However, compared with the relatively rough minefields laid by the Japanese army, Qi Zhiyuan also sprinkled a thin layer of soil on the minefields, took off his military shoes and made a few shoe prints, plus added The corpses of two Japanese soldiers were used as illusions. As for whether his arrangement was a secret conspiracy or not, that was not his concern.
After quickly arranging the minefield, Qi Zhiyuan did not dare to delay any longer, aimed in the southwest, led the team to jump out of the Japanese trenches, and concentrated firepower to attack them. Qi Zhiyuan suddenly broke away from the Japanese trenches, and instead attacked a Japanese squadron from the west. caught off guard.
Although it broke through the Japanese army's flanking encirclement operation, the Sixth Company failed to truly break through the Japanese army's encirclement operation. It broke a Japanese army blockade, and there were more blockades behind it. As time went by, the surrounding As more and more Japanese troops gathered, it became more and more difficult for the Sixth Company to continue the attack, and the number of casualties became higher and higher.
In order to deal with this small force that penetrated deep into his position, Colonel Masatada Kaneoka not only mobilized a large number of troops, but also used artillery fire originally used for frontal combat, even heavy artillery, tanks, and flares, as if they were free of charge. shot up into the sky.
Under the almost crazy siege of the surrounding Japanese troops at all costs, the number of soldiers around Qi Zhiyuan became smaller and smaller. Although he rushed toward the intended target with all his strength, after attacking the Japanese troops for nearly a kilometer in depth, only two troops broke into the Japanese position. The steel sword of the sixth company of the platoon was sharpened. Facing the Japanese troops that were encircling them, they could no longer attack.
The submachine gun in his hand had already been replaced by an automatic rifle. He quickly fired a short burst and killed a Japanese second lieutenant who rushed up under the cover of artillery fire. Qi Zhiyuan rolled into a crater to avoid a Type 92 infantry shell. , Qi Zhiyuan did not expect that the Japanese army would adopt the tactic of covering artillery fire at night in order to eliminate their opponents who had penetrated into their positions, regardless of the risk of accidental damage.
Looking at the fewer and fewer soldiers around him, and then at the more and more Japanese troops gathering in front of him, Qi Zhiyuan spit out the dirt in his mouth, put a new magazine on the automatic rifle next to him, and knocked down a few more with a few accurate bursts. A Japanese soldier rushed up and said to the only remaining two platoon commanders beside him: "No, if the fight continues like this, we will all be trapped here."
"The devils are gathering more and more, and the firepower is getting stronger and stronger. We are now almost unable to move an inch, and there is not much ammunition left. We have to think of a way. If we continue to fight like this, let alone complete the mission, we will not even take one step forward." It’s almost impossible, and we’re at least a few hundred meters away from the attack position assigned to us by our superiors.”
After hearing what the company commander said, the platoon leader looked at the surrounding situation and said: "Company Commander, it seems that it is no longer possible to hit the planned target in the southwest direction. Judging from the actions of the Japanese army, the southwest, south, and southeast three This direction is the key area encircled by the Japanese. Should we break through to the north first and then make plans?"
Before Qi Zhiyuan could answer, Xiao Liu, who had just crawled over from another bomb crater, was the first to object: "No, once we go north, we will never have the chance to come back. The more troops the Japanese have mobilized now, it means that We are now closer to our goal."
"The little devil has probably roughly figured out the reason for our infiltration. When the front-line troops are still so tight, they mobilized so many troops to besiege us, which shows that our current distance is not too far from our goal. , people are alive, and the coordinates given to us by our superiors may not always be accurate."
"The Japanese artillery can avoid our air strikes and counterattacks not only by the fortifications they built. I think they must have set up many preset positions so that they can quickly move their artillery when necessary. The caliber artillery is very heavy, but don’t forget that the Japanese have a complete tractor.”
"On such flat terrain, it is not difficult to use tractors to transfer artillery. The coordinates given by superiors are the approximate locations of the Japanese artillery positions that our artillery observers roughly estimated based on the Japanese artillery fire during the day. Let's not start with this. Whether this calculation is accurate or not, judging from the position alone, the Japanese artillery may not still be at its original position."
At this point, Xiao Liu handed back to Qi Zhiyuan the telescope that Qi Zhiyuan gave him to keep after infiltrating the Japanese position, and pointed to a place less than fifty meters southwest and said: "Company commander, look over there, the little Japanese artillery No matter how concealed the position is, the fire when the artillery is ejected from the chamber cannot be concealed, especially at night, when the target is quite obvious."
"After we rushed over, the Japanese artillery temporarily stopped large-scale firing in order to hide themselves, but it was their occasional shot that exposed their position. Also, in the crater I just concealed There was a telephone line found among them. Judging from its direction, the other end of the telephone line was in that direction, and the other direction should lead to the front-line position."
"Judging from the surrounding terrain and the situation of the Japanese fortifications, I deduced that there should be at least an artillery position of the Japanese army, because at the moment of the battle just now, I saw the flash of artillery ejection in that direction, and although the guns around us were The sound of artillery was very dense, but I heard the sound of Japanese artillery firing from the middle. Although there were only a few shots, I felt that there should be an artillery position of the Japanese army."
Hearing Xiao Liu's words, Qi Zhiyuan quickly raised his telescope and used the flares fired by the Japanese to look in the direction Xiao Liu pointed. After looking for a long time, he saw nothing except a mass of graves. And this kind of The mass graves were in the Northeast. They were common graves covered with elms or poplars and quilts. Qi Zhiyuan, who found nothing, shook his head and put down the telescope in his hand.
Seeing Qi Zhiyuan shaking his head, Xiao Liu hurriedly said: "Company commander, think about it. There are Japanese fortifications everywhere in this area, but the bushes in and around the cemetery are quite lush, and there is no damage at all. Don't you think about it?" Do you think it's suspicious? And I can confirm just now that there is indeed the light of artillery fire there. Company Commander, trust me, I can still distinguish the light of artillery fire."
"Ten thousand steps back, even if it is not the Japanese artillery position, it is still a very important place. Judging from our current strength and the increasing enemy situation in front of us, we are thinking of attacking in the predetermined direction. It’s impossible, company commander, no matter what he is there, we are definitely not wrong in stabbing him.”
Xiao Liu's firm tone made Qi Zhiyuan hesitate for a moment. What he said was right. It was indeed suspicious there. This area had been repeatedly attacked by artillery fire from the enemy and our armies during the day. In addition, the Japanese army had deliberately targeted it. All the vegetation inside the Japanese army's deep positions They were basically wiped out, and since the end of the war last summer, the Japanese have prohibited local people from growing crops here.
There are still relatively lush bushes there, which is indeed quite suspicious, and Qi Zhiyuan also believes that Xiao Liu will never make a mistake. He pointed out that it is likely to be a hidden artillery position of the Japanese army, although it may not really be an artillery position. But it will definitely be an important department.
After thinking for a while, Qi Zhiyuan raised his telescope and looked there again, turned his head and said to the only remaining one of the two platoon leaders who had followed him: "Xiao Liu is right, no matter what is there, it can be The Japanese have worked so hard to preserve such good vegetation, it must be an important part of the area, and it is definitely not wrong for us to stab him."
"In this way, I will take one squad and the severely wounded who can no longer move to attract the attention of the Japanese army here. You will take two squads and a few lightly wounded who can move. Xiao Liu will command along the left The communication ditch was destroyed by our long-range artillery fire during the daytime battle."
After hearing Qi Zhiyuan's order, the platoon leader and Xiao Liu were anxious at that time, and they were all vying to stay. The original strength of the two platoons was now patchwork, even with the addition of some lightly wounded people who could still walk. , there are only four combat squads, and the surrounding Japanese army now has more than one squadron. Only one combat squad and a few seriously wounded people are left to attract the attention of the Japanese army. The result is almost self-evident.
Seeing that both of them were firmly opposed to staying, Qi Zhiyuan shook his head and said: "Don't argue, it's more appropriate for me to stay here. The troops staying here must attract the attention of the surrounding Japanese troops and create fighter opportunities for you. This kind of You are still relatively new to fighting. I stay here to take command and can buy you more time. No matter who the two of you are, I'm afraid I won't be able to buy much time."
"The situation is tense. This matter has been settled. Don't fight anymore. After destroying that place, if you are still alive, don't send reinforcements here, let alone me. Break out directly to the northeast and fight with The instructor and the deputy company commander will meet up."
"Remember, I can only buy you 20 minutes. In these 20 minutes, even if we all die here, you don't have to worry about it, whether it is really a Japanese artillery position or an important command organ. Even if it is just an ammunition storage point, even if you use it up, I will blow it up."
Qi Zhiyuan gave the telescope in his hand to Xiao Liu, and took off the modified imitation Soviet Tokarev TT 33 pistol and shoulder bag that were distributed by the Anti-League cadres above. Xiao Liu said: "This raid is under your command. Remember, if it is a Japanese command organization or a Japanese artillery position, they must be completely destroyed at all costs."
"You leave your medicine box, the pistol and the telescope. If I die and you can still escape, you can hand over the pistol and telescope to the regimental commander. Get ready as soon as possible. There won't be much time left for us, remember, we must complete the mission at all costs."
Having said this, Qi Zhiyuan turned to the remaining platoon leader and said: "Before I set off, I already said that my designated replacement is Xiao Liu. Your operations will be commanded by Xiao Liu. He is selected and trained by the military reconnaissance brigade. The team has learned a lot. This kind of task is very suitable for him to command, and you must obey his orders."