Rise From Eight Hundred Chapter 1371

Chapter 1371 We need to fight more battles like this

The Japanese army is busy planning how to rescue its 2,000 officers and soldiers and a worried army commander who can't even eat.

The more than 6,000 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment, no, to be more precise, more than 10,000 officers and soldiers, were enthusiastically building fortifications around the Japanese army in the encirclement.

That's because after the Zishan Battle began, the more than 4,000 recruits who were still training at the Sixing Regiment station also set out for Zishan in batches under the leadership of their respective recruit companies and platoon leaders. By the time the Zishan Battle was in full swing, the 4,000 recruits had already Enter the Purple Mountain from Taihang Mountain.

These 4,000 recruits are considered the last reserve team in Tang Dao's hands. If the Japanese army increases its troops, these 4,000 recruits will be on top. At the same time, the 921 Division Headquarters in Xingtai ordered that the two regular infantry regiments in the southern Hebei Division have also been assembled. , can support Zishan at any time.

In other words, not only the Japanese North China Front can increase its troops, but China can also invest more than 10,000 troops on the battlefield at any time.

The headquarters of the 80th Group Army were also determined to build morale and prestige in this battle. If the battle situation was stalemate, they would not even hesitate to use the 686th Brigade, the main force of the 511th Division, which was hundreds of miles away.

It can be said that before the Battle of Zishan, Tang Dao and the Eightyth Army Headquarters had already regarded this battle as a battle-level battle, while the Japanese North China Front only planned it as a division-level battlefield. In terms of layout, He already lost first.

Before the scale of the battlefield could expand, the Japanese army had already surrendered and retreated. The 4,000 new recruits who were gearing up could only watch helplessly as their big brothers beat the Japanese army to a pulp, while they could only stay behind and wait for military orders to be issued.

It wasn't until Tang Tuanzuo returned that he waved his hand and ordered 4,000 new soldiers to walk out of Zishan and participate in the siege of 2,000 Japanese troops in units of new soldier companies.

Originally, Ye Chenghuan and Shangguan Yun had doubts about the recruits participating in the encirclement battle in an organized manner, so they planned to split the recruit companies into recruit platoons to supplement each company of the four major infantry battalions. The old lead the new to accumulate combat experience.

"Back then, the Sichuan Army's Recruitment Corps was able to compete head-to-head with the Japanese Army's Type-A Division with a pure recruit system. Why can't they? The title of the Iron-back Recruit Company is special. I believe they will not let me down!" Tang Dao! But he sticks to his decision.

It is a tradition for the Four Lines Regiment to lead the young with the old, which can greatly reduce the death rate of recruits, but it does not necessarily have to become a fixed pattern. The recruits are not children. They will one day face life and death alone. Such a battlefield will speed them up. growth.

Tang Dao, who comes from the future, has a further vision than his colleagues. It is now May and Japan's war in Southeast Asia is imminent. The Pacific War is about to begin, and the situation in the Chinese theater is about to usher in new changes.

This kind of change may not be felt by a fighting force of the level of the Four Elements Regiment, but Tang Dao knew that the mentality of the man who embraced the Americans must be different from two years ago. At that time, he was forced to There may be various pressures and the need for "brothers working together to break gold", but when the Americans send an olive branch, the poor brothers should feel like worn shoes.

Tang Dao had an intuition. Since he must have this intention, the Four Lines Regiment, which was very close to the Eighty Group Army, would definitely try his best to move away from the second theater.

The stingy old man in the second war zone is not the righteous generals Wu, Guo, and Zhang. He is a pure businessman. As long as he can get the benefits he wants, let alone Tang Dao and Si Xing Tuan. The women around him can also be sold without hesitation.

Tang Dao can cooperate with him, but he has never regarded it as a big tree that can provide shade and coolness.

Even the planning for the Si Xing Regiment started from the moment Tang Dao took office as the deputy director of the Jinan Office and the Si Xing Regiment was transferred from the regiment directly under the 22nd Group Army Headquarters to the direct jurisdiction of the Theater Command.

From that moment on, the Ministry of Military Affairs no longer had to consider the feelings of the Sichuan Military Department. It only had to convince the stingy old man.

After all, even if the Si Xing Regiment is a special regiment, its formal establishment is only 5,000 people. Even if that person knows the current size of the Si Xing Regiment and cannot resist the withering orders of the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs, only 5,000 people will leave North China. The rest are the seeds left by the Four Elements Group in North China.

Even if one day the Four Lines Regiment is completely wiped out on a certain battlefield, the Four Lines Regiment's spirit and will to fight will still remain on the battlefield in North China.

With rich field fortifications, more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment dug two deep trenches of more than 12 kilometers almost overnight, and deployed a total of 32 infantry companies in them, including 14 veteran companies and new recruits. Company 18, and based on the geological characteristics of the hilly area, excavated the bottom of the hills, striving to dig out more than 30 large air-raid shelters before the Japanese aircraft came.

Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu, who was too worried to eat, never expected that soon he would not be unable to eat because of worry, but as time went by, he would have no food at all.

His division commander did not really give up. After two days of rest and negotiation, the Japanese army in Handan City dispatched 17,000 reinforcements headed by Okuma Konosuke of the 4th Division. The strength reached 4 infantry regiments and carried There are five artillery brigades with 60 artillery pieces, two tank squadrons with 34 tanks, and four bomber squadrons sent by the Japanese North China Front Army Aviation Corps to provide air cover.

In terms of strength, the combat effectiveness of this Japanese reinforcement force is almost comparable to that of a division, which fully demonstrates the determination of Saburo Okabe.

But such a large army has not even seen the shadow of its own trapped officers and soldiers. It is about 2 kilometers away from the encirclement and is blocked by four regiments of the 683 brigade and two regiments from the Jinan Division. .

China has invested more than 20,000 infantry, and the defense line deployed along the hills is 10 kilometers long. Four infantry regiments personally commanded by Okuma Konosuke attacked for three days without making any progress.

Of course, the main reason for this result is that the six Chinese infantry regiments fought bravely and had strong firepower. Any Japanese infantry who wanted to advance would be mercilessly attacked. However, the four infantry regiments led by the 4th Division and the 10th Division fought It is also critical that the will is not firm.

The most common situation on the battlefield is often when the Japanese army starts to attack, and the Chinese infantry has not yet come online. When the mortars fire back, the Japanese army immediately retreats like their buttocks are on fire. With this kind of attack, let alone not making an inch of progress in three days. Even on the 30th, I'm afraid we won't be able to get to the edge of the trapped Japanese troops.

The 17,000 people who were helped by Daxiong Xingzhi had Handan City, which could continuously transport supplies. They attacked three times a day and stopped working and had meals after the attack. However, the Japanese army in the encirclement had no supplies.

Originally, the battle of Zishan could be resolved in half a month or a week in the Japanese plan, and the logistical baggage was basically based on the materials carried at this time. That's okay. According to this baggage ration, the Japanese army in the encirclement could support at least one more person. It took a week, but it was hard to escape. In order not to waste materials during the evacuation five days ago, the evacuating Japanese troops took great pains to take away most of the baggage.

So, on the third day after being surrounded, the Japanese army in the encirclement completely ran out of food.

As the saying goes: People are like iron rice and steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will be hungry! So what does it feel like to be hungry for 9 meals in a row?

You must have blue eyes. The Japanese army in the encirclement finally fully understood this.

There was nothing on the hills that were no more than 70 to 80 meters high except for short trees and shrubs. That was wrong. When the Japanese infantry dug trenches, they still found a lot of voles.

So, on the first day after food was cut off, the Japanese army, from captain to private, began a vigorous rat-catching operation, but not to get rid of the four pests, but to eat meat.

Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu, who was too worried to eat, ate his first meat meal in three days that night, a field mouse that was roasted until blackened.

In order to make the colonel eat more happily, the cooks at the regiment headquarters also thoughtfully sprinkled precious salt.

It was extremely disgusting to the senses, but the taste buds on the tip of the tongue reminded the Japanese Army Colonel that this was the most delicious food he had ever tasted in his life.

While eating, the Japanese Army Colonel cried, not because he was moved by the delicious food, but because he knew that even for such a field mouse, I am afraid that the 2,000 imperial officers and soldiers could not be divided into one person.

This is indeed true. According to the battle report of the unit captured after the war, the Japanese army captured a total of 1,246 voles that day. Except for one vole per person for officers above the corps commander level, the other officers and soldiers from Cao Cao below shared one vole. On average, less than 80 grams of meat per person!

But this was the last delicacy that the Japanese army could eat. From that night on, the Japanese army could only feed on wild vegetables and tree bark.

The key is that their activity area is less than 0.5 kilometers. No matter how many small trees there are, they can't resist the 2,000 hungry Japanese troops peeling them off like this!

By the sixth day, all the wild vegetables and tree bark had been harvested, and the Japanese soldiers were about to eat the soil. Some Japanese soldiers even looked at the bodies of their colleagues who died due to lack of treatment. Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu was also anxious. Suddenly, he no longer begged Saburo Okabe to speed up the rescue, but directly confessed the current situation of his department.

"Food and water were completely cut off four days ago. The officers and soldiers were starving to death all over the field. They are about to feed on the corpses of their comrades. If this scene falls into the eyes of the Chinese, the consequences will be disastrous. Whether it is war or surrender, I hope the division commander will make a decision as soon as possible." !”

　　So far in the Battle of Purple Mountain, the Japanese army has suffered setbacks and blows at every turn, but this is the first time that someone has put the word surrender on paper, which shows the despair of the Japanese army commander at that time.

If the Chinese launch an attack, he would rather lead more than 2,000 troops to fight to the death with the Chinese, even if the entire army is defeated, at least he will not lose the name of the 1st Division.

But the Chinese prefer to use this kind of soft knife to kill people. They do not attack when they are surrounded, so they let 2,000 people hold on in the mountains and wilderness.

As the Japanese Army Colonel said in the telegram, in addition to the lack of food, what is even more terrible is the lack of clean water. Southern Hebei belongs to the north and is not rich in water resources. It is not like southeast China, where you can dig a meter No matter how deep a trench is, water can be dug out.

In order to solve the water source problem, Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu has organized an infantry squadron to dig more than a dozen pits up to 10 meters deep, but he has not seen any water vapor.

Fortunately, there is a stream less than half a meter wide under a certain hill. Although the water flow is small, if you use military kettles to get water diligently, it is barely enough to sustain the lives of 2,000 people.

It's just that the small mountain stream is less than 300 meters away from the Chinese blockade, and is within the range of the Chinese rifles.

The **** Chinese also discovered this very quickly, so they used this stream, which was only 150 meters long, exposed outside the dense forest, as their shooting range.

Even at night, they would fire flares from time to time, and under the illumination of the flares, shoot at the soldiers crawling to get water. For this, more than 30 imperial officers and soldiers have paid their lives, and the water they retrieved was carried with them. A faint smell of blood.

But even so, the hungry blue-eyed Japanese infantry still looked at those comrades who sacrificed their lives for them. How could this not make the Japanese Army Colonel sad?

I can't blame him for putting the taboo word 'surrender' directly on the table.

"It can be fought, but must not surrender, otherwise it will be a shame for the division, the Kwantung Army, and the Imperial Army!" Saburo Okabe's reply was equally fierce, with three severe words of shame in reply.

It's just that Saburo Okabe also knew that his military orders might be able to restrain Shigenobu Yoshigu and most of the middle and senior officers, but what about the hungry and anxious lower-level officers and soldiers?

The top priority is no longer the issue of ground support, but the problem of food and water for the 2,000 officers and soldiers surrounded by the Chinese.

The largest airdrop of supplies in the history of Japan's North China Front began on the 7th day at the end of the Battle of Zishan.

More than 60 fighter planes took off from airports in North China, but this time what was carried under the belly of the plane was not a bomb, but a supply package carrying a parachute. There were biscuits, cans, toffee, and medicine in it.

All fighter planes began airdropping at an altitude of 3,500 meters, targeting areas where large bonfires were lit.

The altitude is really too high. If the pilot only relies on the visual airdrop area, it will be a blind airdrop.

But this little trick of the Japanese army was quickly discovered by the Four Lines Regiment!

The main reason was that the Japanese troops in the encirclement were too eager. There was still half an hour before the arrival time of the aircraft fleet, so they impatiently lit bonfires everywhere in their own position according to the agreement, making the entire position filled with smoke. All the members of the Fourth Army were startled, thinking that the hungry and impatient Japanese troops were planning to fight to the death.

Later, with the help of a lookout, we found that there were piles of bonfires on the Japanese army's position. In such a sunny and windy weather, there was no need for heating. It was really abnormal. Although I didn't understand what the Japanese wanted to do, it did not prevent them from doing so. The commanders at all levels of the Four Lines Regiment slapped their heads, and I also came to light a few fires and have a small barbecue.

Hundreds of bonfires were lit outside the encirclement.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, the huge roar of the Japanese military planes resounded throughout the world.

"This seems to be an air drop of supplies! This is a good thing! Tell Cheng Tieshou, don't scare away the God of Wealth, let them drop it. Let's see whether I pick up more or the devil picks up more!" Tang Dao Looking at the small black dot in the distance, combined with the abnormal situation on the Japanese army's position today, for the first time, I no longer had the thought of using a duster when I saw it.

This may also be the first time that Captain Sasaki has flown over the Chinese positions without experiencing ground artillery fire. But what troubles him is that when he looks down with a telescope, there are dots of fire everywhere, covering an area of more than 4 square kilometers. area, and the 0.5 square kilometers of our own positions mentioned above have been expanded nearly ten times.

"Drop supplies, all planes should pay attention, and try to drop them in the central area agreed with the imperial infantry before taking off!" Captain Sasaki is a smart man, and he soon realized that this might be a trick of the Chinese, and it was already his responsibility to drop the supplies in the central area. In order not to fool Jiba, he gave up his last stubbornness.

It's a pity that cleverness leads to misunderstanding. The encirclement is not a regular circle. Due to the terrain, the Japanese position is actually located in the upper right corner of the entire combat area. The central area that Sasaki can see is actually Tang Dao's headquarters. .

What's even more terrible is that the northwest wind was blowing at that time. After the Japanese aircraft entering the battlefield from the north dropped supplies, even the supply packages that fell into the Japanese position area would float to the Chinese position area under the power of the northwest wind.

The Japanese soldiers on the position just watched as the material package, which was only a hundred meters away from their heads, glided past their own position and landed on the Chinese position several hundred meters away.

Tears of dissatisfaction fell from the corners of my lips!

It's fine that the Chinese don't have martial ethics, why would the Maoist Army Air Force be so stupid? I'm the one who's starving to death, and I'm not asking you to support the Chinese to death!

“Less than one percent of the supplies that can fall into our positions!” Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu suppressed his sadness, took his first bite of biscuits in seven days, and sent the following message to Saburo Okabe.

These Baga want the front army to go bankrupt! Duo Tianjun, who received the telegram from Saburo Okabe, almost jumped out of breath.

If possible, he really hopes that Shigenobu Yoshigu will die quickly with 2,000 people, and don't torture him again before he leaves office, okay?

The more than ten tons of supplies airdropped were not conjured out of thin air. They were saved by the front army's reduction of supplies for the frontline divisions, okay?

Had he not been familiar with Saburo Okabe, Duo Tianjun would have even deeply suspected that this guy planned to be an upright enemy.

Finally, the commander of the Kwantung Army privately sent another telegram to Duo Tianjun, and the Japanese airdropped an unprecedented three times in a row.

Dozens of tons of various materials can be regarded as making the Chinese generals smile.

“We must fight more battles like this. Please tell Commander Tang for me that it is best to loosen the bonds of the little devils in the encirclement from time to time, so as not to starve to death all at once.” Wang Xiaoqiang, who was feasting on a can of Japanese beef, was very happy.

Chapter end

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