Rise From Eight Hundred

Nagano Kameichiro is indeed a veteran who has experienced the battlefield!

Let’s not talk about his performance in the battlefield in the previous week. This decisive military order shows his experience. (Due to cache reasons, please visit the .\\nＣＯＭ website directly with your browser to watch the fastest chapter update)

Such a fierce bombardment was not available to the previous Four-Line Regiment. The only possibility is that the attacking force of the Four-Line Regiment not only defeated the infantry defense line of the artillery regiment, but also seized part of the artillery and used it for its own use.

Needless to say, the two infantry battalions that could not be contacted were almost destined to become victims of heavy artillery!

Therefore, he no longer hesitated and ordered all his soldiers on the front line of Niangzi Pass to retreat!

It’s just that it was difficult to attack, and it’s not so easy to retreat now!

Because the Chinese army on the defense line may turn from defense to offense at any time, and the only passage for the 21st Division to retreat to Jingxing was also blocked. If they want to retreat, they can only throw away the baggage, the entire division will be lightly equipped, retreat to the mountainous area, and then cross the mountains!

The so-called baggage refers to all vehicles, ammunition reserves, and even all heavy weapons, such as the remaining 12 mountain guns. The mountain guns equipped by each infantry regiment are only 92 infantry guns, which are only 200 kilograms. After being disassembled, they can be carried into the mountainous area by pack horses.

This kind of retreat is actually not an evacuation in the traditional sense. It is more appropriate to describe it as a rout. For a division, it is not only a humiliation, but also requires many senior officers to bear the responsibility.

Moreover, the 21st Division has not yet reached a desperate situation. The three infantry regiments still have 5,000 soldiers who can fight. Even if the Chinese have the help of artillery, they can't eat them within three days. Moreover, the front army still has complete control of the air superiority, and can request the army aviation to bomb the Chinese artillery positions.

In any case, we have to fight and see. Who would just throw away all the stuff and run away like now?

In such a situation, even if Nagano Kameichiro is the division commander, his decision will encounter a lot of resistance.

The three infantry regiment commanders sent telegrams one after another, asking Nagano Kameichiro to withdraw the military order. They expressed their willingness to lead their infantry regiments to open up the evacuation channel for the entire division.

But Nagano Kameichiro replied firmly: "Those who do not obey the military order will die!"

He is the highest commander of the Japanese army here. Although the Japanese army has a tradition of rebellion, it is definitely not in such a battlefield where the whole army is annihilated at any time. Even if it is as strong as Yokoyama Ze, it can only accept the order with hatred!

In the end, before the two infantry battalions were wiped out, the 21st Division, with nearly 10,000 troops on the front line of Niangzi Pass, completed the preparations before evacuation.

Except for one infantry squadron left behind in each of the three infantry regiments, the rest of the infantry began to evacuate the original positions in an orderly manner. Each individual soldier was only allowed to carry their own weapons and 5-day rations and clean water. The shells and other supplies that could not be taken away were all placed with explosives ready for blasting and destruction!

Even the only remaining artillery battalion, under the strict order of the division headquarters, did a good job of blasting and destroying. All 12 mountain guns and all ammunition were blown up!

After the Battle of East Shanxi, Nagano Kameichiro's order to retreat was considered wrong and shameful by the North China Front Army Command, which caused heavy losses to friendly forces. The North China Front Army Command also misjudged the retreat of the 21st Division. The Japanese Army Major General who survived by chance was also sent to the military court and sentenced to five years!

When he was released from prison, the war had entered its final stage, and the Japanese Empire's navy and army had already been defeated on their respective battlefields.

It was not until decades later that Major General Nagano Kameichiro, who had died of illness for many years, waited for many war historians to overturn his case!

Most military historians believe that no matter how serious the consequences of the evacuation of the 21st Division were, from the perspective of Nagano Kameichiro, the commander of the 21st Division, he at least saved the lives of thousands of people in the 21st Division.

Moreover, although he did not inform the North China Front Army Headquarters in time that the 21st Division was about to evacuate, it was because the fierce Chinese artillery fire caused several field radio stations in his division headquarters to be damaged, which was not a war crime!

The password he was going to send to Lieutenant General Okabe Saburo in Baoding has been confirmed to be true by the left minister of his communications department!

But as for why Nagano Kameichiro ordered his troops to evacuate first, it was not until 30 minutes later that the Chinese began to use heavy artillery to attack the 21st Division and then remembered to inform the General Staff of the evacuation.

After all, military historians did not arrive at the real battlefield, and could only understand the battle situation by combining the war reports written by China and Japan at that time. In addition, since Nagano Kameichiro went to the military court, he not only did not mention the situation on that day, but even refused anyone's defense. No one knew the mood of this Japanese Army Major General at that time.

But the fact is that the Four-Line Regiment began to bombard 10 minutes after the 21st Division began to evacuate.

From 60mm mortars and 81mm mortars to 75mm mountain guns, 75mm Bofors mountain guns, 150mm heavy mortars, 80mm howitzers, and 105mm howitzers, there were nearly 100 large and small artillery pieces that concentrated fire on the various units of the 21st Division.

Let alone the 21st Division, even the 5th Division with nearly 60,000 soldiers had never deployed so many artillery pieces at one time in the Battle of Xingkou.

In other words, since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, there has never been a time when one side has concentrated so many artillery pieces to attack the other side on a local battlefield at the division level. The Japanese side has never done it, and the Chinese side is even less likely to do it.

But it actually happened on the Niangziguan front.

The fire caused by the shells seemed to completely ignite the mountains and fields in front of Niangziguan, and its light even exceeded the rising sun that was jumping over the mountain tops.

This is still running fast enough. If the various units of the 21st Division still stay on the original position, it will be a miserable situation. You can guess the situation.

Even so, the troops of the 21st Division who escaped into the mountains lost more than 2,500 people in this artillery battle in which more than 6,000 rounds of various types of artillery shells were thrown in only 40 minutes!

The artillery battle has not yet ended, the loud sound of trumpets resounded through the mountains and fields, and countless dark blue troops rushed out from the defense line, preparing to carry out the final stranglehold on the 21st Division!

The hundreds of Japanese troops who were left to block the enemy were already overwhelmed by the overwhelming artillery shells. 100% of them were reduced to 40%. There were only about 300 infantrymen left. They were washed away by grenades flying all over the sky. There was still room to stop at least 3,000 soldiers. An infantry charge?

In less than five minutes, the last line of defense of the 21st Division was torn to pieces!

According to a well-known military historian in Japan 30 years from now, if Nagano Kameichiro hesitates for another half hour, the four-line regiment, which is already crushing with heavy firepower, will be able to completely defeat them within 24 hours. Devour the 21st Division.

Not to mention that the 21st Division could still maintain a basically intact command structure and withdraw to Baoding with more than 7,600 people. I am afraid that not even a dog can escape.

This comment reached the ears of an uncle who was working in the vegetable field in his hometown with his shirtless body showing off his strong muscles. The uncle smiled and asked his eldest nephew, whom he hadn't seen for several years, "What do you think?"

"I think that with the strength of the Four Elements Regiment at that time and the decisiveness of you, Uncle Lei, and Father Leng, the 21st Division could last for 12 hours at most." The middle-aged Shitou thought carefully and replied.

The strong man grinned and didn't say anything more. He just slapped Xiao Shitou, who came to visit him as the head of a certain border defense regiment.

"You mean, it only takes five hours? How is that possible? They still have 10,000 people, but the Fourth Line Regiment only had 4,000 infantry at that time!" Shitou was shocked.

"What five hours and six hours? I mean you have been here eating and drinking for five days. You are a big regiment leader who shoulders the heavy responsibility of guarding the border. It is nothing to stay in a farmer's house. Why don't you get out quickly?" Damn it!" The strong man rolled his eyes and waved his hand away.

"But the chief said"

"Everyone does his or her own thing, and we'll have a drink later!"

The figure behind the strong man who casually dropped a sentence made him say nothing.

Here, there are at least 20 snipers responsible for protection! That's what he, a veteran soldier who spent his childhood and youth in the Four Elements Regiment and experienced 20 years of military career, saw. It was also what the uncle wanted him to see. There were more hidden things that were deeper and farther than he could see. When I arrived, there was at least an infantry battalion. Are there such awesome farmers in the world?

No wonder Father Leng said that even if he was disarmed and returned to the fields to accompany his wife and raise his grandson, no one in the world could touch him. Before leaving, Shi Shi glanced at the surrounding mountains with a wry smile on his face.

But he didn’t gain anything from eating and drinking these five days!

What reassured Captain Shitou when he returned to the frontier was that his eternal uncle, although he did not say it explicitly, also told him: "The war against the north will not start, but the war against the south will break out sooner or later. At that time, he Will put on the military uniform again!”

If he is here, he will not be defeated! This is a concept that has been ingrained in Shitou since he was a child!

In five hours, he could eat the entire 21st Division. This was not because Tang Dao was arrogant, but because he was confident!

As long as the 21st Division is reluctant to part with the baggage, then they are a lonely army. Without enough strong fortifications to serve as bunkers, they can survive the heavy pressure of artillery fire for two hours without collapsing their defense line. Tang Dao changed his name to Tang Dao. !

The remaining three hours will be the division and encirclement that the Chinese army will be best at in the future, and will not give the 21st Division any breathing space at all.

But this was just an assumption. What Tang Dao didn't expect was that Nagano Kameichiro made the most correct decision.

"That day, the sun was rising and the rays were surrounding. In front of Niangziguan, a line of defense where China and Japan had sacrificed so much blood, an entire Japanese army division stood up and waved their sleeves, leaving behind only the remains on the ground and many people who could not be taken away in time. The baggage is full of supplies, but it doesn’t take away a trace of the clouds!”

These were the exact words Li Jijin said seriously when being interviewed by a war reporter sent by the Second War Zone. Tantai Mingyue, who saw the reporter being a little confused, rolled her eyes: "Speak in human terms!"

"That's right, the little devil ran away." Li Jijin immediately concluded with a low eyebrow.

Thousands of Japanese troops dispersed into the mountains and fields, even the Four Elements Regiment couldn't do anything!

After all, they now only have 3 infantry battalions plus reconnaissance and guard troops and a cavalry battalion. If they spread out to pursue, they would not be able to hit the bird, but be pecked in the eye instead!

"The third battalion will stay at the main defense line of Niangziguan, while the first battalion, second battalion, artillery battalion, and guard company will accompany the regiment and attack!" Tang Dao's reaction was also first-rate, and he immediately ordered.

The attack was not to pursue the already defeated 21st Division!

Instead, the 39th Infantry Brigade of the 20th Division was fighting a fierce battle with the 17th Division 8 kilometers away!

Yes, the reason that made the North China Front Army Command so angry that they even did not hesitate to send Kameichiro Nagano to a military court was the subsequent bad luck that the 39th Infantry Brigade of the 20th Division encountered!

It would be fine if Nagano Kameichiro and the 21st Division ran resolutely enough, but they did an evil thing. They ran away without giving any notice and sold their teammates directly.

The 39th Infantry Brigade of the 20th Division was still fighting fiercely with the 17th Division at Falulu Ridge, but who would have thought that the 21st Division would run away and leave their rear completely?

This also led to the fact that when Okabe Saburo, who received the information that the 21st Division had evacuated 2 hours later, notified the 39th Infantry Brigade Major General Takagi Yoshito, he was already in his coffin before he thought of eating ginseng---the feast was already set.

The main force of the Four-line Regiment directly cut off the 39th Infantry Brigade's retreat!

Was it wrapped up like a dumpling? The 39th Infantry Brigade, which had been fighting with the 17th Division for a week and was exhausted, heard the bad news. It might not be appropriate to describe it as dumbfounded, but it should be described as a bolt from the blue and terrified.

After the 17th Division had enough mountain artillery, it was not so easy to bully. The 39th Infantry Brigade, which originally had 10,000 people, fought for a week, and the casualties exceeded 40%. Nearly 7,000 infantrymen now have only 4,000 troops available.

The result was that there was a hard bone with geographical advantages in front, not to mention that dogs could not chew it, even a panda with amazing bite force could only be at a loss, and then there was a four-line regiment that could chase nearly 20,000 people of the 21st Division into dogs!

You say, who wouldn’t be scared to death if it were in the place of the other person?

"Request air support from the army and air force, and request support from the ground forces of the front headquarters!" Takagi Yoshito sent two telegrams to his division commander Kawagishi Saburo in one breath.

He even didn't care to condemn the 21st Division that ran away alone! This also shows the panic in the heart of the then major general brigade commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade.

Okabe Saburo, who was in charge of the Baoding Command, was also in disbelief at the time. Even though it was a telegram sent by Nagano Kameichiro himself, he sent an Army Aviation reconnaissance plane to conduct close reconnaissance on the Niangzi Pass front line.

As a "lucky man" who survived the Chinese anti-aircraft artillery fire countless times without any damage, Captain Zuo Zuomu was entrusted with an important task again!

This time, the aura of luck came again!

All the anti-aircraft positions on the Niangzi Pass front line have been moved forward to the area of ​​​​Falu Ridge. Captain Zuo Zuomu trembled with fear and descended from 2,000 meters to 1,500 meters. He observed the Niangzi Pass battlefield through a telescope. In addition to the positions that were blackened by artillery fire and gunpowder smoke, there were khaki corpses scattered all over the ground!

The Chinese soldiers who were still active on the ground saw his reconnaissance plane that was lowered to a low altitude. Not only were they not afraid, they also raised their guns and fired provocatively!

"Only idiots will go down!" Captain Zuo Zuomu, who has experienced the test of war, is not the kind of person who gets carried away easily.

The battlefield he saw had already shown that the 21st Division was finished, and the main force of the Four-line Regiment at Niangzi Pass was indeed moving towards the direction of Falulu Ridge. Otherwise, what would greet him was not a provocation, but a rain of bullets.

"Nagano Kameichiro is too shameless! Request the Commander to punish him severely!" This was the secret letter that Okabe Saburo sent to Shanshan Yuan after confirming that the 39th Infantry Brigade was surrounded.

He knew too well the truth behind why Nagano Kameichiro sent him the evacuation telegram two hours later.

Because Nagano Kameichiro knew that if he sent it before evacuating, as the commander, Okabe Saburo would definitely ask him to hold on for another half a day, and at the same time promise him that he would have Army Aviation support! At that time, the 39th Infantry Brigade, which was fighting with the 17th Division at Falulu Ridge, would have to be given buffer time to evacuate.

But at that time, the 21st Division might be wiped out if it held on for another half a day, even if it was half an hour later!

'I'd rather die than die than die! ' Nagano Kameichiro made his choice!

As for the damage of the field radio station by the Chinese artillery, Okabe Saburo even had reason to suspect that there was an 80% chance that it was man-made.

But he had no evidence!

Anyway, at 11 a.m. on September 15, the Japanese generals of the North China Front Command lost their appetite collectively.

The carefully planned tactical deception, even at the cost of giving up the battle in eastern Shanxi to support the Central China Campaign, turned out to be the current situation.

A second-line division has already knelt, and half of the Type A division has been surrounded. The key is that the North China Front Army of the Great Japanese Empire cannot find a reliable army to rescue them nearby at this time.

As early as three days ago, the Chinese Second War Zone mobilized 150,000 troops to launch a full-scale counterattack on the southern Shanxi defense line. The Fifth Division and several major divisions worked together to block the crazy offensive of the Chinese.

What made Saburo Okabe gnashed his teeth even more was not just the safety of the 39th Infantry Brigade. He was horrified to find that there was no Imperial Army larger than an Infantry Regiment in the 40 kilometers from Jingxing to Shimen.

If the Chinese in eastern Shanxi suddenly turned their troops around and launched another stab, would Shimen, an important town, be defended?

As the chief of staff of the front army, should he bring his guards to fill that hole?

You say, the 21st Division suddenly ran away, forcing a lieutenant general of the front army to become like this, with his head almost bald. Does Saburo Okabe hate it?

But these are the sorrows of the big men. For the five or six thousand officers and soldiers of the 39th Infantry Brigade who were caught in the pincer attack, this noon was even more of a nightmare for them.

The artillery battalion of the Sihang Regiment has already set up the guns!

Whether it is against the ground or against the sky!

Once you have tasted the sweetness of violently attacking the devils, you will get addicted!