Okamura Neji couldn't help but be overjoyed when he received the telegram from Shigekawa Rikishi.
Regarding this battle, what he was most worried about was that the Eighth Route Army would conserve its strength and withdraw its personnel to the mountainous areas in time. In this way, he would not be able to effectively attack the main force of the Eighth Route Army and expand its results.
Okamura Neiji implemented the so-called "fish scale encirclement" tactic, which actually meant to trap the main force of the Eighth Route Army.
He hoped to use a heavy force to encircle the guerrillas, militia, or part of the Eighth Route Army in an encirclement formation.
In order to rescue these besieged troops, the main force of the Eighth Route Army will inevitably rush to reinforce or help friendly forces break out. The result is that more Eighth Route Army troops will be trapped in this fish-scale encirclement formation.
In Chinese terms, it is the so-called "encirclement and reinforcement" tactic.
It's just that Neji Okamura didn't "encircle the spot", but cast a "big net".
At this time, when Okamura Neiji heard that Shigekawa Rikishi had encountered the main force of the Eighth Route Army, he took it for granted that the Eighth Route Army had been fooled, and immediately ordered Shigekawa Rikishi: "Delay the main force of the Eighth Route Army at all costs!"
At the same time, he ordered the 37th Division following the 9th Mixed Brigade: "Speed up the march and rush to Zhaojiayu, use one force to reinforce Zhaojiayu, and the rest of the troops will break through from the flanks and encircle Zhaojiayu!"
What Okamura Neiji didn't know was that it was his misjudgment and wrong orders that ruined a brigade of the 9th Mixed Brigade and also caused heavy casualties to the 37th Division.
The counter-slope fortifications built by the Eighth Route Army were worried that the Japanese army would not attack. If the Japanese army did not attack, the Eighth Route Army would be unable to do anything to the Japanese army due to insufficient artillery fire.
As soon as the Japanese army attacked, they misjudged the situation and thought that the main force of the Eighth Route Army was concentrated in small groups elsewhere in Zhaojiayu, so they rushed forward desperately.
The result is the loss of troops and generals under reverse slope tactics.
At this time, Shigegawa Rikishi already felt something was wrong.
Originally, he thought that the Eighth Route Army was retreating... This was not only because he was used to the Eighth Route Army's usual tactics of retreating as soon as it hit, but also because the Eighth Route Army had already withdrawn from its position on the top of the mountain.
If it was not a retreat, how could it take the initiative to give up a battleground like the mountaintop position?
But Shigekawa Rikishi soon discovered that this was not the case.
First, the Japanese army was attacked steadily and accurately on the front slope during the charge: mortar shells and grenades were thrown one after another from the other side, causing heavy casualties to the charging Japanese army.
This isn't like the firepower a retreating force could muster.
Secondly, when the Japanese army braved enemy artillery fire and grenades to finally attack the position on the top of the mountain, they were greeted by a hail of bullets.
If the enemy retreated, of course it would be impossible to leave so many troops and organize such a tight defense.
The situation at this time was very favorable to the Eighth Route Army.
The soldiers had already uprooted the vegetation and shrubs on the side of the hilltop position facing the reverse slope, and the rocks that were helpful for the Japanese troops to hide were either pushed down the mountain or blown up with explosives.
So once the Japanese army attacked the position on the top of the mountain, they were nakedly exposed to the guns of the soldiers.
The distance is only fifty meters, and the Eighth Route Army soldiers are still hiding in the built fortifications, with grass and shrubs covering the front...
To use Li Yunlong's words to describe it, it is: "Damn it, I have been fighting for so many years, and I have never fought such a comfortable battle! I am surprised. The Japanese are usually very active and active, but when they arrive in front of this anti-slope fortification
Why are you so afraid to move like a mouse after seeing a cat?"
In fact, this is not because the Japanese "dare not move", but because the inverted fortifications gave the Japanese no place to hide.
Speaking of which, the Japanese also have places to hide. As the saying goes, "the sky is brighter when you step back." If you step back to a straight slope, you can at least avoid the threat of bullets.
The problem is that Shigegawa Rikishi is watching from behind. He keeps waving his command sword and shouting: "Yoshida Brigade, attack! Be loyal to the empire!"
So the Japanese troops rushed forward and were beaten down, and another group was shot down again...
It is very difficult to hit the enemy with reloaded bullets in ordinary combat, but it becomes easy and simple on reverse slope fortifications.
It can even be said that the power of reloaded bullets at this distance exceeds that of original bullets.
The reason is that the 38mm bullets have strong penetrating power and stable ballistics. After hitting the target, they often penetrate the target. The hole in the front will be as big as the hole in the back.
The reloading bullet is different. Its warhead is extremely rough and hand-made, and it is a round-head bullet with extremely poor penetrating power. This is basically a modern dummy bullet. Not only can it not penetrate after being hit by one shot, but it may also be damaged by iron.
The quality problem was broken into several pieces... This is like chasing the soul of everyone!
Shigekawa Rikishi was also helpless.
Because Okamura Neji had already issued an order: "Delay the main force of the Eighth Route Army at all costs."
"Hold" means to keep attacking. Otherwise, once the main force of the Eighth Route Army retreats calmly once the contact is broken, how should he explain to Okamura Neji?
Therefore, Shigegawa Rikishi could only continue to urge the Japanese soldiers to launch an attack.
Another advantage of the reverse slope is that as soon as the Japanese soldiers attacking the soldiers' positions were knocked down, their bodies would roll down the slope, and as soon as they rolled, they would roll in front of the soldiers' fortifications... This was almost a disaster for the soldiers.
They send guns and bullets.
The direct commander of the Japanese brigade was Yoshida Chiumori. He couldn't bear it as he watched the teams of his troops rushing up and disappearing one after another, so he suggested to Shigekawa Rikishi: "Major General, we can consider solving the enemy first.
mortars and grenades, which may be more beneficial to our army’s attack!”
Rikishi Shigekawa thought it was reasonable, so he nodded and said, "You're right, Yoshida-kun, I'll leave this task to you!"
"Yes!" Yoshida Chikumori responded and led the troops up.
Yoshida Chimori first organized artillery to suppress the enemy's mortars.
Although they could not see the location of the enemy's artillery, they concentrated the entire brigade's cannons on the opposite side and bombarded them indiscriminately. Taking advantage of this, they organized a group of soldiers to throw grenades back at the position where the grenades were thrown.
Yoshida Chikumori's idea is simple.
The enemy's grenade is thrown from this direction, so if we throw the grenade back from the corresponding position, the enemy's grenade will definitely be killed and injured.
But this was not the case. Groups of Japanese soldiers risked their lives to throw grenades one after another, but they were still unable to stop the grenades from the other side.
This puzzled Yoshida Chikumori.
What Yoshida Chikumori didn't know was that his approach was destined to fail.
The grenade throwers of the Eighth Route Army soldiers did not simply stand on the opposite side. They dug a cat-ear hole for themselves, and a deep trench was dug below the cat-ear hole.
When the soldiers dropped bombs, they leaned out, and when they didn't drop bombs, they hid in the cat's ear holes.
The grenades thrown by the Japanese fell into the deep trench one by one, and of course they could not hurt the shooter hiding in the cat's ear hole.