Age of Rebirth

However, the town of Antekan, with hundreds of households, was shrouded in a sea of ​​flames under the fierce artillery fire from the No.30 Fifth Division of the Japanese Far East Dispatch Army. Razed to the ground.

"Yo Xi!" Division head Lieutenant General Tsuruta put down the binoculars in satisfaction. He believed that under such a fierce shelling, there would be no survivors in the town. "The first regiment, start attacking immediately!" After stopping, he gave the order.

A regiment of Japanese soldiers rushed into the ruins, collapsed houses, and the town of Antekan, which was still on fire. Of course, they found nothing except the bomb craters everywhere. Lieutenant General Tsuruta, who received the report, Immediately sent a very short telegram to Lieutenant General Mizuno Kenji, the commander of the army, "Our troops have occupied Antekan Town, and the passage is open!"

The follow-up troops of the No.40 Fifth Division began to pass through the town one after another. Behind them, there was a line of marching soldiers from the Japanese Far East Expeditionary Army. The soldiers of the Division Field Artillery Wing, who had completed the shelling mission, began to dismantle the artillery and pack it up. Ammo, ready to move on.

"It's our turn to play, the self-propelled artillery regiment and the rocket launcher battalion attack!" Liu Hongzhang gritted his teeth and ordered, and then shouted to the driver of the armored command vehicle: "Go!" Behind him, there was a roar of a motor Nearly a hundred self-propelled artillery and rocket launchers were heading towards the Japanese army. Liu Chenglin watched Liu Hongzhang's armored command vehicle disappear into the night in a flash, and beckoned to the battalion commander of the brigade guard battalion. Ensure the safety of the brigade commander, don't let him go too far! What? If the brigade commander doesn't listen to you, then you will move out of the division commander's ban!"

To the north of Antekan Town, the fire burning in the town is the most conspicuous target. The mobile artillery group of the 5st Brigade is waiting here quietly.Most of Liu Hongzhang's body was exposed outside the armored command vehicle, holding a binoculars.Amidst the blazing flames, the figures of Japanese soldiers appeared in the distance, "[-] minutes to prepare for shelling!" He said coldly.

The Japanese soldiers who were marching were not mentally prepared at all, and dense shells fell from the sky.With piercing screams.It smashed down, "Boom! Boom!—Boom!" Nearly a hundred artillery pieces fired in salvo.The range of shelling basically covered the entire road, and the bombing points were connected together.The dark red fireball, mixed with gravel and soil, rolled up, and irregular shrapnel whizzed and flew.The bodies of the Japanese soldiers were ruthlessly cut up, and piles of Japanese soldiers' bodies were torn apart by the sound of explosions. "What? Sudden attack by the artillery of the independent division! Baga!" The head of the Tsuruta division scolded angrily, his eyes were red with anger, and his hands were shaking. He knew very well that the two regiments at the head of the division, I'm afraid there will be a heavy price to pay. Just listening to the sound of the artillery, the independent division troops dispatched at least one regiment of artillery. Moreover, it is still a large-caliber heavy artillery, and there is a narrow terrain. It is doomed that its soldiers can only be bombed by shells!

"Order, Division Field Artillery Regiment, immediately launch a counterattack. Be sure to suppress the enemy's artillery fire until it is completely destroyed. Ask for help from the Army Command and ask for additional artillery to support our division!" Eyes fixed on the distinctive rockets , In the night sky, the head of the Tsuruta Division, who flew like a meteor, issued a series of orders.

The response of the Japanese artillery was quite quick. After receiving the order, they packed up the artillery and ammunition, and had just walked for less than 10 minutes. His Excellency, the commander of the division, gave an order. Artillery emplacements.

Liu Hongzhang looked at his watch, and when the time came, he said, "Evacuate immediately!" He issued an order, and within 10 to [-] minutes of leaving the original bombardment position, the Japanese artillery began to counterattack, blowing up the area just now.

Fighting and retreating, two days later, Liu Hongzhang, who smelled of gunpowder, led his artillery unit, which had shot out all the shells, and rumbled to the interception area of ​​the second brigade directly under the regiment - Jigeda, for two days Inside, the artillery of the first brigade allowed the Japanese Far East dispatched troops to retreat at a speed of less than [-] kilometers per day and night. The distance originally planned to be covered in more than five hours took two full days and two nights.

Major General Ouyang Yishan, commander of the second brigade directly under the corps, had listened to the sound of artillery in Jigeda for more than two days. The second brigade was ready to fight with all its strength. Isn't the brigade's interception area in the town of Antekan more than 100 kilometers away, isn't it? . . . . .

Ouyang Yishan hurried over, and saw this Brigadier Commander Liu, who was well-known in the entire Independent Division, was covered in dust and unshaven, like an infantry squad leader who had just crawled out of a trench. After losing the battle, he looked satisfied and proud, but he didn't look like it, so he asked suspiciously: "Brigade Commander Liu, are you...? Could it be that the First Brigade couldn't withstand the Japanese attack and was forced to Withdrew?"

Liu Hongzhang rolled his eyelids, and said dissatisfiedly: "What are you talking about, my brother, when Liu Hongzhang's troops are still defeated? I am sending you artillery! From now on, my two heavy artillery regiments , Two self-propelled artillery regiments and one rocket launcher battalion belong to you, Brigadier Ouyang. However, there are no shells, and they are all used on the little devil. As for me and Cheng Lin, I will just beg for food with you! "

In the temporary station of the Far East Campaign Headquarters of the Independent Division, Liu Tiehan looked at the telegram sent by the [-]st Brigade directly under the Corps, laughed and said to Zhao Yuhe: "Yuhe, this Liu Hongzhang is not easy. Time forced the Japanese army to travel less than [-] kilometers, and the casualties of the troops were minimal, um, the soldiers took a slanted front and did not stick to routines, thanks to him thinking of such a way of fighting, good!"

Zhao Yuhe was also happy, and he felt relieved immediately. What he was worried about did not happen. A mountain of telegrams, now, Liu Hongzhang has brought his artillery to the interception area of ​​the Second Brigade!" he said.

"If this is the case, the intercepting six brigades can delay the Japanese army's retreat speed to the greatest extent at the lowest cost, and can effectively kill the Japanese army!" Liu Tiehan said admiringly, "By the way, Yuhe, the two wings are roundabout. What about the outflanking and pursuing troops?"

Zhao Yuhe said succinctly: "The Japanese troops serving as the rearguard resisted very tenaciously. They often fought until the entire army was annihilated. The speed of the frontal pursuit of the troops is not fast. Due to the limited terrain conditions, the troops on the two wings are still unable to attack. Did not rush to the front and both sides of the retreating Japanese main force!"

Liu Tiehan shook his head slightly, obviously dissatisfied, "Yuhe, when will the fleet of the Air Force Northern Flying Group's Outer Mongolia patrol area start to attack the Japanese army?"...

"According to the report of Meng Qingpeng, commander of the cruise area in Outer Mongolia, air strikes can begin when visibility improves in the early morning of tomorrow. Deputy division commander, you also know that this place is close to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and this season is when the fog is relatively heavy. Many times!" Zhao Yuhe replied.

With such natural conditions, Liu Tiehan has no way to solve it, "Yuhe, send a telegram to Meng Qingpeng, the aircraft fleet in the Outer Mongolia cruise area should make full use of the fine weather to ensure the intensity and density of bombing. In addition, don't just focus on the Japanese army. Is it also one of the ways to bomb bridges and key road sections on the marching ranks of the army!"

"Also, order the frontal pursuit troops to increase the intensity of the shelling. You can transfer the detour troops on the two wings and the artillery left in Temple Street, and assign them to the pursuit troops. To achieve the maximum artillery density on the frontal battlefield, I think the little devil has How many broken soldiers can be filled in!" He said with murderous eyes.

From Antekan Town, the first pass into the Zhugerzhu Mountains, it was almost driven crazy by the directly-affiliated regiment. In the way of fighting, more than a thousand large-caliber artillery, self-propelled artillery, and hundreds of tanks went into battle. The Japanese troops who were blocked from behind did not even see the shadow of the soldiers of the independent division, and disappeared in the overwhelming artillery fire.

However, the heavy bombing by the Northern Flying Group of the Air Force of the Independent Division and the aircraft fleet in the cruise area of ​​Outer Mongolia made the Japanese soldiers worse and miserable. As long as it is a sunny day, the bombers of the Independent Division will come to the sky above the Japanese soldiers on time. The heavy aerial bombs poured down one after another, which made the Japanese soldiers hate the sunshine of October in the Far East. Although the troops chasing in circles on both wings failed to keep all the Japanese troops behind, they caught up with a part of them and surrounded them to annihilate them. This part of the Japanese army.

In early October, the Japanese Far East Expeditionary Force, who stumbled and bled all the way, finally saw the blue waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the outline of Magadan Port after paying a heavy price.