On October 5, a full nine days had passed since the Japanese set out from Mahuiling, and the six-day dry food they had brought with them had long been exhausted.
Although the division commander Matsuura Junrokuro ordered all rations to be collected and sent to the combat troops to maintain sufficient physical strength of the combat troops to fight.
But now even the soldiers in the combat unit have not eaten for a whole day and night. Hunger and exhaustion have made every Japanese soldier weaker than ever before.
The commander of the 145th Regiment, Yozo Ichikawa, walked heavily in the trenches to inspect the troops and encourage them.
"Captain..."
Seeing the regimental commander approaching, the weak Japanese soldiers leaning in the trench struggled to get up and salute. Their movements were so slow and laborious.
Ichikawa Yozo's eyes slowly swept over these unkempt soldiers with bloodshot eyes. He couldn't believe it. Is this still the brave and capable troops under his command?
With every step he took, his mood became heavier and heavier. With the current state of the troops, they probably wouldn't need the squadron to attack. They would starve to death on their own. The hope of breaking through was so slim.
Just as Ichikawa Yozo was inspecting his troops with a heavy heart, suddenly there was a noise from the front.
With a sullen face, he hurried towards another section of the trench with a group of officers and subordinates.
"Mine! This is mine!"
"Bring it here!"
…
In the blood-stained trench, more than a dozen soldiers covered in tatters were beating each other over something. Smoke and dust fell, creating chaos.
"Pull them away!"
There was a trace of anger in Ichikawa Yozo's tone. Before the Chinese team came to fight, they themselves started fighting first.
After receiving the order, the guards following Yozo Ichikawa rushed forward, and it took a lot of effort to pull away the fighting soldiers.
When a handful of unknown weed roots covered in soil were delivered to Ichikawa Yozo, he understood why these soldiers who were supposed to be fighting side by side would punch and kick their comrades.
Artillery fire has carpet-bombed the surrounding area, incendiary bombs burned everything, and the bushes and thorns turned into ashes.
Now they are trapped in the trenches, and the trenches of the Chinese Army are not far away. From time to time, people are shot to death. This is how both sides expand their results.
There was so little food, and the water they desperately grabbed from the ditch was all blood red. Under the plight of hunger, survival was far more important than Pao Ze's affection. In order to fill their stomachs with weed roots, they even beat their companions to death.
His nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and his face was covered in blood.
Ichikawa Yozo was shocked. This was something that had never happened to his army, but he felt extremely sad when he saw the soldiers' sluggish steps and weak appearance.
"Fights in the military will be dealt with according to military law!"
Although Ichikawa Yozo couldn't bear to deal with them, he also knew that in such difficult times, they should work together to overcome the difficulties rather than chaos themselves.
Seeing that the soldiers who participated in robbing food were detained, Ichikawa Yozo didn't have the slightest joy on his face, but felt panic in his heart. Are they really at the end of their rope?
"Fight to the death! Let the Chinese army pay the price!"
"Fight to the last man! Never surrender!"
"We are the invincible Imperial Japanese Army!"
…
Just when Ichikawa Yozo felt confused, a shout of high-spirited fighting came from nearby.
Hearing these voices, his spirit was lifted again. Although he was currently facing difficulties, it was only temporary and he would definitely be able to get through it!
"Let's go over and have a look!" Yozo Ichikawa regained his confidence and strode towards the place where he was calling.
In a semi-covered trench, a large group of shirtless soldiers wrapped in white cloth were shouting fanatically under the encouragement of their officers.
Although they looked tired, their fighting spirit was high, and their strong will allowed Ichikawa Yozo to once again see hope of breaking through.
"Captain! We are ready to attack! Please give the order!"
When a captain saw Ichikawa Yozo approaching, he hurried over and asked for a fight with a face full of enthusiasm.
Their troops were unable to launch an attack due to hunger, but seeing the captain asking for a fight, Ichikawa Yozo felt that a victory at this moment would be a great encouragement to the troops.
"There is food in the Chinese army's position! Attack! Seize their food!"
Instead of starving to death in the trenches, it was better to fight to grab food and maybe survive. Yozo Ichikawa thought of a way to survive and came up with a crazy and bold idea.
"Anyone who wants to survive should pick up a gun! Go to the Chinese positions to grab food!"
Signal soldiers trotted along the trenches, delivering Ichikawa Yozo's orders to each trench.
This order from Ichikawa Yozo undoubtedly rekindled the hope of the hungry Japanese soldiers. They struggled to stand up and looked at the squadron position not far away, their eyes glowing like beasts.
"Kill Gai Gai!"
The howls of the Japanese officers rang out from all the trenches almost at the same time. Compared with the high spirits of the previous days, they seemed so pale at this moment.
"Half a year! Half a year!"
The Japanese soldiers struggled to crawl out of the trenches as if they had been beaten to death, and charged towards the squadron's position with heavy rifles.
This was a charge without artillery cover or machine gun cover. They had run out of ammunition and food, and each soldier had less than ten bullets left.
Now they have to use the Chinese team's backward tactics of rushing forward one after another to snatch food.
The howls of the Japanese soldiers immediately alerted the Chinese officers and soldiers.
"The Japs are attacking! The Japs are attacking!"
The observation posts in the trenches, which had been observing the Japanese movements, shouted almost simultaneously.
"Quick! Quick!"
The brothers rushed to their fighting positions from all over the place, lay down on the trenches with familiarity, and set up their guns.
The brothers knew that the enemy's artillery shells had been used up, so there was no need to defend against the artillery. They could already feel the enemy's weakness.
But when they looked out along the sights of their rifles, they were stunned by the Japanese who were charging towards them.
Is this still the Japanese army that they feared? It came over the mountains and plains, without any cover, and just rushed over. Could this be a suicide charge?
Those Japs with white cloths wrapped around their heads also had grenades tied on their bodies, but most of the Japs behind them could only hold bayonets, and their fearless aura still made the atmosphere suddenly tense.
The Japanese were launching a group charge, and everything they could see was a gray-yellow wave, rushing towards them.
Seeing these Japanese soldiers howling loudly, a look of ferocity appeared on the faces of the commanders in each trench.
What a familiar scene. Many veterans seemed to be in a dream, and tears couldn't help but roll in their eyes. On the battlefield in Shanghai, tens of thousands of Gui Army brothers forcibly charged against the Japanese in such an unobstructed and unobstructed situation.
Under the cover of Japanese artillery fire, several brigade commanders were sacrificed in one day, and tens of thousands of brothers were wiped out. This was witnessed by many people, who watched helplessly as their robes rushed into the sky full of artillery fire.