The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 565 Never Mind It (Two Chapters Combined)

He shouted "Come here!" seven or eight times to the fleeing Japanese soldiers.

One second Hu Biao was all cocky and arrogant, the next he was like a startled rabbit, running back towards the position behind him.

As he ran, he didn't forget to call out to Wu Yong and the others: "Get back to the position and take cover! Are you just standing there waiting to die? Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

His cool demeanor only lasted three seconds! There's nothing we can do about it.

Whether they were determined to take the position tonight or not, the Japanese soldiers became increasingly frenzied in their attack.

In previous attacks, as soon as the fleeing soldiers retreated to a safe position, the Japanese heavy artillery positions behind the lines would immediately unleash a barrage of shells.

After a barrage of attacks, the next offensive will begin immediately, seamlessly following.

They were not given any chance to catch their breath or reinforce their positions.

So why didn't Hu Biao and his men hurry back to their positions and find a shelter that hadn't yet collapsed? Were they just going to wait to be wiped out by a single shot from the Japanese heavy artillery, which was over 120mm in diameter?
As he ran, Hu Biao dashed back to the position and ducked into a still-intact artillery shelter.

I originally planned to squat in the anti-aircraft bunker like I was squatting in a squatting position, so that when the Japanese artillery came, I could reduce the damage to my body from the ground tremors.

As soon as he crawled inside, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

I struggled to squat up again, but found I couldn't.

This made Hu Biao realize that the reason he was able to display such amazing speed and strength in the close combat just now was because...

On the one hand, it is due to the mysterious entity that has repeatedly improved his physical fitness in all aspects, and on the other hand, his own training has never been relaxed, which has made his physical fitness quite terrifying.

On the other hand, it also has an effect similar to an adrenaline rush, unleashing the body's potential in a short period of time.

Therefore, it is quite reasonable to feel a strong sense of physical weakness afterward.

Realizing all of the above, Hu Biao took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, swallowed it whole, and then drank all the boiled water in the kettle.

All I could do then was hope that during the time the Japanese were shelling me, I could recover about 20 or 30 percent of my strength.

To his surprise, after sitting slumped in the bunker for two or three minutes, the Japanese shells did not fall as they had before.

Could it be that by this point in the war, the Japanese soldiers are too exhausted to fight anymore?
Just as Hu Biao was wondering, a series of footsteps came clearly from the trench. It must have been Huang Yizhi, who was commanding on the second line of defense. Seeing that the number three position was severely understaffed, he sent another reinforcement.

Hu Biao had no objection to this, because he had originally planned to call in another batch of reinforcements.

But when he emerged from the bunker with his legs feeling a little weak, he saw that Huang Yizhi had actually brought over a hundred reinforcements.

Instead of being pleased, he became angry and started cursing:
"Erpang, what are you doing?! Bringing so many men up here all at once means our pretense of being severely understaffed will be exposed to the Japanese!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Yizhi, unusually, did not retaliate with insults; instead, he felt inexplicably saddened.

Faced with the Japanese devils' frenzied attacks, who wouldn't want to have more troops to hold the line while fighting on the front lines, so that things could be a little easier?
Despite having sufficient troops, Hu Biao was unable to utilize them, which was quite a predicament for him.

So after Hu Biao finished his tirade, he simply stated a piece of newly received information:

"I just received some good news from Yang Sen of the friendly 27th Group Army."

Last night, they deployed multiple units to launch sabotage, harassment, and ambush operations against the Japanese troops along the highway from Wuhan to Shacheng.

Especially in the Liaoyuan Village section of the Xinqiang River, Xiang Wenbin, the commander of the 402nd Regiment, led his entire regiment in a full-scale attack while the Japanese supply convoy was crossing the river.

Although casualties reached a terrifying 70%, and an entire regiment was essentially wiped out, a brilliant victory was still achieved.

They not only destroyed more than twenty Japanese trucks, but also killed and wounded hundreds of Japanese soldiers.

The key was that they approached by diving and blew up the only pontoon bridge across the Xinqiang River that could accommodate trucks, tanks, and armored vehicles.

Even if the Japanese soldiers were exhausted to the point of vomiting blood, they couldn't fix it in less than three days.

The Japanese front-line combat troops of several divisions in C Sand City will definitely not be able to receive the expected batch of ammunition replenishment in a short period of time.

Given their dwindling ammunition reserves, they will likely halt their attack immediately.

So I'm not thinking of bringing more people up here to take this opportunity to repair the fortifications. If you die, you won't have to work with me.

"Let's retreat, grab something to eat, and rest for half a day. You look like you're about to collapse from exhaustion."

After hearing Huang Yizhi's statement, Hu Biao's first thought was:

"I, Hu Biao, will remember this immense favor from the friendly forces of the 27th Group Army, especially to the regimental commander and the brothers of the 402nd Regiment."

I will definitely repay your kindness whenever I have the chance in the future.

Immediately following this thought, the second one arose in his mind: "Damn it! Now that the expected supplies haven't arrived on time, will that old devil Anami Yuichi see that things are going badly and order a retreat?"
This won't do. The Japanese troops here in C City haven't been depleted to the expected level in terms of strength and morale.

The 13th Tank Regiment, this mechanized assault force, hasn't been wiped out yet; if the Japanese really want to retreat, there's no real confidence in capturing them.

The above concerns can only be attributed to Hu Biao's feeling that he was in a very difficult position. He had to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese, but he was also worried that if he inflicted too much damage, the Japanese would escape prematurely. It was too much to ask of him.

After a moment's worry about the Japanese soldiers fleeing ahead of time, Hu Biao gritted his teeth and made a decision:
"Forget it! I've done everything I could, and the result of this campaign is much better than before."

So go eat something and then quickly sleep for a few hours, otherwise you might really die suddenly; once you wake up, there's nothing you can do if the Japanese start to run away.

If they don't run away, then keep fighting.

Having made up his mind, Hu Biao, along with Hu Yong and the other twenty-odd men who were now left on the position, finally retreated along the trenches.

After going down, Hu Biao discovered that the foreman, Lao Che, Shizi, Dali, the welder, and others who had been relieved the previous night had also been withdrawn.

They were all disheveled and extremely wretched, but even though they were extremely listless, their overall demeanor was completely different.

This means that they grew up at a very impressive rate in this bloody, mill-like environment.

Meanwhile, the cooks kept meals on the second line of defense 24 hours a day, so they never had to worry about not having food to eat, no matter when they came down.

Hu Biao picked up a large bowl, filled it with food, and ate it all in less than two minutes.

Upon seeing this, his guard captain Wu Yong quickly put down his own bowl and chopsticks, took Hu Biao's empty bowl, and went to get a full bowl.

When they returned, they found their commander, Hu, still holding chopsticks in his right hand, asleep against the trench, snoring loudly.

Surrounding him, a row of seats held by the foreman, Lao Che, and other officers who had held their ground the previous night, were all in the same position.

The snoring sounds coming from their mouths rose and fell, much like the symphony of those legendary foreign devils...

******
At the same time, in the front-line command post in Yueyang City, the old Japanese soldier Anami Yuichi couldn't help but let out a big yawn.

This indicates that he is also suffering from severe sleep deprivation at this moment.

Indeed, that is true.

Since the start of this major battle against the 9th War Zone, his sleep time has been quite tight; the night before last, in order to keep on the road, he only managed to doze off briefly at the car sentry post.

As a result, he had just fallen asleep last night when his subordinates hurriedly woke him up, and he ended up staying up all night again.

I'm so sleepy right now. If I could, I would definitely fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and sleep for a long, long time.

But he himself knew that he would not be able to sleep peacefully until he solved the biggest dilemma facing their 11th Army.

To be more specific, he was woken up last night and received some terrible news.

Just now, the only pontoon bridge across the Xinqiang River that can carry trucks and tanks was severely damaged in a night attack by the Nationalist army.

Even with the most optimistic estimate, it will take four days to complete the repairs. This means that the supplies that the frontline troops, who are currently desperately waiting for, are unlikely to arrive as originally planned on the evening of the 29th.

This was also the main reason why the Japanese stopped their attack on the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment at around 5 a.m.

The 3rd and 6th Divisions, which were in the most dire need of ammunition, had an average of less than twenty rounds of ammunition for each Type 38 rifle, and there was also a severe shortage of ammunition for both light and heavy machine guns.

The average number of shells for cannons of all calibers is in the single digits.

With only a little ammunition left and morale severely low, how could they possibly have the strength to continue the attack?

In addition, last night, the 1st Honorary Division of the 6th War Zone successfully launched a night raid on Tumenya Airport outside Yichang City, damaging or destroying a total of 12 aircraft.

The situation in Yichang City deteriorated far faster than Anami and his companions had imagined.

As a result, the proposal to immediately withdraw troops from C Shacheng and urgently return to reinforce Yichang City gained considerable support within the Japanese 11th Army.

But what can I say? Anan Yuichi is not willing to accept this.

In particular, when the attacking troops reported that in a battle before dawn, Hu Biao himself had appeared on the front lines with a small personal guard to provide support and hold the line, he was deeply impressed.

Let him know that he was just a little short, perhaps only one last effort was needed to break through the position of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and kill Hu Biao, the Tiger of Shanghai.

Finally, as dawn broke, Anami Yuichi took a deep breath and made his decision.

Or perhaps, due to prolonged lack of proper rest, Anami Yuichi's emotions unconsciously became agitated, which affected his decision-making.

Ultimately, they made a terrible decision that resulted in heavy losses for the Japanese 11th Army.

He issued a series of orders in an uncompromising tone:

"Order the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions and other front-line combat units to immediately cease their attacks on the current targets; they have at least a full day to rest and recuperate, and must make sure to restore their physical strength, spirit, and morale."

After receiving ammunition replenishment early tomorrow morning, we will immediately launch an attack on the 74th Army and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

While the frontline combat troops rested, all supply units and mules were mobilized to the Xinqiang River to transport the ammunition, which had been ferried across by small boats, to various units inside and outside C Sand City for resupply.

Upon hearing this order, the Japanese staff officers around him all sighed inwardly.

The above-mentioned supply methods will certainly have some effect; however, the effect is not only negligible but also quite limited.

They faced numerous challenges when using mules to transport ammunition.

For example, the severely damaged highways and the constant attacks by small groups of Nationalist troops.

However, the most crucial point is that the transport capacity of mules and horses is quite limited, and the time is too tight. At most, they can only carry back some bullets and small-caliber shells for replenishment.

Large-caliber shells aside, a single 150mm shell weighs an astonishing 31.1 kilograms; even if transported by mules and horses, a single horse could only carry a few shells.

This means that even if the attack continues tomorrow, the soldiers will no longer have the support of large-caliber heavy artillery.

Fortunately, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment has fought to this point and is extremely weak. Even without artillery support, we should be able to break through their positions.

After mentally processing Anami's orders, his chief of staff, Kinoshita Isamu, spoke up, asking another rather troublesome question:

"Your Excellency Commander, although the 39th Division stationed in Jingmen has already begun to reinforce Yichang City."

However, facing resolute resistance from multiple Nationalist army units, they were unlikely to reach Yichang City within the stipulated time to provide support.

Therefore, if we do not withdraw our troops from C Shacheng, the 11th Army will not have any other spare troops to reinforce the 13th Division.

Once Yichang falls, it will be even more difficult to attack Shuangqing in the future.

Regarding the problem of Yichang City, Anami Yuichi actually already had a solution and immediately responded:

"Now that the offensive against the 74th Army and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment has ceased on the C-Shacheng battlefield, the Army Aviation Corps is now free."

Then they were ordered to launch a full-scale air raid on the attacking forces of the 6th War Zone outside Yichang.

In addition, didn't the headquarters just resupply us with some 'Strange' and 'Red One' special ammunition?

"In addition to airdropping supplies to the frontline attacking forces outside of C City, the air force should airdrop the rest to Yichang City. Tell them not to hesitate; they can use the supplies as they see fit as long as they can hold their positions."

After hearing the above, Kinoshita Isamu and the others finally showed signs of relief.

In fact, what the Japanese called "Strange" and "Red No. 1" were their poison gas bombs; they only gave them deceptive names to cover up their inhumane methods.

For example, "Red No. 1" is actually diphenylcyanide.

This substance is a type of sneezing agent, which mainly irritates mucous membranes and causes symptoms such as continuous sneezing, tearing, and vomiting.

AT, a member of the time-traveler team, was quite familiar with this thing because he had been affected by it too many times. His nickname "Consumption Demon" came from this very thing.

And so, Anami's order was issued.

Hu Biao and his men's battle plan in Hunan Province had taken another crucial step forward; and after several days of fierce fighting, they finally had a precious day to catch their breath.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield in Yichang, Hubei Province, the various units of the 6th War Zone, which had been operating smoothly, were facing difficulties.

With the Japanese frequently releasing poison gas, even though the soldiers fought quite heroically, the progress suddenly slowed down.

Faced with this situation, Chen Xiuzhi and Commander Chen, who had no way back, could only grit their teeth and order a fierce attack without considering casualties.

A sense of regret also welled up uncontrollably in his heart:

"If we had known that the Japanese were so ruthless and reckless in using poison gas on such a large scale, we would have done as Hu Biao suggested and delayed our attack by a few days..."

At 9:10 a.m., Hu Biao, who had only slept for a maximum of three and a half hours and was far from getting enough sleep, woke up amidst a shoving.

I was extremely confused at the time, and I felt unwell all over.

Fortunately, Huang Yizhi, who woke him up, only said one sentence, which immediately brought Hu Biao back to his senses. Overjoyed, he felt a surge of energy throughout his body.

"Damn it, there are two pieces of good news."

The first piece of good news is that although the Japanese have stopped their attack, they don't seem to be running away. They're probably still planning to wait for their supplies to arrive so they can continue to kill us.

The second piece of good news is that Lao Ma and Xiao Henan have returned.

Accompanying them were not only the cavalry battalion, but also more than 1300 defeated soldiers; a large portion of them were veterans with several years of service in various units.

Hu Biao was naturally relieved that the Japanese soldiers hadn't fled.
Before a series of major battles that followed, more than 1300 defeated soldiers joined the army, along with three or four hundred civilian laborers who also spontaneously requested to join.

Their Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, excluding the wounded in the field hospital, now has a strength of about 4500 men.

In addition to a large number of light and heavy machine guns, submachine guns and other weapons were also destroyed in the battle, resulting in a firepower that was not as strong as when they first set out from Xinning.

The troop strength and combat effectiveness have not decreased significantly.

The fact that there are a lot of seasoned veterans is a headache for other KMT commanders.

But for Hu Biao and his partners, it was great news.

They were experts at training these seasoned veterans; they could completely transform them, enabling them to unleash their strongest fighting will and courage once their mindset shifted.

"Let's go! Let's go see these defeated soldiers. From now on, we'll all be brothers sharing the same food."

Hu Biao greeted Huang Yizhi with a joyful expression, showing no trace of the listlessness he had felt upon waking...

(End of this chapter)