Rise From Eight Hundred

"What? Lieutenant Colonel Fujita was attacked by Chinese snipers and served the empire?" Toyoshima Fusotaro looked at the lieutenant colonel chief of staff who hurried to him and handed him the telegram from the artillery regiment in disbelief.

As the first senior officer of the division who chose to surrender to him, Fujiwara Keitoshi really had a very heavy weight in Toyoshima Fusotaro's heart, but in addition to Fujiwara Keitoshi himself being the chief officer of the division's important fire support unit, the Fujiwara family was also very important in the government and the opposition.

Even if Fujiwara Keitoshi was just a side branch, he was only one step away from the rank of major general of the army and was about to become a member of the backbone. He died in battle under his command, and it was hard to guarantee that the Fujiwara family would not hold a grudge against him.

"Yes, I have confirmed with Captain Ninomiya Kazuya, the current highest commander of the artillery regiment, that Lieutenant Colonel Fujita and Major Yokoyama Yu, four other imperial soldiers, were killed by the despicable Chinese in a sneak attack." The lieutenant colonel chief of staff reported with a bitter face.

Let alone Toyoshima Fusutaro's shock, the lieutenant colonel chief of staff was actually equally bitter. The battle situation was not good to begin with, and now even the commander-level officers of the regiment were killed in the battle. In the post-war summary, he, the chief of staff of the brigade, might not be able to escape responsibility.

If Toyoshima Fusutaro added fuel to the fire and said that he could not command the artillery of the 5th Infantry Brigade in this battle, the big man in the front army headquarters who had already lost face could not touch Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu, and it would be a piece of cake to deal with these little Karamis at the level of the lieutenant colonel.

Thinking of this, the Japanese Army lieutenant colonel regretted his previous choice.

"Order the cavalry squadron to stand by. I will go to personally inspect the body of Lieutenant Colonel Fujita and escort his body to the brigade headquarters!" Toyoshima Fusutaro said with a firm face after staying for a long time.

"But your Excellency the brigade commander, this is a battlefield, and it is dark at night." The Japanese Army lieutenant colonel was caught off guard by the decision of his own brigade commander.

A major general in the army is considered a general of sufficient weight, whether in China or Japan.

Especially in the Japanese army, a brigade commander rarely goes to the front line of the battlefield during combat. He is basically guarded by hundreds of infantrymen, and the defense line is often pushed out hundreds of meters, which makes it almost impossible for the opponent to use cold guns and cold artillery to attack.

The reason why Abe Nobuhide, the "flower of famous generals withered in Taihang Mountain" in the past time and space, was killed by several mortar shells was that the Japanese army was lured into the deep of Huangtuling, and the tactical maneuvering space was not large, which gave the Chinese side the opportunity to fire and hit the hilltop hundreds of meters away.

Of course, the 4 shells were also accurate, and none of them deviated, and all hit Abe Nobuhide's temporary command post.

The reality is that it is difficult to attack a Japanese general commander who is heavily protected. For example, the battle example of Tang Dao lurking on the battlefield in the Songjiang Battle and seizing the opportunity to kill Gu Shoufu with one shot is almost a miracle that cannot be replicated.

Moreover, since the incident in Songjiang, the Japanese Army regulations have been specially amended for this purpose, strictly prohibiting general-level commanders from entering the front line to prevent the Chinese from killing commanders with a small rifle again. That would really hurt morale.

As a result, on such a night, knowing that there were sharpshooters lurking on the battlefield, Toyoshima Futaro had to go to the artillery regiment several miles away to personally inspect the remains and send them back to the regiment headquarters. Do you think he is crazy?

Anyway, the shocked Japanese Army Lieutenant Colonel thought so.

"Lieutenant Colonel Fujita is loyal to the empire. No matter how dangerous the war situation is, as his superior and comrade, I, the brigade commander, cannot let him lie alone on the land he is not familiar with, never! After the war, I will personally send him back to the mainland!" Toyoshima Futaro roared with a cold light in his eyes.

At that moment, the faces of the Japanese soldiers at the temporary command of the 5th Infantry Brigade were all moved. They did not expect that the new brigade commander, who looked cold on the surface, actually had a hot heart.

Undoubtedly, Toyoshima Futaro's seemingly passionate move of taking the risk to bring back the artillery regiment commander who died in battle won the hearts of all the Japanese officers present at this moment.

This is even better than the rank of major general of the Imperial Army on his collar.

In fact, this is also the effect that Toyoshima Futaro wanted to achieve.

The battle of Zishan has basically been a failure so far.

In the afternoon, the two infantry regiments had reported the latest losses. Among the infantry alone, 1,120 were killed and 1,678 were injured. There were only more than 3,400 infantrymen who could continue to fight. This was when the two infantry regiment commanders did not attack with all their strength.

At that time, Toyoshima Futaro was already cold in his back. If he followed his military order, the loss would probably be one-third more. The reason why he used the night artillery bombardment and gathered two infantry battalions to attack the small highland tomorrow was that Toyoshima Futaro was also planning for the last attack. If there was no effect, he would also start the bad mode.

But with the death of Fujita Keito and others, Toyoshima Fusotaro knew very well that even if he conquered that small hill, it would not mean much to him.

What he had to do now was to show his attitude. He believed that his act of "buying bones with a lot of money" would be reported to the North China Front Command and the Fujiwara family.

A major general commander who took a huge risk to welcome the remains of his comrades back was both brave and romantic, and perhaps one of the few bright spots in this completely failed battlefield.

Everyone needs a fig leaf, and Commander Duo Tianjun needs it even more!

Looking at the imperial officers around him, including the lieutenant colonel chief of staff who had been secretly disobeying him, all showed emotion in their eyes. Major General Toyoshima Futaro felt that his risky move could be called a stroke of genius. It not only pleased his superiors, but also won the hearts of these officers.

"No need to persuade me anymore. I have decided to order all members of the 1st Cavalry Squadron to stand by and follow me in 10 minutes!" Toyoshima Futaro waved his hand, straightened his collar, picked up the command knife on the table, and hung it around his waist with care.

It was as if the final battle was about to come and the general was about to take up the knife to fight.

With his straight uniform and upright posture, the posture of Major General Toyoshima Futaro, who turned on his horse and waved his hand lightly to lead a hundred cavalrymen to set off, was really too handsome at that moment.

At least, that scene left an indelible memory for the officers of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Division present.

Their newly appointed major general brigade commander, his excellency, is an unparalleled hero!

However, there is a price to pay for showing off on the battlefield, not to mention showing off too much.

For safety reasons, Major General Toyoshima Futaro, who rode on a tall horse, took off his white gloves and the rank on his collar badge, but the command sword hanging on his waist was still too exquisite. The dark yellow woolen coat of the Japanese Army Major General on his body was much better than the cotton uniforms worn by the Japanese cavalry.

What's more fatal is that in order to ensure the safety of their brigade commander, the Japanese cavalry, who were trotting in the wilderness, instinctively used four cavalrymen with the most exquisite riding skills to guard Toyoshima Futaro.

At first glance, it doesn't seem abrupt, but if it falls into the eyes of someone with a keen eye, it can be said to be fatal.

For example, the two people who were rushing to the predetermined target 3 miles away.

Although hundreds of war horses did not run wildly, hundreds of pounds of horses would make a lot of noise even if they were just trotting, especially in the dark night of intermittent artillery bombardment.

The two soldiers who heard the noise had already hidden behind a low hill, silently waiting for the arrival and departure of the cavalry in the distance.

It's not that the Japanese cavalry has no value, but the sniper and fire support who just killed a Japanese artillery commander know that the cavalry is far more threatening to them than the infantry.

Once the cavalry charges, it will take less than 10 seconds to cross a distance of 100 meters. Even if they pull away 300 meters, it will only take a few tens of seconds for the cavalry.

No matter how accurate Pang Zilong's shooting is, and no matter how fierce Lieutenant Heizi's machine gun firepower is, the Japanese cavalry who have stretched the formation to hundreds of meters can rush over from all directions in a minute and hack them to death.

If it weren't for special circumstances, the two would never do such a thankless task.

"Are you tired? Come on, you can't smoke at this time, try this!" Lieutenant Heizi threw a piece of black stuff to Pang Zilong.

Those are betel nuts. They seem to be the local specialties of Hunan Province that the commander of the 28th Division, Gu, asked someone to bring to Tang Tuanzuo half a year ago. It is said that they can refresh and relieve fatigue. Tang Tuanzuo distributed them to the reconnaissance company for the scouts who cannot bring tobacco when they go on missions.

Tobacco is a rare good thing for front-line infantry, but it is a deadly thing for scouts. Whether it is the flickering light of cigarette butts at night or unsmoked cigarette butts, it is very easy to expose the target.

But Pang Zilong, who was already extremely tired, shook his head and rejected the kindness of the big brother. He always remembered that Tang Tuanzuo once said that a good sniper should not only do a good job of environmental camouflage, but also manage body odor. Whether it is the smell of tobacco or betel nuts, it may leave traces of tracking for the enemy.

"Haha! You are really the good material for snipers that Tuanzuo said. You are strict enough with yourself. Very good!" The rejected Heizi was not unhappy but grinned. He put the betel nuts returned by Pang Zilong into his backpack and looked into the distance with his eyes slightly narrowed. "Why are the Japanese cavalry marching in such a large scale at this late hour? I don't know what they are doing!"

"Brother Heizi, looking at the direction they are marching, it seems to be the artillery position. Do you think it has something to do with the killing of the Japanese commander at that time?" Pang Zilong thought for a while and gave an answer.

"That makes sense! But the people are dead, and they are still sending out such a large number of cavalry. What's going on? Could it be that someone wants to see the body to confirm whether it is real death or fake death!" Heizi nodded and shook his head.

Faced with this question, Pang Zilong couldn't answer.

The two Chinese elites probably racked their brains, but they would never have thought that the major general of the 5th Infantry Brigade would play a "thousand gold to see the corpse" drama for his own future. Among the rumbling horses that resounded through the sky, there was the biggest BOSS of the Japanese army on this battlefield!

If the Japanese cavalry were far enough away from the two Chinese elites, or if they did not use flashlights to illuminate the road ahead, Toyoshima Futaro might have succeeded in this trick.

But unfortunately, nearly a hundred cavalrymen were unlucky. Not only did their marching route pass by the low hill where Pang Zilong and the others were, the straight-line distance was only 500 meters!

That would be fine, but on a night with only moonlight and stars, without any independent light source, even if Tang Tuanzuo came, he could only sigh at the blurry black shadow in the distance. Not to mention hitting a person, it would be difficult to even hit a horse.

But the problem was that five horses had already stumbled and thrown the cavalry off their horses due to the darkness, and they had marched five or six miles without any problems. The Japanese cavalry gradually relaxed their vigilance. Under the order of the captain, they all turned on their flashlights and shone them forward. In order to ensure the absolute safety of the brigade commander on the horse, two cavalrymen in front of Toyoshima Futaro lit torches to illuminate a wider area.

Toyoshima Futaro's figure was simply a conspicuous bag in the firelight.

So, Heizi, who was looking into the distance with a telescope, rubbed his eyes hard, and after a long while, he called out to Pang Zilong softly: "Boy, look, is this guy wearing a woolen military uniform?"

"Yes!" Pang Zilong picked up the telescope and observed carefully for a long time, and his face was even more surprised: "The command knife hanging on the guy's waist is a valuable thing at first glance."

"Good guy, I asked you to look at the military uniform, and you have already taken a fancy to the Japanese command knife. That thing is not rare. We seize a lot of it after each battle. If there is a chance, I will take you to seize one as a souvenir." Heizi joked.

Wait, there is a big fish!

As soon as Lieutenant Heizi finished speaking, the two soldiers looked at each other, and both of them showed surprise on their faces.

The woolen military uniform plus the command knife basically confirmed that he was at least a lieutenant officer. Judging from the exquisite command knife hanging on the waist of the Japanese officer, he must be a lieutenant colonel or a colonel at least.

Do you want to do it? Although neither of the two people who were looking at each other said anything, their eyes were full of this kind of emotional expression.

Although the cavalry is not cost-effective, this kind of lieutenant colonel and colonel-level officer is completely worth the risk.

"Sir, I request to carry out the mission!" Pang Zilong said firmly.

"It's so far away, the sight is so poor, are you sure!" Heizi asked softly.

"I can!" Pang Zilong replied.

"Okay! Do it!" Heizi's answer was also very brief.

A night sniper kill with a straight-line distance of more than 500 meters was determined in just a few seconds of communication.

"I'll be your observer and inform you of the approximate distance!" Heizi picked up the telescope and looked into the distance again.

Pang Zilong set up his rifle and used the scope to look at the dots of fire in the dark.

In the scope, it was almost pitch black, with only the pitifully low-brightness fire and human figures shaking gently, but Pang Zilong was like a statue, holding the gun with both hands very steadily, and the gentle breathing was barely audible in the quiet darkness.

"600 meters, 570 meters, 530 meters, 510 meters" Heizi's voice kept ringing in the night.

"Bang!" Pang Zilong pulled the trigger suddenly, and then pulled the trigger again, firing three shots in a row.

These were two shots that Pang Zilong fired to increase his hit rate. The Czech semi-automatic rifle's ability to fire continuously provided the possibility for it to fire three bullets within 5 seconds.

"Go!" Without observing his results, Pang Zilong turned around and left with his gun.

He had done everything he could. In fact, Pang Zilong felt that the three shots just now were the most accurate three shots he had made since he joined the army. If this could not kill the target, it could only be said that it was far beyond his ability.

After completing their sneak attack, the two Chinese soldiers bent over and turned around to leave. They had at most 2 minutes. The Japanese cavalry should soon determine the shooting direction from the position where the target was shot and rush over here.

Sure enough, after a brief chaos, about 30 Japanese cavalrymen in the distance immediately dispersed and searched in a half-moon shape in the direction where the two people shot.

Most of the other cavalrymen galloped quickly in the direction of the way they came, and the rumbling sound of horse hooves showed endless panic.

The two Chinese elites who were trying their best to escape might never have thought that the person they just sniped was not a lieutenant colonel or a colonel, but a major general of the Japanese Army, the commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade.

According to the trajectory of history, this person was originally promoted to lieutenant general of the army in half a year, and served as the commander of the 2nd Army of the Japanese Army a year later.

But now, with three gunshots, all the calculations and glory are far away from this Japanese Army Major General.

Pang Zilong fired three shots completely based on his feelings, none of which hit the Japanese Army Major General. One shot hit a cavalryman close to the Japanese Army Major General, and the blood from the horrific wound caused by the "black claw" bullet splashed on the face of the Japanese Army Major General who was close at hand.

This was tragic, but it was not enough to scare a soldier who had been on the battlefield for a long time to death. The second shot came again, hitting the neck of the horse where Toyoshima Futaro was sitting. The suddenly hit Oriental horse's front hoof suddenly raised, and Toyoshima Futaro, who had not yet reacted, fell off the horse.

Then came the third shot. The ‘Black Claw’ bullet that could kill a buffalo just hit the head of the Eastern horse. The tall horse weighing hundreds of kilograms was killed instantly and fell down with a bang, hitting Fusutaro Toyoshima who was trying to get up desperately.

“Crack!” The crisp sound of bone cracking was nothing in front of the huge sound of the horse’s corpse falling down, but Major General Toyoshima, who was pressed under the horse’s corpse, saw darkness in front of his eyes.

It was not because the night was too dark, nor was it because the warhorse’s corpse blocked the light.

Rather, his neck was broken.

When the Japanese cavalry hurriedly lifted the horse’s corpse and dragged out their brigade commander from below, they were horrified to find that the brigade commander had lost control of his bowels and bladder, not only was it smelly, but he was almost out of breath.

In the next 80 years, without special equipment, it would be impossible to save a person with a broken spine, let alone this era.

So, one hour later, when Saburo Okabe received the telegram from the 5th Infantry Brigade, he also had an expression of disbelief.

However, Saburo Okabe did not have the intention of putting on a show like the dead ghost Toyoshima Futaro, but madly smashed everything he could see and angrily cursed "idiot" for a full ten minutes!

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