Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 312: Intense tug of war (Please subscribe, please vote!)
Watching the shells hit the enemy positions one by one.

This is Meng Fanle's favorite program.

The 105mm howitzer is extremely powerful.

Often after a shell accurately hits the enemy's firing point.

It is enough to destroy it completely.

"This is really powerful." Hao Weihao took the binoculars handed over by Meng Fanle and sighed: "Company commander, with such intensive artillery fire, how many Japanese soldiers can be left on the battlefield?"

"I don't know, but I guess the Japanese are not that easy to deal with, otherwise Commander Chu wouldn't have come to the front line."

Hao Weihao added: "I heard from veterans that officers usually only go to the front line to inspect and boost morale before a fierce battle begins."

Meng Fanle sighed slightly in his heart.

Although he was equally passionate, this damn war was destined to take the lives of many people.

When he thought of this, he had no choice but to raise the telescope in his hand and carefully observe the movements of the Japanese army.

In order to see the loopholes in the Japanese defense line, or in the hope of discovering something else.

The artillery fire took twenty minutes to prepare.

Perhaps it was the defensive position that was repaired last night, or perhaps it was this morning, but now it has been blown to pieces.

The small hill, which was not very large to begin with, was almost turned into ruins.

"First row, follow me."

There was no need for Meng Fan to give orders, and the two platoon leaders launched an attack towards the Japanese positions according to the original plan.

They skillfully moved along the attack routes that had been opened up in advance, avoiding stepping on the warning mines placed by their own side.

The closer we get to the Japanese army, the greater the danger.

The mortar company, which Meng Fanle had always considered unreliable, also poured their artillery shells into the Japanese front-line trenches at this time.

Five hundred meters.

Four hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.
Two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters.

Gunfire rang out.

The Japanese army quickly opened fire to suppress the two attacking infantry platoons.

The sound of light machine gun firing rang out.

The squad leaders hurriedly warned: "It's a new machine gun, and the firing rhythm is different from that of the Type 99 light machine gun."

"Xiao Ma, kill this bastard."

"Got it." The sniper looked for a suitable shooting position.

Our own light and heavy machine gunners opened fire to suppress the enemy at the same time.

The few Type 92 infantry guns were also used in this direction.

Boom.

Da da da da~!

The explosions continued, under the cover of our own supporting firepower.

The assault team continued to charge forward, and the precision shooters holding Springfield rifles put their crosshairs on the heads of the Japanese soldiers.

"Bang~!"

"Bang~!"

Bullets spiraled out of the barrel and shot at the Japanese machine gunners and grenade launchers who were firing fiercely.

The attacking soldiers also suffered considerable casualties.

One by one, grenades and grenade launcher shells fell into the attacking formation.

With just one wave of firepower counterattack, more than ten soldiers on the front line were killed or wounded.

The more intense the resistance, the more likely it is to incur fierce retaliation from the supporting firepower of the Ninth Corps.

The Type 92 infantry gun continued to fire shells towards the Japanese positions.

Until the attacking soldiers only had the last eighty meters left.

Accompanied by piercing screams that pierced the sky.

Smoke bombs exploded in the direction of the Japanese positions.

Major Nobugo Mutō, who was in command of the battle on the front line, immediately realized the difficulty of his opponent.

Such sufficient firepower preparation.

"So many shells just to fight for this small hill?" Muto Shingo smacked his lips. "The enemy must be launching a massive attack, trying to rely on this position for cover. We must not lose this place, send reinforcements immediately."

"Hai!"

The adjutant at the side quickly passed the order, and the squadron, which was originally used as a reserve force, quickly went to the direction of the front-line position to provide support.

"Captain, our troops are short of manpower. Do you want to ask for tactical guidance from the regiment?"

Muto Shingo hesitated for a moment and said, "Report to the regiment headquarters."

"Hay."

The probability of a full-scale attack is low, but Muto Shingo does not dare to gamble.

The enemy commander was Qian Bojun, who had rich command experience.

Known as Chu Yunfei's right hand.

He is also a famous general of the Jin army second only to Chu Yunfei.

PS: The Japanese army did not know that Qian Bojun was not there and that Qian Zhaoyou was in command.

Muto Shingo believed it.

Even the division commander Anami Korechika came.

You must be extremely cautious when facing Qian Bojun.

Colonel Seiki Sawada reported the news to the division headquarters immediately.

For a while.

The division commander Anami Korechika also felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

"Our opponents have received a complete military academy education and are known for their steady combat style. They suddenly launched a fierce attack on the frontier heights of Mianshan at this time. They must have other plans."

"Division commander, is it possible that they want to launch a full-scale offensive and control the entire Niangziguan area in order to cut off our army's future attempts to advance westward?" Chief of Staff Yasuteru Doi expressed his assessment.

Anami nodded: "If there is a possibility, send a telegram to General Shinozuka immediately and request the support of the aviation unit. In addition, order the Sawada Regiment to hold the first-line defense position and never give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage."

"Hay."

The fighting continues on the front lines.

However, a meeting on other issues was being held at the Shanxi First Army Headquarters.

".The Niangzi Pass area has become a key area for both sides to fight for, especially outside Niangzi Pass, Mianshan, Jiuguan, Guangou, Jingxing, Taoyuan and other directions, all of which have been fiercely attacked by the enemy.

But according to reports from frontline troops, the enemy's main attack direction should be."

A combat staff officer pushed open the conference room, walked quickly to Yoshio Shinozuka and whispered something to him.

"Towards Mianshan?"

"Hay."

Yoshio Shinozuka quickly interrupted the ongoing combat meeting and signaled the combat staff officer next to him to explain the situation.

Chief of Staff Kusunokichi Hideyoshi also quickly returned to his position.

A lieutenant colonel operations officer said, "The enemy's main attack direction is the fulcrum of our current defense line. The enemy is likely to completely control the Niangzi Pass area in order to block our army's intention to advance westward through the Zhengtai Line."

"Their purpose is most likely to prepare for a possible strategic counterattack in the future. Their next strategic target should be Taiyuan."

Kusunoshi Hideyoshi looked at Shinozuka Yoshio.

You can't really launch a counterattack just by saying it.

This requires a large amount of manpower and combat supplies.

You even need to make adequate preparations in advance.

Chu Yunfei Photovoltaic Pingding, Yangquan, Yu County, and the areas west of Niangziguan.

He prepared for nearly three months to take over Taiyuan.

It is not as simple as just cutting off an attack line and leaving the rest to the officers and soldiers.

This time.

The 88th Group Army, the main force of the National Army, moved in the direction of Niangzi Pass.

Its purpose is obvious.

Everyone would think from the perspective of counterattacking Taiyuan.

It is very likely that the Americans and the Republic of China reached a secret agreement.

This matter has not been confirmed yet.

The news is also basically in a semi-blocked state.

But the Second War Zone also expressed such an attitude, even when the commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone, Yan Laoxi, was interviewed by Reuters.

It also clearly expressed its support and endorsement of Chang Ruiyuan's leadership.

We will strictly abide by the orders of the headquarters and formulate an operational plan to counterattack Taiyuan and drive the Japanese army out of Shanxi.

The pressure on Yoshio Shinozuka was actually greater than ever before.

If conventional warfare could defeat the resistance in the Shanxi region, Yoshio Shinozuka would naturally not choose to support the development of Yamamoto's special forces.

It is precisely because there are no conventional troops that there is absolutely no hope of winning the battle.

He would make such a decision.

"According to the headquarters and the intelligence collected by the current intelligence department, China is very likely to have reached a corresponding secret agreement with the Soviet Union and the United States."

"The Tokyo headquarters has already made the corresponding decision and is determined to intensify its crackdown on the Chongqing government."

"so."

"Future resources invested by the Shanxi First Army will be limited to weapon upgrades, and there will be no large-scale deployment of troops." "The North China Front Command wants to turn the Niangzi Pass area into a battlefield where the enemy will continue to bleed. Once they attack, they will inevitably pay a huge price."

Yoshio Shinozuka’s meaning is actually very clear.

The Tokyo headquarters no longer considered the complete occupation of Shanxi.

They even planned to abandon the coal resources in Pingding County.

They only planned to hold the Beitongpu railway line, and even the areas around Taiyuan and Datong.

Even the northwestern Shanxi region, which has relatively scarce resources, is planning to develop it vigorously.

Instead of continuing to think about invading southeastern Shanxi.

As for the Jinsui Army in southern Shanxi.

The idea given by the Tokyo headquarters was simply to wait for an opportunity to inflict heavy damage, rather than the previous complete annihilation.

It's clear to everyone.

The Jin army now actually has no offensive capability.

And if we defeat the Jin army and continue to disperse the troops in Shanxi area.

This will inevitably give opportunities to the 14th Army and the 88th Army.

There are not many options left for Shanxi's First Army, only one way.

That is to stick to it.

Hold on and wait for change.

It is almost the same as the current thoughts of Yan Laoxi and Chang Ruiyuan.

For Shanxi's First Army, fighting with Chu Yunfei was indeed a real torture.

Even though the 109th Division requested tactical guidance from Yoshio Shinozuka, Shinozuka did not withdraw any extra troops.

Only a few fighter jets could be sent over to help.

In addition, we must request the newly appointed commander of the North China Front Army, Sugiyama Gen, to transfer troops to support the 109th Division.

just.

Where can the North China Front Army draw troops from?

Chu Yunfei's attack completely exposed the disadvantage of insufficient manpower of the Japanese army, and even made many war zone commanders realize that something was wrong.

With the secret promotion of many people with good intentions.

The 11th War Zone began preparations for its establishment, and was under the jurisdiction of the Rehe, Chahar and Suiyuan border areas.

The commander-in-chief is tentatively designated as Fu Zuoyi.

Whether it will be implemented will depend on the outcome of multi-party game.

But if General Fu Zuoyi could really be promoted to commander of the 11th War Zone.

This is definitely a good thing for the soldiers fighting on the front battlefield.

Let’s take a look at the frontline battlefield at Niangzi Pass.

After the battle started.

After the Ninth Company achieved initial results, the Third Battalion launched a full-scale offensive.

The simultaneous attacks by the Seventh and Eighth Companies relieved the Ninth Company of considerable pressure.

Especially when they looked back and saw friendly forces coming to support them, the soldiers became more courageous and moved forward.

Chu Yunfei watched the soldiers moving forward and fighting hard on the three-dimensional combat map.

Precision shooters play an unimaginable role when fighting in mountainous areas.

Especially after determining the position of the heavy machine gun, several young soldiers stared at the machine gunner and fired at him.

A dozen bullets killed two Japanese machine gunners, and even the assistant gunner was cleared out by them.

In addition, there is the Type 92 infantry gun that provides quick support from time to time.

Meng Fanle was assigned to the third row of the reserve team and quickly gained a foothold.

They barely captured the main defensive position of Mianshan and faced the Japanese counterattack.

Not far from Meng Fanle's shooting position, the Japanese soldiers were still coming to support him in a steady stream.

Linear infantry squad tactics.

Looking over there again, the number of the Japanese soldiers was so large that it was a bit numbing.

There just isn't much depth.

Meng Fanle is a very good marksman, maybe it’s a natural talent or a gift from God.

Every bullet fired from the gun was able to kill almost every Japanese soldier.

The mountain-shaking mines produced by the Changzhi Arsenal are very suitable for such mountain defense battles.

The warriors threw the object down the hill like throwing it down a cliff. After lighting the fuse, they rolled it down the hill.

"These little devils seem to know how powerful these things are, so they all avoided them."

"It's better to avoid them. It just disrupts their attack formation and delays time."

Gong Yuxin immediately dispatched three infantry platoons from the second battalion to provide support and put them under the command of Meng Fanle.

And with Chu Yunfei standing next to him, he reported the situation to Chief of Staff Qian Zhaoyou.

After all, the nominal supreme commander of this battle was no one else.

It was Qian Zhaoyou, Chu Yunfei's old classmate.

Rather than himself.

Chu Yunfei's existence is just to provide a bottom line and to complete the agreement with the Americans.

With the help of the translator and Chu Yunfei's instruction, the Americans who remained in the 9th Infantry Regiment quickly figured out why they had to seize the Mianshan Heights, and also quickly understood why they did not use artillery to continue their support.

What these Americans were thinking was that if they were in command of this attack, they would certainly ask the air force to provide several close-range support before launching the attack.

It’s not that they haven’t been to the front line to observe the enemy situation, but the risk factor is too high.

There were American commanders like Stilwell who were willing to mingle with the infantry, and even ride in infantry trucks and trudge through the mud with the soldiers, but they were rare.

They are more like aristocrats in the army, independent from the soldiers.

It’s not like Gong Yuxin has never independently commanded a battle before, but it has been four hours since the battle started.

The overall scale has a tendency to intensify.

Seeing that Chu Yunfei on the side still didn't say anything.

Gong Yuxin's command became more and more bold.

After all, he was once a trainee staff officer who had worked under Zhang Dayun and was influenced by Chu Yunfei.

The command style is relatively radical.

"Captain of the First Battalion, I'm Gong Yuxin. I order you to immediately engage in battle according to the original combat plan."

"You heard it right. Your main mission is to work with the Third Battalion to push back the Japanese's counterattack and ensure that the frontline position in Mianshan is in our hands."

After hanging up the phone, Gong Yuxin did not hesitate at all and called the rear command.

Hope to get support from the 8th Infantry and the 7th Infantry Regiments.

Qian Zhaoyou agreed and told him to just call directly.

After all, Chu Yunfei was at the command post of the 9th Infantry Regiment.

Whose words can be as effective as Chu Yunfei’s orders?
After finishing the report, Gong Yuxin answered the phone call of the 8th Infantry Regiment again: "Commander Guo, it's me, Gong Yuxin."

[Captain Gong, is there anything I can help you with? ]

"It's like this, Commander Guo, our regiment is fighting for the main position of Mianshan, and we hope your regiment can provide some help. How is the situation on your side?"

[The offensive is going smoothly, but the Japanese resistance is fierce. I still have eight companies that have not been put into battle. If you need them, I can put them into the Taoyuan front line attack.]

"Commander Guo, the attack on the Taoyuan front will inevitably tie up a large number of Japanese combat forces, and may even form a related encirclement situation. The Japanese army will inevitably be greatly affected."

[That's it. I'll go and give the order.]

"Thank you, Commander Guo."

After hanging up the phone, Gong Yuxin breathed a sigh of relief.

With the assistance of the Eighth Regiment, the next battle will be much easier.

The main position of Mianshan was the Japanese army's defensive fulcrum and salient.

Guo's troops, who commanded the Eighth Infantry Regiment in a fierce battle outside the Old Pass, were also a salient and posed an even greater threat to both sides.

Once they were allowed to make progress, the Japanese troops in front of them would be cut off from their retreat and would be effectively isolated.

Chu Yunfei grinned and encouraged, "Not bad, you have some courage. Judging from the current battlefield situation, your command method is already the best solution at the moment."

Gong Yuxin scratched his head and said, "Thank you for your approval, sir."

But he didn't have time for small talk.

He just dialed the number again: "Hello, this is the Seventh Regiment, this is Gong Yuxin, looking for Captain Chen."

[Old Gong, is this Old Gong? What do you want to talk to me about? Do you need our support?] Chen Zejun's voice came from the microphone, with an expectant tone.

"Lao Chen, it's me. The attack has begun. Did you hear me?"

[The sound of artillery fire is very intense. It seems that you are in trouble. Do you want to report to the commander and request that our 7th Infantry Regiment be deployed to join the battle? ]

Every three sentences he talked about were about going to the battlefield.

Chen Zejun is also a true warmonger.

Especially as the commander of the main infantry regiment, the soldiers under his command were more eager to fight and kill the devils.

"You guys shouldn't be needed in this situation. After all, this battle is for training and gaining experience. But then again, these damn Japanese devils are so crazy that they're thinking of counterattacking even after we've captured their positions. Lend me your artillery battalion so I can dampen their spirit."

Chen Zejun refused without saying a word: "Impossible, the artillery of this artillery battalion cannot be moved. These shells are so valuable that I can't bear to use them myself. In case anything goes wrong, this thing is still a backup for us.

But don't tell me I'm not nice, you bastard. I'll transfer the anti-tank artillery company to you for command, which is enough to bombard these bastards to death. 】

"Well, have the company commander report to my headquarters and I'll assign him combat missions."

(End of this chapter)