Rise From Eight Hundred

"It's finally over!" General Bai Tou felt relieved the moment he received the telegram.

As he wrote in his memoirs later, if the most heartbreaking battle he had ever fought was the Battle of Niangzi Pass and Faluling, then the battle in the southeast of Shanxi Province was the most emotionally entangled battle, such as entanglement, hesitation, and anxiety.

Because the battle of Niangzi Pass had to be fought. If it was not fought, the flank of Niangzi Pass would be completely exposed. If the important pass of Niangzi Pass was lost, the east gate of Yuancheng would be opened, and the safety of millions of soldiers and civilians in the hinterland of Shanxi Province would almost all depend on the 60,000 Chinese soldiers in Niangzi Pass.

But now the newly formed 17th Division can completely avoid the battle in front of it, or to be more precise, at least it does not need to fight this battle with the current tactics.

The underlying logic of the "Starfall Battle" is that there is no opening statement, no firepower test, and it is purely a fight of consumption.

What is consumed is human lives!

The lives of both China and Japan!

The Chinese side guarded the high ground, and unless all the people died, the Japanese could not pass through the forest below the high ground smoothly. The Japanese were forced to attack one high ground at a time.

Chinese soldiers died on the mountain, and the Japanese died at the foot of the mountain, on the mountainside, or on the top of the mountain. Neither side had any luck.

Each infantry company that lost the high ground was not completely wiped out, but that did not mean that they could evacuate smoothly. Instead, before going to the battlefield, according to the requirements of the commanders of each regiment, each infantry company left 3 infantry squads as the framework for the reconstruction of the infantry company in the future.

The company commander was not qualified to stay, but one platoon leader and three squad leaders could be left. The remaining quota was decided by drawing lots for the whole company.

Whether you can survive is all up to God!

This actually means that those who go to the battlefield will basically die.

After six days of painful fighting, the 17th Division lost 18 high grounds. Without waiting for the staff to show him the long list of casualties and the number of people, General Bai Tou could estimate that nearly 1,800 of the 8,000 people he had just reorganized were killed, with an average of 600 people killed every day.

The Sichuan Army had not yet informed him, but it was estimated that the number of casualties was also more, because they had more troops and needed to defend a larger area.

If a quarter of the casualties rate was acceptable to General Bai Tou, who had already gone through the bloody battle of Falu Ridge, what made the general who once again drove his officers and soldiers on the road to death even more painful was that he didn't know whether such a sacrifice could bring about the result planned by the young regiment commander.

If something unexpected happened, it was very likely that the young people under his command would die in vain.

It can be said that because of this knot, the famous general has been extremely tormented in the past few days, even though he ordered in an almost cruel way: "Cover the high ground with artillery fire for 20 minutes, I don't want to see a tree on the high ground!"

In six days, the 3,000 shells sent by Tang Dao plus the 1,000 shells originally in stock of his 17th Division have been used up by four-fifths, and it is already the last gasp of a spent force.

Fortunately, since yesterday, he heard good news that the 108th Division 40 kilometers behind him ran away.

At least, there is no need to worry about the danger of being attacked from both sides. Even if the powerful enemy in front of them did not fall into the trap as expected, the two divisions have blocked them, and the blood of more than 1,800 soldiers has not been shed in vain.

The rest can only be left to God's will.

"Order all regiments of the division, according to the original plan, the artillery does not need to be stingy with shells, and each unit will take turns to cover and withdraw from the existing positions!" The white-haired general exhaled a long breath and issued a military order.

As the military order from the 17th Division was issued, green flares flashed in the night sky above the mountains!

. . . . . . . . . . . .

In the mountains, on a high ground belonging to the 17th Division.

"Company commander! Company commander! Look, green flares." A ragged soldier with a dark face pushed the infantry company commander who was sleeping in the trench, his voice was a little out of tune with excitement.

That was the first time in six days that a green flare appeared. The previous ones were all blood-red, which was a military order to continue fighting to the death.

"Damn Japanese devils, they don't let me sleep in at night!" The infantry company commander who was woken up got up and grabbed his Mauser pistol, cursing.

Obviously, the continuous two days and one night of fighting had made the army captain instinctively think that the devils were coming up.

Last night, the Japanese army, which was forced to jump off the wall, launched a night attack, which they were not good at. However, the Chinese army on the mountain high ground has been highly vigilant. They did not set up any sentries, but took turns to sleep, half of them slept and the other half kept their eyes open to keep alert.

In one night, they actually repelled four attacks of the Japanese army in a row, which was only half the intensity of the daytime.

"No, it's not the devil, captain, look at the sky, green flares, what do the officers mean?" The soldier looked at his captain with hope.

Young life, eager to live, even when he stepped onto the battlefield, he knew that this was a deadly battle. Nearly a hundred people who drew the death lottery had asked someone to write their last words and write down their family addresses in advance. The regiment also told everyone that they would receive a pension of one hundred dollars after they died in battle. This one hundred dollars could at least guarantee the expenses of the whole family for four or five years.

However, the soldier still wanted to live. He had not married yet. I heard that the hands and breasts of wives were whiter and more tender than tofu!

"Green flare?" The confused army captain looked up at the sky, his eyes suddenly widened.

Because the heights are often a hundred meters or even three or four hundred meters apart, and the defense zone is too large, the division headquarters cannot guarantee that each height is equipped with a telephone line, and there is no need to think about field radios. Each regiment is equipped with only one of those precious things, so the two sides must rely on signal flares to communicate.

Because of the particularity of the tactics of this battle, all the infantry companies that went to the heights basically fought to the death. Before the end of the battle, there was no need to accept military orders.

Therefore, basically, each infantry company used several specially distributed signal flares to request fire support from the regiment headquarters. As for how to express the specific meaning, it is mainly expressed by the number of flares. For example, one flare means that a mortar will be used for fire support, two flares are 75 mountain artillery, and if there are three flares, it means that the height where the signal flare is fired will be covered with fire.

And those flares are all blood red, and there will never be green flares.

At this time, green flares were rising in the sky, and it seemed that green flares were still rising in the sky thousands of meters away, which only meant one thing.

The army captain will never forget that before their seven company commanders were about to lead their troops to the high ground, their regiment commander with a strong Shaanxi accent told them:

"This battle is a fight to the death. Each infantry company must be nailed to the high ground like a nail. I have told you brothers in front of these positions, so I won't say it again.

What I want to say now is that if you can have If you see the green signal flare, it means that our unit has successfully completed the combat mission and can retreat. At that time, the artillery and friendly forces will cover you. Except for weapons and necessary ammunition, you can do without everything. If there are still Japanese troops surrounding us, fight your way out. I'm waiting for you brothers at the regiment headquarters! "

The Japanese army is as high as 10,000 people. This is a danger that the army captain has never experienced in the battle of Faluling. At that time, they had an infantry division of more than 10,000 people and fought against an infantry regiment and an artillery regiment of the Japanese army alone, and suffered a huge loss of more than 8,000 casualties.

The army captain had actually given up hope of survival, but now, the green signal flare for evacuation was flashing fiercely in the night sky in front of him.

"You can evacuate, Erdan, notify all the brothers in the company, take the guns and all the bullets, and the remaining grenades, and take them all, and evacuate for me." The army captain showed a happy look on his face and ordered in a low voice.

"We can retreat now, good, good!" The soldier named Erdan showed a happy expression on his face. He bent over and ran two steps in the trench, then suddenly hesitated and turned back. "Company commander, where are the wounded?"

"What nonsense! Carry all the wounded to me. If there are not enough people, carry them on my back. Do I need to give a special order?" The army captain glared.

"But, but, there are only 18 people who can move on the position." Erdan looked sad. "But there are 24 brothers in the anti-artillery cave over there."

The army captain was suddenly stunned.

The infantry company on the high ground marked as 7324 (4th Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 17th Division) originally had a total strength of only 102 people. After two days and one night of fierce fighting, although the army captain had fired a red signal flare and two consecutive red signal flares to request fire support from mortars and mountain artillery, the strength was still sharply reduced.

As long as the soldiers can still shoot after being bandaged, they are not counted as wounded. Those who are placed in the only anti-artillery cave on the entire high ground are all seriously injured who have completely lost their ability to move.

There are two boxes of grenades in the anti-artillery cave, which are reserved for the seriously injured to counterattack the Japanese invaders after the position is lost. This is almost a routine operation for all infantry companies on the high ground.

But this does not mean that they can be abandoned.

For soldiers, dying in battle and being abandoned are two completely different concepts.

"You go and inform the brothers to pack up and be ready. The Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain may also be alarmed, and they will definitely not let our army evacuate smoothly. We have at most 20 minutes." The army captain took out a wrinkled cigarette box from his chest pouch, took out a cigarette from it, and lit it with a match with a slightly trembling hand.

"Let me think about the rest."

"To cover our troops' rapid escape from the Japanese invaders, all the mountain artillery and mortars of our division, regiment and battalion will bombard the surrounding areas of the high ground still surrounded by the Japanese army. The bombardment time is 20 minutes after the green signal flare is fired, and the bombardment time is 15 minutes. You company commanders must remember it for me! If necessary, you can write it down on paper and keep it close to your body. If you die in battle, the successor commander will also know it." This is also the secret instruction of the regiment leaders before leaving.

These are all hidden deep in the memory of the army captain, and he dare not forget them for a moment, but what bothers him now is, what to do with the wounded?

As a commander, he knows very well that 18 soldiers with wounds cannot take away 24 people, and even half of them cannot be taken away.

Because not only are there Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain, but they are also far away from the regiment headquarters by three hills. Even if there are friendly troops to pick them up, it is still an 800-meter mountain road.

Carrying an adult weighing at least 120 pounds and fighting with guns was almost like sending these 18 people to the gates of hell.

After smoking a cigarette silently, the army captain stood up resolutely. He knew that the 20 minutes mentioned by the regiment commander would soon be up, and he would not have more time to worry.

Bending over and walking into the small anti-artillery cave, a bloody smell mixed with a foul smell rushed into the army captain's nose. He knew that another seriously injured person had died.

Only dead people can't control their bowels and bladders, which is the real source of the stench.

"Company commander!" A soldier saw the army captain coming in and hurried forward to greet him.

The soldier was originally a medical soldier, but what's the use of a medical soldier at this time? Yesterday, the medical soldier tore off the white cuffs on his sleeves and joined the ranks of combat soldiers, but at night, the medical soldier who survived by chance still did not forget his job and went into the anti-artillery cave to take care of the seriously injured who were groaning in pain.

"How many more died?" The army captain asked with an unchanged expression.

"Three! Platoon Leader Cha, Er Mazi, and Zhang Laosan all failed to make it." The medical soldier replied with a gloomy face.

The army captain's face twitched fiercely.

In addition to the platoon leader Cha mentioned by the medical soldier just now, the two platoon leaders under his command were killed in the battle. Er Mazi and Zhang Laosan were both his fellow villagers from the same county and hometown. They were promoted to sergeant squad leaders without sacrifice in Faluling last time, but they died here this time.

Up to now, the two platoon leaders who followed him to the high ground and the six squad leaders have died, leaving only two squad leaders, and there is still one lying in the pile of seriously injured soldiers.

This situation is also related to the 17th Division's traditional fighting style. At the battalion, company and platoon level, as long as the commander goes to the front line, he must lead by example.

"If the officers are afraid of death, then the soldiers must be more afraid of death. There are no cowards under me, Zhao Shoushan. This is a war for the country and the nation. No matter who it is, including me, Zhao Shoushan, if you don't go to the front line, it's fine. If you go to the front line and are afraid of death, the division commander and regiment commander will be dismissed on the spot, and the battalion commander, company commander and platoon leader will be shot on the spot." This is what Zhao Shoushan said when he swore an oath before leading the 17th Division across the Yellow River.

Zhao Shoushan has always been clear about rewards and punishments for officers and soldiers, and he doesn't take blood from his soldiers. He has a very high prestige in the 17th Division. Even if the old base is almost exhausted, the more than 5,000 new recruits who have joined the 17th Division for less than 4 months have not lost their prestige.

Therefore, on the battlefield, the death rate of the commanders of the company, platoon, and squad of the 17th Division was extremely high, far exceeding that of ordinary infantry divisions, but the combat effectiveness did not decrease but increased. Otherwise, they would not have fought for six days and nights. With Yamamoto's ability and hundreds of fighter planes to support, they only took 18 of the dozens of high grounds deployed by the 17th Division, which was less than half.

If they really continued to fight like this, the Second Mixed Brigade would be destroyed without the Four-Line Regiment taking action.

"You go out first, I'll talk to Heipi and the others." The army captain waved his hand and let the medical soldier leave.

Heipi was a friend of the army captain from the same village. The difference between the two was that the army captain first joined the army, and then became a second lieutenant platoon leader and returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers, recruiting his childhood friend. After the last battle, the lieutenant platoon leader was promoted to captain company commander, and the original private became a sergeant squad leader directly.

The squad leader was treated better and had a larger space. Located at the innermost part of the anti-artillery cave, the army captain sat next to the seriously injured soldier who was constantly groaning in pain.

"Brother Shanzi, aren't the Japanese here?" The army sergeant, whose head was wrapped in bandages and whose face was swollen beyond recognition, heard the voice of the army captain, stopped groaning in pain, and asked in a low voice.

He was injured by an infantry artillery shell. Not only did the shrapnel cut off one of his legs, but the huge shock wave also knocked him seven or eight meters away. He had several fractures on his body and his internal organs were severely damaged. It was a miracle that he could survive until now and even be conscious and able to speak.

"The Japanese didn't come." The army captain shook his head, put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, and then gently put it into his childhood friend's mouth. "The regiment sent an order, we can withdraw."

"Can we withdraw? That's a good thing! While the brothers are still strong." The eyes that were swollen to a slit and could hardly be opened were much brighter at this time. "When will we evacuate? Did the regiment say anything?"

The army captain knew that it was not his illusion.

The army captain did not speak, but lit a cigarette and took a deep puff.

The sudden silence made the seriously injured sergeant pause.

Just as the army captain understood him, he also understood this childhood friend who was only one year older than him and grew up naked together.

Not speaking means that he has encountered a problem.

Before the good thing that the whole company can evacuate without continuing to fight to the death, there are still problems. Apart from these seriously injured soldiers, what else can there be?

"How many brothers can still move?" The seriously injured sergeant's voice became much smaller.

"18!" The army captain answered sullenly.

The seriously injured sergeant's eyes that had just lit up dimmed instantly.

He understood that there were at least 20 seriously injured soldiers who were still breathing in the anti-artillery cave. Even if many of them were like the platoon leader who had just left, and would never see the sunrise or sunset the next day, they were still alive and breathing.

As a company commander and a brother, no one could abandon them.

But, can he take them with him?

Leaving them behind means certain death! Regardless of whether he can take them with him or not, if he takes them with him, we will all die together! No one will be spared.

The Japanese soldiers at the foot of the mountain are not rabbits, but jackals!

No wonder the always courageous elder brother in front of him was silent with a gloomy face in the face of such good news.

It is easy to face death by oneself.

But he cannot decide the death of others, even if they are already in their last moments.

This is an unsolvable problem.