Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 115: Bloody Battle

Right wing, 528th Regimental Line

The Japanese troops of the 7th Regiment continuously attacked the defense line of the 528th Regiment. The defenders responded calmly and pushed the Japanese in front of their positions, resulting in casualties on both sides.

On the other side of the river, at the 7th Regiment Headquarters, Colonel Isa Koichiro's forehead darkened, and his triangular eyes emitted a wolf-like light. Those who knew him well should know that he was on the verge of going crazy.

He thought the defenders had lost their fighting spirit after continuous attacks, but he did not expect them to remain stubborn. His dream of achieving victory in one battle was shattered.

Senior staff officer Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama said in general:
“Isa-kun, this is just a probing attack. Considering that our opponent is the 88th Brigade of the 264th Division, it is not realistic to take the position with a single charge.

It is better to withdraw the warriors first, call in artillery fire to destroy their exposed firepower, and then launch an attack. We must be patient with the Chinese elite like the 264th Brigade. "

Isa Kazuo still wanted to give some face to Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama, and also to find a way out for himself, so he nodded and said:

"Then let the warriors withdraw, call for artillery support once more, and tell that bastard Takase that I will give him one more chance. We must not let the 19th Regiment be the first to break through the middle, otherwise the shame of our 7th Regiment can only be washed away with his blood."

Isa Kazuo had obviously lost his patience. The division commander assigned the task of attacking the center to the 19th Regiment. This was obviously a sign of dissatisfaction with the 7th Regiment. There was already a trend of suppressing him within the th Division, which Isa Kazuo could not accept.

Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama had worked in the division headquarters before, and knew that these regiment commanders were competing with each other. The rank from colonel to major general is a hurdle, and everyone wants to step on others to cross it. Isa Kazuo was proud and arrogant, so naturally he didn't want to fall behind others.

After understanding this relationship, Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama did not say anything good for Major Takase anymore, but simply took the order and left.

At the defending position, Major Lin Mijian, the commander of the third battalion of the 528th Regiment, saw the Japanese retreating like a tide, and immediately blew the anti-artillery whistle and was the first to get into the anti-artillery shells;

Because the Japanese offensive was too fierce, as the battalion commander he had already reached the front line. He had long understood the Japanese habits, so he made the wisest choice.

The arrangement of the 528th Regiment was that the 264rd Battalion was on the left, the nd Battalion was on the right, the artillery battalion was in the rear, and the st Battalion was the reserve. This had become the standard configuration of the th Brigade.

The 88th Division was the first to fight against the Japanese army. After being bombed many times, they summed up their experience. Unlike the 21st Army, they used the tactics of the domestic war when they fought against the devils for the first time.

During the charge, several regiments were lined up in a row without leaving any reserve troops. If one point was breached, the whole line would be destroyed. This was a bloody lesson.

He Shixian has undoubtedly learned his lesson. Under the influence of Yue Qianli, the defensive tactics of the 528th Regiment are now not much different from those of the 527th Regiment. Everyone values ​​the ability to save lives.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion had just taken cover when the Japanese artillery shells rained down on them. These were artillery pieces from the Ninth Division's artillery regiment, and their firepower was extremely fierce.

In order to support the attack of the 7th Regiment, Yoshika Ryosuke mobilized 105 heavy howitzers of the 12mm howitzer battalion, which was the largest caliber artillery at the division level, which shows his hatred for the 264th Brigade.

Shells fell one after another, destroying the fortifications that the 264th Brigade had painstakingly built section by section. Fortunately, they had started preparations a few days ago, so the fortifications were built like a maze, with three trenches in front and back, as well as longitudinal communication trenches, and as many anti-artillery holes as one for each squad.
So although the Japanese artillery fire seemed fierce, the casualties it caused to the 528th Regiment were still within the tolerable range. After all, the hit rate of the heavy howitzer was not high.

The Japanese artillery preparation lasted for more than ten rounds, and Isa Kazuo nodded repeatedly:
"Kameyama-kun, I see that the defenders' positions have been almost flattened, and the previously exposed firepower points have all suffered devastating blows. This time, Takase-kun should have no problem taking down the defenders' positions."

Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama said with great certainty:
"Isa-kun, there is only one small street less than 2 kilometers long in Oba Town. The surrounding terrain is flat and there is no strategic location to defend. The Chinese can only rely on simple civil engineering works to block the attack of the imperial army.

The best way to deal with these simple fortifications is to use artillery to push forward all the way, let the God of War cannon do the talking, and the infantry is only responsible for occupying the position. "

Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama graduated from the Japanese Army University, where he systematically studied trench warfare while in school. Isa Kazuo graduated from the 33rd class of the Army University, one year older than Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama, so they had a very good relationship in private and respected each other very much.

Isa Kazuo agreed with Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama's words and nodded.
"Yoshi, let's wait and see!"

As soon as the artillery fire extended, more than 1 Japanese soldiers under the command of Major Takase launched an attack on the position of the 528th Regiment. He Shixian immediately ordered the artillery battalion to intercept the fire. Rows of 82mm mortar shells fell into the group of Japanese soldiers, blowing them to pieces.

The artillery battalion withdrew from its position after firing only six rounds. If it had not withdrawn, it would have been targeted by the Japanese artillery group. Given its absolute disadvantage in firepower, the artillery battalion's support for the front-line positions was limited, and it would have to rely on the infantry itself to drive away the Japanese.

Although the artillery battalion's sudden fire attack caused dozens of casualties to the Japanese, it did not stop the Japanese offensive at all. A few dozen casualties among thousands of Japanese were nothing.

Major Takase received a death order, so he tied a sanitary napkin on his head this time. The officers and non-commissioned officers below followed suit. In their eyes, soldiers were just consumables.

When the Japanese skirmishers crossed the river bank, dozens of flames burst out from the positions. The light and heavy machine guns of the second and third battalions opened fire, mowing down the Japanese in groups. Other Japanese soldiers took advantage of the situation and lay down among the corpses, fiercely fighting back at the defenders.

The Japanese infantry guns and mortars on the other side of the river continued to fire at the defenders. From time to time a machine gun was destroyed, and the defenders also suffered heavy casualties.

Li Boxi, the artillery commander supporting the 528th Regiment, saw that the opportunity was rare and decisively issued an order to open fire. The flying thunder artillery group that had been set up in advance threw 12 explosive packs at the Japanese, which was enough to kill the Japanese. It was useless to lie down.

The accuracy of the explosive pack was really average, but the power was terrifying. Isa Kazuo was stunned as he watched a pack of explosives fall into the group of Japanese soldiers, blowing them to pieces. The lethality was no less than that of a heavy artillery of more than 200 mm.

The Chinese didn't feel anything when the devils were bombing them, but when they were being beaten, they felt the pain and cursed:
"Damn it! It's the mortars again! Order the field artillery squadron to shoot them down! Kill the chickens!"

"Okay, well done! When I have time, I'll build a few too!"

The third battalion commander Lin Mijian shouted excitedly that he had seen the real fire thunder cannon and that it did not require any technical difficulty and he was confident that he could make it.

Yue Qianli was not worried that the Japanese would imitate it, because they had eliminated this thing three hundred years ago. In fact, the 10th Heavy Artillery Brigade had 320 20mm mortars with a range of more than ten kilometers and smoothbore barrels. It was much more advanced than the Flying Thunder Cannon. Its only drawback was that it was heavy, weighing more than tons.

The Japanese' modern artillery has already formed a system, from the Type 305 grenade launcher to the mm heavy howitzer, so how could they possibly look down on mortars? To put it bluntly, this is a weapon for the poor.

The flying thunder cannons fired only three rounds before quickly retreating. If they didn't run away, they would be bombed.

The 36 flying thunder bombs caused huge damage to the Japanese, killing and injuring hundreds of people. If the Japanese's skirmish line had not been so spread out, the lethality would have been even greater.

Don't underestimate these 100-odd people. They dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Japanese. You have to know that they only had more than 1,000 people in total, and the range of the Flying Thunder Cannon was too short. It could only bomb the first echelon of Japanese, but it left a great psychological shadow on the second and third echelons of Japanese, so that many Japanese lay on the ground and were unwilling to continue charging.
Major Takase was so angry that smoke came out of his nose. He waved his command knife and cursed:
"Bakayaluo, you have brought disgrace upon the Imperial Army. If we don't charge forward, we'll die!"

The Japanese infantry still hesitated to move forward, and Major Takase's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he killed the two cowards on the spot, which frightened them so much that they got up from the ground and continued to attack;

The Japanese officers at all levels also felt the murderous aura of Major Takase, and drove their soldiers to charge at the defending positions. Those who dared to retreat were killed with a single blow. After feeling the threat of death, the beastly nature of the Beast Division was aroused, and they rushed towards the position of the 528th Regiment with a roar;

The defenders were not intimidated by their momentum. They fired at the Japs with their light and heavy weapons, turning these beasts into corpses.

The Japanese's regimental artillery was also constantly firing at the defenders, and heavy machine gun bullets were sweeping towards the soldiers of the 528th Regiment like a torrential rain. Under the Japanese's impenetrable firepower, the defenders were constantly shot and fell, casualties increased sharply, and firepower gradually decreased.

The artillery battalion of the 528th Regiment also kept firing at the enemy's machine gun positions, blowing up the Type heavy machine guns into pieces. The battle between the two sides entered a brutal war of attrition...

The fierce battle lasted until dark, and the 7th Regiment reluctantly withdrew after leaving behind hundreds of corpses;
Both sides seemed to be tired of fighting. When Major Takase went back to report, Isa Kazuo slapped him several times. However, Isa Kazuo finally let him go because he knew that Major Takase had tried his best.

If he asked Major Takase to commit seppuku because of this, then Yoshika Ryosuke could also ask him to apologize to the Emperor. It would be fine if he just listened to some angry words.

"Bagaya road!"

Isa Kazuo kicked Major Takase away. At the suggestion of Lieutenant Colonel Kameyama, Major Takase left in a hurry. The battle on the 24th came to an end.

Isa Kazuo finally faced the reality. The troops of the 88th Division were not so easy to defeat. Even the defenders in the center and the left wing were able to withstand the attacks of the 19th and 36th Regiments. It would take more than a day to capture Obara.

Yoshika Ryosuke also suppressed his temper and did not urge them to launch an attack overnight. They decided to rest for a night and fight again after they had enough energy. Anyway, Dachang Town was already a cooked duck, and one night would not make a difference.

Just after midnight, Yue Qianli, who had slept all day, suddenly opened his eyes, emitting a fascinating light;

The Japs have quieted down, but he has never been a person who would passively take a beating. If he is the 527th Division during the day, then he is the th Regiment at night!

"Are you all ready, brothers?"

When the deputy regiment lieutenant colonel Tian Xiyuan saw Yue Qianli wake up, he quickly replied:
"Everything is ready! The reconnaissance company has sent us the positions of the 7th Regiment and the 9th Artillery Regiment;

The 5th Heavy Artillery Brigade did not pass Yunzaobang, and the location of the 9th Division Headquarters is too heavily guarded and has not yet been determined."

Yue Qianli nodded and said:
"Let's start with the Seventh Regiment. There are too many Japanese soldiers and even our regiment cannot handle them all. We just need to teach the arrogant Seventh Regiment a lesson!
The attack was scheduled for two o'clock in the morning, and all the troops were in place before one o'clock, hiding among the dead bodies on the river bank;
The rocket launcher group was ready and told He Qizheng to make sure the first round hit!

The 528th Regiment has already coordinated that the counterattack troops will withdraw to the defense zone before a.m., and they will help the assault battalion cross the river. "

"Captain, isn't one battalion too few? How about you bring another battalion?"

Yue Qianli shook his head and said:

"Quality of soldiers is more important than quantity. Too many people in a night raid will easily lead to a chaotic fight. I will lead the second battalion. The first and third battalions will be responsible for creating momentum. The 528th Regiment will pick us up. We will leave after the battle!"

After Yue Qianli made the arrangements, he turned around and left. The regiment headquarters was handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Tian Xiyuan. He had high hopes for this night attack, so he led the team personally, with only two goals;
One is the artillery regiment of the 9th Division, and the other is the 7th Regiment Headquarters. It would be best to eliminate Isa Kazuo, the executioner of the Nanjing Massacre, in advance.

On the south bank of Paomatang, the night was as dark as ink. Teams of black shadows quietly moved to the river bank, then quietly lay down under the river bank and blended into the night.
On the other side of the river, the main force of the 500th Regiment set up camp meters away from the river bank. They also built circular fortifications, with the regiment headquarters located in the middle.

The 9th Division Field Artillery Regiment was located on a dirt slope one kilometer away, surrounded by a battalion of infantry guards, and the defense was very strict;
It was already past one in the morning. The Japs, who had been fighting fiercely all day, had long since fallen asleep. Only the Japs on night duty were still patrolling back and forth vigilantly. As the elite of the Japanese army, the Seventh Regiment did a very good job in preventing night attacks.

They have already established systems for many things, so there is no need to worry even if Isa Kazuo falls asleep during the march, because his officers at all levels will consciously implement the relevant systems. In this respect, they are much better than the National Army.

"Ya me di! Baka!"

Isa Kazuo suddenly woke up from his sleep. He dreamed that the whole camp was burning. The Chinese soldiers came down from the sky and killed the Japanese soldiers. They chopped off his head and then it was carried away by a wild dog.

He kept chasing, because Amaterasu would not take him in even without his head. He chased and chased until he returned to his hometown, where he saw his wife being pinned down by a man.

He was very angry. When he saw that the man was his father, he cursed him and wanted to chop him with a knife. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the knife, so he woke up in a hurry...

"Bagaya road!"

Thinking of his plump and sexy wife and his still strong father, he became more and more unable to fall asleep. No wonder Taro looked so much like his grandfather.

"idiot!"

Isa Kazuo's mind was filled with the raging fire in his dream. He climbed up from the camp bed with a whoosh and walked out of the tent. He always felt that something would happen at night. A feeling of suffocation kept accompanying him, so he decided to go out for some fresh air.

After leaving the tent, a cool breeze blew into his neck, which immediately made him wake up.
He thought of the ridiculous things that happened in his dream and couldn't help shaking his head. His expression also looked much better. After all, it was just a dream.

"What a beautiful night! Such a beautiful starry sky should belong to the He people. The Chinese people don't deserve it at all. They don't even deserve to live!"

"Oh, meteor shower! I want to make a wish!"

Isa Kazuo suddenly saw a gorgeous "meteor shower" in the night sky. This opportunity was so rare that he couldn't help but make a wish. It would be even better if there were some paper cranes.

At that moment, he was surprised to find that the "meteor shower" was actually coming straight towards him. It was so dreamy!

"Baka—enemy attack!"

Suddenly his face turned as ugly as if his father had died - this was not a meteor shower!

He thought of the heavy artillery group at Yunzaobang...

(End of this chapter)