Chapter 1266 The battle to break the wall (Part 2)
Li Jijin was proficient in not only "encircling three buildings" and "encircling points to call for reinforcements", but he also had his own unique insights into how to deal with Japanese prisoners.
His subordinates basically only understand Chinese characters and can only write their own names, but they can memorize Japanese phrases such as "Kneel down and not kill", "Effectiveness will give formal prisoner treatment" and so on.
The several hundred artillerymen led by the Japanese artillery battalion captain who decisively escaped had not run very far when they were stopped by two infantry platoons guarding the hillside with heavy machine guns.
Of course, there was nothing to shout about at the beginning. Two flares hung brightly above the heads of the Japanese troops, and rows of bullets were fired recklessly.
With this firepower, not to mention the artillery with few guns, even the regular infantry could not withstand it. In less than one minute, not only 200 but also 250 Japanese artillerymen were shot to death.
The Japanese soldiers lying in the grass wisely waved the white flag - a white shirt hanging from a tree branch.
This was not the first time that the two infantry platoons of the Fourth Army had seen this kind of routine. They immediately shouted loudly in Japanese to ask the Japanese soldiers who were willing to surrender to kneel down and hold their heads in their hands. Then they used heavy machine guns and light machine guns to suppress the formation, and sent out ten soldiers.
Several soldiers went to accept the Japanese surrender.
It is not that the Japanese army did not lose their minds and wanted to resist, but both the soldiers who were in charge of surrendering and the soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment who were holding guns and responsible for guarding were highly vigilant. Once they discovered this sign, they immediately opened fire regardless of the situation and continued to use bullets.
After covering several areas and killing dozens of Japanese soldiers who tried to resist and suffered disasters in Yuchi, the Japanese army became completely honest.
All the Japanese artillery officers were selected first. Naturally, the artillery major with a noble background could not escape. No matter how good his attitude was and kept lowering his head and saying something, he could not avoid being knocked to the ground with a rifle butt by the Chinese soldiers and then searched.
This can also be regarded as a major feature of Li Jijin's 7th company. The Fourth Army Regiment Headquarters stipulates that 20% of all captured companies will be retained, 3rd will be transferred to the battalion headquarters, and 5th will be transferred to the regiment headquarters. Naturally, Li Jijin has already explained this to his subordinates.
Guys, Japanese officers are all fat sheep. No matter whether they live or die, they must be cleaned out first!
Therefore, the two infantry platoons faithfully carried out Li Laoji's order and searched the poor Japanese artillery major from top to bottom. However, considering that this voluntary surrender reduced the difficulty of the battle, the soldiers still
He didn't show any dignity to this man. Apart from taking away his woolen army coat, he didn't strip him naked.
This search turned up a small notebook. The leading second lieutenant platoon leader flipped through it casually and found a table corresponding to artillery coordinates and numbers. When asked casually, the artillery major originally wanted to use the language barrier to solve the problem.
Muddle through.
But who are these officers who can become second lieutenants in the Four Elements Regiment? Isn't that a veteran who has fought through hundreds of battles and fought through the flames of war? If he can't understand Japanese, then he can't understand the Japanese's unique and obscene dodge look?
Without further ado, he waved his hand and a burst of gunfire rang out. Four or five officers standing next to the artillery major fell down in an instant.
Blood spattered on the pale face of the artillery major who was dumbfounded.
"Mr. Major, because you chose to surrender, we indirectly saved a lot of ammunition. In China, we all pay attention to the principle of 'don't be disrespectful in return'. I will return this favor to you, so I will give you three chances.
"The second lieutenant's cold face showed no expression.
"It was my first chance just now, but your answer made me very dissatisfied, so five of your friends died.
There are still two opportunities, and I hope you can cherish them. You know, at this time of the war, our Fourth Army Regiment has no intention of wasting its troops on guarding any prisoners."
"Are you the Four Elements Regiment? The Four Elements Regiment in the Taihang Mountains?" The artillery major's eyes suddenly opened wide and he looked at the Chinese soldiers who would kill and demonstrate at the slightest disagreement.
"It doesn't matter who we are. What's important is whether your answer, Mr. Major, will satisfy me." The second lieutenant didn't feel any pride at all because the Japanese artillery major was surprised by the number of his unit. He continued to look at Japan with cold eyes.
Artillery Major.
The reputation of the Four Elements Group did not need to be proved by the Japanese invaders with emotions such as fear. What the Four Elements Group wanted was their lives.
The second lieutenant of the army had an intuition that as long as he could make the artillery major who was afraid of death obedient, he would achieve great success.
As for whether his threat will come true, it depends on the choice of the Japanese artillery major. As a Songjiang native whose entire village, young and old, was slaughtered by the Japanese army, the second lieutenant of the army would not do anything to the Japanese.
There will be no psychological burden at all. The only sequelae may be that you will have an appetite and eat two more steamed buns when it is time to start the meal.
How important is a soldier's intuition on the battlefield? This ordinary Army second lieutenant proved it with facts.
The Japanese artillery major gave in and explained the correspondence between the bombardment coordinates and numbers. This was undoubtedly important information that could change the entire battlefield, which meant that the captured mountain artillery group was by no means just a decoration.
Especially at this night when Japanese planes cannot arrive.
"Okay, Ye Zi, your son, deserves to be the first to win this battle!" Li Jiujin was overjoyed to receive the news unexpectedly, and decided to get in touch with Tang Dao who was on the battlefield.
He wanted Tang Tuanzuo to personally serve as an artillery observer for the captured mountain artillery group and observe the impact point of the test-fired artillery.
Twenty minutes later, on this artillery position, 30 Japanese artillerymen were kneeling around each artillery piece. Behind them, there was a row of Chinese soldiers holding guns with the safety on.
"Mr. Major, you don't have three chances this time, you only have one chance! If our artillery observer reports that the shells you fired fell on our position, it means that everyone here is useless." The second lieutenant stood there.
The artillery major, who personally served as the main gunner, said coldly from behind.
"But this is just a test firing. Your position is only more than 200 meters away from the bombardment coordinates. No matter how powerful the gunner is, he cannot guarantee that the test firing error will be within a range of more than 200 meters." Sweat was pouring on the forehead of the Japanese artillery major.
In fact, he was already broken. Under the relentless pressure of the Chinese, he not only revealed the top-secret coordinate data, but even personally fired artillery bombardments at his own positions. However, the hateful Chinese even asked him to guarantee
Don't accidentally hurt the Chinese, this is simply too strong to lock up men.
At that moment, the Japanese artillery major even wanted to be tough and tell these Chinese people to kill them if they wanted to.
"Mr. Major, think about your wife who is waiting for you at home, and then think about your relatives who are waiting for you in your hometown, your subordinates who could have survived. If they see the wooden box with your name on it, how sad they will be.
Absolutely, and these, as long as you do well enough, they won't happen." Lieutenant Ye, like a devil who can see through people's hearts, said in a low voice.
The Japanese artillery major couldn't help but look at the Japanese artillerymen kneeling aside. He was greeted by the pleading eyes of his subordinates.
People's fear of death sometimes does not only come from themselves, but from those who care about them and the people they care about.
Even a wolf, when it is shot and dying, will struggle to crawl back to the wolf den, because there are little wolf cubs waiting to be fed.
The image of the beautiful wife wearing a kimono and holding her daughter standing on the shore, watching the ships leaving the shore and waving goodbye, instantly filled the mind of the Japanese artillery major.
"Load the shell and adjust the muzzle"
In the light of the fire, accompanied by the heart-rending roar of this top student who graduated from the artillery department of the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School, the muzzle of the Type 41 mountain gun was raised high.
"Boom!" There was a loud noise, and a puff of smoke and dust rose from the artillery position.
Then, there was a period of silence, both Chinese and Japanese were waiting.
We are waiting for the impact point results from the distance. If the bomb hits the Japanese, all the Japanese artillerymen present will escape. If the artillery major is not good at learning or has evil intentions, no one here will show mercy.
War can not only turn the Japanese into beasts, but the Chinese can also turn into beasts.
"Hey! The kid's cannon shot well. Tell Li Jiujin to let the kid fire a few more shots to calibrate." Tang Dao on the position looked at the fire exploding on the hilltop and ordered in a good mood.
"Very well, Mr. Major, you have now gained the trust of our supreme commander. He asked me to tell you that after this battle is over, all of you here will not only enjoy the treatment that formal prisoners of war should have, but also do
As the first batch of prisoners of war exchanged with the Japanese side, I hope you will not betray the trust of our supreme commander." After receiving Tang Dao's telegram, Second Lieutenant Ye was completely relieved.
It was his idea to use the Japanese artillery group to bombard the high ground occupied by the Japanese army in the dark of night. If the bombardment accidentally hit our own position, not to mention losing the first-class military exploits, the whole spine would have to be fought hard there.
The new comrades of the week were cut off.
"Your supreme commander is Colonel Tang Dao?" The Japanese artillery major showed no joy on his face, but confirmed cautiously.
"Yes!" Second Lieutenant Ye nodded. "Don't worry, even those who belong to your artillery brigade, even if they are just cooks, will participate in this artillery attack, and they will keep it secret within our Four Lines Regiment."
This military operation will not be included in the battle report. Our Fourth Army Regiment has never been short of artillery, and you, the North China Front, know this very well."
Tang Dao is famous throughout the North China battlefield. His greatest characteristic is that he does what he says. In order to exchange for prisoners, he even exchanged enemies such as Senio Fujiwara. With Tang Dao's name as a guarantee, this man has completely surrendered.
The Japanese artillery major also let go of all his psychological burden.
What's more, now he's not just hanging around, he's already in, so what's the difference in how many times he goes back and forth?
Then, the tragic Hebian Major suffered another heavy blow in his life.
The first artillery shell landed on the position of the 7th Infantry Regiment, which only made his scalp numb. Why is the Chinese artillery so magical? When the infantry of both sides are so close to each other, they can hit the target so accurately.
?
Fortunately, with just one shot, it was probably a blind cat catching a dead mouse. While the Japanese Army Colonel, whose eyelids were twitching wildly, was still mentally comforting himself like this, the sharp scream of artillery shells piercing the sky kept coming to his ears.
The two highlands that the 7th Infantry Regiment spent more than 2,000 casualties on conquering were shrouded in smoke.
The Type 41 mountain gun is not a heavy artillery, but the 5-kilogram 75-caliber howitzer shell is by no means a dispensable role. For soldiers who do not have anti-gun holes, it is a perfect death sickle.
And for Colonel Kawabe Soya, who watched his own position shrouded in artillery fire, it was not just a mental torture.
In order to ensure that they do not send artillery shells to the heads of the Chinese who are very close to the target coordinates, the Japanese artillerymen would rather shorten the firing distance, or it is not ruled out that some Japanese artillerymen want to shoot incorrectly.
As a result, Colonel Hebian, who had turned his command headquarters into his front finger, encountered a group of "old six wise men" who gave him a slap on the head.
At least a dozen shells landed just around the front finger where Kusaya was leading by the river, and a piece of shell skin flew past the Japanese Army Colonel's cheek.
While bringing a subtle cool breeze to the Japanese Army Colonel, it also took away all the protrusions on his face, such as his nose and lips.
The entire face is as flat as ever before. If you cover it with paper, a rectangular shape will be left, and the ink pad will be the blood that is constantly spurting out.
The 7th Infantry Regiment lost their top commander in the third minute of being bombarded.
The vitality of Captain Kawabe Soya was also tenacious enough, and he persisted until daybreak before finally dying.
I don’t know if it’s because the 7th Infantry Regiment lost all the high ground or because the 7th Infantry Regiment almost became a thing of the past.
After artillery fire frantically bombarded the Japanese high ground for an hour, Tang Tuanzuo ordered a full-scale counterattack on the right wing. In less than half an hour, five infantry companies were deployed on the right wing battlefield and returned to the situation on the first day.
The Japanese troops who were stunned by the artillery fire did not form any decent resistance at all. They left behind at least 200 corpses and nearly 100 wounded soldiers and fled the high ground where there were not many bunkers.
But the dead Colonel Kawabe Soya did not become the scapegoat after the war. No matter how much Itagaki Shiro wanted to protect Yamada Seiichi, the fact is that Yamada Seiichi deployed 500 infantrymen from the 7th Infantry Regiment and this was the reason for the defense failure.
The main reason.
If these 500 infantrymen were not lost, the defense against the Chinese counterattack could at least last until dawn. By the time the 105 howitzer, which was moving its position, had stabilized its footing, the high ground would not have been lost, and the Chinese who were counterattacking could have been taught a harsh lesson.
Moreover, the three infantry squadrons and an artillery squad that rushed to the artillery group not only failed to rescue the artillery group, but also suffered a head-on attack from the Chinese army.
Not only did the Chinese army have far more strength than the 500 Japanese infantry, but the light and heavy firepower of the equipment was even more crushing.
The ten shells fired by the two terrifying mortars were a devastating weapon for the Japanese infantry in the field.
Why the Chinese didn't fire more? Perhaps it wasn't the limited number of artillery shells the Chinese carried, but the fact that after the tenth artillery shell exploded in the Japanese infantry array and took away the life of an infantry squad again, a major-level officer who led the team
The infantry captain gave the signal to retreat.
In just 15 minutes of fighting, the casualty rate of the well-trained elite soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Empire's permanent division reached an astonishing 40%.
The casualty figures of more than 110 people killed and more than 80 seriously injured do not seem so shocking. They are not worth mentioning on many large battlefields, but it was only 15 minutes!
Of course, in post-war statistics, the rate of loss of soldiers in this field encounter was only the second highest on the Japanese side in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain.
Ranking first is undoubtedly the infantry brigade of the 10th Division that attacked Munan Town. It killed nearly a thousand people in an infantry brigade in 50 minutes. It is probably ranked in the history of world wars.
Number.
It has to be said that the New Year's Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, which was personally planned and directed by the Japanese Army Base Camp, was not without success.
At least, strive for a historical status ranking!
But this is really not the ridicule made by Chinese soldiers to Japan after the war. This is the heartbreaking speech made by Commander-in-Chief General Shan Shanyuan at the post-war summary meeting.
Shiro Itagaki: If you want to slap me in the face, just say so. Who wants to see your sad old face?
Of course, on the Sizhou Mountain battlefield, Yamada Seiichi's subordinates only gained some humiliation that night. For example, the artillery brigade was stolen by the Chinese again, and the position they finally occupied was taken back by the Chinese, but after all, their main position was
They are still here, why are they still surrounding the Chinese people? Without even saying anything, the whole army ran away and the battle was not fought.
There was more than one person who was more disgraced than Yamada Seiichi that night.
Major General Masao Nakamura, who had been sitting in the main camp of the Chinese army and dispatching troops and generals as if he had everything under control, became uncharacteristically angry and scolded an army colonel in front of him after dawn.
The losses of his 21st Infantry Brigade tonight were no less than those of Yamada Seiichi, or even worse.
That was not just a brilliant blow in which a Chinese infantry brigade of 4,000 people fought for their lives, but what was even more terrible was that the blow hit the weak point of his defense line.
It's like in a fight, the opponent's knee hits each other, right on the two balls.
