The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 584 Drawing the Sword (Combined Chapter)

...I don't know when it started, but a saying has appeared on the internet: The Japanese devils! They were actually not good at night fighting.

There is a saying that the reasoning behind this is that during the fourteen-year War of Resistance against Japan, many of our victories were achieved through night battles.

Based on my and my comrades' experience of fighting the Japanese invaders countless times.

That's not the case. The Japanese soldiers were simply unwilling to fight at night, not that they were bad at it.

During the daytime, the Japanese infantry could receive air support and their artillery fire was more effective, allowing them to achieve victory more easily and at a lower cost.

However, when it came to night battles, the Japanese soldiers, with their good nutrition and systematic training, were the best they could manage.

These professional soldiers excel in individual combat effectiveness.

They are still far stronger than our brothers who, not long ago, were farmers and small-time craftsmen, thin and weak due to long-term malnutrition, and who were sent to the battlefield without much training.

There were two key factors that enabled my brothers and I to achieve numerous victories in night battles against the Japanese.

Firstly, we are protecting the land passed down from our ancestors, so we have a natural sense of justice, and therefore we have received the support of countless fellow villagers.

With the support of the villagers, we used various means to wear down and weaken the Japanese troops as much as possible before each night battle.

The goal is to minimize the disparity in individual combat capabilities between the two sides.

Secondly, in every night battle, my comrades and I, and the brothers who fought alongside me, were all prepared to die. We were willing to pay any price as long as we could kill the Japanese soldiers in front of us.

Even one's own life, or even one's soul...

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

At 10:46 on October 4th, at the Dayuanzhou Field Airfield in the northern suburbs of C Sand City.

It is said that this Dayuanzhou Field Airfield was originally built by the Northern Expeditionary Army in 1926.

Some time ago, when C City was on the verge of falling, the Nationalist army destroyed the airport.

After the Japanese captured the airport, they immediately dispatched an engineering unit to repair it. However, just as the repairs were nearing completion, it was time for them to retreat.

In a way, the Japanese suffered a wasted effort, while the National Revolutionary Army gained some advantage.

Compared to the usual quiet and deserted atmosphere at the airport at night, this is quite a contrast.

In the dead of night, the Nationalist army lit many bonfires along one of the dirt runways, illuminating the airport brightly.

Under the bright firelight, many ground crew members were working busily, just like a group of diligent workers.

They checked the runway for obstacles, and determined the wind speed and direction for the night.

Everything was for the upcoming takeoff of Commander Mina, who had become a legend in the Chinese Air Force since the air raid on the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Guinan.

Okay! Here's the problem.

With the Nationalist Air Force almost completely wiped out, where did Mina get a fighter jet this time?

There was also the first true night fighter in history, the P-61 'Black Widow'; this thing wouldn't actually make its maiden flight for another six months.

Mina takes off in a regular fighter jet, risking her life to take off on such a dark night. What purpose can she possibly serve?
All we can say is that this fighter jet was one of the two fighter jets that escorted the principal when he flew over the day before yesterday, on the same Junkers JU52 transport plane he was traveling in.

The outcome of tonight's battle is far too important.

Since that principal flew over, he has been stationed in C Sand City and will probably not leave until the battle results are in.

As a result, the transport plane he was on and the escorting fighter jets are currently still at Dayuanzhou Airport.

Then, Mina, who was thinking about where to get a fighter jet to fight the Japanese and have some fun, because she always felt empty inside after transmigrating, set her sights on them.

Then, Hu Biao made another request to the principal.

They requested that Mina be provided with a fighter jet for some important missions tonight.

Not long ago, Hu Biao had asked someone for a beloved sleeveless wool coat, and when he made further requests, he showed absolutely no embarrassment.

The former was a personal request, but this time it was for combat; the two are not the same thing at all.

Although the principal felt somewhat uncomfortable, he knew the importance and urgency of the matter, and had one of the best-condition Hawk-3 fighter jets transferred to Mina for use.

This is also why Mina wasn't among the time travelers eating the pickled vegetables brought by the villagers in that deserted village at nightfall.

Because at that time, Mina was already busy at the airport, working with some ground staff to give the plane a final maintenance check.

Mina took off in a regular fighter jet tonight.

Although the moonlight was exceptionally bright tonight, the fighter jets were not equipped with radar, and the airport lacked proper ground guidance for nighttime takeoffs and landings, making the situation extremely dangerous.

But Mina has some very difficult tasks on her shoulders.
So tonight, Anne never even considered the possibility of piloting the fighter jet back to base or landing. She and this Hawk III fighter jet were her last bullet.

At 12:52, a ground crew member, holding a torch, waved his arm clockwise in a circular motion, signaling that takeoff was possible.

Anne piloted the Hawk III fighter jet and began to slowly taxi on the runway.

The taxiing speed increased, and when it reached 120 kilometers per hour, Mina pulled the control stick, and the plane immediately took off into the sky like a nimble swift.

The takeoff process was incredibly smooth.

All I can say is that this girl, even though she has been back in Singapore for some time in the modern world, has never forgotten to practice her flying skills at the flying club.

The technology for piloting propeller planes these days is already quite advanced.

After circling once above the airport and flapping its wings at the ground crew, Mina piloted the plane northward, in the direction of the Japanese retreat...

Hu Biao and the others were quite aware that Mina had already taken off at this time.

However, to Hu Biao and his group's surprise, countless villagers in remote rural areas outside Changsha, such as Xiangyin and Yueyang, spontaneously took action.

Hunan Province has a long history of fierce and valiant people. The saying "no army can be formed without Hunanese soldiers" has been around since the late Qing Dynasty, and it is no exaggeration.

This shows just how fierce the people of Hunan province can be when they get tough.

Tonight, having sensed that the Nationalist army was about to take action, how could they possibly just send some pickled cabbage and pickled mustard greens as a token of their goodwill?

Men from village to village or family to family spontaneously gathered together.

They brought homemade guns, muskets, machetes, and spears, and even some homemade cannons that had been buried for years. In the dead of night, they set out in the mountains and rivers where they had lived for many years and were already familiar with them.

They probably wouldn't be of much use on the main battlefields.

But once the Japanese troops are scattered and flee in panic, these people will show them what a war waged by the masses is like.

******
At 00:59, in a field outside Guiyi Township in Xiangyin area.

Old Ma, Xiao Henan, and Zhi Xiang, under the bright moonlight, used binoculars to survey a Japanese encampment a kilometer away.

It should be noted that after the retreating Japanese army camped for the night, they did not set up a long, narrow camp stretching for dozens of miles along the dirt road, with 80,000 to 90,000 people.

Instead, it is a unit with a minimum of one battalion and a maximum of one regiment.

Every few hundred meters, a camp was set up with a complete defensive line, and the left and right sides could support each other.

The Japanese camp they were observing was home to the Japanese 6th Division, which they intended to annihilate.

It has a total of two battalions: one infantry battalion and one supply battalion.

However, in the early battles, the infantry battalion had suffered more than half casualties, so the total number of Japanese troops in the camp was about 1,500.

Even though it was already past midnight, at this point...

However, the Japanese had at least half of their troops scattered around the perimeter of the camp, stationed and on guard, appearing quite vigilant and ready to defend against an attack by the Nationalist army.

As the three men observed, signal flares suddenly rose into the sky every kilometer or two. It was 1 a.m., and the time had come to launch a full-scale attack on the retreating Japanese troops.

The next second, deafening cannon fire, shouts of battle, and gunfire erupted over a narrow stretch of land more than 30 to 40 miles long, as the Nationalist army launched a fierce attack.

Even amidst such a huge commotion, Lao Ma, Xiao Henan, and Zhi Xiang remained undisturbed.

Everyone felt their blood boiling, eager to rush forward and kill all the Japanese soldiers in the camp.

However, he remained firmly in place, holding binoculars and looking ahead, showing no intention of moving at all.

There's no other reason than that their situation and mission here are relatively unique.

Because this Japanese camp was located at the junction of the 6th and 3rd Divisions; in order to achieve the goal of annihilating the 6th Division, it was necessary to capture and hold this camp as soon as possible.
The two Japanese divisions were forcibly separated to prevent the 6th Division from causing trouble.

With only 1500 Japanese soldiers and a fairly complete fortification, plus several firing points built in advance, how could it be so easy to take them down?
Therefore, Hu Biao and his team naturally needed to devise some special tactics for this important area.

Specifically, after the battle began, the troops lurking in the wilderness opposite were: the understrength 169th Regiment of the 57th Division of the 74th Army, plus two battalions of the 170th Regiment that were also understrength, totaling 3100 men.

They have already launched a relentless attack on the Japanese camp in front of them.

The goal was to draw the attention of the Japanese troops in the first battalion as much as possible, thereby diverting the Japanese garrison on this defensive line and reducing their defensive strength.

Then, naturally, the reinforced artillery company led by Zhixiang did its best to suppress the artillery fire on the position.

At the same time, Lao Ma and Xiao Henan led the cavalry battalion to charge forward, directly storming into the Japanese camp and completely disrupting it, allowing the 74th Army to break in.

Ultimately, we must capture and hold this place, preventing the Japanese 6th Division from having a chance to rescue us...

And so, Old Ma and his two companions, along with their gang of men, watched helplessly as the fierce battle unfolded before them.

He could only suppress the restlessness in his heart that made him want to rush forward and wait; fortunately, this agonizing wait did not last too long.

Ten minutes later, even when they could see more than three hundred Japanese soldiers facing their direction, there were still more than three hundred Japanese soldiers.

With the 74th Army advancing on the other side, if we wait a little longer, we should be able to transfer one or two squads of troops away.

However, after exchanging glances, Lao Ma and the other two could all see the same meaning in each other's eyes: they couldn't wait any longer and had to launch an attack immediately.

There's no other way! About a mile to the right front, there's still a camp with nearly two thousand men from the Japanese 3rd Division stationed there.

Although they still had certain plans for dealing with these Japanese soldiers.

A regiment of friendly forces under the 27th Army is conducting a diversionary attack.

However, the 27th Army had been defeated by the Japanese in a recent battle, and this regiment had hastily gathered the defeated soldiers, leaving it with only 1,100 to 1,200 men.

The newly defeated army had limited morale and could not hold off the Japanese for long.

Once these Japanese soldiers realize what's happening and send troops back to reinforce them, their battle plan for today will be greatly affected, so we absolutely cannot delay any longer.

Having reached this consensus, the three immediately took action.

Under the leadership of Lao Ma and Xiao Henan, the cavalry battalion, now numbering 316 men including the two of them, mounted their horses.

Emerging from its previous hiding place, it slowly increased its speed towards the Ghost Fang defense line ahead.

To prevent the noise from their mules and horses from alerting the Japanese during their infiltration, they had already wrapped their hooves in rags and stuffed a stick into their mounts' mouths.

Under the cover of darkness, the Japanese soldiers did not notice their movements during their initial approach.

The reinforced artillery company under Zhixiang was equipped with a total of ten mortars, nine of which were already aimed at the Japanese defense line, ready to fire at any moment.

The remaining one, the cannon barrel, was carried on the elephant's shoulder.

Along with the elephant handlers were some brothers carrying bases, supports, and cannonballs, who jogged alongside the cavalry.

Once the cavalry is spotted, his mortar will be the fastest, strongest, and most accurate support firepower...

Even though the attack from the 74th Army behind them had diverted some of their attention, the cavalry battalion carefully approached the Japanese troops on this defensive line. When they were more than 400 meters away, they successfully spotted the attacking enemy.

Then, when a Japanese soldier uttered a mournful cry of "Kihei (cavalry)!"

The elephant-wielding elephant shouted "Fire!" while Little Henan and Old Ma roared in unison, "Charge! Charge!"

Under the command of the commander, the nine Type 20 82mm mortars, which had been lined up in a row about 1.1 kilometers away from the Japanese defense line, immediately opened fire.

The gunner is crouching to one side, with one hand supporting the gun barrel.

As long as you feel a clear vibration in the arm supporting the cannon, you can confirm that the shell in the cannon barrel has been successfully fired.

There's no need to worry about making the basic mistake of having two shells crammed into the barrel, causing it to explode.

They would always be the first to yell "Let go!"

At the gunner's shout, the loader immediately stuffed the shell in his hand into the breech with the tail facing down; then, he took a new shell with the fuse and propellant charge loaded from the brother behind him.

Although the above steps may seem complicated, the whole process only takes four or five seconds.

This means that after they opened fire, they immediately achieved an extremely high rate of fire of fourteen or fifteen rounds per minute.

The highest theoretical rate of fire for this thing is only 20 rounds per minute.

The artillery company's intense bombardment also achieved a good suppressive effect; the Japanese soldiers and firing positions on the defensive line were constantly being blown over or even blown away by the artillery fire.

Unfortunately, the Japanese soldiers on the defensive line also knew what a terrible consequence it would be if the cavalry charged onto their positions.

They braved the constant barrage of mortar shells and the ever-increasing casualties.

They lay prone in the trenches, firing wildly from their respective firing positions; this once again presented Xiao Henan, Lao Ma, and the other cavalrymen with an extremely difficult test and ordeal.

He lay prone on the horse's back, shouting "Giddy up, giddy up!"

The warhorse was relentlessly whipped, its rump torn and mangled, all in an effort to increase its speed as much as possible.

Oh, right! I also adjusted my glasses on the bridge of my nose to make sure the temples were securely tied to the back of my head with a strap, so they wouldn't fall to the ground during the bumpy ride.

These are all the measures that Xiao Henan has taken to respond to the current firepower from the defensive line, as he charged forward on horseback.

Otherwise? Cavalry charging into infantry lines will inevitably incur some costs as they approach.

Therefore, even though he saw the warhorse under the guard beside him being hit by a burst of machine gun bullets from the Japanese soldiers, and after several bursts of blood appeared on the horse's head, the several hundred-pound horse rushed forward a few steps before suddenly collapsing to the ground.

The guards above were thrown out of the room, with virtually no chance of survival.

And then I heard muffled groans coming from behind me, and the dull thuds of objects falling to the ground; I knew that these meant one brother after another had fallen from their horses or died in battle.

All Xiao Henan could do, filled with immense pain and anger, was to shout "Giddy up!"

This situation finally changed when the cavalry battalion, during its charge, had its first hundred or so riders brought them within fifty or sixty meters of the Japanese lines.

Xiao Henan and Lao Ma issued the order almost simultaneously: "Fire!"

At this command, the cavalrymen sat up straight from their horses, each taking up either a submachine gun or a 20-round pistol.

In any case, the weapons they have now are either automatic or semi-automatic.

He unleashed all his bullets at top speed at the Japanese soldiers on the defensive line, creating dense suppressive fire.

After hastily firing all their bullets, they were only about twenty meters away from the Japanese defense line.

Xiao Henan and Lao Ma shouted in unison again, "Draw your swords!"

The next second, the moonlight reflecting off the sabers, Miao knives, Dong knives, and broadswords made the night seem a little paler...

(End of this chapter)