Age of Rebirth

Tang Qiuli, who was sleeping, was awakened by Mei Ting. The chief of staff, Yu Guanghan, held a telegram anxiously, which was sent by the head of the First Regiment of the Independent Fourth Brigade. The regiment, equipped with large-caliber artillery, launched a fierce attack on our position. The ninth company of our regiment was cut off by the enemy's artillery fire and is now in a state of fighting alone.

Our department tried to reinforce it many times, but it didn't work. Instead, it caused casualties. We asked the division commander to mobilize troops from other directions and attack the Japanese army from the flanks to relieve the danger of our Ninth Company.

Tang Qiuli woke up suddenly. It was already past two o'clock in the morning. Where did the Japanese army unit that appeared near the Marco Polo Bridge come from?There was a problem with the direction of attack, and he immediately denied his own judgment. This was an unexpected situation. The Japanese army of this regiment should have moved towards Lugouqiao before the encirclement.

The current situation is that all the troops of the Independent Division are in a state of fierce battle with the Japanese army, and there is no way to escape. He does not have a reserve force in his hands. , In this way, Wanping City became an empty city. [

If the Japanese army took advantage of the gap, the independent division and the 29th army in that direction would be in danger of being attacked from the front and rear, and the Jixingwen regiment could not move.

The atmosphere in the headquarters became tense. Even if a large number of Japanese troops were wiped out in this battle, it is a pity that the two regiments of the Independent Division suffered losses because of this unexpected situation. It is not because of the combat effectiveness or strength of the troops. In contrast, the Japanese army had heavy artillery.

What's more, if the Marco Polo Bridge were lost, the route for the 29th Army's southward retreat, which was fighting fiercely with the Japanese army, would be cut off. As a last resort, the troops would retreat into the city of Beiping and continue to resist. Tang Qiuli's plan would also be in vain.

Tang Qiuli observed carefully in front of the military map. He ordered the staff to call the 29th Army and asked which army was the closest to the Marco Polo Bridge. The result was soon. It was the 29th Army's 39th Division, and it was following the commander's order. , Gradually withdraw from various defensive areas, and gather in the direction of Stone Camp in the western suburbs of Beiping. Two regiments have already reached the assembly point.

The person who replied to the telegram was the deputy division commander of the 39th Division. Tang Qiuli immediately ordered that the two regiments that had assembled, led by the deputy division commander, rush to the direction of Lugouqiao immediately, bypassing the fighting area, and not to entangle with small groups of Japanese troops along the way. The rear of the Ono Regiment launched an attack, together with the troops of the Independent Division, annihilated the Ono Regiment in the area around Lugou Bridge.

After receiving the order, the two regiments set off immediately. They knew that the troops of the Independent Division were fighting to the death to keep the 29th Army's way to withdraw to the south. In the hands of the commander, there were no other troops to use.

These two regiments had basically no losses, and their organizational system was complete. After the exchange of fire with the Japanese army, they caused a lot of damage to the Japanese army. Immediately, they gave up the battlefield to the troops of the independent division who rushed to them. According to the prior plan, they gathered in the direction of Stone Camp. Prepare to retreat south.

The division commander's painstaking efforts and caring intentions moved the soldiers of the 29th Army very much. The ones who are going to reinforce are the independent division troops who support their brothers. Can we still watch the excitement?

Running all the way, from a distance, you can see the area around the Lugou Bridge, the fire is shining, the gunshots are so dense that you can't count them, and the sound of cannon explosions can be heard rumbling.

At this time, the Ninth Company had less than 80 fighters who could fight. Facing the crazy attack of thousands of Japanese troops, their position had been razed to the ground. The soldiers used various terrains to shoot desperately. The troops are equipped with a large number of Somi submachine guns, forming a dense fire net. Due to the terrain constraints, the Japanese army can only deploy more than two squadrons at a time. , drowning them.

Another fierce attack from the Japanese army was repulsed. Hao Lifeng looked at the soldiers around him. Only 23 people could stand up. Behind them, the Japanese army's large-caliber artillery completely blocked the retreat road. Can they withstand the next time?Hao Lifeng was not sure, he could only fight to the last man.

Suddenly, fierce gunshots rang out from behind the Japanese positions, and the damned Japanese artillery finally became silent. A regiment of reinforcements took the opportunity to cross the fire net and rushed to the position of the Ninth Company. It was the troops of the 29th Division of the 39th Army. The rear of the Ono Regiment started, and the Japanese army was eliminated at once, the heavy artillery position that threatened the Ninth Company and the First Regiment the most.

Hao Lifeng felt unbearably tired for a while, and then he commanded the remaining soldiers of the Ninth Company to follow the main force, and launched an attack on the retreating Japanese army. On the ground, several thick gun holes appeared in the chest.

His pair of eyes refused to close, staring at the night sky in North China for a long time, beside him, the tide-like warriors charged forward bravely.

The situation changed immediately, and the Ono Regiment lost its heavy artillery and was attacked from behind. It was wiped out on the banks of the Yongding River and in front of the Lugou Bridge.

After the war, the battlefield was counted. The ninth company of the first regiment of the fourth brigade of the independent infantry of the independent division had 240 and six soldiers. Only 16 survived. The company was almost wiped out. The company commander Hao Lifeng died in battle. The second lieutenant platoon leader survived.

In the first regiment and the mortar regiment, a total of 860 soldiers were killed and 38 mortars were lost. At the price of this, the Ono Regiment was wiped out. The leader of the Regiment, Ono Dazuo, survived more than [-] Japanese troops.

After the division commander Tang Qiuli heard the news, he was silent for a long time, his face was sad, and the pencil in his hand broke abruptly. He immediately issued an order to re-establish the Ninth Company, and awarded the Ninth Company of the First Regiment of the Independent Fourth Brigade the "Lugouqiao Iron and Steel Company". ", this is the first company among the nearly [-] grass-roots companies of all units of the Independent Division to receive the honorary title.

Since then, under this banner, the Ninth Company has become one of the most capable companies of the Independent Division, and one of the ordinary companies of the Squadron that the Japanese army most wanted to eliminate. From the Ninth Company, a large number of battalions and regiments came out. A super commander, the blood of the Yongding River is injected into the veins of every soldier of the Ninth Company, and always inspires their courage to kill the enemy. [

At about six o'clock in the morning, the sound of guns on the battlefield gradually subsided. The only troops that could be contacted by the main bridge of Nishimura were only 6 or [-] troops in the north and east of Beiping. They were all exhausted after a long battle. The remnants of the army have incomplete organizational systems, and their strength has been depleted to varying degrees.

And the Chinese squadron that was fighting with it evaporated and disappeared on the battlefield. The Japanese soldiers who boarded the squadron's position stared blankly at the shells all over the ground, and their companions lying dead in the field behind them, wondering what it was. What's it like?

All they knew was that they had fought for nearly a night without taking any advantage. The squadron evacuated voluntarily, not even a single corpse or wounded soldier was left behind, let alone where they retreated?The opponent left in such a graceful manner, and what was left behind was the Japanese army whose nose was bruised and face was swollen, and the seven orifices were bleeding.

Then, from the north and the east, the Japanese army tremblingly entered the empty city of Beiping, which was as dead as a cemetery. Several sun flags, under the rising sun, raised their heads drooping, and occasionally they were listless. It swayed with the wind, like a man suffering from impotence, facing a naked beauty, looking energetic.

Does this explain the outcome of this battle? The Japanese army planned for several years, prepared meticulously, made a single strike, and fought overnight. The 29th Army retreated completely, got an empty city, lost 14 horses, and occupied Beiping. It was the Japanese. Eager desires, dreams are shouting.

However, whether such a result is too far from the original intention of the Japanese, sometimes wishful thinking, is really funny.

The three attacking corps of the Independent Division, after completing the expected combat objectives, divided into three groups and withdrew to Zhangjiakou, Laiyuan, and Baoding. The Japanese army did not dare to pursue them.

In this battle, a total of more than 14 Japanese troops were annihilated. The independent division also killed more than [-] soldiers and injured more than [-] people. Among them, more than [-] people were seriously injured. A total of more than [-] soldiers lost Lost combat effectiveness, reached the full establishment of an independent brigade and a half, and the casualty ratio of the Japanese army was one to eight.

On July [-]th, a night of fierce fighting, Tang Qiuli's attack was fierce, and the first battle in North China wiped out nearly half of the Japanese army in North China, allowing the Japanese army to launch the next offensive in a short period of time. Before the war, the overall plan of the Japanese army base camp was disrupted, forcing it to adjust its strategic deployment and focus on North China.

On July [-]th, the sun rose as usual. Tianjin, the headquarters of the Japanese North China Garrison, was full of gloomy clouds. The commander-in-chief of the Beiping Campaign, the chief of staff of the North China Garrison, Lieutenant General Nishimura Masahashi, had several wounds on his face, and his head Wrapped in thick gauze, with a saber in hand, she sat on the sofa with a wooden expression.

Tashiro Wanichiro, the supreme commander of the North China Garrison Army, with a livid face and fierce eyes, put his hands on the desk and stared viciously at the dozen or so senior officers standing on both sides. On the ground were smashed teacups, several The tea leaves that have not yet brewed are stuck to the shiny riding boots of a Japanese major general standing in front of him with blank eyes, which is particularly eye-catching.

Commander Tashiro had just lost his temper. Last night, when there was gunshots under Wanping Castle, he was in his office, waiting for good news from Nishimura. Even the victory message to the base camp had been prepared in advance.

During this waiting process, he and several senior staff officers played Go, asked the maid to bring sake and a few plates of delicious Japanese-style delicate dishes, and passed the time comfortably.

The good news from Nishimura has not been heard for a long time, and Tashiro's inner anxiety is slowly growing. The senior staff who accompanied him to play Go are also a little restless. It seems that the delicious sake and delicious side dishes have lost their original smell.

At 13 o'clock in the morning on July [-], Tashiro Kanichiro sent a telegram to Nishimura, asking if the battle was going well, but Nishimura did not reply to the telegram for a long time, and then sent the third division, the ninth division and No. The [-]th Division sent a telegram, but there was no reply.

Tashiro opened an account impatiently, listening to the vague and frozen sound of gunfire coming from the direction of Beiping. At 53:[-] in the morning, Nishimura Masahashi, the commander in chief of the Beiping Campaign, finally sent a telegram, and the staff hurriedly sent the telegram.

Tashiro snatched the telegram, and the content on it made him stare in the eyes, a kind of dizzy, his heart constricted, his body shook a few times, and he almost fell down.

(To be continued)