The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 551 A Brutal Beginning (Bonus Chapter for Coarse Noodle Fish Ball Guy) (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Time: 2:13 PM on September 27, 1941.

The location is above the No. 3 position within the front-line positions of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

He plopped down on the muddy ground, holding a chipped earthenware bowl in his hand, and began to eat his lunch, which was already a little past lunchtime.

Overall, the lunch was pretty good.

Plenty of brown rice, stewed with radishes of fallen mules, some boiled greens and vegetable soup.

Whether it was because he was starving or because Hu Biao had given the cooks some pointers, Ji Shouxing actually found that stewed radish and mule meat tasted quite delicious.

However, his focus at this moment was not on how the mule meat tasted, but on some things he considered more important.

And there he was! He quickly shoveled the food out of his bowl, even though he wasn't full yet.

Before he could even finish a bowl of vegetable soup, he looked at Xinhuo, who looked thin but had already eaten his second large bowl of rice, and asked with some concern, "Xinhuo, who isn't exactly a seasoned newbie, is sitting next to me."
"Dude, do you think we can hold position number three with just this few men?"
"Don't let the fighting start for a little while, and then, with nothing happening on the enemy's positions, the two of us have to call for reinforcements. Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Huo suddenly seemed to lose interest in the food in his hands, and a look of worry involuntarily appeared on his face.

The reason why the two people mentioned above reacted in this way is that we need to introduce the defense situation of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, they have built two defense lines from midnight last night until now.

The two lines of defense were connected by trenches, allowing for rapid support and evacuation; there were also trenches, numerous firing positions, artillery shelters, and ammunition storage rooms.

Furthermore, each of the anti-artillery holes and ammunition storage rooms is supported by sturdy logs, capable of withstanding direct hits from Japanese 75mm shells.

Each defensive line was divided into four positions.

Counting from left to right, the hills on the left are considered position number one, and the two-mile-long flat area in the middle, separated by the original dirt road, are positions number two and three respectively.

The hill on the far right is naturally position number four.

Each position was defended by two time travelers leading a company of soldiers; that is, Xin Huo and Ji Shouxing were responsible for defending a section of the position about 500 meters wide.

As for the other units of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, they naturally hid in the mountains and forests behind the camp, along with the civilian laborers.

On this No. 3 position, Xin Huo, who was more experienced, was the main person in charge, while Ji Shouxing, a newcomer, came to help and learn from the experience.

Under normal circumstances, the two of them felt no problem with the task they were assigned.

The problem is that they had just gone through a fierce battle last night, so almost every company suffered serious casualties.

Currently, the company led by the two men only has 83 people, including themselves.

Faced with such a meager force, the two men began to lack confidence.

But they also knew that this was to create the illusion for the Japanese that they could break through the defenses and kill them with just a little more effort.

Hu Biao, that damned bastard, would never give them any more troops.

Helpless, Xin Huo was about to say something, like, "Let's eat first and then talk."

Suddenly hearing some noise, his expression changed drastically: "Artillery fire! Everyone to the bunkers immediately!"

After shouting, Xin Huo and Ji Shouxing jumped up as if their butts were on fire.

After getting up, they ran along the trenches, one on the left and one on the right.

He kicked his men, who were still somewhat bewildered and hadn't quite reacted yet, with his boots; after being kicked, they immediately ran like startled rabbits towards the nearest bunker.

After looking around and finding that almost everyone was moving, Xinhuo and Ji Shouxing then crawled into the nearest unmanned anti-tank bunker.

The only difference is that Xin Huo has been holding a large earthenware bowl that's half-eaten, but he's never put it down.

Even when they rushed into the bunker, they were already holding a rice bowl in their hands; the first thing they did after squatting down inside was to quickly shovel rice into their mouths.

Only after finishing every last grain of rice in the bowl in a very short time did he show a satisfied expression.

During the process, a shell landed not far away, causing a shower of mud and sand to fall from above, covering the last bite or two of food in the bowl with mud and sand.

Xin Huo didn't even blink, shoveling the mud and sand into his mouth and forcing it down.

It can only be said that after his previous time travel, during which he was so hungry he almost ate grass like a large animal, Xin Huo developed an instinct to not waste a single grain of food since returning to the modern world… ******
Five minutes later, the sound of gunfire in my ears suddenly subsided.

On the adjacent No. 2 position, the foreman immediately crawled out of the anti-artillery hole, twisting his head to quickly survey the battlefield situation.

He could first see that the Japanese artillery bombardment had caused virtually no casualties and had not caused much damage to the position.

The contractor was not at all surprised by this.

Perhaps the Japanese cannons from Chenzhou haven't been transported over in time.

He had been hiding in the anti-artillery bunker when he could hear the Japanese artillery shells coming at him; they were just 70mm shells from the Type 92 infantry gun.

This thing has limited power, and its destructive force against their carefully constructed defensive fortifications is naturally quite limited.

At this time, the foreman was relatively relaxed, believing that the Japanese attack was just a probing attack.

Unfortunately, in a very short time, he felt a mixture of sorrow and joy.

Great news! It seems their battle plan has made another crucial step forward. Anami Korechika has truly abandoned the idea of ​​making the Japanese 11th Army retreat and is now preparing to kill them first before leaving.

Tragic! This plan to lure the enemy was frighteningly successful.

In this attack, the Japanese actually committed an entire battalion, a massive force of over a thousand soldiers.

Four squadrons of infantry crouched low and jogged towards their four positions, making no distinction between a main attack and a feint; it was a full-scale offensive.

At a few later locations, dozens of light and heavy machine guns were being set up, seemingly to provide fire support.

In total, the Japanese forces were more than three times the size of the four understrength companies they had deployed on the front lines, totaling more than 300 men.

This was no probing attack; the Japanese were going all out from the start.

After a jolt of fear, the foreman's piercing scream rang out from position number two:
"Everyone come out and prepare for battle; the Japanese are coming up soon."

Amidst these shouts, one by one, the brothers rushed out of the anti-aircraft bunkers carrying their weapons. Their faces showed no fear of about to engage the Japanese in battle; instead, they were filled with an indescribable eagerness.

Seeing this, the contractor's tension eased considerably, and he even felt somewhat relieved.

Fortunately, last night's fierce battle, although our side suffered heavy casualties, also brought many benefits.

On the one hand, they captured a large number of Japanese weapons. Now, on their No. 2 position alone, they have a powerful firepower of three heavy machine guns, six light machine guns, three grenade launchers, and ten submachine guns.

Ammunition and melon grenades are also plentiful.

On the other hand, the brothers saw blood and won a great victory, which boosted their morale and spirits, and they were no longer afraid of the Japanese devils who were rumored to be extremely powerful.

This is even more important than the improvement in firepower.

However, it seems that it wasn't until this morning that the contractor realized that a series of battles were about to take place in a place called Guantang Village, a battle that would remain fresh in his memory for a long time.

The Japanese soldiers, having been lured into submission by Hu Biao and his men with various baits, were now extremely cunning in their fighting style and tactics.

His men had just lay prone on the trenches, raising their weapons.

Facing the Japanese soldiers who had advanced to a position of 320 to 330 meters, Lao Che, who was paired with the foreman, was responsible for defending position number 2.

Just as they were about to order all the light and heavy machine guns on the position to open fire immediately, using crossfire to suppress the speed of the Japanese charge.

The Japanese soldiers in front of them suddenly stopped and lay down on the ground.

Just when Lao Che thought the Japanese were trying to use their superior marksmanship to engage in a firefight,
Several more shells streaked across the sky, their sounds echoing as they fell towards them.

Even more absurdly, these shells did not explode violently after landing; instead, large amounts of white-gray smoke were quickly released and diffused from the warheads.

The foreman and the old car exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep sense of unease in each other's eyes: Have these Japanese devils gone mad?
There was no probing attack before the war even started. The enemy's firepower and troop strength on the positions were not even properly assessed. They even used poison gas and launched a full-scale attack.
It's like starting a game of Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), where instead of playing a small three (a specific card in the game), the player immediately starts throwing out bombs in a ferocious attack.

Then, realizing what was happening, the two of them screamed in unison, "Poison gas! Put on your gas masks immediately, and button up your collars, and tighten your sleeves and trouser legs..."

(End of this chapter)