"That battle was really bloody!" There is often such a sentence in novels to describe the brutality of battlefields in ancient times, and this sentence is not an exaggeration to describe the battle of Gaojialing.
There is no need to describe the tragic details. Just look at the piles of Japanese corpses on the battlefield like pyramids. There are such piles of corpses all over the mountains and plains.
In order to make room for maneuvering during bloody battles, Chinese soldiers would often roll the enemy's corpses down the mountain and drop them to a gentle place, where the corpses would naturally pile up on top of each other to form a small pyramid of corpses.
And this battle lasted a full three hours!
Neither China nor Japan can count how many troops they have invested or how many people have died in the battle. Regardless of the division commander surnamed Hu or Murakami Kaisa, they are constantly putting all their reserves into this battlefield.
Engineers, baggage soldiers, etc. have long been thrown into this terrible meat grinder. Signal soldiers, cooking soldiers, and even divisional clerks all carried the guys they took advantage of to the battlefield at the last moment.
When the fighting was at its fiercest, the dignified Lieutenant General division commander had only one health soldier on guard. Even the Major General Chief of Staff walked up to Gaojialing holding a pistol in one hand and a Zhongzheng sword in the other.
Finally, as the sun set in the west, a shrill hand-cranked siren sounded from the Japanese side, and the exhausted Japanese infantry retreated sparsely from the hillside.
The Chinese soldiers who had just roared like thunder and fought hard looked at the retreating Japanese troops and were unable to catch up. Their legs went limp and they lay among the corpses of both sides, breathing heavily.
No one cheered for victory, not because they didn't want to, nor because the battlefield was too brutal, but because they simply didn't have the strength.
Even if the Japanese launched a bombardment at this time, they would not want to lift a finger again.
"Is this the Chinese elite force? They are really strong." In the dusk, Murakami looked at the remains of Chinese and Japanese officers and soldiers who fell to the ground on the hillside, his eyes filled with loneliness.
He knew that this battle had exhausted the energy and energy of the more than 9,000 imperial officers and soldiers under his command, and the remaining officers and soldiers were no longer able to fight anymore.
What was even more frightening was that he could clearly see the remnants of the 104th Infantry Regiment of the 13th Division that had evacuated from the front line looking at his headquarters with fierce eyes.
A low-level soldier did not hide his hatred for a lieutenant general. This was simply unbelievable in the Japanese army, which was known for its strict hierarchy. But after this bloody battle, it actually appeared before his eyes.
Murakami knew clearly that if he ordered this group of remnants to replicate the battle at Gaojialing, he would probably not have less than ten people hit him with black guns.
"The entire army retreats backwards and temporarily breaks away from the Chinese army!" In the deep dusk, no one could clearly see the face of the Japanese army lieutenant general, and they did not know what his mood was when he issued this military order.
But there is no doubt that when this military order was passed to various ministries, it was already a disguised admission that the storming on the 23rd was an extremely failed battle.
This is before accounting for the loss of troops in the afternoon's hand-to-hand combat.
When the loss reports from various ministries were reported to Murakami in the evening, the Japanese Army Lieutenant General had already made sufficient psychological preparations based on the on-site battle situation. When he saw the long string of numbers, the corners of his eyes still twitched fiercely, and the veins on his forehead were straight.
Jump.
Throughout the day, in front of China's last line of defense, the number of Japanese soldiers killed in various departments was as high as 3,700. In the afternoon, 3,053 people were killed in hand-to-hand combat, and as many as 500 seriously injured soldiers were injured because they were all injured by cold weapons and the wounds were seriously contaminated. If
Without the antibiotic drugs developed in the United States, death would basically be a foregone conclusion.
This means that on this day, half of the more than 9,000 infantrymen under Murakami's command died. This terrible battle fatality rate was not even seen by the 17th Division, which suffered so many casualties in the Battle of Niangziguan that Commander Zhao even cried.
so tall.
"The enemy has reached a desperate situation and fought with all their might. Our unit has suffered heavy casualties and is unable to fight anymore. In order to avoid losing all the early results, our unit requests to retreat!" After thinking for a long time, Murakami Kisaku finally asked Yokoyama Yugi with a solemn face.
Send a message.
"Correct!" Isamu Yokoyama's message was not sent to Murakami's office until 4 hours later.
It can be seen that the Japanese commander of the 11th Army also had a difficult choice between withdrawing and not withdrawing.
If they do not withdraw, Murakami will have only about 4,000 troops under his command. If he launches a forceful attack in one day, the whole army may be in danger of being annihilated. There is no guarantee that the Chinese position can be captured. This is a typical case where the risks outweigh the benefits.
And at Qianniuling on the right battlefield, the 18th Division of the Chinese 18th Army also fought hard and seemed to be on the verge of collapse, but no one knew when they fell.
Even a proud man like Isamu Yokoyama had to have an inexplicable awe for the 18th Army. This kind of army was the first he encountered on the Chinese battlefield.
This Japanese Army Lieutenant General, who was destined to suffer several defeats on the Chinese battlefield, may not have known that such an idea would appear on a scale of no less than '5' in the next few years.
And the Battle of Shipai was not his worst defeat on the Chinese battlefield.
Withdrawing would mean that the attack on Shipai, which had been planned for more than half a year, ended in failure. What is even more tragic is that the Needle Valley detachment, which was surrounded in the mountains of China, would completely lose its vitality.
Except for the Japanese troops on the frontal battlefield and the right-wing battlefield who could penetrate the Chinese defense lines, no Japanese army could rescue them.
After receiving his military order, the Yegou Detachment and the 231st Infantry Regiment of the 39th Division on the left-wing battlefield, which once had a combined strength of 60,000, only managed to form 4 infantry squadrons and an infantry artillery squad.
The reason was that they suffered heavy casualties and were unable to attack, and they also had to be prepared for Chinese night attacks.
The Chinese started a small-scale night attack on the night of the 21st. The 231st Infantry Regiment was particularly attacked. It was attacked 14 times throughout the night. Thousands of people in the entire 231st Regiment were unable to sleep at night and could only stare.
Keep your eyes open until dawn.
It is no longer realistic to expect the two closest troops to rescue the Needle Valley Detachment. If they withdraw from the frontal battlefield, the lives of 2,000 imperial officers and soldiers will be almost in vain.
No one else would be able to afford this infamy.
However, all Yokoyama Isamu's hesitations turned into determination after a battle report came out at 2:00 a.m. on the 24th.
The Chinese 10th Group Army defeated the Japanese defenders of Yuyang Pass at 12:00 on the 23rd and recaptured Yuyang Pass. Its main five divisions have advanced to the front line of Tianzhu Mountain. The 74th Army and the 79th Army have also reached their designated positions. The Chinese Army
The time is ripe for counterattack.
At this time, Hengshan Yong knew that his carefully planned battle in western Hubei had failed. If he did not retreat, let alone the Zhengu detachment, the Japanese troops who attacked the front battlefield of Shipai would also be shut down and beaten.
After receiving the order from Isamu Yokoyama to allow the military to retreat, Murakami felt more relaxed than ever before. He sat at his field headquarters for most of the night, not just to wait for Isamu Yokoyama's military order, but because the Chinese on the opposite side were crazy.
Yes, Mr. Hu is really going crazy.
The battle on the 23rd almost made Murakami Kisaku cry, but the young commander surnamed Hu of the 11th Division actually cried loudly.
Because, this battle was really miserable.
In the battles of the past few days, the 11th Division, which relied on fortifications to resist layer by layer, lost 10 infantry companies. When we say loss, it means a complete loss of combat effectiveness.
In the rooftop position, all members of an infantry company were killed;
On the south side of Shipai Fortress, Commander You Guozhen of the 2nd Battalion of the 33rd Regiment defended the entire battalion. Under fierce Japanese artillery fire, most of the 600 people in the battalion were killed. Commander You himself was also seriously injured. A Japanese aircraft
The dropped bomb exploded right next to him.
The deputy battalion commander asked him to rush to the rear for treatment, but battalion commander You Guozhen not only refused to retreat, but grabbed a Czech light machine gun and shot at the Japanese army himself. The whole battalion finally defeated the Japanese attack. After the Japanese army retreated, the officers and soldiers
It was then discovered that Battalion Commander You Guozhen had shed every last drop of blood, and he was still holding a machine gun shooting position when he died.
In the end, less than 100 men from the battalion returned alive, and four full infantry companies were not enough to make up two infantry platoons.
On the 23rd, the casualties reached their peak. A total of 2 infantry regiments were deployed in Gaojialing. They were able to stand up and walk back to their positions in the end, but only 800 people and 3,700 soldiers were lying on the hillside.
If the corpses of the Japanese army piled up nearly a hundred "pyramids," then the remains of the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division could cover the entire hillside.
After sunset, it took three hours for our own officers and soldiers to go to the battlefield to carry the corpses. Originally, he, the division commander, personally ordered that the sacrificed officers and soldiers be temporarily placed in the valley behind his headquarters, but as a result, they could not be placed there.
??????????.??????
Even if the remains are placed side by side, they still cannot fit in a row across a valley hundreds of meters long.
Commander Hu was walking in a valley strewn with remains. He could still pretend to be strong and hold back his grief, until he saw the body of a young soldier who was too young and had no hair on his lips. His head and face were covered in blood.
He hadn't been cleansed yet, so he couldn't help but get angry: "Te Liang, no one cares about my soldiers even after they die? Where's his platoon leader? Where's the company commander? The 9th Company of the 31st Regiment, no matter who it is, get out of here.
An official."
An equally young soldier heard the roar and hurried over from the other side of the valley. He stood at attention and reported to the division commander named Hu: "Report to the division seat, Shi Dakuan is here to report."
"What's a good recruit like you doing here? Go and ask your squad leader to come." Commander Hu looked at the obviously green recruit in front of him and tried his best to suppress his anger.
"The monitor is dead!" Shi Dakuan lowered his head.
"Then let your platoon commander and company commander come!" Commander Hu's heart trembled.
"The platoon leader is also dead, the first platoon leader, the third platoon leader, the company commander, the deputy company commander, all are dead!" Shi Dakuan's big tears rolled down, and the dried blood on his face was washed away again, and it was dim.
Under the lanterns, it looked ugly and terrifying.
There is silence all around!
"Then your company?" The teacher surnamed Hu stood on the spot with a lump in his throat.
"There are still 22 living brothers in my 9th company, but they are all injured and are being treated in the field hospital. I am the only one here. Master, don't blame me. I will go and wipe the corn's face clean." Shi Dakuan tried his best.
Acting mature, he raised his head and said.
Being able to find the bodies of all the brothers in his infantry company within 3 hours, he, the only soldier in the 9th company, is already much luckier than other companies.
That is, it is too difficult to clean a brother's face. It seems that the blood on his face cannot be wiped off no matter how hard he wipes it. He has tried very hard, but he can only clean the brothers in the class.
"I don't blame you. I can't blame you. I only blame me as the teacher." The teacher surnamed Hu suddenly looked up at the sky. Otherwise, the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes would not be able to return to his eyes.
Everyone can cry, but he, the supreme commander, cannot cry.
Unfortunately, Shi Dakuan, who was very close to him, still saw a series of rolling tears wet the woolen military coat of the lieutenant general and division commander.
When he wrote a farewell letter to his father and wife, Commander Hu had no tears. When he received the casualty figures, Commander Hu suppressed his grief, but he faced the only soldier in this infantry company who could report to him and promise to clean the faces of all the brothers in the company.
At that time, Teacher Hu finally couldn't bear it anymore.
a long time!
"May I have your name!"
"Shi Dakuan!"
"Okay, Shi Dakuan, let me ask you, if you were asked to fight the stubborn Japanese again now, would you dare?"
"There is nothing to be afraid of. The leader said that behind us is the mountain city. My mother and sister are there. I am willing to trade my life for their safety." Shi Dakuan said without hesitation, then hesitated slightly.
.
"That's what you say! As long as it's reasonable, I'll satisfy you."
"I think I'm dead. Can I still get my military pay for this month? The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and I want my two sisters to have a meal of meat."
There was another moment of silence in the whole place.
Everyone had thought about what this soldier would expect, but never imagined that his wish was as simple as paying his military salary and giving his sister a meal of meat.
"I will cover all your sister's living expenses in the future!" Commander Hu looked seriously at the soldier with the lowest rank under him.
Then, he turned his attention to the major general brigade commander and several colonel commanders who were following him, with pride on his face: "You all saw and heard it just now, how about it, are you proud of your soldiers?
"
He pointed his finger at the rows of soldiers who were lying quietly, and said in a deafening voice: "My 11th Division is so good at fighting. If those stupid little devils want my country, then I will fight them to the end."
I will stand here and ask you again on behalf of these good brothers, do you still dare to fight with the Japanese?"
"Dare! Please give me the order!" The brigade commander, the major general, touched his heel hard and stood up straight.
"Dare! Please give me the order!" The other officers all stood straight.
"Okay! There are not many people in this world who can make me cry like a child today. The Japanese commander opposite should be deeply honored. I have always been a man of revenge. If he makes me shed tears, I will let him blood."
.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Gan Ning of Soochow used a hundred cavalry to rob Cao Cao's million-strong camp. Today, on the side of the river, I want to imitate him!
The troops of our division on the front line are ordered to use the infantry squad as a unit to continuously harass the Japanese army. One Japanese head is priced at 10 yuan. I will bear this reward with my personal belongings, Mr. Hu." The division commander surnamed Hu roared in a low voice.
.
"Yes!" All the officers accepted the military order with murderous intent.
"Teacher, I want to participate too!" Shi Dakuan suddenly requested when the teacher surnamed Hu turned around to leave.
The reward of 10 yuan for a Japanese head is really exciting, especially for a private whose military pay is only 6 yuan.
"Okay!" Teacher Hu's eyes flashed with appreciation.
"If you can come back alive tonight, you will be the acting commander of the 9th Company. You are the only one in the 9th Company now, but after this battle, you will support me and build up the 9th Company for me."
.........
That night, the remnants of the five regiments of the 11th Division sent out more than a thousand soldiers for night raids, firing at the Japanese troops non-stop. They even took advantage of the terrain to lurk less than 20 meters in front of the Japanese positions, and threw grenades into simple trenches, blowing up the Japanese troops.
The ghosts cry and the wolves howl.
What's even more outrageous is that Chinese soldiers often took great risks, crawled into the position under cover of night, and cut off the heads of dead Japanese infantrymen with bayonets and took them away.
This crazy move of killing people without even risking their lives scared the Japanese infantry to the point of peeing. During the long night, the Japanese soldiers did not dare to close their eyes at all. In their hearts, they even scolded a certain Japanese army lieutenant general who commanded yesterday's hand-to-hand battle.
Dog blood nozzle.
If that guy hadn't been so crazy and kept investing troops to play with the Chinese with white knives in and red knives out, could the Chinese be so crazy?
If possible, the 104th Infantry Regiment of the 13th Division, which lost more than 2,000 people in the First World War, would most like to kill this bastard with a black gun.
Forced by threats from China and Japan, Murakami even moved his headquarters to a destroyer on the river.
But the sound of gunshots and explosions in the dark night never stopped, and the suffering was truly unparalleled.
Until I received a telegram from Yokoyama Isamu at about 4 o'clock in the morning.
"The entire army will evacuate in batches and the transport ships will dock!" Murakami immediately issued a military order.
Finally able to leave this damn place, the Japanese army, like their commanders, collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
The Chinese sneak attacks were not completely stopped until 5 a.m.
The efficiency of the Japanese army, which had not slept a wink all night, was astonishing. After the sun rose over the hilltop, the scouts of the 11th Division who were responsible for watching the Japanese positions were surprised to find that there was not even a ghost on the Japanese position opposite.
Fearing that it was a Japanese army setting up a suspicious formation, the scouts spent nearly an hour getting closer and observing before confirming that there was no one on the position.
The Japanese army actually completely abandoned the Chinese position they had conquered a few days ago at the expense of a large number of troops. There was only one possibility.
The devil escaped!
"We won this battle!" Shi Dakuan, who was watching the military flag being planted on the mountain ridge in the distance and hearing the continuous cheers in his ears, could no longer hold on. He lay down on his back in the bushes and fell asleep.
More than two hours later, the recruit, with two Japanese heads hanging from his waist, was shaken awake.
"Damn it, you acting company commander Te Liang slept very soundly, but you almost scared me to death!"
The major battalion commander with a smile on his face originally wanted to kick the recruit's ass hard, but the division commander lost his temper and said that if Shi Dakuan wanted to see people alive or dead, he, the battalion commander, had to do it himself
When I went out to look for him, I was worried and tired. It turned out that this guy only snored when he slept. How could he not be angry? But looking at the two smelly heads next to him, he finally endured it.
The most lacking thing in the army is this kind of ruthless person! His luck is incredible.