Several days and nights of bloody battles not only left the Minshan area littered with corpses, but also consumed astronomical amounts of ammunition.
The Japanese 6th Brigade was already short of bullets and artillery shells. Most of the time, they could only rely on hand-to-hand combat to defend their position, and their fight became increasingly difficult.
"Telegraph the Ruichang Baggage Regiment to send ammunition and supplies as soon as possible."
Brigade commander Masao Maruyama knew very well that the important reason why they were invincible on the Chinese battlefield was based on their powerful firepower.
But now that the ammunition is almost running out, the firepower advantage that has been maintained has been lost, and this is fatal.
Facing those Chinese soldiers who charged frantically and fearlessly without fear of death, without the suppression of firepower, once they rushed to the position, their soldiers could only use their flesh and blood to resist.
In the past, the Chinese army could only use flesh and blood to resist their aircraft and heavy artillery. Now the situation has reversed, and Maruyama Masao also has a taste of bloodshed.
"Your Excellency General, several positions have run out of ammunition. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on until the baggage regiment can deliver the ammunition. Should we retreat temporarily to avoid the enemy's attack?" a combat staff officer suggested.
"Bastard! Coward!" Masao Maruyama waved his hand and slapped his ears, which made the staff dizzy.
"The Imperial Japanese Army has been completely disgraced by you. Can't they fight without ammunition?!"
When more than a dozen officers in the brigade headquarters saw Maruyama Masao's sudden anger, they were as silent as ice and did not dare to say a word.
All of them knew that there was no longer any need to persist in the war. The plan to attack De'an had gone bankrupt. Rather than waste time here, it was better to retreat proactively.
But they also know that this is a matter of face. There is a difference between retreating after defeating the Chinese army on the opposite side and retreating in despair.
For them, even if they retreat, they must do so openly and openly, otherwise they will be ridiculed by the rest of the friendly divisions and will be unable to hold their heads up for the rest of their lives.
"Tell the soldiers to give full play to our bushido spirit and use the bayonets in our hands to let the Chinese people have a taste of our power!"
"Hai!" An officer saluted and sent the order.
Although the commander of the brigade, Maruyama Masao, spoke with arrogance, he also knew that bayonets alone would not last long. He thought for a moment and then ordered: "Send power to the airport aviation unit and request airdrop ammunition support."
Soon, several emergency aircraft roared over Minshan Mountain and air-dropped some ammunition to the Japanese soldiers' positions.
However, the ammunition dropped by the air is still a drop in the bucket compared to the consumption of the battle. It can only provide emergency relief, but it cannot last long. They have to rely on the ammunition transported by the baggage regiment.
However, the road from Ruichang to Minshan was rugged and difficult to navigate, and the vehicles of the Japanese baggage regiment could not drive through it, so ammunition and supplies could only be sent up through a large number of mules and horses.
Although the baggage regiment has been extremely busy in the past few days, transporting ammunition to the Minshan forward position almost day and night, the battle ahead has not stopped, and their ammunition supply still cannot keep up.
The enemy's advantage in facing the Chinese army is its powerful firepower. Strong weapon firepower means a large consumption of ammunition. In mountainous areas with inconvenient transportation, ammunition replenishment is slow, which becomes the enemy's disadvantage.
The various brigades under the Japanese's baggage regiment were all rushing to deliver ammunition to the front line. The urging telegrams from the front line were getting more urgent than the last, which made them complain endlessly, and they didn't even have time to eat and rest.
The Japanese troops did not know that among the dense forest, a Chinese army covered in camouflage had bypassed their front line of defense and penetrated behind them.
Yang Ling saw that the troops were unable to capture the Japanese positions in Minshan despite suffering countless casualties. However, due to the limitations of the terrain, the troops could not deploy for a while, so they could only use refueling tactics. He did not know how long the battle would last.
So Yang Ling found another way and prepared to lead his people around to fight against the Japanese's supply troops.
Once the Japs' supply line is cut off, the Japs without ammunition, no matter how powerful they are, are just tigers without teeth, no matter how ferociously they bark, they are nothing to be afraid of.
Brigadier Zhou Zhidao allocated two battalions of troops to Yang Ling to carry out this plan to draw out salary from the bottom of the cauldron. Although the establishment of two battalions was empty, there were only more than 500 brothers.
More than five hundred brothers infiltrated behind the Japs, which meant that they had to face all unknown dangers alone. If the Japs discovered that they had made dumplings, the friendly forces would have to worry if they wanted to rescue them.
Therefore, the mission performed this time may seem easy, but in fact it is full of dangers. If you are not careful, you will end up with the entire army annihilated.
As the commander of the team this time, Yang Ling naturally had to take responsibility for these more than 500 brothers. They took an extra ten miles of detour on the mountain road to avoid being discovered by the Japanese in advance.
The brothers were all camouflaged with weeds and branches, and even wore grass rings on their helmets. Under Yang Ling's order, they kept quiet along the way and headed towards their predetermined destination.
The mountain forest was full of rocks and thorns. They followed the path groped by the brothers in the reconnaissance platoon and advanced quietly, and soon reached a place about ten miles behind the Minshan Japs' position.
Yang Ling saw the bushes in front of him shaking, and someone was coming, and he quickly raised his right fist to make a concealed gesture.
The brothers had all been informed by Yang Ling before setting off, so they all dispersed and lay down in the woods to hide themselves. With their camouflage, it was really hard to tell at a glance.
Emerging from the bushes was Wang Zikun, whose body was scratched by thorns. He was responsible for leading the team to explore the road and conduct reconnaissance.
"Vice-General, the road ahead is where the Japanese transport team is going to cross."
Wang Zikun led the brothers in the investigation team to investigate in advance and reported the situation to Yang Ling.
Yang Ling asked Wang Huzi and the others to hide on the spot, while he went to investigate on the spot himself. As expected, there was a rugged mountain road not far ahead at the edge of the forest.
There are barren mountains on both sides of the mountain road, and the road is also covered with footprints and excrement left by mules and horses. There should be a large number of mules and horses passing through.
"Regiment deputy, there are more than ten Japanese soldiers guarding the mountain col ahead." At this moment, another investigating brother rushed back and reported the new situation.
The actual mission of these more than ten Japanese soldiers is also very simple, that is, they are responsible for ensuring the safety of this section of the mountain road, and providing timely warnings once a situation is discovered to prevent the transport team from being attacked.
"Zikun, take people up and kill them." Yang Ling didn't hesitate at all, preparing to kill these devils first.
After all, they have more than 500 brothers. If they are discovered by these Japanese, they will be in trouble if they send a signal to the Japanese transport team.
Not only might they fail in their efforts, but they might also be surrounded by Japanese soldiers who were encircling and suppressing them. In that case, they would really lose everything.
Wang Zikun was also a quick and agile person, and he led his men to touch it quietly. Although the sniper platoon was in name only due to heavy casualties, Wang Zikun and the other two surviving brothers were all elite backbones.