Not only does the Sanbengzi itself have headlights, but in order to facilitate night marches, each class of the independent regiment is equipped with two flashlights as standard. Although the mountain road is dark, a Sanbengzi headlight with a flashlight is enough for the driver to see
Clearing a mountain road fifteen meters away can basically increase the speed to 15 kilometers per hour.
When Liu Lang said it would take 2 and a half hours, he also took into account any emergencies on the way. Otherwise, it would only take a little over two hours to reach the Snowflake Mountain area on the outskirts of Jingxing County.
Niu Er's special team had already conducted reconnaissance. Due to the shortage of troops, the Japanese army had already given up the defense of Fulu Ridge and Snow Flower Mountain and retracted most of its troops back to Jingxing County.
It took the Japanese army thousands of casualties to attack important places like Fululing. When the three thousand reinforcements set off in the morning, most of the infantry squadron stationed there also followed, leaving only one infantry squad at the former mountain position.
Stationed on top.
Such a force was not so much for defense as its purpose was merely to serve as a warning. As for the Snow Flower Mountain position near the county seat, the Japanese army simply did not even let go of an infantry squad.
After spending nearly two thousand casualties to establish the position, an infantry squad was sent to defend it.
It can be seen from this that the Japanese army's front-line infantry force is currently in a straitened state.
Just like Colonel Harada, captain of the 20th Category Regiment of the 20th Division in Jingxing County and the Jingxing County Security Headquarters, walked around anxiously in his office, because of the lack of defense forces,
No need for dryness.
"Baga! You bastard Ryo Ikeda, haven't you sent a telegram yet?" Harada Shinichi rubbed his forehead in pain and asked the deputy standing opposite him with a helpless face.
As his deputy, the deputy commander, Major Takeda Hara, is also a little helpless. This is the tenth time that the commander has repeated the same question.
However, as the infantry battalion captain of the 40th Infantry Brigade, Ikeda Ryo didn't even reply to the message from the division headquarters, so how could he take an auxiliary unit like the heavy infantry regiment in his sights? He, the deputy regiment commander, met with this person.
A front-line infantry captain like this must put on a smile first, okay? According to the captain's request, he has sent at least ten telegrams to Ryo Ikeda, and so far he hasn't seen the other party send one.
As if he also knew the answer that the deputy was about to shake his head, Harada Shinichi frowned and asked again: "Have the defenders on Fulu Ridge called back?"
"Five minutes ago, everything was fine when I called back."
"That's good. In the name of the Jingxing County Security Headquarters, we will order them to be more vigilant tonight to prevent sneak attacks by the Chinese. All of them must enter the garrison positions and not slack off." Harada Shinichi's heart dropped slightly, and his face
But it was still serious.
There was no way, without using this name, the infantry team attached to the 40th Infantry Brigade might not be interested in him as the captain of the baggage regiment, even if he was at the rank of colonel.
But he must pressure them to improve their defense level.
Ever since Ikeda Ryo led an infantry brigade and the four baggage squadrons of his baggage regiment to set off, Colonel Harada Shina has been feeling a faint sense of anxiety in his heart. As an infantry brigade captain promoted from major to captain of the baggage regiment, it is necessary to make a transition.
As a soldier, Harada Shinichi actually had a clearer judgment on the war situation.
He was not worried about what would happen to the 40th Infantry Brigade and the reinforcements by the Chinese, that is, the problem of big losses and small losses. With the combat effectiveness of one and a half infantry brigade, the Chinese army that could eat them in one bite had not yet been born.
Even from morning to now, the two troops seemed to have entered the belly of the devil and disappeared completely.
What he is worried about is Jingxing County. The current military strength in Jingxing County is too empty. As the most important supply base on the Niangziguan front line, the railway station warehouse and platform can supply all kinds of supplies for the two infantry brigades to fight for the 15th day.
, there are even a large number of spare firearms, accounting for almost more than 60% of the North China Expeditionary Force delivered to the 20th Division this time.
Such an important baggage logistics support base is actually defended by two baggage squadrons. If the Chinese know about it and send troops from the flank of Niangziguan to attack, not only to capture the county seat, but also to destroy the batch of supplies with artillery fire, then
It will also be an unbearable pain for the entire 20th Division.
However, even if they knew the important role of Jingxing County, everyone from the division headquarters to himself could only stare blankly and there was nothing they could do. It was because the 20th Division could not spare a single soldier to protect this important material base.
Already.
You know, from the beginning of the war to the present, a cavalry regiment was first designed to be completely ruined by Liu Lang, and neither man nor horse escaped; then the battle continued in Jiuguan, and Takagi Yoshito, who was eager to seek credit, commanded the 39th Brigade in
There was another bloody encounter at the Jiuguan Pass. A fully equipped infantry regiment was beaten to a pulp after several days of fighting, almost setting the most painful casualty record since the Japanese army entered North China.
Of course, what is even worse is that last month, Liangfu, the unlucky guy who has been roasted into a roast pig by his own subordinates, the 40th Infantry Brigade originally fought with the 7th Division in Fulu Ridge and burst into tears. A brigade
More than 7,000 people were beaten to 6,000 in their lives. They finally borrowed a mountain artillery brigade to regain their strength. Liu Lang and the Red Army beat them all in Qigen Village, and they were not beaten until they were dizzy.
They were beaten to death with a stick. In addition to the more than 3,200 people who were deceived by their request for help, the 40th Infantry Brigade, except those who were injured and transferred to the field hospital at the Shijiazhuang Division Headquarters, the rest of the people have become fertilizer in the Taihang Mountains of China.
.
Disposal of more than 9,000 Japanese corpses was a troublesome task! For this reason, Liu Lang and the two chiefs had to mobilize some front-line commanders and fighters of the Red Army to temporarily act as battlefield scavengers. They did not need to participate in the battle, but dug holes and buried them.
There were many corpses, and there were many seizures and military honors among them.
This is not an easy job. It is not easy to dig a big pit that can bury 9,000 people in the Taihang Mountains. Even though it is late autumn, there are too many corpses. Once a plague breaks out, it will be fatal. You must stay away from it.
Where there is a place of residence and a water source, a hole must be dug and buried deeply.
Before the independent regiment set off, an entire infantry battalion was dispatched, but only one-sixth of the work of burying the Japanese corpses was completed.
And how many main infantrymen are there in a permanent division of the Japanese army with more than 20,000 people? Excluding the personnel of the division headquarters, the communication squadron, the field hospital, the equipment maintenance, and the four regiments of cavalry, artillery, engineering, and supplies.
The 20th Division mainly participated in offensive and defensive operations, consisting of two infantry brigades with more than 15,000 men.
So far, the 40th Infantry Brigade has been almost completely wiped out. The 39th Infantry Brigade has only 5,500 soldiers, and that is the only remaining infantry of the 20th Division.
But the more than 5,000 people faced a Chinese army with more than three divisions. If there were not dozens of cannons from the 26th Artillery Regiment as their trump card, would the more than 5,000 people be able to stay anywhere?
Or what about both?
Even the more than 3,300 people in the baggage regiment, which was used as a supplementary force for the infantry brigade, were killed in the previous battle in the valley. More than 2,000 people were killed. It is estimated that the remaining 1,000 people will be unable to escape after tonight.
Of course, Harada Shinichi has no way of knowing all this. He only knows now that tonight or even in the next few days, he will have to rely on his thousands of men to defend the county and supplies. If something goes wrong, he is the only one.
The only ending was to cut my belly with a knife and apologize to His Majesty the Emperor.
For the sake of his own life, he had to work hard to protect the county seat, even if he stayed up for several nights without sleeping. For this reason, he had issued a curfew in the afternoon, and no Chinese could walk on the streets after 7 p.m.
, Violators will be killed.
He even sent four teams to blockade major intersections in Xicheng District, where a large number of Chinese civilians live, to prevent Chinese people from appearing in the Dongcheng Railway Station area where supplies are most concentrated. All Chinese workers were dismissed in the afternoon.
The only people who could appear in Dongcheng District were the Japanese troops themselves and the wealthy Chinese who took the initiative to seek refuge with the Japanese troops as soon as they entered Jingxing County.
This somewhat reassured the somewhat anxious Harada Shinichi. He knew very well the thoughts of those wealthy Chinese people who came to seek refuge with them as soon as the imperial army occupied the county. No matter who ruled this country, as long as they let them
Just continue to enjoy the fun, as long as you give them a little benefit, the chance of them rebelling is much smaller than that of ordinary Chinese civilians who appear obedient but have hatred in their eyes.
"Order all units to defend the city gate. During the period when the city gate is closed, it cannot be opened easily without an order from the headquarters. Even the headquarters of our imperial army must report to the regiment headquarters by phone. Takeda-kun, I will work hard for you to be on duty tonight.
." Harada Shinichi continued to order.
"Hi!" Major Takeda put his legs together and lowered his head in response.
After arranging all this, Harada Shinichi did not say that he was really prepared to stay up for several nights to perform his duties as he thought. Instead, he led a small guard team and left the wing headquarters and went straight to the distance headquarters.
There is a mansion of a wealthy Chinese man two miles away.
As if he knew what he was thinking, the wealthy Chinese businessman came to him personally last night and sent him an invitation to a banquet at his house today. His words even hinted that he could do whatever he wanted tonight. The thought of being able to do whatever he wanted there two days ago
When he saw the woman with skin as white as snow in the mansion of a Chinese businessman who dealt in leather goods and timber, and was whipping him wantonly, Harada Shinichi's heart couldn't help but become more restless. It was more than he expected.
The danger is much more restless.
It can be said that there is no need to be restless. If it were not for the dignity of the imperial army commander, this man would have had to ride a horse and walk slowly, but instead trotted all the way to the wealthy Chinese merchants.
If his eyes could penetrate the void of more than 20 miles, he would see a group of black figures on the dark Fulu Ridge, quietly approaching the guards of Fulu Ridge who had just reported to the coalition headquarters that they were safe five minutes ago.
As for Jun, I wonder if his heart will still be restless?