Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 196: Bloody Battle at Yuhuatai
Colonel Yasuyuki Okamoto was determined this time, and almost all of his regiment was pressed forward, and he was going all in at once, intending to fight Dingyuhuatai;
Seeing that the devils had placed a heavy bet, Liao Jianping, the captain of the second detachment, shouted excitedly:
"Okay, I like this kind of gambler who just can't make a living, I'll follow him!

Order the artillery battalion to fire 12 rounds rapidly, and blow the bastards to death!"

The artillery battalion of the Second Brigade was equipped with 12 mortars, including the Type 20 and captured 90mm mortars;
When Liao Jianping saw that the Japanese had launched a group charge, he decided to be polite and let them have a taste of the power of the artillery first.

The mortar's firing rate is 8 to 10 rounds per minute, and 12 rapid fire rounds will normally be completed within 2 minutes, and then quickly transferred. This is the highest standard reception Liao Jianping prepared for the Kumamoto Brigade;
The Kumamoto Regiment's attack was extremely fierce, one wave after another, and the defenders responded calmly, with casualties on both sides.

Just when the two sides were in a stalemate, rows of mortar shells fell from the sky and slammed into the group of Japanese soldiers, making them dizzy and causing heavy casualties.

After being hit by more than ten rounds of artillery shells in succession, the Japanese offensive formation was obviously in chaos. The squadron leader couldn't find the squad leader, and the squad leader couldn't find his soldiers. They were all hiding from the artillery shells, and some were directly killed. The offensive also declined.

Seeing his troops being blown to pieces by the Chinese artillery, Colonel Okamoto's eyes turned red, and he yelled at the top of his lungs like a cornered wild dog:

"Fire—destroy the Chinese artillery!"

When Colonel Okamoto got angry, the artillery of the Kumamoto Regiment followed suit, and rows of shells hit the artillery battalion's position. The shooting was very accurate. If it had not retreated in time, at least half of the artillery battalion would have been destroyed.

Battalion Commander Li Boxi secretly rejoiced:
"Fortunately, I retreated quickly, otherwise I would have been caught in the same pot!"

第13联队的野炮中队装备了4门75毫米野炮、6门90毫米迫击炮，还有6门37毫米速射炮，在火力方面是要优于639团的。

Since the Second Detachment had an artillery group, the Japanese regiment artillery did not dare to fire too much. Only the four 4mm field guns dared to fire openly because of the long distance, taking advantage of the fact that the mortars could not reach them.

Seeing that the defenders had been suppressed by the regiment's artillery, the Japanese infantrymen rushed forward again, some even tied sanitary napkins on their heads, showing their determination to fight to the death, such as Captain Hanada Eio, the surviving squadron leader of the Kubo Battalion;
At this moment, he was so showy that he took off his military uniform jacket in such cold weather, leaving only a white shirt shivering in the wind.

"Bagayalu, why is it so cold?"

When the cold wind blew, Captain Hanada, who had been showing off too much, sneezed a few times. He had already begun to regret his excessive showing off and just hoped that the commander of the regiment could see his loyalty and bravery.

Colonel Okamoto finally paid attention to Captain Hanada and praised him:

"Yoshi, this is a loyal and brave warrior of the empire, who dares to charge into the hail of bullets, fearless of life and death. Once we capture Yuhuatai, I will personally give him a reward!"

Major Miyakawa Ryozo said jokingly:
"The Kumamoto Brigade has never lacked brave warriors willing to die like this. The previous setback was just a minor setback. As long as they start to fight offensively and defensively, no Chinese army can stop the attack of the Kumamoto Brigade!"

Okamoto agreed deeply. They were from Satsuma, southern Kyushu, which was known for its "black skin and bright red blood", and the Kumamoto Regiment was one of the best in the entire empire.

"Miyagawa-kun, the glory of the Kumamoto United cannot be tarnished, it must be washed away with the blood of the Chinese!
Go tell the warriors that His Majesty Chaoxiang has said that military discipline will be lifted for ten days after they capture Jinling City, and they can revel to their heart's content."

After hearing this, Major Miyakawa's eyes instantly lit up with anticipation, and he said with envy:

"When I was in school, I heard about the prosperity of the Qinhuai River. There were beautiful girls everywhere. I used to think that such a paradise on earth only appeared in heaven, and the lowly Chinese people were not worthy of it! Now the loyal and brave warriors of the empire can also get whatever they want. I am so envious."

"Miyagawa-kun, don't envy them. When the city is captured, all the warriors will celebrate, including you and me.
After hearing what you said, I have become interested in the Ten Miles Qinhuai River. Let's go and see it together!"

Before they captured Jinling City, the two old devils were already planning a carnival. Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko sent a secret telegram to each division commander in the name of the royal family;
The content was very simple: kill all prisoners of war and lift military discipline for ten days, which greatly stimulated the Japanese who were attacking the city.

Most of the high-ranking officers of the Japs were experts in China, and they were full of infinite longing for the prosperous Jinling City...

A crisp gunshot broke the brief silence of the battlefield. A small hole suddenly appeared on the sanitary napkin of Captain Hanada, who was pretending to be cool before, and then half of his head was blown off. This was the effect that could only be produced by a Mauser fully loaded with powder bullets.

Second Lieutenant Lin Hongchun, a sniper from the First Battalion of the Second Brigade, looked at Captain Huatian's big head with disdain. He would not allow such arrogant devils to exist;

After killing Captain Hanada, he took the opportunity to scratch the butt of his rifle, which was already covered with dense scratches. Each scratch represented a Japanese officer, machine gunner, or grenade launcher. Ordinary soldiers were not recorded on it.

The Second Detachment's cold guns and cold artillery made the 13th Regiment very uncomfortable. They just wanted to prepare for an offensive and defensive battle, so they didn't pay too much attention to them and focused on attacking forward.

When the Japanese skirmishers rushed to the position, the first and second battalions opened fire, and the Japanese offensive paused, like a rice field swept by a strong wind, all of them lay down, some dead and wounded, and some lying on the spot;
The Japs are crazy but not stupid. Once the firepower of the defenders is too strong, they will lie down and maneuver patiently until they break through the defenders' positions. This is also a tactic commonly used by the Japs.

"boom!"

A few hundred meters away, an infantry artillery shell accurately hit a machine gun group, killing two and injuring one instantly. The battalion commander roared:
"Where's the mortar platoon? If you want to, blow them up for me!"

The machine gun company commander turned and walked away with murderous intent. The Japanese infantry artillery was indeed annoying. After suffering a loss, they became smarter and would move to another position after destroying a target. They were very cunning.

The only weapon the Second Detachment could use to deal with infantry artillery was the Type 20 mortar. The captured 90mm mortars were too heavy and inconvenient to move. They had to rely on the "Jinling-made" mortars to play hide-and-seek with the Japanese. The machine gun company commander operated the artillery himself and would not stop until they destroyed them.

As the Japanese deployed a large number of troops, the defensive pressure was very great, and almost all of the Second Detachment pressed forward, and they were able to barely hold on.

"Captain, if we continue to hold out like this, the casualties will be too great. It would be better to concentrate all the flying thunder cannons on the second-line position.

Then let the Japs into the front-line positions, suppress them with a large number of machine guns, and then hit them hard from a high position. "

The third battalion commander made a very wrong suggestion to Liao Jianping. After thinking it over carefully, Liao Jianping agreed and said with a sinister smile:

"I didn't expect you to have so many crooked ideas. Let them have a taste of the Flying Thunder Cannon!"

(End of this chapter)