General Xu Zuyi, chief of staff of the theater, hurriedly entered and said to General Li: "Gong De, the forward observation post reported that the attack of the 27th Group Army was frustrated. Although the guard regiment to which it belonged had broken into the Hanzhuang position, it was surrounded by heavy Japanese troops.
The fierce fighting lasted until four o'clock in the morning, and more than 2,000 people in the regiment died heroically for their country."
Vice President Bai couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity."
"Substitute someone." Admiral Li pounded his fist and said, "Let the Baoshan Brigade come up!"
…
In the suburbs of Xuzhou, Baoshan Brigade Headquarters.
Liu Yi, chief of staff of the Baoshan Brigade, had his hands behind his back and was pacing back and forth restlessly.
However, Yue Weihan was concentrating on wiping his noodle box next to him without any worry. Now that the battle has started, it is no longer a problem to annihilate the Jigu Division. The Jigu Division has been surrounded for nearly two months. The Japanese
The soldier's physical strength and energy have reached their limit, and it is impossible to hold on for much longer.
Moreover, the Isoya Division's ammunition reserves were already in short supply, and could only be maintained by airdrops from the North China Front Air Force and the Naval Air Force. However, after a fierce battle with the Sichuan Army's 27th Group Army last night, the Isoya Division's ammunition reserves
Even if it's not exhausted, there's definitely not much left.
Based on the current situation of the Isogaya Division, Yue Weihan is confident that even if it is a frontal attack, the Baoshan Brigade can be defeated in one fell swoop. However, the casualties will definitely be unbearable, so Yue Weihan would rather spend a few more days doing soil work.
, bringing the attack launch line closer to within fifty meters, which can greatly reduce the casualties of the Baoshan Brigade.
Although China has a large population, there is no shortage of patriotic and enthusiastic young people, but there are very few well-trained veterans. Especially after experiencing the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing, the veterans of various departments of the national army have been almost exhausted.
After all, almost all the people added now are new recruits.
Veterans are always the most valuable asset of an army.
"Chief of Staff, please stop spinning, please?" Yue Weihan said, "It makes me dizzy."
Liu Yi immediately turned around and said anxiously: "Brigade leader, why don't the commanders allow our Baoshan Brigade to go up? If we continue to fight like this, we don't know how many people will die, and we may not be able to take this Hanzhuang, hey.
!”
"There's no need to rush," Yue Weihan said, "If nothing else happens, the order from the superior officer will be here soon."
Yue Weihan stepped forward and picked up the phone, immediately stood up at attention and said loudly: "Yes, I am Baoshan Brigade!"
After a while, Yue Weihan hung up the phone and said to Liu Yi: "Chief of Staff, immediately convene a meeting of all officers above the battalion!"
"Great!" Liu Yi rubbed his hands excitedly, then turned around and walked out, shouting as he walked, "Communications platoon, urgent gathering!"
In less than half an hour, all the officers from the battalion and above of the Baoshan Brigade rushed to the brigade headquarters war room.
"The commander's department has given the order!" Yue Weihan said directly, "Starting from this afternoon, the Baoshan Brigade will be responsible for the main attack!"
All the officers present at the meeting were immediately excited. They had been waiting for this day for two full months, and now they have finally waited for this day. Can they not be excited?
"Now I give orders." Yue Weihan pulled on his woolen military uniform and said, "The 1st Regiment and the Guard Battalion are to the north, the 2nd Regiment and the Bayonet Battalion are to the east, the 3rd Regiment and the Independent Battalion are to the south, and tunnels are to be dug in three directions at the same time.
! Within five days, we must advance the attack launch line to within 50 meters. Are you confident?"
"Yes!" Several battalion commanders agreed in a loud voice.
The Hanzhuang area is covered with plains and soft soil, and the officers and soldiers of the Baoshan Brigade are all strong young men in their twenties. Even if the tunnel cannot be dug straight forward and can be extended forward in a zigzag shape, it can be dug forward within five days.
We had previously dug two thousand meters, but on average we only dug four hundred meters per day. That was just a piece of cake.
…
Hanzhuang, the frontline headquarters of the Japanese Isoya Division.
Colonel Shiro Maeno, captain of the 10th Baggage Regiment of the Isotani Division, entered the headquarters with a serious expression. He immediately stood upright and said to the frontline commander, Major General Kei Setani: "Your Excellency, General, our ammunition reserves have been reduced to
Below the cordon, if we don’t request an emergency airdrop from the aviation force, I’m afraid we won’t be able to survive tomorrow.”
"I got it." Major General Kei Setani waved his hand and said, "You go down first."
"Hai." Colonel Maeno Shiro lowered his head suddenly, then turned around.
Major General Lai Wuping next to him took two steps forward and said: "Setani-kun, the situation is not optimistic."
"Yes." Major General Kei Setani said with deep understanding, "If a battle like last night happens twice more, I'm afraid we really won't be able to hold on. However, it is gratifying that not all China's
The soldiers are so brave, so it shouldn't be a problem to hold on until the end of the month."
Major General Lai Wuping nodded and said: "I really hope our reinforcements can arrive as soon as possible!"
"Report!" Major General Lai Wuping finished his words before a communications staff officer came in to report, "Your Excellency, General, the forward observation post reported that the Chinese are doing soil work outside the attack launch line, and the situation is extremely suspicious."
"Coil work?" Major General Kei Setani's face changed slightly, and he said to Laiwuping, "Let's go to the forward observation post."
Soon, Major General Kei Setani and Major General Lai Wuhei led a large group of staff officers to the forward observation post. Looking forward through the artillery mirror, they saw that the wilderness directly in front was calm, and there was not even a single figure. However, in
Outside the range of the heavy machine gun, there were clouds of dust rising high from time to time, and then quickly dissipated with the wind.
"Baga Yalu." Major General Lai Wuping cursed softly, "Do the Chinese want to dig tunnels and have engineers blast them?"
Major General Kei Setani shook his head and said: "No, if the Chinese want to dig tunnels for engineer blasting, how can they dig in front of us? If I guessed correctly, the Chinese must want to shorten the tunnel through earthworks
As long as the attack distance is shortened to a certain distance, our firepower advantage will be greatly weakened!"
"Shorten the attack distance?" Major General Lai Wuping suddenly changed his tone and said, "Damn Chinese people!"
Unlike the national army, which despises civil work, the Japanese attach great importance to civil work and even include it as a compulsory subject at the Imperial Army University. Since Lai Wuping was promoted to major general, he naturally studied in the Imperial Continent, so why not
Do you know how powerful the construction work is? For the Isotani Division trapped in Hanzhuang, this is definitely a fatal threat!
"Setani-kun." Major General Lai Wuping suddenly turned around and said to Major General Setani Kei, "We must stop the China people."
"Yes." Major General Kei Setani nodded, then turned back to Colonel Furei Shinpei, the captain of the 63rd Regiment behind him, and said, "Furuei-kun, immediately mobilize all the small-caliber light mortars of each infantry brigade, as well as all the
grenade launchers, shelling the Chinese positions, and stopping their soil work at all costs!"
"Hai!" Colonel Furong Zhenping lowered his head suddenly and immediately took the order and left.
In less than half an hour, all the mortars and grenade launchers of the Japanese infantry brigades were in place. Along with the launch of a red signal flare, dozens of light mortars with a caliber of less than 100 and more than a hundred grenades were launched.
At the same time, the gun launched a fierce artillery bombardment at the National Army's tunnel positions outside Hanzhuang, and the National Army's tunnel positions were immediately filled with smoke and dust.
It took a full ten minutes for the bombardment to stop, and Major General Kei Setani moved behind the artillery mirror again.
The diffuse smoke and flying dust soon dissipated. Major General Kei Setani was satisfied to see that there was a dead silence on the national army position, and no dust was rising from the ground. Obviously, the shelling just now had already affected the Chinese people.
The engineers caused great damage, and the Chinese soil work was forced to stop.
"Yo Xi." Major General Kei Setani nodded happily. Soon, the smile on his face solidified.
The national army position was silent for less than half a minute before it became active again. Balls of white dust rose high from the horizon again, and were slowly approaching the Japanese position in Hanzhuang at a speed visible to the naked eye.
, Major General Kei Setani finally lost his composure and said angrily: "Baga, order the artillery regiment to raise the hot air balloon urgently!"
Lieutenant Colonel Haruji Taniguchi, commander of the 10th Field Artillery Regiment of the Isotani Division, suddenly lowered his head and immediately took the order and left.
Soon, the hot air balloon of the 10th Field Artillery Regiment rose over Hanzhuang. The Japanese artillery observers quickly discovered the whole story from a high position. The cunning Chinese adopted a semi-enclosed tunnel excavation method, except for the last step.
A small section of the tunnel in the front is open, while the tunnel in the back is all covered with civil bunkers.
The artillery observers in the air immediately reported the observed situation to the ground via semaphores.
Lieutenant Colonel Haruharu Taniguchi, commander of the 10th Field Artillery Regiment, quickly returned to the forward observation post and reported to Major General Kei Setani: "Your Excellency, the cunning Chinese people used semi-enclosed earthworks. When our artillery started shelling
, they hid under the earthen bunkers and were completely unscathed!"
"Semi-enclosed civil engineering work!?" Major General Kei Setani's expression suddenly changed.
"Baga Yalu!" Major General Lai Wuping even cursed angrily.
Neither Major General Kei Setani nor Major General Lai Wuhei expected that the Chinese army on the opposite side was so proficient in the essence of soil work.
As a result, the Isoya Division is in a dangerous situation!
Although the field artillery of the Isoya Division's field artillery unit can fire armor-piercing explosive shells, due to ballistics, it cannot threaten the Chinese tunnels at all, and small-caliber mortars and grenades cannot explode at all.
Opening the civil bunkers in the tunnels meant that the Japanese army could do nothing but watch the Chinese dig tunnels forward!
Major General Kei Setani's facial muscles twitched violently twice, and he immediately turned back to the communications staff and said: "Immediately call the division and regiment headquarters, and then request the division and regiment headquarters to immediately telegraph the base camp to dispatch the frontline command post. Our division is in a desperate situation and may not be able to do anything."
According to the original plan, we will stick to it until the end of March. Please dispatch the squad to the frontline command post to make arrangements as soon as possible!"
Next to him, Major General Lai Wuping also had a solemn look on his face. He was also keenly aware that the entire Isoya Division might really be crushed on the Lunan battlefield this time.