Rise from eight hundred.

It has already entered December in Shaanxi Province. It cannot be said to be the coldest time, but it is definitely not the same as warmth.

At night, the temperature has already dropped to two or three degrees. On the banks of the Yellow River, the river wind is even more freezing.

But at dawn like this, when the sky was just getting dark, mist was still rising on the river, and the visibility was extremely poor. Fujita, the commander of the Japanese Third Division wearing a woolen coat, stood on a hillside about 1000 meters away from the river bank. Holding a telescope, he looked at the quiet position more than 2000 meters away across the river.

The Japanese army lieutenant general had maintained this posture for nearly 10 minutes, and even his few eyebrows were covered with a thin layer of white frost.

Not to mention anything else, he already has the ability to command thousands of troops.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, there is a call from Colonel Katayama. The 6 infantry brigades of the 3th Infantry Regiment, with a total of 3200 people, are ready. All personnel are on standby to attack!" A Colonel ran out of the disguised field headquarters and walked away. Go to Susumu Fujita and bow his head respectfully to report.

"Where's the Field Artillery Regiment?" Fujita asked in a low voice without turning his head.

“上野大佐早在5分钟前就打来电话，其麾下所属24门75山炮、12门75野炮、12门150MM榴弹炮、2门280MM榴弹炮，人员、所需弹药全部就绪。”

"Yoshi! Tell Colonel Ueno for me that if we win this battle, the 3rd Artillery Regiment will take the lead!" Susumu Fujita, with a frosty look on his face, turned his head, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

For the Battle of Tongguan, as the supreme commander of the Westward Army, Shiro Itagaki also spent a lot of money and placed the 12 150MM heavy artillery pieces directly under his Third Army Headquarters under the jurisdiction of the Artillery Regiment of the Third Division. The same is true for the two 280MM howitzers specially transferred from China.

This may also be the first time in the history of the Japanese Army that an infantry division has such a terrifying large-caliber heavy artillery. Even a veteran like Fujita Susumu, when he thinks of his heroic soldiers crossing the mother river that the Chinese call it under the cover of such artillery fire, The surging river couldn't help but feel a little proud.

For today's battle, the Third Division, which arrived at Fenglingdu within ten days, had been preparing for seven or eight days. But who knew that on the day when the Third Division took the order to march westward, Fujita entered this division? How much research have you done on this great pass guarding the east gate of the Guanzhong Plain in China?

Susumu Fujita knew everything about it, from its geographical terrain to its troop configuration to its permanent population and even its commander's past military achievements, and it can be said that he spent a lot of effort.

Lieutenant General Fan Songpu of the 46th Army of the Chinese Army is well-known as a tough general. This is exactly what Susumu Fujita wants. What he is least afraid of is a general with this kind of personality.

In the past, there were many strong Chinese generals under Jinling City. In the Battle of Yuhuatai, which was fought to the death, China's most elite infantry division held 6000 officers and soldiers for 8 days. In the end, the entire army was not wiped out?As the Third Division that entered the battlefield to replace the severely damaged Sixth Division, it was responsible for the main attack. The lives of the two Chinese major generals and brigade commanders became the spoils of the Third Division.

Susumu Fujita's confidence certainly did not come blindly. As one of the six earliest permanent divisions established in Japan, the Third Division was a force prepared for invasion, with full personnel and well-equipped equipment.

Moreover, since its formation, the Third Division has participated in all major military operations of the Japanese army, including the Sino-Japanese War of [-], the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Jinling, the Battle of Xuzhou, etc., and has never been defeated!
Therefore, out of the knowledge of his opponent and the arrogance in his heart, Susumu Fujita did not engage in any tactical deception at all. He chose this river bend as his main attack direction, even though the Chinese could see a large number of boats and rafts gathered on the river bank. , motorboat, and did not hide his naked tactical intentions.

The image he likes to see the most is that the Chinese know clearly but are unable to resist. They can only watch the cannon fire tearing their bodies apart, and watch the iron boots of his heroic imperial warriors trample on their positions.

"Tell Colonel Katayama that after attacking the opponent's position, I don't want to see a living Chinese within a ten-mile radius. Remember, it is all Chinese, regardless of gender!" Susumu Fujita's eyes flashed with cruelty.

As a history buff, Susumu Fujita highly admires the actions of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. He has always believed that only massacre can make the Chinese surrender. If they continue to resist, then they will continue to kill until the Chinese no longer resist. If so, If all of them were accidentally killed, then this vast and fertile land would completely belong to the empire.

Typical perverted personality!

December 12th at 8:5 am!
The Japanese army fired more than 50 artillery pieces of various sizes at the 15th Division's coastal defense position 28 miles south of Tongguan.

75 mountain artillery, 75 field artillery and 70mm infantry artillery would normally make soldiers look pale at the sight of them, but in front of the 150MM howitzer firing at full strength, these artillery pieces are like firecrackers set off by children during the New Year.

A trench as deep as two meters is not enough to see in front of an artillery of this level. Once the shell falls into the trench, the trench that is tens of meters long will become a hell on earth, even if there are almost right-angled corners to weaken the energy of the air waves. , the violent air waves will also sweep away the people lying inside like toys.

Even if the shell does not need to fall into the trench, it only needs to explode ten meters away from the edge. The inner wall of the trench supported by the thick wooden piles of adult calves will be as fragile as tofu. The huge energy will cause the trench wall to squeeze inward, no To bury people in it is to squeeze them to death.

Of course, the Chinese army, which spent half a year building fortifications, is not a fool. In addition to the criss-crossing trenches and bunkers, there are also many hidden caves with roofs of more than one meter thick and supported by rough wood.

In a cave of this level, even a 150MM heavy artillery, as long as it is not in the middle of the top, is enough to protect the soldiers inside.

But the Japanese army also has a more terrifying 280MM heavy artillery. The 200 kilograms of artillery shells even require a crane to load. Every 50 rounds of artillery fire, the artillery shelling has to be stopped and the base of the artillery reinforced. The surrounding sandbag wall alone for defense is as high as 10 rice.

This kind of 200 kilogram armor-piercing projectile would still be a terrifying existence even if it were placed in the future 80 years later.

One shot landed, and all living creatures exposed on the surface within an area of ​​less than half a football field were wiped out!

If unfortunately there is a bunker or a soldier cave near the impact point, then both the bunker and the soldier cave will be ruthlessly destroyed by the huge energy, and the fate of the soldiers inside can be imagined.

According to post-war statistics, within an hour and a half of the Japanese bombardment, two 280MM howitzers fired a total of 55 shells, forming 55 terrible craters on the Chinese position. Less than 30 remains could be found in or around the craters!

However, the number of officers and soldiers of the 28th Division who died in this round of shelling was as high as 400!More than 800 people were injured!
Even with extremely complete defenses, an infantry brigade with more than 4000 infantrymen suffered over a thousand casualties!
"Requesting artillery support! Requesting troop support! The Japanese army is about to launch a general offensive!" These were the three sentences repeated in the message by the anxious major general and brigade commander located at the brigade headquarters 800 meters behind the defense line.

Because the telephone lines were out of service for a long time, and the fierce artillery fire blew out all the telephone lines 10 minutes after the bombardment started. No matter the front line or the headquarters, the brigade headquarters could not be contacted.

The only source of information that the major general brigade commander could obtain was the signal corps running wildly on two legs in the traffic trench.

But that, on a battlefield filled with artillery fire, is obviously a luxury!
The defense width of the two infantry regiments under his command is 4000 meters. Regardless of how long it takes to go back and forth, even with the terrible artillery fire, no one is lucky enough to reach the destination.

"Brigadier, has the Japanese artillery fire begun to extend?" The brigade colonel and chief of staff turned back inadvertently, suddenly stunned.

It is normal for a forward position with a depth of 700 meters to be filled with gunpowder smoke. Not to mention the continuous bombardment of more than 50 cannons, even the concentrated fire of 12 mountain guns of an artillery brigade can make the position filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke.

But what made this army colonel, who had been in the army for more than 15 years, suddenly ask this question out of nowhere was because the mountains behind them were also filled with smoke, as if the entire mountain was on fire.

"Extend the ball! If the Japanese heavy artillery fire extends, do you think we can still talk like this?" The anxious major general brigade commander replied angrily to his chief of staff, while subconsciously turning back.

Then, the battle-hardened major general and brigade commander also froze.

Thick smoke rose from the mountains, and the smoke was so thick that even the trenches hundreds of meters away were covered.

"Is there a mountain fire there?" The Army Major General was also a little confused.

His nose, which had not been completely irritated by the gunpowder smoke and lost all sense of smell, told him that the smoke was definitely not from the explosion of gunpowder. It should be the wood being ignited, and it was the kind of wood that was slightly moist, otherwise the smoke would not be so strong.

No, there is smoke but no fire!
The Army Major General reacted instantly, with disdain in his eyes, "Is that where the Sichuan Army's new regiment led by Commander Tang is stationed? They are really a bunch of guys who can't stand up to the table. Just like this, I still expect them to be able to fight at the critical moment. Support our department!"

"Brigade, do you mean to say that they did this deliberately, lighting the dead grass and raising the smoke to make the Japanese army mistakenly think that this area has been bombarded?" The colonel's chief of staff also reacted at this time, his eyes full of surprise.

"Otherwise?" The Army Major General's eyes became even more contemptuous. "Do you think they're making their specialty bacon? It's just like the useless ring fortifications they built. It's absolutely useless."

One day ago, the major general brigade commander came here with great expectations to meet Tang Dao. After all, Tang Dao still held the position of deputy chief of staff of the defense zone. His military rank was not as high as his, but his position was higher than his. Moreover, if the war was in crisis, Tang Dao would After all, there are thousands of people here who can use the knife.

Even if there are thousands of new soldiers, if thousands of pigs are released on the front line, the Japanese will have to spend a lot of effort to kill them, right?Unexpectedly, this meeting directly caused the major general and brigade commander's half-expected heart to drop to its heel.

Tang Dao was very polite. He performed the military salute first and didn't have the airs of a deputy chief of staff. What made the major general and brigade commander heartbroken was his commanding skills.

When the new regiment of the Sichuan Army came to this mountain 1200 meters behind the river defense position, they did not slack off. Thousands of people in the regiment diligently dug holes on the hillside.

Yes, it’s digging a hole!

A pit is 3 meters deep and more than 4 meters in diameter. Looking from the ground, the pit covered by bushes does not seem to exist, but who would have known that there is an infantry squad hidden in it!

There were as many as eighty such pits dug in the mountains, and no one knows how much effort was spent.

But, is there anyone who can use such a pit?It's suitable for burying people.

Moreover, apart from these pits, there are no military facilities such as trenches. The main force of the entire new Sichuan Army Corps is hiding on the hillside facing away from the Yellow River.

This can avoid the Japanese artillery fire, but it will take at least 40 minutes to wait for support, and once the Japanese artillery fire extends, this new regiment with thousands of troops has a 90.00% chance of marching on the exposed surface. They will be killed by artillery fire on the march.

In the opinion of the major general brigade commander, if we have this time, it is better to dig some communication trenches leading to the shore defense positions, even if they are only half a meter deep.

He made some suggestions to Tang Dao tactfully, but Tang Dao nodded in agreement, but did not take any action. The enraged major general brigade commander walked away without giving face to the deputy chief of staff of the defense area.

Now they are even more awesome. Before the artillery fire reaches their side, these turtles start setting fire to the mountain to look like they are covered by artillery fire.

Absolutely, is there any?

This is definitely the most bizarre army I have ever seen in my 20 years of military service as a Major General!

Even worse than the scumbag who turned around and ran away as soon as he heard the sound of cannon fire.

This means that Tang Dao has a higher position than him, otherwise he would be killed with one shot due to his temper.

"Shameless! That Commander Tang is simply not worthy of his name!" the colonel's chief of staff said angrily.

"There are many people in this world who seek fame and reputation, and he is one of them." The face of the Major General's brigadier commander became calm.

"Brother Shengshi, it is estimated that the Japanese fleet will arrive in less than 10 minutes. You and I will take charge of a regiment and go to supervise the battle! The ancients said: Strike halfway! No matter how fierce the Japanese artillery fire is, our troops will never be able to If you abandon such a fighter opportunity and ignore it, once the observation post sends a message, the entire army will enter the position, but it will be a desperate fight! You and I each take care!"

"We must live up to the great trust of the brigade!" The Army Colonel's face was full of determination.

As expected by the Army Major General and Brigade Commander, within 10 minutes, although the position was still filled with gunpowder smoke and mist was steaming on the river, the observation post that was still alive at the front still blew an extremely shrill iron whistle.

More than 200 wooden boats, kayaks and motorboats appeared on the river.

"Order all heavy machine guns and mortars to open fire! They must be blocked in the river! Anyone who does not respect military orders will be killed!"

Also send a telex to the division headquarters, please take care of yourself. If something cannot be done, retreat temporarily and wait for another day to fight again!
In view of the past friendship, the Commander-in-Chief allowed us to temporarily place the 3rd Company of the Brigade Headquarters Guard Battalion, the 3rd Platoon of the Engineer Company, and the 3rd Platoon of the Baggage Company under the direct control of the Division Headquarters. "The major general brigade commander, who raised his pistol and turned around with the guards, gave what he thought was the last military order before leaving.

Ordering the three platoons to evacuate was undoubtedly to save the last bit of seeds for his infantry brigade, so as not to annihilate the entire army and cancel the organization.

Three red flares were fired into the sky following the order of the Army Major General. This was the highest level alert order for the infantry brigade. Once the flares were fired, those in the forward position, whether regimental commanders, battalion commanders or privates, were required to enter the front-line trenches to fight. Enemy shooting.

Those who do not carry out military orders will die!
The two guard companies that followed the major general brigade commander and colonel chief of staff arrived. In addition to being the last remaining force of the brigade, they were also the supervisory team.

The murderous intent is not just for the Japanese troops who are about to attack!

After all, facing this kind of battlefield where a single shot can wipe out a person's body, not everyone has the courage to drill out of the anti-gun holes and enter the front-line trenches.

The heavy machine guns in the remaining bunkers sounded like crazy fire, "Ta! Ta! Ta!" and fired continuously towards the river.

Although there are not many in number, there are still more than a dozen roaring!

Although the Japanese troops who forced the crossing were fully prepared, there were steel plates welded in front of the motorboats, and sandbags were piled in front of the wooden boats and rafts. Crazy heavy machine gun bullets hit them, causing sparks and dust to rise, but they could not withstand direct fire. It keeps bouncing around without any rules.

In order to seize the coastal defense positions in one fell swoop, the Japanese army invested more than 3200 people in three infantry brigades, which also meant that the infantry filled these small boats.

The crowded space made these heavily armed infantrymen squat behind the fortifications like ground rats, leaving all the rest to Amaterasu.

Once the crazy ricochet is reflected into the crowd, it will naturally be a bloody storm!
The terrifying kinetic energy of heavy machine gun bullets can easily penetrate the human body, even two or three at a time!
Miserable howls sounded from time to time on various ships, and the splattered human blood mixed with the river water caused by the shells fell on the pale faces of the Japanese infantry, looking extremely ferocious.

Many seriously injured people who were injured by ricocheting bullets or mortar shrapnel had their mouths covered instead of their wounds!That was the order from the Japanese officers accompanying the ship, not to allow the screams to shake the morale of the troops.

I don't know how many seriously wounded Japanese soldiers died in artificial silence.

The Third Division is such a group of beasts that are even more cruel to themselves than their enemies!
And such a group of beasts, facing the blazing bullets fired by a group of Chinese soldiers who risked their lives on the opposite position, calmly and cruelly approached step by step.

The firepower of more than a dozen heavy machine guns and a mere 8 mortars was not enough to stop the pace of these beasts, not even if the 5 mountain guns of the 28th Division 12 kilometers away started artillery support.

The fastest motorboat of the Japanese army was less than 800 meters away from the shore. Even if the sight was still poor at this time, it was enough for ordinary Chinese soldiers in the trenches without telescopes to see clearly.

With despair in their eyes, many Chinese soldiers had already begun to count the grenades around them and involuntarily tightened the bayonets stuck in their waists.

They knew very well that once the Japanese troops set foot on the ground, close combat combat would be inevitable!
But are they opponents of the Japanese army?No one can answer this question.

Because, no need.

It was raining bullets from the sky!

Yes, it is really raindrops made of bullets, covering the sky!

Among this creepy raindrops, there are also larger 'raindrops'!
That is the effect that can only be achieved by the cooperation of 90 heavy machine guns and 60 82-guns.

All murderous weapons, including peanut-sized warheads, were dropped parabolically from the air, not from direct fire!