As the key to seizing the Xiaolingdi stronghold, every move of the artillery battery attracted the attention of the head of the Eighth Route Army headquarters. The worried Brigadier Wang even went to the artillery company to observe in person.
When he arrived at the position of the artillery company, he saw the soldiers in the artillery company making preparations in full swing.
Four artillery pieces were deployed, and several gunners were wielding big hammers, smashing nails as big as fists with a loud clang.
Brigadier Wang walked over and curiously asked the gunner who was smashing the hammer, "Young man, what are you doing?"
The gunner saw Brigadier Wang and several guards behind him and knew that these must be high-ranking officials of the Eighth Route Army. He smiled honestly and said: "Sir, I am smashing the hoe nails."
The recoil force of the artillery is particularly strong when it fires. The strong recoil force will cause the artillery to produce strong vibrations after firing, causing the gun position to move. The purpose of hammering down the hoe nails is to ensure the stability of the artillery when firing."
"Then how long does it take for your artillery to go from running state to firing state?"
"About half an hour or so."
How many people do you need to operate one of your artillery pieces?
"There are a total of eight people including the gunner, first gunner, second gunner, third gunner and loader."
In response to Brigadier Wang's questions, the gunner also knew everything he wanted to say.
Brigadier Wang walked around the artillery position and nodded with satisfaction. These artillerymen were well trained and well prepared. Although some of the artillerymen looked like novices, they also did a good job under the leadership of veterans.
impressive.
At 1:30 in the morning, all preparations for the artillery battery were completed. All gun muzzles had been stripped of their gun jackets, and the aimers had adjusted their positions according to the positions reported by the gun position observers.
Soon, Xu Dashu also sent someone to report that all three infantry battalions of the 769th Regiment had entered combat positions.
"Order Xu Dashu to start the bombardment at two o'clock in the morning and end it ten minutes later. He will launch an attack immediately and must take down all three bunkers in the Xiaolingdi stronghold!"
"yes!"
The night is particularly beautiful today, and the gentle moonlight turns the entire earth into a bright color.
Due to the dangerous location of the Xiaolingdi stronghold, and the fact that there is a squadron of Japanese troops and a battalion of puppet troops stationed here every day, no one has ever been open to trouble them since it was built. This also makes
The Japanese troops here are not very vigilant.
Although it was early in the morning, the lights were still on in the three bunkers in the stronghold, and from time to time there were people talking and laughing about fistfights and drinking, making the whole place very lively.
Seeing such a scene, all the Eighth Route Army soldiers who participated in the war were so angry that they were so arrogant after coming to China that they didn't know how to restrain themselves at all. This was because they didn't take them seriously at all.
"You stupid little devil, this is too arrogant."
Listening to the faint Japanese that could still be heard hundreds of meters away, the young warrior was so angry that he couldn't help but curse.
"Snapped!"
A muffled sound was accompanied by a pain in the back of his head. As soon as the little soldier turned his head, he saw the monitor's face glaring at him, "Hey, boy, how many times have I told you, you have forgotten the lurking discipline so quickly.
"
The little soldier rubbed the back of his head, which was still a little painful, and whispered in an aggrieved voice: "I just couldn't help but say something. Your voice, monitor, is louder than mine."
"You still dare to talk back." The squad leader raised his right hand again. The little soldier was so frightened that he quickly hugged his head with both hands and put his head on the ground. He dared not speak anymore.
There were chuckles from all around. The squad leader turned his head and glared at the surroundings, snorted softly, and the surroundings suddenly became silent.
Time passed little by little, and when the hand pointed to two o'clock in the morning, along with three "bang bang bang" gunshots, three flares, one red and two green, were shot into the sky.
Three signal bombs hung high in the sky, lighting up the entire sky with a strange color. Just before the three signal bombs landed, the Eighth Route Army soldiers who were ambushing in front heard a muffled sound from behind.
, about a few seconds later a sharp whistling sound came from the sky.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
As soon as the whistling sound of the shells reached my ears, huge explosions were heard one after another in the direction of the bunker on the left. Four shells exploded around the bunker one after another. Although it was several hundred meters away from the explosion point, it was ambushed behind the hillside.
The Eighth Route Army soldiers seemed to feel a shock wave and heat hitting their faces.
"Hey... I missed the target..."
The little soldier saw that none of the shells hit him, and he became a little anxious. He was lying on the ground and shouted again, but this time the squad leader did not hit him on the back of the head, but just cursed: "You know what?
Shit, if it’s off, it’s off. It’ll be corrected later, so why are you so anxious?”
The little soldier murmured: "No...this cannonball is so expensive. One cannonball is worth what the common people spend for a year."
"How dare you keep your mouth shut?" the squad leader said, ready to fight, but the little soldier shut his mouth again this time.
However, the squad leader was not wrong. The artillery battery in the rear also began to make fine adjustments under the reminder of the observer. During the third round of salvo fire, an artillery shell finally hit the bunker on the left.
With a huge bang, the three-story-high bunker was cut into two pieces. The sky was full of rubble and bricks flying out in all directions. Even some Eighth Route Army soldiers lurking a few hundred meters away from the bunker.
Being hit by flying gravel,
"Hit, hit!"
The little soldier looked at the bunker with thick black smoke and was dancing with excitement. But no one came to stop him at this time, because not only him, but all the soldiers around him also shouted with excitement.
You must know that this is a bunker made entirely of bricks, stones and cement. Under normal circumstances, if the Eighth Route Army wanted to capture such a strong bunker, it would be impossible for the Eighth Route Army to capture it without killing hundreds of soldiers.
After all, even the Type 92 infantry cannon could not defeat such a strong bunker, but now it was easily opened by a shell. It is estimated that at least half of the Japanese and puppet troops inside must be dead, right?
The artillerymen who knocked the bunker down with one shot did not give up. The shells continued to hit it relentlessly, and soon a second... and a third shell hit the remaining parts of the bunker.
Amid the earth-shattering explosion, only the first floor of the bunker, which covered an area of more than 100 meters and was three stories high, remained, while the other parts had long been turned into rubble.
The Eighth Route Army soldiers lurking a few hundred meters away opened their mouths in shock when they saw the power of the artillery.
"My dear...isn't this thing too powerful? In this case, what do you want us to do later, collect the corpses of the little devil?"
"Shut up!"
As soon as the little soldier finished speaking, he felt a sharp shock on the back of his head. It turned out that the company commander of someone unknown had already arrived behind him.
I heard the company commander shout: "What do you know, kid? Although artillery is powerful, it can only clear obstacles and destroy bunkers for us. But if we want to completely eliminate the enemy, we have to rely on our infantry."
After saying that, the company commander turned to the surrounding soldiers and said: "Comrades, you must remember that you must not be careless after launching the charge later, thinking that the Japanese bunker has been blown up by artillery, and you can sit back and relax.
The little devils are not so easy to die. They will definitely hide in the dark and shoot at us. Such enemies are the most dangerous. So everyone should keep their eyes wide open later. No suspicious targets can be missed. Listen.
do you understand?"
"I understand!" the soldiers agreed in unison.
"Company commander... our artillery has begun to attack the bunker on the right!" A soldier pointed at the bunker on the right and shouted.
Looking in the direction of the soldier's finger, the bunker on the right side of Rimini was shrouded in clouds of bursting smoke. Amidst the explosions, the bunker on the right also followed in the footsteps of the bunker on the left...
Although the situation in Shanxi has become very tense during this period due to the Hundred Regiment Campaign launched by the Eighth Route Army, the Taiyuan First Army Headquarters was unusually lively today because a singing and dancing troupe from the mainland came to Taiyuan today.
.
Hearing that a local song and dance troupe came to the headquarters to perform a song and dance performance, the staff officers, officers and soldiers in the headquarters were extremely excited, and many people began to call their friends to spread the news.
1940 was the third year that China and Japan entered a total war. By this time, a lot of homesickness had begun to appear in the Japanese army. This sentiment was particularly common among ordinary soldiers and even low-level officers.
Now, it is rare for a local song and dance troupe to come to Taiyuan to perform. Both officers and soldiers in Taiyuan City are extremely happy because they heard that this song and dance troupe will go to the army in batches to perform.
But today is the first day, and the people the song and dance troupe serves are naturally Shinozuka Yoshio, the supreme commander of Taiyuan, and the officers at the headquarters.
That night, Yoshio Shinozuka was in a good mood after watching the performance, and even specially selected a geisha to stay with him.
It's just that this geisha is still a novice and doesn't know how to cooperate at all, which makes Yoshio Shinozuka very unhappy. He was originally angry and wanted to curse, but seeing the childish face of this geisha, he couldn't bear it.
I got angry, so I had to put my arms around the geisha and go to sleep first, and wait for another fight when I woke up.
After all, he was already in his fifties, and after drinking wine today, he had a fight with this geisha, so he slept particularly deeply this time.
That night, there was a sudden commotion in the originally peaceful telegraph room, and telegrams from all over asking for help flew in like snowflakes.
The combat staff officer on duty, Sakai Masako Shaozuo, was also alarmed. He was shocked when he saw the stack of telegrams in his hand, all of which were asking for help. He subconsciously wanted to report to the chief of staff Naosaburo Okabe, but then he remembered that Okabe
Major General Saburo Benao had already gone to Kenamba yesterday. In desperation, he could only grab the telegram and hurried to Shinozuka Yoshio's bedroom.
But he knocked on the door for a long time, but no one responded. Finally, the geisha opened the door for him.
Yoshio Shinozuka, who was woken up in the middle of the night, was naturally in a very unhappy mood. He suppressed the anger in his heart and took the stack of telegrams. After just flipping through a few telegrams, his expression changed instantly.
Overnight, strongholds such as Guantou, Pushang, Xiaolingdi, Yushe County, and Yanbi were all attacked. The attack came very suddenly, as if the enemy suddenly appeared overnight.
"Bageya Road, the damn Chinese, the damn Eighth Route Army, they are here again."
Seeing the telegram requesting help sent almost at once, how could Yoshio Shinozuka not know that it was the Eighth Route Army that launched the second phase of the Hundred Regiment War offensive.
"Your Excellency, Commander, what should we do now?" Masahiro Sakai asked hurriedly: "Should we send nearby troops for reinforcements immediately?"
"no!"
Yoshio Shinozuka refused without hesitation, "It is already early in the morning, and no one can guarantee whether the Chinese will set up an ambush along the way. We can only let the besieged strongholds stand still and wait for reinforcements."
"But I'm afraid those strongholds won't survive tomorrow." Sakai Masako said anxiously.
"idiot!"
Yoshio Shinozuka was angry and slapped Masako Sakai casually, "They are all warriors of the Japanese Empire, and they also have a strong fortress. If they can't hold on for even one night, such trash will come.
What else is there for?
You should immediately send a report to the strongholds under attack and ask them to wait for reinforcements until daybreak. Then call the 21st Flying Team and ask them to dispatch planes immediately after daybreak to increase the number of troops."
"Hey..." Masako Sakai also woke up after being slapped. He was indeed not unjustly slapped. He sent out troops to increase the number of troops in the middle of the night. What a stupid commander must be to make this decision?
.
He didn't dare to talk nonsense anymore and hurried out to deliver the order.
The young geisha carefully closed the door and looked at the man next to her who was old enough to be her grandfather with some fear.
Yoshio Shinozuka sighed. His many years of military service told him that it would not help to worry now. He should seize the time to sleep and recuperate. It is estimated that starting from tomorrow, he may not be able to sleep soundly for a long time.
Thinking of this, he felt a little angry and hugged the geisha, threw her on the bed, and then pounced on her...
"Your Excellency, squadron commander, what do you say, your Excellency, the wing commander?" In the large bunker in the middle of the Xiaolingdi stronghold, the top commander of the Xiaolingdi stronghold, Captain Keita Ofukuda, looked at the two squad captains in front of him who were looking at him eagerly.
, please sigh.
"Your Excellency, the Wing Commander, said that there was a call from the headquarters, asking us to wait for reinforcements until daybreak before the reinforcements can set off, and there will also be planes arriving by then to help."
"But your Excellency, squadron leader, the Chinese outside have heavy artillery. This is how our No. 2 and No. 3 bunkers were blown up by the Chinese with heavy artillery!" A squad leader said anxiously.
"Baga, you are still not a soldier of the Japanese Empire." Keita Xiaofukuda was furious when he heard this, "So what if the Chinese have heavy artillery, as long as we are the last one left, we will never stop fighting!"
Seeing the two team captains lowering their heads, Keita Xiaofukuda softened his tone and said, "You don't have to be afraid. Our No. 1 bunker is located in the blind spot designed by China's heavy artillery. They can't hit us. All we have to do is hold on until