The two infantry brigades of the 3rd Army passed the position of the 78th Infantry Regiment one after another and pursued the Japanese army along the road.
For Major Matsuta Nishioka, the captain of the infantry battalion of the 78th Regiment of the Japanese Army who was sent to support the 26th Artillery Regiment five miles away from the Japanese position, the decision was undoubtedly difficult.
When the roar of the 105 howitzer passed overhead, he immediately called the wing headquarters, but did not receive a reply. An unknown shadow filled his mind. If the wing headquarters did not reply, he could only call the brigade headquarters.
The regiment headquarters also remained silent. A somewhat panicked Japanese major had no choice but to send a direct message to the division regiment headquarters. The reply he received was that he had obeyed the military order from the regiment headquarters and that reinforcements from Jingxing County would immediately depart from Jingxing to assist the front line.
Faced with the fact that the positions of the brigade headquarters and the 26th Artillery Regiment may have been lost, the Regiment Headquarters and 2000 colleagues may be hastily avoiding this huge possibility under the Chinese artillery fire. They must either return to the front line to meet the brigade headquarters, or continue to reinforce the already separated units.
However, the 26th Artillery Regiment and the brigade headquarters in Shili either ignored the two and ran away to Jingxing County. This Japanese major, who originally had three choices but was extremely conflicted, finally chose to execute the military order and continue to reinforce the brigade headquarters.
For him, a major commander, this is the safest way. No matter what the battle situation is, at least he has not violated military orders.
But for the 1,100 people in this infantry brigade, the infantry brigade captain chose a completely dead end. The future general has led the 771 regiment from the Japanese artillery position to the blocking position that has been selected four miles away.
Running wildly, their mission was not to lay an ambush, but to block the incoming Japanese troops on both sides of the highway and the highway. The eighteen cannons bombarding Niangziguan and Jiuguan on the front lines were all adjusting their muzzles and gun distances, pointing at predetermined points on both sides.
In front of the blocking position, no matter how many enemies come, the crazy artillery will let them know that without trenches and fortifications, the Japanese army will be wiped out in ashes no more slowly than a bunch of stragglers.
This time, what the Japanese army faced was not the mortars encountered by the 40th Infantry Brigade, which was besieged in the mountains before Qigen Village. They could still resist with the help of the mountains and natural bunkers.
This time, the Japanese army will face the 105 howitzer, which can flatten the top of a mountain by more than ten centimeters. Even large rocks of hundreds of kilograms can be blown away more than ten meters by the violent air waves. And behind them,
There were also two infantry brigades of the Third Army in pursuit and two infantry regiments personally led by the commander of the 129th Division. The total strength of the attack was as high as one and a half infantry divisions and seven infantry regiments.
Not to mention the strength comparison, which was as high as 12 to 1, the heavy artillery pointed in the direction of their advance were 5 105 howitzers and 8 field guns. If the Xigang Major was lucky enough to know, I am afraid that there would be no pride, only despair deep in his bones.
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This is not to annihilate them all, but to completely seal off the mountains and prevent them from escaping alone.
Of course, even if we choose the other two paths, the fate of this infantry brigade will not be much better, but it will not be completely wiped out like this, and it will always be lucky enough to escape into the mountains like a frightened hare.
Son's.
Yes, when Nishioka Matsuta made this choice, the only remaining infantry brigade of the 78th Infantry Regiment was destined not to see the sun of tomorrow. Because he did not know that the person who sent him the reply message, although
It was Saigenji Koichi, the major commander of the communications brigade of the division headquarters, but it was Liu Lang and Liu Danzuo who were the ones to send the message.
There were two replies to the exact same telegram, one to him and one to Li Deng Xingyi. However, the captain-level Li Deng Xingyi chose to refuse, but the poor major had no choice but to carry it out.
To carry out the military orders issued by the Chinese commander, it would be unjustifiable for him not to die.
In fact, Colonel Li Dengxing, who chose to refuse the military order of the division headquarters and quietly change the march route, suffered even more than him. The Chinese were so cunning that they actually set up defense lines in remote mountains. He had to do it again.
Facing a difficult but unknown choice, the decision that determined the fate of more than 1,600 Imperial Japanese Army soldiers.
The entire large force had been staying for more than 30 minutes a mile away from the top of the mountain where the Chinese were found. The four leading soldiers who scouted to the left and right only returned less than 20 people. The results of the reconnaissance were revealed to the anxious First Sergeant Li Dengxing.
In front of us, the Chinese defense line in this mountainous area is more than 1,000 meters long. The areas where no Chinese soldiers move are either cliffs or cliffs. If you want to take a detour, you will have to take a detour unless everyone puts on their wings and becomes a birdman. Again.
Or, become an angel in the Western world? Or a birdman.
After waiting for 30 minutes, the Japanese colonel had no choice but to attack the Chinese defense line. If he rushed over, he would live. If he couldn't, he would die.
Li Dengxingyi already believed that the Chinese on the Jiuguan front line were pursuing them with all their strength. He had even heard more than 3,000 people shouting for death, and the Chinese looked at him with hatred.
In front of his eyes, he stood on the battlefield and watched coldly as his own cavalry drove the horses to trample back and forth on the bodies of the wounded Chinese soldiers. A Chinese wounded soldier was in great pain because the horse's hoof stepped on his chest.
The moment his eyes almost bulged out, staring straight at him.
He did not let the Chinese go, and the Chinese would not let him go either. Just like the Independent Regiment, they retaliated in kind and hung more than 200 people from the 28th Cavalry Regiment from Lieutenant Colonel Okazaki Masaichi in the woods before Jiuguan as wind chimes.
Same.
I couldn't help but shudder. The Japanese colonel first issued the military order to "burn" the regiment flag. On the rugged mountain road, there was no longer the solemn sight of the flag guards marching in unison in front of the imperial warriors when "burning" the military flag.
Solemn and tragic, the flag guard lieutenant took out the regiment flag and flagpole that had been carefully kept, poured oil on it, lit a fire, and turned into ashes under the watchful eyes of a limited number of officers.
It's not that Koichi Yukiichi didn't want to express his respect for the regimental flag given by His Majesty the Emperor himself, but the mountain road is too narrow and it would be difficult for two people to stand on it. If the flag guards want to start and walk in formation,
, everyone else, including him, the captain, had to rush to the mountain and hold the tree trunk to watch the ceremony.
What does that look like? A bunch of monkeys?
The second military order of the Japanese colonel who didn't want to be a monkey was to assemble the entire army. The infantry consisted of four infantry squadrons, a baggage squadron and a heavy machine gun squadron. They were divided into two groups. The heavy machine gun squadron and the baggage squadron were divided into two.
The two attacking forces formed an attack formation with the baggage team as the forward, followed by two infantry squadrons at the rear, and the rear was covered by heavy machine gun fire, and attacked the temporarily constructed blocking position of the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment.
At the rear was the artillery squadron that had moved the infantry artillery and mountain artillery up the hillside. Before the two-pronged attack began, they poured the few artillery shells they carried onto the hilltop occupied by the 1st Battalion.
It has to be said that the captain of the regiment, Li Tengxingyi, is still qualified. At least, in order to escape for his life, he did not throw away the mountain artillery and infantry artillery that the Japanese army relied on for survival. Otherwise, at this time, no matter how hard the Japanese army tried, it would only be
Like a fish caught in a big net, the final outcome is just a dish in the bowl of Chinese soldiers.
But with the help of these two mountain guns and infantry guns, it was different. Under the raging fire of several artillery guns, flames burst out on the two hills, and the hastily built sandbag fortifications were blown into a mess.
However, before their own artillery fire had completely stopped, the Japanese army, led by the heavy baggage soldiers who were already doomed to be cannon fodder and looked tragic, attacked towards the first commanding heights.
The Japanese army was very smart and did not rush into the mountains while their own firepower was suppressing the Chinese. They knew that once the Chinese slowed down and used machine guns to fire condescendingly, almost no one within a few hundred meters could
To escape. They must seize one or two commanding heights to ensure that most of their own people escape into the mountains. At that time, the real dragon will return to the sea. It depends on who can escape.
The Japanese soldiers who often undergo endurance training are very confident. When it comes to running, they are very strong. Although it is a bit embarrassing to use the marching ability that they were once proud of to run, at this time, no one can care about their legs.
Being short also has the advantage of having short legs, isn’t it faster?
In half an hour, the dozens of casualties paid by the Japanese army's leading soldiers were not in vain. Although they could not find a way for the army to bypass the Chinese army's defense line, Li Dengxingyi was able to draw a rough map based on the area where the Chinese army opened fire.
China defense map.
On the defense line of nearly a thousand meters, the Chinese used the commanding heights of the mountain as their point. Five or six commanding heights that were staggered and 200 meters away were connected to each other to form a line. There may be more in the rear, but that is a matter for the future.
Well, if you can't get out of this line, you won't even be qualified to see the Chinese people behind you.
The two offensive routes he chose were not between two mountains in the middle where he would face a joint attack from two commanding heights, but on the flanks of the entire defense line, one on the left and one on the right. Although the mountain road would be more difficult to walk, the blows encountered would also be possible.
It will be a little smaller. As long as any one of the mountains is captured, maybe the whole army can escape from this.
Two mountain cannons and four infantry cannons were moved with great pains by the artillerymen to two hills 800 meters away, and they bombarded the two hills where the attack had been planned. The Japanese troops, who had already been mobilized, ran towards the target, and finally
In front are more than 100 heavy troops, followed closely by an infantry squadron, and another infantry squadron is responsible for guarding its flanks from the Chinese army's assistance on another hilltop more than 200 meters away.
This kind of defense line formed by the top of the mountain seems to be very strong, but in fact it is also very weak. They are unable to continue to send troops to one of the mountain tops. As long as one of the points is captured, the entire defense line will be torn apart, although it will not
As for the collapse of the defense line, it will at least be like a big net with its openings torn open, and it will no longer be able to stop the fish in the net from escaping.
Li Dengxing had a good idea. If he had encountered an ordinary Chinese army, he might have been able to watch helplessly as he took over one of the hills regardless of heavy casualties, then covered the main force and jumped into the mountains to escape. You know,
Li Dengxingyi was mentally prepared for an infantry squadron to suffer more than 200 casualties in front of the Chinese position.
Unfortunately, what he encountered was the Independent Regiment, and the main force of the First Battalion of the Independent Regiment.
Not only did they have artillery, but the first battalion also had artillery. Although the caliber was not as large as that of the Japanese army, the number was much greater.
In order to ensure sufficient fire support despite being lightly equipped, Ye Zifei ordered to take away all the 60 guns he could collect before setting off, including the 60 guns given to the 772nd Regiment. All of them were temporarily borrowed, and finally collected 20 guns.
Gate, assigned to the fire platoon with all 82 soldiers left behind.