Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Chapter 875: The Combat Strength of the Kwantung Army

In Dangshan, Geji Town, a group of cavalry from the 4th Training Brigade are approaching for reconnaissance.

The Huxi base is adjacent to Xuzhou, and the Longhai Railway divides the southernmost Dangshan County. As the forefront of the confrontation with the Japanese army, this area is the area where the 4th Teaching Brigade is most active.

The Kwantung Army advanced westward from Xuzhou. Once the war broke out in Dangshan, the Japanese army could rely on the railway line to quickly obtain supplies from Xuzhou. How could Zhou Weihan let this happen?

Therefore, an order was sent to the 4th Training Brigade, stating that when the Kwantung Army passed through the border, the main force must hide. If the enemy insisted on challenging, the main force should withdraw to the north and make sure the enemy was kept away from the direction of Xuzhou.

"Company commander, we're just going to let the Japanese pass by without firing a single shot? This is too frustrating!" The accompanying soldiers felt very confused.

Upon hearing this, Company Commander Tao Yongfei glared at the soldier and said, "You are the only one who talks too much. This is called avoiding the enemy's sharp edge. As our brigade commander said, now is not the time to confront the Japanese head-on!"

"Hey, if we really use our flesh and blood to fight against the Japanese tanks, it's hard to say how many of us can survive!"

As he was speaking, the walkie-talkie next to him suddenly beeped, the operator immediately picked up the phone and Tao Yongfei took the receiver.

"Captain, the main force of the Kwantung Army and a large number of tanks have passed Caozhuang Town. After a short rest, they will continue to move westward!"

The latest movement of the Kwantung Army came from the microphone, and the company commander then ordered: "You three platoons continue to follow up, be careful not to be surrounded by the enemy, if the situation is not right, retreat immediately!"

"Yes!"

After the call ended, Tao Yongfei compared the map and said, "Geji Town is 30 kilometers away from Caozhuang Town. I can't see anything by staring at it now. I decided to test the strength of the Japanese army!"

After hearing the company commander's words, the other soldiers could no longer hold back and expressed their agreement.

In order to find out the situation of the Kwantung Army, the commander of the 4th Training Brigade sent out a cavalry company equipped with three walkie-talkies to conduct reconnaissance in three directions.

However, the Japanese army had too many troops and was highly mobile. Even on horseback, the reconnaissance troops did not dare to get too close. If they were not careful, they might be surrounded. Therefore, it was impossible to obtain all the information about the Japanese army.

Therefore, Deng Keming stated in Zhou Weihan's telegram that the enemy's advance troops stayed in Dangshan for two days. Although their specific movements were not ascertained, our unit speculated that the Kwantung Army was repairing the railway. It was not until the enemy's Guards Division approached Dangshan that the enemy's advance troops set out again, and their marching speed was slow, often marching in alternating movements.

In fact, in the early stages of the Longhai Campaign, not only was the fighting fierce along the line from Shangqiu to Kaifeng, but the main force of the 4th Training Brigade also launched an attack on the Longhai Railway. Although the Japanese and puppet troops were guarding the reinforced concrete strongholds, the strongholds would not move.

Although the Fourth Training Brigade was unable to deal with the Japanese and puppet troops entrenched in the strongholds, they cleared out the defensive fortifications within a ten-mile radius on both sides of the railway, and the railway in the territory was broken into pieces.

After the Kwantung Army came out of Xuzhou by truck, it not only needed to send people to repair the railway, but also needed to leave some troops along the way to strengthen the garrison and be responsible for the safety of the outer defense fortifications on both sides of the railway to ensure smooth subsequent supply transportation.

Four soldiers carrying two 60 mortars approached a small slope, which was only about meters away from the outer fortifications of the Japanese Geji stronghold. They could clearly see a few scattered Japanese and puppet troops on guard around the fortifications.

"Six-shot rapid fire!"

"Boom boom boom!"

Twelve shells fell on the vicinity of the Japanese fortifications. The soldiers had no time to determine the results and hurriedly slipped back with two 60 mortars.

The explosion was indeed quite loud, but due to the lack of precise aiming, only one unlucky Japanese soldier was injured. The rest of the Japanese soldiers reacted very quickly and jumped into the nearby trenches to avoid the shelling.

The news of the attack was quickly transmitted to the Geji stronghold through the battlefield telephone. Shrill sirens sounded from the stronghold, and the Japanese and puppet troops quickly assembled after hearing the call signal.

However, the formation was clear. The approximately forty or so Japanese troops had a good overall appearance and assembled quickly. The leading officer had already started giving a speech, and the rest of the Japanese and puppet troops began to assemble.

"Kitano-kun, the Eighth Route Army just fired a few shells at the position. I don't think there is any need to start a war. Now we need to work together to ensure the normal transportation of the railway line?"

The one who spoke out for advice was Takeshima Yusuke, a former Japanese military officer at the Geji stronghold, who was affiliated with the 21st Division in Xuzhou. However, the other group of Japanese troops were unwilling to give up.

Kitano Koji's face was full of fat, and his belly was a little fatter. He said mercilessly: "Do you think I'm making trouble? When have the Chinese come to provoke us, but we can only retreat and defend ourselves? Where is the bravery of the imperial soldiers?"

"Our Kwantung Army is invincible in Manchukuo, and the Chinese armed forces can only flee in panic. The same should be true in North China!"

"Long live the Great Japanese Empire, long live the Emperor!"

These Kwantung Army soldiers were of varying ages. The oldest were around 30 years old, looking very tough, while the youngest were in their early twenties.

The Japanese soldier who was killed in the explosion was from the 57th Division of the Kwantung Army. Under Kitano Yukiji's brainwashing, whether he was truly seeking revenge or just pretending to agree, he shouted slogans in unison.

Without staying for long, Kitano Yukiji led more than 40 Kwantung Army soldiers out of the stronghold in a menacing manner. The two groups of Japanese troops joined forces to defend the Geji stronghold, but there was obviously no unified command, and there was not even a distinction between the primary and the secondary.

  Not long after, the phone call came from the position again, this time also to report the situation!

"Mosimoxi!"

"Sir, Lieutenant Kitano will take away all 30 soldiers of the 57th Division assigned to the outer positions on the north side!"

"Okay, I understand. Please be on high alert, please!"

"Hi!"

  After hanging up, Takeshima Yusuke cursed angrily. He didn't understand why Kitano Yukiji was so impulsive when the order from his superiors was to hold the position. Wasn't it just a soldier who died?

The entire Geji stronghold originally had 50 Japanese soldiers from the 21st Division and 300 puppet soldiers. These troops were sufficient to defend the stronghold, but the defensive fortifications on the north and south peripheries also needed troops to be stationed. Otherwise, once the Eighth Route Army launched an attack on the transportation line, the Japanese army would lose its buffer space.

Therefore, the Kwantung Army left behind 120 soldiers of the 57th Division led by Yukiji Kitano. The situation in other strongholds was roughly the same, except that after the arrival of the Imperial Guards Division, some of the remaining soldiers were Japanese troops of the Imperial Guards Division.

With no other options, Takeshima Yusuke could only inform several surrounding strongholds by phone that there seemed to be unusual movements by the Eighth Route Army.

On the position, after the artillery attack, several puppet soldiers huddled together quietly. Just as they were secretly rejoicing that they had survived the disaster, they discovered that a group of Japanese soldiers were rushing out of the position in a hurry.

"Damn it, are these Japanese in a hurry to reincarnate? It looks like they are looking for trouble with the Eighth Route Army!"

The puppet soldier who was speaking was kicked by the platoon leader behind him. He quickly straightened his hat and squatted in the trench to salute his superior.

"You are the only one who talks too much. Keep your mouth shut and don't salute me!" At this time, with the idea of ​​trying his best, Tao Yongfei led a row of soldiers to find a place to prepare for the ambush of the Japanese army, while the second row retreated two or three miles to prepare for the support.

It was more than half an hour before the soldiers saw the Japanese troops.

"Wow, Captain, the Japs are really here. They don't look like locals, they must be from outside the Great Wall!"

Tao Yongfei picked up the telescope and observed carefully, counting the approximate number of Japanese troops in his mind: "Yes, the local devils don't have this momentum, the number is about 60, and they can fight!"

"Notify them to prepare for battle. Once the order to retreat is issued, you must retreat as quickly as possible without stopping for even a moment!"

Tao Yongfei led a reconnaissance company, with each man having a horse. Each platoon was equipped with three light machine guns, two 60 mortars, and even a small number of submachine guns.

The reconnaissance company was located on a small hill, which was actually the tail of a hill about forty or fifty meters high on the left. It was connected to flat land on the right, and the war horses were placed at the foot of the hill.

As the Japanese troops gradually approached the shooting range, the soldiers pointed their guns at the Japs, two hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters away.

"Fight!" Tao Yongfei, holding a submachine gun, was the first to fire at the Japanese army. Fierce gunfire broke out in the makeshift position, and bullet shells flew everywhere.

After Kitano Yukiji left the Geji stronghold, he did not find any trace of the Eighth Route Army at first. However, one of his sergeants carefully discovered some messy horse marks on the ground, so he followed them all the way.

Although this guy was arrogant, he was an old soldier after all. He had sensed something was wrong before approaching the ambush position, so he signaled a dozen Japanese soldiers to go around the side of the hill.

Sudden attack, the Japanese soldiers in the front row were shot and fell to the ground one after another under the strong firepower. However, the Japanese soldiers reacted quickly. Most of them retreated, and a few of them found advantageous positions to counterattack.

Experienced veterans all know that when the two sides are fighting on the battlefield, don't rush to shoot the enemy's wounded soldiers. Firstly, it wastes bullets, and secondly, it can cause greater casualties.

The Japanese army carried a Type 92 heavy machine gun and three Type 96 light machine guns. After finding a safe position, they immediately began suppressing fire.

Sure enough, several wounded Japanese soldiers who were still able to move crawled towards a safe area with all their might, and the few Japanese soldiers who stayed behind tried to pull the wounded over.

But as soon as he showed his head, he was beaten back by the soldiers of the reconnaissance company who had been watching him.

"Ah, I need a bandage to stop the bleeding!" An old Japanese soldier was unfortunately hit by a bullet in the thigh. Blood gushed out immediately. He directly grabbed a bunch of bandages to block the bullet hole.

Although he was temporarily at a disadvantage, Kitano Koji, who was hiding behind a mound, did not panic. He drew his command knife and said, "Go ahead, launch a counterattack with grenade launchers immediately!"

The two sides then engaged in an artillery battle. The Eighth Route Army used two 60 mortars, and the Japanese army used four Type grenade launchers.

In terms of performance, whether it is range or stability, the 60 mortar is superior to the Type grenade launcher. It's a pity that the confrontation distance between the two sides was less than meters, and the performance advantage was overwhelmed by the numerical advantage.

The Japanese army had two ways of launching grenade launchers, one was lying down, the other was kneeling. The kneeling position provided greater stability and a wider field of vision, but it was easy to injure the thigh.

These Kwantung Army soldiers who were fiddling with the grenade launchers were obviously veterans. They lay on the ground after just taking a look. The grenade launcher was at a 45-degree angle to the ground. One person was responsible for aiming and the other was responsible for supplying ammunition.

"Boom boom boom!"

A Czech light machine gun that was firing suddenly stopped firing, and the soldiers who did not have time to evacuate were hit by the broken shrapnel.

"Captain, the Japanese grenade launchers are fast and accurate, it's incredible, the key is to aim at the firing points!"

The platoon leader was still in shock. He saw with his own eyes that after the machine gunner changed the magazine, he had not even fired half a round when the Japanese grenade came at him.

Tao Yongfei did not expect that an ambush would turn out like this. After being caught off guard, most Japanese troops did not want to fight and decisively chose to retreat, making it impossible for the submachine guns with shorter range in the hands of the Eighth Route Army soldiers to pose a threat.

"These are veterans with rich combat experience. They can judge the weapons used by our army just by the sound of gunfire and make a quick choice!"

"Retreat, retreat immediately!"

Tao Yongfei was decisive. Although the situation was not unfavorable, he would not gain any advantage if the stalemate continued.

After receiving the order to retreat, the two 60 mortars quickly used up their shells, and the huge momentum caused the Japanese counterattack to temporarily pause.

"Sir, the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side seems to be retreating!"

Kitano Yukiji's expression was uncertain. He also noticed something unusual and was afraid that it was a trick, so he didn't dare to let his men launch an attack easily.

Less than two minutes later, a dozen Japanese soldiers who had come around the side of the hill showed up, and the two groups of Japanese soldiers were sure that the Eighth Route Army on the opposite side had withdrawn.

"Damn it! The weapons of this group of Eighth Route Army are so good! They are just a small group of 20 to 30 people, but they are equipped with a considerable number of submachine guns and mortars!"

Kitano Koji picked up an eggshell that was still warm. It was the Thompson Charger donated by the United States. There were seven piles of similar eggshells.

"Sir, should we chase or not?"

"Baga, our mission is to ensure the safety of the railway line. Moving rashly is a violation of military orders!"

After hearing this, some veterans in the team couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although they had shown excellent combat skills in the previous encounter, their fighting spirit was not as good as those of the young soldiers.

Let’s not talk about the fact that Kitano Yukiji returned to the Geji stronghold with his men in a dusty state. Tao Yongfei led his troops to meet up with the second platoon from the rear.

"The machine gunners, submachine gunners, and mortar operators stay here. The rest of you ride your horses and ambush on the right side. Once the Japanese catch up and we start fighting, quickly break up their formation from the side!"

After waiting for a long time, Tao Yongfei still saw no sign of the Japanese army. While he felt relieved, he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed that he had not fought the battle well.

However, not the whole house was plundered. At least it was confirmed that the Japanese stronghold had no mobile trucks, no tanks, and even insufficient manpower.

Then he sent two more soldiers to the battlefield to find out the situation. After receiving a positive response, he reported what had just happened.