"Sir, there is an Eighth Route Army blocking position at Laohuling ahead. An infantry squad of the forward troops was wiped out. There is about a company of enemies without heavy weapons." The communications officer of the forward squadron rushed all the way to the commander of the company and reported with heavy breaths.
"The heavy machine gun squadron and mortar squadron of the 1st Battalion will each send a squad to reinforce the forward squadron, quickly break through the blocking position at Laohuling, and launch an attack now." The commander of the regiment ordered without thinking.
In the past few days, he had encountered such encounters so many times that he lost count.
The specific method of how to fight has already been imprinted in his mind, so the order can be blurted out without even thinking.
“Boom, boom, boom… da da da…”
The sound of exchange of fire soon sounded on the battlefield and lasted for nearly ten minutes before stopping.
Disappointingly, the forward troops did not take Laohuling in one go as before.
"Sir, there is at least one battalion of the Eighth Route Army on the mountain. They are so cunning. When the troops are approaching, they suddenly appear. They first attack with rapid fire, then throw grenades, and finally engage us in hand-to-hand combat with bayonets. One of our infantry squadrons only retreated.
More than twenty people came, and all the others died in the battle." The communications officer rushed over to report for the second time, this time his face was obviously more nervous, and his words were a little awkward.
Before the commander could speak, another subordinate rushed over. Compared to the communications officer just now, his face was full of excitement. One look at it and he knew it was good news.
"Sir, once you reach Laohuling, you will find the Eighth Route Army headquarters we are looking for."
"I just received the information. They are moving into the mountains."
"We must break through the Laohuling blocking position as soon as possible and catch up with them. Once they enter the mountain under the cover of night, it will definitely be difficult for us to find them."
"That's it!" the co-captain showed an expression of sudden realization.
"The Eighth Route Army in front of us is trying to buy time for their headquarters to move into the mountains. That's why they are so desperate to intercept us and repel the attack of the forward squadron."
"However, they underestimate the combat effectiveness of the imperial army."
"We encountered countless Eighth Route Army troops along the way, and their blocking positions were of various kinds. As a result, they were all defeated, and the Eighth Route Army in front was no exception."
"Order: The tank squadron, the first infantry battalion, and the mountain artillery squadron, unite to launch an attack."
"Our time is limited. I want them to seize the Eighth Route Army position in one assault and break through Laohuling."
In the Laohuling blockade position, as soon as the tanks and armored vehicles moved, dull roars sounded on the battlefield. They were getting closer and closer to everyone, and the ground under their feet began to tremble.
Li Hao's brows slowly furrowed. He knew that the real tough battle had only begun now, so he ordered decisively.
"The mobile battalion immediately entered the position and joined forces with the first battalion to defend the position."
"We must remember that we have limited ammunition. We can no longer squander it as we did before and save what we can."
"Also, after you go to the battlefield, learn more and see how those old soldiers in the first battalion fight against the Japanese. Don't be impulsive."
As soon as Liu Yutian left with his troops, Li Hao continued to give orders: "The positions of the air defense battalion are ready!"
Hong Linfeng stood aside and nodded in reply: "We have prepared twelve air defense positions thirty meters behind the blocking position. Each position can place an air defense squad and a level-firing anti-aircraft machine gun, which are covered with concealed protective nets and
The little devil would never be able to detect dead branches and leaves from such a distance."
"The little devil came up with three armored vehicles and three tanks, and they were all explosive-skinned tanks that could be worn out in a dozen." Li Hao nodded, holding up a telescope and analyzing.
The eyes slowly moved along with the motorcade, and they never left since they appeared.
"The first and second companies of the air defense battalion entered the position and arranged anti-aircraft machine guns in cross positions."
"The first company opened fire immediately after the Japanese tanks entered the formation 50 meters away. The tanks were attacked first and then the infantry. They fired for one minute and then retreated after the attack. The second company was hidden and waiting. No one could be exposed in advance without my order."
"The mobile battalion, the first battalion is under the unified command of Battalion Commander Huang to repel the little devil's attack."
The three tanks relied on their rough skin and thick flesh to rush to the front. Accompanied by the sound of "rumbling...", they slowly approached the blocking position at Laohuling.
Three armored vehicles were sandwiched between the tanks and charged forward not to be outdone.
The Japanese riflemen followed the tanks and armored bodies in small teams, using their huge bodies as bunkers to block bullets that might fly towards them at any time.
"Boom boom boom..."
Three tank guns fired simultaneously.
The moment the flames erupted from the muzzle, explosions were heard in the position, fire splashed out, and a large amount of earth and logs were thrown up. Several soldiers were blown out of the trenches, and the smoke filled the air.
"Da da da……"
The vehicle-mounted machine guns followed closely and joined the battle. The bullets flew towards Laohuling as if they were free, clinging to the edge of the trench and piercing into the soil behind, making the position filled with dust.
At this time, as long as someone shows up on the battlefield and is targeted by a chariot, no matter who his identity is, he will be beaten to a pulp in an instant.
On a hilltop two kilometers away, a dozen people looked at the battlefield with serious faces.
In the past, when troops encountered Japanese tanks, they would wait for them to rush thirty or forty meters in front of the formation, then send out death squads to kill them with explosive packs.
At that time, to kill a tank, the army would lose at least two infantry squads.
As time passed, the little Japanese gradually figured out the Eighth Route Army's anti-tank methods, and then changed their tactics and directly parked the tanks fifty meters in front of the formation to serve as fixed firepower points.
Use vehicle-mounted machine guns and artillery to cover the last fifty meters of the infantry assault from a high position.
No, to be precise, it should be the last dozen meters.
As long as the enemy gets past the tank and rushes forward more than ten meters, they can throw grenades into the blocking position, kill a large number of defenders, and then capture the position in one go.
Once the Japanese army's tactics changed, it became more difficult for the troops to destroy these tanks.
It often takes an infantry platoon or even more troops to destroy it and reduce the defensive pressure on the troops.
So when they saw the tanks being dispatched and the death squads rushing towards the tanks, the scene couldn't help but appear in these people's minds, making them worried about the coming battle.
"Chief, can Comrade Li Hao really stop the joint attack of the Japs? If something goes wrong with him, the entire encirclement and annihilation plan will be over." The chief of staff had a worried look on his face and couldn't help but remind him.
"How about I take the reserve team to set up defense behind him to avoid any accidents?"
"No need!" Commander Chen chose to believe Li Hao.
"The garrison has fought many big battles in the past few years, and the results have been greater each time. They are all commanded by Comrade Li Hao. I believe in his commanding ability."
"Dong dong dong..."
Commander Chen's words were interrupted by a series of rarely heard strafing sounds, dull and harsh, like the sound of artillery fire and machine gun fire.
As soon as the gunfire rang out, the six tanks and armored vehicles they had been staring at stopped moving.
