The first thousand two hundred and eighteen chapters are anxious devils
The Japs stopped their offensive after nightfall. Facing Huaiyin, which had been bombed into ruins, they still could not take it. When the Japs commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu called a meeting with the officers, his face was terrifyingly gloomy.
The atmosphere in the spacious tent was dull and depressing. The Japanese officers, covered in blood and with blackened faces, lowered their heads and did not dare to look at the sullen commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu.
They attacked Huaiyin with great enthusiasm, thinking that they could take it easily with their sophisticated weapons and elite soldiers.
Unfortunately, things went against expectations. A full day and night had passed since the attack started last night, and the defenders in the city were still resisting tenaciously.
These defenders are hiding in those dilapidated neighborhoods. Once their troops attack, they will immediately be attacked from all directions.
They also tried to cover these blocks with artillery fire, but now many blocks have been bombarded into rubble, but the resistance still exists, and when they attack, there are still people shooting at them.
Often in some occupied neighborhoods, some guerrillas would suddenly appear and attack them at certain moments. They seemed to have emerged from the ground, leaving the Japanese soldiers in a state of distress.
The guerrillas were familiar with the terrain in the city, and they were elusive. Although the attacking troops had the initiative to attack, it was difficult to win for a while.
At this moment, Huaiyin was like a bottomless pit, constantly devouring the Japanese soldiers who entered it, making many Japanese soldiers nervous to the extreme.
In just one day and one night, the number of people killed in the Yamaguchi Infantry Brigade was as high as 430, and there were more than 300 lightly and seriously wounded. Now there are less than 400 soldiers capable of fighting, and they are all exhausted.
Yamaguchi Akamatsu, the high-spirited commander, never thought that they would suffer such heavy losses in such a battle where victory was certain, and it was almost to the point that he could not bear it.
Now Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu wants to tear the resisting guerrillas in the city into pieces. Unfortunately, he does not have that ability now.
No matter how heavy the losses were, the battle was not over yet. Even if his troops were heartbroken, Yamaguchi Akamatsu knew that he had to cheer up and win this battle.
"Have you been beaten so hard by the Chinese that you can't even lift your heads?"
After a long silence, the Japanese commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu glanced at the dejected officers and broke the silence in the tent.
After hearing the words of Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu, more than 20 disgraced Japanese officers raised their heads unwillingly.
Although they were officers, they had charged into battle several times during the day. Their uniforms were covered with dust and blood stains, and their faces were blackened by gunpowder smoke, but it was still difficult to conceal the unwillingness in their eyes.
"The fighting will of the Chinese people is beyond our imagination. We have lost many brave soldiers, but the battle is not over and we have not failed!"
Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu's eyes were fixed on these Japanese officers, and his voice was like a heavy hammer, which rekindled the passion of the Japanese officers for fighting.
The reason why the Japanese officers were previously depressed was that the cloud of failure hung over them, but now after Yamaguchi Akamatsu's reminder, they realized that the battle was not over, and it was still unclear who would win.
"Captain, please add some soldiers to our squadron so that we can attack again!"
An unwilling Japanese squadron leader, with bloodthirsty eyes in his eyes, begged Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu.
There are only seventy soldiers in their squadron who can fight now, which can be said to be a serious loss of vitality, but he is not willing to accept it.
"We have no more soldiers to replenish, at least not in a short period of time." Japanese commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu ruthlessly shattered the squadron leader's hopes.
"Can you please replenish us with some ammunition? Our soldiers only have less than ten bullets left." The Japanese squadron leader retreated and asked the next best thing, speaking again.
Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu shook his head and said: "We have no extra ammunition now. New ammunition is in transit and will not arrive until at least noon tomorrow."
After hearing what Yamaguchi Akamatsu said, the faces of the Japanese squadron leaders became depressed again. Now that there is no replenishment of soldiers and ammunition, how can we still fight?
"Now that the soldiers are exhausted, can we rest for a night before launching an attack?" a Japanese captain asked.
Their troops have been fighting since last night, with little rest throughout the day and night. Now the troops are very tired and their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced.
Faced with such a simple request, Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu finally shook his head: "The Watanabe detachment has been marching to Huaiyin overnight and is expected to arrive at dawn."
After hearing what Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu said, the Japanese officers were stunned for a moment, and then they were filled with indignation, with angry looks on their faces.
"Our brigade is fully capable of capturing Huaiyin, what are they doing here?" A Japanese squadron leader yelled with an evil look on his face.
"What do they mean? Do they want to take the credit?" Some Japanese officers were also asking.
...
Although they both belong to the army system, but now when they have suffered heavy losses, other troops have come over, and it is obvious that they are here to pick peaches. This is intolerable to them.
"Gentlemen, we don't have much time left. Once the Watanabe detachment arrives, if they take the lead in capturing Huaiyin, it will be a lifelong shame for our brigade!" Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu said with a cold face.
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Everyone didn't understand this truth. They suffered heavy losses and failed to capture Huaiyin. If they were eventually captured by another army, they might not be able to hold their heads up for the rest of their lives.
"So we must capture Huaiyin before they arrive in Huaiyin, and for this we can do whatever it takes!"
Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu's words made every officer realize that they had reached the point where they had to fight desperately.
"Captain, please give me an order. Without ammunition, we will capture Huaiyin even with bayonets!" the Japanese officer said fiercely.
"Yes! The honor of our brigade cannot be desecrated. Even if we all die in battle, we cannot let the Watanabe detachment capture Huaiyin before us!"
Now it's not just about winning, it's about the honor of their team.
They have always boasted that the Kwantung Army is an elite force. If a city they cannot capture is captured by a force composed of supplementary troops and heavy supplies, they will wipe their necks.
Seeing that the Japanese officers were filled with indignation and clamoring for an attack again, Commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu nodded with satisfaction.
"Order!"
Hearing this serious voice, the Japanese officers all stopped their feet and stood in silence, looking at Yamaguchi Akamatsu with high fighting spirit.
"Yoshino-san, you select elite soldiers to form a commando team, and they will be responsible for breaking through the China Army's defense line during the early morning attack."
"Hiyi!"
"Damusang, you immediately take people to the surrounding villages to capture some Chinese people. When we attack, let them go in front and assist us in the attack."