Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 271 Counterattack on North City
After dealing with the 6th Regiment on the right wing, the guerrilla column was completely freed up. In addition to leaving the nd Detachment to continue guarding, the independent detachment also joined the street fighting in the north city as planned;

The training battalion, which had just seen blood, was responsible for cleaning the battlefield, finishing off the Japanese, collecting and burying the bodies, caring for the wounded, and counting and organizing the captured equipment and supplies. These miscellaneous tasks were just right for training them.

The way the independent detachment intervened in the street fighting in the North City was also very particular. It did not rush in all at once, but first sent a vanguard battalion to cut in at the waist, attacking from east to west, dividing the North City into two large blocks, north and south.

The other two battalions followed closely behind, and when they reached the middle railway line, they turned around and made further cuts along the railway line, one to the south and one to the north, thus dividing the entire northern city area into four parts.

Just like cutting a cake, cut horizontally and vertically, and finally cooperate with the original troops to defeat the separated devils one by one;

Since the independent detachment was a fresh force, the addition of 3 people from three infantry battalions was like a devastating force, and they quickly completed the first phase of the cutting mission and wiped out hundreds of Japanese devils.

Next, a battalion will be responsible for an area, encircling and suppressing the enemy in a dragnet-like manner, repeatedly clearing out the enemy until all the Japanese are wiped out.

The two regiments that had been staying near the railway bridge immediately withdrew to the south city along the railway bridge when they saw that the situation was not right. There was no other way, as they controlled the railway bridge and could retreat at any time.

But the troops in the city were already fighting each other, they had lost unified command and could no longer withdraw, so they could only be abandoned as pawns.

Of course, the waste can still make some use of their remaining energy. A few thousand people can always kill some Chinese people and delay the main force of the guerrillas to prevent them from killing their way through the South City.

But the guerrilla column had no intention of killing Nancheng, so it was worthless;
Moreover, the Japanese were guarding the southern entrance to the railway bridge. Even if they set up a few machine guns, they would be unable to break through. As long as we defended the northern city, the Japanese's strategic intention of advancing from the north and south would not be realized.

The central task of the second phase of the operation is to clear out the remaining Japanese troops in the north city and liberate the Third Detachment and the Supplementary Detachment first.

In the South City, at the headquarters of the 3rd Division, Fujita Susumu was already in a state of panic. He could no longer care about the remaining Japanese soldiers in the North City.
The bad news came one after another, like a bolt from the blue, which made him burnt on the outside and tender on the inside.

First, the Sixth Regiment brought him some bad news that made him dizzy. The Chinese were indeed plotting something and took the lead in launching a counterattack.
The Sixth Regiment suffered heavy losses and only managed to retreat with the regiment headquarters and the wasteland.

Then the Chinese launched a full-scale counterattack against the North City. Tens of thousands (exaggerated) of elite Chinese troops poured into the North City. If it weren't for the quick reaction of Ishii Yoshie and Ishii Hachiro, the two regiments would not have been able to be saved.

Now the three brothers have become the leaders of the bachelors' league. The eldest brother should not laugh at the second brother. Fujita Susumu is also not subject to the law, and he cursed in frustration:
"Bagayalo, a bunch of good-for-nothings and good-for-nothings!
Why don't you go and be loyal to the Emperor?"

The three brothers just lowered their heads and said nothing. You can scold them, but what about talking about loyalty to the emperor? How can we continue the conversation today?

The three of them tacitly pretended not to hear Fujita's last words. They were all high-ranking officers of the empire, so they should be more polite in their words. "Serving the Emperor with loyalty" was something that was meant for officers below the rank of major.

I won't commit seppuku to become a colonel!

Fujita Susumu didn't really let them die. They were all loyal to the emperor, so who would fight for him?

As long as the regiment headquarters is there, the 3rd Division can still be rebuilt. There are plenty of reinforcements in the country, so it's just a matter of a few thousand cannon fodder.

After Fujita Susumu vented his dissatisfaction, he snorted coldly:

"Don't worry about the North City for now. Let the warriors hold back the main force of the guerrilla column in the North City. If they want to defeat the two regiments of the Imperial Army, they will have to break a few of their teeth.
You must guard the railway bridge and never let the Chinese cross the bridge, otherwise you will be loyal to the emperor!" The three brothers felt as if they had been pardoned. After Fujita Shinichi waved his hand, they left the division headquarters with lingering fears. At least they didn't have to report to Aunt Amaterasu.

They are all experienced and know that they just need to wait until the reinforcements arrive and they can be the commanders of the regiment who can command the whole army.

After sending away Kawabami Mitsuki and others, Fujita Susumu asked again about the location of the 13th Division. Now was the time when the 3rd Division was at its weakest, and it needed the assistance of the 13th Division.

Colonel Tajiri immediately responded:
"We can arrive before dark at the latest. Although the offensive on the Western Front is fierce, we will have no problem holding out until dark."

Fujita Susumu then breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Colonel Tajiri with lingering fear in his heart:
"Mr. Tajiri, you cannot treat Yue Qianli's troops with common sense. Even though there are only a few thousand people on the western front, you still cannot take it lightly.
The Empire can afford to lose a few thousand warriors. I will apply to the Commander for some more reinforcements. As long as the skeleton is still there, once the reinforcements arrive, the Third Division will still be the elite imperial army that the Chinese people are terrified of."

Colonel Tajiri also agreed and suggested:
"Your Excellency, the division commander, the warriors of North City are now fighting with the main force of China. The enemy is numerous and we are few.

If we mobilize enough artillery to attack them indiscriminately, we will surely inflict heavy damage—"

Fujita raised his hand to stop Colonel Tajiri from speaking, and snorted coldly:

"Those are the brave warriors of the Imperial Army, how could I kill them?

Besides, do you want to force the guerrilla column on the western front to fight to the death?"

Colonel Tajiri immediately realized that he had spoken without thinking. The last sentence was the key point, which would be tested.

So he tried to make up for his mistake and said:
"I didn't think it through. The main mission of the artillery brigade is to assist the division headquarters in defending. Besides, if we really fire at the North City, the Chinese people in the North City will attack the railway bridge to save their lives. This is indeed a bad idea.
We should trust the imperial warriors in the North City. Even without artillery support, they will be able to hold on to the North City and make China pay a heavy price."

Fujita Susumu's face looked better now. He now just wanted to stop the attack on the western front and hold out until reinforcements arrived. The 13th Division was not his own people and could not be relied upon.

On the Western Front, the offensive of one team after another continued, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that they were not trying their best;
Previously, the 1st and 2nd Battalions had suffered half of their casualties in Nancheng, and they were only able to restore their organization after incorporating the Sichuan Army Corps that Lao Yue had assigned to them before the war.

The number of people has recovered, but a decline in combat effectiveness is inevitable.

General Li was quite kind. These Sichuan troops had all been in the battlefield, and each regiment had about 1500 men.
But they were not familiar with the guerrilla column's tactical system. They were all skinny and bony, and their physical fitness was much worse than that of the strong men in the guerrilla column. They would need to be fed with the guerrilla column's food for at least a month.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of these two battalions has declined significantly. The real pillars are the 3rd Battalion and the Artillery Battalion, so they do not have the strength to break through the Japanese defense line and can only put pressure on the Japanese through continuous attacks.

Deputy Captain Hua came over excitedly and reported:
"Senior, good news! Beicheng launched a counterattack and crippled the Sixth Regiment. If the enemy regiment hadn't run away quickly, they would have been wiped out!"

After Hua Pinzhang finished speaking, he handed the telegram to Zhu Chi. Zhu Chi took the telegram and couldn't help laughing:
"Brothers, I have good news for you. The Second Brigade, the Independent Brigade, the Artillery Battalion, the Training Battalion and other units have launched a major counterattack against the Japanese.
The main force of the Sixth Regiment has been annihilated, and they are now launching a counterattack towards the North City. It is only a matter of time before they annihilate the enemies in the city!"

Everyone cheered and finally saw the dawn of victory!

(End of this chapter)