Chapter five hundred and seventy seventh round of battle (nine)
Yang Ling originally wanted to use combat training as a means of training, so that the new recruits in each battalion and company could be tempered through rounds of combat, and the combat effectiveness of the troops could be quickly improved.
But he overestimated the strength of the new recruits. Although they looked decent during training, their true colors were revealed when they faced the real test.
In the final analysis, they are just recruits who have joined the army in a hurry. No matter how hard they work in training and how well they perform, they still have a long way to go before they can adapt to the real battlefield.
Not only did Qin Shou's position almost fall, but the five positions guarded by Liu Yidao and his battalion were broken through by the Japanese everywhere.
If the troops deployed behind them had not reacted quickly and provided timely support, the position would have fallen.
But even so, in the face of well-trained Japanese soldiers, the losses of the recruits were still considerable. Many of them were killed and injured by stray bullets while running around in panic. The proportion of actual losses in the battle was very small.
"Team leader, we must change the battle plan. We cannot let each battalion go up to fight in turns, otherwise the position will be breached by the Japanese and the consequences will be disastrous."
After Chief of Staff Zhang Qingyun received the news that the frontline position was almost captured by the Japanese, he was also frightened. He hurriedly found the regiment leader Yang Ling, hoping to change this combat method of training in rounds. After all, it was too risky.
However, Yang Ling was not intimidated by the fact that the Japs were almost able to break through the frontier positions. Feedback from the frontier positions instead strengthened his idea of training in rounds.
"Chief of Staff Zhang, the recruits collapsed when faced with the enemy, which further proves that they need to be tempered. Judging from the feedback from Battalion Commander Liu and others, most of the casualties were caused when the recruits ran around without obeying commands and orders.
It is not a loss caused by frontal combat. I think we can strengthen battlefield discipline to make up for this shortcoming."
Chief of Staff Zhang Qingyun suddenly became anxious when he saw that Yang Ling still stubbornly insisted on holding the position through rounds of training.
"Leader, you have just seen that the new recruits are not strong enough to hold the position. We were lucky enough to hold the position this time, but what about next time? Can we guarantee such luck next time?"
Seeing the anxious chief of staff, Yang Ling replied unhurriedly: "In response to this problem, we can have the special agent company and the regiment's direct machine gun company be deployed in the second and third defenses. Once the front line cannot hold up, they can promptly
support."
"Team leader, I think this is still too risky. I don't agree with this method of taking turns. We should press the entire regiment to increase the thickness of the defense line and make the position more stable."
Yang Ling shook his head and said: "The position is so narrow that the entire regiment cannot move forward and will be exposed to the enemy's artillery fire. Therefore, it is better to let each battalion go up and fight in turns. Although there are some risks, it can quickly improve the combat effectiveness."
"I'm responsible for whatever goes wrong," Yang Ling added.
Seeing Yang Ling's stubbornness, Chief of Staff Zhang Qingyun did not agree with Yang Ling's combat method, but Yang Ling was the commander. As the Chief of Staff, he only had the right to make suggestions but not to command, so he could only give up angrily.
Yang Ling, in view of the new situation at the frontline, the recruits may not be able to withstand the Japanese's direct and fierce offensive.
Therefore, the special agent company and machine gun company directly under the regiment were ordered to be deployed in the secondary defense, so that they could directly support the forward position at critical moments and avoid the risk of the entire position being breached.
"Let each company of the second battalion also move to the second defense and let them observe the battle."
In addition to guarding against risks, Yang Ling also ordered the next unit that was about to go up for the battle to adapt to battlefield operations in advance through on-site observation.
Gunfire rang out on the battlefield again, and the Japs quickly figured out the numbers of Yang Ling's troops. When they learned that they were troops of the 74th Army, the Japs were frightened, but felt even more excited.
The Japanese were well-trained and won consecutive battles on the Chinese battlefield, although they also encountered Chinese troops who were powerful and fearless of death.
But it is a pity that although the stronger Chinese troops fought tenaciously, the aircraft and heavy artillery they faced have been wiped out by them and their numbers have been wiped out.
The 74th Army has been active in frontal battlefields since its establishment. Whether it is Shanghai, Nanjing or the Xuzhou battlefield in the north, the 74th Army has caused the Japanese divisions to suffer countless times and has been noticed by each division.
.
Not long ago, the proud and arrogant Maruyama Brigade was almost wiped out by the 74th Army. It can be said that the 74th Army has now become the focus of all Japanese troops and is eager to fight with it. After all, it can eliminate such a powerful opponent.
It was enough to keep them happy for a while.
The 106th Division only had a brief battle with Yangling and others in Ruichang, but the 74th Army had just fought a battle with the Maruyama Brigade and had exhausted its supplies and ammunition, so it had to retreat on its own initiative. This made the 106th Division feel quite regretful.
They pursued them all the way, but finally allowed the 74th Army to retreat calmly, and then fought head-on with the 66th Army.
Unexpectedly, they were unable to find anything despite their iron shoes, and it took no effort to get there. The 74th Army, the main force of the Chinese Army that they had been searching for and trying to eliminate, appeared on the battlefield again. How could they not be excited?
"Destroy the 74th Army!"
Junrokuro Matsuura, the leader of the Japanese Division, received a report from the frontline troops and learned that the person facing them was the famous 74th Army. Fighting such a powerful opponent made the blood in their bones boil with excitement.
If they can defeat the main force of this Chinese army, it will undoubtedly highlight their own strength, so Matsuura Junrokuro wants the troops to go all out.
On the vast battlefield shrouded in gunpowder smoke, each attacking Japanese unit received the designation of the opposing squadron, and every Japanese's face was filled with excitement and red.
The Japanese attack began again. Groups of bombers flew over the mountains and dropped heavy bombs on the Chinese defenders' positions.
The rumbling explosion caused violent tremors on the ground, sending up flames into the sky, thick smoke billowing, and the earth being torn into pieces.
Under the baptism of artillery fire, countless barbed wire fences and rotten wood were thrown high in the sky. Amidst the deafening sound of artillery, the Chinese officers and soldiers in the forward positions were swept by air waves again and again.
However, after experiencing the baptism of artillery fire, most of the officers and soldiers were no longer as scared as before. They covered their ears and huddled in the shell-proof hole, looking at the bombed sky and darkness outside.
"The Japanese are coming! Prepare to fight!" The observation post's shrill voice rang out again amid the billowing smoke.
The attacking Japanese infantry stepped on the explosive spot, but this time the recruits no longer ran around in panic, but silently raised their guns and twisted the bottom caps of grenades like veterans...
The veterans used their sacrifices to teach the recruits how to fight. Although the recruits were still afraid, they did not need the veterans to remind them, they already knew how to do it.
The troops with real combat effectiveness are not those equipped with sophisticated weapons, but the troops fed with the blood of the Japanese on the battlefield. They are the real iron-blooded troops, the troops that make the Japanese afraid.
"Calm down, please! Listen to my order before shooting again!"
Deputy Battalion Commander Qin Shou watched with pleasure as the new recruits lay down in their shooting positions in an orderly manner. Many of their tactical movements had begun to be similar to those of the veterans.
The real battlefield is the best training ground. Blood and death will make every recruit grow by leaps and bounds. The difference between recruits and veterans may just be a fierce battle.