Under the leaden clouds and the cold wind howling, trucks loaded with Japanese soldiers and ammunition appeared along the road in the sight of the Chinese defenders on the outskirts of Gaoyou.
Seeing those wheels turning rapidly and kicking up the huge dust, and looking at the approaching blood-red rising sun flag looming in the dust, the officers and soldiers guarding the front lines of the Chinese positions in the trenches couldn't help but swallow their saliva, and their faces turned a little pale.
The excitement of killing the Japanese cavalry had long since dissipated with the cold wind.
Most of the officers and soldiers of the Sulu Guerrilla Corps were recruited from local armed forces. They had also encountered small-scale encirclement and suppression by Japanese troops, but most of the time they were fighting against puppet troops who were robbing food and money.
Although they were large in number, they still lacked experience in setting up battle formations and fighting large-scale Japanese soldiers. However, this time they had to defend Gaoyou, the county they had just recovered.
"Is there probably thousands of these Japs?"
Seeing the mighty Japanese swarms shrouded in the sky with no end in sight, some pale-faced guerrilla officers and soldiers looked at their company commander with fear.
Their company commander was a veteran who had participated in the Battle of Nanjing and had combat experience, but during the Battle of Nanjing, he was just an ordinary soldier.
Looking at the group of brothers with little combat experience under his command, the solemn-faced company commander forced out a smile and scolded: "It's not as many as you said. In my opinion, it's only more than a thousand at most."
Man, we have more than 3,000 brothers, so we are afraid of a bird..."
Although this company commander, who had fought bloody battles with the Japanese in Nanjing, seemed a little unsure when speaking, he was always dignified. Although the brothers still felt uneasy, the atmosphere in the trenches was no longer as tense as before.
"What's that iron bump in front of you kid?"
"That's the little devil's tank. Don't be afraid of it. I'll tie up some more grenades later, and when he drives over, stuff them under his belly, and he'll definitely lie down."
"The Japs still have cannons. It looks like there are quite a lot of them."
"We also have artillery. As long as the Japanese dare to fire, our artillery brothers will turn them into scrap metal!"
...
The Japanese soldiers' convoy stopped about a mile away from the Chinese officers and soldiers' position. The Japanese infantrymen quickly left the kilometer, setting up artillery and digging machine gun fortifications in the fields, and were very busy.
The Chinese officers and soldiers, on the other hand, stood in the trenches with their arms folded, pointing at the shadowy Japs not far away, talking in low voices.
"Everyone, please stop watching the fun. It seems that the little devils want to break into Gaoyou today and sleep. They will attack later. Everyone go back to their positions."
Seeing that the Japanese had already set up their formation and seemed to have no intention of setting up camp, the officers at various positions called their brothers into the fortifications to prepare for battle.
"It seems that the little devils have spent a lot of money. There are not only five tanks, but also a lot of field artillery and infantry artillery. This battle is not going to be easy."
On the incomplete city steps at the top of Gaoyou City, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Changjiang also led more than a dozen senior staff officers under his command and the officers in charge of each battalion to observe the Japanese movements from a distance with binoculars.
The strength of the Japs that had been exposed now really sent chills down their spines. If they were really going to fight the Japs in Gaoyou, the two groups would be finished in less than three days.
Therefore, after the deputy commander judged the strength of the Japanese, he no longer wanted to fight to the death with the Japanese in Gaoyou. The reason why he wanted to fight the Japanese now was to find a reason to withdraw his troops.
Even if he was questioned by the theater headquarters at that time, he could say that they had already fought the Japanese and they withdrew because they really couldn't fight. If they didn't fight and gave up to Gaoyou, it would be unjustifiable no matter what.
"Tell the brothers, even if it's not easy to fight, you still have to have a chance with the Japanese. If you retreat without a fight, you will live up to the facts and suffer slander. How many pairs of eyes are staring at us now. Brothers, just fight for yourselves.
, we can’t just let the little devils into the city easily!”
"Sir, don't worry, we will never let the little devils break into Gaoyou easily. At least we will let them bleed!" the leader of the third guerrilla regiment assured without confidence.
Everyone already understood what Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Changjiang meant. He wanted to fight the Japanese, but they couldn't fight to the death. They were unwilling to think that Gaoyou, which had just been liberated, would fall into the hands of the Japanese again.
But what can be done? The Japs are so powerful that they are not as good as the Japs in terms of the quality of their soldiers or their weapons and equipment.
Just like what Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Changjiang said, if you keep the green hills, you won’t be afraid of running out of firewood. As long as the little devils are still on Chinese soil, there will always be a chance to eliminate them. Therefore, if you cannot defeat them, it is best to preserve your strength.
the most important.
If they had encountered such a large-scale Japanese army before, they would have fled long ago, euphemistically saying that they were avoiding their sharp edges.
But this time they jumped into the pit of Gaoyou themselves and had to fight against the Japs. They were all filled with helplessness and had already scolded Yang Ling bloody in their hearts.
But they have forgotten that they jumped into this pit willingly and cannot blame others.
"You all go to various positions in person to supervise the battle. Fight the Japanese first, hold on until tomorrow and then withdraw." Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Changjiang waved his hand and ordered.
In his opinion, no matter how powerful the Japs were, it would still not be a problem for more than 3,000 of them to persist for one night.
As long as they persist for one night, no matter what the situation is, he will lead the people to evacuate without hesitation. A dilapidated Gaoyou City is not worth losing his own troops.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, streaks of red light appeared in the fields in the distance. In a short period of time, the Japanese field artillery was adjusted to shoot at Zhu Yuan. The cold cannon was raised high and fired in the direction of Gaoyou.
"Boom-boom-"
Mushroom clouds suddenly rose up from the Chinese garrison position on the outskirts of Gaoyou. High-explosive bombs exploded the soil on the ground and then threw them fiercely in all directions.
"Hidden! Hidden—"
Amidst the billowing smoke and tremors, the guerrilla officers and soldiers who had been watching the excitement were immediately stunned. Facing the turbulent and sweeping air waves, they could not stand firmly.
The high-speed flying artillery shells fell into the smoke and dust with the roar of tearing the air, and exploded again. Many officers and soldiers on the position staggered before they could stand up, and were knocked over again.
At this moment, the defenders' forward position was like a rickety boat, which could capsize at any time in the explosion like landslides and earth-shattering. With just a few rounds of rapid fire, the position was completely enveloped in smoke and dust from the explosion.
As soon as the Japs came up, they gave them a powerful blow. The deputy commander-in-chief Li Changjiang and other senior officers who were watching the battle at the top of Gaoyou City were frightened and their faces were extremely ugly. The Japs were too arrogant.
The Japanese artillery fire extended in the direction of Gaoyou City and began to bombard the Chinese officers and soldiers on the second line of defense in depth. The first line of defense was now in a mess, and the temporary simple trenches were blown up.
When the Japanese artillery fire extended, about 400 Japanese soldiers with bayonets pointed out were divided into four attack echelons. Under the cover of five tanks, they swooped towards the forward position like a wave.