Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1367 A completely rotten battlefield!

Futaro Toshima's 'willful' death in battle was like the straw that broke the camel's back!

After sitting at the headquarters for half the night, Saburo Okabe finally decided to withdraw his troops!

However, the current battle situation does not mean that all the initiative on the battlefield is in the hands of the 1st Division, nor can it withdraw if it wants to. Not only is the Four Elements Regiment in Zishan a ferocious tiger, but the Eighth Division is still constantly compressing the encirclement. The Tenth Army Group is not someone to be trifled with either.

"Continue to maintain an offensive posture on the front line. Each regiment will allocate a certain amount of force to protect the wounded and heavy troops and withdraw to Handan!" Saburo Okabe issued a somewhat vague military order to each infantry regiment in the morning.

However, the Japanese generals who were familiar with him were all familiar with the taste, and the intensity of the attack on Zishan's defense line was visibly weakened.

Perhaps the only thing that has been strengthened by the Japanese army in the Zishan area is the aerial bombing force!

This should also be the most powerful fleet organized by the Japanese North China Front Army Aviation since the Zishan air battle. A fleet of 24 Type 96 fighters carried out high-altitude bombing on the 683 brigade position.

Despite its fierceness, the damage caused to the 683rd Brigade was not great. Firstly, because the front lines of the two sides were now extremely close, the Japanese fleet had to place the bombing area a thousand meters away;

Secondly, in order to prevent the appearance of the terrifying 40mm anti-aircraft guns on the ground again, the Japanese planes basically dropped bombs at an altitude of 3500 meters, so the accuracy is not worth mentioning;

Third, the 683 Brigade has already implemented anti-bombing protection. Each company has basically built anti-bombing holes in the trenches. Unless the aerial bomb falls straight on the top of the anti-bombing hole, otherwise there will be no protection between the trenches and the anti-bombing hole. Under protection, the soldiers' lives are safe.

As for the probability that the aerial bomb will land in the trench and collapse the anti-gun holes, it cannot be said that there is absolutely no chance. It can only depend on fate. Let alone ordinary officers and soldiers, even if they are only 2500 meters away from the front line, The brigade commander was hiding in the air-raid shelter and smoking silently.

The soldiers who survived the war were not so heroic or invincible, but more dependent on luck.

The 683 brigade that survived this wave of attacks suffered losses of about 200 people, which was much better than expected.

Commanders at all levels who had drilled out of the shell-proof holes looked at the remains that were carried away. They usually just rubbed their red eyes and yelled viciously: "Keep digging forward for me, and you will die."

"The 1st Division is about to run away!" Tang Dao, who was watching the fleet of aircraft with a telescope in the mountains, and Brigadier Cheng Da, who was walking out of the air raid shelter, said the same sentence almost at the same time.

"Send orders to all regiments to speed up the excavation progress and hold them together for me. If you want to run away, you have to ask me for permission first!" Brigadier Cheng waved his hand and ordered.

"Instruct each battalion and company to closely monitor the Japanese infantry's deployment of combat troops. Each battalion and company can launch a counterattack at any time based on their own judgment. Do you want to escape without paying a price? This is the territory of my Si Xing Regiment." Tang Dao also ordered.

The two best Chinese commanders in southern Hebei, while making correct judgments, also issued almost identical military orders.

This is wisdom, courage and confidence!

A year ago, it was the dream of all Chinese soldiers in the second theater to withstand the ferocious tide of Japanese attacks. But now, the situation is very different. It is yesterday that the Japanese army can fight and leave whenever they want. yellow flower.

"Small groups of Chinese troops are constantly appearing in the three battlefields of Zishan, and they are trying to attack our positions under the cover of artillery fire. The commander of Hattori Xiaotaro's brigade sent a telegram, and the Chinese in front of him are also eager to prepare for a big operation. , He cannot withdraw the main force in a short time!" The chief of staff of the 1st Division reported with a frustrated face to Saburo Okabe, who was walking towards the truck and was about to head for Handan City.

"Since the Chinese dare to leave the trenches, what are our artillery waiting for? Send an order to each regiment headquarters, they can contact the division staff at any time to coordinate artillery support, so that the Chinese who dare to leave the trenches will know the consequences." Saburo Okabe's face Ice cold.

"In addition, tell Major General Hattori that as long as the Chinese do not launch a general offensive during the day today, he will have one night to leave. If he thinks that leaving an infantry brigade cannot stop the Chinese on the opposite side, then add another one. He is Imperial Army Major General, you must know the choice.”

After saying that, Saburo Okabe did not look back, got on a truck and left with most of the civilian staff of the division and a cavalry and infantry, leaving the Japanese army colonel cold in the warm spring breeze.

The meaning of Saburo Okabe, who had already left first, was very clear. The battle had been lost, and it was the duty of commanders at all levels to try their best to preserve the main force of the division. In that case, a considerable number of people were destined to be abandoned.

But this is not the main reason why the Japanese Army Colonel is so cold. It is, when will the main divisions of the empire end up sacrificing their troops to protect their commanders on the Chinese battlefield?

Throughout the nine years from 1931 to 1940, there may have been battles in which the Imperial Army was trapped in a tight siege and the entire army was destroyed. However, like now, the mighty and tens of thousands of troops were forced to leave behind a large Imperial Army to cover the retreat of the main force. This situation is the first time.

And this is still a case of having air superiority. If there are no fighter planes, it is unimaginable how bad the situation will be.

What made the Japanese Army Colonel even more pessimistic about the war was that he actually saw fear in the eyes of Lieutenant General Okabe Saburo. Although Okabe Saburo hid it deeply, he could still feel that Lieutenant General Okabe Saburo was He was so afraid that even after making the decision to withdraw the division, he was unwilling to stay on the battlefield for a moment. He was not even willing to wait for the 4 Imperial Army reinforcements from the th Division, which had boarded a special train.

Yes, Saburo Okabe is scared!

The death of Major General Toshima Fuotaro reminded him that there seemed to be a pair of invisible eyes watching him from a distance.

The Si Xing Regiment has perfected the tactics of sending small groups of elite soldiers to the battlefield to conduct reconnaissance, harassment, and destruction of the enemy. The heavy equipment positions and artillery positions have been repeatedly bombarded by Chinese heavy artillery. It should be these small groups of elite troops. masterpiece.

On the night that had passed, the Chinese side was not only satisfied with reconnaissance of the coordinates of important target locations, but had even begun to use sharpshooters to kill senior officers at the commander level from a distance. Saburo Okabe realized that, although he was young, However, the old opponent is already preparing for the final battle. If he, the lieutenant general and division commander, does not leave, he may not be able to leave.

It's no wonder that the person who knows you best in the world is your opponent. Saburo Okabe really guessed Tang Dao's plan that he started two days ago.

In fact, the 1st Division Regiment Headquarters had been targeted by a reconnaissance team of the Four Lines Regiment Reconnaissance Company four days ago.

Saburo Okabe was already very cunning and set up his division headquarters in a small town. Because that town was only 5 kilometers away from Handan City, in the past year, a puppet infantry company was stationed here, which was regarded as a Japanese army. range of activities.

The Sihang Regiment and the 10th Army Group did not want to push the Japanese troops in southern Hebei to death, so as to avoid forcing the Japanese to fight to the death. Apart from infiltrating the towns controlled by the Japanese, they did not take large-scale armed actions. The th Division stationed in southern Hebei became obedient after being severely beaten, and just defended its existing territory and did its best to ensure the smooth flow of transportation.

To put it bluntly, since the First World War in Zhaojiazhuang, China and Japan have miraculously reached a tacit understanding. The Japanese army occupies an area with a radius of several kilometers centered on large cities, while the Chinese side is active in the vast countryside. As long as the other side is not particularly excessive, the two sides are almost We are all in a state where you protect yourself and I transport my supplies, and no one is provoked by anyone.

Of course, the Japanese army also knows about China's counterattack. It can control the territory and transportation lines, but if it allows the soldiers to loot and massacre the Chinese people in the occupied areas, then I'm sorry, the transportation lines will be cut into pieces by countless guerrillas. It is said that there is even the risk of a heavy siege. That is China's bottom line.

Although it was not put on paper, the 10th Division and the puppet army leaders tried their best to restrain the soldiers. Not to mention that they did not commit any crimes against the Chinese people in the occupied areas. At least there were no bad massacres.

This matter is very frustrating for the top brass of the Japanese army, but this is the reality. After a year of development, the strength of the Fourth Army Group and the Eightyth Group Army in southern Hebei has increased, and it is already a situation that cannot be lost unless the Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters makes a determined decision. , completely overturning the base camp's grand strategy from north to west, and dispatching 2 to 3 main divisions from Zhongtiao Mountain and the southeastern Shanxi front line to encircle southern Hebei and completely eliminate this scourge.

But obviously, those old-timers in the base camp will spit thick phlegm into Duo Tianjun's face. A group of Tuba and guerrillas can't deal with them. How can they have the nerve to propose strategies to the base camp?

No, Duo Tianjun, who was forced to do so, invited the support soldiers of the 1st Division!

The 1st Division is located in a town with a population of nearly a thousand. All Chinese people are strictly prohibited from leaving the town. To put it bluntly, Saburo Okabe regards these thousands of Chinese people as his own human shields. If China dares to bombard this small town, Town, thousands of Chinese people had to be buried with him.

In addition, four lines of defense were deployed outside the town. There was an infantry brigade for Japanese defense. There was also a reinforced infantry squadron in the town to closely protect the temporary division headquarters. As for the puppet infantry company, it had long been kicked by Saburo Okabe. Going to the front line of Zishan was related to his own life and safety. Saburo Okabe had never trusted the Chinese. If those Chinese could surrender to the empire, they could turn against the enemy and surrender again.

The scouts had no chance to sneak into the town, but after two full days of observation, they were able to determine that this was an extremely important command post for the Japanese army through the large number of people coming in and out and the multiple telephone lines leading out of the town. .

What command post needs to be located a full 11 kilometers away from the front line? The answer is almost there. However, determining the location of the 1st Division headquarters does not prove that he can be killed.

When it comes to the safety of more than a thousand compatriots, the possibility of using artillery to solve the problem is zero, so elite troops can only be used to raid.

Tang Dao chose to stand still. He had to wait for the 1st Division's offensive to weaken. Only when the Japanese army began to retreat and communications were delayed, would that be his chance.

The elites of the mountain infantry company and reconnaissance company have been quietly moving to assemble in this area since last night.

Even Tang Tuanzuo has handed over the command to Ye Chenghuan and the trio of Shangguan Yun and Zhuang Shisan. They are sorting out their equipment and plan to personally lead Niu Er and others to sneak out of Zishan and into the plain tonight.

If nothing unexpected happens, by tomorrow night at the latest, an attack and killing operation targeting the 1st Division headquarters will be launched by gathering most of the elite members of the Four Lines Regiment.

However, Commander Tang did not expect that Pang Zilong's extraordinary performance in killing a Japanese Army Major General would directly scare Saburo Okabe, so he actually issued an order to withdraw and then abandoned the entire division and ran away.

The total number of Japanese troops left in the town was less than 450, including the staff headed by the still shivering colonel chief of staff of the 1st Division and more than 300 escort infantrymen.

Without the big fish like Saburo Okabe, the temporary command department that is still responsible for coordinating the retreat of the entire division is actually much lighter.

This can be regarded as a minor misjudgment by Tang Tuanzuo in the Battle of Zishan.

In his own words: I have personally come out to fight, but they only left me with a colonel. This trip is a huge loss.

The captain of the local military team of the 80th Army who accompanied Tang Dao kept wiping his hands in cold sweat. No wonder it was said that Captain Tang was very good. A Japanese officer at the rank of colonel was so worthless in front of him!

Think about it some time ago, he led a surprise attack on a small Japanese convoy with No. 100 men. He personally shot and killed a Japanese Army second lieutenant with a rifle. The Jinan Division also specially sent a battalion commander-level leader to their camp to give him a With a certificate and a reward of two ocean dollars, he was so proud that the smile never broke on his face for several days. Compared with Captain Tang, who felt like he was at a loss after killing a Japanese army colonel, the situation was really too small. .

Of course, this is something to talk about later.

Saburo Okabe patted his ass and ran away, leaving the division commander and chief of staff with a mess.

Let’s talk about the 5th Brigade first. Since the brigade commander was appointed, the only people who can make the decision are the two colonel captains and the lieutenant colonel chief of staff. The three cobblers got together to discuss it in the middle of the night. They happened to be dozing on the pillow and waited for Okabe to arrive. Saburo could only understand the unspeakable retreat order.

Then we have to wait for the base tyrants. The two captains of the Colonel Corps, who wanted to preserve the strength of their respective subordinates, simply lost two infantry squadrons to the Lieutenant Colonel and Chief of Staff. He was responsible for leading more than a thousand people to cut off the rear for the entire army. The rest finally managed After getting dark, they quietly left the position. Even though gunfire broke out less than two hours later, more than 4 people from the 5th Brigade who had already left the position 3000 kilometers did not even look back.

The gecko has even broken its tail, so how can it make sense to take the head and replace it with the tail? Now that you have decided to run, run a little more determinedly.

This night, the Japanese army finally showed the strength that a permanent division should have. Carrying a large number of wounded soldiers and remains as well as a large amount of equipment and baggage, they ran 17 kilometers overnight and arrived at the outskirts of Handan City at 4 a.m.

If they were lightly armed, with this perseverance and energy, the 5th Brigade would not be able to run fifty or sixty kilometers, and it would also be able to create a marching miracle.

This shocked the officers and soldiers of the 2st and th Battalions of the Fourth Battalion responsible for the counterattack. They had already acted very quickly. After receiving the reconnaissance information fed back by the scouts, Chief of Staff Shangguan Yun immediately ordered decisively to invest all the resources at hand. Artillery fire and troops entered the counterattack, and in less than hours, they penetrated the Japanese defense line, which had not invested much force.

Originally, I was thinking of sending two infantry companies to attack with light equipment to seize the main force of the Japanese army carrying a large number of wounded. Even if they couldn't kill them completely, they would still have to chew off a large piece of flesh from this scarred 'behemoth'.

As a result, the two infantry companies abandoned all their heavy equipment and chased for half a night. The scouts reported that the main force of the Japanese army was already running back to Handan City.

"What a fool! You took Dali Pill, and you can run faster than me!" Tang Li, who was dripping with sweat, could only curse like this.

However, the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment, who had been waiting for seven or eight days to express their anger today, could only scold them before facing such a scud-level opponent, and then turned back to look for trouble with the Japanese troops in the southwest.

If there are those who run fast, there will naturally be those who run slow. This is the law of all things in the world, otherwise there would be no distinction between speed and slowness.

Everything has to be compared.

The 1rd Regiment, which belongs to the 2nd Brigade of the 503st Division, is one such unlucky child.

The then captain of the 503rd Infantry Regiment, Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu, was known for his steady combat style in the 1st Division. The regiment was also influenced by him and was good at defense but not at attack. In the Battle of Nomonkan, it relied on ground positions and 3500 troops. The remaining infantrymen blocked the successive attacks of two infantry regiments and dozens of tanks of the Mao Bear Men. It was considered a bright spot among the Japanese troops in the badly fought Battle of Nomenkan.

Rumor has it that he will most likely be promoted to Army Major General after the battle at Purple Mountain.

In fact, in the past time and space, Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu would not only be promoted to major general, but would even serve as the division commander of the local division of the split 1st Division a few years later.

This is so steady! It means that everything is considered carefully, and the reaction is naturally slower, at least compared to the two cobblers in the 3rd Division.

Colonel Shigenobu Yoshigu's retreat strategy also began to evacuate after nightfall, but in order to evacuate more of his subordinates, he chose to evacuate in batches. If the Chinese who were ready to move dared to step out of their positions to attack, he would even use The superior force launched a carbine-level counterattack.

After all, although he is said to be the commander of the regiment, he is actually the acting brigade commander, commanding 7 infantry brigades plus nearly people in various auxiliary arms such as artillery and baggage troops.

实力强大的第1师团从兵力上完全相当于3个混成旅团，拥有24门105榴弹炮以及12门150重炮的炮火支援更是远超普通师团。

This tactic of orderly evacuation is very correct. It can not only evacuate the main force smoothly but also have enough counterattack force. If we follow this pattern, at least the 2nd Battalion and the escort battalion that are facing it this night will be really good. There is not much that can be done against these Japanese soldiers who are covered in thorns.

But the key point is that Shigenobu Yoshigu didn’t expect to have pig teammates!

The 4rd Division, which was less than 3 kilometers away from his position, withdrew without leaving any room, leaving no more than a thousand men behind. Then, in less than 2 hours, the defense line was broken. By 1 a.m., the Japanese army was has become a thing of the past.

After cleaning up the mess, more than 1300 elite soldiers began to approach the flanks of the 503rd Infantry Regiment. The two infantry brigades who were still on the position and struggling to block their opponents and gain evacuation space for the main force were instantly stunned after receiving the news!

(End of this chapter)