Comrade, Your Ingredients Are Too Complicated

Chapter 329: Dreaming back to a battle, Datong Meat Grinder

 On the outskirts of Datong City, the 26th Division's attack position.

Looking at the silent Japanese soldiers around him who were checking their equipment, Bao Guoguiting, the commander of the fourth division of the Puppet-Mongolian First Army, silently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Without him, the feeling of oppression is too strong.

 After all, you can’t expect a person who surrenders to become a puppet army to have any backbone.

“Master, it seems that the Japanese are determined to kill Tubal Road this time, and they actually dispatched two division-level troops at once.”

“We must not participate in a battle of this level rashly. When a fight breaks out, let the brothers find a safe corner to hide.”

“When gods fight, mortals will die.”

In order to complete the tasks assigned by Okamura Neji, Amakasu Jutaro mobilized a large number of puppet Mongolian troops in this battle.

 In addition to the three local garrison divisions scattered throughout Suiyuan, all puppet troops including an artillery regiment and six cavalry divisions were present.

Hearing the words of his deputy division commander, Guigui Ting glared at him angrily.

 “Hide? Are you thinking of something good?”

"Look at the Japanese around us. As long as someone dares to run away, they will definitely turn into a war team. By then, you will die faster than entering the battlefield."

“Damn it, Jutaro Amakasu is really nothing. After taking my horse and taking away the artillery regiment’s cannon, do you want me to fight the Eighth Route Army with my fists?”

As soon as these words came out, all the officers of the Fourth Division fell silent.

Their horses were temporarily requisitioned by the Mongolian army as early as a month ago. The reason given by the Japanese was also very simple. They only said that it was difficult for the cavalry to maneuver during the siege.

　　The job was changed from cavalry to infantry, which made the precious court, who had always claimed to be a descendant of Genghis Khan, furious for several days.

There is no way, who has turned him into a traitor who sold his ancestors for glory. Isn't it a natural thing for my master to take something away?

 As for the mountain and field artillery of the artillery regiment?

  It's like a meat bun beating a dog, and it will never come back.

 The army stationed in Mongolia was very wealthy before. Whether it was the 26th Division, the Cavalry Group or the Independent Mixed Second Brigade, they were all equipped with a sufficient number of barrel guns.

According to the nature of the devils, they naturally look down on the junk made by all nations of the puppet Mongolian army.

However, the situation is different now. The artillery equipment of the 26th Division is not at full strength, and the superiors will not be able to come up with new equipment to supplement it for a while.

 In desperation, Otonzaburo Yano had no choice but to seize the artillery of the puppet Mongolian army.

 Something is better than nothing, not to mention that twenty-seven mountains and field artillery are not a number that can be ignored by today's devils.

Looking at the silent subordinates, Guigui Ting hesitated for a moment and then spoke again:

"Brothers, although this battle is very dangerous and you will lose your life if you are not careful. But since ancient times, high risks have been accompanied by high rewards. Today may be a good opportunity for us to become bigger and stronger!"

"What's more, the main force in the battle is the Japanese! We are only responsible for assisting!"

“Although they usually stumble during raids, as long as they concentrate their forces to launch a general attack, they will definitely be a powerful army.”

 It seems that the above words have had some effect, or it may be that the Japanese have maintained their authority in the hearts of the puppet troops for a long time, and the two Japanese have regained their old feeling of being a fox and a tiger.

But what they didn't know was that the Japanese planned to use them as cannon fodder from the beginning.

  ·······

The perspective comes to the artillery position.

 In order to ensure the safety of artillery and various types of artillery, the 26th Division put a lot of effort into building their positions.

The Japanese soldiers first dug more than one meter down from the ground, and then used the excavated soil to pile up an arc-shaped protective wall.

 In order to facilitate transfer, a ramp is left directly behind each position for artillery to enter and exit.

Considering that the troops had lost their air superiority, they also dug many rectangular air raid shelters, each of which could accommodate twelve people in hiding.

 With the above series of operations, the Japanese thought that it would be difficult for the Eighth Route Army to discover their own artillery positions.

“Attention all squadrons! Your Majesty the Lieutenant General has an order! The general attack will officially begin in three minutes!”

Hearing this, the 26th Independent Field Artillery Regiment and the 27th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment took action immediately.

 The artillerymen first removed the camouflage nets on the artillery and pointed the muzzles at Datong Wuding Gate in the distance. Then we started to check various data and elements, and strive to gain something in the first round of bombardment.

"put!"

When three minutes were up, the artillery commander waved the flag in his hand vigorously, and eighteen Type 94 mountain guns, twelve Type 38 field guns, and twenty-seven Wanguo-made cannons opened fire first.

 With a deafening sound, fireballs rose up in the sky filled with smoke.

 “Boom, boom, boom!”

 Looking at the positions that were being bombarded in the distance, all the puppet soldiers showed dumbfounded expressions.

 For these ignorant trash, the full-speed salvo of nearly sixty barrel guns may be a spectacle they will never see twice in their lives.

“It’s so powerful. With so many cannons firing together, no matter how strong the Eighth Route Army is, it still has to shed its skin.”

“After the artillery bombardment and the infantry charge, the rhythm of the battle completely fell into the hands of the 26th Division.”

"It seems that the master is right. The Japanese are really too strong when they take it seriously! Maybe today is a good opportunity. Maybe our First Army can restore its former glory."

 The First Army of the Puppet Mongolian Army originally had four main cavalry divisions.

However, because Army Commander Li Shouxin sought death and tried to establish a relationship with Baldhead behind the Japanese's back, the first three divisions were now reduced to local security forces waiting to die.

  If the Fourth Division makes meritorious service in this battle, the Japanese will definitely reward it.

 The current situation on the battlefield makes Baizui Ting quite relieved. While observing the battlefield with the telescope in his hand, he said to his subordinates:

“Where are we now? Now we only have small-caliber mountain and field artillery, and there are ten 105mm howitzers behind us that haven’t fired yet. Then you will know what plowing is!”

“Give me your energy points for a while, and rush forward with the Japanese as soon as the battle begins! Just hit the Seventh Route Army and the foreigners, but you must go all out to fight the Eighth Route Army!”

“If anyone dares to cheat, don’t blame me, the eldest brother, for my righteousness to destroy relatives!”

"yes!"

The brigades and regimental commanders of the Fourth Division expressed their determination at the top of their voices, and all of them seemed to be full of morale.

 While the two Japs were talking, the artillery of the 26th Division continued to output, and the main position of Datong seemed to have fallen into a sea of ​​fire. The division-level Type 91 105 howitzers on the rear artillery positions also went into battle, with more powerful shells hitting the front defenses from time to time.

 At this moment, a major with a plaster flag on his head came to the station of the Fourth Division. Before the puppet soldiers could say hello, the Japanese thought to themselves and said:

“Baosang, after the first round of attacks is over, your division needs to launch a charge with my brigade.”

“Our mission is to destroy the city wall of Datong and open an attack channel for the following troops. I hope you will have the courage to dedicate your lives to His Majesty Tian Locust.”

“Special equipment will be sent to you soon. If you have any questions, you can ask my chief of staff.”

"Hi!"

　　When his master speaks, Guigui Ting certainly has no right to refuse. Moreover, what the Japanese Major said just now made him full of confidence in the coming war.

The so-called Imperial Alliance Army also includes their puppet Mongolian or Manchukuo troops. To put it bluntly, they are no different from cannon fodder.

 Under normal circumstances, when there is a battle, you need to rush to the front to clear the way for the regular army. The Japanese followed them and waited for the enemy's first wave of fire to end before charging.

 But today we actually attacked together with the master. This was the first time that this happened.

After the Japanese Major left, Guigui Ting said to the subordinates in front of him with a happy face:

“Look! The Japanese actually invited us to attack together. This shows that they have the confidence to penetrate the Eighth Route Army’s positions in one wave!”

"What's more, they have prepared special equipment! This must be compensation. I said the locust army will not take our horses and artillery in vain!"

“Brothers, you must perform well and never let the reputation of our First Army fall! After the battle is over, I will personally find the Army Commander to ask for credit for you!”

Hearing this, the middle-level commanders immediately became excited and rushed to take the main attack position.

Suddenly, a Japanese captain wearing glasses came to the command post. His eyes were full of fanaticism, and he was carrying so-called special equipment in his hands.

“Baosang, this is the secret weapon of our Japanese brother country. As long as you take it, even the most ordinary samurai can perform exceptionally well in the attack, even without fear of life and death.”

"This is a gas mask. I will teach you how to wear it later."

“The last one is an explosive pack, and the amount of explosives in it is twice that of usual. Whether it can break through the wall of Datong will depend on whether it works.”

“Don’t worry, Lieutenant General Yano has prepared enough equipment for each person. Everyone has it, and the quality and quantity are guaranteed.”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the command room of the Fourth Division instantly dropped to freezing point.

 Even the stupidest people now know what the Japanese are going to do. The combination of lollipops + gas masks + explosive packs clearly meant that they were all going to be used as death squads.

 If you refuse, you will die on the spot, but if you agree, you may still survive. After all, there will be a large group of regular troops acting together.

 After a moment, Gui Guiting forced out an ugly smile.

"Hi!"

 “Guaranteed to complete the task!”

  ·······

At the same time, Kazuhiko Kumagai, captain of the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment in charge of the first round of the attack, also showed bitterness on his face.

 At this time, the bombardment has ended, and their unit's attack has officially begun.

Through the gaps in the smoke of artillery fire, he could see that on the main position outside Datong, which had been plowed several times by mountains, fields, and howitzers, many firepower points suddenly appeared.

The enemy's infantry even returned to the trenches first, and those dense muzzle fireworks were devouring the lives of our own warriors.

“Damn it, are these Eighth Route Army rabbits? Why are they so good at digging holes?”

“In just over a week, they actually built a huge number of fortifications. The first round of shelling just now didn’t seem to have an effect.”

“Are the rumors true? Even an Eighth Route Army soldier can dig through the center of the earth?”

The scene in front of him made Kazuhiko Kumagai's face become more solemn.

 Judging from the current situation, the defenses prepared by the enemy can withstand the attack of 75mm artillery. The 105mm howitzer is the division's trump card and its position cannot be easily exposed.

Facing the intensive firepower of the Eighth Route Army, both the main attacking infantry and the Imperial Alliance Army charging with the warriors were basically pinned down on the road to charge.

 The defense line composed of 60-mm mortars and 81-mm mortars seemed to be an insurmountable chasm, completely blocking their unit's offensive pace.

 In just half an hour, the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment was forced to withdraw.

Yano Otozaburo is not a lunatic, so naturally he cannot do anything like using light infantry with insufficient firepower to attack the fortification group.

In terms of range, the grenade launchers of our own army are not even as good as the 50mm mortars of the Eighth Route Army. It would force their soldiers to die.

Although continuing to fire artillery is likely to expose the artillery position, as now only 105 howitzers can deal with the tortoise shells of the Eighth Route Army, we cannot give up after attacking for only one round.

The 105 howitzer opened fire again, naming the bunkers and firepower points just discovered by the infantry.

But Kumagai Kazuhiko keenly discovered that the bunkers opened by howitzers were empty. It seemed that the Eighth Route Army had foreseen what was about to happen.

This feeling of being led by the enemy's nose made the old devil furious.

A few 105mm artillery shells, exchanged for an empty civil structure bunker, this transaction is a loss no matter how you calculate it.

Just as Kumagai Kazuhiko was about to issue the next order, his chief of staff came to the command post with the freshly released casualty statistics.

“Your Excellency Colonel, in the attack just now, our regiment suffered a total of 273 casualties. Among them, 152 were injured, and the seriously injured have been sent to the division field hospital.”

“The fifth and sixth divisions together suffered 390 casualties. Their morale is very low, and deserters are likely to appear if they continue to fight.”

 After seeing the data, Kazuhiko Kumagai took a breath of cold air.

 In just half an hour, the troops suffered nearly 700 casualties. If the current casualty situation continues, it is very likely that his entire regiment will not be able to hold on for even one day.

"Baga, why is it like a war? What kind of meat grinder is this Datong!"

“Send my order! The second round of attack will begin in ten minutes! If Li Shouxin’s troops dare to run away, I will kill them on the spot!”

 After issuing the order, Kumagai Kazuhiko took a deep breath and forcibly stabilized the anger in his heart.

The task given to him by his division commander was very simple, which was to find the Eighth Route Army's firepower points through attack. Then let the artillery from the rear destroy it, and so on.

To put it bluntly, the 11th Independent Infantry Regiment is also cannon fodder, but it is relatively high-level.

 The attack just now did have an effect. However, there were 273 casualties, almost one-tenth of a full infantry regiment. The price was too high.

 (End of this chapter)