Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 495: Fierce fighting, the tragic situation of the Japanese army! The Japanese commander was confused and doubtful (please subscribe)
Above the Japanese position.

The rain continued to hit Ichiro Tanaka's cheeks.

He huddled in a makeshift foxhole.

The foxhole was so shallow that it could barely cover his thin body.

Rain mixed with mud slid down the edge of his hybrid steel helmet and soaked his tattered military uniform.

Gugugu~!

Ichiro Tanaka rubbed his belly.

The piece of compressed biscuit that I was given yesterday, which was as dry and hard as a rock, was quickly digested in my stomach.

Now all that's left is a debilitating feeling of emptiness.

The Type 38 rifle in his hand had become a little sluggish due to long-term shooting and humid weather. Every time he pulled the bolt, it made a teeth-grinding "click" sound.

It made him worry that the weapon in his hand might malfunction at any time.

He could no longer remember how many times he had charged towards the expeditionary force's position on the opposite side.

Every charge was a gamble. Now there were less than half of the Japanese soldiers left in a squadron.

Troops that were replenished from the rear to the front line were considered veterans if they could survive until the third day.

"Boom! Boom!"

Boom~
Not far away, our own Type 92 infantry gun was firing shells weakly.

Boom, boom~boom~
"Tanaka! What are you daydreaming about! Get ready to charge!" A savage shout rang in his ears, and then a muddy military boot kicked him hard on the butt.

It’s team leader Noda.

Noda kicked him roughly and shouted hoarsely: "Don't you see that our artillery is trying hard to cover our attack?"

Noda's face was also covered in mud and gunpowder. One of his eyes was scratched by flying shrapnel and was wrapped roughly with a piece of cloth torn from his fallen comrade.

Dark red blood continued to seep out from the gaps in the cloth, making his face, which was already distorted by his expression, look extremely hideous.

He was like a wounded beast, with madness and despair flashing in his eyes.

Ichiro Tanaka looked up numbly and saw something not far away.

The squadron leader was waving his command knife, hysterically urging the soldiers forward.

The saber reflected a faint cold light in the dim sky, and that cold light seemed to be able to breathe out a black hole rain curtain and pierce into the heart of every soldier.

Farther away, the division's supervisory team was holding machine guns, watching their positions eagerly.

Everyone actually knows it in their hearts.

It's time to serve His Majesty Tianhuang.

Perhaps some of them were unwilling to do so, but their division commanders obviously would not give them a chance to retreat.

Ichiro Tanaka also knew it in his heart.

If they don't rush forward, what might be waiting for them are the cold bullets shot from the black muzzles of guns.

"cough cough"

Next to Ichiro Tanaka.

Sato, a veteran in the same squad, a bearded man in his forties, covered his mouth and coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of thick phlegm streaked with blood.

Sato is one of the few veterans in Tanaka's team and a respected senior by Tanaka Ichiro. If it weren't for Sato's help, he might have died in the previous attacks.

Sato was wounded in the previous attack.

He should have been transferred to a field hospital in the rear for treatment, but this has not been possible so far.

The superior's attack order was issued again, according to the previous "tradition" of the 18th Division.

Even if injuries affect their tactical movements, as long as they still have a breath left, they need to continue attacking.

Tanaka Ichiro asked with concern: "Sato, senior, are you okay?"

Listening to his trembling voice.

Sato wiped the blood foam from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and smiled uglier than crying: "You won't die, cough cough Tanaka, remember, when charging, don't... don't rush to the front, and don't... don't stay at the back.

Follow me closely and watch my movements. I'm afraid if I fall down, you'll have to take care of yourself."

The old soldier's words were intermittent, but they were like a dull knife.

It was slowly cutting at Ichiro Tanaka's heart.

He didn't understand why he had to use such means to be loyal to His Majesty Tianhuang.

"His Majesty the Locust is on board!"

Accompanied by a sparse but still fanatical slogan.

Captain Noda issued the order to attack again.

Ichiro Tanaka, like other soldiers, rushed towards the nearby trench with his Type 38 rifle and bayonet at the ready, shouting as if he was being driven by an invisible whip.

What greeted them was the crossfire prepared in advance by Yu Xiaoqing of the 16th Regiment of the newly formed 11th Army.

Light and heavy machine guns spewed out deadly flames almost at the same time.

Ta da~ da da da~
Bang~bang~bang~!

The bullets from the heavy guns were like the scythe of the god of death, ruthlessly reaping their lives.

They fired in a fixed fan-shaped pattern, and wherever they passed, Japanese soldiers fell down in groups like cut wheat.

The "puff" sound of bullets hitting the body, the "click" sound of splitting and cracking, and the screams of the victims before they died, were heard one after another on the battlefield.

Inside the forward command post.

Chu Yunfei put down the telescope in his hand with satisfaction, and said with a look of relief: "With the strong industrial strength of our American ally, we actually have sufficient ammunition and shells. This is how we should fight this war."

Light and heavy machine guns fired continuously, while the Springfield sniper rifle gave priority to eliminating the high-value targets of the Japanese army.

Direct-fire artillery focuses on the Japanese armored vehicles, tanks, etc. Once the Japanese army has no armored support, the soldiers will decisively use high-explosive bombs to bombard the Japanese infantry.

Boom boom boom~!

Look, the four 45mm direct-fire artillery equipped by the th Regiment are also showing their power at this moment.

Direct-hit shells continued to explode among them, raising clouds of bloody dust.

Every time a shell hit the ground, it would create a gap in the Japanese charging formation.

Broken limbs and arms mixed with gunpowder smoke flew everywhere.

Ichiro Tanaka saw four of his companions fall down one by one, letting out shrill screams, and their blood dyed the muddy ground red.

Senior Sato, who was charging with him, was hit in the waist by a direct shell. Half of his body was gone, his intestines and internal organs were on the ground, and his cloudy eyes were wide open, as if still looking in the direction of his hometown.

Fear was like an icy hand, tightly gripping Ichiro Tanaka's heart.

He didn't know why he had to fight the defense war, nor did he know when it would end. His superiors told them that this was a "holy war" for the "prosperity of East Asia" and for the "liberation of the Asian people."

But what he saw was endless killing, death and despair.

He has killed Chinese people and was almost killed by them.

He didn't know who was right or wrong, he only knew that he wanted to survive.

He only knew that if he didn't rush forward, he would die behind.

He thought of his wife and children far away in his hometown, his wife's tearful instructions before leaving, and his son's young face, and an indescribable sadness and despair surged in his heart.

What exactly are they fighting for?

"boom!"

A shell exploded not far from him. The huge gust of air knocked him to the ground, making him dizzy and his ears buzzing as if countless bees were building a nest in them.

Ichiro Tanaka felt as if his body was falling apart, and every joint was groaning in pain.

He struggled to get up, but found that his leg was hit by a piece of burning shrapnel. Blood gushed out and the severe pain on his left side almost made him dizzy.

He fell into the mud, and the rain washed his wounds, bringing waves of piercing pain.

He groaned in pain, looking at his companions who were still charging madly. Their figures were looming in the smoke, like ghosts heading to hell.

Some gun muzzles on the Chinese army's positions were constantly spewing flames, and every ray of fire was mocking their dumbness and overestimation of their own capabilities.

For the first time, he began to feel deep doubt and resentment towards the war and those high-ranking commanders.

"Why. Why do we have to die?"

Ichiro Tanaka muttered to himself, tears mixed with flood and repressed tears flowing from his eyes.

He could no longer hold on, his head tilted and he fainted.

Let the cold rain and mud swallow him up.

He didn't know whether he would die in this foreign land, or be abandoned like a wild dog on this blood-soaked battlefield.
the other side.

The situation on the front line of the battlefield inside the 18th Division Command was even more depressing.

The division commander, Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Ren'ya, whose face had become increasingly hideous and distorted due to consecutive days of battle losses, was now facing the huge map on the map.

The red arrow representing his troops hit an invisible iron wall in the direction of Mindang. Not only could they not move forward, but they also showed a trend of being reversely infiltrated and cut off by the blue arrow (expeditionary force).

According to the original plan, they should have completely conquered Mindang within a week.

Tear apart the junction between the Fifth Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the newly formed Eleventh Army.

The focus was on threatening the Rangoon flank and even completely annihilating the separated Sixth Army.

However, reality gave them a loud slap in the face.

The battle lasted for two weeks, and the casualties of the 18th Division alone exceeded 8,000.

About one third of the troops have been consumed.

As of now, Mutaguchi Renya still has no hope of winning the war.

He roared, "It's been three whole days! Three days!"

"Two infantry regiments can't even defeat a Chinese division!"

The chief of staff bit the bullet and reported carefully: "Your Excellency, the division commander, according to the battle report just sent back from the front, the enemy in front of us is extremely tenacious in our resistance.

Their commanders seemed to be fully aware of our attack direction and tactical intentions, and were always able to organize effective counterattacks at critical moments.

Moreover, their artillery support was stronger and more accurate than we expected, causing great damage to our troops."

Another staff officer in charge of logistics also added: "In addition, the warriors fighting on the front line have encountered many difficulties and are struggling.

The continuous rain has made the road even more unbearable.

Our army faces great difficulties in food supply.

Many soldiers suffered from acclimatization and jungle diseases, and the number of non-combat casualties was also rising.

"Mr. Commander, please forgive me for being blunt, but the brave warriors on the front line have done their best."

"Exhausted?" Mutaguchi Renya seemed to have heard a huge joke. He turned around abruptly, his bloodshot eyes chasing after the logistics staff officer, and said in a grim tone: "In the dictionary of the Empire Warriors, there is no word 'exhausted'! There is only 'victory' and 'dying in glory'!
Just a little difficulty, and you have done your best?

The Chinese army can fight in the mud and water, but our warriors can't?"

Mutaguchi Renya heard no reports of difficulties at the front.

In his opinion, all the failures were due to the incompetence of front-line commanders and the fear of the soldiers.

His head was filled with the spirit of "Bushido" and the enthusiasm for achieving success.

Just attack! Attack! Attack again!

"Issue the latest orders to all frontline regiments. At the same time, order all combat-capable troops, including divisional reserves, to continue launching a new round of general attacks on the Mindang-China Army junction at all costs!"

"Your Excellency, the division commander!" The combat chief of staff's face changed, and he tried to dissuade him, "Our army has been fighting hard for several days, and has suffered heavy losses. Our morale has been frustrated.

Moreover, the deployment of the Chinese army in the direction of Mindang must have been adjusted by Chu Yunfei and is no longer comparable to the previous one.

Our opponents are most likely not the newly formed infantry divisions, but truly elite expeditionary forces!"

"Shut up!" Mutaguchi Renya interrupted the Chief of Staff, "Chief of Staff, your mission is to execute my orders, not to question my determination!
Our 18th Division is the elite of the Empire, praised by Tokyo politicians and the media as the 'King of Jungle Warfare'!
What about Chu Yunfei? Even if he has three heads and six arms, can he still stop the tide of attack from the imperial army warriors? "

Mutaguchi Renya ignored all the worried officers in the headquarters and said in a fanatical and paranoid tone: "Tell the soldiers on the front line that if there are no supplies, use bayonets!
If there is no food, then rob the Chinese! Go rob the Burmese.

Anyone who retreats will be killed without mercy!

Anyone who shrinks back from moving forward will also be killed!

I will use the blood of the Chinese to wash away the shame of our 18th Division! In this battle, we can only win, not lose!"

"Hai!"

Under his strict orders and coercion.

Although the Japanese troops on the front line were in great trouble and suffered heavy losses, they still had to bite the bullet and launch round after round of nearly suicidal charges against the Expeditionary Force's defense lines.

Inside the expeditionary force command post.

It’s not that Yu Xiaoqing had never fought against the Japanese army before. On the contrary, he had fought several battles.

But this was the first time he had seen Japanese soldiers like the 18th Division.

"What is Captain Yu thinking about?"

Zhao Pengcheng handed over a cup of hot tea and then asked curiously.

Yu Xiaoqing was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "Adjutant Zhao, since the Japanese have suffered such huge losses but have not made any substantial progress, why don't you wait until the weather clears up and use the advantages of the air force to reorganize the attack?"

"Your Excellency has mentioned this matter before. There are mainly two reasons."

(End of this chapter)