The shells falling from the sky continued to fall down as if they were worthless, and each explosion would take away one or two lives.
The co-captain mingled in the middle of the group.
After the order to assemble and break out was given, the nearby Japanese and puppet troops moved closer to him immediately.
In the eyes of ordinary Japanese and puppet soldiers, it is definitely safest and least dangerous to act together with the supreme commander on the battlefield.
With this idea in mind, in less than five minutes, three to four hundred people gathered around the commander.
With such a large bombardment target, the gunners hiding around would definitely not miss it.
At first, there were only five or six mortars staring at them.
In less than a minute, the number of shells dropped doubled.
"Sir, be careful..." a guard nearby shouted, and threw the captain to the ground.
This was the third time that he was knocked down by guards in just fifty meters, using his body to block the shell fragments flying around him.
Each time at least one guard died on his back.
Other subordinates were not treated so well. Cannonballs were thrown around them and they were either blown away or knocked over.
After running fifty meters, not only did the number of subordinates gathered around him not increase, but they were reduced by nearly half.
All turned into corpses and wounded lying behind.
If this pattern continues, if you run another fifty meters, the people around you will be blown away.
At this time, many of his subordinates had expressions of fear on their faces and kept away from him intentionally or unintentionally.
Even a fool can see that if these shells are fired in a crowded place, the more people gather, the greater the chance of being bombed.
Only by spreading out and staying as far away from the team leader as possible will you be safer.
The chief of staff saw what these people were thinking at a glance, and also saw the purpose of the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire. He quickly ran to the commander of the regiment and reminded: "Sir, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire is too fierce, and the soldiers have no way to assemble."
Looking around, not only around you, but also anywhere on the battlefield where there are many people are being bombed.
Many troops were blown apart as soon as they were assembled, then regrouped, and then blown apart again, and the cycle started over and over again.
More than half of the team of more than a hundred people suffered casualties in just a few rounds.
This place is still nearly a thousand meters away from the mountain pass. As long as the Eighth Route Army has enough artillery shells and keeps bombing like this, most soldiers will not be able to reach the mountain pass.
There must still be the Eighth Route Army blocking the gap there, and with the mortar cover, there are not many troops left, and there must be only a handful of troops who can make it through the mountain pass in the end.
If the mopping up force of more than 5,000 people only brings back a few hundred people and returns without success, there is a 90% chance that they will be sent to a military court.
The best outcome is to have a caesarean section before going to court-martial to preserve the honor of the soldier.
The captain doesn't want to die yet.
Excluding the previous shelling losses, there are still at least 4,000 people on the battlefield.
Rather than being beaten up by the Eighth Route Army like a drowned dog, fleeing back to the station like a bereaved dog, and finally being sent to a military court, it is better to fight to the death here.
Judging from the situation on the battlefield, the Eighth Route Army attacking us did not have many troops except for many mortars and strong firepower.
As long as you can withstand one or two of their attacks and consume a large amount of their troops, the Eighth Route Army will face the embarrassing situation of having no one to use them, no matter how many weapons they have, and then you will have a chance to turn defeat into victory.
To put it bluntly, even if we don't wait for this opportunity, there is still a reinforcement force dozens of kilometers away that can come over.
If you hold on until they come over and attack from inside and outside, you will definitely be able to severely damage the Eighth Route Army nearby that is besieging you.
Even if you pay a huge price, it is better than losing your troops and returning to the occupied area in disgrace.
After thinking about it, an idea suddenly came to the captain's mind.
In the past ten days of raids, the Imperial Army must have killed and wounded more than 5,000 Eighth Route Army soldiers.
Judging from the battle situation, there were only more than 3,000 Eighth Route Army troops present in the surrounding area.
The main force, local troops, and guerrillas that can be used by the garrison regiment total less than 10,000 people. It is very likely that these people around them are all the troops that the garrison regiment can assemble.
Kill them and the garrison will be finished.
This was a serious problem for the North China Front, a powerful enemy that the Imperial Army had lost tens of thousands of troops without defeating.
For this reason, even if all the troops in hand are destroyed, it is still worth it.
Not only will the Front Army Headquarters not send themselves to a military court, they will also vigorously reward themselves and regard themselves as heroes of the empire.
If you continue to break through and become a bereaved dog, you will eventually be sent to a military court. You will also die and lose your honor as a soldier.
Stay and fight to the death. If you are lucky, you will become a hero. If you are not lucky, you can keep your honor as a soldier and die in battle with honor.
If you choose one of the two, a fool will choose the latter.
The heavy expression on the commander's face was slowly replaced by determination, and he made a decisive decision: "We will not break out."
After saying that, he stopped, climbed up a nearby mound, raised his binoculars and looked around.
He quickly saw the two highlands on the battlefield, and then a smile flashed at the corner of his mouth.
As if seeing victory waving to him again, he confidently ordered: "Chief of Staff, send someone to notify the troops separately."
"We are not going to break out. We will hold on to the spot and drag the surrounding Eighth Route Army troops attacking us here to wait for reinforcements."
"Did you see the two highlands next to the highway? Although the altitude is not high, it is definitely an excellent position to wait for reinforcements."
"Order the Third Battalion, the Baggage Brigade, the Heavy Artillery Squadron, and the Imperial Army to coordinate their actions, to immediately occupy the high ground behind them, establish a defensive line based on the favorable terrain, and wait for reinforcements."
"Other troops will occupy the high ground next to me."
"Don't concentrate the troops, go up the mountain separately, and then dig a circular trench centered on the top of the mountain. We have more troops, so it's best to dig three trenches."
"The two highlands are less than one kilometer apart. If the troops occupy the two highlands at the same time, they can serve as horns and support each other, making it more difficult for the Eighth Route Army to capture the highlands."
You can tell from the look on the chief of staff's face that he agrees with this.
Directly wave his hand and order: "Go and give the order now."
"There is no Eighth Route Army on the high ground. When occupying there, the troops should be dispersed as much as possible. Once they reach the high ground, they will start digging trenches."
"First dig individual bunkers, and then connect them into a trench."
"As long as the trenches are repaired, we won't be afraid of the Eighth Route Army's mortar group."
After the chief of staff turned around to give the order, the commander of the regiment called for the telegraph operator and continued the order: "You should record the telegram immediately. It is a request for help sent to the military headquarters."
"Our unit was besieged by the main force of the garrison in Wushan'ao. The opponent was equipped with at least a hundred mortars and sufficient ammunition."
"We judged that these were all the remaining troops of the garrison, and our department decided to wait here to hold them back for reinforcements."
"I hope the military headquarters will immediately order the Daozhong Road mopping up troops to march urgently to reinforce our department."
"The two mopping up troops attacked from inside and outside, completely annihilating the main force of the garrison in Wushan Ao, and completely eliminating the North China Front Army, which was a serious problem."
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