Chapter three hundred and sixty fifth victory in the first battle
As soon as Lu Xing's battalion captured the top of the hill, the furious Japanese army launched a frenzied retaliation, followed by a sudden artillery fire attack.
The Japanese infantry artillery and mountain artillery made a deafening sound. The dull sound was like muffled thunder that made people's hearts tremble. The top of the mountain was shrouded in smoke and mud mist, as if it were shrouded in heavy dark clouds.
The brothers of the first battalion who stood on the top of the mountain and cheered and celebrated the victory were blown over a lot, their broken arms flew high, and the bright red blood in their bodies spurted out like high-pressure water cannons, and they kept wailing.
Many people were swept into the dilapidated trenches by the shock wave, and those who were lucky enough not to be blown over also rushed to the bunker in a mess, jumping to escape in the trenches, and vicious curses were heard everywhere.
The smoke of gunpowder blackened the face of First Battalion Commander Lu Xing, as black as the bottom of a pot. There was a buzzing in his ears. He was knocked off his head by the shock wave generated by the artillery fire. He fell into the trench and hit his head on an ammunition box.
There was a bloody gash on it.
Blood flowed down the blood hole all over his face, and his face turned into a red and black face. Before he could stand up, another grenade fell nearby, and he was knocked to the ground again, covered with risk.
The hot soil and the thick smoke made him cough.
The hilltop was turned into a mess by the indiscriminate blast of Japanese artillery fire. All the trenches and fortifications were razed to the ground. Seeing that the situation was not good, many brothers rolled down the mountain with their guns in hand. Although they were in a terrible mess, the casualties were not great.
"You're a Japanese brat. If you have the ability, let's argue with each other in front of you. What's the point of attacking?" The disgraced brothers emerged from the mud and yelled at the little devil.
As if the Japanese army was responding, the second round of artillery fire covered it again. Hearing the roar that rent the air, the cursing brothers rolled down the mountain while cursing, and watched helplessly as the trees and corpses on the top of the mountain were blown to pieces.
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The Japanese army's artillery fire was too arrogant and domineering. Seeing the hilltop they had just captured plunged into a sea of smoke and flames, the regiment leader Zhang Handuo immediately called the division headquarters and requested artillery support.
After the reorganization, the 51st Division can be said to be a strong force. Although the artillery regiment directly under the division headquarters is not as good as a real field artillery regiment, the number of artillery equipped is many times stronger than that of ordinary miscellaneous troops.
After receiving the application for artillery support, the division commander Wang Yaowu did not hesitate and immediately ordered the division's artillery regiment to fight back. Although it was not as good as the Japanese artillery fire, it could not lose its momentum.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A harsh roar sounded from above, and the brothers in the forward position heard the sound of artillery coming from behind. They all scrambled out of the bunker, shouting excitedly.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
A thunderous explosion rang out on the other side of the Japanese army's position. They watched helplessly as the Japanese soldiers who had just been showing off their power were blown to pieces. The brothers blushed with excitement and felt extremely happy in their hearts.
The Japanese army's forward position was plunged into a sea of smoke and fire. Artillery shells fired from the west fired extended shots. The sandbags, machine guns, and bodies of the Japanese army's position slowly flew into the sky. The entire front line was blown to pieces.
"Fight! Fight!" Seeing the Japanese troops being bombed miserably, the brothers waved their fists and loudly cheered for their artillery brothers.
The Japanese artillery quickly came back to their senses and stopped bombarding the already messed-up hilltop. They reset Zhu Yuan and launched a counterattack with the artillery of the 51st Division.
The artillery shells passed through the gap in front of the two sides' positions and it was very lively. Many artillery shells collided and exploded in mid-air, bursting into large groups of fire.
Yang Ling hurriedly pulled back several hundred soldiers of the third battalion at the front to prevent accidental damage from artillery fire.
The two sides engaged in a lively artillery battle, but neither could do anything to the other. After all, Yang Ling and the others were facing only a Japanese infantry unit. They were not equipped with heavy howitzers and cannons, only some small-caliber artillery. The two sides fought evenly.
After the artillery fire stopped, the disgraced first battalion commander Lu Xing sent only one company to occupy the hilltop in order to prevent the hilltop from being hit by artillery fire again, while other troops built positions not far away to act as reserves.
The Japanese army launched another attack, but Yang Ling's third battalion stubbornly blocked the front, and another battalion on the flanks provided fire support from the commanding heights of the mountain. The two sides fought ping-pong-pong for half an hour. Seeing that the attack was blocked, the Japanese army had to retreat again.
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The blocking position in Huilongji was well consolidated. Although the Japanese army attacked several times, they all failed. The newly trained brothers saw that the Japanese army was nothing more than this, and their fighting spirit became high.
Yang Ling did not relax and ordered the troops to seize the time to build trench fortifications and arrange defensive positions in series. Even if the Japanese army was lucky enough to break into the first-line trenches, they would not be able to break through in depth in a short time.
The battlefield is the best training ground. When there was a fierce battle with the Japanese army in Shanghai, many troops sent to the battlefield from all over the country had no experience in fighting the Japanese army, and they still followed the fighting style during the civil war.
Concentrated defense, centralized retreat, and fragile single-line trenches suffered a big loss when faced with the well-equipped Japanese army. Often the Japanese army would be covered with cannon fodder, and a reorganized division would be wiped out in half.
Those fragile single-line trenches were even more unbearable. Once the Japanese army broke through at a certain point, the entire position would collapse. Backward tactics were also one of the important factors in the failure of that tragic battle.
After these fierce battles and bloody lessons, the progress of the Chinese army is also obvious. Both defense and offense have begun to change and improve. This is a good sign for the Chinese army.
The real war not only improved the army's combat tactics, but also the new recruits who were integrated into the army in winter also grew and matured.
The recruits who were frightened by the Japanese artillery fire a few hours ago and wet their pants are now nesting in the trenches and facing the occasional cold shots, without batting an eyelid, eating the captured canned Japanese cans.
They adapt quickly to war.
"Would you like a bite to calm down the shock?" Shunzi, the veteran deputy company commander, leaned against the trench and smiled at a recruit.
This recruit performed very well in the close-quarters combat just now. When he first entered the battlefield, he cooperated with two other brothers to kill a fierce Japanese soldier. At this moment, he calmed down and suddenly felt a little scared.
Seeing the kettle handed over by Deputy Company Commander Shunzi, the recruit felt his mouth was dry and he took it without hesitation, raised his neck and drank a few sips.
"Ahem... cough, why is it wine?" The recruit choked and his face turned red. He didn't expect that there was wine in the kettle.
Shunzi said with a smile: "I didn't say it was water. Hey, it tastes good. A gentleman must know how to drink, otherwise how can he fight the Japanese."
The recruit smiled bitterly at Shunzi's fallacy and shook his head. However, after drinking the hot liquor, he suddenly felt that the pores in his body relaxed and his whole body felt much smoother. The discomfort of killing someone for the first time gradually disappeared.
"These little devils are so loud. If we really have to fight for our lives, we are not afraid of them. Remember when we were in Shanghai..." Shunzi started to brag about his experiences while drinking.
Most of these new recruits were killing people for the first time, and many of them were not used to it. Now that they saw the veteran Shunzi narrating, they all listened quietly. From time to time, someone asked questions, and the original discomfort disappeared completely in the veterans' narration.
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After Yang Ling handed over the defense tasks to deputy battalion elder Yanqiang, he quickly returned to the regiment headquarters in Huilong Group.
Perhaps because of the victory, the regiment leader Zhang Handuo seemed very happy. When he saw Yang Ling coming in, he hurriedly said hello with a smile.
"The awards from the Brigade Headquarters have been received. The Brigade Headquarters hopes that we will continue our efforts and show our prestige!" Zhang Handuo danced excitedly.
In just one day after arriving on the battlefield, they annihilated nearly two hundred Japanese troops with their fierce offensive, which was a huge boost to the morale of the troops.
"How are our brother troops doing?"
Yang Ling was in a good mood. After sitting down and taking a sip of water, he asked about the friendly troops. After all, it was difficult for them to fight alone, so a long-term solution was to cooperate with the friendly troops.
"I heard that the 58th Division has already attacked Yongcheng and Fengxian areas. As long as our 51st Division sticks to Dangshan like nails, I guess the Japanese in front of us won't be able to hold on for long."