It took the 31st Infantry Brigade a full hour to completely withdraw from the battlefield.
However, their losses were not limited to the artillery brigade which was almost detonated by several rounds of artillery fire.
The three infantry squadrons left responsible for blocking the enemy were definitely a force that should not be underestimated in the past, with nearly 600 infantrymen.
As the captain of the regiment, Sasaki Xiaoyong will certainly not easily play the role of a strong man. After all, it is just a retreat, not a rout. He also equipped the three infantry squadrons with two additional heavy machine gun squads and an infantry artillery squad to avoid facing the Chinese.
Crazy attack has insufficient firepower.
But this time, it was obviously different from what he expected.
The Four Lines Regiment launched an attack on the hundreds of Japanese troops left behind, but it was not what the Japanese army imagined. Once the charge horn sounded, all over the mountains and plains were Chinese people charging with rifles.
They were not afraid of that situation at all. Even if there were only simple field trenches, the suppressive firepower of 6 heavy machine guns was enough to make the Chinese shed all their blood and not advance even an inch.
But the Chinese brought out more than 16 heavy machine guns. They started firing fiercely 700 meters away from them. The bullets rained down, let alone the heavy machine guns, and even the infantry found it difficult to raise their heads.
The two infantry guns placed 400 meters behind the trench responded. However, as soon as they fired two test shots, the thick smoke rising from the muzzles exposed their positions.
75 mountain artillery and 82 mortar shells rained down on them, and their momentum was no less than when they shelled the high ground above.
Only then did the Japanese infantry realize that the Chinese army in front of them was no weaker than them in terms of firepower, let alone firepower.
No wonder the brigade commander and company commander insisted on retreating. If they had continued to use infantry to attack the opponent's high ground as before, they would have been killed and wounded long ago.
After the two infantry guns were finished, the Chinese did not give up and aimed their artillery at the Japanese infantry in the simple trenches.
What's even worse is that this time it's not just mountain cannons and mortars, but also 37mm rapid-fire cannons and 20mm machine guns.
The Chinese seem to have a grudge against artillery shells and will not give up until all the artillery shells are fired.
This is Tang Tuanzuo’s military order!
When they came to the battlefield, the baggage company put a lot of effort into transporting all kinds of artillery shells. The 683rd Brigade's seizures were piled up like a mountain and they couldn't transport them. The Fourth Army Regiment also had to free up enough transport capacity to transport supplies.
What's more, now that the main force of the Japanese has fled, if they don't take the opportunity to exchange these shells for the lives of the Japanese, will they throw away the shells in vain?
As for the replenishment of these artillery shells, Tang Dao has already targeted the old Shanxi man who lost most of Shanxi Province but is still rich. As long as you give him money, not to mention cannon shells, the cannon can get you a few artillery regiments.
Therefore, facing the four-line regiment that needed to reduce its load, the Japanese troops of the three infantry squadrons could only endure it, thoroughly experiencing the bitterness of their former opponents relying on luck to avoid artillery fire in the trenches.
Half an hour later, the artillery fire from the Fourth Army Regiment stopped, and the 600 Japanese troops had already lost 100% to 40%, and they finally received the military order from the regiment headquarters allowing them to retreat.
It would be nice if you could carry away the living ones, but leave the dead ones in the trenches!
However, the Four Troops did not take advantage of the victory to pursue the attack and left the remaining more than 300 Japanese troops behind.
"The commander of the little devil can retreat decisively, which is quite a figure. How can such a person not leave a backup plan?" Tang Dao looked at the distant mountains and explained to the two infantry battalion commanders who advocated the pursuit. "What's more, he
He still has more than 10 artillery pieces in hand. Once a large number of our infantry are exposed, he will definitely return the bombardment. The life of the little Japanese is not valuable, but the lives of my brothers in the Fourth Army Regiment are valuable and cannot be wasted easily."
"Besides." Tang Dao paused slightly.
"Sir, what's more?" Leng Feng was still younger after all and couldn't help but ask.
"How can we leave here quickly without scaring them into running faster?" Tang Dao said with a smile.
"What does tuanzuo mean?" Guo Shouzhi thought thoughtfully.
"The Japanese planes will come again." Tang Dao looked at his pocket watch. "If the Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters learns that the 14th Division's baggage regiment is gone, the two infantry regiments that go to reinforce will not be able to
From this, it can be judged that our army must have invested heavily in troops. If we no longer send a fleet of aircraft to bomb, then the shroud in the room may be an undercover agent sent by our army!
It’s now April, and it’s getting dark later and later, which is enough for the Japanese plane to arrive in one hour and back in another hour.”
"Li Jijin, take the brothers from your company, strip me of the extra military uniforms, as well as the uniforms of the dead Japanese soldiers, put them on me on wooden frames, and put them in the trenches!" Tang Dao ordered.
"The rest of the troops immediately cleared the battlefield and then retreated to the location of the 683rd Brigade Headquarters.
In addition, a telegram was sent to Commander Wang of the 772nd Regiment, asking him to make a full-force assault and encirclement posture to scare the cowards of the 108th Division. If the little devils still do not retreat, his main force must be ready to retreat at any time to avoid losses."
Fudo Nagakou, who was sending a report to the front army headquarters to inform him that his infantry regiment had suffered heavy losses, might never have imagined that while he was trying to retreat, the Chinese troops who had been beating him hard just now also ran away.
Moreover, he runs extremely fast!
Tang Dao guessed correctly.
Indoor Shroud was furious when he learned that the 14th Division's Baggage Regiment could not be saved. However, this time he was not angry about the losses suffered by the Imperial Army, but because the Chinese had spat on his already not glorious resume.
Phlegm cannot kill people, but it is very disgusting.
The disgusted Indoor Shroud had to react no matter what, so he ignored the Army Aviation's concerns about getting late and ordered them to dispatch another fleet immediately. Even if they only carried half of the bombs, they had to be able to block two more bombs.
The Chinese infantry regiment dropped a wave of bombs on its head.
Out of anger towards the Chinese, Indoor Shroud even selectively ignored the large amount of materials of the 14th Division's Baggage Regiment that were about to be seized by the Chinese. If he were calm enough, this wave of bombs should definitely be dropped on those materials.
superior.
The 8 Japanese planes that had just returned to the airport had to refuel and load bombs to take off. However, this time, they did not have much time to hover in the sky and observe before bombing. If they waited until after 6 o'clock, the sky would be too dark, which would not matter at this time.
According to all-weather pilots, flying at night is extremely dangerous, but don't be in trouble if you can't find the route back to the airport.
Tang Dao was not an immortal either. He guessed 90% of the time correctly. The only 10% that he didn't guess right was because the top commander of the Japanese Army Air Force Group that attacked this time was Captain Sasaki.
Captain Sasaki finally relied on his ability to defeat all the officers who dared to lead the team, and became the number one leader.
Therefore, under his command, the Japanese planes started dropping bombs this time when they were still 2,000 meters away from the top of the mountain.
The 'scarecrow' that Tang Dao ordered Li Jijin's 7th Company to make cannot be said to be ineffective. It can only be said that it has little to do with whether the Japanese aircraft fleet decided to drop the bomb.
It's the same group of people who lost four of their companions here. Naturally, they would drop bombs in this area.
After the delivery, the eight fighter planes immediately turned around and flew away without any hesitation.
Three kilometers away!
"Are all Japanese planes so perfunctory now? Are they dropping bombs at such a height?" Cheng Tieshou was stunned with a telescope.
"Aren't you afraid of the anti-aircraft cannons of your Tietou company commander? You are a big Tietou with a group of small Tietou. When the Lord of Hell comes, you dare to fire a burst of machine cannons." Li Jijin joked to himself.
Colleague said.
"Old Youtiao, if you say something else, I might refute it, but if you say that I am not afraid of the King of Hell, I won't argue with you." Cheng Tieshou was very proud, but within three seconds of being happy, he grimaced again.
"But if the Japanese planes are like this from now on, dropping bombs at an altitude of 2,000 meters, then the machine guns will be helpless against them!"
"Then I'll give you Cheng Tietou an anti-aircraft gun with a longer range from now on, so that your Captain Tietou won't be left useless." Tang Dao over there said with a smile.
The almost irresponsible Xia Jiba bombing of the Japanese fleet was very good. It was better than the best result he had expected. He sincerely hoped that if the Japanese would send fighter planes in the future, they would send these guys.
Of course, Tang Tuanzuo, who was in a good mood, would not have thought that a certain Japanese army aviation captain had dealt with the Si Xing Tuan countless times.
"Team leader, are you serious about this? Is it the kind of big guy used in the air battle in Zhengzhou?" Cheng Tieshou was so happy that he almost cracked the back of his head.
The 20mm Sulotong machine gun and the Japanese 25mm machine gun are already the largest caliber anti-aircraft artillery that this artillery company commander has ever seen. Could it be the 88mm anti-aircraft gun owned by the first theater?
?
"Don't even think about the 88mm one. That thing weighs almost two tons. Even if you get it, are you going to hold it or carry it to climb mountains?" Tang Dao said to this subordinate who was quite daring to think about it.
He asked for a basin of cold water. “I’ll have to wait until I go to Jincheng to see what the Germans have before I can place an order.”
A group of senior officers in the Si Xing Regiment had only recently learned that there was a batch of arms in Jincheng. After hearing what Tang Dao said, they were even more hopeful.
Why did the Four Lines Regiment become stronger and stronger as they fought? It was simply because the soldiers who had experienced the battlefield became more and more skilled in tactics and techniques, their will became stronger and stronger, and their equipment became better and better. All three of these are indispensable.
But even so, everyone still has a hidden worry. The Japanese army completely controls the air. Without air supremacy, the entire regiment has to be on guard at all times to prevent being hit on the head by a bomb. Just rely on the dozen or so anti-aircraft machine guns in the regiment.
and three anti-aircraft guns are far from enough.
Just like what Cheng Tietsou was worried about just now, if the Japanese military aircraft dropped bombs at an altitude of 2,000 meters, even if the bombs were not accurate, as long as less than half of them fell on the position, then no one knows how many people would die.
All the anti-aircraft weapons of the 2nd Company were just a display at this height.
Of course, these are things that should be considered in the future, but what needs to be considered now is how to transport the large amount of seizures.
When the entire Fourth Army Regiment met up with Brigadier Cheng's headquarters at about 6 o'clock, they were surprised to find that the mountains and forests were filled with various supplies.
On the way here, Comrade Wang Xiaoqiang of the 772nd Regiment had already called, and the members of the 108th Division who were facing them also retreated and ran away cleanly. The two infantry regiments left only one infantry company on the position to prevent the Japanese from killing them.
Turning around, the rest of the main force is also gathering here.
This also means that this is the work of the 771st Regiment and the 683rd Brigade Guard Battalion with a total strength of less than 3,000 people. They actually moved more than 70% of the supplies into the mountains.
This is absolutely a miracle.
Seeing the soldiers lying on the wet grass along the way, falling asleep with half a piece of cake in their mouths before finishing the meal, many officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment were shocked.
After the continuous battles, the officers and soldiers of the Si Xing Regiment were very tired, but they were definitely proud. This is a character that any strong army will have.
Only when you are proud can you cherish your honor and be more willing to defend it, even if it means using your own life.
But as proud as they are, they have to admit at this time that in terms of perseverance, this is definitely a soldier who can rival them.
"Come on, brother Tang, think about it, how can we transport these things away?" Brigadier Cheng was also worried. Seeing Tang Dao coming, he quickly blamed him for the problem.
"That depends on what path you plan to take, Brother Cheng." Tang Dao thought for a moment and then asked.
"Then we must take the mountain road! Is it possible that we can still take the main road? Do you think the Japanese who have retreated to Licheng are trapped in mud?" Brigadier Cheng couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"If we take the mountain road, our current four regiments of 10,000 people, each carrying 20 kilograms, plus all the baggage troops carrying 150,000 kilograms, are not enough." Tang Dao shook his head.
"Then we still need to mobilize the surrounding people?" Brigadier Cheng frowned. "If it doesn't work, we can only burn some supplies that are not urgently needed."
"What a pity!" Tang Dao shook his head. "I have a trick. Don't the Japanese still have some trucks that are not damaged and can still be used? Just use those trucks and take the highway."
"Let's not worry about how many people can drive this kind of truck. Let's just say that if the Japanese who have just returned to Licheng see it, they will go crazy!" Cheng Lvda shook his head. "Even if they dare not leave the city, those who pass through Licheng will
Sometimes, the highway can be within the range of its artillery, which is too dangerous."
"We think so, and of course the Japanese think the same way. When the sentry at the top of their city sees the car lights in the distance, can he be sure whether it is one of their own or us? When they send a telegram and come over to confirm, we will be gone long ago.
.
Moreover, when approaching the vicinity of Licheng, all the lights of the convoy are turned off, and the co-pilot only needs to shine the flashlight on the butt of the car in front, leaving only the headlights of the front car, so the kid may not necessarily know that it is a convoy." Tang Dao said with a smile.
"In terms of drivers, our regiment's baggage company has already used the past half month to train fifty drivers. The skills do not need to be very good, they only need to be able to maintain stable driving conditions at low speeds. The key issue now is, with Commander Wang and the others
The main force of the entangled Japanese army has retreated, and I don’t know if the Japanese garrison at Dongyang Pass has retreated."
"Good boy, what you are doing is going against the grain! Even if the little devils knew that we were bold, they would never have imagined that we would be so bold, so we drove a car and pulled goods and passed under their noses. It was crucial night.
They don't dare to go out of the city to ask questions, and if we only need a delay of 10 minutes, we will be far away." Brigadier Cheng, who is also a very smart man, clapped his hands and said with a smile.
"Of course the Japanese troops in Dongyang Pass ran away with them. There are only one or two hundred little Japs. If they don't run away, won't they give us a clean slate for anyone who dares to challenge an infantry regiment with them? Okay, I'll do as you say.
Just the supplies that were moved here." Speaking of this, Brigadier Cheng scratched his head in a rare move.
If he had known this, he wouldn't have worked so hard. Does this mean he would have to move back again?
"That's not necessary. The materials in the mountains are transported by manpower and various baggage troops. There should be a lot left over there, and fifty trucks should be able to load it. All the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment pay tribute to the friendly forces who have put in huge physical effort.
"How could Tang Dao make this old senior feel that he had not thought carefully, and he quickly comforted him warmly.
"Boy, you are so good at talking all of a sudden. Are you targeting someone from my brigade again?" Brigadier Cheng Da smiled.
"I am fairly familiar with Battalion Commander Xiao Ding of the 772nd Regiment, and I happen to be missing one." Tang Dao answered matter-of-factly.
"Get out!" Brigadier Cheng pointed angrily into the distance.
"Then two company commanders can do it!" Tang Dao was not discouraged at all.
"If you don't leave, I will!" Brigadier Cheng ran straight in the direction of his finger.
He just tested it, and Tang Dao took out his hoe. If you can't afford to offend such a person, why can't you hide from him?
The officers present at the 683rd Brigade were both amused and surprised. This gave their brigade commander a headache even for the two division leaders. I'm afraid Tang Dao was still the first.
All kidding aside, the material transportation event will not stop. If we don't evacuate at night, it will be difficult for the Japanese army to send planes to bomb during the day.
As a result, most of the supplies were transported back to the various headquarters via small roads with tens of thousands of soldiers and pack horses, carts, and carts.
A convoy of fifty trucks marched arrogantly on the road until they were finally far away from the most dangerous city of Li.
The Japanese troops in Licheng did not react at all as Tang Dao said.
Tang Dao was actually thinking too cleverly for them. In fact, the Japanese sentry on the top of the city saw a pair of car lights and firmly believed that those were vehicles heading to Lucheng. There would be no one except the Empire's own people.
Although the distance of two kilometers was not enough to prevent them from hearing the dull roar of the truck engine, the two sentries were unlucky ones who had experienced shelling and their hearing was severely damaged.
So, hello, me, hello everyone!
He robbed you of your property and used your car to deliver it. It was a perfect 'robbery'!
