afterglow

Chapter 259 General Attack; Desperate Counterattack

"Boom boom-"

After the destructive shooting from the fleet, the mortars and mountain guns belonging to the Marine Regiment [-] began to suppress the enemy positions, and several infantry guns began to move forward with the infantry detachment.

When carrying out offensive operations against field fortifications and buildings, direct fire support is very necessary, and it is more accurate and rapid than curved fire.

For example, there is a small building a few hundred meters away, and the enemy has set up a firepower point inside. The mortars can only stare blankly, but if there are infantry guns or anti-tank guns, it can be easily solved at this time.

The resistance army in front of them seemed to have some anti-tank guns. Because they had never been captured, the officers and soldiers did not know the specific models. They only learned through interrogating the prisoners that they were imported from Switzerland, which were extremely expensive and very rare.

Since the weakly armored Type [-] floating chariots can only resist medium-caliber infantry bombs, the captain of the chariot team ordered them to be placed on the starting position of his own attack and not to attack in coordination with the infantry.

"Who's still alive? Who's still alive?!"

"The Ming army is approaching!"

Under the cover of fierce firepower, even if it is not killed by fragments, all kinds of sand and debris raised by the shock wave can significantly damage the human body.

The gray-faced, ragged, and blood-stained resistance soldiers got out of the shelter, and hurried into the position without shaking the sand off their coats and hats.

"Only one town away, shoot!"

The Lewis light machine guns and Vickers heavy machine guns imitated by the Kawasaki Military Institute and the Tokyo Artillery Factory spewed out dazzling orange flames, and a round of 6.5×50mm infantry ammunition was sprinkled on the oncoming Ming army infantry.

Even though the reaction was quick, there were always unfortunate people who were shot and fell to the ground, screaming in pain and calling for help.

"Come here! Grass!"

"Medical soldiers come and save people!"

Due to the very short twist of the rifling, the nutation of the 6.5mm rifled bullet within 200 meters after firing is relatively severe. At this moment, when it hits the human body and is blocked, it is easy to lose stability and roll, which will cause great trauma. Stablize.

But in the range of 200 meters to 300 meters, after hitting the human body, the higher spin speed can easily cause the armor of the warhead to rupture, and the internal lead core will be squeezed and deformed, which will also cause serious injuries.

The so-called "one shot, two eyes, and a hero after half a month of recovery" must be hit by a 300×6.5mm rifle bullet 50 meters away. At this time, the nutation has stabilized and the spin speed has also dropped. It won't cause much damage.

"Don't close your eyes! Open your eyes! You still owe me 21 yuan, who will pay you when you die?"

The medical soldier from the first battalion and the third team had poor marksmanship, but he was stocky and kind-hearted. Based on the principle of making the best use of his talents, the Shangguan asked him to become a medical soldier.

The wounded little pacesetter turned pale because of the severe pain and rapid blood loss, and he slurred his speech, "It hurts to death, stop the pain... stop the pain first!"

The slender 6.5mm bullet turned over after hitting his lower abdomen, twisting off a section of intestine, and when it came out from the back, it directly tore a hole the length of his index finger, bleeding profusely.

The medic directly blocked a piece of bandage on the fingernail-sized bullet entrance in his abdomen, then turned him over, pressed the long wound tightly with the bandage, and at the same time took out a painkiller syringe for him. Got a needle in his calf.

The blood gushing out quickly soaked the bandage, and the medical staff had to take it off, sprinkle hemostatic powder on it, put on a roll of bandage, and finally wrapped it up with a triangular bandage around his torso.

Different from the one-time analgesic in the shape of a glue tube used by the Americans during the World War II, the medical soldiers of the Ming Army are now equipped with an L-shaped analgesic syringe with a trigger in front of the grip. A small glass bottle of ten milliliters of analgesic is placed vertically above. This dose can be used by two people, and the small glass bottle can be replaced when it is used up.

In view of the fact that the resistance of the enemy in front of them was still not small, the officers and soldiers of the first battalion and the third team that had already rushed half the distance did not rush to attack, but lay prone and started shooting against it.

Soon, the three 80mm infantry guns that moved forward with the attack began to fire at the enemy's position.

In the sound of "bang bang", the fire points of the machine guns that were still showing off just now were blown up one by one, and only a few smarter machine gun teams moved in time.

The firepower of the defenders was quickly suppressed. Under Xue Can's order, the battalion's mortars began to alternately fire smoke and incendiary bombs in depth, and another team's follow-up troops were deployed.

Clouds of gray-white smoke emerged from behind the enemy's position, mixed with dazzling hot flames. The [-]-degree high temperature of thermite ignited all combustible materials and melted difficult-to-combustible materials.

In addition to the first battalion, which was the main frontal attack, Zhou Changfeng also ordered the second battalion, the chemical defense platoon, and the engineering platoon to mobilize manpower to organize several breakthrough teams.

Each detachment consists of a squad of infantry, engineering, and chemical defense, with more than [-] people, equipped with a large number of blasting canisters and two flamethrowers, and they are used to break through the enemy's strong support points.

At this time, the forward position of the resistance army had been disintegrated, and the main position had been rushed into two platoons by the Ming army. Seeing that the follow-up troops of the Ming army were coming, the enemy invested in the reserve team to carry out a "counterattack".

The main position is full of bomb craters, trenches, and shelters, and there may be enemy troops lurking or booby traps buried everywhere.

The two sides launched a bloody battle in a complex area of ​​less than [-] meters. The fierce battle lasted for more than half an hour, and neither side was willing to give up.

Zhao Hanfeng at the frontline headquarters was observing the battle situation in the artillery mirror. Seeing more than a dozen enemy troops being annihilated, the corners of his mouth were about to rise, but the next second he saw half a squad of infantry soldiers being fired from side-firing machine guns. Put down—these guys really hold their breath, they can be patient and silent until now they suddenly fire!
He couldn't help complaining: "The resistance of these Japanese soldiers is too resolute, troublesome!"

"Wars can't always be smooth sailing. It would be too easy if we could defeat the opponent every time." Zhou Changfeng beside him took a deep breath of cigarettes and said calmly: "But there are only a group of stubborn people. gone."

At 17:43 in the afternoon, the fierce battle of more than three hours finally made key progress.

The second battalion's auxiliary attack on the flanks played a big role, forcing the enemy in front of them to send out part of their troops for reinforcements, making their already stretched defenses even weaker.

As the defense of the main position collapsed, the enemy was forced to shrink its forces and lines of defense, abandon its outer positions, and retreat to the factory area to continue to resist.

The Japanese's will to resist was beyond the expectations of the soldiers of the Ming army, but it was still within Zhou's expectations, and he was not even surprised that his own fleet was hit by a suicide bomber.

Going all out and chasing after a victory is not applicable now. The first battalion participating in the attack was already exhausted, and the bloody battle for an hour and a half exhausted the officers and soldiers physically and mentally.

Moreover, the second battalion and the third battalion also needed time to adjust their deployment, so Zhou Changfeng postponed the attack.

Beside the rear headquarters, looking at the wounded soldiers being transferred to the field hospital continuously, Yao Liangchuan with a heavy expression suggested: "Attack the heart first, let's try to recruit and surrender."

Mixing psychological warfare is beneficial and harmless, Zhou Changfeng naturally agreed, and the officers also had no objection.

So everyone set up a loudspeaker on the front line, and found an interpreter assigned to the First Marine Regiment of the Second Army, and asked him to recruit the remnants of the Resistance Army in the factory area.

The translator Yamada Hirono is a thin middle-aged man, who gives people a unique Japanese sense of insignificance. He was born in Yokohama, but settled in Nagasaki. He is a typical Muhua Japanese traitor.

He clasped his hands and bowed again, "My lord, don't worry, what the villain says will definitely cause them to fight among themselves, and no matter how bad they are, they will be shaken."

This guy's flattery made Zhou Changfeng very unhappy, so he just waved his hand in disgust and told him to leave quickly.

When he got to the front line, Yamada Hirono cleared his throat, and spoke to the end of the loudspeaker:

"Gentlemen, I am here to persuade you with great reverence. Please stop this senseless resistance. I know what you think. Your loyalty and bravery are admirable, but such a sacrifice is too useless." Worth it!"

"The masters of Ming Dynasty definitely did not come to enslave us. They just expelled the Westerners who oppressed the people and domineering. Isn't this a good thing? Please don't be fooled by some people. The Ming people are not so terrible and cruel, otherwise I will I won't be here talking to you."

"Give up, this war should stop, everything ends here, after the westerners leave, we will build a new home independently, what a future it is. Think about your parents, wives, children, who wouldn't want to Want a peaceful life? Why waste your life like this for nothing?"

While Yamada Hirono was continuing to publish his tirade, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy in front of him. The bullets hit him and scattered dust around him, and the sound of howling frightened him to curl up in the trench.

Although it seems that it didn't work, Zhou Changfeng is sure that it has actually shaken some people's defenses, but it still needs time to ferment.

If you're not in a hurry, just wait a little longer.

Therefore, he decided to postpone the siege of the factory until tomorrow morning, hoping that this night would make the will of the resistance army more scattered.

The night has come, and the refreshing spring evening breeze should make people feel refreshed, but the smell of gunpowder smoke and blood makes people quite sick.

In the dilapidated factory area, the exhausted Lieutenant Fujiwara Yoshiharu was inspecting the situation of his subordinates.

Today's fierce battle consumed more than half of the ammunition that the resistance army was not rich in, and the few remaining ammunition was not enough to support a resolute defense.

The wounded soldiers were groaning in pain, some other soldiers were dozing off, some were eating rice balls, and some were cleaning their rifles.

At this time, there was a burst of music outside.

No matter how bad Yoshiharu Fujiwara was, he was a middle-ranking officer, and he knew something about musical instruments. He knew it was an ensemble of wakto, shamisen, and shakuhachi as soon as he heard it.

He immediately thought of the idiom "besieged from all sides", then sighed heavily, and murmured: "I don't know if these instruments and music will disappear in a few hundred years..."

The quiet and boundless music seems to carry sadness and desolation, and the sound waves penetrate every corner of the factory building, lingering in the ears of the soldiers.

Some people were weeping, and their sobs were intertwined with the groans of the wounded soldiers, making others feel as uncomfortable as scratching their hearts and lungs.

Overnight, more than 400 of the remaining [-] people fled. The good news is that most of them left weapons and ammunition in place, and on average, the rest of the people can get more ammunition.

At 6:00 am the next day, the general attack of the First Marine Regiment was launched on time.

Because the enemy's position has been compressed to a small area, more than a dozen amphibious tanks of the battle team can accompany the infantry to attack this time.

"Don't get too close to the chariot! Watch out for ricochets!"

"Da da da—da da——"

Under the dilapidated walls of the factory area, countless resisting troops desperately opened fire on the approaching Ming army, but all exposed firepower points were ruthlessly bombarded by tank or infantry artillery.

Although the trial-produced bazooka has a short range, average accuracy, and its main purpose is anti-armor, officers and soldiers believe that they are more effective than rifle grenades in attacking enemy troops.

Under the cover of smoke bombs, a breakthrough team approached the southwest of the factory area.

"call--"

They used flamethrowers to destroy two heavy machine gun fire points made of reinforced concrete fragments and many sandbags.

The reddish-yellow "Fire Dragon" gushes out and pours on the target, sending out bursts of heat waves, making people feel as if they are being scorched by the scorching sun in June.

The brutal battle lasted until noon. The first marine regiment had captured half of the factory area, and the remaining enemy forces were compressed to the north and northeast of the city.

The resistance army with only more than 1000 people left has run out of ammunition, and the bullets are evenly distributed to each person with less than ten rounds. The remaining two mortars only have a dozen rounds when they are fired.

"I decided to launch a counterattack. Everyone volunteered. The others stood by and were allowed to surrender and retreat to the city."

In the basement of the half-collapsed factory building No. [-], Fujiwara Yoshiharu gave orders to the officers and soldiers present.

"Let me lead the team to fight back, Your Excellency, the command of the troops still needs you." The adjutant said earnestly.

"No, it's pointless."

A quarter of an hour later, about 500 people gathered in a small flat area behind the ruined walls.

Clothes were different but all were dilapidated, tired but sharp-eyed, and there were many wounded soldiers with arms and bandaged heads among the people present.

Under the leadership of the Zhongzuo, all the people gathered in groups of three and groups of five in their respective hometowns, and then knelt down on the ground, kowtowing again and again in that direction.

They whispered the names of their loved ones, and then the names of the local mountains or rivers, a tradition that warriors hoped would bring their spirits home after their deaths.

This is destined to be a desperate counterattack. There is little ammunition. Later, they will face the fierce and scorching firepower of the Ming army. No one believes that this counterattack will be effective, so in fact everyone knows that this is tantamount to death.

Some people are talking to themselves, some are comforting each other, some are staring at the photos of their wives and children, some are sharpening their bayonets with stones...

The battle has come to this point, and these Japanese think they have done everything they can, but they don't want to give up in a reasonable way, but plan to fight to the end with a broken can and broken mentality.

Several officers and soldiers of the flag guard team held a flag and walked to the front of the team. The flag was a red circle with a white background, and the right and left were written with "defend the soil" and "struggle".

Immediately afterwards, the leading officers stood up.

The other soldiers behind them also stood up one after another, and inserted their bayonets into their rifles in unison. Under the sunlight at noon, they seemed to be a sea of ​​flickering light spots.

(End of this chapter)