Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 231 Encirclement of the 65th Regiment
At the 65th Regiment Field Command, the two officers in the two corners looked very unhappy. The attack of the Second Battalion on Feiying Ridge was not going smoothly.

A fully-strength battalion was deployed, but after attacking for over an hour there was no progress. Even the first line of defense of the defenders could not be breached, and instead casualties were heavy. The defenders defending Feiying Ridge were extremely difficult to deal with.

"Mr. Oi, the weapons used by the defenders don't sound like German, Japanese, or Chinese weapons. You've been in the headquarters before. Can you tell what kind of equipment it is?"

Major Oi thought for a moment and said:

“The rifle can be confirmed to be the 1891 Mosin-Nagant rifle, and the machine gun seems to be the DP-28 light machine gun!
The enemy’s situation is unclear now. The regiment has suffered nearly a thousand casualties and can’t fight anymore!
I suggest that we switch to defense right here, and then ask the division commander for tactical guidance. As long as the tanks and heavy artillery battalion arrive, it won't be too late to attack Feiying Ridge."

Colonel Ryotaku did not insist this time. He also realized that it would be difficult for the 65th Regiment to capture Feiying Ridge alone, and there would be heavy casualties, so he nodded and said:
"Continue to maintain pressure on Feiying Ridge, and at the same time request tactical guidance from the division commander!"

Colonel Ryojiao was indeed a very pragmatic commander. He didn't seem to worry about being scolded by the division commander. If he could exchange a scolding for reinforcements, he was willing to be scolded every day.

When Major Oi saw that the regiment commander had finally recognized the reality, he hurried to send a telegram to the division commander, saying that as long as the heavy artillery battalion arrived, the 12 105mm heavy howitzers would definitely be able to flatten Feiying Ridge.

After Colonel Liangjiao decided to ask for help, the offensive on Feiyingling was reduced significantly. It was no longer a life-and-death fight, but relying on firepower to put pressure on the defenders.
The infantry would charge one round and the regiment artillery would bombard one round. The scale was controlled at half a battalion, and they would stop when attacking an area of ​​about 100 meters to maintain limited contact.

At the same time, a mortar squadron was dispatched to continuously attack the defenders' machine gun fire, achieving good results.

The enemy was changing, and so was I. Mu Tiezhu, who had rich practical experience, also made adjustments. He concealed half of his firepower and only used riflemen and a small number of machine guns to play with the devils.
They were not afraid of the Japs as much as their accurate shooting, and they only needed to wait until dark, hoping that the Japs would delay the time.

Before they knew it, the sun had set and the Liangjiao Brigade had suspended their attack. In order to prevent a sneak attack by the Chinese, they even retreated several hundred meters, switched to defense on the spot, and acted like groundhogs.

The Japanese regular divisions all had high tactical literacy and attached great importance to self-protection during field operations. They would dig life-saving circular fortifications before going to bed, making it very difficult to launch a surprise attack on them at night.

Mu Tiezhu was very satisfied that he could withstand the attack of the Japanese. After dark, they were also not idle. Under the leadership of the officers, they were also repairing the fortifications. They did not think of causing trouble for the Japanese.

Both sides were playing the role of groundhogs, so they did not attack each other until midnight, when both sides began to rest. Of course, they left enough guard forces so that the two colonels could sleep well.

That night, the two sides in Feiyingling chose not to disturb each other tacitly, but in the deep night, the main force of the 65st Division penetrated to the junction of the 13th Regiment and the th Division, and then began to build a blocking position overnight;
与此同时，游击纵队主力之补充支队（3个营）、二支队（缺1营）、319旅（缺1营）共计7个步兵营从东、南、北三个方向围了上来，到天亮前已经全部运动到位。

As the guerrilla columns closed the encirclement, they engaged in a firefight with the guards that the 65th Regiment had placed on the periphery;
Due to the huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, the Japanese guards were quickly wiped out and the encirclement was tightened. By the time Colonel Liangjiao realized something was wrong, they were already surrounded.

After dawn, when Colonel Ryojiao found himself surrounded, he was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat in the middle of winter. He exclaimed:
"Bagayalu, why are there so many Chinese people suddenly appearing?"

Lieutenant Colonel Oi also wanted to know the answer. It was obvious that Yue Qianli's military force had been used to the limit, but at this critical moment, tens of thousands of elite soldiers appeared again - could it be that Yue Qianli could really turn beans into soldiers?
"Bakayaloo, this joke is not funny at all!

Why?" "Sir, this question is no longer important now. Chinese people have been found in many directions behind us. This is obviously a conspiracy of the Chinese!

I suggest that we immediately ask the division commander for tactical guidance, and have the division coordinate the other two armies to move closer to ours.

At the same time, he led the main force of the division to rush to Feiyingling to support it. Facing the siege of the Chinese, the 65th Regiment, which was attacked from both sides, could not hold out for long—"

"Bakayalu, the fight hasn't even started yet and you're already here to boost their morale and destroy your own prestige. You have a very bad conscience!"

Colonel Liangjiao finally couldn't help but scold Major Oi. He had much more practical combat experience than Major Oi. Yue Qianli had taken great pains to encircle and annihilate them, so how could he allow reinforcements to come and disrupt his good deeds?

The rising sun flag of the 7th Regiment suddenly appeared in his mind, and he broke out in a cold sweat. This seemed to be a hint of his future.

The Chinese were tightening the encirclement, leaving him with little time. There were only three options for him and the 65th Regiment:

The first option was to hold on and wait for help, the second option was to break out from Feiying Ridge, and the third option was to break out from several other directions. It was a difficult decision, and he even sought the opinion of Major Oi.

"Sir, the Chinese have a large number of artillery, and the hastily built field fortifications will not last until the reinforcements arrive.

We can only break out to the east immediately before the Chinese encirclement is closed. As long as the main force of the division responds with full support, the chances of breaking out are very high."

Colonel Liangjiao was moved at first, then his face changed drastically, and he shook his head and said:

"Mr. Dajing, what you can think of, Yue Qianli will definitely think of. How could he put so much thought into it and let us break through easily? He must have a backup plan.

Breaking through is inevitable, but the only way out should be at Feiying Ridge!

Yue Qianli has sent almost all his troops to encircle and annihilate us. Wuhu City is now probably an empty city.

The blocking force at Feiying Ridge has only 2 people at most. The 65th Regiment still has a chance to break out with all their strength. As long as they break through Feiying Ridge, Wuhu City can be captured.

By then, there will be no problem relying on Wuhu City to defend until the main force arrives. At worst, we can retreat to Jiangbei, and the flag will be revitalized.

Life and death depend on this one move, I decided to break out from Feiying Ridge!"

(End of this chapter)