In this attack by the Japanese army, the remaining 1,533 cavalrymen of the attacking cavalry regiment were wiped out. The fourth battalion on the defensive side also suffered heavy casualties. The total battalion of more than 700 people only had more than 100 people left, and it had basically lost its combat effectiveness.
, it can be said that both sides suffered a lose-lose outcome.
Looking at the densely packed war horses and Japanese corpses on the battlefield, Gao Hongming asked the staff officer on the side: "Has the battlefield been cleaned up?"
"Report to the regiment, the fifth battalion just reported that the cleaning has been completed."
Gao Hongming looked at the sky and said, "The weather is too hot and the corpse will rot soon. Send someone to notify the Japanese soldiers on the other side and ask them to come over and collect the corpse."
Not long after, a Willys Jeep with a small white flag hanging on the car came along the road to the Japanese position. After being stopped by the Japanese, a second lieutenant got out of the car.
The officer negotiated a few words with the alert Japanese soldiers, and soon a major officer came from the Japanese side. The second lieutenant said to the major: "Mr. Major, I have been ordered by our regiment commander to inform you that due to the hot weather,
In order to avoid the occurrence of the plague, our regiment leader suggested that both sides cease fighting for half a day and both sides collect the bodies of their dead soldiers."
The Japanese Major looked deeply at the Second Lieutenant and said solemnly: "I will report your army's requirements, please wait a moment."
About ten minutes later, the major came back: "Our division commander has agreed to your request, and the two sides have begun a truce from now until eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
...
"Is that really what the Japanese say?"
In the headquarters, Gao Hongming asked the second lieutenant just now.
"Yes sir, that's what the kid said." the second lieutenant replied.
Gao Hongming pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Wu Chengfeng, "Old Wu, do you think the Japanese will abide by this time?"
Wu Chengfeng thought for a while: "No one can say for sure. After all, little Japan's reputation for going back on its word is something we have to guard against."
"Well..."
Gao Hongming pondered for a long time and nodded slowly...
That afternoon, there was thick smoke everywhere behind the Japanese positions, as the Japanese troops were burning the bodies of dead soldiers, so that the smell of corpses was everywhere on the battlefield.
As night fell, in the command post more than ten miles away from Qixia Pass, three lanterns illuminated the small command post very brightly. Yukio Koizumi sat on a stool.
Several days of high-intensity command operations and thigh pain made him look a little haggard. He looked around at the officers sitting around and said, "Gentlemen... you have all seen the battle situation these days.
Gao Hongming's militia regiment is not only stronger in strength than the average regiment in China, but also has extremely sophisticated weapons and equipment. Objectively speaking, even the empire cannot compare with it. This is why our division was unable to capture Qixia Pass for several days in a row.
s reason."
Hearing this, the faces of the officers around him became very ugly.
In the past few days, not only the three regiments of the 41st Division, together with the planes in the sky, took turns taking part in the battle, but this morning the entire cavalry regiment was also brought in.
Including the cavalry regiment that was completely wiped out today, the number of Japanese casualties in these days has reached more than 5,000. This is an extremely astonishing number. If it were to be reported to the country, it would probably cause an uproar among the people.
But even after making such a big sacrifice, Qixia Pass is still firmly in the hands of the other party. This makes it difficult for them to accept that they have always had high self-esteem, but this is the fact.
Koizumi Yukio saw the expressions of the officers and sighed secretly in his heart. He knew that the destruction of the cavalry regiment today was such a shock to them that their mentality was greatly affected.
In fact, if possible, he would like to order the 41st Division to retreat immediately, but his rationality tells him that once this order is issued, he, the division commander, will have to go to the end, and it will not take more than three days at most to get a ship back to the homeland.
The ticket will be delivered to him, and maybe he will be escorted back by the military police.
Thinking of this, he said with a gloomy face: "Gentlemen... Just the day before yesterday, Commander Yoshio Shinozuka sent us a telegram, ordering us to capture Qixia Pass within three days, but in three days
The date is approaching, and we haven't even been able to capture a single Chinese position, what do you think we should do?"
Everyone was silent for a long time. Ota Ryūji suddenly stood up and bowed: "Your Excellency, Division Commander, there are still eight hours left before the time set by Commander Shinozuka. Please allow me to immediately lead the 67th Regiment to attack the enemy immediately."
Qixiaguan launches an attack, even if all the 60th and 70th Regiments are killed!"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the 133rd Regiment and the 134th Regiment are also willing to launch a general attack on Qixia Pass and annihilate Gao Hongming's troops to the death."
"I am very clear about Ota-kun's loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire."
Koizumi Yukio stretched out his right hand and pressed it down to signal him to sit down, and then said to everyone: "Since Commander Shinozuka has given us an order, as soldiers, we can only obey it."
So I decided that tonight we will take advantage of the darkness to launch the final general attack on Qixia Pass. There is no feint or initiative in this attack. Three infantry regiments will attack the Chinese from the left and right wings and the center at the same time. If Qixia cannot be taken,
Guan, then let us fight to the death together!"
"I obey the division commander's order, let us serve the country seven lives together!" All the officers stood up and shouted loudly.
The allusion of "seven lives to serve the country" originated from the words of the famous Japanese samurai Kusunoki Masashige in the 14th century. He often put forward the idea of "seven lives to serve the country" during battles, which means serving the country loyally and dying together with the enemy. Now this has become a way for Japanese militarists to incite nationalism.
The propaganda weapon of expansionist **.
Regardless of the pain in his thigh, Koizumi Yukio stood up from the chair and shouted loudly along with the officers. Because the wound had not yet healed, blood began to flow out of his thigh again.
When everyone's excitement stopped, Chief of Staff Ogiwara Toda was the first to notice something strange about Yukio Koizumi.
"Hey...Your Excellency, Division Commander, your wound is bleeding again. Doctor...nurse...come here quickly..."
Soon, Dr. Miyamoto and nurse Miyoko Sugita, who had been waiting outside, hurried in.
Seeing Yukio Koizumi's wound starting to bleed again, Miyamoto Ichiro frowned and just said: "Medical kit."
Behind her, Miyoko quickly put the medical box on the ground and opened it. Miyamoto Ichiro took out the scissors and cut a big hole in Koizumi Yukio's pants around the wound. Then he took out hemostatic gauze, alcohol, sulfa powder and other drugs from the medical box.
Started to bandage his wounds.
Koizumi Yukio did not change his expression, but he was in a mood to smile at Miyoko Sugita who was standing aside: "Miss Miyoko, I heard that your singing voice is second to none in our 41st Division. I wonder if we will have the honor to listen to you tonight."
Where is your beautiful singing voice?"
Miyoko Sugita was stunned when she heard this. She and Ichiro Miyamoto were waiting outside just now. They were separated from the conference room by a wooden wall. It was difficult not to hear the voices inside. Of course, they knew that tonight these people were going to confront China.
She launched a general attack, but she never expected that the other party was actually in the mood to listen to her singing. She was a little embarrassed for a while and couldn't help but look at her boss Ichiro Miyamoto.
Although Miyamoto Ichiro on the side is not a soldier, he has known Yukio Koizumi for many years and is familiar with his character. When he heard this, he knew that Yukio Koizumi was trying to boost morale, so he encouraged Yukio Koizumi while bandaging his wounds: "Miss Miyoko,
Since the division commander asked you to sing, just sing, there is nothing to be embarrassed about, it can be regarded as a farewell to the soldiers who are going to war."
"All right!"
Miyoko Sugita nodded and asked, "I wonder what song your master would like to hear?"
Koizumi Yukio waved his hand, "It's up to you, you can sing whatever you want."
Miyoko Sugita thought for a while, "In that case, let me sing a Kudanzaka song for everyone."
Soon, she started singing softly, "I came to Kudanzaka from Ueno Station. I was in a hurry and couldn't tell the way. I walked all day with a cane in my hand. When I came to Kudanzaka, I visited you and my son. Towering into the clouds
The door leads to the splendid shrine. Now, my son, you have ascended to heaven and become a god. Your useless old mother bursts into tears for you! The black hen hatched an eagle. How dare you be your mother! In order to show you your golden
Medal of Quality, I came to Jiudanzaka to visit you and my son..."
This is a song that is widely circulated in Japan. The general idea of the lyrics is that an old mother came from the countryside to Kudanzaka with the gold medal of her son who died in the war.
Generally speaking, this is a hymn for Japanese communists, and it is naturally loved by many Japanese, especially Japanese soldiers.
But I have to say that Miyoko Sugita sang really beautifully, and she sounded like Yamaguchi Momoe, who became famous in Japan in later generations. Koizumi Yukio and the officers were particularly fascinated by the song.
When the song ended, Koizumi Yukio gently clapped his hands and said, "Miss Miyoko's singing is so beautiful. To use a Chinese word to describe it, it will last three days. If possible, I really want to keep listening to it, but now I can't."
Sometimes, we should wait until after a great victory and then invite Miss Miyoko to sing for the soldiers."
Miyamoto Ichiro and Miyoko, who had finished bandaging their wounds, silently packed their things and left.
After the two left, Koizumi Yukio's eyes became sharp again, "Everyone... the fate of the 41st Division depends on this. Tonight, let us use the blood of the Chinese people to pay homage to those who died in the war."
Soldiers, do you have confidence?"
All the officers stood up suddenly and said in unison: "I am willing to die serving His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Yoshi... Go down and prepare now. We will launch the attack on time at three thirty in the morning!"
"Hi!" All the officers bowed deeply to him together.
At this time, no one mentioned the armistice agreement just signed with the militia today. Perhaps in their view, it is enough to just listen to the agreement, and anyone who follows it will be a fool.
The clouds were extremely thick tonight, completely blocking the moonlight, and the entire land was shrouded in darkness. This is the kind of weather I am talking about.
On the first line of defense two to three hundred meters away from the road, most of the soldiers of the fifth battalion had fallen asleep. Only a few sentries were still observing the surroundings in various ways. However, because the night was too dark, even the sentries stared with sore eyes.
I didn't see anything more than ten meters away.
"Damn it, you can't see anything in such a dark weather. It would be great fun if the Japanese touched it." The sentry hiding in a foxhole retracted his extended head and complained.
"Don't worry, the Japs can't get to you." Another sentry comforted him, "Didn't we just have an armistice agreement with the Japs? This agreement is valid until tomorrow morning."
"Really? But why do I always feel that the little devil is not that honest?"
"Well..." The companion hesitated, "The little devil should also have some face, right?"
"boom..."
As soon as the sentry finished speaking, there was a muffled sound in front of him, accompanied by a shrill scream.
"No, someone touched me, it's a little devil!"
As soon as the sentry heard this, he knew that it was the platoon leader who had taken advantage of the situation and led others to plant the landmine in front of him after dinner today.
Although limited by time, they only buried dozens of them in a hurry, but the biggest purpose of laying these mines was not to kill the enemy, but to serve as an early warning. Now these mines are starting to play their role.
The explosion that bounced off Betty seemed to be just a trigger, followed by several more explosions not far away.
"Beep beep... beep beep beep..."
Along with the explosion of the landmine, a sharp whistle sounded immediately, and then a deafening shout sounded from the front.
"Everyone, get up... hurry up... the devils are coming..."
For soldiers, the sound of gunshots is an order. When the first explosion sounded, the soldiers who were sleeping peacefully jumped up from a distance as if they were loaded with springs. In less than thirty seconds, they
After entering the position, the familiar sound of machine guns sounding like tearing tarps was heard from the position.
The first reaction of Yan Xiaofu, commander of the 5th Battalion, was to grab the microphone of the mobile phone and shout loudly: "Gun platoon... give me flares... immediately..."
"Dong...dong dong..."
With a dull sound, several illumination bombs were thrown into the sky, and the originally dark night sky was immediately illuminated by hot white light.
Yan Xiaofu grabbed the binoculars and looked forward. He took a breath. In his binoculars, he saw densely packed Japanese troops rushing towards their position. Looking at these Japanese troops, he couldn't estimate the enemy's strength for a while.
Number of people.
His scalp numbed, he grabbed the microphone again and said, "Hey...artillery battalion, I am Yan Xiaofu, commander of the fifth battalion. The Japanese army has launched a surprise attack on us. Hurry up and fire artillery fire one to two hundred meters in front of my position."
cover!
What...how many Japs are there? I don't have time to count. I'm afraid the entire division is here. You guys should start covering them with artillery fire immediately...if it's too late, you'll have to collect our bodies for us!"
What Yan Xiaofu didn't know at this time was that not only he, but also the left and right wings of his battalion were attacked by the Japanese army at the same time. The three infantry regiments of the Japanese army launched attacks towards Qixia Pass from three directions. For a time, the entire Qixia Pass was attacked.