Songhu: Never Give Up

The battle became intense at the beginning. The Japanese wanted to wash away their shame, while Shi Song and the soldiers of the first and second battalions wanted to avenge the Japanese. They all wanted to kill each other, and the blood flowed like a river in front of the battlefield.
The ruthless Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima ordered the regiment's artillery to continuously bombard the defenders' positions, completely disregarding the possibility of accidentally injuring their own people, which caused a lot of casualties to the defenders.

Shi Song's eyes instantly turned blood red, and he yelled:
"Signalman, send a signal to the top of the mountain and tell them to fire at the devils!"

If you want to blow up, let's blow up together. It's just a fight of life and death. Who's afraid of who?

After receiving the signal from the main position, the people on the top of the mountain did not hesitate and bombarded the area where the Japanese were concentrated. Occasionally, shells fell into their own positions and caused accidental injuries.

Both sides were blood-thirsty. In order to withstand the Japanese's determined offensive, the two battalions of the defending army fought with their lives.
The machine gunner's gun barrel was fired red, and he didn't even have time to change his firing position until it was destroyed by the Japanese infantry artillery.

As soon as the Japanese infantry artillery showed up, it would be hit hard by two mortars from the artillery battalion. Both sides used almost all the means they had.

Since the Japanese were charging on the artillery points and using a barrage of bullets, by the time the observation post spotted the Japanese, they had already rushed to the front of the defenders' positions;
Long-range firepower did not play much of a role at all, and a company deployed on the first line of defense was quickly wiped out by the Japanese.

Then the Japanese rushed to the second trench. Shi Song had already forgotten Ai Jian's warning and raised his submachine gun and shouted:

"Brothers, charge and kill the devils!"

After Shi Song rushed out of the trench, he fired a long burst of shots at the Japanese soldiers, killing two of them with bayonets.
Before he could fire the second shot, hundreds of soldiers had overtaken him and collided violently with the charging Japanese.

The two sides engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand combat. Ai Jian, who had previously strictly prohibited bayonet fighting with the devils, also led the battalion guard platoon to reinforce;

The Third Battalion, which was waiting in the back, saw that the main force had started fighting with the Japanese, and without waiting for the battalion commander's order, it led its brothers to rush down in an overwhelming manner.

The addition of several hundred fresh troops boosted the morale of the soldiers in the melee, and they soon contained the Japanese offensive on the left flank.

At the same time, the second battalion on the right wing also broke out into a melee with the Japanese. The two sides fought in a mess on the battlefield and casualties soared!

There were about 1300 Japs pouring into the defenders’ positions, and about 1 troops from the 1400st Battalion participating in the melee. The numbers on both sides were equal, and there was no frills involved; it was a life-and-death struggle;
At first, Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima thought that the hand-to-hand combat between the two sides would be one-sided. After all, they were the Kwantung Army, known as the flower of the empire.

The soldiers had all undergone special assassination training, and had even experimented on living people. They had fought with the Anti-Japanese United Army for several years before entering the Pass, and had extensive practical experience.
In addition, their logistical support is the best in the entire East. Their soldiers are short, strong and sturdy. They have been influenced by Bushido for many years and have a strong will to fight. Coupled with professional assassination tactics, normally a group of them can defeat a class of Chinese.

But the more they fought, the more frightened the old devil was. There was no so-called 7:1 exchange, no one-sided massacre. Instead, they were driven out of the Chinese positions, and there were more casualties. This made him unacceptable, and he kept cursing:
"Bakayalu, how could this happen?"

"Bakayaro, is this still the Kwantung Army?"

"You have completely disgraced His Majesty!"

"Bagayalo, the Chinese have no martial ethics, they use pistols and submachine guns!
Do you want face?
Bakayaya Road..."

Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima seemed to have found the reason why they were being beaten. The defenders were equipped with a large number of Nambu pistols or box-type anti-aircraft guns, as well as submachine guns.
They were also divided into groups of three, with two riflemen protecting the two wings with bayonets, and the team leader in the middle using a pistol or submachine gun to call out the names of the Japanese.

Especially the "box gun", one magazine can easily wipe out a Japanese assassination team, while the Japanese Type 38 rifle is very inconvenient to fire in close combat and is prone to causing accidental injuries;

In addition, the defenders were also very strong physically and they were able to suppress the Japanese perfectly, forcing them to retreat step by step.

This melee lasted for more than half an hour, with thousands of people falling, including the Japs and the defenders, and it ended with the Japs' rout;

The supplementary detachment defeated the Japanese using the method that the Japanese were good at, and it was the most powerful Kwantung Army. Even Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima was convinced of the defeat and did not carry out indiscriminate shelling.

When the remaining Japanese troops retreated like a tide, the defenders did not pursue them, but stopped to silently rescue the wounded and also to finish off the wounded Japanese soldiers on the ground.

At dusk, two devils came over with white flags, asking for permission to send someone to collect the bodies;
Ai Jian agreed to their request and sent people to throw the bodies of the Japanese outside the position.

Then the 15th Regiment sent dozens of unarmed Japanese soldiers to the 1st Battalion's position with mule and horse carts to collect the bodies. They took dozens of carts.
The 15th Regiment was hurt. After collecting all the bodies, they bowed deeply to the defenders and left. They did not dare to play any tricks from beginning to end.

That night, the Japanese cremated all the corpses. The burning smell filled the entire hill, making people want to vomit.

The two sides agreed to a one-day ceasefire in return for allowing them to collect the bodies. Ai Jian didn't even bother to pay attention to them, making the 1st Battalion seem afraid of their attack;
The reason why we agreed to let them collect the bodies was mainly because it was already early June and the weather was hot. If a large number of bodies were left on the battlefield and not dealt with, they would easily rot and cause infectious diseases.

The 1st Battalion can also bury the bodies of its fallen brothers and evacuate the wounded, so that everyone can get what they need.

By this point in the battle, the 1st Battalion had suffered more than half its casualties, including more than 500 men who had died, and more than 700 men who were either lightly wounded or seriously wounded.

During the ceasefire between the two sides, the Second Battalion replaced the First Battalion, which had suffered nearly half of its casualties. At the same time, it restored most of the positions destroyed by artillery fire, and then waited for the Japanese to continue their attack.

During the ceasefire, the 15th Regiment was also making adjustments. Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima, the commander of the regiment, went to the detachment headquarters to find Sakai Takashi to discuss countermeasures, but in fact he was asking for tactical guidance:
"General, more than half of the Shangdao Regiment has been killed or wounded, with more than 1200 warriors killed in the battle. Only about 700 people are left from the first and second battalions combined.

There are at least 3 defenders. I take back my previous evaluation of the guerrilla column. It is indeed a strong army that is not inferior to the Kwantung Army. "

Although Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima did not ask for tactical guidance, his meaning was very clear. With the 2rd Battalion, the regiment headquarters and the wounded, there were only 3 people left, while the defenders still had 50 people, and their combat power was not inferior to that of the Kwantung Army. The rest was up to him. Sakai Takashi did not expect that the casualties of the Kamijima regiment would be so heavy. After sending out the th regiment to carry out a roundabout operation, he did not have many troops left, but the battle had to be fought, so he nodded and said:
"Yoshi, I have seen the bravery of the Kamijima Regiment. There is no need to feel ashamed of the result of the fight with the guerrilla column.
In fact, the 3rd Division, the 9th Division and even the 6th Division of the Central China Front Army did not gain any advantage.

The guerrilla columns have become a major threat to the Empire, and His Majesty has specifically stated that they must be eliminated at all costs;
You don't have to worry too much about casualties when fighting against the guerrilla column. I still have more than 800 reinforcements here. I sent a batch to the 50th Regiment before. This is the last batch. I'll give them all to you.

We must capture the Big Niujiao Ridge. We will continue the attack tomorrow. The Imperial Army has suffered heavy casualties, and the guerrilla column has also suffered heavy casualties. It depends on who can hold out to the end!"

Colonel Kamijima had long since put away his arrogance, and after bowing to Major General Sakai, he asked:

"When will Yuanshan-kun's flanking troops arrive?
Can we wait for Yuanshan-kun to arrive before launching the attack at the same time?"

"Mr. Kamijima, arrive by noon tomorrow at the latest. In the morning, the 15th Regiment will launch a fierce attack to draw all the Chinese defense forces to the front position.

When the defenders are starving and exhausted, Yuanshan will launch a fatal attack from the flank and wipe out the enemy at Big Niujiao Ridge in one fell swoop!"

Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima understood that the 15th Regiment was being used as cannon fodder to build up the 50th Regiment and to serve as a savior for others.

The beads on Major General Sakai's abacus were about to fall on his face, but he was not stupid. He pretended to be very excited and agreed to it, but in fact he already had an idea in his mind.

After Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima left, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Yokota leaned over and said:
"General, when Uejima-kun left, his eyes flickered, as if he had other ideas. Will this affect your plan to win the battle from the flank?"

Sakai Takashi waved his hand and said:

“Everyone has their own selfish desires, but Uejima-kun’s loyalty to the Empire and His Majesty is unquestionable. At most, he is just playing some small tricks and passive resistance, which is harmless.
The attack of the 15th Regiment has put enough pressure on the defenders. As long as they launch a fierce attack on the front, the Chinese will not dare to take it lightly even if it is just bluffing.

As long as the heavy artillery regiment's firepower preparation is sincere enough, the defenders will not dare to be careless. Once the 50th regiment is in place, it will be the end of the defenders! "

Lieutenant Colonel Yokota thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. It was human nature, so he started to flatter and Sakai Takashi felt flattered.
There are rumors that the division commander Kenji Doihara is going to be promoted. As long as Sakai Takashi defeats the guerrilla column and occupies Kaifeng, he will be credited with the first place, and it will be natural for him to be promoted to the commander of the 14th Division.

Daniujiaoling, 2nd Battalion’s position, filled with smoke
After a day of truce, the Sakai Detachment launched another fierce attack on the frontal position. Rows of heavy artillery shells roared down, and the position that had just been restored was destroyed horribly;
Faced with the enemy's heavy artillery fire, the defenders could only endure it in silence. From time to time, the anti-artillery holes were directly hit, and a squad or half a platoon of soldiers were engulfed by the artillery fire. Many were even shaken to death.

After finally holding out until the artillery fire extended, the Japanese infantry launched another attack. It was really like the artillery bombarded and then the infantry charged, without any innovation at all;

Although the Japs' tactics are simple, they are very practical. Just like "high-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking", the most practical tactics are often the simplest.

It looks simple, but it is actually not easy to break. The defenders can only fight against the enemy with their own weapons and block the water with earth.
When the Japanese launched an infantry charge, the artillery battalion on the top of the mountain would pour a rain of bullets on the Japanese group, inflicting as much blood as possible on the Japanese.

This time the Japs seemed to have gotten smarter and started to show off their guns. They only rushed to an area a hundred meters away, then lay on the ground to compete with the defenders in shooting, and did not rush to the core position of the defenders at all;
After Deng Zhuxiu discovered the trick, he stopped most of the heavy firepower and only used light machine guns and rifles to play with the Japanese.

The two sides seemed to be fighting fiercely, but in fact the casualties were not great, there was much thunder but little rain, all because of faith shooting;
The Japanese didn't charge forward without any plan, so the defenders just played with them slowly. Although Deng Zhuxiu didn't know what tricks the Japanese were playing, he still focused on himself and didn't use his full strength to guard against the Japanese using their ultimate moves.

Lieutenant Colonel Kamijima still chose to preserve his strength. If he continued fighting, he would become a regiment commander without troops. Since Captain Sakai placed his hopes on the skills of the flanking troops, he just had to take his time and tie down the defenders.

South Front, 3rd Battalion Ambush Position

The news that the Japanese troops were approaching quickly continued to spread, and the third battalion commander Song Yunhan also showed a smile on his face. They had been lying in ambush here for a day and a night, just waiting for the Japanese to come;
Since the Japanese had a regiment of less than two thousand people, the difference in strength between the enemy and us was too great, so it was impossible to swallow them all in one go.

After careful consideration, Song Yunhan decided to first strike a blow to the enemy's vanguard, then block the enemy in stages, and finally retreat to Xiaoniujiaoling to protect the flank of Daniujiaoling.

In order to achieve this battle goal, he placed the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions on the front to block the Japanese, and the artillery battalion was deployed on the unnamed hill on the left wing, guarded by the 3rd Battalion.

The ambush point they chose, the Wild Wolf Valley, is the only way to Xiaoniujiaoling. It is a valley sandwiched between two peaks, with the left side high and the right side low. The front width of the valley is about 300 to 800 meters and the depth is about 5 kilometers.

Colonel Toyama, commander of the 50th Infantry Regiment, had high hopes for this flanking operation. Ever since his vanguard battalion was annihilated by the 1st Battalion at Daniujiaoling, he had been determined to get back at them.

Now the defenders of Big Niujiao Ridge have been pinned down by the 15th Infantry Regiment. He only needs to go around to the flank of Big Niujiao Ridge and capture Small Niujiao Ridge. The defenders of Big Niujiao Ridge will be caught in the dilemma of being attacked from both sides.

In order to complete this flanking mission, he led the fully replenished Yuanshan Regiment of more than 3 people and quickly infiltrated here. The basic map showed that the Wild Wolf Valley was ahead, and after the Wild Wolf Valley was Xiaoniujiaoling.

When Colonel Toyama thought about completing the task of flanking the defenders, he was so excited that he was full of energy. However, it was the senior staff officer Kobayashi Hirokichi who kindly reminded him:
"Your Excellency, the Wild Wolf Valley is a valley sandwiched between two mountains. The terrain is dangerous. Should we send a small force to search along the way to prevent an ambush by the Chinese?"

Colonel Yuanshan waved his hand and said:
“Kobayashi-kun, you are too cautious;
If we only need one battalion, this is possible. The main force of the guerrilla column is tied up in Big Niujiao Ridge, and they cannot spare tens of thousands of troops to set up an ambush.

Besides, the bare mountains on both sides of the Wild Wolf Valley cannot hide thousands of people. To be on the safe side, we can send a large group to march along the relatively stable ridge on the right, and the main force will escort the baggage through the valley. "

Colonel Yuanshan did not choose to take the left ridge because it was too steep and uneven, making it inconvenient for marching.

As long as they control the right ridge, they can deal with the ambush on the left high ground with ease. It must be said that the old devils still have a way. The guerrilla column does not have the strength to swallow up a field regiment in Wild Wolf Valley. (End of this chapter)