Colonel Ichikawa Yozo, the commander of the Japanese 145th Regiment, surrounded by a group of officers, lowered himself to the front and observed the Changling position with a telescope.
Their 145th Regiment was ordered to take over the heavy losses of the 113th Regiment and counterattack towards the Changling position, while the brigade commander, Major General Kei Aoki, personally led the 136th Brigade to attack Zhanggu Mountain at the northern end of Changling.
Everything was clearly visible in the telescope. The two sides fought repeatedly for several days on the Changling front line. All the vegetation on the top of the Changling mountain had been burned away by artillery fire and turned into a piece of scorched earth.
On the dark red hillside, corpses that had not been disposed of in time were piled up in a pile, and the mountain wind carried a rotten stench wafting over, which was nauseating.
The surviving officers and soldiers of the 58th Division, which suffered heavy losses from the Chinese ***, have withdrawn, and now under the flag of the blue sky and white sun is flying the 51st Division Yang Ling's troops.
After Yang Ling and others made emergency repairs, the fortification trenches destroyed by artillery fire were dug and restored. In the criss-crossing fortifications, officers were shouting nervously, and countless ammunition was sent to the front, creating a tense atmosphere before the war.
"The strength of this Chinese army cannot be underestimated. Their firepower points are properly arranged and clearly organized. You must not be careless."
After observing for a while, the commander of the regiment, Yozo Ichikawa, gave instructions to the officers on the left and right.
Ichikawa Yozo had an arrogant temperament and never looked down upon the Chinese troops. He went on a rampage during the war and defeated at least four or five division-level Chinese troops.
Now he suddenly said such words, which made all the officials look at him. Is this what happened to his captain? He has become so timid?
"Captain, according to the intelligence, the one deployed on Changling is just a regiment-level unit of the China Army. With our strength, we are enough to crush them!" a captain said disdainfully.
The other officers and subordinates around them also nodded. Although they were trapped now, in fact, they were not worried at all.
Because they received news that the 27th Division, 9th Division and 101st Division were moving closer together. Judging from past experience, they might be able to stage a counter-encirclement.
Seeing his subordinates underestimating the enemy so much, commander Yozo Ichikawa frowned. He was not as optimistic as them.
As the captain of the regiment, he naturally got more gossip. Although reinforcements were moving towards them with all their strength, the progress was not smooth in the face of the resistance of the Chinese blocking troops.
The reason why he did not tell his subordinates such bad news was because he did not want to affect the morale of the troops and stabilize their morale.
"You must know the situation of the 113th Regiment. More than half of it was lost in two days. If you don't want to make the same mistake again, please don't underestimate the enemy. Although we are facing a regiment-level force, they are the elite center of the China Army.
Army." Captain Yozo Ichikawa reminded his subordinates again in a deep voice.
"Hey Yi!" When the officers saw what the captain said, they all looked stern and put away their contempt.
Although they looked down upon the miscellaneous troops in the Central Army's ranks, the Guangdong Army and the Central Army did not dare to take it lightly.
Seeing that the officers had suppressed the smiles on their faces and became more serious about it, the commander of the team, Yozo Ichikawa, sighed slightly in his heart, hoping that they would really take it seriously. He didn't want to fail here and sink into the dust.
In fact, nothing can be observed by observing the enemy's situation from the front. The Changling area has been destroyed. If we want to win, we must launch a real attack.
Soon the commander of the regiment, Yosaku Ichikawa, issued an order: "The first battalion will attack from the front, the second battalion will divide its troops into two wings and feign attack to attract firepower, and the third battalion will stand by in place."
"Hey Yi!" All the officers responded, murderous intent beginning to appear on their faces.
When Ichikawa Yozo, captain of the Japanese 145th Regiment, led a group of officers to observe Yang Ling's position, Yang Ling was also lying on the edge of the trench, holding a telescope to observe the Japanese.
The Japanese stopped about a mile from the front of their position, digging foxholes to lay out firepower points and assembling mountain artillery on the spot in preparation for the attack.
Seeing the little Japanese prepare for the attack in an orderly manner, Yang Ling also had a rough judgment on the Japanese's strength.
Yang Ling and the others now belong to the main group, which is much stronger than ordinary groups in terms of firepower and numbers. However, facing a well-equipped Japs unit, it is still difficult to deal with it.
"Do you have any orders from Master?" Yang Ling put away the telescope and turned around to ask.
Zhang Qingyun, chief of staff of the regiment, replied: "The commander ordered us to hold our position and not retreat even a step."
Although Yang Ling knew the outcome, he still felt heavy pressure. Holding the position was just a matter of words, but if he really wanted to do it, he might be risking the lives of hundreds of brothers.
Yang Ling frowned: "Have you reported to the teacher that we are facing the same regiment?"
Zhang Qingyun said with a tearful face: "I reported it. The division commander told me to let the brigade commander lead the 302nd Regiment to deploy on the left wing. If we can't hold on, we will be supported. The artillery battalion in the brigade will also support us when necessary."
When Liu Yidao heard this, he muttered dissatisfiedly: "What a waste of support, I'm afraid the day lilies will be cold by the time the guys from the artillery camp pull out the artillery."
This is not because Liu Yidao is making a fuss, but because there are few artillery in the army, and the air control is in the hands of the Japanese. The artillery camp dare not come out during the day, and only dare to pull out the artillery to fire a few rounds at night, which makes the infantry brothers quite complain.
.
Yang Ling also knew the actual situation and told a staff officer: "Go to Battalion Commander Sun of the artillery battalion in person and tell him that we are like grasshoppers on a rope now. One will be prosperous and the other will be damaged. If the position is lost and the Japanese attack,
Come in, his artillery battalion will be in trouble even if it is hiding in the woods, so let him be ready to support us."
"yes!"
Yang Ling believed that the commander of the artillery battalion, Sun Heiniu, would not fail to understand this truth. Even if he wanted to preserve his strength, it would depend on when. Now it would be strange for their infantry regiment to be able to stop a Japanese regiment.
Seeing the staff hurriedly leaving to find the artillery battalion, Yang Ling turned around and saw several battalion commanders saying: "Who will guard the first round?"
Lu Xing and the other battalion commanders looked at each other and said nothing. Everyone knew that this battle would be difficult to fight.
"What? Are you scared?" Yang Ling asked teasingly.
"I'm afraid of you, grandma. In the first round of our third battalion, people will die and birds will fly to the sky. They will not die for tens of thousands of years. At worst, they will lose their lives here today." Liu Yidao, the commander of the third battalion, couldn't help but speak immediately.
Seeing Liu Yidao being so excited by Yang Ling and agreeing, Deputy Battalion Commander Qin Shou's face immediately turned green. Damn it, you want to die, but I want to live.
"Okay, as per the old rules, if you insist for an hour I'll have the Second Battalion come up to replace you."
The artillery fire of the Japanese soldiers was powerful. Yang Ling did not intend to put all his troops on the position and let the Japanese bomb them. Instead, he used the tactics of small groups to deal with the Japanese attacks.
This will not only keep the troops able to rotate and maintain their physical strength, but also avoid casualties caused by covering bombing.
"Don't worry, everyone, since I, Old Liu, have agreed to come down, I promise to carry it!" Liu Yidao simply took the risk and patted his chest.
Yang Ling nodded and said: "Be careful of artillery fire, and also be careful of the Japs' poisonous gas. The Japs can do anything."