The night was dark, and the Songhu battlefield, where the fierce fighting lasted all day long, finally fell silent temporarily.
The residents of Baoshan City had already fled back to the countryside half a month ago, and now it was completely an empty city.
Several torches were inserted diagonally on the city wall, and the faint light of the fire illuminated the surroundings of the city wall dimly. Amidst the sound of leather boots hitting the ground, Yue Weihan followed Yao Changqing to the east gate tower, and stood on the city wall, looking down from above.
I saw the officers and soldiers of Yao Camp nervously digging trenches outside the city wall and setting up light and dark firepower points.
"Zhongshu, what do you think of the layout of my city fortifications?"
Yao Changqing suddenly asked. Yue Weihan, who was standing behind Yao Changqing, was stunned for a moment before he realized that Battalion Commander Yao was talking to him, but Zhongshu was Yue Weihan's pseudonym. This was something he took out from his pocket.
As seen in the family letter, the family letter was sent by Yue Weihan's old father from his hometown in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province. It started with "The word tells me to be loyal and forgive my son."
Yue Weihan doesn't know much about his current identity, but judging from his name, this Yue Weihan should be from a well-known family. This Yue family is probably a well-known local family in Fenghua, Zhejiang, otherwise his old father would not have given him such a name.
The literal meaning of the name, Zhongshu Weihan, is extraordinary!
Zengzi said: The Master’s way consists of only two words: loyalty and forgiveness.
With the two characters Wei and Han as his name, it is not difficult to see the wish of Yue Weihan's father. He hoped that Yue Weihan could maintain the rule of the Han family with the way of a master. If it were not for the scholarly family heirloom of poetry and calligraphy, then
It is absolutely impossible to come up with such a name, but Yue Weihan really doesn't have much time to think about it now.
Seeing Yao Changqing's question, Yue Weihan immediately replied: "The city defense fortifications laid out by the commander are perfect. Whether it is the connection of the traffic trenches and the foxholes of each company, or the combination of light and heavy firepower points and light and dark fortifications, it is a model. No matter where the little devil comes from,
Attacking in any direction will be met with a head-on attack by our army. The firepower points at all locations can form a tight cross-fire network, leaving no blind spots for shooting. Based on my humble opinion, even the German instructors at the Central Military Academy may not be able to do what they can.
Better than the commander, but..."
Although the current Yue Weihan is not the original Yue Weihan, and he has never attended any Central Military Academy, as a military history enthusiast, he still has some military theoretical foundation, so it is definitely not a problem to deal with Yao Changqing's topic, and Yue Weihan himself
In order to pass through the crowd, I have read the summary and analysis of the Songhu Battle by many military strategists in later generations. From the entire Songhu Battle to the small offensive and defensive battles of Baoshan County, Yue Weihan only knows a lot more than Yao Changqing!
"oh?"
Yao Changqing still had his hands behind his back, but a confident smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Does Zhongshu think there are still loopholes or defects in the city defenses I deployed?"
"No." Yue Weihan shook his head and said solemnly, "The city defenses laid out by the superior are watertight, but I think it is unwise for the whole battalion to be deployed outside the city to fight with the enemy in the field."
The smile on Yao Changqing's face faltered slightly, and then he said again: "Tell me your reasons."
Yue Weihan said: "If there is one division to defend the city, it should indeed be deployed outside the city to fight with the enemy in the field. If not, nearly ten thousand people in the entire division will gather in the palm-sized city wall. The enemy only needs one artillery attack, and the defenders will have nowhere to go.
If you move around to avoid the casualties, your troops will lose their morale and fall apart in an instant."
Yao Changqing couldn't help but nodded slightly when he heard this. This is actually the truth.
Yue Weihan added: "But if there is only one battalion of troops defending the city, the situation is completely different. At this time, if you abandon the solid city wall fortifications and deploy troops outside the city, your troops will inevitably be scattered, giving the enemy every opportunity to defeat them. It is better to shrink your troops and
If you fight in the city with the enemy on the streets, you can avoid enemy artillery fire, protect yourself, and at the same time, you can do more damage to the enemy."
"Otherwise." Yao Changqing shook his head slightly and said, "Zhongshu only knows one thing but not the other. If we suddenly abandon the fortifications outside the city, the Japanese invaders will take advantage of the situation and surround our army in the city walls. At that time, we will have no contact with the outside world.
It will be completely cut off by the Japanese invaders, and what is even more worrying is that our army will not be able to launch a frontal counterattack after shrinking into the city walls. In this way, our army will only be passively beaten."
Yue Weihan thought for a while and then persuaded: "Sir, if our army is outside the city, the scattered lines of each company and platoon and the painstakingly constructed firepower points will be directly exposed to the direct strikes of Japanese aircraft, heavy artillery and various light and heavy firepower.
, I’m afraid it may not be able to play its due role.”
"Of course I know this." Yao Changqing stretched out his hand and pulled the hem of his woolen uniform and said solemnly, "But retreating to the city wall will also be killed by Japanese aircraft and heavy artillery. Moreover, we are soldiers, and soldiers must obey military orders as their bounden duty.
, since Shangfeng ordered us to defend the outskirts of Baoshan and not give in an inch of ground, then we must resolutely implement it and never make any compromises."
Yue Weihan said anxiously: "Sir, if you save the land and lose the people, then everyone and the land will be lost; if you save the people and lose the land, then both the people and the land will be saved!"
"If you save the land and lose the people, then everyone and the land will be lost; if you save the people and lose the land, then both the people and the land will survive?" Yao Changqing savored this sentence carefully, and then said to Yue Weihan, "After being loyal and forgiving, it will be getting late.
, you should hurry down and rest, there will definitely be a fierce battle tomorrow, and you will be tired by then, so you should recuperate your strength first."
Yue Weihan had no choice but to salute Yao Changqing with a military salute and then turned around and walked down the tower. Saying it three times would be boring. Saying it the fourth time would have annoyed Yao Changqing. Fortunately, it would take another seven or eight days for Baoshan to fall, and Yue Weihan still had to say it.
There is time to convince Yao Changqing, but the most important thing right now is to be prepared for tomorrow's fierce battle!
…………
The sky was twilight, and the officers and soldiers of Yao camp who had been busy for most of the night were having a meal and rest, trying to restore their strength as much as possible to cope with the upcoming fierce battle.
Battalion Commander Yao Changqing had no appetite at all. He was meditating on the map at this time. Although Yao Changqing was only a small battalion commander, as an officer who came out of Huangpu Military Academy, his vision would never be limited to Baoshan County.
While managing Baoshan city defense well, he was also concerned about the situation between the enemy and ourselves on the entire Songhu battlefield.
Yue Weihan was busy flattening the bullet's bullet and then making cross marks on it.
Although this thing is not a dum bomb in the true sense, its power cannot be underestimated.
Several young soldiers from the guard platoon were curious when they saw it, so they gathered around one after another. One soldier bravely asked: "Sir, what are you doing?"
Yue Weihan raised the processed dum bomb in his hand and said: "This thing can make the little devil suffer a lot."
The soldier asked again: "Sir, doesn't this thing just have an extra cross pattern? What other differences can it make?"
"The difference is huge. You will know when the little devil comes." Yue Weihan smiled lightly and did not explain much.
Just as he was talking, a shrill scream rang out from the sky above his head. An experienced veteran would know it was the scream of an artillery shell streaking across the sky, and the impact point was not far away. In a short time, a veteran was ejected.
He stood up and shouted loudly: "The little devils have started shelling, hurry up, brothers, find a place to hide..."
"Sir!" Yue Weihan also jumped up and said to Yao Changqing, "Hurry up and enter the cellar."
Before he finished speaking, an artillery shell had landed in the courtyard and exploded. The two soldiers in the guard platoon were immediately knocked to the ground by the huge air wave. The compound that served as the temporary headquarters also shook violently for a while, and a large number of
Dust fell from the beams, and Yao Changqing and Yue Weihan were immediately disgraced.
"Why are you panicking!?" Yao Changqing glared at Yue Weihan coldly, then reached out his hand to brush off the dust on his body, and said with a hum, "Have you forgotten what our ancestors said in the art of war? Hum,
As a leader, you should be unafraid in the face of danger and not alarmed by changes!"
"Yes." Yue Weihan said in surprise, "Don't be afraid in the face of danger, and don't be alarmed by changes."
Yao Changqing then pulled the hem of his clothes, straightened his woolen military uniform again, and then calmly walked down the cellar.
The Japanese army's artillery preparations lasted for nearly half an hour. It was not until the sky was completely bright that the screams in the sky and the explosions on the ground gradually became sparse. Yao Changqing, who returned to the ground command post, immediately ordered the forward positions to be moved
Each company and platoon immediately reported battle damage.
The battle damage status of each company and platoon was quickly reported to the battalion command via telephone.
The casualties of each company and platoon were not large, but the peripheral fortifications and various light and heavy firepower points that had been painstakingly built last night were almost flattened by the Japanese artillery fire. Yue Weihan had already been mentally prepared for this, and it only took him one night.
If the hastily built civil fortifications could withstand the Japanese artillery fire, it would be really weird.
You must know that among the nine main Japanese divisions participating in the Battle of Songhu, seven were the most elite permanent divisions!
Although the firepower configuration of the Japanese permanent divisions could not be compared with that of the German army of the same period and the Soviet army that pursued artillery doctrine, it was much stronger than the National Army, which was severely lacking in heavy artillery! At that time, only the most elite of the National Army were
The teaching corps (division-level establishment) of the Central Military Academy has the establishment of an artillery regiment. The rest of the national army, even the most elite 87th Division and 88th Division, do not have the establishment of an artillery regiment. It would be overwhelming to have an artillery battalion.
In addition, the Songhu battlefield is close to the coastline, and the Japanese infantry can receive fire support from the combined fleet's gun group, which is even more incredible. You must know that the navy of the Little Japanese was the third largest in the world at that time, second only to the United Kingdom and the United States in terms of total tonnage.
In terms of overall quality of naval officers and soldiers of our country, it is even better than that of the United States, and second only to the British Empire!
Moreover, the caliber of naval guns generally exceeds 150 mm, and the caliber of main guns generally exceeds 300 mm!
If such a giant ship and heavy artillery were to receive a direct hit, it would be easily destroyed, let alone hastily built civil fortifications, even carefully built reinforced concrete fortifications!
But Yao Changqing obviously lacked psychological preparation for this. It's no wonder that this was his first direct confrontation with the Japanese army. Before that, Yao Changqing had faced either the disorganized and disorganized Beiyang army, or the workers and peasants with inferior equipment who were as good as beggars.
How could the Red Army have the opportunity to experience such intense artillery fire coverage?
Yao Changqing couldn't sit still anymore and immediately said to Yue Weihan: "Let's go to the forward observation post."
The two men immediately led the guard platoon to the forward observation post at the north gate. Yao Changqing picked up the telescope and looked outside, and his face suddenly became extremely solemn. By this time, the Japanese army's artillery preparations had ended, and only a few cannons were still there.
Stretching towards the urban area of Baoshan, the Japanese army dispatched about two reinforced squads of infantry, and under the guidance of two light tanks, they simultaneously launched exploratory attacks from the northwest and northeast to the peripheral positions of Baoshan's north gate.
"Ignore you! This little devil is so cunning!" Yao Changqing put down the telescope and couldn't help but cursed.
Yue Weihan was silent, the Japs were indeed cunning, and the direction they chose to attack was also very tricky. Since Yao Camp's defense layout was to deploy four infantry companies evenly, with one company in each direction of the southeast and northwest, this way the Japanese army launched from the northwest and northeast.
The attack hit the junction of the defense systems of Yao Camp's companies. If the Japanese army's two-way attack could penetrate deeply, it would be able to form a pincer attack on the fourth company outside the north gate. Once the two Japanese forces met, the fourth company's
The retreat route will be cut off, and it will be completely reduced to a lone army in the front, and it will be inevitable to be swallowed up by the Japanese army!
Although the Little Japs only have two squads of over a hundred men, their firepower has been significantly increased.
Therefore, the Japs' offensive was very fierce. The skirmishers in the foxholes of the Fourth Company and adjacent positions were suppressed by the firepower network of light and heavy machine guns of the Japanese army and were basically unable to raise their heads. When the Fourth Company and friendly positions organized light and heavy firepower to implement counter-suppression
However, they immediately attracted crazy retaliation from Japanese tanks and grenade launchers. Especially the Japs’ grenade launchers had a frighteningly high hit rate. The national army’s light and heavy machine gunners often failed to hit even half of the magazine before being killed.
The kid's grenade was knocked off.
Although the two mortars of the artillery platoon directly under Yao Camp fought back desperately, the fire suppression of the two mortars was too weak, and the delay to the Japanese offensive was extremely limited. Due to the favorable terrain, the Japanese army in the northwest made no progress.
It was particularly fast, advancing four to five hundred meters in less than half an hour, and was about to cut off the fourth company's retreat.
"Battal Commander, give the order to retreat quickly, otherwise the Fourth Company will be doomed!" Battalion Deputy Zhao Dahe could no longer sit still.
"We can't withdraw." Yao Changqing shook his head decisively and said, "If we give the order to retreat at this juncture, the troops will just let the sheep go. Not only will the outer positions be unable to be defended, but the Japanese army may also take the opportunity to break into the city! I'm afraid the little devils are eager for us to do this.
Well, we can't follow the little devil's wishes, Yue Weihan!"
"Yes." This time Yue Weihan reacted quickly and immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Yao Changqing.
"Little Japan has a big appetite. Just two teams here want to eat my Fourth Company?" Yao Changqing sneered coldly, then turned to Yue Weihan and said: "You bring the guard platoon to protect the rear of the Fourth Company.
We must block the Japanese troops in the northwest direction, and no one is allowed to retreat even half a step without my order, otherwise military law will not tolerate it!"
"Yes." Yue Weihan responded loudly, then turned around and shouted to the soldiers in the guard platoon behind him, "Guard platoon, follow me!"
As soon as Yue Weihan led the guard platoon out of the city, the Japanese frontline commander quickly adjusted his tactics. Before the guard platoon could build simple fortifications, the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun, Type 11 light machine gun (crooked handle) and tanks were launched.
The bullets from the flat-firing machine gun came from the northwest like a wind. Yue Weihan and more than 40 soldiers from the guard platoon were immediately suppressed in several large craters, and they could hardly even raise their heads.
What's more terrible is that Baoshan City faces the northwest in an open area, and there is no bunker to hide in. The reason why Little Japan chose this direction as a breakthrough is probably because of the terrain here. In just a moment, the Japanese army
They rushed forward for nearly a hundred meters, and were less than a hundred meters away from the several large craters where the guard platoon was located.
The situation was critical, but Yue Weihan felt his scalp numb and his thinking almost came to a standstill.
Although he had been a mercenary overseas for more than ten years after graduating from university in his previous life, all Yue Weihan had experienced were small-scale harassment battles with low intensity and low intensity. This was his first time experiencing such a high-intensity and high-intensity battle, and he was naturally mentally disturbed.
An adaptation process is required, but the situation is critical and there is no room for Yue Weihan to slowly adapt.
Taking a deep breath, Yue Weihan tried his best to calm down, turned around and said to Cao Xinglong, the guard platoon leader behind him: "As soon as the Japanese machine guns in front stop, we will immediately organize firepower to implement counter-suppression, and then pass on the order, and single soldiers will attack the Japanese army alone."
The machine gunners and grenadiers, the infantry are dealt with by light and heavy machine guns, and as for the Japs’ tanks, a death squad is organized to blow them up!”
"This is no problem." Cao Xinglong said anxiously, "But we are suppressed here by the Japanese firepower and cannot raise our heads at all."
"You don't have to worry about this." After Yue Weihan said that, he took a deep breath, and his whole mind suddenly became extremely focused. With the help of his keen hearing, the Japanese army consisted of a Type 92 heavy machine gun and two crooked handles.
The firepower network formed by the light machine guns immediately formed a rough three-dimensional orientation map in Yue Weihan's mind. The tank machine gun that originally fired the most fiercely probably turned around to suppress the machine gun firepower of the fourth company on the frontal position.
The next moment, Yue Weihan stood up suddenly, raised his hand and fired, then pulled the gun bolt as quickly as possible and fired twice.
The three light and heavy machine guns used to suppress the guard platoon on the Japanese position immediately stopped. The guard platoon's only Maxim heavy machine gun and two Czech light machine guns took the opportunity to raise their heads and suppressed the Japanese infantry. The infantry also
They quickly divided into two groups, one group rushed to repair machine gun bunkers, and the other group used machine gunners and grenadiers with good marksmanship to attack Japanese troops.
The 98th Division is a direct line of the Central Army. In addition to lacking heavy firepower, the equipment of light weapons and the quality of individual soldiers are completely inferior to the Japanese permanent divisions. The guard platoon launched an attack and immediately formed a tight cross-fire with the fourth company position in the northwest.
The Japanese offensive momentum in the direction was suddenly severely frustrated, and the situation was finally temporarily stabilized.
Seeing that the situation was not right, the Japanese army immediately began to slowly turn the muzzle of the Yuan Ke leading the front. The flat-firing machine gun in front of the turret also quickly turned its muzzle and fired wildly at the machine gun position of the guard platoon that had not yet been repaired. However, only by relying on
One machine gun obviously could not suppress the machine gun firepower of the Chinese army, but the 37mm main gun of the Japanese tank was quite a threat.
Cao Xinglong immediately yelled: "Whoever blows up this iron bastard will be rewarded with a fifty-dollar reward!"
"Fifty reward for the ocean!? Dad, let's go!" A Lengwa from Shaanxi Province jumped up in response and rushed towards the Japanese tank with a pack of explosives in his arms.