listen to me!"
"You can't move now, so why are you fighting against the Japanese? I am the commando captain, and it is best to leave the leadership task to you!"
The wounded looked at Tang Siyi, knowing that the captain was giving them a chance to survive, and the tough man also shed tears.
"Be patient and lie down in the trench for me, no one is allowed to get out!"
"Bah, bang, bang!" Three illumination bombs shot up into the sky in succession, illuminating the surrounding area so brightly that the Japanese army didn't even figure out what was going on.
Tang Siyi led the remaining team members to attack along the original route. In addition to trying to open up contact with the 1st Regiment, he also wanted to attract the firepower of the Japanese army and leave a chance for the wounded to survive.
The distance between the two sides was less than 500 meters, but it was like a natural chasm. After only charging for more than 20 meters, most of the team members were shot and fell to the ground.
The wounded in the trenches saw this scene, their eyes were splitting, and they could only follow Tang Siyi's order and continue to fire flares into the air.
Under the guidance of the flares, the artillery battalion's artillery fire enveloped the Japanese position, and the Japanese troops between the 1st Regiment and the commando suddenly fell into a sea of fire.