The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 555 Defeated Soldiers (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Half an hour later, at 8:26 p.m. on the 27th, Ji Shouxing gave up on going to the No. 3 position to beat up Huang Adi and instead took his men to wash up and eat.

Erpang, also known as Huang Yizhi.

He walked over with a displeased expression and handed Hu Biao a newly released statistical report.

This guy looked resentful because, in Hu Biao and the others' original plan, the replenishment battalion was to be led by Huang Yizhi.

However, later, for the purpose of training new people, this supplementary battalion, which did not belong to the main force, was handed over to Ji Shouxing and Zhixiang for management.

Huang Yizhi was reassigned to serve as deputy chief of staff, essentially working as Annie's assistant.

Huang Yizhi originally had no objection to this. For this guy in the modern world who was a foodie and a homebody, it would be perfect to take the opportunity to slack off.

But this afternoon, Annie and Mina were together.

Together with the remnants of the cavalry battalion led by Lao Ma and Xiao Henan, they hurriedly set off this afternoon to recruit soldiers in the rear. After that, all the work of the staff department fell on this guy's shoulders.

After a busy half-day, Huang Yizhi felt he had lost at least a pound, so it would be strange if he could be happy.

After receiving the casualty report from the front-line positions, which should have been from the battle that afternoon, Hu Biao hurriedly went to a front-line command post that was being used as a large anti-artillery bunker.

I glanced at it hastily under the light of a kerosene lamp.

Even before seeing such a statistical report, Hu Biao had already been mentally prepared.

Knowing that the Japanese soldiers, who had been lured into a corner by them these past few days, were launching a frenzied attack regardless of casualties, the daily casualties must be terrifying.

Then, if they just get through these few days, everything will gradually improve, and eventually they will be able to reap the sweet rewards.

But after seeing the series of numbers above, Hu Biao still closed his eyes in pain.

In just one afternoon, the Japanese launched five consecutive attacks, resulting in 572 deaths and 213 serious injuries on our side, which is equivalent to the near annihilation of ten understrength companies.

Of course, they still have a relatively good advantage in the battle thanks to their large amount of automatic firepower and defensive capabilities.

The results after an afternoon of fighting were also very impressive.

The Japanese troops that attacked them this afternoon were probably the 45th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Kagoshima Regiment. It is estimated that more than 700 of them were killed and more than 400 were wounded.

In other words, they lost at least an entire infantry battalion here in one afternoon.

The exchange ratio between the two sides reached an astonishing 1 to 1.4, meaning the Hunan Province replenishment team didn't lose out at all.

Even with such a problem, just thinking about how his side had lost eight hundred men in four hours, all of whom were young men brought from their hometown, made Hu Biao's heart tremble with heartache.

After a while, Hu Biao finally calmed down and asked Huang Yizhi a question:
"Have you made contact with the 74th Army? What's the situation on their side?"

Based on their familiarity with each other, Huang Yizhi immediately knew what Hu Biao was up to when he heard the question.

Although the 74th Army suffered considerable casualties in the past few days, it was still a force to be reckoned with.

So if the Japanese attack on the 74th Army is less intense than that on the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, we should see if we can get some reinforcements.

Even if we don't have a regiment, a battalion would be fine.

Unfortunately, although Huang Yizhi was also extremely distressed for the brothers in the regiment, who had suffered such heavy casualties in just one afternoon, he wished he could get some reinforcements.

But still, with a look of utter helplessness, he gave a rather terrible answer:

"Don't worry about the reinforcements from the 74th Army. Although their situation is a little better than we thought, it's only a little better."

The losses today have been significant, and I'm afraid they don't have the resources to support us.

After this conversation, the two sat under the oil lamp in silence for a long time.

However, his eyes were fixed on the view outside the window, while his mind was preoccupied with too many things.

For example, what is the progress of Annie and Mina's emergency recruitment efforts in the rear? They are waiting for the people they recruit to be used in the bloody war of attrition.

Under normal circumstances, the Japanese would not launch a night attack.

But now the Japanese are completely blinded by rage in their desire to wipe them out, which is clearly not a normal situation. So will the Japanese launch a night attack tonight?
Zanana's guard battalion, along with Uncle Bo and about 50 snipers, had already set off overnight.

I wonder how much success their offensive will achieve tonight, and whether it will be able to reduce the intensity of the Japanese attack tomorrow.

In addition, there is Commander Xue of the 9th War Zone, as well as other friendly forces. Have they taken action according to their requirements, and how strong has their action been?
In short, according to their operational plans, there are now too many things that require their attention and concern.

Because the progress of each of these measures, and whether they achieve the expected results, are all related to whether the Japanese Sixth Division, the murderers who committed numerous crimes in Nanjing, can remain on the land of Hunan Province.

All of the above are actually developing and brewing in places that Hu Biao cannot see.

Ultimately, not too long later, this Battle of C Sands will have a somewhat different outcome...

******
Time: 9 PM, at the entrance of a village called Yuping Village, about 70 or 80 miles south of C Shacheng.

"Get out of the way, all of you, get out of the way! Don't drool in the pot! The water isn't even boiling yet, the chicken is still raw. It needs to cook for at least another 20 minutes before we can eat it."

While cursing, Liu Yanming began kicking and beating his men who were gathered around the fire without any politeness.

Despite Liu Yanming's kicking and punching, his men retreated a few steps, but their eyes remained fixed on the fire.

As the cursing above indicated, a large iron pot had been set up over the fire, and chunks of chicken chopped from three old hens were being cooked inside.

Even though the chicken had only been in the pot for a short time and looked raw, it still made the men around swallow their saliva.

Upon witnessing this scene, Liu Yanming couldn't help but sigh inwardly and mutter, "What kind of lousy battle is this?"

Liu Yanming was a lieutenant and deputy company commander in the 41st Regiment of the 26th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.

About a week ago, they were still deploying defenses on a certain location on the south bank of the Miluo River, following orders from their superiors. Before the battle, their superiors said they had to stop the enemy outside the Miluo River at all costs and defend C City to the death.

Then, under the air raids and artillery bombardments of the Japanese, the company commander died before he even saw the faces of the Japanese soldiers.

Then, Liu Yanming was originally planning to lead the remaining brothers to avenge the company commander, but suddenly he heard the news that the friendly forces on both the left and right flanks had all fled.

What to do? Of course, run! Are we going to wait to be surrounded and slaughtered by the Japanese?
After that, Liu Yanming led the remaining men in the company on a series of escapes.

First they fled to Laodao River, then to C Sand City, and finally to this small village called Yuping Village.

Because some people escaped along the way, the number of brothers left in the company has decreased from more than sixty at the beginning to only 37 now, including Liu Yanming.

Yuping Village was not their final destination in their escape; it was merely a temporary place to spend the night.

They were planning to flee to Xiangtan or Zhuzhou, depending on the situation; if the Japanese attacked, they would continue running until they were safe.

As for the chicken in the pot, it was obviously stolen from the village.

The entire 26th Army is now in retreat, unable to receive any supplies and with no officers or military police to manage military discipline.

As for the fact that there are 37 of them, three chickens are definitely not enough to feed such a small number of people, so there's nothing that can be done about it.

The continuous defeats at the Xinqiang River, Miluo River, and Laodao River defense lines had scattered too many troops; in order to survive, everyone was fleeing in the direction away from the Japanese.

Besides the 26th and 37th Armies, there were also a considerable number of troops from the 10th, 99th, and 4th Armies mixed in.

Along this route of defeat, Liu Yanming and his men encountered countless other routs of soldiers fleeing in disarray.

The larger groups numbered three or four hundred people, while the smaller groups had only three or five. The numbers varied, but they all wore expressions of panic and like zombies. Many of them didn't even have guns.

That is why Yuping Village, despite being just a small village, is so remarkable.

However, because it is located on the only route from C Shacheng to Xiangtan and Zhuzhou, it has been looted by the defeated soldiers countless times.

Even tonight, there are seven or eight groups of people spending the night in the village and nearby areas, totaling at least three or four hundred people.

They were incredibly lucky to have managed to snag three old hens; adding some radishes and cabbage later would at least fill their stomachs, and it would be a meaty meal they hadn't had in a long time. And so, as the water in the large pot began to boil, the aroma of the chicken gradually intensified.

The aroma made Liu Yanming and the others' mouths water.

Just as they were about to pour some radishes and cabbages into the pot to cook together, and start eating after a few minutes, a huge commotion broke out from the surrounding area.

At first, Liu Yanming thought they were defeated soldiers from other units who wanted to steal their stewed old hen.

With a determined heart, he pulled a Mauser pistol from the gun case slung across his shoulder, ready to show the others that they weren't to be trifled with.

Unexpectedly, when Liu Yanming looked in the direction from which the commotion came, he found that the situation was not at all what he had anticipated.

A strange little troop was seen hurrying towards the village entrance.

What made them odd was that they were led by two female lieutenant colonels on horseback, and they were both stylish and beautiful.

Their features were exquisite, and they seemed even more beautiful than the movie actresses like Butterfly, Xu Lai, and Zhou Xuan featured in the newspapers.

Behind the two women were seventy or eighty men dressed in Nationalist army uniforms but wearing Japanese helmets, carrying Type 38 rifles and large straw hats on their backs.

The soldiers, dressed in leggings and straw sandals, looked rather oddly dressed.

In addition, there were seven or eight mule-drawn carts in this small group, but they were covered with tarpaulins, so it was impossible to see what was on them.

Liu Yanming and the others quickly found out what was loaded on the truck.

This strange little group stopped at the village entrance, no more than thirty or forty steps away, and then went about their own business.

Some people started building a large stove with stones, while others went to collect firewood from the surrounding area and fetch water from the nearby stream.

Many others lifted the canvas covering the truck to reveal what was inside.

Good heavens! Besides some pots and pans, there were bags of rice and rows of processed donkey, mule, and horse meat.

Putting everything else aside, the sheer amount of meat is quite alarming, totaling two to three thousand kilograms.

The key point is that these people were quite willing to eat. Soon they took out at least 300 catties of meat, wielding a cleaver to chop it up into pieces the size of a child's fist, and began to wash it with clean water.

Judging from this, it seems like they're about to cook and eat it all.

Compared to the three skinny old hens in their pot, those people were really eating meat heartily.

For a moment, not only were Liu Yanming and the others dumbfounded, but all the fleeing soldiers around them were also involuntarily drawn over, watching eagerly as the meat was thrown into large pots and began to stew.

If it weren't for the fact that this strange little group, though small in number, consisted of people who were not easy to deal with.

The key issue is that a Type 92 heavy machine gun was mounted on a large truck, which might have attracted some attention and even led to people trying to steal the meat.

Fortunately, this situation soon changed. At least 300 pounds of meat and 200 pounds of rice were stewed in several large pots.

A slightly taller female officer performed a graceful somersault and flipped onto a rock that was more than half a person's height.

He took a deep look at the group of defeated soldiers surrounding him.

Strangely enough, just one glance from this woman caused Lieutenant Liu Yanming to feel a strong sense of inferiority.

But he soon realized that the real shame was yet to come...

The two female lieutenant colonels mentioned above were naturally Annie and Mina, who came to the rear to recruit people under Hu Biao's orders; their various actions after their appearance were just some of the methods they used to recruit people.

Sure enough! After looking at the group of defeated soldiers around them, Annie and Mina didn't even exchange a glance, but instead started their pre-arranged plan with remarkable tacit understanding.

Anne took a tin megaphone and shouted, "Tell me! Do you want to eat meat?"

"Sir, we usually can't even get enough brown rice to eat, and we haven't had any meat for almost half a year. Of course we want some," a voice immediately responded from the crowd.

Upon hearing this, Annie didn't directly answer the question about whether she could eat it, but instead began to introduce herself:

“My surname is An, and my name is Annie. You may not have heard of this name, but that doesn’t matter! Because you must have heard of our regimental commander and our regiment.”

Because our regimental commander was named Hu Biao, and our regiment was called the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Last night, we ambushed and annihilated the Japanese 68th Infantry Regiment in the area east of Chunhua Mountain; as a result, starting this afternoon, the Japanese launched a frenzied attack in retaliation.

Last night, our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment suffered heavy casualties, and we will soon be unable to hold on at this rate; but we must hold on even if we cannot, because behind us are our compatriots and the land left by our ancestors.

The bald principal said that we could recruit our own troops, as many as we wanted.

But our Commander Hu said no! Because fighting is a soldier's job. What's the point of recruiting civilians who know nothing and sending them to their deaths in the trenches?
If you want to die, wait until all of us soldiers have died first.

So, entrusted by Commander Hu, I came here to find you defeated soldiers; hoping, as he said, that you are still men of courage, just unlucky to have met a reliable commander.”

At this point, Annie paused, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Annie, Chief of Staff An, was Hu's unmarried wife, so they had naturally heard of her; therefore, what she said inexplicably ignited the hearts of Liu Yanming and others.

However, sending them back to the battlefield is still not enough.

Seeing this, Annie and Mina decided to add fuel to the fire.

Anne suddenly shouted, "Mina~".

With a crisp "Here!", Mina and her men opened several large boxes. After seeing what was inside, Liu Yanming's defeated soldiers stared wide-eyed.

Because it was full of silver dollars and stacks of Chinese currency.

Pointing to the boxes, Anne exclaimed:
"Any brothers who are willing to fight the Japanese with our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment are welcome to come up and eat meat to their heart's content. In addition, each person will receive 50 yuan of legal tender and 10 yuan of silver dollars as a resettlement allowance."

"If you are injured, you will receive medical treatment; if you die or become disabled, you will receive a pension; you will have three meals a day, with meat at every meal, and you will receive military pay."

Immediately afterwards, Mina threw a Type 38 rifle at Annie, who was sitting on the rock.

She caught it, pulled the bolt, and fired a shot, knocking down a red scops owl that roams the night above her head, demonstrating her amazing marksmanship.

Then, he shouted, "The Type 38 rifle, using 6.5mm bullets, shoots farther and more accurately than the Hanyang rifle. Each member of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment will receive one."

He tossed back the Type 38 rifle, picked up an MP28 submachine gun, and once he pulled the trigger, he didn't let go, emptying a magazine of bullets in a few seconds.

In an instant, they beat one wall of an abandoned mud house at the village entrance until it was riddled with holes like a honeycomb.

Annie: "The Flower Machine Gun is powerful and deadly. You used to only have it in the troops around your officers. In the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, there were two per squad."

He threw back the submachine gun and took a Type 96 light machine gun.

Annie fired a dozen or so bullets at a willow tree by the stream two hundred meters away. Despite it being a light machine gun, she fired with the precision of a rifle.

The bullets landed in almost the same spot, snapping the willow tree, which was as thick as a bowl, in half.

Anne: "The Type 96 light machine gun uses a 30-round magazine and is less prone to jamming than the Type 96 light machine gun. Each squad has one."

Then, amidst the continuous gunfire and explosions, Annie's voice rang out.

After a display of various weapons, such as heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and rocket launchers, the speaker would always say with absolute certainty, "Go there and you'll find them."

As Annie finished speaking, her voice cracked: "Most importantly, there was no such thing as 'brothers, hold the line for me' in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment."

When defending, Commander Hu and his comrades will stand with you in the trenches; when attacking, they will lead the charge at the forefront.

If that's not the case, just shoot them in the back.

"Those are your words! I, Annie, said them..."

(End of this chapter)