The final result of this pre-war meeting was that the attack was temporarily canceled and all attacking troops rested in place.
But the temporary cancellation of the attack does not mean that the Liantai militia will do nothing, because the infantry is resting in place, and the artillery does not have this treatment.
Thirty artillery pieces and more than 200 mortars ranging from 60-caliber to 107-caliber mortars from two artillery battalions under the Liantai Militia Group conducted shelling on Xiaowu Mountain all day and night.
Yes, you heard it right. In these twenty-four hours, the artillery and flying brigade fired hundreds of tons of artillery shells. This mountainous area of less than three square kilometers was reduced by two to three meters. The once lush
The hills have become bare, and dust will rise when you step on them. The hard rocks were blown into pieces, then into grains, and now they are turned into powder again.
Under this high-intensity bombing, all the surface fortifications of Xiaowu Mountain were destroyed, but the 33rd Division did not admit defeat but still persisted. They tried their best to dig tunnels into the mountain, and the entrance of the tunnel was blown down.
They re-excavated or built a side door next to it.
The tenacity of the 33rd Division also surprised Tang Huaiyuan, Gao Hongming and Brigadier Chen, who had been observing the movements of the Japanese troops, but also some emotions.
Brigadier Chen said with emotion: "The bombing has been going on for a day and a night, and the little Japanese didn't make any movement at all. They are really calm."
"But what surprises me the most is Brother Gao's arrogance. From last night to now, we have fired at least tens of thousands of artillery shells. I heard that the barrels have been replaced several times.
I’m just wondering, Brother Gao, don’t your cannonballs cost money?”
"Well……"
Gao Hongming's face froze, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment. After all, people who cheat have no reason to explain.
Fortunately, Brigadier Chen couldn't help but have a forthright and considerate personality, so he quickly smoothed things over for Gao Hongming, "Sir, sir, can you prepare more artillery fire? Do you want to go back to the days of poverty and nothingness?"
"Nonsense, who is so sick and wants to live a poor life in a good life? Aren't I curious to ask?" Tang Huaiyuan touched his beard in embarrassment. He also knew that what he just said was a bit taboo.
He made a haha and stopped talking.
Gao Hongming stared at the dense enemy and enemy situation on the sand table, and suddenly asked Chi Yaohui: "By the way, what happened to the Japanese in Guojialing and Gaojiazhuang last night?"
"No." Chi Yaohui replied, "Since the Japanese Third Flying Group was severely damaged by me, the Japanese army has rarely dispatched during the day due to fear of our aircraft, and our army has not yet formally launched an attack on the 33rd Division.
General offensive, as long as the Japanese commanders still have a shred of sense, they will not act rashly at this time."
"Um!"
Gao Hongming still agreed with Chi Yaohui's words. When air superiority is firmly controlled by the opponent, any move by the ground forces will be attacked unpredictably. The Japanese commander must know this better than anyone else.
Seeing Gao Hongming's reserved silence, Tang Huaiyuan said eagerly: "Brother Gao, we have been bombing Xiaowu Mountain for a day and a night. Even I feel sorry for you about those artillery shells and bombs. The infantry's necks have grown long waiting, so we should too
Has the attack started?"
Gao Hongming turned to look at Tang Huaiyuan and Brigadier Chen, nodded with a smile, turned to Chi Yaohui and said, "It's time to start!"
For a moment, the entire war room was silent, and everyone looked at Chi Yaohui.
I saw Chi Yaohui picking up the phone on the table and saying in a calm tone: "I am Chi Yaohui, and I have been ordered to convey the order of the temporary headquarters, and the attack has begun!"
"start!"
As the general attack order was conveyed, the artillery shells that originally fell like raindrops on Xiaowu Mountain suddenly stopped. This also made the Japanese soldiers of the Thirty-sixth Division, who had been tortured by artillery fire all day and night, feel a little uncomfortable for a while.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, the Chinese artillery fire has stopped."
In an underground tunnel more than three meters above the ground, a staff officer who was as dirty as a clay figure and could just barely make out the rank of Major on his shoulders loudly reported to Lieutenant General Jutaro Amakasu.
Amakasu Jutaro's appearance was not much better either. He was so disgraced that he could no longer recognize his original appearance.
The destruction of the 215th Regiment and the continuous high-intensity bombing that followed day and night made the division commander, who had been in the army for decades, feel a little physically and mentally exhausted.
"This means the Chinese are about to attack."
After finishing speaking, Amakasu Jutaro turned around and said, "Immediately order the troops to enter the trenches and prepare for battle!"
"Hi!"
The staff officer responded and strode out.
Following Jutaro Amakasu's order, countless Japanese soldiers emerged from the tunnels and anti-gun holes they had hidden, but they were all stunned for a moment after coming out of the tunnels.
The familiar tunnels have long since disappeared, replaced by landmarks as desolate as the surface of the moon. Many Japanese soldiers stepped on them, and the floating soil even reached their feet.
"Hurry up... hurry up, the Chinese are coming!"
"Where's the machine gun? Set it up quickly!"
The sound of officers shouting was everywhere on the battlefield.
When the Japanese soldiers hurriedly set up their heavy machine guns, Chinese soldiers appeared in front of them.
The machine gunner, who had no time to think, immediately pressed the trigger, and with a sound like a woodpecker, a line of heating fire shot out from the muzzle.
"Hurry... follow up quickly!"
This time, those at the forefront were not the soldiers of the Liantai Militia, but the independent regiment led by Li Yunlong.
For this opportunity, Li Yunlong approached Brigadier Chen no less than five times, and his words were almost worn out, and then he won the general offensive mission.
The independent regiment's most powerful battalion rushed to the front.
As the battalion commander, Zhang Dabiao was charging with the team with a shell gun at the moment. When the first battalion arrived at the foot of the mountain, the Japanese army on the opposite side opened fire, and tongues of flames continued to shoot down from the mountain. Several Eighth Route Army soldiers were caught off guard.
Bounced to the ground.
However, the Independent Regiment is not a vegetarian. Over the past year or so, under Li Yunlong's training, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment have greatly improved both in equipment and individual quality, and are even comparable to the Japanese army.
Seeing the Japanese blocking the attack, the charging soldiers of the independent regiment began to disperse automatically without any command, and the infantrymen looked for bunkers and began to counterattack. The second and third battalions began to outflank the enemy from both wings, etc.
This sounds complicated to say, but it only takes a few minutes.
All this was seen by Gao Hongming, Tang Huaiyuan and others who were watching the battle from behind.
Gao Hongming put down the binoculars and praised: "Commander Chen, I haven't seen you for a while. The combat effectiveness of the independent regiment has become much stronger. The soldiers are decisive, brave and flexible in their movements. Brother Li is really awesome!"