Age of Rebirth

Chapter 490: Fierce Battle in Texas

While Kiyoshi Kazuki and Yamaguchi planned to sweep up the Taihang Mountains, in order to eliminate the cavalry units of the independent divisions that were constantly threatening the security of the rear in the Pingjin Baojiao triangle area, the troops stationed in Pingjin were also sent out to organize a group of troops in the plain area. A huge net was set up to encircle and annihilate the cavalry of the independent division that had penetrated into the hinterland of the Japanese army in the Pingjinbao triangle area.

Liu Chun, commander of the [-]st Brigade of Cavalry of the Independent Division, and Tong Batu, commander of the [-]nd Brigade, fought for a few days, and achieved a series of victories, which disturbed the rear of the Japanese army, especially the transportation lines and supply stations of the Japanese army, which were repeatedly attacked , However, they also clearly feel that the room for maneuver and strategic space of the troops is getting narrower and narrower.

In view of the situation they faced, according to the strategy formulated by the division commander, before the encirclement of the Japanese army was formed, they used sudden actions to violently attack the Jinghai area outside Tianjin, attracting the two Japanese divisions chasing after them to this area, and then turned around. To the west, according to the original plan, retreat into the Taihang Mountains.

The Japanese army discovered that the cavalry unit of the Independent Division had escaped from the net and chased after them. Following the trail, the Japanese troops of two divisions followed and entered the Taihang Mountains. In this way, the Japanese troops who entered the Taihang Mountain base area had reached six divisions , More than 20 troops. [

On the Dezhou battlefield at the junction of Shandong and Hebei, Liu Tiehan pointed to eight infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade, and two artillery brigades with a total of 14 horses. They were indistinguishable from the 30 Japanese troops who went south from Cangzhou, Hebei. Liu Tiehan's advantage lies in favorable terrain and adequate preparation.

Even so, Liu Tiehan is still facing tremendous pressure, and the difference in military strength is too great. If it is not for the superior firepower, Liu Tiehan really does not know how to fight the bloody Japanese army that swarms up. The Japanese army won Dezhou and opened the door to the north of Shandong. The determination was so great that after the shelling, the Japanese soldiers of the entire division began to charge, and after being repelled, they shelled again, and then charged again.

On the outer battlefield of Dezhou, the sound of artillery was loud, and the sky was covered by gunpowder smoke. The defensive positions of the East Pointing Army were changed by the artillery fire of the Japanese army, and the terrain and landforms were changed. It is conceivable that Dongzhi had done solid preparations before the war. A large number of anti-blasting holes were built on the defense line, all of which were deep underground and reinforced with reinforced concrete. killing.

The artillery strength of the East Pointing troops is not as strong as other field troops. The artillery battle with the Japanese army can only be in a guerrilla state. Fortunately, a batch of infantry weapons has been added, and the ability of close combat has been greatly improved, so that it can withstand the crazy Japanese attack. After three days of fierce fighting, the Texas line of defense finally held up staggeringly. The Japanese army's vigor was not as strong as it was on the first day of attack. Liu Tiehan, who had not closed his eyes for three days and three nights, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His troops were reorganized from the former Northeast Army. It is undeniable that he was brave in battle. His hometown was occupied by little devils, and he was notorious for not resisting. They all had the idea of ​​fighting back to their hometown. When fighting to the most critical moment, facing the impact of Japanese tanks, the forward positions lacked direct-pointing artillery and anti-tank weapons. The few anti-tank guns could only be used in the main direction.

As a result, the young body of the soldier who rushed towards the Japanese tank holding the cluster grenade, with an explosion, died together with the Japanese tank, turning into a wisp of smoke over the land of Qilu. Leave the name of the platoon leader to the platoon leader. This desperate style of play made even the Japanese soldiers who were known as brave and brave feel terrified.

With such energy in my heart, I went into battle with the Japanese army. At that time, my eyes were red, and the soldiers were desperate. Several brigade commanders went to the forward position in person, holding machine guns, gritted their teeth, and shot fiercely. As a result, several people All of them suffered minor injuries, so Liu Tiehan had to strictly order that the brigade commanders were strictly forbidden to go to the front line to participate in the battle in person, and if they had to go, they could hand over their command.

On the day of the fierce battle, more than 7000 Japanese troops were killed and nearly 30 troops were killed or injured. For the [-] Japanese army, this casualty is a little bit of a superficial casualty, but for the Dongzhi troops, the proportion of casualties is already very large. The Dezhou campaign will not end soon, and Liu Tiehan cannot bear such consumption.

After several days of fighting, Liu Tiehan has been thinking about a problem. If it is a few brigades of the independent division, the casualties will be much smaller in such a battle, and the Japanese army will suffer a greater blow. The tenacious spirit can be picky, but it just lacks such an inner thing, yes!It is flexibility, including the grasp and insight of the battlefield situation by the brigade commanders. Compared with the old brigade commanders of the independent division, they seem mechanical and rigid, and there are obvious traces of the old Northeast Army's combat.

There is no way, this cannot be changed overnight. It takes several bloody battles to develop a troop's temperament and combat characteristics. Liu Tiehan only hopes that through this Dezhou campaign, he can inject a new wave of vigor into Dongzhi's troop. Vitality, grow into a fist unit of the independent division as soon as possible.

Guarding the defense line of Wuqiao on the outskirts of Dezhou is Zhao Yi's troops from the First Brigade of East Pointers. The blocking front is eight kilometers wide, and the terrain is flat and dangerous. Going south to attack Shandong, Wuqiao is the only way to pass, and it is also the bridgehead and support point of the outer defense line of Dezhou.

Liu Tiehan put Zhao Yi's brigade here because he valued the temperament of this brigade when the Dongzhi troops were training in Shaanxi, which was obviously different from other brigades. It may have something to do with the character of the brigade commander Zhao Yi, who is calm and restrained. There is such a fierce force, and there is one more mortar battalion than other brigades, the firepower advantage is obvious.

And Zhao Yi did not disappoint the commander. The Battle of Dezhou first started at Wuqiao. When the vanguard of the Japanese army appeared in Zhao Yi's telescope general, his heart beat violently a few times, with excitement and excitement. Expectation, and a little nervousness.

There were too many Japanese soldiers. On the plain as far as the eye could see, the black Japanese soldiers could not see the tail, and the dust rolled up by the march covered the sky and the sun. With such an arrogant and domineering momentum, they met the Japanese soldiers face to face. It was still six years ago, when one of my entire divisions was chased and beaten for hundreds of miles by a brigade of Japanese soldiers, and when I thought about it, I felt ashamed and threw it at my grandma's house.

He stabilized his mind and ordered the troops at the front. No one is allowed to shoot without the order of the brigade headquarters. He wanted to give a sudden blow to the unsuspecting Japanese soldiers who came from afar. Then, he ordered the mortar battalion to move covertly to the front. In the position, the infantry retreated to the second line of defense. After each mortar fired ten rounds, they immediately retreated to the second line of defense. The artillery of the little devils is not for nothing.

Regardless of the dissuasion of the deputy brigade commander, he followed the mortar battalion to the forward position. More than 100 mortars were lined up along the trench. Above the devil's head, if you look carefully, the hands of the soldier holding the cannon are shaking slightly.

The shadow of the September [-]th Incident made these Northeast soldiers who were fighting the Japanese army face-to-face for the first time feel very nervous. They are all survivors. In the miserable scene, the more nervous the mouth became dry, the battlefield began to commotion, all the voices of lowering their throats and looking for water.

Zhao Yi felt it. To be honest, he was also a little nervous. He stopped the commotion of the soldiers in a low voice. He could already hear the Japanese army's big leather shoes and the sound of a donkey's hoof scratching the ground. It was approaching, 400 meters away. Shout out, bombardment!Some soldiers were too nervous, their hands trembled, and the cannon fell to the ground. They quickly picked it up and stuffed it into the barrel. No one laughed at them, but they were all attracted by the approaching Japanese army.

The Japanese army that was marching in a hurry was a unit of the Ninth Division of the North China Dispatch Army. With the Ninth Division, it was not long before they were transferred from North Korea to North China.The order they received was to occupy Wuqiao before eleven o'clock at noon today, and open the road to Dezhou for the follow-up troops. The commander of the regiment, Second Commander Motoshimama, was an extremely fanatical soldier. [

Bloodthirsty and cruelty, on the Korean peninsula, there was a record of massacring more than [-] Korean civilians and burning dozens of villages in one day. The same is true after setting foot on Chinese soil. The vanguard troops burned, killed, raped and looted all the way, and the beautiful and peaceful villages were completely destroyed. In the eyes of the island, except for the people of the Great Japanese Empire, other Asians are inferior ethnic groups and do not deserve the right to survive.

There is only one way to treat him, which is to destroy him physically. His superiors have repeatedly reprimanded him for this cruel practice. It’s not that the head of the Ninth Division is so kind. Serving in the imperial army, but the devil of this island, did not change his original intention, he had not been hit by an independent division yet, so he was very arrogant.

In front is Wuqiao. After careful comparison with the military map, Ben Dao confirmed that Wuqiao is quiet, with no signs of human activities, and no shadow of the defenders of China. In his opinion, this is normal. Burning and killing all the way Well, the common people in China didn't run away after hearing the news, but as for the Chinese troops, they ran faster than the common people.

He ordered the troops to march normally, and after occupying Wuqiao, send a telegram to the headquarters saying that Wuqiao can pass through safely. The army's ambush, Motoshima sneered dismissively.

The ambush Chinese army has not yet been born. He looks down on his chief of staff a bit. This guy was a businessman before the war. He lacks a lot of the fear and bravery of imperial warriors in his bones. He likes to use his The businessman calculated in his head, and he really didn't know how to get to the position of chief of staff of the wing.

"Open the way!" Ben Dao yelled rudely, touched the gray-nosed chief of staff, and retreated to the side in despair. He knew his situation, so he didn't want to welcome this regiment leader who was thinking about problems with his butt, and said more. Yes, I was not kicked out that day.

The Japanese soldiers who received the order rushed towards Wuqiao without even taking off their guns. Suddenly there was a strange sound in the calm sky.

(To be continued)