In order to lure the Japanese army to attack with all their strength, He Fangren came to the battlefield in silence, but Major Keiji Seto over there was ecstatic. The calmness on the other side made him think that he was using cavalry to lure the opponent's fire points to be exposed, and then used artillery fire to weaken the opponent little by little. The tactics of resistance were successful.
Major Seto Keiji is not an idiot, but he believes too much in the power of his own artillery fire. In this plain terrain, the opponent has no solid fortifications to rely on. No matter how stubborn they are, people are still fleshy after all. He I can't believe how many people are left on the opposite side after such a long time under my absolute firepower suppression.
However, in order to be on the safe side, Major Seto Keiji did not act hastily. He raised his telescope and observed it carefully. After the cavalry rushed to the opponent's position four hundred meters away, with only sporadic firepower on the opposite side, he turned around. He said to the infantry squadron leader behind him who was staying with him in Taolaizhao: "Order the artillery to concentrate firepower on the flanks. After hitting half a base, tell Miura-kun to attack in full force and destroy these resistance alliances in front of you in one go."
"Tell Miura-kun that in half an hour, I will see the imperial flag planted on the position facing the Anti-Japanese Alliance, with two infantry squadrons, one cavalry squadron, and half a squadron under the full cover of the Kwantung Army's artillery at all costs. The strength of a regular Imperial Army squadron has not been able to defeat the Resistance Alliance, which is no more than a company in front of us, for such a long time. I highly doubt Miura Bunta's ability."
"Is he still a graduate of the Imperial Army Military Academy? Has his military quality also faded after he retired? Is it possible that all the things he learned at the Imperial Army Military Academy are just for food? Or is it because of his years of family life? My ambition as an Imperial soldier has been completely exhausted."
After receiving his order, the infantry squadron captain behind him who temporarily served as his staff hesitated and said: "Your Excellency, after this period of fighting, because we relied too much on artillery support, we only have one artillery shell left. If we hit half of the base in one go, we won’t have many artillery shells left. If these shells are used up and the anti-alliance follow-up troops arrive for reinforcements, how can we fight the rest of the battle?"
"Your Excellency, it is impossible for the Anti-Japanese Alliance to dispatch such a small number of troops. Now there are gunshots coming from the east and west directions of Tao Laizhao. It is obvious that the troops they dispatched are not just the ones in front of them. After we deal with these people in front of us, they will also If we add new reinforcements, then we will be passive without the support of artillery fire."
"I took a look at the battle situation just now. Although we caused a lot of casualties to the Anti-Japanese Alliance, our attacking troops also suffered a lot of casualties. The two squadrons participating in the battle have lost nearly one-third of their troops. If we lose too much and the shells consume the embers, how can we hold on to Taolaizhao."
The squadron leader is obviously very worried that because of the excessive use of artillery shells, the number of artillery shells in the entire Taolaizhao front line is now very small. If according to the current number of artillery shells and the request of the Major, after half of the base is fired, There will be almost no shells left.
In fact, Tao Laizhao used to be, and is currently, the material storage and transfer base for several divisions garrisoned by the Japanese army in the north of Xinjing. There is still a lot of ammunition and materials in it, but the quantity is large, which does not mean that it is in line with the current situation of Tao Laizhao. The artillery has enough shells to use.
But now, the largest number of artillery shells stored in Taolaizhao are 120mm grenades and 150mm heavy mortar ammunition, as well as some 150mm heavy artillery shells and Type 99 heavy mountain gun shells. As for The limited reserves of Type 38 field guns, Type 41 mountain guns, and 90mm mortar ammunition have almost been consumed by the previous lavish use.
However, among the current Tao Laizhao defenders, there is neither a 120mm howitzer nor a 150mm heavy mortar. Of course, as Tao Laizhao, who is deep in the Japanese army, would be equipped with such a large-caliber 120mm howitzer. Howitzers are indeed a bit exaggerated.
As for the number of light weapons ammunition bags, it is indeed quite sufficient. Just the 65 bullets used in the Type 38 rifle and the Taisho 11-year-old light machine gun ammunition combined have hundreds of thousands of rounds in stock. However, they The ammunition for the Type 92 heavy machine gun that is most needed right now only has a pitiful amount of more than 10,000 rounds.
Moreover, the largest amount of materials Tao Laizhao currently reserves is not ammunition, nor food or medicines that are urgently needed on the front line, but other materials that are urgently needed on the front line. It is a full ton of high explosives. The explosives currently stored in it are enough to destroy The entire Taolaizhao was sent to the sky together with the Songhua River Railway Bridge behind it.
It's not that the Kwantung Army's logistics department went crazy. The supplies stored in Taolaizhao were completely inconsistent with what was needed on the front line. This was actually the location of the largest and most critical logistics warehouse of the 28th Division. The artillery shells inside were 2 The heavy artillery battalion of the 18th Division Artillery Regiment and the attached independent artillery unit and independent mortar battalion are in urgent need of artillery shells.
As for the 75mm mountain field artillery shells and heavy machine gun bullets, which were the most consumed during the battle, the grenades used in the grenades had either been sent forward a long time ago, or they could not be sent to Tao Laizhao due to the air strikes of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, or they simply could not be sent to Tao Laizhao. It was blown up on the way forward, and the 28th Division was not equipped with 90mm mortars, so there were no 90mm mortars here.
As for light weapons and ammunition, because the Japanese army has always been meticulous in fighting, except for the heavy machine gun bullets that are most urgently needed at the front, the rest have not had time to be sent up. The explosives inside are for the 28th Division when necessary. , prepared to be used to blow up the Songhua River Railway Bridge.
At the moment, I don't have the artillery shells I urgently need. I have artillery shell reserves, but I don't have artillery. I have a lot of Type 38 rifles and Taisho 11-year-old light machine gun ammunition, but these light equipment can be used in subsequent battles. How effective is it? You must know that the Anti-Japanese Alliance will not have such a small number of troops when they come back. Under such circumstances, it is not wrong for the infantry squadron leader to be worried.
Regarding the worries of his subordinates, Major Seto Keiji, who was holding a telescope to observe the impact point of the bomb, put down the telescope and waved his hand: "There is nothing to worry about, we are short of artillery shells, but there is an artilleryman from other divisions in Jiangnan." Brigade, as long as we keep communication open, we can request Jiangnan to provide remote fire support at any time through the division commander."
"Moreover, these railway policemen also have an armored train in Dehui in the south of the Yangtze River. There is also an infantry regiment of our 29th Division there, as well as various other armed forces. As long as we keep the Songhua River Railway Bridge, they will be there at any time. You can rush over quickly to support us. When the time comes, it’s not certain who can eat whom.”
Now that the Major had made up his mind, the squadron leader naturally did not dare to have any further objections and quickly ordered the communications troops to signal and notify the commander of the Tao Laizhao Regiment of the Puppet Manchukuo Railway Police Force over there, Miura Wenta, the commander of the Major. The decision, as to what the outcome will be, is naturally beyond his control.
Although Major Seto Keiji's order has been issued, Miura Bunta over there does not want to use all the troops at once. Although he was only a captain before retiring, he had been in the army for many years and had participated in the Battle of the Great Wall. He was involved in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and has rich practical experience.
The soldier's special intuition on the battlefield told him that the silence on the anti-resistance alliance position was not as simple as it appeared. He suspected that the opponent was creating some conspiracy for himself. Although it was a flat terrain, the anti-resistance alliance was not as simple as it appeared. The Allied positions had long been pockmarked by Japanese artillery shells. It was not a problem to hide some people in these large number of craters.
Although no shots are fired now, it does not mean that the opponent has really been completely consumed by the Kwantung Army's artillery shells. On the battlefield, real veterans will have a relatively accurate judgment on the explosive point of the artillery shells, and these veterans, in The chance of surviving the bombardment is still quite high.
But Major Seto Keiji urged him again and again, but he had to let him act according to the order. Although he was now a police officer in Manchukuo in name, according to the orders of the Kwantung Army, all armed forces in Manchukuo during the battle All actions must be carried out in accordance with the orders of the Kwantung Army and must be strictly obeyed. Otherwise, they will be treated as mutiny or hostile behavior. If the commander is Japanese, he will be regarded as a national traitor.
The so-called hostile behavior is to be regarded as an enemy by the Kwantung Army, and if you wear the hat of a national thief, you will become the enemy of all Japan. In other words, whether the Manchukuo army or the police do not cooperate with the orders of the Kwantung Army during the war, or Failure to implement the Kwantung Army's instructions, regardless of whether the official is Manchurian or Japanese, will be punished with the severest punishment.
In desperation, the third-class police officer Miura could only follow the order of Major Seto and ordered all the troops currently concentrated on the flanks to attack. At the same time, in order to disperse the opponent's forces as much as possible, he returned the squadron to the front. An order was also issued for a full-scale attack.
In fact, the former Japanese captain Miura's sense of smell on the battlefield was much more sensitive than that of his current boss. When he carried out the orders of Major Seto Keiji, although he could not openly confront him, he remained With one hand, he deliberately opened the distance between the infantry and the cavalry, and held an infantry squad and half of the Kwantung Army squadron in his hand, without pressing them all.
In the previous attack, he was still frightened by the intensive firepower of the opponent in front of him. Although there were not many troops of the Anti-Japanese Alliance in front of him, the firepower far exceeded the firepower configuration of the same force of the Kwantung Army. This was his first time coming into contact with automatic rifles. This is the first time I have seen a rifle that can actually suppress a light machine gun within 300 meters.
There is also the kind of light artillery that can be fired when mounted on the shoulder. It actually blew up two of its Type 92 heavy machine guns at a distance of 500 meters. The range was longer than the Kwantung Army's sharp weapon against machine guns, grenades cannon, but it is much further away. If I hadn't reacted quickly and used the short gap between the artillery fire to suppress the two artillery guns, I would have withdrawn the remaining machine guns to 800 meters away. I am afraid that the remaining four heavy machine guns would have It's also very difficult to keep.