The Japanese Field Heavy Artillery 5th Brigade's bombardment of Feicheng lasted for two hours and fired more than 5,000 rounds of artillery shells.
The indiscriminate bombing of Feicheng City by the Japanese Aviation Corps directly under the Central China Front continued for more than four hours. It was not until around 7 o'clock in the evening that the last batch of sixteen Type 97 carrier-based attack aircraft returned.
For more than four hours, the Japanese air force dispatched more than 500 attack aircraft and dropped more than 800 tons of aerial bombs on Feicheng!
When the explosions on the surface gradually subsided, Xu Rui came out of the hiding tunnel with thunderous sounds.
The tunnel at the headquarters was dug by Mei Jiuling himself. It was originally planned to dig a tunnel directly to the west bank of the Fei River for the final escape. However, due to the sudden increase in the water level of the Fei River, a water leakage accident occurred and he was crushed to death.
Needless to say, the excavation work of the tunnel had to be stopped.
However, although this tunnel has not been dug, it is perfectly suitable to be used as an air raid shelter.
Therefore, although the former Feicheng garrison brigade headquarters where the regiment headquarters is located is a key target of the Japanese aviation and artillery, after the heavy bombing, all the surface buildings of the regiment headquarters were reduced to rubble, but the personnel, materials and equipment of the regiment headquarters were lost.
, but it was negligible. Fortunately, Xu Rui's warning was timely.
As soon as the Japanese bombing stopped, all the units and personnel directly under the regiment returned to the surface. While clearing away the rubble and broken walls, they began to set up their own temporary camps. In the blink of an eye, the medical station, communications office, combat department, logistics department, etc.
Temporary camps for the Ministry and other units were set up one after another.
Sai Hongfu also turned on the radio again and started the battlefield broadcast in the evening.
However, Xu Rui came to the east position of the city to inspect the casualties of the independent battalion.
When the Japanese launched a massive bombing campaign against Feicheng, the personnel directly under the regiment and the units serving as reserve forces could hide in the tunnels, but the independent battalion blocking the front line of street fighting could not. When the Japanese began to bombard Feicheng indiscriminately, the only thing the officers and soldiers of the independent battalion could do was to hide in the tunnels.
The only thing is to find the strongest possible hiding place among the ruins.
Xu Rui brought Lei Xiang to the east of the city and found that the extent of damage suffered by the city was no less than that of the regiment headquarters.
Before noon, even though it had been exposed to war for a long time, there were still a few cement buildings in the east of the city. But now, the few remaining reinforced concrete buildings had been destroyed by the Japanese bombs. Now looking around, the entire east of the city has been destroyed.
There is no longer an intact house, no building with an elevation of more than five meters.
When Xu Rui and Lei Xiang arrived, He Shuya was leading the uninjured officers and soldiers to clean up the ruins. At the same time, he lifted out the injured or dead officers and soldiers from the rubble, and then handed them over to the health workers to bandage them on the spot. Those with minor injuries could be treated with just a simple bandage.
They immediately returned to their original positions, and those with more serious injuries were carried back to the regimental medical station by a stretcher team for surgery.
Seeing Xu Rui coming, He Shuya quickly stood up and saluted Xu Rui with a military salute.
"Okay, don't salute." Xu Rui waved his hand and said, "There might be a Japanese sniper hiding in the ruins opposite. If you salute here, wouldn't it be like telling the Japanese sniper that I am your commander?"
He Shuya scratched his head and said with some embarrassment: "Captain, I'm sorry, I forgot again."
Xu Rui said: "I know it is difficult to change a habit, but no matter how difficult it is, we must get rid of this habit."
"Yes." He Shuya responded, habitually standing upright again, but this time, he finally reacted, and put his right hand down halfway, without saluting again.
Xu Rui nodded and asked: "What are the casualties?"
"The casualties are still quite serious." He Shuya's face immediately became solemn, and he continued, "This time the bombing of the Japs is unprecedented. It is even worse than the bloody battle of Luodian in Songhu, although now
I haven’t made statistics yet, but a rough estimate is that our independent battalion suffered at least more than 200 casualties.”
The two hundred casualties were almost a quarter reduction. If we include the casualties in the street battles with the Japanese army last night and this morning, the independent battalion had actually suffered more than half casualties, and most of the remaining four hundred officers and soldiers were
He was a slightly injured person. A minor injury may sound innocuous, but if he doesn't receive effective treatment, it can be fatal.
Putting aside everything else, burns alone are a big problem. Burns are also the most common injury during wartime.
The explosion of artillery shells will produce a large amount of hot rubble and sand. The shells of the firearms are also hot after being fired. If you are accidentally burned by these rubbles, sand or shells, it will be a big trouble, because there are no special medicines used to treat burns in the army.
, even with burn medicine, I’m afraid it won’t last too long because there are too many burns.
A burn may not seem to be a big deal, but if it cannot be treated in time, the wound will become ulcerated and inflamed. Especially now that the weather is getting hotter, the wound will be more likely to become ulcerated and inflamed. Once the wound becomes ulcerated and inflamed, it can range from amputation to death!
In the medical station, there are already dozens of injured people facing the threat of amputation due to burns.
This means that even if there is no fighting in the next few days, the independent battalion will still suffer non-combat attrition.
Xu Rui patted He Shuya on the shoulder and asked: "Are there any difficulties? If you have any difficulties, you can raise them. As long as I can do it, I will definitely do it for the brothers."
"There is no difficulty." He Shuya refused.
Is there really no difficulty? That must be a lie.
But He Shuya knows better than anyone else that it is difficult for him and Xu Rui is actually even more difficult. He only needs to be responsible for the independent battalion and the defense of the east of the city, while Xu Rui needs to be responsible for the entire Feicheng and needs to control the life and death of more than 2,000 officers and soldiers of the independent regiment.
Responsible, but also responsible for the success or failure of the entire Xuzhou Battle.
Therefore, He Shuya did not want to cause trouble to Xu Rui.
Smiling, He Shuya added: "Really, we can still persist."
Looking at He Shuya's resolute but still childish face, Xu Rui felt inexplicably sad.
If in a peaceful age, He Shuya would be at the age of trying to acquire knowledge on the university campus and enjoy the beauty of life to the fullest. However, in this war age, he has already shouldered the responsibility of protecting his family and country.
But he used his young shoulders to support the backbone of the Chinese nation early on.
"Well done, you are worthy of being Xu Rui's soldier!" Xu Rui patted He Shuya's shoulder again, turned around and left.
He had no choice but to leave. Xu Rui didn't want He Shuya and the officers and soldiers of the independent battalion to see the tears in the corners of his eyes. He didn't want the brothers to see his weak side, not because the tears would damage his strong image, but because he couldn't face it.
He Shuya still had the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the Independent Battalion, and he was afraid that he would become soft-hearted when the time came.
He can't be soft-hearted. At this critical moment, he really can't be soft-hearted.
On one side are the brothers of the Independent Battalion and even the entire Independent Regiment, and on the other are tens of millions of innocent people in the Huanghuai area. If he relents now and breaks out with the Independent Regiment, the brothers of the Independent Regiment will certainly be saved, but
Next, tens of millions of innocent people in the Huanghuai region will face the disaster of annihilation just like in history!
Still saying that, for tens of millions of innocent people, it is worth all the efforts of the independent group!
Therefore, Xu Rui cannot be soft-hearted, he must persist, and he can still persist!
(Dividing line)
Zheng Jiakang had a busy day and when he returned home, he unexpectedly found that his sister was at home.
However, looking at my sister's small mouth, which is so tall that it can almost hang an oil bottle, she is obviously angry.
Zheng Jiakang also said that his younger sister was angry with him because he did not donate money as she asked today. He quickly said: "Little sister, I really have no money. I will definitely donate when I get my salary this month. There will be a lot of money."
Donate money, I’ll donate ten yuan, instead of twenty yuan, why don’t I donate twenty oceans, twenty yuan!”
But Zheng Wen said: "Brother, I'm not angry with you."
"Aren't you angry with me?" Zheng Jiakang breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, "Then who are you angry with?"
"I'm angry with our principal." Zheng Wen said angrily, "Why did he stop us from joining the young students' desperate corps? He usually talks about patriotism and saving the country, but at the critical moment, he stopped us.
He is a hypocrite and a real villain if he prevents us from signing up to join the army and fight on the battlefield."
Zheng Jiakang said: "If you ask me, your principal is right. You are students. The most important thing now is to study and learn as much knowledge as possible. As for fighting, aren't there soldiers? Their mission is to fight.
The mission of you students is to study, acquire knowledge, and then build our country well in the future."
"Brother." Zheng Wen refused, "Why do you also argue like this?"
"What's wrong with my argument? What I said is all the truth." Zheng Jiakang said, "Do you think that you students can use guns after touching them? It's not what I said. If we really go to the battlefield, we will meet each other face to face.
You will let the little devils be killed easily, and then there will be nothing more. What you learned is all in vain, and the country has spent so much money to train you, and it is all in vain. However, if you learn the knowledge well and enter the corresponding positions in the future, then
It’s different.”
Zheng Wen asked: "What's different? Isn't it still the same?"
Zheng Jiakang said: "Let me give you an example. You are studying medicine, right? If you go to the battlefield, do you think you can compare with those veterans? But if you learn surgical skills, you can go into the field in the future.
In the hospital, you can save dozens or even hundreds of veterans with your own hands. Isn’t this a hundred times better than going to the battlefield yourself?”
After hearing this, Zheng Wen said thoughtfully: "Brother, what you said seems to make sense?"
"Of course." Zheng Jiakang said proudly, "After all, I have had more than ten years of food than you."
While speaking, Zheng Jiakang turned on the radio on the table. The next moment, a slightly hoarse voice came out from the radio: "Compatriots all over the country and overseas Chinese, I am Xu Rui, the leader of the Dameishan Independent Regiment.
, here, I want to inform you of a sad news."
Xu Rui finally sat in front of the broadcast again.
The Dameishan Independent Regiment is still persisting and can still persist, but he feels that as its leader, it is necessary for compatriots across the country and overseas to know the persistence of the independence regiment's soldiers.