Rise From Eight Hundred

For the next two days, Major General Hattori Akitaro felt like he was being stewed in a pot.

The Chinese did not completely seize the advantage in manpower and then charge and attack fiercely. If that were the case, that would be what he wanted most.

As early as when the three infantry brigades attacked Zishan, an infantry battalion joined an engineering regiment to build fortifications in this area to deal with possible attacks from this direction.

The barbed wire and the well-developed trenches formed a defense line of 3,000 meters wide and 1,000 meters deep. If the Chinese, who had no armored forces but only pure infantry, wanted to attack by force, they would pay an unimaginable price.

And with the arrival of more Japanese infantry, this defense line extended another 1,000 meters to both sides. Hattori Akitaro no longer ordered the remaining 22 tanks to attack, but hid in the semi-sunken bunkers specially dug out to take on the combat mission of fixed firepower points.

Unless the Chinese moved the anti-tank guns to the front line of the charge, no weapon could pose a threat to this steel fortress with a front armor thickness of more than 20 mm.

Hattori Akitaro, who had suffered a heavy loss in the first battle, had already made plans to hold on. The real decisive battle was still to be fought on the side of Zishan. As long as the Chinese defense line of Zishan was conquered, the 1st Division would have a chance to restore the honor of the oldest division in the history of the empire.

In the past two days, the more than 10,000 Chinese troops who were slowly surrounding them did not rush to launch an attack, but dug various fortifications day and night. Hattori Akitaro's telescope clearly showed that the Chinese trenches were at least 300 meters closer to their side.

That meant that in another three days, the Chinese could dig trenches to a position almost face to face with his defense line.

What barbed wire and trenches would not work at that time. The Chinese would even need less than ten seconds of charge to jump into the first trench.

Hattori Akitaro hoped to use artillery fire to stop the Chinese from digging blatantly, but the current situation was that the artillery he had was even inferior to that of the Chinese.

The Chinese almost fixed two rounds of artillery bombardment on his position every day, especially the large-caliber mortars, which were a disaster for the infantry in the trenches.

It was okay if it fell outside the trenches, but it would only collapse part of the trenches. The infantry could immediately organize repairs after the bombardment, but if it fell inside the trenches, the damage caused by the warhead weighing more than 18 kilograms was far beyond the reach of the 75mm mountain gun.

The surging air waves were blocked by the trenches and dissipated along the trenches to both sides, and could even roll out the soldiers curled up in the trenches more than 20 meters away.

Every day, the number of soldiers killed and wounded in the trenches alone due to artillery bombardment was as high as 200. If this loss continued, his army would soon lose its combat effectiveness without waiting for the Chinese to dig trenches to their faces.

This should also be the most frustrating battle fought by the 1st Division when it first entered North China. Not only could they watch the opponent advance step by step, but they were also consumed and bled by endless artillery fire every day.

Hattori Akitaro may not have thought that this is not the daily routine of the Japanese army entering China against the Chinese army? Relying on the heavy firepower, they constantly consumed the Chinese army, which only had heavy machine guns, and then captured the position in a wave, and then cruelly chased and killed the retreating Chinese soldiers, and finally won the victory.

The 683rd Brigade just reproduced this tactic as it was, but it made the 1st Division very frustrated.

If you want to ask whether Hattori Akitaro wanted to retreat at this time, then of course he wanted to, but today, he can't and dare not retreat.

The Chinese army has formed a semi-encirclement of his position from three directions, and the nearest position is only more than 300 meters away. Soldiers on both sides have even set up rifles in the trenches and fired cold guns.

This means that the Chinese side has completely stuck to him. If he dares to withdraw the main force from this position, the Chinese side will definitely launch a full-scale attack. The artillery and manpower owned by the Chinese side also let Hattori Akitaro know that even if he leaves 1,000 people on the position to cover the rear, I am afraid that facing the full-scale attack of the Chinese, he will not be able to support it for half an hour.

The other 4,000 people who lost the protection of their positions are very likely to retreat from orderly retreat under the pursuit of the Chinese. Then it may not only be his few thousand people who are doomed, but the entire division will be cut off by this powerful Chinese.

Hattori Akitaro can only gamble that his reinforcements will arrive before the Chinese launch the final attack.

Yes, after the North China Command received the news that a large number of regular troops of the 80th Army attacked from Taihang Mountain, it also began to increase troops in southern Hebei, and once again sent an infantry brigade led by the 4th Division's "Unwounded" Brigade and a Type B Division Infantry Regiment, totaling 10,000 reinforcements.

The reason why it was Okuma Yukinosuke again was that Duo Tianjun had no troops to send now. Otherwise, the "Unwounded" Brigade, which had already become famous in the Japanese North China Front, would definitely continue to bask in the sun in Baoding and other cities.

Then again, Duo Tianjun pinched his nose and sent Major General Okuma Yukinosuke, but Okuma Yukinosuke was too lazy to go!

What kind of people are the Four Lines? In the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the main force of the Four-line Regiment was not deployed, but it relied on a unit composed of pure recruits to defeat the arrogant main divisions of the empire. This time, the main force was deployed, even the heavy artillery was deployed. The 1st Division that crossed the Shanhai Pass was also stunned!

And! Okuma Konosuke knew one thing more clearly. If they won this battle, the credit would go to the 1st Division. If they lost, he would have to bear the crime of ineffective reinforcement. It was just that Duo Tianjun, who had disliked him for a long time, wanted to harm him.

As a front army commander, His Excellency Major General Daxiong may still have some concerns about him, but for a commander who is only a few days away from leaving office, he has no respect for the city of Osaka.

Therefore, Major General Hattori Akitaro's desire to wait for the arrival of reinforcements is considered as waiting for pigs. Two days have passed, and the "No Shang" brigade is still gathering at Baoding Railway Station to wait for the arrival of the special train.

But this is definitely not the fault of the 'No Shang' brigade. Who allowed the Chinese guerrillas to blow up a full 1,000 meters of railway track? The train did not have wings to fly. Thousands of people in the 'No Shang' brigade were not allowed to do so. Just wait at the train station!

But why the Chinese guerrillas did not bomb sooner or later, but just when the special train from Pingbeicheng was about to arrive in Baoding, they blew up this transportation artery. The reason is not understood.

Hattori Akatsuki wanted to wait for the arrival of Okuma Konosuke, but he really had to wait.

Generals such as Saburo Okabe and Akitaro Hattori have experienced what it means to have a leaky house and encounter continuous rain in the past few days.

The one who came to Zishan to cooperate with the 1st Division was the 5th Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Division. Its brigade commander was Fusutaro Toshima, who was transferred from the 27th Infantry Brigade Commander of the 14th Division just a month ago. The commander of the major general brigade once participated in the Battle of Lanfeng with Dofei Yuan and made great achievements.

The Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters suddenly issued this transfer order. According to reliable internal information, both the base camp and the Front Army Headquarters were extremely dissatisfied with the 3rd Division Commander Fujita Susumu. They just used this Battle of Purple Mountain to help Toshima Fusutaro gain some qualifications and popularity. , in order to replace Susumu Fujita as the commander of the 3rd Division in the near future.

As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. Since there is this news, it means that someone above has thought so. The reason why the news was revealed in advance was actually just to see the reaction of the 3rd Division. In addition, Susumu Fujita has indeed stretched his hips in the past two years. Whether the division's performance in the battles of Tongguan or Zhongtiao Mountain was like shit.

In the past time and space, Futaro Toshima really took over as the commander of the 3rd Division in August 1940. If there had not been the battle of Zishan, I am afraid that this turn in history would not have been a big one.

However, the man who was supposed to be the Minister of General Affairs at the North China Military Police Headquarters came to Zishan by accident. The gear of his destiny suddenly got stuck.

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

"Numata-kun, inform Colonel Chiba that I will order the division's artillery to target the Chinese position and bombard it overnight, giving him the strongest fire support, but he must ensure that the high ground is captured before sunset tomorrow.

In addition, I will convey my true words to him. If anyone dares to disobey my military order, then I will ask him to break his belly and apologize to His Majesty the Emperor. No matter who he is, Numata-kun, do you understand? "Futaro Toshima roared at the brigade chief of staff with an extremely ferocious expression.

"Hi!" The lieutenant-general and chief of staff lowered his head so that no one could see his expression after being savaged by his immediate superior without any mercy.

Watching the Lieutenant Colonel and Chief of Staff leave, Toshima Fuotaro's eyes flashed with deep gloom.

He had imagined that he would encounter difficulties after transferring to the 5th Infantry Brigade, but in fact the difficulties were much greater than he imagined.

Whether it is the two colonel captains or the lieutenant colonel chief of staff, they are basically respectful on the surface, but their combat intentions have never been truly implemented.

For example, Futaro Toshima asked for two consecutive days of strong attacks without giving the Chinese a chance to breathe. As a result, the infantry regiment organized a strong attack that did not even last half a day. This kind of overt and covert violation also led to a consequence. Although the battle situation in the other two directions was They were also in a stalemate, but they managed to capture several small highlands, but the infantry brigade he led could not even touch the edge of the Chinese position.

Even if the Battle of Zishan did not achieve the goal of the Front Army Headquarters in the end, in terms of current record, he, the commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade, is the worst among everyone.

I'm afraid, there are some shadows of people operating behind the scenes! A pair of eyes full of cruelty flashed through Futaro Toshima's mind.

Toshima Botaro endured it for nearly a week, and today he finally couldn't bear it anymore. He even told the Lieutenant Colonel, the No. 4 figure in the infantry brigade, and the Chief of Staff, "Whoever disobeys military orders will be asked to have a caesarean section to apologize." harsh words.

Although Futaro Toshima knew that this would make several generals under his command resentful and might move closer to that one, he could no longer care about that much at this time. He urgently needed to tell the story of his achievements in order to avoid war after the war. His wish to be promoted to the head of the 3rd Division failed. When he became the head of the division, Susumu Fujita's influence was completely wiped out. He believed that these resentments would be wiped out with the transfer of power.

Because the 5th Infantry Brigade was only playing auxiliary duties this time, the division sent 4 artillery squadrons with a total of 16 75-meter mountain guns to accompany it. The main artillery support still relied on the heavy artillery of the 1st Division, but obviously, along with the 150-meter heavy artillery and With the continuous losses of 105 howitzers, the 1st Division is not enough to support the infantry of his own division. The 3rd Division will also be considered, so Toyoda Fusotaro can only pin his hopes on the artillery unit of his own division.

Fortunately, in the past few days, as a general who had been in the North China battlefield for two years, he was familiar enough with the tactics of the Four Lines Regiment, so he dispersed the four artillery squadrons in several places. Although this increased the investment in infantry defense, But at least no battle damage was caused by the retaliatory shelling by Chinese artillery.

This time, Toyoshima Futaro asked his 16 artillery pieces to focus their fire on a small hill. The enemy on it would never exceed one infantry platoon. The area where it was located did not seem to be that critical. There were rugged valleys on both sides, which was not suitable for a large army to enter.

But Toyoshima Futaro learned that there was no cliff after this hill because of several local Chinese farmers he captured yesterday and threatened with death. The soldiers could carry heavy machine guns and go around to the rear of the Chinese main defense line.

Maybe they could break through the whole area with a point, and complete the encirclement of the Chinese. He did not believe that the Chinese could dig such exaggerated fortifications on the other side of the mountain.

The reason for choosing to bombard at night was that bombarding during the day would easily lead to retaliation from Chinese artillery, and at night, no one would see the thick smoke rising from the artillery positions! Just relying on sound, the Chinese were not gods, how could they know the position of each artillery?

Toyoshima Futaro racked his brains to prevent the artillery unit from being damaged. The 3rd Division, which had been beaten and gained experience points, was much stronger than the 1st Division that had just entered the North China battlefield.

But Toyoshima Futaro overlooked a very important point. The scouts who were sent out by Tang Dao, in addition to reconnaissance and eyes, also shouldered the functions of attacking and harassing.

As a special merit winner of the Four-Line Regiment, the cook Pang Zilong, who showed his shooting talent in that defensive battle, will never have the opportunity to bake steamed buns and cook meat soup again.

After all, the cook Pang Zilong was "grinded" by Lu Sanjiang to the reconnaissance company and became a sniper!

The reconnaissance company is based on the infantry squad as the basic unit, but in addition to the infantry squad, there are some special organizations, such as snipers, fire support hands, assault hands, etc. These special organizations are directly under the company headquarters and are considered the elite among the elites. They will only be dispatched when performing special tasks.

People like Mingxin, Niu Er, and Heizi were never commanders, but no matter their military rank or ability, they were the best in the elite reconnaissance company. Even a platoon leader like Shen Laoliu had to stand at attention and salute Niu Er and Heizi when he met them in the army.

And Pang Zilong, after being personally guided by Tang Dao and undergoing special training with Niu Er for a period of time, finally became a member of these special organizations.

Pang Zilong had been lurking in the bushes at the foot of a small hill for a full 24 hours, about 450 meters away from the Japanese artillery position stationed in this area.

Unlike other reconnaissance teams, Pang Zilong was equipped with a field radio. He sneaked into the battlefield with only one purpose, to find a valuable target and kill him.

The Japanese artillery was very cautious. This artillery position had only about 8 artillery pieces, but each artillery piece was more than 200 meters apart. It was difficult to kill them unless a large number of artillery pieces were used to fire.

Especially the Japanese artillery, who had also learned to "dig holes".

Not only did they hide the artillery and shells underground, but they also hid the people in the caves!

Pang Zilong, who was lying in the ambush location, saw with his own eyes that his side had bombarded the area at least twice, but basically did not cause much damage to the Japanese artillery.

Pang Zilong did not fire a single shot in the past 24 hours, not because he had not found a valuable target.

Rather, the commander said that snipers are the elite among the elites, the sword hidden in the dark by the commander, and every time they stab, they will make the enemy's heart bleed. But snipers are not disposable consumables. Only those who can ensure smooth evacuation after sniping the target are real snipers.

During the day, Pang Zilong had found his desired target, a Japanese lieutenant colonel, through the 4x scope made by German installed on the gun.

That was a Japanese officer with a rank similar to that of Chief of Staff Shangguan, and Pang Zilong certainly did not want to miss such prey.

However, even though Pang Zilong had aimed at the Japanese officer at least 4 times through the scope, Pang Zilong gave up.

He couldn't guarantee that he would escape unscathed after killing the target, especially since he had Lieutenant Heizi who was there to protect him.

Pang Zilong glanced at the three meters to his side with the corner of his eye, where Lieutenant Heizi was hiding.

Lieutenant Heizi, who had his face covered with paint and his head tucked under the bushes, hid very carefully. If Pang Zilong didn't know where he was, he wouldn't have known that there was a 9-meter-tall Shandong man hiding in the bushes.

As if sensing Pang Zilong's gaze, Heizi, who had been closing his eyes to rest, opened his eyes, and made a safe gesture to Pang Zilong with his curled hands, and then continued to close his eyes.

Pang Zilong really admired this man's tenacity. From last night to now, this 9-meter Shandong man seemed to have not moved much except for moving his fingers in the early hours to keep his joints flexible, just like a hibernating bear.

In fact, Pang Zilong knew that he had moved, but his slowness was comparable to that of a snail. Unless someone kept their eyes on him for ten minutes, you would not know that the big guy who looked like a dead branch and rotten wood had moved.

He moved not because he could not hold on, but to remove the stiffness of his joints and muscles and prepare for the attack that could be launched at any time. Every bit of muscle stiffness could cause the bullet in the gun chamber to have an unexpected deviation.

That was the guidance from Tang Tuanzuo, but Heizi's talent would be a good material for special forces even in the future. This was Tang Tuanzuo's original words, but he replaced the future with the place where he had studied.

In order to ensure the safety of this super shooter who was second only to Tang Dao and Niu Er in the Four Lines, Lv Sanjiang asked Heizi to be Pang Zilong's partner in person.

Suddenly, Pang Zilong opened his eyes wide.

The originally silent Japanese artillery positions suddenly became noisy, and fires were lit one after another, with figures constantly flashing in the bright flames.

Is this the rhythm of firing at night?

Pang Zilong's eyes flashed with joy. It was not easy for him to find a fighting opportunity, and the Japanese actually took the initiative to send it to him.

The sound of artillery and the night will be the best cover for him as a sniper.

He aimed the muzzle of the gun wrapped in dead leaves at the distance, where the Japanese lieutenant colonel appeared most frequently during the day. If he guessed correctly, it was the headquarters of the Japanese artillery.