"Sir, all four mountain guns of the mountain artillery squadron were abandoned on the road, and only half of the mortars were left. Fortunately, most of the heavy machine guns were brought over!" the adjutant reported anxiously as soon as he rushed to Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita.
"Bageya Road, is this still the Tubal Road we encountered before? Why is the firepower so strong? It's even more powerful than the Central China Army!" The shocked Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita shouted loudly.
Then he began to issue orders: "The artillery will counterattack immediately! Others will defend on the spot. I will report to the brigade commander immediately to determine whether we should break through or continue the rescue!"
At the headquarters of the Japanese Fourth Mixed Brigade in Yangquan, Major General Tsuda had just gone to bed after making the decision to reinforce, when the chief of staff broke into his room again.
This time Major General Tsuda was not angry.
From the heavy and anxious expression of the Chief of Staff, Major General Tsuda immediately realized that something was going on on the front line.
Without being reminded, I sat up from the bed and started to put on my military uniform.
The chief of staff at the door immediately reported: "General, you guessed it right, Tubal Road is indeed besieging the city for reinforcements. Our reinforcements were ambushed by the Eighth Route Army less than three kilometers away from Pingding. The photovoltaic circle was more than one kilometer long!"
"Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita reported that the firepower of Tubal Road is very strong, with at least one main division in strength! The reinforcements have suffered heavy losses, and we are requesting combat guidance!"
"Nani? Another main division? Bagya Road, who can tell me how so many troops appeared on Tubal Road overnight? Didn't you always say that the total strength of Tubal Road in Yangquan does not exceed 3,000 people?
Why! How come there are two main divisions with nearly 20,000 men appearing at once!" Major General Tsuda could no longer suppress his inner anger and grievance, and cursed loudly like an angry lion.
Seeing all the staff members in the headquarters lowering their heads and saying nothing, the chief of staff could only stand up and remind: "General, how did the Eighth Route Army come? The truth will be revealed after the battle! Now Major Harada and Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita have suffered
When Tubal Road is heavily besieged, I ask you to make up your mind quickly on what to do next."
"They are all waiting, and the enemy is strong. Every minute of delay, many imperial warriors will die!"
Major General Tsuda cursed angrily: "Baga, since you know this is Tubalu's plan, you must not fight again!"
"Order, Major Harada immediately organizes troops to break out from the north gate of Pingding. Break out now!"
"Lieutenant Matsushita will hold on to the spot. After Harada arrives, he will attack from both inside and outside. He will fight his way through the encirclement of Tubal Road and retreat towards Yangquan!"
"Hi!" the chief of staff immediately responded.
Just as he was about to leave, Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita continued to order: "Also, order the baggage brigade and the guard squadron to assemble immediately and be ready to go out of the city to meet them at any time!"
After pacifying the county seat, the expression of regret on Major Harada's face was already covered by despair.
In the nearly hour-long battle just now, the subordinates lost more than 200 people, most of whom were killed by the Eighth Route Army's artillery.
At this time, Harada's troops had been reduced to more than 700 people, of which there were less than 200 imperial soldiers left.
If it weren't for the fact that the Eighth Route Army outside the city never launched an attack and only relied on firepower to kill them in large numbers, some of the four gates in Pingding County must have been captured by the Eighth Route Army.
Fortunately, the reinforcements were coming. As long as we persisted for another ten or twenty minutes, the reinforcements would launch an attack from the back of the Eighth Route Army, catching them off guard and then relieving themselves.
However, hope was dashed just a few minutes ago.
The gunshots and explosions that suddenly rang out two kilometers away were like a heavy punch, instantly shattering Harada's last hope.
The reinforcements were ambushed by the main force of the Eighth Route Army. After the adjutant reported the news, Harada's first reaction was to freeze on the spot, and then he almost lost his balance due to shock and fell to the ground.
"Baga, how could this happen? How could there be so many people on Tubal Road? Could it be that God really wants us to die here tonight!" Major Harada, who looked pale, cried out in despair.
Fortunately, the adjutant received another telegram at this time, and then quickly reported: "Sir, the brigade commander has an urgent telegram, asking us to organize our troops, break out immediately, and give up pacifying the county!"
"Break through the encirclement from the north gate, join the reinforcements surrounded by Tuba Road, attack from inside and outside, defeat the Eighth Route Army, and retreat to Yangquan County together!"
"Retreat! The fight has reached a certain point, how should we retreat!" Major Harada's hope that had just been ignited was gone in an instant, and he shouted loudly.
"The troops are all on the city wall, and there are not many people left. No matter which direction, as long as they retreat, the Eighth Route Army will definitely follow and launch an attack. By then, the city defense battle will turn into a rout battle, and we will die faster!"
"What should we do?" The adjutant's face lost all hope and he asked hesitantly.
"Reply a telegram to Your Majesty the General. We have lost the opportunity to break through. I will shrink our troops and rely on the headquarters to hold on for the final time. I hope I can hold on until dawn."
"Your Excellency, the brigade commander, please order the reinforcements to break out of the encirclement on their own. The sooner the better!"
Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita's face looks very ugly now.
At the beginning, the powerful firepower of the Eighth Route Army did cause him heavy losses.
Matsushita was very heartbroken, but not too worried. In his opinion, one of the important reasons why Tubal Road achieved such results was that the Eighth Route Army caught him off guard.
Moreover, in his impression, as long as the Imperial Army was prepared, the Eighth Route Army would definitely not be a match for the Imperial Army no matter how powerful its firepower was.
However, he did not expect that the Eighth Route Army that attacked him was not a local force that usually operates here, but the first detachment of the First Military Division nearly a hundred kilometers away. Apart from the independent brigade, it was the best-equipped and most combat-effective unit in the entire military region.
.
The saying just now about the inability to succeed will definitely apply to other Eighth Route Army units.
Because the troop expansion is too fast, there are too many recruits, poor equipment, and insufficient ammunition... these reasons have limited the operational durability of other Eighth Route Army units.
This gave Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita a feeling that as long as he withstood the initial attack against the Eighth Route Army, the Eighth Route Army's subsequent attacks would be weak.
The reason why Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita did not break out immediately after being attacked, but chose to defend on the spot, was to wait until the Eighth Route Army's successors were weak and had to fight with bayonets before counterattacking. By then, he would be able to break out at the minimum cost, and even
Defeat the Eighth Route Army surrounding itself.
However, he happened to encounter a team.
High-quality equipment, sufficient ammunition, and more than 70% of the entire detachment are veterans, all ensuring that a team can maintain strong firepower and combat effectiveness on the battlefield for a long time.
Seeing that the subordinates gathered around were being beaten to death one after another, the cannonballs falling from the sky were like rain, with no intention of weakening at all.
Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita finally understood that he had encountered a powerful enemy today.
Suddenly, several artillery shells flew over here, then hit the ground with a screaming sound and exploded.
The guard guarding Panasonic threw him to the ground without hesitation.
When he got up from the ground, three guards were directly killed. Also killed was a staff officer.
The adjutant with a face full of gunfire reminded directly: "Sir, the Eighth Route Army's offensive firepower is too fierce. The troops have suffered heavy losses. We must break out immediately. We can't wait any longer!"
Not seeing the weakness of the Eighth Route Army's successors, Panasonic's face had already become very solemn. Now after being reminded by the adjutant, he no longer hesitated and issued the order decisively.
"Break through the encirclement, organize troops to break out immediately, and break out in the direction of Yangquan!"
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