Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 162 Flesh Mill

Yongcheng.

The originally silent town was now shrouded in the sound of gunfire.

The infantry of the 3rd Division, under the cover of tanks and armored vehicles, quickly advanced into the city.

Zhou Guanglie personally went to the front line to supervise the battle under the guns and cannons.

"Sir! Sir! The phone is ringing!" The guard was holding a black telephone box and carrying a wire reel on his back.

Zhou Guanglie huddled in the corner, the smoke from the explosion irritating his nose, and he was breathing in fresh air in big gulps: "Give it to me!"

"quick!"

The guard staggered and squatted beside Zhou Guanglie.

"Hey!"

"I am Zhou Guanglie of the Seventh Column!"

A voice came from the other end of the phone: "I am Yu Xuezhong, how is the situation in the east of the city?"

Zhou Guanglie shouted loudly: "Sir, the Japanese have deployed a large number of tanks to launch a fierce attack on our column position. Our troops are fighting back."

Yu Xuezhong interrupted him: "I don't want to hear this. I just want to ask you a question. How long can the east city be defended?"

There was a lot of noise in his ears. Zhou Guanglie covered one ear with one hand and held the microphone tightly with the other hand: "We can defend until we run out of ammunition and food, and until all our men are sacrificed!"

Yu Xuezhong: "Okay! I now order your troops to defend for at least three days. Do you hear me?"

Zhou Guanglie took a deep breath and said, "Yes! I promise to complete the task!"

Snapped!
Zhou Guanglie placed the phone on its cradle and looked at the surrounding positions.

Although he came to the front line to supervise the battle, he did not go to the forefront of the position, but to the third and fourth lines of defense.

But even so, Japanese artillery shells would fly in from time to time.

"Where is Dou Guangdian? Call Dou Guangdian over to me!" Zhou Guanglie spat casually, half of which was sand and dirt he had swallowed.

The guards hurried away.

After a while.

Dou Guangdian, wearing a helmet, ran quickly to Zhou Guanglie.

He was originally the commander of the 339th Brigade. During the Battle of Chihe, the 51st Army blocked Ushijima Sadao's th Division in Huaibei. He personally formed a death squad and recaptured the lost Xiaobengbu.

After the reorganization of the troops, he served as deputy commander of the 1th Column, and commanded the 2st, 3nd, 4rd, 5th, 6th and th Infantry Battalions during wartime.

"Sir, this is too dangerous. Put on your helmet first!" Dou Guangdian took off his helmet and wanted to put it on Zhou Guanglie. "Let's go to the rear first. The Japanese are fighting too fiercely!"

Zhou Guanglie waved his hand and said, "There is no rear area at all. Yongcheng is such a small place that the enemy's artillery shells can hit my command post."

"Can the front line of defense hold out until dawn?"

Dou Guangdian nodded: "Yes!"

"All the soldiers on the battlefield died, I filled in personally."

Zhou Guanglie glanced at him and said, "If you die, who will command my six infantry battalions?"

"Let me tell you something. Commander Yu just called and asked us to hold out for at least three days."

Dou Guangdian frowned: "Three days?"

Zhou Guanglie coughed twice and said, "In my opinion, it will definitely take more than three days, at least a week."

"Right now our main forces are attacking Dangshan, and we can't mobilize any reinforcements. We can only rely on ourselves!"

As the commander of the column, he was qualified to attend pre-war military meetings and was fully aware of the overall combat planning.

Dou Guangdian frowned even more tightly: "Sir, there are no supplies?"

Zhou Guanglie was impatient: "Why are you asking so many questions? Get back to your position right now!"

Dou Guangdian lowered his head and remained silent: "Can we still return to Fengtian?"

Zhou Guanglie was so angry that he kicked him and said, "Don't say such discouraging words in front of me. If the front line is lost, I will hold you responsible!"

Dou Guangdian responded and ran back quickly.

Behind the bunker, Zhou Guanglie grinned.

"Fengtian is no longer the same Fengtian as before." He muttered softly, and before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears.

"Shh!"

Zhou Guanglie put a cigarette in his mouth and lit a match.

------

Frontier position.

Under the cover of night, several heavy machine guns formed a firepower network, temporarily suppressing the Japanese charge.

During the time they were stationed in Yongcheng, the 7th and 8th columns built a solid defensive position under the guidance of [Pocket Defense] instructor Zhang Wei.

A "firepower annihilation zone" was formed.

The shooting parameters of various weapons are set based on this.

For areas and routes that cannot be covered by firepower, nearby buildings will be completely blown up to form blocking obstacles.

Ensure that the Japanese army is always exposed to fire range after launching an attack.

Yongcheng is a small city.

After destroying some buildings, the only places that need to be defended are a few intersections and central buildings.

The soldiers used the rubble from the destroyed buildings to build a temporary shelter, about 1.6 meters high and equipped with four heavy machine guns.

Most of the models are Japanese Type 92.

A heavy machine gun was deployed behind the bunker, blocking a large area of the street.

A heavy machine gun was deployed on top of a building further back, occupying an advantageous position at a higher point on the other side of the street, and exerting its firepower to block the approach route to the bunker.

The other two heavy machine guns were deployed at the corners of the intersection on both sides of the bunker, using oblique firepower to build a cross-fire network, block the intersection, and at the same time cover other soldiers in combat.

Da da da--

The machine gun fired bullets, mowing down large numbers of Japanese soldiers who were attempting to charge.

It turns out that the "fire kill zone" tactic is very effective.

Bullets were fired in overwhelming numbers, and the charging Japanese soldiers had nowhere to hide. The advancing tanks were blocked by the temporary fire wall formed by "Molotov cocktails" and cluster grenades.

The weapon that was used to cover the infantry charge now slowed down the pace of the attack.

The Japanese officer shouted: "Grenadiers!"

"Grenadier!"

However, there was no response yet.

Faced with the "fire destruction zone" tactics, the risk of grenadiers dropping bombs increased exponentially in the absence of suitable cover.

"Kill them!" The Japanese officer was anxious. He hid behind the tank and kept urging the soldiers around him.

"Onboard!"

The machine gun bullets hit the tank armor with a clanging sound, which completely angered the Type 94 tank machine gunner.

The turret slowly turned.

The 7.7mm vehicle-mounted machine gun opened fire, and dense bullets swept directly over.

The machine gunner didn't have time to react before he was hit by several bullets and fell in a pool of blood.

"Soldiers come! Soldiers come!" the company commander defending this place shouted. Seeing no response, he crouched down and ran to the heavy machine gun to operate it.

"Damn you little Japs! I'm going to kill you!" The company commander gritted his teeth and fired three rounds in a burst to suppress the Japanese soldiers who were trying to take advantage of the opportunity to rush up.

The company commander turned around and shouted, "Molotov cocktails! Throw a few over!"

The soldiers next to him reacted immediately.

wow-

The glass bottle shattered, and flames shot up into the sky, lighting up the night sky, and rolling heat waves rushed towards us. "Grenade launcher! Shoot out that Japanese tank for me!" The company commander pointed to the front and shouted at the top of his voice.

The battlefield was filled with so much noise that you couldn't hear anything unless you spoke loudly.

The armor of the Type 94 tank is very weak, and of course one grenade cannot destroy it.

But all fear comes from insufficient firepower.

If one shot is not enough, then fire a few more, shoot at the same time, and explode at the same time.

The violent shock wave is enough to cause fatal injuries to the occupants in the car.

The company commander turned his head and wanted to fire forward, but suddenly found that the turret of the Type 94 tank was aimed at him.

Alarm bells suddenly sounded in my heart.

Da da da--!
The 7.7mm vehicle-mounted machine gun opened fire again, and the bullets came so fast that there was no time to react.

The company commander was shot in the neck, his body leaned back and fell next to the machine gunner who had died not long ago.

Several 50mm grenades landed next to the Type tank. After the smoke and dust from the explosion cleared, the extent of injuries to the crew members was unknown, but a large number of surrounding infantrymen fell down.

The Japanese captain who organized the charge was lying next to the tracks. His body was warm, but he was no longer breathing.

------

Rear command post.

The signalman came running over: "Report to the commander, we have intercepted the enemy's message, the east city archway position has been lost!"

Dou Guangdian's eyes widened. "Nonsense! The commander-in-chief said that military discipline must be strict and someone will report the loss of a position. What are you talking about?"

The signalman hesitated and dared not speak.

The staff officer walked in at this time and said in a low voice: "Sir, the East City Archway position has indeed been lost. The Japanese used chemical weapons. All 153 soldiers in the company were killed."

When he heard that it was chemical weapons, Dou Guangdian became anxious: "Damn the Japs, they really used chemical weapons!"

"In the evening, the headquarters called and warned all units to be on high alert. How could this happen?"

The staff officer shook his head. "How can we guard against this? This is not the first time. Throughout the east of the city, the Japanese army simultaneously used poison gas bombs on our four defensive positions. Currently, the frontline positions have basically been destroyed."

Dou Guangdian wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He slammed his fist on the table and couldn't help sighing: "Alas!"

"The frontline position must not be lost!"

"Call Sun Yao over!"

Sun Yao, former battalion commander of the 339th Regiment of the 674th Brigade of the Northeast Army.

He made his mark in the Battle of Chihe, led his soldiers to form a death squad, and fought fiercely for several hours with the vanguard of the 18th Division, eventually retaking Xiaobengbu.

Since then, he has been promoted all the way due to his merits and is currently the battalion commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the 7th Field Column.

A moment later, Sun Yao walked into the command post, stood at attention, and saluted: "Hello, sir!"

Dou Guangdian got straight to the point: "I now order your first battalion to immediately recapture the east city archway position within half an hour."

"No mistakes!"

Sun Yao didn't say anything else, just nodded: "Understood!"

Dou Guangdian turned his head and said, "Don't you want to light the grenade?"

Sun Yao smiled bitterly: "We are surrounded, so we should save as much as possible and leave the ammunition to other battalions."

Dou Guangdian took a deep look and said, "Go quickly, and be careful. The devils have used poison gas bombs there before."

Sun Yao put his heels together and saluted: "We are going to attack the position. The Japanese are not afraid of them, so why should we be afraid?"

Dou Guangdian waved his hand and looked at the battle map.

------

Yongcheng Railway Station.

Yu Xuezhong stood on a high place, looked into the city, and then withdrew his gaze after a long time.

[Pocket Defense] Instructor Zhang Wei stepped forward and said, "Sir, judging from the current situation, our unit can still hold out for more than five days."

Yu Xuezhong: “Five days?”

"After five days, all the troops will be wiped out, right?"

Zhang Wei did not answer, but his silence proved everything.

Yu Xuezhong smoked a cigarette and asked, "Does the commander-in-chief have any news?"

Zhang Wei shook his head: "The battle of Dangshan is still at a critical stage. The 16th Division has built a solid defensive offensive. It may be difficult to win in a short time."

"I'm afraid we'll have to fight this battle on our own."

Yu Xuezhong responded: "Inform all troops to save some ammunition. There are still many days to come, and we can't waste our good days in one day."

Zhang Wei nodded: "The Japanese army used poison gas bombs in the city, and the front positions of each column have been lost."

Yu Xuezhong was shocked: "Poison gas bomb?"

Zhang Wei: "Yes, soldiers will lose their combat effectiveness after inhaling it, and in severe cases, it may even lead to death."

Yu Xuezhong frowned and gritted his teeth: "Damn little devils, when I was still in Fengtian, I heard that the Japanese were doing this thing!"

"Is the East City Archway position still there?"

“I remember it was a big intersection.”

Zhang Wei grinned bitterly: "It was lost. The Japanese army's attacks failed in the first half of the night. The position changed hands four times. According to the battle report, the Japanese were furious and took the lead in using poison gas bombs here."

Upon hearing this result, Yu Xuezhong's heart skipped a beat.

"I asked you to calculate the damage. How is the progress?"

Zhang Wei sighed: "There are still some teams that have not reported yet, but the situation is not optimistic."

Yu Xuezhong paused, his tone extremely low: "Tell me first, so that I can be mentally prepared."

Zhang Wei: "We fought the Japanese for five hours, and more than 2,500 soldiers were killed. As for the wounded, we couldn't even count them all."

"The two field hospitals are overcrowded and can't provide treatment."

This is what street fighting is like. The intensity of the fighting and the number of casualties are frighteningly high.

In order to defend a civilian house in the first half of the night, four light machine guns were deployed in the house of less than 50 square meters.

Bullets flew randomly in the small space, ruthlessly harvesting lives.

Yu Xuezhong lit another cigarette and stared at the battle map.

We can't continue fighting like this!
"Report to the commander!" While the two were in deep thought, a staff officer walked in quickly.

"The headquarters called and we have reinforcements!"

Yu Xuezhong looked delighted and asked hurriedly, "Which unit is it? The 1st column? Or the 5th column?"

The staff officer shook his head: "It's the Yunnan Army!"

This answer surprised Yu Xuezhong.

Yunnan Army?

The staff officer handed over the message: "The 60th Army, originally stationed in Wuhan, was transferred to Henan. It was supposed to support Xuzhou, but was intercepted by our commander on the Longhai Line."

Yu Xuezhong and Zhang Wei looked at each other.

Intercept?

Although I didn't understand the meaning, it was always good news that reinforcements were coming.

Zhang Wei glanced at the message: "It is expected to arrive in three days."

"Sir, if our friendly forces march on time, we should still be able to hold on!"

"I have heard of the 60th Army at the General Staff. It has three divisions under its command. It was previously undergoing training in Wuhan. It is said that there are German advisors assisting in the training."

"Although the Yunnan Army was expanded after the Anti-Japanese War, the dilution ratio was not high. The troops are still mostly veterans with strong combat effectiveness."

(End of this chapter)