Having said this, Yang Jicai looked at the time on the watch on his wrist and said: "When we set off, the two cavalry regiments had already taken the lead. We are a fully mechanized force, and we take the highway, so our speed is relatively fast. According to According to the time calculation, if they don't go the wrong way, they will definitely arrive within two hours at the latest."
"But before that, the front line of Straw Hat Mountain must not be lost. Judging from the west and north of Straw Hat Mountain, as well as its own terrain of gentle east and steep west, if this place is lost and we want to get it back, we will have to pay a high price. , and from here to the west, there is basically no danger to defend.”
Lin Zhiqiang still agreed with Yang Jicai's words. We are now in the stage of gritting our teeth and persisting. As long as we can persist until the reinforcements of the two regiments arrive, the front line of Straw Hat Mountain can turn the corner. As long as the front line of Straw Hat Mountain is in hand, the entire battlefield will be safe. The initiative is in the hands of the advancing army, and the headquarters' plan can be executed smoothly.
But the situation did not go as the two people expected. It deteriorated much faster than they expected. Just when the equipment allocated by Yang Jicai to Lin Zhiqiang was about to be transported up the mountain during the gap between Japanese artillery fire, the equipment from the foot of the main peak Another piece of news came from the Third Regiment Command Post that stunned the two of them.
A strengthened platoon guarding the right wing of Highland 1613 on Highland 910 suffered casualties under repeated attacks by the Japanese and puppet troops. Only five lightly and seriously injured people were still holding on to the position, which meant that Highland 910 , it is almost impossible to survive an attack by the Japanese and puppet troops at the top of the mountain.
With the entire defense line in danger on the 910 Highlands, the main peak garrison had no choice but to bite the bullet and draw two squads from the remaining few troops on the front to take over the 910 Highlands. After leaving these two squads, there were only one and a half platoons left on Highland 1613.
At this time, the entire Third Regiment could no longer send any soldiers to the mountain to support them. Several deputy regimental cadres of the Third Regiment, except for leaving two guards to protect the regiment headquarters, even All the guards around him were sent up the mountain, and the blood of the Third Regiment, which was not rich in itself, had been exhausted.
The commander of the Third Regiment, who was already on fire, directly told Lin Zhiqiang on the phone that if a company of troops was not mobilized for the mountain within fifteen minutes, Highland 910 might be lost, and Highland 910 was lost. Relying on the few troops on Highland 1613, it is impossible to hold the main peak position of Straw Hat Mountain.
Faced with the rapidly deteriorating battle situation, although some did not want to be in the limelight at this time, but the front line of Straw Hat Mountain was too important. After a short period of thinking, Yang Jicai finally gave up the original idea of only producing equipment but not people, and decided to adjust a The infantry company went up the mountain to take over part of the position. There were too few troops on the mountain now, and there was almost no reserve. According to the number of troops on the mountain, it was still unknown whether they could hold on until reinforcements arrived.
As for the two cavalry regiments deployed by the advancing army headquarters, well, in Yang Jicai's opinion, it is also unknown when the two cavalry regiments, which should be said to be horse infantry regiments, will arrive. There are mountains connecting mountains everywhere. , without a guide and an accurate map, no one can guarantee whether it will be possible within two hours, even if one has good maneuverability.
Yang Jicai doesn't like to place all bets on the unknown. For him, no matter how bad the situation is, as long as the initiative on the battlefield is in his hands, it is the most fundamental guarantee. Holding the front line of Straw Hat Mountain at the moment means mastering the battlefield. take the initiative, but if you lose the overall situation here, you will become passive.
Gritting his teeth at the thought, Yang Jicai said: "Old Chief, although I only brought one infantry battalion this time, this battalion is reinforced and has four infantry companies, all of which are automatic weapons. One The company's salvo firepower is equivalent to an advancing army or a battalion of Japanese and puppet troops facing the enemy."
"The situation on the mountain is critical now. I think a company from me will be transferred up to take over the 1123 Highlands on the right. The troops above will all shrink to the defense of 1613 Highlands, focusing on the defense of 1613 Highlands and the left As long as these two highlands are defended, the Japanese and puppet troops will not be able to cross the Straw Hat Mountain line."
"I still have more than ten high-explosive incendiary bombs dedicated to the 107 rocket launcher here. They are all used on the front of the 1613 Highland. At least first, the Japanese and puppet troops pressed on the mountainside in front will be driven back. After the troops on the main peak have completed their contraction, , with the mountainside as the first-line defensive position, as for the two small highlands at the foot of the mountain, it is better to completely give up and use direct fire remote control. "
Regarding Yang Jicai's suggestion, Lin Zhiqiang shook his head after thinking about it for a while and said: "We can't give up on Highland 910 yet. Although Highland 910 is only connected to Highland 1613 by a ridge on the surface, it seems to be controlled by firepower." That’s fine, but its strategic location is relatively prominent and serves as a barrier to the 1613 Highlands behind it.”
"As long as there are troops defending there, the Japanese army will not be able to devote all its troops to attack the 1613 Highlands. At the same time, it can defend the 1123 Highlands with firepower. And only in this way can our troops have more depth, otherwise they will be The remaining troops were all concentrated on Highland 1613 and Highland 1123 on the right, and the defensive front was too narrow."
"Once the 910 Highland is abandoned, we will place all our troops on two small hills. Since the mountainside has been occupied by the Japanese and puppet troops, the narrow defense depth can only give us the last bit of strength. It was consumed little by little by Japanese artillery fire."
"You have many automatic firearms and complete weapons. If you deploy a company of troops to take over Highland 1613, as long as the two front highlands are not lost, the pressure on the main peak will be relatively small. However, once the two flanking highlands are lost, , your place will become the target of public criticism, and all the power of the Japanese and puppet troops will be pressed against you."
After saying that, Lin Zhiqiang stopped Yang Jicai from saying anything and said: "I understand your idea, but you have many automatic weapons and consume a lot of ammunition. If you are placed on the two highlands on the left and right, the Japanese artillery fire will block you." , the ammunition from the rear cannot be sent up, and the high ground of 1123 and 910 has become a dead place."
"Furthermore, these two highlands are narrow and can only be connected to the main position through two mountain ridges. Transporting ammunition to these two highlands under the noses of the Japanese and puppet troops will cost a lot. In addition, the anti-alliance forces' infantry and artillery coordination The capability is higher than that of the internal troops, so it is more appropriate to serve as a tactical reserve team."
"You immediately transfer a company up to take over the defense of the main peak. Just use your dozen or so high-explosive incendiary bombs when we change our defenses. Don't let the Japanese and puppet troops take advantage of us to change our defenses and touch us. The gain will outweigh the losses." , for the next battle, you and I will divide the work and cooperate. I will give you the artillery assigned to the third regiment. You will be in charge of the artillery and I will be in charge of the people."
"The rocket launcher has a long range and fierce firepower, and the artillery fire coverage is large. The next step to suppress the Japanese and puppet troops' second-line forces is that your rocket launcher battery will need to play the main force. There are not many shells, so you have to use them sparingly. It's not that easy to hold on for two hours. Even if your whole battalion goes up, the difference in strength between us is too huge."
Having said this, Lin Zhiqiang thought for a while and said: "Have you brought a certain amount of supplies? If so, can you spare some and give them to the Third Regiment? It turns out that the food seized is limited, and most of it is provided to the headquarters and other troops. Our brigade It turned out that there was very little food left.”
"Furthermore, it is impossible to live and cook under the noses of the Japanese and puppet troops. Now the troops on the mountain are probably running out of food. I know that our Anti-Japanese Alliance has compressed dry food and canned food. Can you give some to the Third Regiment? The soldiers need to eat something to fill their bellies so that they can have energy to continue fighting."
In response to Lin Zhiqiang's request, Yang Jicai immediately ordered his subordinates without any hesitation. Each of them took out two compressed biscuits and a box of cans. At the same time, he took out some cans, ham sausages, and compressed biscuits from the spare supplies, and handed them all over to Troops on the mountain.
As for the rest, since Lin Zhiqiang insisted, Yang Jicai didn't say much. After the two briefly discussed the defense change plan, Yang Jicai immediately transferred a company, a recoilless gun squad, and a 12mm gun squad from the battalion he brought. The anti-aircraft machine gun squad quickly went up the mountain to take over the defense under the cover of concentrated artillery fire.
At the same time, the troops of two companies were deployed on the two wings of the main peak of Straw Hat Mountain. The cavalry companies were organized into platoons and spread out to patrol the mountain roads on both wings to prevent the Japanese and puppet troops from infiltrating the front line behind Straw Hat Mountain again. , the last time the Japanese and puppet troops infiltrated, Lin Zhiqiang's headquarters was almost destroyed. This situation must not happen again this time.
A company that Yang Jicai transferred up the mountain took over the defense of the 1613 Highlands, which greatly reduced the pressure on the third regiment in front. It also allowed the troops of the third regiment, which had been under great pressure, to finally breathe a sigh of relief and fight against the Allied Forces. The light artillery moving up the mountain completely eliminated the threat from the several infantry guns on the opposite mountain peak that posed a great threat to the troops on the main peak.
When the 57mm recoilless gun fires grenades, its maximum range is about three thousand meters, its direct fire distance is about three hundred meters, and its accuracy within three hundred meters is also excellent, and it can be carried by one person. A light artillery that can run all over the mountain is more flexible than the Type 92 infantry gun.
Although the Anti-League was produced as a direct-aimed artillery for anti-tank and anti-fortification purposes, its large elevation shooting angle and operational flexibility did not prevent them from dealing with targets on the hilltops that were no more than 200 meters away. Japanese infantry artillery.
In addition, the Japanese army was too arrogant, perhaps bullying the three regiments on the opposite side. In order to ensure the safety of the main peak, the limited artillery fire could only be used to intercept firepower when the Japanese and puppet troops charged towards the main peak and the two connected highlands, and had no time to attack them. Gu, perhaps because they were avoiding the superior fire suppression of mountain artillery by the Japanese and puppet troops, they frequently moved their positions and were unable to suppress them with all their strength.
The 92 infantry cannons carried up the mountain by the Japanese and puppet troops did not follow the instructions of the Kwantung Army. When the Kwantung Army was fighting against the Anti-Japanese Alliance, infantry cannons were generally deployed in anti-slope positions, using their large shooting angles to provide fire support for ridges and frontal positions.
Instead, they were deployed openly under the eyes of the 1613 Highlands as close-range direct firepower, specifically to deal with the heavy machine gun firepower points on the main peak and the two flanking highlands.