The second line of defense is stationed by Chu Yunfei's Sixth Battalion, with a total strength of more than 800 troops. The battalion commander is named Wang Binghua.
The reason why only one battalion of troops is arranged for the second line of defense is not because this line of defense is short and requires few troops, but because the Jinsui Army plans to retreat layer by layer, so that the troops retreating from the front line will be refilled.
As the second line of defense, the Sixth Battalion only needs to do a good job of supporting the enemy.
This is a commonly used tactic in this era, and it is also a tactic used when troops are insufficient.
If there are more troops or are much higher than the enemy, the troops can be divided into two and stationed on two lines of defense, and then the two lines of defense take turns to retreat and rest one by one... Liao Yaoxiang used this "roller style" when he commanded the expeditionary force to deal with the Japanese.
tactics.
But if the troops are not strong enough to be divided into two groups, or if it is estimated that one group will have difficulty in blocking the Japanese, then dividing them into two equal groups and fighting them is asking for death.
Although Wang Binghua is on the second line, he is a ruthless person.
Chu Yunfei asked the Sixth Battalion to stand alone on the second line of defense not because the Sixth Battalion had poor combat effectiveness, but because the Sixth Battalion could stand alone and adapt to critical situations.
Wang Binghua was startled when he saw the Japanese tanks with plaster flags "rumbling" up through the telescope, but he pretended to be nonchalant on the surface.
The adjutant said in horror from the side: "Battal Commander, there is a tank regiment, and there are many tanks we have never seen before! There is also a group of infantry following, and we only have more than 800 people..."
Although the adjutant did not say it clearly, Wang Binghua still understood the meaning of the adjutant's words: Battalion Commander, withdraw! If you don't withdraw, it will be too late! With such a huge disparity in strength, we cannot win this battle. No one will blame us even if we withdraw.
What about us! Are we still here waiting to die?
Wang Binghua made a "poof" sound, spat out the grass stalks he was holding in his mouth, and said: "Adjutant Zhang, the main force of our regiment is still up there. If we withdraw, the whole regiment will have to be taken care of by the little devils."
Is it solid?"
The adjutant was speechless for a moment.
Adjutant Zhang was transferred from the stubborn army... This happened when the Jinsui Army was forced to southwestern Shanxi by the Japanese. Because at that time, the supplies and equipment of the Jinsui Army had to be provided by the stubborn army, so "coordinated command" was adopted.
As an excuse to send adjutants to the Shanxi-Sui Army.
Yan Laoxi was very reluctant to "accept" these lieutenants, but he had to bow his head under the eaves, and he could only knock out his teeth and swallow them.
As a member of the stubborn army, Adjutant Zhang had an excuse to "protect oneself wisely".
For example, in the current battle, can the Sixth Battalion if they stay behind, be able to stop the Japanese attack?
If it is destined to be unstoppable and the main force of the 358th Regiment is destined to be surrounded by the Japanese, then is the sacrifice of the Sixth Battalion in vain meaningful?
Then why not save the Sixth Battalion for future battles?
As the saying goes, "If you leave green hills behind, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood." Leaving behind something useful... and so on.
In short, when looking for excuses, one can always find a bunch of nice words to cover it up, just like the theory of "saving the country through curves".
But there is never a "definitely lost" or "definitely won" statement on the battlefield.
If you think you will lose before the battle begins, then you really have no chance at all.
What else did Adjutant Zhang want to say, and the correspondent came forward to report: "Battal Commander, there is a call from the regiment, ordering us to hold the line of defense without retreating even half a step. The Eighth Route Army is on the way to reinforce!"
Wang Binghua nodded: "Return the call, our unit will fight to the death to live up to the regiment's trust. I just hope that the Eighth Route Army reinforcements will move quickly, otherwise they will have to collect the corpses for us!"
"yes!"
Adjutant Zhang couldn't help being shocked and said: "Batalion Commander, we can't place our hopes on the Eighth Route Army, let alone the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army..."
Wang Binghua interrupted him impatiently: "Adjutant Zhang, according to your plan, what should our army do?"
As he spoke, Wang Binghua ignored Adjutant Zhang, turned around and ran back to the battalion headquarters along the trench.
Adjutant Zhang choked up at this question.
There is only one other way, and that is retreat.
But under Chu Yunfei's strict orders to hold on, retreating meant running away.
So Adjutant Zhang could only sigh helplessly and followed Wang Binghua with an embarrassed look on his face.
After arriving at the battalion headquarters, several company commanders were already waiting there.
Wang Binghua didn't say much and directly laid out the battle plan: "Don't fight head-on. Put the tanks in and attack the infantry. When the tanks come, hide and escape along the trenches. Do you understand?"
Several company commanders looked at each other in confusion after hearing this, especially Adjutant Zhang, who was confused after hearing this plan.
Chu Yunfei clearly ordered the Sixth Battalion not to take a step back, and Wang Binghua also called back saying "fight to the end", but why was the battle plan either to hide or to escape?
Wang Binghua ignored the other people's looks and asked again: "Do you understand?"
"clear!"
"clear!"
…
Several company commanders answered one after another.
Later, the soldiers realized that Wang Binghua's tactic was the only correct tactic.
Many things on the battlefield are not as simple as they sound.
For example, Chu Yunfei said "Stick to the defense line and never take a step back." The literal meaning is to confront the enemy head-on. In that case, a demolition team must be organized to fight the Japanese tanks with explosive-packed grenades.
But in fact, Chu Yunfei did not want the second line of defense to fall into the hands of the Japanese and become their support for surrounding the 358th Regiment.
In addition, Eighth Route Army reinforcements are still on the way.
Based on the actual situation of the two, it is necessary to stall for time with the Japanese.
What's more, how many tanks can be blown up by rushing forward with explosive packs and grenades?
Why not take advantage of the trenches if they exist?
The Japanese tanks also have high and low shooting ranges, and due to the limitation of external perception capabilities, it is difficult to detect targets in the trenches. Wouldn't it be easier to wait for the tanks to come up and blow them up?
Wang Binghua's tactics really gave the Japanese a headache.
From Chimi Konno's perspective, there were only a few winding trenches with no people in front of her, but heads could be faintly seen flashing through the trenches.
The so-called "cornered trench" refers to the direction of the trench. In reality, the trench is not a straight line like the ones filmed in movies and TV, but has a "z"-shaped corner.
The reason is simple: straight trenches look less troublesome and more beautiful.
But as long as a tank rushes into the top of the trench, and then the turret rotates, a machine gun can penetrate the entire trench... Such a trench has no vitality.
The angled trenches are different. Tank firepower can only control this small area at best. Complex and changeable trenches can make tanks with poor perception at a loss. However, infantry can rely on these trenches to get close to the tank and deliver a fatal blow.
After Chimi Konno saw all this in the telescope, she felt the danger.
But at this time, he had no choice but to break through as quickly as possible.
So Imano Chimi waved her hand, and dozens of tanks led the imperial soldiers to "rumble" towards the enemy's defense line.