Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 149: Another Call to Tang Enbo

The southern suburbs of Taierzhuang.

Li Zongren personally went to the front line to supervise the battle.

Inside the command post.

Sun Lianzhong sat on the chair, lowering his head: "Duke De, the troops in the village."

Li Zongren put his hands on the table and said, "Aren't there reinforcements coming into the village?"

Sun Lianzhong hesitated, his lips trembling: "Alas, but..."

Li Zongren smiled and said: "Don't worry, the troops under Wang Feng's command are not what you think."

"chief of staff!"

Hearing the call, Xu Zuyi walked in from outside and saluted: "Sir!"

Li Zongren stood up and looked at the battle map hanging on the wall: "Where is Tang Enbo's army now?"

Xu Zuyi looked embarrassed and said, "This should still be in the Baoduigang mountain area."

Upon hearing this, Li Zongren's eyes widened with disbelief: "Still in the mountains?"

"Yesterday I sent a telegram to his unit, asking them to gather troops as soon as possible and attack the Japanese army's flank. Why are they still standing there?"

Xu Zuyi didn't say anything, but his meaning was very clear.

The 20th Corps is a central army, not a local force.

Li Zongren lowered his head, paced back and forth in the room, and said fiercely: "Send another telegram to Tang Enbo's troops, asking him to launch a general attack on the enemy's rear in Taierzhuang with the main force of the corps before dawn on March 26."

"Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, and military law is ruthless. If you disobey orders and miss the opportunity to fight, you will be punished severely for disobeying orders!"

Xu Zuyi put his heels together and saluted: "Yes!"

Li Zongren turned his head and looked at Sun Lianzhong: "Send a telegram to your troops in the village, asking them to immediately join up with the friendly troops entering the city and hold out until March 27th."

Sun Lianzhong stood up: "Understood!"

----

Baoduigang mountain area.

Tang Enbo stood in front of the map, silently waiting for a telegram.

The officers behind him stood still, waiting for orders at any time.

After a while, a staff officer strode in and said, "Sir, there's a call from Chongqing!"

Tang Enbo took it, scanned it up and down, and finally folded it neatly: "Call Commander Li back."

"The 20th Corps will attack as ordered and will join forces with friendly forces on the 26th. We will definitely defeat the enemy in Taierzhuang. If we fail, we will obey the military orders!"

Then he turned around and looked at the officers who had been waiting for a long time: "All units should move out quickly and attack the Japanese invaders from the flank!"

The officers saluted in unison: "Yes!"

------

Taierzhuang.

The intensity of the battle escalated several levels. The Japanese army was full of confidence and was determined to seize all positions tonight.

But they never expected that the long-accumulated offensive was completely crushed by a sudden attack into the city.

Inside the 10th Division Command Post.

Isogai Lianjie had a gloomy face and kept roaring: "What on earth is going on! Why are the streets full of Chinese soldiers!"

"Why didn't the outer troops report in advance?"

Chief of Staff Muto lowered his head and said: "The enemy reinforcements relied on their firepower advantage to break through very quickly. By the time the General Staff received the news, the Chinese army had already entered the city."

Isogai Lianjie frowned and said, "What is the number of the Chinese army that entered the city? Which unit is it?"

Muto Masaru: "It is the First Defense Column"

The army entering the city was easy to identify, with its iconic red flag and unique rifles. It was hard to imagine which other troop it could be other than the 1st Garrison Column.

Isogai Lianjie muttered: "Defending the First Column?"

Wu Tengzheng explained: "It was originally part of the 414th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and was later reorganized into the North China Battle Group and the New First Corps."

"It is under the command of the First Column, and has participated in the battles that defeated the Second, Fifth, Thirteenth, and Eighteenth Divisions."

"It is the most elite field force at present."

This information has always been open to the public within the Japanese army. In the Special High Technology Department, a series of information is piled up half a person's height.

Isogai Lianjie's eyes were solemn. "Outer troops must tighten their defenses and not allow any more soldiers to enter. The 10th and 39th Regiments in the city must switch from offense to defense and hold their original positions firmly!"

Realizing that something was not right, he immediately changed his strategy.

So what about elite troops?
Trapped in an encirclement and cut off from logistical supplies, they would not be able to withstand prolonged consumption.

Wu Tengzheng bowed: "Hai!"

Shonai.

They were fighting with open fire and the sounds of killing were deafening.

In a private house.

Wu Guangsheng smoked a cigarette and looked straight out the window.

From the comprehensive reports on the battle situation, he could clearly perceive that the Japanese army intended to fight a war of attrition with them in the village.

Yuan Yelin stood beside him: "Chief of Staff, what should we do?"

After the reorganization of the troops, Wu Guangsheng was promoted from deputy corps commander to chief of staff, and the five battalion commanders were all promoted to deputy column commanders.

Each of them was in charge of several camps.

"The Japanese think too highly of themselves!" Wu Guangsheng exhaled smoke and snorted coldly: "With the strength of two regiments, they want to surround our first column. They are really bold!"

The title of elite force is not just boasting.

Even in a field battle, with both sides setting up their battle formations and engaging in a head-on confrontation, it would be difficult for the Japanese army to defeat a column in a short period of time, with the support of tanks, heavy artillery, air support and other factors.

What's more, this is a street fight.

Flesh mill!
The Japanese heavy artillery could not penetrate, and air support was difficult to be effective.

Now that all nine main battalions have entered the city, it is nothing short of a pipe dream to encircle the First Column with only two regiments.

Wu Guangsheng stood up and said: "Since the Japanese are defending, let's attack!"

"Inform all battalions to launch a full-scale attack on the Japanese positions. Use all mortars and grenade launchers. Do not save ammunition. We must capture half of Taierzhuang before dawn!"

Yuan Yelin put his heels together and saluted: "Yes!"

Wu Guangsheng lit another cigarette and said, "Also, report the Japanese army's movements to the Fourth Column outside the city and make sure to open up a supply line for our troops."

Yuan Yelin nodded repeatedly: "Understood!"

In the streets.

A Type 89 tank blocked the street entrance, and the tank cannon and the onboard machine gun opened fire at the same time, completely blocking the area in front with a dense firepower network.

E Yi hid behind the bunker: "Second Battalion Commander! Second Battalion Commander!"

"Fuck you, give me the tank!"

The second battalion commander shouted loudly: "Grenadiers! Grenadiers! Cover!"

The voice just fell.

Several grenades landed in front of the tanks, and the smoke and dust produced by the explosions briefly obscured the vision of the Japanese tank soldiers.

Behind him, several soldiers took the opportunity to rush out of the bunker with explosive packs.
Second Battalion Commander: "Keep going, don't stop!"

"Beat me to death!"

One soldier was quick-witted and quick-handed. When he reached the right distance, he pulled the fuse and threw the gun out.

boom--

When the flames died down, the wreckage of a tank was left blocking the street.

E Yi called out to the soldiers behind him: "Quick, seize the position!"

After saying that, he stood up and left the shelter.

Suddenly, a grenade flew from somewhere and landed less than five meters away from him.

The strong shock wave knocked E Yi down instantly.

"Sir! Sir!" The soldiers immediately surrounded him, "Be alert! Where is the shell coming from?"

"over there!"

The soldiers raised their guns and shot, killing the dying Japanese grenadier.

That's how street fighting is, you never know where your opponent might be hiding.

What the two sides are competing for is morale, not the gap in weapons.

A soldier who is ready to die will hide in various places, in ruins, behind bunkers, or even bury himself in the soil and hide among the dead, waiting to attack the enemy when they pass by.

Killing one is no loss, killing two is a huge profit!
The Japanese soldiers were very motivated, and they had tied cherry blossom ribbons on their foreheads when they entered Taierzhuang. They looked fanatical during battles, often hiding on the rooftops with bombs tied all over their bodies, waiting for the troops to pass by and then jumping down.

Acting as a human "aerial bomb".

The soldiers of the 1st Column were also decisive. They fought more and more bravely. Brutal and tragic scenes were common in this land.

E Yi coughed twice: "Damn it, the Japanese are so sinister."

"Go and seize the position quickly, I'm still damned alive."

Similar scenes often occur in Taierzhuang.

The soldiers' nerves were stretched to the limit, and one house changed hands more than ten times before they were able to completely capture it.

The Second Battalion broke through several intersections in succession and was less than two hundred meters away from the 31st Division.

"Battalion Commander, the Japs are coming from the side and rear!"

"Kill him!"

The streets and alleys are intricate and the voices of the enemy and our own are intertwined.

The second battalion commander was very anxious: "Quick! First Company, go and block them, Second Company, Third Company, continue to fight!"

A company commander came running over: "Battalion Commander! The Japs have two tanks!"

Second Battalion Commander: "Molotov cocktail!"

"All the Molotov cocktails in the camp are yours. Make sure you seal off the street!"

The company commander nodded: "Yes!"

Whether it was using Molotov cocktails to block the road or Wang Feng teaching them tactics in the general officer training class.

Snapped--

Countless Molotov cocktails smashed onto the ground. The moment the glass shattered, blazing flames rose up, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

Because of the mixture of tar, the burning is longer and longer.

"Keep throwing, don't let the Japs attack us!"

"idiot!"

"Drive over! Drive over!"

The Japanese officer jumped onto the tank in a hurry, slammed the turret cover, and kept saying: "Tank soldiers! Move forward immediately! Through the flames!"

inside the tank.

The driver looked forward through the observation hole and saw that the flame showed no signs of dying out, but instead burned more and more vigorously.

Driver: "Captain, what should we do?"

The roar of the officers accompanying outside the car became louder and louder.

The commander calmed down and said, "Speed up and rush forward!"

The driver pulled the operating lever, the tracks turned, and the vehicle rushed straight towards the fire area.

Tar stuck to the road wheels and tracks, and the entire tank was engulfed in flames.

The company commander shouted hastily: "Throw it onto the tank! Don't stop!"

"Burn those damn Japs to death!"

------

Outside Taierzhuang.

Li Zongren stood on a high place and looked down at the village.

Sun Lianzhong stood beside him and put down the telescope: "Duke De, the troops in the city are really powerful!"

Li Zongren smiled and asked: "How is the 31st Division?"

"Tang Enbo has called me back and will launch a surprise attack on the enemy's rear in Taierzhuang before dawn on the 26th."

"Whether the war can be won or not depends on our performance in the last two days."

Sun Lianzhong saluted and said, "Don't worry, Duke De. There are no soldiers in our 31st Division who have deserted the battlefield!"

"The Isogai Division wants to capture Taierzhuang, but it has to step over our bodies!"

Li Zongren waved his hand and asked: "How is the battle situation of your army and other troops?"

Sun Lianzhong: "With the timely support of friendly forces, the pressure on the remaining divisions outside the city has been greatly reduced, and they are currently launching a counterattack!"

Li Zongren: "Leave it to Tang Enbo's corps to deal with the Japanese troops outside the city. You just need to stabilize the front line. Dispatch troops to run into the village immediately to stabilize the front line!"

Sun Lianzhong scratched his head and said, "Duke De, haven't the more than 10,000 friendly soldiers in the city already gone in?"

Li Zongren frowned: "The cruelty of street fighting is far beyond anyone's imagination. The battlefields inside and outside the city need to take care of each other. Neither of them can be missing."

"Now that the enemy outside the city has been neutralized, we should devote our forces to supporting the city!"

"After you have deployed the defense outside the city, tell them that I am offering a reward of 100,000 yuan. Gather all the people in the rear who can hold guns and form a death squad to resolutely defend Taierzhuang!"

Sun Lianzhong was suspicious: "One hundred thousand dollars?"

Li Zongren smiled and said: "When there is a big reward, there will be brave men!"

"Anyone who dares to retreat in battle will be killed without mercy!"

"Go get ready!"

Sun Lianzhong took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Okay, I'll obey your orders until the entire group army is wiped out!"

There was a hint of resentment in these words.

But he just complained in front of Li Zongren.

As the two were talking, a soldier came running over and said, "Report to the commander!"

"The 31st Division can no longer hold on. The casualties are too great. Friendly forces have entered the city. Request to withdraw from the village!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Lianzhong stood up suddenly and said, "Dare!"

"Let's see who dares! You bastard!"

"When all the soldiers are gone, the officers will fill in. When everyone is gone, I will fill in myself!"

"No one is allowed to retreat without my order!"

The messenger saluted: "Yes!"

Then, Sun Lianzhong turned to look at Li Zongren and said, "Mr. De, the situation in the city is critical. Our Second Army cannot rely solely on friendly forces to fight. I will ask to go into the city in person and rush to the front line to supervise the battle!"

Li Zongren stood up and said: "Go, and hold on until dawn on the 26th!"

--------

Three hours later.

Taierzhuang City.

In the streets and alleys, the First Column and the two Japanese regiments were fighting to a standstill. Both sides were trying their best and vowed to decide the outcome tonight.

rear.

The 31st Division assembly area.

Sun Lianzhong stood on the ruins with his hands on his hips, overlooking the soldiers below.

His expression couldn't help but be moved, his eyes slightly red, but every time an emergency came, he forced himself to hold it back.

A division has nearly 10,000 soldiers.

After three days of defending Taierzhuang, less than 1,500 people were left.

The ammunition and food were exhausted, the camp was filled with starving people, and the land was full of grief.

The soldiers came over carrying baskets of silver.

Sun Lianzhong walked down, grabbed a handful, weighed it in his hand, and the sound was crisp and pleasant.

The most moving thing in the world is money.

Sun Lianzhong signaled with his eyes, and the guard next to him immediately understood. He stepped forward, took out the silver and money in the basket, and distributed it to the soldiers one by one.

Sun Lianzhong: "Brothers, our friendly forces are fighting on the front line, we can't just stand back and watch."

"This is not something a human should do!"

"This commander-in-chief, with a sincere heart, vows to live and die with Taierzhuang. We must make full use of the great achievement of annihilating the 77th Regiment of the Japanese Army at Niangzi Pass!"

"From today on, the military will implement the collective responsibility system to enforce military discipline!

"If you don't fight in front of the battle, you will die by the Giant Military Law!"

"Those who advance will be rewarded, and those who retreat will be beheaded!"

The soldiers below looked at each other, and an old soldier threw the silver in his hand into the sky, and it fell down with a series of crisp sounds.

"Sir, we don't even want our lives, so what do we need the money for? When the war is won, don't forget to erect a monument for our brothers!"

(End of this chapter)