On the morning of the 13th, except for an infantry squadron of 200 people and two infantry artillery squadrons left behind in Fululing to serve as guards, the rest of the main force set off and marched along the mountain road toward the town of Chaiyu, which is thirty miles away.
The field artillery brigade had to be abandoned due to the narrow mountain road, and was escorted to the Niangziguan front line by an infantry squadron with a casualty rate of over 50% that needed to be repaired.
The organization of the 26th Artillery Regiment will be completely complete after acquiring this returned field artillery brigade, with 24 field guns and 12 105mm howitzers, posing a greater threat to the Niangziguan defense line.
Almost the entire army was mobilized. After integration, the 40th Infantry Brigade, which still has nearly 4 infantry brigades, now has 13 infantry squadrons with nearly 2,700 infantry; 5 heavy machine gun squadrons with more than 40 heavy machine guns and more than 500 personnel
; The two artillery squadrons directly under the infantry wing have a total of 8 mountain guns, 8 infantry guns, and 4 90 mortars, with more than 500 personnel; the five artillery squads directly under the infantry brigade have 10 infantry guns, with more than 300 personnel; 4
A baggage squadron has more than 800 personnel; a mountain artillery battalion has 12 mountain guns and more than 1,000 personnel, plus two infantry regiment headquarters personnel, infantry squadrons and regiment personnel directly under the brigade.
The 40th Infantry Brigade that set out from Fulule Ridge had more than 6,500 people, and they were lined up on the mountain road for fifteen miles. It can be said that the strength of the troops and the momentum are scary. It can be seen that they are standing together with the 80th Infantry Regiment Headquarters on the mountain ridge.
Above, Yoshio Uetsuki couldn't help but frown slightly.
This is the strength of the 40th Infantry Brigade. With such a strong army, what position of the Chinese cannot be captured? A day of repairs has made the Japanese Army Major General temporarily forget the pain at Fulu Ridge.
Not counting the mountain artillery brigade borrowed from the 109th Division, and not counting most of the infantry brigade remaining in Jingxing County, the full strength of the 40th Infantry Brigade should be more than 7,200, but now, there are quite a few.
More than 1,700 people were killed, the two infantry brigades were basically disabled, more than 1,000 people died in the battle, and more than 600 people were transported to the division's field hospital in Jingxing County.
In comparison, the 17th Division suffered 6,000 killed in battle, more than 1,500 people were treated for injuries, and the total casualties exceeded 7,500. The casualty ratio in the two battles with the Japanese army at Fulule Ridge in Snowflake Mountain was 4.5 to 1. It seemed that the 17th Division was on the defensive side.
It was a huge defeat.
As everyone knows, since the 1977 Incident, both the North China battlefield, which has suffered repeated defeats, and the Songhu battlefield, where the elite Central Army reorganized divisions have been almost exhausted and are being filled with miscellaneous troops from Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi, and Yunnan, have been defeated again and again.
, the casualty ratio between the national army and the Japanese invaders has never been smaller than 7:1.
In other words, for every Japanese invader who wanted to be killed or injured, the Chinese officers and soldiers had to sacrifice at least seven people. Looking back at the Battle of Fululing, although the heroic 17th Division gave up its position due to strategic needs, in these five days of defensive battles,
It is truly a battle of victory.
The 40th Infantry Brigade lost the combat power of two infantry brigades, and its strength has been reduced by one-third.
But the reason why the 40th Infantry Brigade, which only has two-thirds of its strength and is reinforced by a mountain artillery brigade, dares to go deep into the Taihang Mountains alone is that they are confident enough. Even if they encounter a Chinese army of more than 20,000 people, they
They dare to fight against them. In fact, they also have this strength.
In the past, the 17th Division defended Fulu Ridge on Snowflake Mountain and fought bloody battles with the Japanese invaders for 9 days. The actual battle losses were as high as 10,000 people. In the end, only more than 2,700 people were able to withdraw to Niangzi Pass. The 40th Infantry Brigade only dispatched one regiment.
That’s all.
Now they have a total of 20 75mm mountain guns, 12 infantry guns and 4 mortars. Not counting the assistance of Army aviation bombers in the sky, they can completely defeat the two Chinese divisions head-on.
The Japanese army has no trump card. Their trump card is the powerful combat effectiveness of the 40th Infantry Brigade. From the 20th Division to the lowest level soldiers, they do not think that there is any Chinese army that can pose any threat to them. Maybe there is,
But not here, the fierce independent regiment is fighting fiercely with the 77th Infantry Regiment in Jiuguan.
After four days of fighting, not to mention Yoshito Takagi, even Bunzaburo Kawagishi who was far away in Shijiazhuang had to admit that the independent regiment had the strength to challenge the 77th Regiment. He even had to admit tragically that if there were no 105
Howitzers and the 77th Infantry Regiment are no match for the independent regiment.
This is not because Bunzaburo Kawagishi is pessimistic, but the situation on the battlefield has indeed exposed the gap between the two sides.
When the howitzers were not used for shelling, both sides fired coldly on the battlefield, with a range of up to 400 meters. The Japanese casualties were as high as 10%. However, there were very few Chinese casualties on the position. The Japanese army was proud of their
A complete failure in shooting skills.
This alone will not make the arrogant Japanese army feel that their skills are inferior to others. What makes the first sergeant Li Noge and Major General Yoshito Takagi who are on the front line the most chilled is that the independent regiment defenders on the Jiuguan position
The firepower displayed was that they were equipped with at least more than 20 mortars of various calibers, and at least 30 light and heavy machine guns. In addition, they also had mountain cannons, high- and low-level anti-aircraft guns, and anti-aircraft machine guns.
If there is no field artillery and howitzer brigade to assist them, not to mention mountain offensive and defensive battles, even in plain field battles, they may not necessarily be the opponents of independent regiments with a few hundred fewer people.
Fortunately, there is only one such terrifying opponent in China, and the number is not large, just one regiment. And such an infantry regiment is firmly contained in Jiuguan by the 39th Infantry Brigade, which is very difficult for Liangfu to come last month.
That said, it's definitely good news.
Except for the Independent Regiment, no Chinese troops could stop his circuitous advance toward Niangziguan.
Of course last month Liangfu would not know that except for one battalion of the independent regiment in Jiuguan, the rest were waiting for him in Qigen Village, which was his only way.
In fact, the infantry brigade is also proud of itself. In order to deal with them, Liu Lang began to prepare in late September. First, he painstakingly swapped troops with the 386th Brigade, replacing most of the main ambush troops in Qigen Village with firepower even greater than that of the Japanese army.
They had to strengthen two-thirds of the independent regiments, and then spent a lot of money to buy enough ammunition and "big killer weapons" specially used to deal with the Japanese army from Shanxi old men. Finally, they also used various connections to convert the "Aviation Volunteer Army"
Arriving at Yan'an, preparations were made to annihilate the Japanese army's biggest threat, the aircraft, when the ambush began.
Don't think it's easy. In order to annihilate these more than 6,000 little devils, Liu Lang has used all his efforts in the past five years. The independent regiment is armed to the teeth with various light and heavy weapons, and has established a relatively good relationship with the old man from Shanxi.
Trade relations, the "Aviation Volunteer Army" established in the United States in person, the behemoth Chinese Business Group that has completely estranged the relationship but still has connections, and more importantly, the red regime. If Liu Lang is not Liu Lang, the face of Commander-in-Chief Zhou of the Air Force will not be good.
make.
However, Liu Lang, who had already received intelligence that the Japanese army had begun to march towards Chaiyu Town, finally found out that he was still too young after receiving a secret message from the Red Central Committee of Yan'an.
He has tried his best to perfect military tactics, but he is still too naive about political considerations.
"The 15 fighter planes of the Aviation Volunteer Army may be able to annihilate all the invading enemies and help us annihilate the first brigade of the Japanese invaders and achieve a great victory. However, after the war, the Aviation Volunteer Army, the Independent Regiment, and the 18th Group Army will definitely be controlled by who
Be careful, it will not bring any benefit to the united front, and the harm will far outweigh the benefit. However, this battle must be fought, but Liu Gong is still needed."
The message was not long, and it was not signed, but Liu Lang knew whose hand this sealed message came from. He was the only one who could see the military and politics so clearly, looking at the entire country.
Yes, Liu Lang used connections at all levels to bring 15 of the Aviation Volunteer Army's most advanced fighters to Yan'an Airport for transfer and replenishing ammunition, which was enough to wipe out a Japanese bomber wing over Shanxi.
But what about after the war?
Even with an astonishing record, the bald boss of the government knew that the Aviation Volunteer Army moved from Yan'an to fight the Japanese invaders after Liu Lang used all kinds of methods. Due to his temperament, he has ignored the "Aviation Volunteer Army" ever since.
Everything is still good. The most likely possibility is to classify the Independent Regiment or even the entire Sichuan Army and the Red Army into one party. In that case, a big trap will be created.
The two armies of the Sichuan Army had more than 100,000 troops, and they were all on the front line. Liu Lang was sweating all over his vest just thinking about it.
On the occasion of the national war, soldiers shrouded in horse leather have their own consciousness. However, if it is because of politics, more than 100,000 Sichuan troops have been used as cannon fodder in this way, which is unacceptable to Liu Lang. If the all-pervasive Japanese spies inquire about this information, they will come back.
As soon as this incident was exposed, it would definitely be a huge turmoil given Senior Official Liu's temper.
As the person in the secret message said, it does more harm than good.
However, this battle must be fought, so how can this big loophole be solved? Liu Lang lit a cigarette and sat blankly in front of the cave dwelling, lost in thought.
He had been sitting here for nearly two hours. Even when a beautiful reporter brought him noodle soup, Liu Lang stared blankly at the mountains and ignored him.
Until the regimental deputy Zhang Ruhao came over excitedly and handed a note to Liu Lang, who was still fighting between Tianren and Tianren, saying, "Admiral Liu called me to ask about the current status of the independent regiment in the battlefield in eastern Shanxi."
"Admiral Liu?" Liu Lang suddenly woke up from his reverie.
"It's General Liu! General Liu Xiang Liu." Zhang Ruhao was stunned, with a hint of anxiety on his face.
The battle was about to begin, but Liu Lang sat still for a long time. Even General Liu was stunned for a while. This was different from the Captain Liu he was familiar with! Is he sick?
"Haha!" Liu Lang's eyes gradually brightened, "I know, I know what to do."
He reached out and gave Zhang Ruhao a warm hug, "Thank you. I'll read the message later. I'll go to the communication queue first."
...
It's over, this is really sick.
It was the first time in his life that he was hugged so fiercely by a fat man, or a fat man. He looked at the equally stunned beautiful reporter over there and smiled bitterly.
He really should have asked Reporter Liu to give the message to the group.
Okay! That seems a bit sorry for Lieutenant Colonel Ji, if Liu Tuanzuo also behaves like this!