Chapter 241 Preparing 12 regiments to attack Lan City
The battle in Lijiapo continued, and the Eighth Route Army continued to launch advancing attacks.
Facing the threat from the Lunar Army's artillery, the soldiers began to adopt a dispersed and crawling strategy, slowly advancing to the starting position in front.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamazaki Jihei of the Moon Army at the top kept observing through the telescope, with a sneer gradually appearing on his lips.
The overall strength of his more than a thousand troops was very strong, and even if they continued to fight, they would suffer heavy casualties and not be affected at all.
Eight Type 94 90MM mortars fired one after another, and grenades were fired continuously.
Even if the soldiers adopted a creeping strategy, they were still bombarded and suffered casualties.
Not long after, Yamazaki Jihei organized an artillery unit to launch a covering artillery bombardment in a demonstrative manner.
At one time, ten mortars, four infantry guns, four mountain guns, and four rapid-fire guns concentrated their fire.
Grenades, shrapnel, armor-piercing shells, and armor-breaking shells were fired at the attacking troops.
Along with the deafening explosion, shrapnel quickly spread in all directions.
The 772nd Regiment, which is responsible for the main offensive mission, is under great pressure.
Some of their light and heavy machine guns, grenade mortars, and even infantry guns were hit during the battle and were destroyed on the spot.
Commander Cheng, who was commanding the battle, saw that scene and his expression became solemn.
The battle continued until 10 o'clock in the afternoon, when the main attacking force retreated again.
Brigadier Chen, who was at the forward command post, frowned when he saw that scene.
Brigadier Chen quickly came to the map. He looked at the location of Li Jiapo and fell into deep thought.
For Brigadier Chen, who had experienced many battles, the battle in Yandong was not passive at all.
The Moon Army occupies favorable terrain, and the troops simply cannot launch operations in full.
Moreover, the little Japanese they faced were not just an ordinary infantry brigade, but had received various reinforcements.
Apart from anything else, if they had not had a large number of artillery, Brigadier Chen's troops would not have been able to respond.
What's more, their four eastern infantry squadrons are elite troops drawn from various ministries and have strong combat effectiveness.
If the little devil shoots the legs with a light machine gun, it is almost impossible to bite the flesh with the gun.
The grenade can lock onto the target, and it can easily hit with one grenade.
Most of their rifle legs can hit accurately at a distance of two to three hundred meters and cause harm.
The Type 38 rifle is not very powerful, but it is accurate and has strong penetrating power.
As long as you ask for beatings and harm, it's basically hopeless.
Seeing the casualties suffered by his troops, Brigadier Chen felt very uncomfortable.
He must execute the order given by him unconditionally.
"Brigade commander, Li Yunlong's new regiment has arrived near the battlefield."
"Should we let them come? That bastard Li Yunlong can cause trouble, but he can be a good leg in the fight."
"Let them go, maybe they can gain something."
"And although the new regiment can be a subsequent field regiment, their weapons and equipment are much better than those of the old regiment."
Chief of Staff Zhou hesitated for a while, then came to the brigade commander to make suggestions.
The new regiment has more than 2,000 troops. Compared with the 3,000-strong old main regiment like the 772nd Regiment, is there a gap in the number of soldiers?
But in terms of their weapon configuration, the 772nd Regiment is not comparable.
The new regiment has four 82MM mortars, two infantry guns, two mountain guns, and nine 60MM mortars.
There are almost a hundred light and heavy machine guns, and they have a large number of grenade launchers.
As for ammunition, the 772nd Regiment has no way to compare with the new regiment.
From the beginning of Cangyunling to the end of the Xinxian battle, could Li Yunlong always accumulate ammunition?
It's hard for him to hide weapons and equipment, but he has a lot of bullets and leg mines hidden.
Very few people in the New Regiment knew about that matter, let alone the brigade commander.
Although the 772nd Regiment is not the earliest main field regiment in the 386th Brigade, it is very different from the New Regiment in terms of ammunition.
Even if the new group of heavy machine guns shoots in the legs, Li Yunlong can ensure the supply of ammunition.
Chief of Staff Zhou knew Li Yunlong very well, so he hoped that he would come to join the war.
Brigadier Chen glanced in the direction of Li Jiapo through the observation hole, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Let the new regiment remain on standby, and Li Yunlong can take the cadres to the front line to observe the situation."
"Tell Li Yunlong that when the new regiment is on the battlefield, he will not be able to achieve results and see how he deals with him."
"It's very important. Let him be honest. The division commander and deputy commander-in-chief are nearby. Please tell me if he is in trouble, no one can protect him."
"The deputy commander-in-chief is very angry right now. He, Li Yunlong, has to consider whether he can bear the anger of the deputy commander-in-chief."
After thinking for a while, Brigadier Chen shook his head. He had not arranged for a new group to go.
After giving orders to the new regiment, Brigadier Chen set out for the front line and directly discussed with Commander Cheng and other cadres.
He requested that the 772nd Regiment and other troops be organized to continue the attack and attack Yamazaki Jihei's troops instead.
Li Yunlong, who came to the vicinity of the Lijiapo battlefield, couldn't help mumbling after learning about the situation in detail.
"If you can't kill more than a thousand little Japs in an army of ten thousand people, then what's going on?"
"He just said that he was a blind man. When I taught him how to shoot, I saw that he was not capable of commanding."
"The brigade commander doesn't agree either. Let our new regiment come over as soon as possible and join the battle directly. Maybe the battle will be over by now."
"What, Lao Zhao, what did I say, the brigade headquarters asked the new regiment to be on standby?"
"No...the division commander and deputy commander-in-chief are both nearby..."
While Li Yunlong was muttering, Zhao Gang came over and conveyed the order from the brigade headquarters.
Li Yunlong was naturally unhappy when he heard that the new group was still on standby.
When he was about to lose his temper, he heard that the division commander and deputy commander-in-chief were near the battlefield.
In an instant, Lao Li was like a mouse seeing a cat, and he immediately came to the rescue.
Brigade Commander Chen could manage Li Yunlong obediently, not to mention that there were division commanders and deputy commanders nearby.
So Li Yunlong obediently took Zhang Dabiao and other cadres and went directly to the Lijiapo battlefield to observe.
At 11 o'clock in the afternoon, Brigadier Chen once again organized his troops to attack Li Jiapo.
The troops from both sides continued to engage in fierce battles, and the Piyuyue Army obviously had the upper hand.
At the same time as the fierce battle in Lijiapo, the area to the west of Taiyuan, Lancheng area.
Whether the 48th Independent Brigade also launched combat operations was discussed by Chu Yunfei, Chen Ziyun and others.
Do they plan to seize Lancheng and ensure the absolute safety of the joint headquarters with the Seventh Army?
At the same time, the main force of the brigade can also quickly advance to Lancheng in the follow-up, posing a threat if it is too far to the east, and coordinate the Eighth Route Army to carry out operations.
The original attack mission to Lancheng was handed over to Chen Ziyun's 358th Regiment.
However, Qian Bojun of the 12th Regiment was not prepared, so Zhang Fuyun took the initiative to ask for a fight.
Chu Yunfei thought for a while and handed over the task of attacking Lancheng to the 12th Reserve Regiment.
After all, the 48th Independent Brigade had grown to a force of ten thousand people at this time, and Qian Bojun's group of officers who had followed Chu Yunfei for a long time were also the core group.
If you don't give them any chance and always reuse Chen Ziyun, it will inevitably cause some unnecessary conflicts.
During that time, Qian Bojun and Zhang Furun kept a low profile. Apart from wooing the troops, they followed Chu Yunfei's advice.
Even if they were reprimanded by Chu Yunfei, they would take the initiative to admit their mistakes.
Moreover, Qian Bojun kept meeting with Chu Yunfei to talk about their old friendship.
After all, they have followed Chu Yunfei through life and death for many years, and Chu Yunfei is not a heartless person.
So in Qian Bojun's case, Zhang Fuyun didn't make too many mistakes, so he was willing to give them a chance.
According to intelligence, there are eight hundred Yuan troops in Lancheng, which is not the size of an independent infantry brigade.
The 12th Reserve Regiment has a total of 2,000 people and is also very sophisticated in weapons and equipment.
The entire regiment has six infantry guns, twelve heavy machine guns, four mountain guns, and a large number of 60MM mortars.
Chu Yunfei thought that there would be no problem if they advanced to Lancheng to fight.
Qian Bojun and Zhang Fuyun also believed that the Lancheng battle would be easy to win.
At half past eleven, the leading troops of the 12th Reserve Regiment arrived outside the Lancheng area.
Bu Nao and the others were quickly attacked by the Moon Army. The Japanese troops stationed themselves on the high ground and launched a direct fire attack.
Light machine guns, grenade launchers, and rifles continued to fire. The leading troops suffered more than 20 casualties and were forced to retreat quickly.
After Qian Bojun and Zhang Furun got the news, they began to command the main force to come over.
At twelve o'clock, the 12th Reserve Regiment set up various weapons and launched a fierce attack directly on the Japs on the high ground.
The two sides launched a fierce battle, and a large number of soldiers advanced rapidly with the help of fire cover.
As he was slapping, Qian Bojun faintly realized that it was quite good.
He once held the command of an army of 2,000 people, so he was certainly capable.
Otherwise, Chu Yunfei would not have used him so highly. Through observation, Qian Bojun judged that the number of Yuan troops in the highlands was not very large.
Just as he was puzzled, a small Japanese army launched an attack directly on the flank of the attacking force.
Light and heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars started firing.
A large number of infantry advanced rapidly with the help of firepower, and those little devils' rifle legs were very fast.
As if in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the attacking force.
The Moon Army's rifle legs held the rifles with bayonets mounted on them, and directly engaged the soldiers in a stabbing attack.
Those soldiers had been hit by intensive fire from the flanks, and they had already suffered some casualties.
Then, before they could fully react, the little devil's red blade battle began.
The firepower covering the back almost didn't have time to shoot, and the troops from both sides started a red-blade battle.
If the 12th Regiment is not good at red blade fighting, many soldiers instantly fell into a pool of blood.
Qian Bojun saw that scene and quickly ordered his troops to retreat.
The soldiers are gradually leaving the battlefield. Can we prepare the 12th Regiment to launch a fire attack?
The Moon Army's grenades fired smoke grenades, and the Japs' rifle legs spread out and hid themselves.
Qian Bojun began to make operational adjustments. Each unit built a position, first prepared a defense, and then launched an attack.
But did the Little Japanese Army completely change its previous tactics?
Their defenses are no longer concentrated in one place, forming an effective defense.
If they were not scattered in different areas, the 12th Reserve Regiment would not be able to capture their main force for attack.
Lancheng is surrounded by mountains. The Japs do not have any troops to defend the town and are all scattered on the highlands.
Moreover, they are not an independent infantry brigade, and their main combat force consists of three infantry squadrons.
Can those three infantry squadrons be strengthened with heavy machine guns, mortars, and infantry artillery?
They were elusive and adopted flexible defensive tactics.
From time to time, they would stick to the high ground for defense, and from time to time they would gather on the flanks to attack.
The 12th Preparatory Regiment captured the county seat of Lancheng at three o'clock in the morning, but otherwise it would be an empty city.
However, their casualties and losses have exceeded one hundred people.
On the Moon Army side, there were only a dozen casualties.
Qian Bojun arranged for his troops to stick to the county seat and did not take the initiative to attack for the time being.
He wanted to attract the little devils to attack the county town, so as to give full play to the entire regiment's firepower advantage to carry out the attack.
Could it be that the Moon Army troops were not there at all? They hid in the surrounding highlands and did not launch any attacks.
But their officers did not use binoculars to closely observe the situation of the 12th Reserve Regiment.
Time passed, night fell, and at around seven o'clock, the sky became pitch black.
Qian Bojun and Zhang Furun stood in front of the map, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.
"Tuanzuo, there are not many little devils. Now they have taken over the county seat. They haven't appeared again for a whole day."
"He thought they should have evacuated. After all, if you go head-to-head, they will never be wrong."
"Do you think we can quickly contact the brigade headquarters and report that they have taken the eastern county seat?"
Zhang Furun felt that the Yue army had already evacuated, so he couldn't wait to ask for help.
Qian Bojun glanced at the map, and then glanced at the dark sky outside.
"There is something strange there. The tactics of those little Japanese troops have obviously changed a lot."
"Have I noticed that most towns in Jin Province have changed a lot since the Japs took control of them?"
"Is that because the Yue Army has no more mistakes in Jin Province, so they are generally relaxed."
"Why is Chen Ziyun able to win several battles? Please tell me if you have grasped the point where the Yue army underestimated the enemy."
"Now, the Moon Army has become more cautious. They have returned to the vigilance they had when the war just started."
"They began to pay attention to flank attacks and gathered their forces. Zhang Tuanfu, we made a wise choice when we came to Lancheng that time."
Qian Bojun's face was solemn, and he spoke slowly.
As he finished speaking, gunfire rang out loudly outside.
The sounds of light and heavy machine guns, rifle grenade launchers, mortars and infantry artillery were heard one after another.
A few minutes later, as the flares went up, the dark night began to become as bright as the red day.
"Regiment seat, regiment attachment, no good, the little devils launched a night attack and attacked the 10th Battalion's position."
"They gathered a lot of mortars and infantry artillery to attack, and the position of the 10th Battalion is about to be breached."
Ten minutes later, officers began to come to the regiment headquarters to report in detail the combat situation.
When Qian Bojun and Zhang Furun heard the news, they couldn't help but widen their eyes with expressions of disbelief.
The two of them looked at each other and hurriedly ordered the mountain artillery company directly under the regiment headquarters to fully support the 10th Battalion in the battle.
The 9th and 8th Battalions also began to mobilize their troops respectively, and quickly rushed towards the 10th Battalion for reinforcements.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!