In a dilapidated private house in Shuangmiao, the lantern hanging on the wall swayed with the rumbling sound of artillery in the distance. Under the dim light, the haggard-looking commander of the 174th Division Wang Zanbin was attached to the spread out map.
He frowned.
The successive losses of the Yunzaobang and Dachang Town positions put the defenders into a very passive situation. Now each unit has suffered heavy losses and has become a tired division.
Although the Third War Zone has issued an order to stop the attack step by step, and all units to withdraw to the Wufu defense fortifications in the rear to continue resisting, but in the face of the fiercely attacking Japanese troops, the stoppage is beyond imagination, and it is very likely to turn into a major rout.
The 174th Division and the Gui Army troops were responsible for blocking the Japanese army at the Jiangqiao-Shuangmiao line on the north bank of the Suzhou River and covering the main force's withdrawal to the Wufu defense fortifications. However, the rapid deterioration of the battlefield situation made Wang Zanbin not confident that he could hold this position.
Line of defense.
"Master, you haven't slept for two days and two nights. You'd better go and rest for a while. It's not good for you to be exhausted." The chief of staff dragged his exhausted body back to the division headquarters from the front line. He saw that it was late at night and Wang Zanbin was not there yet.
Fall asleep and speak to persuade.
Wang Zanbin raised his bloodshot eyes and saw the dusty chief of staff walking in. He sighed: "My brothers on the front line are still fighting bloody battles. How can I, a division commander, sleep soundly..."
The Japanese army's offensive continued day and night, and the casualties of the defenders increased sharply. Groups of seriously wounded soldiers were sent down. There was a lack of troops at the front. Even the cooks were holding guns and the defense line was crumbling. How could he, a division commander, sleep?
Got it.
"How is the situation on the front line?" Wang Zanbin asked impatiently before the chief of staff sat down to take a sip of water.
The chief of staff shook his head solemnly: "Each regiment suffered heavy casualties. Many regiments had less than three or four hundred capable soldiers. Food and ammunition were even more scarce. Many brothers had not eaten for a day and only had five bullets left in their hands.
Six shots..."
There was a long silence after Wang Zanbin heard the words of the chief of staff. He walked to the window and looked at the cold light flashing from time to time, feeling complicated and heavy in his heart.
So many brothers are fighting bloody battles on the front lines, using their lives to defend this land and the dignity of the nation, but they have to endure hunger and death until they die. This is a dereliction of duty as a division commander on his part.
"You will go to the military headquarters in person later to ask if the food and ammunition have arrived. At the same time, we non-combatants at the back will gather all the rations and send them to the front line. We cannot let our brothers fight hungry." There was a long silence.
Then Wang Zanbin turned around and gave instructions.
"Yes." The chief of staff replied helplessly, preparing to go to the military headquarters in person to ask for food and ammunition.
He didn't have much hope in getting food and ammunition support from the military headquarters, because 700,000 troops gathered on this battlefield. Even if their military headquarters received some supplies, there were also friendly troops such as the 170th Division and the 172nd Division.
Still, what they were assigned to the 174th Division was still a drop in the bucket, and could not fundamentally solve the problem of lack of ammunition and food.
The chief of staff took a few steps and then turned around again: "Master, Liu Ming's supplementary regiment just sent someone to request reinforcements. What do you think?"
Wang Zanbin sighed helplessly: "Where are there any reinforcements now? The divisional security company came up yesterday. I have no troops left to send. I sent someone to tell Liu Ming and told them to grit their teeth and hold on. No matter what,
We have to hold on to Jiangqiao. If the Japanese army breaks through Jiangqiao, there is no need for him to come back."
The chief of staff nodded, said nothing, and turned around and disappeared into the darkness.
…
The sky has turned green and dim, and the bamboo forest outside the town has gradually become clearer in sight. The gunfire has stopped, and Jiangqiao Town has returned to silence.
Amidst the anxiety of Liu Ming, the deputy of the supplementary regiment, Yang Ling and the soldiers who took the initiative returned to the town with a victorious smile and a large number of captured weapons and equipment.
Liu Ming didn't have much hope that Yang Ling and the others would take the initiative to attack. He even thought that they were going to die because the mere thirty men were too weak and a Japanese infantry squad could wipe them all out. However, Liu Ming fought hard to
He agreed that Yang Ling would take the initiative.
After Yang Ling and the others attacked, although the people in the town knew that they might never return, they still stretched their necks, hoping for a miracle. The fighting outside the town was fierce, and they thought that Yang Ling and the others were finished. Lao Wangtou even cried loudly.
But what I didn't expect was that Yang Ling and the others came back alive. Although they were all covered in blood and their faces were black and looked very embarrassed, they came back alive, and each of them still had countless captured weapons, ammunition and food hanging on their bodies.
Everyone in the town, who was originally in a low mood, was shocked at first, with disbelief on their faces, and then burst into loud cheers.
Lao Wangtou's eyes were a little red and swollen. Seeing that Yang Ling and the others had really come back alive, he cried with joy. The tears couldn't help but fall down. He hurriedly stretched out his sleeves to wipe them. This was so happy.
Yang Ling and others originally took great risks to go out, but now they have returned with a full load. Everyone has a long-lost smile on their faces. Looking at the people rushing over with cheers, they feel like generals who have won the battle.
Same.
"Captain Yang, where are the Japs outside the town?" Liu Ming, the regimental deputy, pushed aside the cheering soldiers, strode up to Yang Ling, and asked impatiently.
Yang Ling smiled: "We have reimbursed them all, not a single one is left."
Hearing Yang Ling say this with his own ears, regimental deputy Liu Ming, who had been under tremendous pressure, suddenly laughed loudly, as if he was crazy. Yang Ling knew that he was happy.
A Japanese detachment faced Yang Ling's ambush and was completely destroyed. This was a huge victory for the Jiangqiao defenders, which boosted the morale and morale of the troops. Yang Ling also stood out and became the most admired person by the defenders.
The soldier's temperament is straightforward and there are no twists and turns. Yang Ling can lead them to win the battle, and naturally he easily wins their trust and support. Everyone is willing to follow an officer who leads them to win the battle. Through this battle, Yang Ling
The garrison soldiers established a prestige in their hearts second only to that of regimental deputy Liu Ming.
The Japanese advance detachment outside the town was destroyed by Yang Ling and his men. Although five soldiers were sacrificed, the threat to the defenders was temporarily lifted, allowing them to gain some breathing time.
The annihilation of the Japs advance detachment not only boosted and inspired the sluggish morale, but also gave the soldiers who had been defeated a hope of victory, letting them know that the Japs were not invincible, and eliminating their inner fear of the Japs.
At the same time, they captured a large amount of weapons, ammunition and food. For the defenders who were short of food and ammunition, it was like providing timely help, allowing their combat effectiveness to increase in a short period of time.
The hungry garrison soldiers began to eat the food they had pulled from the Japanese soldiers. Everyone smiled after a long time. Those who followed Yang Ling out even puffed up their chests and enjoyed the adoring gazes of others.
.
"What do you mean by devils? I killed three of them by myself, one of them was so hard that I chopped off his head, and the other..."
While chewing biscuits, Liu Yidao was bragging about his achievements and shaking his bloody sword from time to time, very proudly.
"What happened next?" Someone stretched his neck and asked.
"Later, a howling Japs..."
Yang Ling did not stop these soldiers from bragging. This was a good way of publicity, which could infect other soldiers and build their confidence in the despair of consecutive defeats.