Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1371 We need to fight more battles like this

The Japanese army is busy planning how to rescue its 2000 officers and soldiers and a worried army colonel who can't even eat.

The more than 6000 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment, no, to be more precise, more than officers and soldiers were building fortifications around the Japanese army in the encirclement.

That's because after the Zishan Battle began, the more than 4000 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 4000 recruits had already Enter the Purple Mountain from Taihang Mountain.

These 4000 recruits are considered the last reserve team in Tang Dao's hands. If the Japanese army increases its troops, these 4000 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 511th Army Headquarters was 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 th 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 4000 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 4000 recruits to walk out of Zishan and participate in the siege of 2000 Japanese troops in units of recruit 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 Class A Division with a pure recruit system. Why can't they? The title of the Iron Back Recruitment 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 came from the future, looked further than his colleagues thought. It was already May and Japan's war in Southeast Asia was imminent. The Pacific War was about to begin, and the situation in the Chinese theater was 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 that since that person must have this intention, the Four Lines Regiment, which was very close to the 80th Army, would definitely be transferred away from the second theater in every possible way.

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 could cooperate with him, but he never regarded it as a big tree that could provide shade and coolness.

In fact, the planning for the Si Xing Regiment began the moment Tang Dao took office as deputy director of the Jinan Office and the Si Xing Regiment was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the 22nd Group Army Headquarters under the direct jurisdiction of the Theater Command.

From that moment on, the Ministry of Military and Political 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 5000 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 5000 people will leave North China. The rest are the seeds left by the Four Elements Group in North China.

Even if one day the Si Xing Regiment is completely annihilated on a battlefield somewhere, the Si Xing Regiment's spirit and will to fight will still remain on the North China battlefield.

With rich field fortifications, more than 12 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Line Regiment dug two deep trenches of more than 32 kilometers almost overnight, and deployed a total of 14 infantry companies in them, including 18 veteran companies and new recruits. Company 30, and based on the geological characteristics of the hilly area, excavated the bottom of the hills, striving to dig out more than 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 4 reinforcements headed by Okuma Konosuke of the 1.7th Division. The strength reached 4 infantry regiments and carried There are five artillery brigades with 60 artillery pieces, two tank squadrons with 5 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. .

The Chinese side invested more than 2 infantrymen, and the defense line deployed along the hills was 10 kilometers long. Four infantry regiments under the personal command of 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 6th Division and the 4th 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.

Daxiong Xingzhizhi helped the 1.7 people. Handan City 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 did not have 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.

Therefore, on the third day after being surrounded, the Japanese troops in the encirclement were completely out of food.

As the saying goes: People are like iron rice or 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?

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

The hills, which are no more than 70 to 80 meters high, have nothing but dwarf trees and shrubs, which is 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 kitchen staff of the wing headquarters also thoughtfully sprinkled precious salt.

It was extremely disgusting to the senses, but the taste buds on his tongue reminded the Japanese Army Colonel that this was the most delicious taste 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 with such a field mouse, I am afraid that even the 2000 imperial officers and soldiers would not be able to share one branch with each other.

This is indeed true. According to the battle report of the unit captured after the war, the Japanese army captured a total of 1246 voles that day. Except for one vole per person for officers above the corps commander level, the other officers and soldiers from Cao Commander 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 2000 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 Zishan, the Japanese army has suffered setbacks and blows at every turn, but this is the first time that someone has announced the word surrender on paper, which shows the despair of the Japanese Army Colonel at that time.

If the Chinese launched an attack, he would rather lead more than 2000 troops to fight to the death with the Chinese, even if the entire army was defeated, at least he would not lose the name of the 1st Division.

But the Chinese prefer to use this kind of soft knife to kill people. Instead of attacking, they let 2000 people stand in the mountains and fields.

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 2000 people.

However, the small mountain stream is less than 300 meters away from the Chinese blockade, and is within the range of the Chinese rifles.

The damn 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 feel heartbroken?

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

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

However, 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 solving the problem of food and water for the 2000 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 various 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 3500 meters, targeting the area where large bonfires were lit.

The height is really too high. If the pilot only relies on the visual airdrop area, it is simply a blind drop.

But this little trick of the Japanese army was quickly discovered by the Four Elements 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.

So outside the encirclement, hundreds of bonfires were lit.

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.

Unfortunately, his cleverness backfired. The encirclement was not a regular circle. Due to the terrain, the Japanese position was actually located in the upper right corner of the entire combat area. The central area that Sasaki could see was actually the 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 leisurely over their own position and landed on the Chinese position hundreds of meters away.

Tears of disappointment slipped from the corners of my lips!

It’s fine that the Chinese people don’t respect martial ethics. Why would Mao’s Imperial Army Aviation Corps be so stupid? I’m the one who’s starving to death, and I’m not asking you to starve the Chinese to death!

"Less than one percent of the supplies that 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.

This Baga wants 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 and his 2000 people will die as soon as possible, and don't torture him again before he leaves office, okay?

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

If he wasn't familiar with Saburo Okabe, Duo Tianjun would even have deep suspicions that this guy planned to be an upright enemy.

In the end, 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 made the Chinese generals smile.

"We must fight more battles like this. Tell Commander Tang for me that it is best to loosen the bonds of the little Japanese 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.