Rise From Eight Hundred

The two infantry battalions that were originally cross-covering the retreat were caught in a pincer attack at 3 a.m., and Shigenobu Yoshitsugu, who had retreated several kilometers away with the main force, took the biggest risk of his life.

Shigenobu Yoshitsugu personally led more than 1,300 infantrymen back to the battlefield, intending to support the two infantry battalions he left behind to block the enemy.

This also became the last risk of this army colonel with a steady combat style.

If the two and a half infantry battalions of the Four-line Regiment, which had been exhausted in the defensive battle, were relied on alone, 3,000 VS 3,000, not to mention that it would be impossible to completely wipe out the Japanese army with almost the same strength, it would definitely pay a heavy sacrifice.

But among the Japanese troops attacking Zishan now, except for Shigenobu Yoshitsugu's direction, which strictly abided by Okabe Saburo's military order and evacuated in an orderly manner, the 5th Infantry Brigade had already started the runaway mode, and the 501st Infantry Regiment had an unexpected change.

The Colonel Commander of the 501st Infantry Regiment, Miyauchi Yoshio, was one of the few smart people in the 1st Division, and his brain turned faster than anyone else.

As soon as Okabe Saburo's military order was issued during the day, the Colonel Commander had already guessed that the division commander had made up his mind. Now it was not about how to end the Battle of Zishan decently, but how to preserve the main force to avoid damaging the division.

The 1st Division originally belonged to the Kwantung Army, and the North China Front Army was just borrowing troops. Why should the 1st Division work for them?

So, Miyauchi Yoshio decisively handed over the highest command of the front line to his deputy commander, and in the afternoon, he personally led two infantry battalions, two baggage squadrons and two cavalry squadrons to escort the wounded away from the main battlefield.

Miyauchi Yoshio had a hunch that if he left later, he might not be able to leave, not because of the Four-line Regiment in Zishan.

He knew very well that the officers and soldiers of the Empire had fought very hard and suffered heavy losses in the past eight days. The Four-Line Regiment on the defense line was not made of steel and iron. They also suffered huge losses and were close to their limits mentally and physically. It was impossible for the Chinese in the mountains to swallow up the more than 20,000 troops of the Empire that remained on this battlefield.

What Miyauchi Yoshio was most worried about was that he knew the strength of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, the brigade commander Hattori Akitaro, who was 6 kilometers away, was almost the same as his 501st Infantry Regiment. However, with the strength of two tank squadrons, the 80th Army on the opposite side killed a tank squadron and half an infantry battalion on the first day.

That shows that the Chinese side is extremely strong.

There is also a seemingly reasonable but extremely unreasonable point. In the two and a half years before this, the 80th Army had never dispatched a main force of more than 10,000 people to fight against the Imperial Army in the field, but this time it happened.

Could it be that the Imperial North China Front was too strong and the 1st Division was too weak, causing the 80th Army to act "irrationally" and pick on the weak?

This situation may appear in the eyes of a middle-level commander at the infantry battalion level, but it will never appear in the mind of a division-level commander, especially an excellent commander who can persist in fighting on the battlefield for several years without much supplies and equipment.

There is no error in judgment, there is only one possibility. The commander of the 80th Army is very sure that the more than 10,000 troops under his command, after joining the Four-Line Regiment, have the ability to fight against the 30,000 troops of the 1st Division.

For two or three days, they have been digging trenches, and it seems that they are planning to fight for a long time in this plain. Even if they are bombed by dozens of imperial fighters, they are unmoved and have no intention of a quick victory.

Miyauchi Yoshio intuitively believes that this 10,000 elite troops must be brewing a big move!

Of course, it is not only him who knows this, Hattori Shotaro also knows it, but knowing and how to deal with it are two different things. Since Okabe Saburo ordered the withdrawal of troops, the 1st Division has been in a passive position across the board.

The key point is tonight, as long as most of the main forces can be withdrawn quietly, the 1st Division will at most be defeated in this battle, and it is not a big defeat.

But the smart man, Yoshio Miyauchi, would never put his life in the hands of others, so he decisively evacuated first. Of course, before leaving, he also left enough strength for his deputy regiment commander. The remaining 2,000 imperial infantrymen and a regiment of security forces who remained in the position were enough to deal with the impact of the Chinese.

Based on the battlefield observations on the night of the 8th, Yoshio Miyauchi had roughly estimated that the Chinese force would never exceed 1,600 people. They could defend with solid fortifications, but if they wanted to attack, they might not have enough troops.

Yoshio Miyauchi was worthy of being the famous fortune teller of the 1st Division. He almost predicted 95% of the situation between China and Japan on this battlefield.

He was only wrong about that small 5%, but it was this 5% that caused the 501st Infantry Regiment's defense line to collapse at a very fast speed that night.

If Yoshio Miyauchi was here, he would definitely not hand over the extremely important flank defense line to the security army infantry regiment.

It's not that he was sympathetic and reluctant to let the less than 2,000 remaining security forces be cannon fodder, but Miyauchi Yoshio never trusted the combat effectiveness of the security forces.

When they win the battle, these guys are more or less useful, just like taking a powerful pill, but once the war goes against them, the security forces are like eggplants hit by frost, and their original combat effectiveness can only be exerted by one third.

In Miyauchi Yoshio's eyes, such an army without faith is not an army at all. He thinks it is a waste of food to let them maintain the security of the occupied areas.

Unfortunately, the highest commander of the Japanese army in the northwest is no longer the old thief Miyauchi Yoshio, but Lieutenant Colonel Hanae Natsuki, who has little say in the 501st Infantry Regiment.

Hanae Natsuki is also a senior officer, with a longer military service than Miyauchi Yoshio, but because of his family background, military relations, personal ability and other factors, he has always lived in the shadow of Miyauchi Yoshio.

This guy used to be the captain of the infantry battalion, but when he was promoted to the deputy lieutenant colonel regiment, he even lost the position of infantry battalion captain. Usually, he is a brick in Miyauchi Yoshio's hand, moving wherever he is needed. Even if Miyauchi Yoshio wants to save himself and run away first this time, he can only pinch his nose and take on this hard work of guarding the rear for the main force.

But for the poor Hanae Natsuki, although the work of guarding the rear is hard and he may even lose his life if he is not careful, he has the command of 4,000 people. As long as he commands properly, he may catch the attention of the division commander, and he will be the first to fill the hole when there is a vacancy for the colonel-level officer.

To put it bluntly, there are opportunities only when there are challenges. Hanae Natsuki also regarded this tough job as an opportunity.

The Japanese Army Lieutenant Colonel who had also been in the army for a long time also realized the core essence of the withdrawal. Letting more imperial officers and soldiers survive was success.

Therefore, Hanae Natsuki did not hesitate to redeploy the defense line, replacing the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Regiment on the flank defense line with two infantry battalions of the Security Army. After dark, about a thousand imperial officers and soldiers quietly evacuated with their equipment. If the Chinese did not launch an attack, another infantry battalion would also evacuate with it, and one infantry battalion of the Security Army would take over. At 3 a.m., three infantry battalions of the Security Army could also be ordered to evacuate.

The layered evacuation model is very good, but it should not be used next time. Who else can have the biggest complaints about this plan except Zheng Yunqiu, the new head of the Security Army?

Let’s not talk about whether the Chinese will take advantage of the opportunity of the army’s withdrawal to counterattack. As soon as Hanae Natsuki’s withdrawal plan came out, in fact, in the eyes of the senior officers of the Security Army, they have been completely abandoned.

Who is Zheng Yunqiu? How could a person who had secretly colluded with his opponent to kill all the Japanese in order to survive be determined by a lieutenant colonel of the Japanese army? Moreover, it was a division borrowed from the Kwantung Army, and it would not stay in North China for long.

You want me to be cannon fodder, then I might as well sell you out first! Zheng Yunqiu is a ruthless man. He made this ruthless decision in the time it took to smoke a cigarette after receiving the military order from Hanae Natsuki.

This guy has a channel to contact the secret radio station of the intelligence department of the Four-line Group. Before it was dark, the withdrawal plan of the 501st Infantry Regiment was placed on Ye Chenghuan's desk.

"Zheng Yunqiu said that two infantry battalions of the Security Army planned to revolt before the war. Is it credible? Will it be a false surrender?" Zhuang Shisan had strong doubts about the personal integrity of the second devils composed of the Security Army.

"It's not surprising that those guys who can sell out their ancestors for their own lives will do anything!" Ye Chenghuan frowned slightly.

Tang Dao is not here. He is the highest commander of the Zishan War Zone. Such a big thing can only be judged by him.

If the surrender of the Security Army Infantry Battalion is true, then the 3rd Battalion can easily eat up the 2,000 Japanese who have not had time to evacuate. If it is false, then the 3rd Battalion and part of the Guard Battalion will suffer the biggest loss since the start of the Zishan War.

Even if it has been confirmed that the probability of the puppet army's surrender is higher than 80%, this decision is still not so easy to make.

"Do you want to ask the regiment commander before deciding?" Zhuang Shisan suggested.

"The regiment commander and his men should have reached the expected target now. The field radio will be temporarily shut down and silent. Only Chief of Staff Shangguan, you and your brother can make the final decision on this matter." Ye Chenghuan shook his head, lit a cigarette and took a few puffs.

"Zheng Yunqiu is the best at saving his life, and he has a trick in our hands. He knows very well that if he pretends to surrender to us and causes damage to our officers and soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment, it will be a huge hatred. He will never make such a big grudge with us unless it is absolutely necessary. I think this matter is very credible."

"Since Director Ye has made a judgment, I will listen to you and take this rare opportunity to kill this group of devils." Zhuang Shisan saw Ye Chenghuan saying this, and he no longer hesitated and voted in favor.

Although Tang Dao was not in charge of the command center, Tang Dao did not trust the wrong person. Ye Chenghuan, a brilliant star who is both civil and military, did not hesitate too much on such a major decision and made his own choice decisively.

Facts have proved that his choice was correct. It was precisely because these two puppet infantry battalions with a strength of up to 1,300 people revolted before the war that the 7th and 8th companies, with more than 400 elite soldiers who entered the Japanese flank defense line without firing a single shot, arrived at the side and rear of the Japanese front position almost in the form of divine soldiers descending from the sky.

The various fortifications carefully deployed by the Japanese army were the front of defense. Facing the machine guns, submachine gun bullets and grenades that were swept like heavy rain from the sides and rear, they had almost no resistance.

Especially after the Chinese officers and soldiers entered the trenches, they used the Dragon Breath shotgun and MP38 submachine gun to clear the way. The resistance of the Japanese infantry in the trenches with Type 38 rifles was like boiling soup pouring on snow. There were not just one but piles of corpses.

When the shotgun with flames fired, a scream would sound in the trench of more than 20 meters long. This kind of firearm, which was named trench gun at birth, was completely born for this narrow battlefield.

The steel projectile ejected with huge kinetic energy can even penetrate the human body and kill another person within a range of tens of meters.

Countless flares were fired into the sky, and in the bright light, the pale faces of the Japanese soldiers were everywhere.

Even if the Japanese troops' fighting will was strong enough, facing the bloody patches caused by such terrible guns and rain-like bullets, their tenacious will would gradually be worn out.

Finally, in the 30th minute after the 3rd Battalion launched the attack, some Japanese soldiers left their positions regardless and fled into the darkness.

As more and more people fled, like dominoes being pushed down, the Japanese army's last will to resist also dissipated.

The Sihang Regiment deployed a total of more than 1,400 infantrymen and some artillerymen to attack the defense line of about 2,000 Japanese soldiers. From the attack to the Japanese army's collapse, it took no more than 1 hour, and no heavy artillery was used.

This is definitely a miracle of some size.

Zheng Yunqiu is definitely a capable man. He and the direct infantry battalion he led did not participate in the pre-war uprising. Instead, when the 7th and 8th companies appeared on the side and rear of the battlefield, they directly led people to break into the command post of Lieutenant Colonel Hanae Natsuki 800 meters behind the defense line, and tearfully asked Hanae Natsuki to evacuate immediately.

Those tears were flowing, and those who didn't know would think how much this guy loved Lieutenant Colonel Hanae. Just when Lieutenant Colonel Hanae was hesitant, this guy simply carried the highest commander of the Japanese army in the northwest and ran away.

Perhaps it was also because he felt the strong muscles on his back that Lieutenant Colonel Hanae gave in and allowed the Security Army Infantry Regiment Commander, who was concerned about the safety of his superior, to carry him on his horse, and everyone ran away together.

It was precisely because of this unspeakable life-saving grace that Lieutenant Colonel Hanae, who escaped the disaster, took the initiative to take the responsibility for the defeat and did not put all the blame on the Security Army Infantry Regiment.

With this, Zheng Yunqiu changed from defecting on the battlefield to being lax in commanding his subordinates, which led to the mutiny of two infantry battalions on the battlefield, and the punishment was changed from the previous death penalty to being demoted to battalion commander.

If Lieutenant Colonel Hanae, who had been transferred to the reserve, knew that nearly 2,000 officers and soldiers of the empire died because of this guy who had saved his military career, he would probably be so angry that he would not even have the chance to fight Zheng Yunqiu with a samurai sword.

After Zheng Yunqiu saved his life, he turned around and gave a gift to the commander of the 10th Division, Yoshio Shinozuka. The originally angry Japanese had already arrested the families of the two infantry battalions that had mutinied before the war in various places in Handan, and were ready to kill them all one day to deter the security forces in various places.

Tell these traitors with blood that this is the fate of defectors.

However, as the 1st Division, which was beaten and embarrassed, left North China, Duo Tianjun left office, and the new commander Okamura Koji arrived in Pingbei City, few people actually asked about the life and death of these security forces’ families.

It took less than 3 months for the 10th Division to release all of them. After all, the new commander abandoned the harsh policies of the previous two commanders and played the routine of "Sino-Japanese friendship" in the opposite direction.

Killing thousands of old, weak, women and children in one breath is against the commander's policy!

According to the two battalion commanders and company commanders who surrendered, this was the condition promised by Zheng Yunqiu to them. Their families would not be investigated and they would not be used as cannon fodder. How could they still work for the Japanese? Selling their lives for the hell!

On this point, Zheng Yunqiu really did not lie to his subordinates. He took a full 100,000 yuan of gold bars to buy his life.

Really, even Tang Dao, who knew about Zheng Yunqiu's tricks, was stunned and sighed, saying, "This guy is a talent, but it's a pity that he is too much of a bastard."

The Japanese army in the northwest collapsed at such a fast speed that more than 1,200 Japanese infantrymen, including a Japanese Army Major, were killed on the spot, and more than 700 fled into the darkness, but less than one-third of them survived and returned to Handan City.

Many Japanese soldiers were either killed by the pursuing Chinese infantry, or they misjudged the direction, causing them to be farther and farther away from Handan. In the end, they were found by the Chinese cavalry who were clearing the battlefield and killed like hunting hares.

But this was only the first round of damage caused by this chain reaction. The most injured was Shigenobu Yoshitsugu's troops.

Colonel Shigenobu Yoshitsugu, who led his troops to fight bravely, had no idea that the battlefields on his left and right wings would be so rotten. When the fierce battle was in full swing, nearly a thousand elite troops from the Four Lines Regiment attacked from behind his defense line.

This is equivalent to the poor Colonel Shigenobu Yoshitsugu fighting the main force of the Four-Line Regiment on his own at night.

When it was dawn, Colonel Shigenobu Yoshitsugu, who had been fighting all night, sadly discovered that he and his 2,000 remaining soldiers had been surrounded by the Chinese side in a hilly area of ​​less than 5 square kilometers.

Unless a miracle happened, he would not be able to break through the Chinese encirclement alone.

After receiving this news, Okabe Saburo, who was already in Handan City, did not show any anger, but leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and two lines of tears flowed down his cheeks, letting Captain Shigenobu Yoshitsugu's telegram for help fall to the ground.

At least during this day, he, the division commander, was powerless to rescue the army colonel and 2,000 imperial officers and soldiers.

And this extremely tragic telegram was the fourth one he received from night to morning!