Age of Rebirth

The Japanese army was attacking overnight with more than twice its own strength. The five leading brigades of the North China Field Corps were all engaged in the battle. The battlefield was in a stalemate. Yuan Jinghao realized that his troops were entangled by the Japanese army.

Under other circumstances, this is what Yuan Jinghao would be happy to see. The little devils came to ask for a fight. If you don’t fight, you will feel sorry for these bastards. But the current situation is obviously different. If the Japanese army’s counterattack cannot be repelled tonight After daybreak, the troops will be in greater trouble, and will be drowned by the little devils who attack regardless of death.

"Commander, I'm afraid the troops won't be able to withdraw now!" Chief of Staff Han Guangqi worriedly reminded, "Would you like to reply to the commander's instructions, explain the situation we are facing now, and suspend the execution of the division's orders!"

Yuan Jinghao's brows were furrowed. The teacher's order did not specify the specific time for retreating, leaving enough room for himself. The biggest problem now is how to leave the battlefield. The little devil chased and fought all the way. Not only would the casualties of the troops increase, but it would also be embarrassing. Even if they retreated to the line of Galbraith and Laura, they would not be able to stand. Once the little devil forced them to retreat to the narrow Cape York, the situation would be even worse. It's not good.

The sound of cannons outside became more and more intense. I looked at my watch. It was already more than three o'clock in the morning. The Japanese army's counterattack started in the evening and has been fighting until now. The fear of the vanguard and the determination to eliminate it.

Yuan Jinghao raised his head, with determination shining in his eyes, and said to Han Guangqi: "Chief of Staff, send a telegram to the division immediately. Explain the situation that our department is encountering now, and order all brigades at the same time. We must stick to the current position and withstand the Japanese army. counterattack. Do not take a step back!"

"Immediately send a telegram to Commander Le Yiqin of the Southern Flying Group. Our department will execute the division's order to retreat at [-]:[-] in the morning. However, the Japanese counterattack is very fierce, and it is difficult for the troops to leave the battlefield smoothly. I request your department Send out the fleet to provide fire support!"

Yuan Jinghao knew very well that the little devil was determined to kill himself, and he had enough troops to do so.Without the cover of the Southern Flying Group fleet, the troops would not be able to withdraw no matter what. He was a little depressed and thought to himself: "It's embarrassing to ask Le Yiqin for help!"

After Tang Qiuli received Yuan Jinghao's telegram, he was also a little worried, but he couldn't lend a helping hand. Jiang Yanming's troops were one line away from Almaden.There is still at least three days' journey. The Sulu mobile corps and the directly subordinate corps fighting on the western front are even farther away.

Tang Qiuli didn't expect it.In other words, it was unexpected that Yan Saburo Ito was able to spare no expense under the pressure of the independent division.Initiate a local counterattack and grasp the nodes of the battlefield.Quite accurate, judging from the situation of the entire Australian battlefield.Only Yuan Jinghao's vanguard has always been alone.

"Ito Yansaburo, who is proficient in tactics and good at grasping opportunities, is a general!" Tang Qiuli thought to himself, and said to Zhao Yuhe, "Yuhe, call Yuan Jinghao back and know all about the call. , Immediate disposal! The fundamental principle is that the troops are not surrounded by the Japanese army!" He could only telegram Yuan Jinghao in this way.

Sulawesi Island, the frontline headquarters of the Southern Aviation Group, Le Yiqin looked at the telegram sent by Yuan Jinghao, and was very happy. For him, as long as there is a battle, he is quite excited, "Zhijun, give Commander Yuan Jinghao returned the call, and he received all the information, please establish ground-air contact with our department as soon as possible, and provide the accurate ground bombing area!"

"At [-]:[-] in the morning, my bomber fleet and fighter jet fleet will be cut off for your troops to ensure that the little devils will not be able to catch up. Commander Yuan, you owe me a drink!" He gave the order , while laughing, seemed to see Yuan Jinghao's shriveled face.

That night, there were basically no large-scale battles in most areas of the battlefield in northern Australia. The Japanese army was busy retreating, and the various regiments of the Independent Division were busy pursuing. , Yuan Jinghao's corps led five brigades, and more than [-] Japanese troops who counterattacked, fought on a front nearly [-] kilometers long, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

"Boom! Boom!—Boom!" More than a dozen large-caliber shells exploded on the ground, and in the hazy night, burst into flames. Major General Xu Guofu, the commander of the Second Brigade of the North China Field Corps, shook off the dirt on his body. , cursing in his mouth, "Damn, the little devil has gone crazy, he has been fighting all night, and now he is still full of energy! Chief of Staff, what did the heavy artillery regiment do, let the little devil's shells hit the brigade gate baby?"

Colonel Fang Shengpu, the chief of staff of the brigade, could only smile wryly, and said: "Brigade commander, you are satisfied, our brigade is facing the frontal position, but there are two divisions of little devils attacking, and the heavy artillery regiment provides artillery fire for the front regiments." Support, how can I spare my hands to suppress the Japanese artillery fire! Now the main task is to repel the infantry attack of the little devils!"

"No!" Xu Guofu said decisively: "The artillery of the little devil has caused too much damage to our position. If we don't suppress it, the casualties of the troops will be even greater. He ordered the heavy artillery regiment to mainly suppress the Japanese artillery fire. Why, the regiments are separated. Without artillery support, there will be no wars? Their regiment belongs to the artillery battalion, so they are sleeping?"

Even though he said so, Xu Guofu felt very heavy in his heart. The second brigade only had one heavy artillery regiment, but the Japanese attacking opposite had four heavy artillery regiments. In terms of the number of heavy artillery, he suffered a lot. !

Similar situations happened not only in the positions of the second brigade, but also in the positions of the five brigades of the North China Field Corps. Many independent divisions were entangled in the line from Almaden to Mount Molloy, and successively occupied part of the positions of the brigades of the North China Field Corps. The battlefield situation became dangerous.

Yuan Jinghao, who received the report, was very anxious. Now it is more than an hour before [-]:[-] in the morning. If the troops can't stand it, they will be surrounded by the Japanese army. At that time, even Le Yiqin's fleet will Come for reinforcements, the soldiers on both sides are entangled, how to bomb?

"Chief of Staff, order the brigades to abandon the first-line positions and retreat to the second-line positions!" Yuan Jinghao decisively issued an order. Now, the only option is to retreat and distance themselves from the attacking Japanese troops.

Mount Molloy, the Japanese Australian Front Command, the chief of staff, Major General Akutagawa, had a rare look of uncontrollable joy on his face, and walked into the room of General Ito Yanzaburo, "Commander, I have received the invitation to participate in Almaden. According to the report of the commander of the front-line counterattack force at Mount Molloy, the China Independent Division has been repelled and forced to retreat more than [-] kilometers. As far as the battlefield situation is concerned, your goal of launching a counterattack overnight has been achieved!"

"No!" General Ito didn't mean anything happy, and said coldly: "Order the counterattack troops, don't stop, continue to attack, don't forget, my purpose is not to repel this independent division going south from the Cape York Peninsula troops, but wipe them out, remove the threat to Mount Molloy, and reoccupy the Cape York peninsula!"

"Mr. Akutagawa, order the No.40 Eighth Division, Division, Third Division, and Fourth Division on the second line to immediately launch a counterattack! The Chinese people will take advantage of the situation to pursue them. Could it be that I, Yansaburo Ito, will not ?” he thought with a sneer.

"Commander, these four divisions are currently on the front line of Mount Molloy. Have you considered the entire force?" Major General Akutagawa reminded, "According to intelligence, the China Independent Division marching eastward from Darwin, two More than [-] people are only two days away from Almaden, I am worried..."

"No!" General Ito interrupted him, and said with a cold face: "Mr. Akutagawa, don't forget that the imperial army has no air superiority. If you don't take advantage of the dawn to consolidate the existing results and entangle the enemy Together, once the air fleet of the China Independent Division comes to reinforce, do you know what kind of casualties the imperial soldiers will suffer?"

"Two days is enough for me to wipe out this independent division of China with more than twice the strength. Akutagawa-kun, don't hesitate. Our immediate confidant is the independent division going south from the Cape York Peninsula. Division troops!"

"Commander, after receiving calls from various brigades, the Japanese army did not stop after occupying our abandoned positions, but continued to chase after them and launched an attack on our second-line positions!" Han Guangqi, chief of staff of the North China Field Corps, said with a gloomy expression. Put down the phone and report.

Yuan Jinghao's complexion was darker than Han Guangqi's. He was so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood, and his teeth were itchy with hatred. He also understood the Japanese commander's determination. He had to eat up more than 8 of himself. Fight, have you never fought such a useless battle?

Yuan Jinghao's eyes were burning, and he gritted his teeth and gave an order: "Order all the brigades to cover with artillery fire, abandon the second-line positions, and continue to retreat. Be sure to keep the distance from the Japanese army! I want to see, where can the little devil go after him?" "

The brigades of the North China Field Corps abandoned their second-line positions, and the morale of the Japanese soldiers was unprecedentedly high. Regardless of the fierce artillery fire from the independent division, they howled and chased them all over the mountains and plains in the twilight before dawn.

However, the good luck of the pursued Japanese soldiers ended here. At [-]:[-] in the morning, although the sun had not yet appeared, the sky was already bright, and the five mixed aircraft groups of Le Yiqin appeared over the battlefield on time. The brain-destroying bombs fell from the sky, and the Japanese soldiers who were chasing after them flew into the air with their broken limbs and broken arms. Down.

Yuan Jinghao wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, his whole body was sore and limp, and after a while he was afraid, but fortunately he asked Le Yiqin for help, otherwise, the vanguard of the five brigades would have been eaten by more than [-] little devils today.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)