The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 362 A Good Start (Two-in-One Chapter)

In the pitch-black night, Wu Dawei, the battalion commander of the 600th Regiment of the 200th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, was leading his men on a very disheveled march.

Throughout the process, he was part of a team of nearly a thousand people.

No one spoke; their faces were filled with indescribable panic and frustration. Only heavy breathing and the suppressed cries of the wounded could be heard.

There's nothing we can do! Their situation is extremely dire.

After receiving news that the Japanese had landed in Qinzhou Bay and that Nanning was in danger.

At that time, Dai Anlan, the commander of the 200th Division of the 5th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, which was heading to reinforce this area, immediately gathered all the vehicles of the division together.

He ordered his entire 600th regiment to rush to Nanning City.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they were still a little too late.

When they arrived at Ertang, about 20 miles northeast of Nanning, they encountered the 509th Regiment of the 170th Division, who had retreated to the area. They learned from them that Nanning had fallen into the hands of the Japanese.

After requesting instructions from their superiors via telegram, their 600th Regiment immediately halted its advance.

Together with the 509th Regiment, they built fortifications on the spot overnight to stop the Japanese troops at Ertang and prevent them from taking the opportunity to continue their advance and capture Kunlun Pass, a key gateway to southern Guangxi.

As a result, the fortifications were not fully repaired before the Japanese appeared early this morning.

Moreover, the Japanese forces were exceptionally strong, with the 21st and 42nd Regiments totaling more than 6,000 men; under the cover of a large number of aircraft, they immediately launched a fierce attack.

The 200th Division was originally a rare armored division in the National Revolutionary Army, and its combat power could be described as extremely strong.

Unfortunately, after the Battle of Lanfeng, in accordance with the Ministry of Military Affairs' reform plan to form an "attack army," all heavy equipment such as tanks and artillery had been handed over to the headquarters of the Fifth Army.

At this time, the 200th Division is organized as a Class A infantry division consisting of three infantry regiments and one supplementary regiment, which can be considered a pure infantry unit.

Their 600th Regiment was just an infantry regiment of about 1800 men.

Although their equipment was much better than that of the ragtag troops, they still found it extremely difficult to fight against such a powerful Japanese force from the very beginning.

In order to buy time for the follow-up troops of the Fifth Army, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and hold on.

Soon after, the 600th Regiment paid a heavy price. First, the regimental commander, Shao Yizhi, was shot twice. He continued to lead his men in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese, and was shot three more times before sacrificing his life.

The battle then intensified, with Deputy Regiment Commander Wen Mo falling into a coma due to serious injuries, and Regiment Deputy Commander Wu Qibi dying in battle.

By evening, when the Japanese stopped their all-day offensive, only about 600 men from the 600th Regiment were still breathing, including many seriously wounded.

The officers at the battalion, company, and platoon levels suffered exceptionally heavy casualties. Wu Dawei, the major and battalion commander of the first battalion, was the highest-ranking and highest-ranking surviving member of the entire regiment.

If we continue to hold our ground, we fear we won't be able to hold out for even an hour after the Japanese launch another attack early tomorrow morning.

Faced with such a terrible situation, what should they do?
After discussing the matter over the radio, Commander Dai and Commander Zheng of the 170th Division issued a new order: the remnants of the two regiments were to be combined into one force, temporarily led by Wu Dawei.

Abandon the current Ertang position and move to Gaofeng Pass, a strategically important and dangerous location, to hold it at all costs.

Under these circumstances, the remaining thousand or so soldiers from the two regiments, including about three hundred seriously wounded, moved to Gaofeng Pass overnight.

In contrast, their entire group had traveled in trucks the whole way.

Now, during the retreat, not only were all the trucks abandoned, but also a large amount of equipment that could not be carried away, resulting in a chaotic transfer.

Especially when they thought about the order to hold the pass at the summit and not allow any loss, their spirits naturally plummeted.

In this situation, Wu Dawei and his men did not pursue the Japanese soldiers as they retreated, and they safely arrived at Gaofeng Pass.

Seeing that there was only one dirt road cutting through the mountain, and that the terrain was quite treacherous, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, they discovered that countless torches on the mountaintop had suddenly been raised high.

Suddenly, thousands of people appeared on the mountaintop of Gaofeng Pass.

Fortunately, most of those people were dressed as civilians, mixed with some friendly soldiers wearing various military uniforms; they were not the Japanese soldiers they were most worried about.

Just as Wu Dawei breathed a sigh of relief, a tall man who looked quite familiar but whose identity he couldn't quite place strode out of the crowd.

Addressing the crowd, he spoke in an uncompromising tone, uttering a shocking statement:
"I am Hu Biao, Hu Biao of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. I order you to obey my command from now on and to do everything in your power to block the Japanese attacking force; prevent the Japanese from advancing even a single step before everyone is wiped out."

Alright! Everyone, stop standing there like idiots and come up here.

We were just about to eat when they slaughtered three large, fat pigs, and there was plenty of fatty pork slices and rice.

In addition, the seriously wounded were quickly sent to the field hospital. Although our military doctors were not very skilled, they had a sufficient supply of penicillin and sulfonamides.

Using some of it will always help more brothers pull through the jaws of death.

After hearing some of the explanations, Wu Dawei immediately felt a pang of despair.

He naturally admired the legendary and highly decorated Commander Hu; he was even willing to follow this fierce general and fight the Japanese to his heart's content.

Even if we die here, it doesn't matter much.

However, as a major in the bald principal's direct subordinates, he had vaguely heard about the dirty dealings between Hu Biao and many bigwigs in the Nationalist government, and even the bald principal himself.

He was worried that if he led his men to fight under Hu Biao's command, it would bring some big trouble to Commander Dai of his 200th Division.

But he knew one thing better: after Hu Biao revealed his identity, many of his men's eyes lit up uncontrollably, as if they were seeing an idol.

It's surprising how high Hu Biao's prestige was among the grassroots soldiers.

In addition, there was plenty of hot rice with slices of fatty meat. Compared to these soldiers, the life-saving drugs penicillin and sulfonamides, which were even more precious, could be used by the seriously wounded.

All of the above are incredibly tempting to the brothers.

So he turned his head and made eye contact with the deputy battalion commander of the 509th Regiment, who currently held the highest military rank.

Both men noticed the bitterness in each other's eyes and knew they couldn't bring themselves to refuse; otherwise, they might be shot on the spot by Hu Biao as a warning to others, something Commander Hu was absolutely capable of doing.

Even their own men might mutini on the spot.

Even so, Wu Dawei still mustered his courage and made this request:
"It is our honor to be able to fight the Japanese alongside Commander Hu, but could you please send a telegram to inform our respective division commanders about this matter?"

Before making such a request, Wu Dawei was actually quite conflicted.

The main reason was that he knew Hu Biao was here, even though it would be exposed sooner or later.

However, Hu Biao was not only a thorn in the side of the Japanese, but also a figure that many bigwigs in the Nationalist government desperately wanted to capture.

Therefore, revealing this news in advance will likely cause Hu Biao considerable trouble.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao casually remarked, "Go ahead and send it out! Just notify them."

In this way, Hu Biao gained actual command of this group of about 700 combatants and more than 800 guns.

After agreeing to accept Hu Biao's command for a maximum of ten minutes, Wu Dawei felt no regret whatsoever and even felt somewhat fortunate.

He simply led his men up to Gaofeng Pass and saw the fortified positions built there.

Even at night, when visibility is poor, the specific details of the rear positions are still not clearly visible from a distance.

However, within the vast defensive position encompassing the entire hilltop, the sheer number of trenches was astounding, and their arrangement was exceptionally logical; the sheer treachery within them sent chills down his spine just thinking about it. Furthermore, on the two lower hilltops to the left and right, there were also faintly visible defensive positions.

Combined with the main position, it formed a fairly three-dimensional defensive fortification complex.

In short, the above defensive fortifications are of extremely high quality, probably even surpassing the textbooks used by his instructors when he was studying at the Whampoa Military Academy.

The very presence of these positions alone would have saved them many lives and made it much easier for them to hold off the Japanese.

Putting aside the level of skill involved, the sheer amount of work required was something these remaining soldiers couldn't have accomplished even if they had worked themselves to death before the Japanese appeared...

In the time that followed, Wu Dawei and the other remaining soldiers finally relaxed after eating hot meals.

News of Hu Biao and Commander Hu's appearance at Gaofeng Pass outside Nanning City has also spread among the high-ranking officers of the National Revolutionary Army; although the Japanese do not know it for the time being, they will soon find out.

******
The night passed quickly, and it was a little past eight in the morning.

On a vacant lot, about 800 or 900 meters from the position, in the direction of Gaofeng Pass facing Nanning City.

The Japanese 2nd Mixed Brigade's adjutant, Captain Isao Iguchi, was looking through binoculars at the situation on the distant Gaofeng Pass.

He said it with a very surprised tone:
"These Chinese people, though not qualified soldiers, must be exceptionally qualified farmers and laborers."

According to intelligence, these remnants of the 600th and 509th Regiments must have hastily retreated here last night, right? They built such a large-scale fortification in just one night; their work ethic is truly remarkable.

"But that's fine too. Once the empire completely conquers this land, they can work hard for us."

Upon hearing this, his direct superior, Colonel Watanabe Yoshinobu, the regimental commander of Watanabe's unit, who was also holding binoculars next to him, along with several other Japanese officers, were present.

Although they didn't say anything, their facial expressions said it all:
They strongly agreed with Iguchi Isao's statement.

Guangxi Province, a land where major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions do not occur frequently, with a warm and comfortable climate, abundant resources, and fragrant fruits all year round, is a place that only the empire is qualified to possess and enjoy.

The original Chinese people on this land could only become enslaved laborers.

The reason why Watanabe Yoshinobu, that Japanese soldier, appeared here so early in the morning is actually quite simple.

Because the 21st and 42nd Regiments of the 5th Division needed to continue advancing rapidly along the line of Ertang, Santang... Jiutang, breaking through the obstruction of some Nationalist troops, and carrying out the mission of seizing Kunlun Pass.

In this way, the task of capturing Gaofeng Pass and dealing with the remnants of the 600th and 509th Regiments fell to the Watanabe Regiment, a subordinate unit of the Wanwan Mixed Brigade.

Watanabe Yoshinobu led his team out early in the morning, and they arrived here twenty minutes ago with the first detachment.

While waiting for reinforcements to arrive, Regiment Commander Yoshinobu Watanabe was not idle.

He arrived at a location less than a kilometer from the hilltop, accompanied by his adjutants, the first battalion commander, the company commander, and many other officers.

Holding binoculars, he brazenly observed the situation at the Gaofeng Pass position.

Throughout the observation, these Japanese soldiers were extremely relaxed and showed no concern whatsoever about being killed by the Nationalist troops on the hilltop at such a distance.

According to reliable intelligence, when this group of remnants withdrew last night, they abandoned all the trucks and a large amount of heavy equipment, in addition to taking a large number of wounded soldiers with them.

They don't have any cannons at all, not even heavy machine guns.

Therefore, the defending troops currently have no weapons that can harm them; otherwise? Could it be the Type 24 rifles they have? Don't be ridiculous.

But soon, these Japanese officers would regret this frivolous decision to the core...

At the same time, at a rather well-hidden sniper position on the front line of the main position at Gaofeng Pass.

Looking through the binoculars at the group of Japanese officers led by a colonel, Hu Biao spoke, then asked Uncle Bo and the warehouse manager:
"Old cucumber, warehouse manager, are you really sure you can do it?"
Whether we can take down that Japanese colonel from the Taiwanese mixed brigade with a single shot is crucial to our upcoming battle plan.

It should be noted that when Hu Biao and his men first heard about this "Taiwanese Mixed Brigade" on the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield...

I thought that apart from all the officers, all the soldiers in this unit were Japanese, and all the other rank-and-file soldiers were Taiwanese.

For a long time, they believed that this was a traitorous army and that they should be wiped out if given the chance.

Because Hu Biao and others had heard this more than once during their exchanges with other units:

This mixed brigade of Taiwanese soldiers was exceptionally brutal towards captured Nationalist soldiers and innocent civilians, even more ruthless than other Japanese units.

However, after traveling through time multiple times and consulting more historical materials, they realized that the situation was not like that at all.

It wasn't that this unit wasn't as ferocious as rumored, but rather that the soldiers were mostly Japanese immigrants living in Taiwan, with the vast majority coming from Kyushu.

Perhaps it is because they are used to being superior to Taiwanese people and oppressing their fellow Taiwanese that their methods have become even more ruthless.

It was precisely for this reason that, after learning the truth from the documents, Hu Biao and his men felt an even stronger desire to annihilate the entire force if given the chance.

And then, during this journey, we actually encountered this Japanese army unit.

After some deliberation, and considering their severe lack of weaponry, Annie devised a bold battle plan...

Faced with Hu Biao's question about whether he was confident, Uncle Bo and the warehouse manager both shouted in unison, "Shut up, or you try it if you dare!"

Leaving aside Hu Biao, after being so mercilessly rebuked, he couldn't even retaliate.

There's no way around it! Although his marksmanship is quite good, it's only effective against targets within 400 meters.

Beyond this distance, it becomes quite unreliable, and at a distance of eight or nine hundred meters, there is almost no confidence in hitting the target.

After hurling their insults, the warehouse manager and Uncle Bo took a deep breath and tried their best to calm themselves down and reach their optimal state.

The weapon that Uncle Bo was holding was, of course, a Mauser sniper rifle in excellent condition that he had brought from the modern world.

The weapon the warehouse manager was holding was a Type 24 rifle, carefully selected from the weapons confiscated from the defeated soldiers, which was in the best condition and had the highest accuracy.

Both men's rifles are now equipped with a 6x scope.

The difference is that the scope on the Mauser sniper rifle comes with the original weapon, while the scope on the Type 24 rifle was added by the warehouse manager.

After the warehouse manager installed a scope on the Type 24 rifle, he spent a lot of effort calibrating it, but it still fell short of expectations.

The 6x scope also gave them the ability to kill targets within 1000 meters.

They only had one chance to fire, and after the shot rang out, the Japanese officers became wary; frankly, neither of them had any confidence that they could hit the target with one shot.

After aiming for another minute, Uncle Bo suddenly uttered a series of numbers: "Five, four, three, two, one."

The moment the sound rang out, Hu Biao's spirits immediately lifted, because he knew that it was Uncle Bo calling out to the warehouse manager, and the two of them would start firing as soon as the countdown was over.

As soon as Uncle Bo finished saying the word "one," he and the warehouse manager pulled the trigger at the same time.

The moment the trigger was pulled and the bullet left the barrel, the warehouse manager wore a pained expression; he had an inexplicable intuition that the shot had missed.

Uncle Bo's eyebrows shot up, knowing that the shot had been fired.

In essence, in a healthy competition between the two snipers, the old and the new, Uncle Bo won the first place thanks to his more reliable weapon.

However, who won or lost between the two was of no importance to Hu Biao.

To be honest, it's just a good start...

(End of this chapter)