Songhu: Never Give Up

At the Higane Battalion Headquarters, Major Higane's face turned very ugly. Their good days were over. At least one company of Chinese surrounded them.
The place where they were located was a flour mill, which did not occupy a large area, and the main building was three stories high;
The first floor is the factory, the second and third floors are offices and staff dormitories, and the two wings are some warehouses.

The East Field Army deployed two squads of the Yoneda Squadron on the two wings, and another squadron to defend the gate. The machine gun squadron had been decentralized to each squadron, and only two Type 92 heavy machine guns were left in the battalion headquarters, both of which were mounted on the top floor. The infantry artillery was also on top, which could support the two wing and surface operations.

The ones surrounding them were the 2nd Company of Xie Guoqiang's battalion. They had already launched a tentative attack, but were beaten back by the enemy's heavy machine guns, resulting in several casualties.
So Jin Yuefei sent someone to the battalion headquarters to ask for the artillery company. Four cannons were enough to crack open the Japanese's turtle shell.

Jin Yuefei said to the artillery commander Tao Guangsheng:
"Lao Tao, whether we can capture the flour mill depends on you. My suggestion is to use mortars to suppress the Japanese in the main building, and infantry artillery to shoot down the Japanese heavy machine guns first. Just tell me how to cooperate."

Tao Guangsheng thought for a moment and then said:

"First, launch a feint attack from the front to lure the enemy's heavy machine guns and mortars to open fire. You can teach us the rest."

Captain Jin then ordered the first platoon to launch an attack from the front, the second platoon to charge from the left wing to attract the enemy's firepower, and the third platoon to be on guard at the periphery to avoid being ambushed by other enemy troops.

After the attack was launched, the Japanese began to fight back, and dense bullets were poured on the attacking troops. From time to time, people were shot and fell down;

When Major Higashino saw that the Chinese dared to attack them with just a few dozen people, he was furious and cursed:
"Damn it! The Chinese are overestimating themselves. A single company dared to attack the position of a squadron of the Imperial Army and let the heavy machine guns kill them all!"

It was no wonder that he was so arrogant, because he knew that China did not even have a cannon at the first level, not even a heavy machine gun, at most a few light machine guns. They could completely ignore such a configuration.

The enemy's heavy machine guns put great pressure on the attacking troops. They did not even use the Type 92 infantry guns, and seemed to be able to handle the situation with ease.

Seeing that the Japanese heavy machine gun had been exposed, Tao Guangsheng immediately ordered to open fire, and two 70mm explosive bombs went straight to the Japanese heavy machine gun fire point.

One missed by a few meters, only blowing up a building in the wall, and killing a Japanese soldier;
Another shell hit the ground less than one meter to the left of the firing point. The shell easily penetrated the outer wall and destroyed a Type 92 heavy machine gun. The entire machine gun crew was either killed or injured.

"Bagayalo, the Chinese have infantry artillery!"

The heavy machine gunners of another group were terrified and hurriedly prepared to change positions, but they were still faster than the artillery shells;
The infantry artillery's firing rate was 10 rounds per minute, or one round every 6 seconds. Before the Japanese machine gun crew could react, the second round of shells flew over.

This time, two missiles were fired at the last Type 92 heavy machine gun at the same time, destroying the firing point without a doubt and almost destroying the entire wall.

After destroying two Japanese firepower points in succession, Tao Guangsheng immediately ordered the infantry artillery to move. The artillery crew members cooperated well and dismantled the infantry artillery into several large pieces in less than a minute. Each person carried a large piece and ran away.

Shortly after they left, the Japanese infantry artillery opened fire, and rows of shells hit the position of the artillery company. Not only did they fail to achieve any results, but they also exposed their own position.

The two mortars that had been hiding fired three rapid rounds at the Japanese artillery position, destroying one infantry gun, while the other one luckily escaped.

"Bakayar! Why does the guerrilla column have so many artillery pieces made in the Empire?"

In response to Major Higashino's question, Captain Yoneda could only explain to him:
"Higashino-kun, these infantry guns and mortars are all captured equipment from the Empire. The 13th and 9th Divisions threw too many artillery pieces at them. They even have a large number of 75mm mountain guns."

Major Higashino finally found an outlet to vent his anger, and immediately yelled:
"They are aiding the enemy and are disgracing His Majesty the Emperor. I will sue them!"

Captain Yoneyama glanced at Major Higashino as if he was looking at a fool. A small major was not afraid of his tongue being fluttered by the wind. It was not the captain's turn to interfere in the affairs of the 13th Division. He could only blame himself for his bad luck in this matter.

Major Higashino didn't care about that, he was the boss here, and after losing his heavy firepower, he already smelled the scent of death;

Who are you afraid of when you are about to die?

Captain Yoneda didn't have the time to chat with Major Higashino. With the heavy firepower, they fought with ease, so he had the leisure to chat with Major Higashino.
Now he must command from the front and stop the Chinese attack, otherwise they will all be doomed.

The Chinese focused their attack on the front. Just as Captain Yoneda was running towards the front barricade, the infantry artillery of the attacking troops had already blasted open the gate, and the attack channel had been opened. The Japanese built several barricades in the direction of the main gate, many of which were directly built with flour and wheat from the flour mill warehouse;

Although the Third Detachment moved away a lot of things, those were all seized from the Japanese warehouses. There was no time to collect food from the people because it was too hasty.

The Japanese barricade just blocked the direction of the factory gate, and the two squads on both wings formed flanking firepower, so it was not easy for the 1st Company to attack.

Fortunately, the attacking troops had a firepower advantage. As soon as the machine guns on the enemy's flanks showed up, the infantry guns a few hundred meters away would target them one by one.

Captain Jin's fighting style was very targeted. He first used an infantry charge to attract the enemy's machine gun fire, and then used infantry artillery to destroy them one by one.

The two mortars were staring at the remaining infantry gun of the Japanese. The rooftop was so small that if someone showed up, he would not be able to escape.

The fierce battle at the flour mill soon alerted the nearby Japanese soldiers, who rushed to reinforce the Japanese brigade headquarters;

The surrounding Chinese also spontaneously put up resistance, and the two sides fought fiercely around the flour mill, with casualties on both sides.

In the main battlefield of the flour mill, under the precise attack of two infantry guns, seven of the Japanese's 2 Type 11 light machine guns were destroyed, and the remaining four were struggling to survive in the barricade fortifications;
The soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. After destroying the Japanese's most threatening long-range firepower, the company's two flying thunder cannons could be put to use.

This is the company-level supporting firepower, and although the range is short, the power is great;
Previously, the Japanese had too many machine guns and the flying thunder cannons were too big to get close to the factory. As the Japanese heavy firepower was suppressed, two flying thunder cannons were quietly carried to behind a ruined wall only a hundred meters away from the factory, with the barrels placed on top, looking inconspicuous.

The gunner stuffed the special explosives into the barrel, then ignited and fired. Two explosive packs were thrown out and landed on the barricade inside the factory building;
As two huge explosions sounded, the Japanese soldiers inside were blown to pieces and screamed in agony. The explosive packs with chili powder and lime powder made the Japanese soldiers think they were poison gas bombs, and they rolled on the ground with their eyes covered.

After firing three rounds of flying thunder cannons in succession, most of the Japanese soldiers in the factory were killed or wounded, and had lost their ability to resist. The main force of the 3st Company took the opportunity to attack the factory;

Two rotary machine guns and several submachine guns cleared the way in front, and they fired at any remaining Japanese soldiers they saw. Soon, almost all of the Japanese soldiers on the periphery were wiped out, and the remaining soldiers hid in the main building.

The commandos failed in their two attacks and suffered more than a dozen casualties. They had no choice but to call in infantry artillery to fire at close range. With just one shot, they blasted open the iron gate.
The remaining infantry gun of the Japanese finally couldn't bear it anymore and fired a shot at the infantry gun of a company. Because the distance was very close, only one shell destroyed the infantry gun of a company.

But their good days were over. After they fired the second shell, the mortar that had been staring at them opened fire and hit the target with the first round, destroying the Japs' last hope.

On the second floor, Major Higashino's eyes were bloodshot, like a wolf driven into a desperate situation by a hunter. He pulled out his ancestral command knife and said to the remaining devils:
"Gentlemen, the time has come to sacrifice our lives for His Majesty. It is impossible for the Chinese to capture us!

A true imperial warrior would rather die on the charge, all for His Majesty, kill the chicken!"

After Major Higashino finished speaking, he rushed down with his command knife held high, followed closely by the remaining dozen or so Japanese staff officers and communications personnel from the battalion. When they came down the corridor, the first company just attacked;
Captain Jin held a "big plate chicken" and fired a long burst at Major Higashino and others. More than a dozen bullets sprayed at the group of Japanese devils, killing three or four of them in an instant.

He had picked up this machine gun from a fallen machine gunner, and it was just the right thing to do to avenge him;
Dapanji's firepower output was terrifying. In just a few seconds, he emptied the 47-round magazine. The number of Japanese soldiers who died under his gun was so great that they could not be counted on two hands. He had a great time.

When the others saw that the company commander had eaten his fill of meat, they picked up some soup to drink and killed the remaining few devils;
The sword in Major Higashino's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and he uttered with his eyes wide open:
"Baga, not a samurai—"

As the Japanese battalion headquarters was annihilated, the Japanese soldiers entrenched in the flour mill were completely wiped out. Afterwards, more than 180 Japanese corpses were found (the Rice Field Squadron was not fully staffed), more than 70 people were killed or wounded in the first company, and the artillery company lost an infantry gun, with 13 casualties.

The reason why such a brilliant victory was achieved was that the artillery company played a great role. Two infantry guns and two mortars almost destroyed all the heavy firepower of the Japanese.

In a siege, the difference between having cannons and not having cannons is too great. Moreover, the flour mill’s fortifications were not very solid, and the infantry cannons basically created one firing point with each shot.

Captain Jin, who had captured the Japanese battalion headquarters, was in high spirits and immediately sent people to the battalion headquarters to report the victory. At this time, the sound of gunfire in the surrounding area gradually died down. The Japanese seemed to have realized that the battalion headquarters had been annihilated, and there was no point in forcing the battle any further.
The Chinese resistance was very resolute, and with fortifications as a barrier, they forced their way to reinforce under the hail of bullets from the blocking troops, suffering heavy casualties. If the fighting continued, they would even lose their lives.

After hearing the gunfire from the flour mill stop, they also stopped sending reinforcements, took turns to cover each other and broke away from the contact, and temporarily calmed down. (End of this chapter)