Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

However, the Jin-Cha-Ji leadership took it very seriously because the Japanese army only set up emplacements along the traffic lines, but the number and location of the emplacements were exactly the dividing line between the first and third divisions of the Ji-Central Military Region and the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue Region.

If there hadn't been the previous meeting, everyone would have simply thought it was a routine Japanese military operation. But after that meeting, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region became much more nervous. They were even more certain that the Japanese army would launch a large-scale sweep of the Yi-Zhong Military Region.

Because the Japanese army's current action is to cut off the connection between the Yi Zhong Military Region and the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue Region.

Chapter 401: Battle of Xuanhua

It was 1942 a.m. on December 2, 2.

The twelfth lunar month of winter.

A large army was gathering outside Xuanhua City.

The 5th Column organized five main regiments for the siege, plus the artillery units of the column and the Chanan Detachment, as well as the guard regiment directly under the column, with a total number of about 19000 people.

Nearly 20,000 troops were mobilized in one siege. This was the first time since the July 7 Incident that the Eighth Route Army had mobilized so many troops to attack a city.

For example, there were many troops participating in the Hundred Regiments Campaign.

However, the Hundred Regiments Campaign consisted of thousands or even tens of thousands of battles, unlike this time, where nearly 20000 people were mobilized for a single battle.

It should be said that it is not necessary to mobilize so many troops to attack a small county town.

But this was the first time that the Eighth Route Army attacked a county town with more than 1000 Japanese and puppet troops.

Digging trenches in winter was difficult, but that didn't dampen the Eighth Route Army's enthusiasm. Even many nearby civilians volunteered to help dig. Within just a few days, dozens of miles of trenches were dug within an area ranging from one thousand to three thousand meters east, north, and west of Xuanhua City. The Eighth Column prioritized trenching outside the city because they feared Japanese artillery fire, heavy machine guns, and, more importantly, aircraft.

Peking currently lacks manpower and is unable to send ground troops for support.

But there is a possibility that aircraft will be sent.

If so many troops were left outside and exposed to strafing and bombing by Japanese aircraft, the consequences would be disastrous. To prevent bombing and strafing by Japanese aircraft, trenches were dug at night. Furthermore, not only were trenches dug, but also numerous false targets were placed on the ground to confuse Japanese aircraft.

The troops pushed forward step by step along the trenches until they reached a place about 500 meters outside Xuanhua City. At this point, it was very difficult to continue digging trenches and advancing because the Japanese heavy machine guns and ammunition tubes would threaten you.

So after reaching about 16 meters, the troops dug trenches very cautiously. The th Regiment, the main attacking force, had already begun deploying heavy machine gun and ammunition emplacements.

Infantry guns, mountain guns, rapid-fire guns, flat-fire guns, and mortars have all begun to enter their positions.

This time, the Eighth Column took out half of its assets.

The 26th Column and the Cha'nan Detachment produced over 6 Type 6 infantry guns alone. These included six mountain guns, six rapid-fire guns, 17 flat-fire guns, and 44 mortars. Don't underestimate mortars; these captured by the Eighth Route Army were of considerable caliber. After modifications, these mortars could fire both indirect and horizontal fire. These mortars were far more powerful than rapid-fire guns.

Over the years, the Eighth Column had fought numerous ambushes, annihilated numerous Japanese battalions, and captured numerous heavy weapons. The only unfortunate thing was that the Japanese troops operating behind enemy lines lacked any heavy artillery. Seizing a few howitzers would have been a real boon. For a small county like Xuanhua, if howitzers were deployed, they could easily rip through the city's defenses.

During the Xuanhua Campaign, an observation group was formed from the Jin-Cha-Ji region. Essentially, it consisted of military officers from several sub-districts within the Jin-Cha-Ji region who came to observe. They had always been engaged in guerrilla warfare, though occasionally engaging in large-scale ambushes. Overall, however, it was still an upgraded version of guerrilla warfare.

But now the Eighth Column is going to attack the city, to storm a county town with a thousand Japanese and puppet troops.

So everyone was very curious.

I wanted to come and see how the Eighth Column fought. The military officers from the First and Third Divisions were especially concerned about this siege.

As the Japanese built more and more bunkers, although the First and Third Divisions sent some troops to harass the Japanese and remove some bunkers, this did not stop the Japanese army's determination to build and re-build bunkers. The Japanese army was now truly ruthless. In just over two months, they had built more than 700 bunkers along the transportation route.

Moreover, hundreds of miles of ditches were dug along the transportation routes.

This time, Ningji Okamura really put everything on the line. If the sweep of the Hebei-Central Military Region failed, the survival of the North China Front Army in Hebei would be extremely dire.

Okamura Neiji had already realized that relying solely on military strikes would not be enough to resolve the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue region. Therefore, he had to cut off the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue region's largest asset base. If this failed, the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue region and the Hebei Central Military Region would inevitably become increasingly powerful.

Military cadres in the First and Third Divisions were discussing how to support the Central Hebei Military Region's counter-mopping-up operations. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's order was for the First and Third Divisions to organize heavy forces to break through the Japanese strongholds. By coordinating efforts internally and externally, they would completely defeat the Japanese mopping-up operations.

But this time the Japanese army was really determined.

A large number of troops were stationed along key transportation routes. To break through these Japanese strongholds, a tough battle was inevitable. An offensive was inevitable. So they all wanted to see how the Eighth Column attacked the city.

"Wang Qiuyun, Wei Hongjun, why did you place the infantry gun so close?

Commander Nie came to the battlefield in person.

He was surprised to see the deployment of troops in the main attack direction through his telescope. He thought he saw the Eighth Column actually pushed some Type 92 infantry guns to the forefront, only about 600 meters away from the Xuanhua city wall.

This is completely different from the situation when the Eighth Route Army used the Type 92 infantry gun.

Whether it was the Japanese or the Eighth Route Army, the Type 92 infantry gun was used as supporting firepower. During battle, it was primarily used to support infantry units. It was never seen before that the Type 92 infantry gun was deployed against infantry positions.

Fortunately, the Type 92 infantry gun is very small and cannot be seen at all after simple camouflage.

Xu Luomin introduced: "Commander, this is a solution that the political commissar came up with. The commander and I both think it's worth a try. Although we have captured a lot of cannons, artillery shells are precious. Our gunners don't have many opportunities to operate with live ammunition, so overall their level is definitely not as good as that of the Japanese. In addition, our artillery shells are limited, and we can't use the Type 92 infantry gun as freely as the Japanese. Although we have taken out all the artillery shells this time, according to conventional use, the shells are still insufficient. So the political commissar proposed that the Type 92 infantry gun is very short, and it is just right to take advantage of the night and the trenches to quietly place it in the front line. When the battle starts, these Type 92 infantry guns will be able to fire at close range. It can save artillery shells and greatly increase the hit rate of the artillery. If these Type 92 infantry guns can be used to blow up the city wall in a short time, then the battle will be easy."

"That's the truth. But how effective it is, we still have to see the actual situation."

Commander Nie nodded.

This is a really fantastic tactic.

But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense. The Eighth Route Army's artillerymen were certainly not as skilled as those of the Japanese, or even some of the Nationalist Army's specialized artillerymen. After all, the Eighth Route Army had limited artillery and ammunition, making live-fire practice difficult. They didn't even have enough ammunition for combat, so how could they have enough for practice?

If the distance is far, it will be difficult to maintain the hit rate.

But if the distance is shortened, then there is no need to even consider the problem of indirect fire. The infantry gun can be used directly as a flat-fire gun.

"Captain, I have a name for this tactic."

"Talk about it."

"Bayonet the cannon."

Wei Hongjun simply transplanted the historical method of the People's Liberation Army using the Type 92 infantry gun.

In reality, Wei Hongjun had little confidence in his own artillery. Even though they had 26 Type 1500 infantry guns, given the skill level of the 2000th Column's gunners, if they were to place the infantry guns at around or meters, their accuracy wouldn't be guaranteed.

That's why Wei Hongjun came up with this idea.

After analyzing the situation, Wang Qiuyun and Xu Luomin decided it was worth a try. They then discussed it with Zhang Zihua, who was, after all, the commander-in-chief of the main attack force. Zhang Zihua tried it out and found it had a very high success rate.

At close range, it can be used as a flat-fire cannon, with a very small error in hitting the target.

That’s why we have this situation now.

After hearing this, Commander Nie nodded repeatedly and said, "Bayonets on Cannons—what a good name! What a good name! I really want to see how your cannon bayonets perform."

Chapter 402: Xuanhua Campaign 2

The final siege of the Xuanhua Campaign began at 6 a.m.

It wasn't completely light at this time, but it wasn't completely dark either. This would give the Japanese and puppet troops a surprise attack, while also allowing them to see more clearly during the attack. Of course, since the Eighth Route Army had been digging trenches for the past few days, the Japanese and puppet troops in Xuanhua City were in high spirits. Even the dumbest of them knew the Eighth Route Army was preparing to attack the city.

The Japanese troops in Xuanhua City were from the 5th Independent Battalion of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, numbering fewer than 500 men. The puppet army, puppet guards, and puppet police combined totaled just over 1,000. If this were the early days of the War of Resistance, with so many troops defending the city, they would certainly have been fearless.

But it's different now.

Colonel and Captain of the Japanese Army's 5th Independent Battalion, Moriji Uemoto, was not sure that he could defend Xuanhua City, so he did not get a good rest in the past few days.

Because there were too many Eighth Route Army troops outside the city. At the South Gate, North Gate, and East Gate, large numbers of Eighth Route Army troops were digging trenches. At night, when Japanese bombers were no longer a threat, the Eighth Route Army began digging trenches. During the day, the Eighth Route Army would leave a small number of troops in the trenches while the rest of the troops took cover and rested. Now the trenches had been dug right under the city walls, and at a glance, the area was filled with Eighth Route Army troops.

Of course, some of them were real and some were fake, because many of them were used to confuse Japanese aircraft.

He didn't know when the Eighth Route Army would attack.

He had already sent a telegram requesting assistance to the Mongolian Army. However, this was merely a formality. He understood the Mongolian Army's current situation better than anyone else. The Mongolian Army's commander, Shigetaro Amakasu, feared an Eighth Route Army attack on Zhangjiakou and repeatedly requested assistance from the North China Front Army. However, Neiji Okamura had no troops to support him, and even the reinforcements he sought were blocked.

In desperation, Shigetaro Amakasu had no choice but to arm the Japanese expatriates in Zhangjiakou.

Anyway, what Zhangjiakou lacks the least is weapons and ammunition.

In addition to the weapons and ammunition of the Mongolian garrison, the Japanese Kwantung Army also had a large arsenal in Zhangjiakou. Zhangjiakou served as a key logistical base for the Kwantung Army's defenses against the Soviet Union and Mongolia, leading to the construction of numerous military depots there. While not as large as those found in Northeast China, the army still had ammunition and ammunition in stock.

If the Eighth Route Army lacked weapons and ammunition for some, then the current situation of the Mongolian Army was that they had weapons and ammunition but no men. This was mainly because the area around Zhangjiakou was controlled by the Eighth Column, and the North China Front Army could not replenish its troops in Zhangjiakou.

What should I do?

Zhangjiakou is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Gan Shigetaro can only arm the Japanese here. Give them weapons, give them simple training, and directly replenish the troops.

However, those Japanese expatriates were far inferior to the new recruits from the country.

Even if they were given weapons, their combat effectiveness would be minimal. Furthermore, they all had wives and children here and didn't want to fight. Given these circumstances, how many reinforcements could Zhangjiakou send? As for the North China Front Army, Okamura Neiji's primary priority was to deal with the Central Hebei Military Region, leaving him no time to worry about Xuanhua. Sending aircraft to intimidate the Eighth Route Army was the extent of Okamura Neiji's ability to assist the troops stationed in Mongolia.

So Wei Tengshengci accepted his fate.

He had fought many battles with the 8th Column of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and knew that the 8th Column was very powerful.

"Remember your target. The first company's target is the city gate, and it's best to blow it open for me on the first try. The other troops will then concentrate their firepower and blow down the city walls according to the plan. These walls are made of bricks and rammed earth, with rammed earth on the outside and rammed earth on the inside. They can't withstand artillery bombardment at all. As long as you can concentrate your bombardment on one place, you can achieve the target in a few shots. Rapid-fire and flat-fire guns, your task is to cover the infantry guns and mortars. Once the infantry guns fire, the Japanese will soon know that our infantry guns are in front of them. At that time, the Japanese mortars and grenade launchers will inevitably attack our infantry artillery positions. So as long as the Japanese and puppet army's mortars, grenade launchers, and heavy machine gun positions appear, kill them immediately.

There is only half an hour left before the final siege.

Li Yong was at the frontline, making the final mobilization. It was also the first time for Li Yong to command so many artillery pieces, and it was a new tactic, so Li Yong was very nervous.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Everyone in the command room couldn't sit still, waiting for the time to come. When the time came to six o'clock, the Type 92 infantry guns that had been hidden in the front trenches began to appear.

"boom"

“BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—”

After a night of trench digging, the infantry guns were positioned further forward.

It’s not even four hundred meters away from the city wall.

This was a very close range for infantry artillery, a distance that greatly increased the chance of success. This time, there were 16 infantry artillery pieces deployed on the front lines. After they were ready, they suddenly opened fire, catching the Japanese completely off guard.

Because this is really contrary to artillery tactics.

Of course, it was too early, and the Japanese army hadn't yet fully prepared. The Japanese army had been on high alert for the past few days, and they couldn't hold on any longer. So, during these days, some of the Japanese army slept while others defended the city.

But the Japanese troops were not numerous enough.

How to defend the four city gates?

So the Japanese army was not fully aware of the sudden bombardment, but the infantry artillery of the siege troops did not have time to care about what the Japanese army thought, and they continued to bombard according to the plan.

Many people in later generations exaggerated the role of city walls.

I think the ancient city walls are so strong.

In reality, those city walls were only useful during the era of cold weapons. Even Ming and Qing dynasty walls were somewhat effective against solid bullets. However, facing the powerful artillery and projectiles of the era of hot weapons, their effectiveness was very limited. This was because those city walls were constructed entirely of bricks and rammed earth. Even the walls of Nanjing couldn't withstand the Japanese artillery fire, let alone the walls of a small county town. These walls simply couldn't compare to reinforced concrete structures.

So a very funny situation arose during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The Chinese government and military desperately tore through the city walls, as they were no match for the Japanese artillery fire. The walls were far less effective than the defensive positions built by the troops themselves. Therefore, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Nationalist government extensively tore through the city walls.

They retreated almost all the way, tearing down the city walls as they went.

In contrast, after occupying Chinese cities, the Japanese maintained and even repaired the city walls. This was because they exploited the Chinese army's lack of artillery. They didn't need to build many fortifications outside the city walls; they could bully the Chinese army with just the walls. Therefore, the Japanese defenses were essentially built on the city walls, and they repaired the walls whenever they captured a city.