Double-Cut During the War of Resistance: My Wife Came from 1937

Both sides of the hillside.

Inside a makeshift trench.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers were resting quietly there.

The previous forced march, coupled with the construction of fortifications, had been extremely exhausting.

They had already eaten some compressed biscuits and chocolate with the hot water in their thermos cups to regain their strength.

Now we're just waiting for the Japanese to appear.

However, not everyone was resting; the cadres were all quietly observing the distance.

Once the remnants of the 21st Regiment appear, they will wake up the resting soldiers.

Suddenly, the people who were observing with binoculars spotted the Japanese army.

They quickly went to the side and gently patted those who were resting on the ground to wake them up.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

One by one, the Eighth Route Army soldiers quickly stood up with their guns.

The machine gunners also took their positions, positioned on both sides of the hillside.

To enhance the firepower of the First Battalion, they were given 16 heavy machine guns and 30 light machine guns.

However, some of the machine guns were positioned at the front.

There are also 10 heavy machine guns and 16 light machine guns here.

These light and heavy machine guns were placed separately on the left and right sides, not side by side, but at different heights and jaggedly.

As the Japanese troops approached the ambush area, Battalion Commander Zeng immediately roared, "Open fire! Give them a good beating!"

"Da da da! Da da da!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In an instant, the sound of tearing cloth and crackling like popping beans echoed through the mountains.

Countless bullets poured out from both sides, creating crossfire below.

This was practically a death zone; the Japanese soldiers at the front fell down in droves like wheat being harvested.

Although they were constantly harassed by guerrillas along the way, it was all minor skirmishes.

They were just using outdated weapons like the Hanyang rifle and old-fashioned rifles to shoot in the shadows, and throwing a few homemade grenades, which could only blow the Japanese soldiers in half at a time and could not cause much damage.

The accuracy of those sniper shots wasn't very high; they could only wound a few Japanese soldiers at a time, and might not even kill anyone.

It's fair to say that the shock value of these sniper shots and homemade grenades far outweighed the damage they caused.

Gradually, the Japanese troops were no longer as panicked as before.

He can remain unfazed even when facing a sniper shot.

However, none of them expected that the Eighth Route Army would actually gather so many troops at the front.

"Enemy attack!"

The officers who hadn't been killed immediately roared in protest.

Without even being reminded, the Japanese soldiers either lay on the ground or hid behind rocks or tree trunks, trying to avoid the bullets.

However, crossfire doesn't come from just one direction; it can block bullets from one direction but not from another.

Faced with such terrifying firepower, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties instantly.

The Japanese officer ordered, "It's crossfire! Use grenade launchers to take out the machine gun positions!"

"Mortar, 10 rounds in rapid fire!"

Prior to this, Battalion Commander Zeng had already issued further orders.

They also brought a considerable number of mortars this time.

Since the Japanese army abandoned the 70mm infantry guns, they did not have to worry about artillery counterattacks.

As for the Japanese grenade launchers, their power was far inferior to that of 60mm mortars.

Moreover, the Eighth Route Army also captured some grenade launchers, which allowed them to freely attack the Japanese army.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Mortar shells rained down on the Japanese troops.

Because the Japanese troops were relatively concentrated, each 60mm mortar shell would cause more than a dozen casualties.

An 82mm mortar shell can cause more than twenty casualties.

Before the grenade launchers could even fire, they were hit by mortar shells.

"Damn it!"

Behind Japanese lines, Awaihara Hide, listening to the sounds of gunfire and screams from the front, ordered his adjutant, "Quickly request reinforcements from the division commander and have them arrive as quickly as possible, otherwise the 21st Regiment will be completely annihilated by the Eighth Route Army!"

With enemies in front and pursuers behind, he completely panicked this time and couldn't even command his troops.

"Hai!"

The adjutant responded and immediately began sending telegrams via radio.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

It wasn't until gunfire erupted from the rear that Hideaki Awahara realized what was happening and hurriedly organized his troops to launch a counterattack.

……

Within the county town.

Seishiro Itagaki frowned as he looked at the distress telegram in his hand.

Currently, the 21st Regiment has been surrounded by the Eighth Route Army in the mountains.

He really didn't want to bother with a piece of trash like Ayumi Hara.

However, it is absolutely unacceptable for an entire regiment of the Japanese Empire to be wiped out by the Chinese.

He knew that if the 21st Regiment were really wiped out by the Eighth Route Army, it would be disastrous.

Then his tenure as division commander is over.

As for being promoted to general or marshal, that's probably impossible in this lifetime.

"Order the two battalions sent to provide support to accelerate their march to the battlefield and relieve the 21st Regiment under the 21st Brigade!"

Seishiro Itagaki coldly stated, "Furthermore, order Major General Toshiji Miura of the 21st Brigade to immediately abandon operations against the other units of the Eighth Route Army's 115th Division and lead the remaining troops to provide support!"

At this point, he stood up abruptly and said, "In every battle since the beginning of this month, you have all been routed by the Eighth Route Army, causing me, the division commander, to be reprimanded by Commander Terauchi several times!"

"This time, I, the division commander, will personally go to the front lines to command the battle!"

"Lieutenant General Itagaki, you mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, Major General Nishimura Toshiaki, the division's chief of staff, quickly advised, "There's an old Chinese saying, 'A son of a wealthy family wouldn't sit under a dangerous roof.' As the division commander, how can you personally risk your life on the front lines? I think it would be better for you to stay in the rear!"

Itagaki Seishiro waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Don't worry, I have a special armored vehicle. The Eighth Route Army has no chance against it!"

Major General Toshiaki Nishimura tried to continue his persuasion: "Division Commander, guns and cannons on the battlefield are indiscriminate; what if..."

"Previously in Xinkou and Taiyuan, I, the division commander, have been to the front lines. Recently, I even reached within two kilometers of the front line!"

Itagaki Seishiro snorted coldly and said, "My mind is made up. You don't need to try to persuade me any further!"

After saying that, he walked out of the house.

Before long, a Type 94 light armored vehicle and a Type 92 heavy armored vehicle left the county town, escorted by several three-wheeled motorcycles and troop transport vehicles.

Their target was the 21st Regiment, which was surrounded by the Eighth Route Army.

These vehicles were traveling at high speed and soon caught up with an infantry battalion that was on its way to provide support.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Seishiro Itagaki opened the door of the armored vehicle and ordered the troops, "Speed ​​up for me, the division commander!"