Rise From Eight Hundred

The loud noise of "boom boom boom!" was heard clearly by Major Tominaga Ichi, who was 2 kilometers away and blocked by three small hills.

That was a sound that only large-caliber artillery could make.

The 150mm heavy mortar showed its sharp fangs in front of the officers and soldiers of the Japanese 39th Division for the first time. The 18-kilogram warhead left a small pit with a radius of only one meter on the ground, but the violent shock wave it stirred up was like a hurricane sweeping everything within a radius of 15 meters with the impact point as the center.

Those who experienced it personally did not have the right to describe the experience of such artillery bombardment, because most people had died in this bombardment, or were knocked unconscious by the turbulent air waves and escaped this disaster by luck.

As one of the few survivors of this bombardment, Lieutenant Saito Ryuji, an observer of the Japanese artillery squadron, witnessed the entire process of the occurrence and end of this huge tragedy for the 232nd Infantry Regiment at the edge of the artillery fire.

"I don't know how the Chinese accurately located my artillery squadron, but that's the fact. Judging from the trajectory of the ballistic missile that landed less than 150 meters outside the artillery position during the initial test firing, they must have carefully calculated the coordinates of the position that my artillery squadron had just selected.

I think there must be a pair of eyes in the dense forest that have been watching us and passed the news of our existence to the Chinese's terrible large-caliber artillery!

I know that kind of artillery is a 150-caliber mortar that is only equipped by the Chinese infantry army or even the army group level. It is a nightmare for the infantry participating in the attack on the front line, but I have only heard about it. But when the shell exploded in the valley below the hillside where I was today, I finally knew how powerful it was.

But I would rather I had never seen this kind of shell, this heavy firepower that turned most of my colleagues into ashes.

Only one shot, and it was still far away from Deputy Squadron Leader Aoki. I was 20 meters away, but I still saw that in the black smoke, Deputy Captain Aoki's strong body, which could rival that of a bison, was slapped away like an invisible giant hand and hit the rock that had existed since ancient times.

I couldn't hear the sound of the collision, but I could see Deputy Captain Aoki's extremely strange body posture. His face was on the ground, but his toes were facing the sky.

The Chinese changed their past stinginess and had an incredible abundance of shells. The bombardment lasted for nearly 5 minutes. The shells thrown into the valley were no less than 100 shells, which was enough to cover the valley with an area of ​​no more than 5,000 square meters five times.

Except for the 6 members of the artillery observation team at an altitude of 200 meters, no imperial officers and soldiers of the artillery squadron in the valley survived! "

This is what Lieutenant Saito Ryuji said to reporters in an interview 40 years after the war.

He described the tragic experience of his artillery squadron during the war. All equipment and artillery were destroyed by the artillery attack of the Chinese army, but he did not mention many details.

For example, the other five members of the artillery observation team led by him either lost their hearing due to the huge explosion close at hand, or had their bones broken by stones and steel fragments falling from the sky, while he, a little thief, was lucky enough to be unscathed.

Then, this poor farmer's son who had always been eager for military exploits and hoped to make achievements on the battlefield was annihilated by the sudden and turbulent artillery fire of Chinese soldiers. Not only did he scare away all his ideals, but he was also scared. In order to avoid continuing to fight with the Chinese in this mountainous area full of death, Lieutenant Saito Ryuji actually chose to use a broken tree trunk to pierce his thigh.

Except for himself, no one knew that the Chinese 4 150mm heavy mortars did not actually cause the record of 123 deaths and 6 serious injuries in the artillery squadron of the 232nd Infantry Regiment of the 39th Division. The number 6 should have been 5.

But Lieutenant Saito Ryuji, who had a flash of inspiration on the battlefield, was successful in a sense. He at least managed to blend into the ranks of the wounded, and was escorted back to Changyang County that afternoon by an infantry squad and a baggage squad.

Lieutenant Saito Ryuji was timid, but he accidentally resolved a life-and-death catastrophe, which he would think of as the wisest decision of his life whenever he thought of it for the next forty years.

Colonel Saji Naoki was stunned when he received the news that the artillery squadron was completely wiped out. Only then did he realize how ridiculous it was for him to feel ashamed for asking for help as soon as his subordinates started the war. The Chinese army on the opposite side was the most elite he had ever encountered on the Chinese battlefield. From tactics to equipment, they were ridiculously strong.

The loss of four Type 41 mountain guns completely destroyed the sharpest teeth of the 232nd Infantry Regiment. The only heavy firepower he could rely on now was the six Type 92 infantry guns and six 90mm mortars belonging to the three infantry battalions. However, in the face of several large-caliber mortars that the opponent had already revealed, these heavy firepower were obviously not enough to help the infantry conquer the steep mountains.

"If this road is blocked, then try another way!" Naoki Saji was not a stubborn person. While ordering the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions to continue to send out scout teams to conduct terrain reconnaissance on the surrounding mountains, he suppressed his anger and personally requested air support from the division commander Murakami Kisaku.

Lieutenant General Murakami Kisaku, who was personally leading his troops on a naval destroyer to Shipai, did not curse after receiving the telegram for help from his subordinates, but reported to his superiors very efficiently.

This time, it was the headquarters that advocated launching the Shipai Campaign. The person responsible for coordinating the cooperation between the Japanese navy and army in China was General Duo Tianjun, who returned home in disgrace. Although this former commander of the Japanese North China Front Army was repeatedly humiliated on the Chinese battlefield, he was at least the spokesperson of the prince in the army. Even the navy millipedes who always looked down on the army had to give him face.

An hour later, four Zero fighters escorted two Type 97 heavy bombers and took off from Jiangxia Airport and headed straight for Paicao Mountain!

Fighters and medium bombers opened the way for an infantry regiment, which was extremely rare in the Japanese army, which was enough to show the importance that the Japanese headquarters and the Japanese China Expeditionary Army Command attached to this campaign.

Two Type 97 heavy bombers dropped six 250-pound bombs on the mountain, and four Zero fighters dropped more than 12 80-pound bombs, blasting the mountain where the first row was located into a charred black. The surging air waves uprooted the low shrubs covering the mountain. The fresh yellow soil and green and the black smoked by high temperature were intertwined. From a distance, it looked like a beautiful oil painting.

The trenches carefully constructed and camouflaged by the Chinese side also appeared for the first time in front of the Japanese infantry hiding hundreds of meters away.

No matter how solid the trenches were, they were not enough in front of the heavy bombs. More than a dozen trenches were collapsed by the terrifying air waves.

As Lieutenant Saito Ryuji said, no one can survive in this steel flame, not the Japanese, not the Chinese.

The bombers and fighters that dropped the bombs were still circling in the sky. The excited Japanese infantry could not hold back their excitement. About 3 infantry squads of more than 140 people climbed up the mountain.

Until they were almost 80 meters away from the Chinese position, there was no Chinese counterattack.

This is unscientific. No matter how powerful the Empire's fighter planes and bombs are, it is impossible to kill all the Chinese. There should be at least sporadic gunfire, unless they are waiting for the Empire's officers and soldiers to get closer so that they can greet them with grenades.

Major Tominaga Ichi, who has rich combat experience, has never hated his crow brain so much. What he thought came true.

The Chinese did not shoot, but small black dots suddenly appeared on the position.

This was the view of Major Tominaga Ichi, who was standing at least a mile away, but for the Japanese infantrymen who were only tens of meters away, those things that were rolling in the air and hitting them with green smoke were undoubtedly the sickles of the god of death.

It was a wave of more than 60 grenades. Because of the high position, the Chinese officers and soldiers standing in the trenches could even throw grenades 100 meters away.

Moreover, these are all grenades with extended fuses, and the longest delay time can reach 7 seconds, which is enough for the grenade to pass through a distance of 100 meters.

60 grenades formed a death net with flying shrapnel in front of the Chinese position 500 meters away. The crawling posture may be able to avoid the shrapnel splashed by an exploding grenade five or six meters away, but you can't stop the shock wave formed by a grenade less than 5 meters away from you!

Life or death, at this time, all depends on luck.

The key is, there are not only 60 grenades in the first row?

If the Japanese infantry lying on the hillside and shouting Amaterasu's blessing had a drone, they could completely overlook the Chinese soldiers in the trenches from the air and see that they had placed at least 6 grenades with the lids opened. They would be scared!

According to post-war statistics, in this round alone, the first row of the mountain infantry company threw 330 grenades, which is equivalent to a 5-minute artillery coverage of the entire battlefield by a 60mm mortar.

This lieutenant platoon leader who walked out of the Sihang Warehouse may have suffered from "fear of insufficient firepower" on the Songhu battlefield. He firmly believed that there was nothing that could not be solved by firepower. For this reason, a light-armed infantry company in the mountain infantry company turned into a heavy-armed infantry company in his 1st platoon.

Not only did each person carry 8 grenades on average, but the bullets were 20% more than other platoons. This of course also made the officers and soldiers of his infantry platoon have to make more arduous efforts to achieve the same marching speed as other platoons.

But it was all worth it. With more ammunition than other infantry platoons, the 1st platoon killed more than 200 Japanese infantrymen on the front battlefield with 5 deaths and 8 injuries in the daytime blocking battle. If the wounded were counted, this number would have to double.

And 3 of the 5 soldiers killed in the 1st platoon died of suffocation because the heavy bombs dropped by Japanese planes collapsed an air-raid shelter.

Although the preparation time was only 6 days, the 1st platoon still made it to the end, using the construction ability that was not inferior to that of the field infantry company, and dug 8 qualified air-raid shelters on the mountain.

The top of the air-raid shelter located behind the trench is 3 meters thick. As long as it is not hit by a heavy bomb, there is basically no risk of being blown through.

But on the battlefield, there are always people with bad luck. The No. 3 air-raid shelter was hit by a 250-pound bomb during the bombing of Japanese planes. Although it did not hit the top of the air-raid shelter, the terrible explosion at a distance of only 5 meters still collapsed the air-raid shelter.

A machine gun team and 6 infantrymen were hiding in the air-raid shelter, all of whom were buried in it. The lieutenant platoon leader immediately led people to dig and rescue after the Japanese air raid, but in just a few minutes, 3 people died and the other 5 people survived by chance.

The officers and soldiers of the 1st platoon who had lost their comrades vented their anger on the Japanese infantry who were attacking again. Not only did they throw grenades at them recklessly, but they also fired two ammunition belts from each of the four MG42 machine guns at great expense.

Even after the few remaining Type 92 heavy machine guns of the Japanese army began to provide fire cover, two MG42s simply turned their muzzles and started firing at the Japanese heavy machine guns.

Although the Type 92 heavy machine gun has a more stable tripod, the MG42, which is only equipped with a bipod, completely silenced a Type 92 heavy machine gun with a rate of fire that is nearly twice as fast as the Type 92 heavy machine gun.

This wave of battle lasted for a full 20 minutes, and finally, after Major Tominaga Ichi, who gradually calmed down, decisively ordered a retreat, the scale did not continue to expand.

It's not that Tominaga Ichi is not strong and tough enough, but that he now has no reserve troops. On this day, his 3rd Infantry Battalion has more than 260 casualties and more than 200 wounded, and has basically lost its ability to continue fighting.

Besides, the regiment still has the 1st and 2nd battalions! He is the most elite of the regiment, not the most stupid boy of the regiment, so how can he fight for his old capital?

The Japanese stopped attacking, and the 1st row naturally stopped. Their mission was to draw a horizontal line here to tell the Japanese that this road was blocked. If they wanted to pass through here, they would have to leave their lives.

Naoki Saji did not receive any good news this afternoon. The 3rd Infantry Battalion suffered heavy losses because of its stubbornness. The scouts sent by the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions detoured to the right wing of the card slot for nearly 10 kilometers, but did not find a road for the army to pass through this mountain range.

All the roads that could be used for people and animals to pass through had Chinese fortifications, and the attempt to pass through this place without bloodshed was completely thwarted.

It was not until the evening that Naoki Saji received good news. There were no Chinese defensive positions around the card slot that seemed to be the most dangerous.

A scout team of 15 people quietly climbed up the canyon passage that could be used by the army. Perhaps the Chinese played too much of the empty city plan. There were no Chinese figures within two miles around.

But it took more than two hours for 15 infantrymen carrying only guns to cross the ridges. It was almost impossible for the army carrying packhorses and other supplies to cross over like them.

"Sir, we can send one or two infantry squadrons to set up positions on the ridges in a light-equipped manner to protect the main force of the regiment from passing through that passage." The captain of the 1st Infantry Battalion suggested with his eyes lit up.

Having seen the miserable state of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, the Japanese Army Major really didn't want his 1st Infantry Battalion to repeat the same mistake, so passing through here was the best choice.

"But, Chishima-kun, have you ever thought that the Chinese did not defend this important passage, but deployed defenses in a more difficult area? As the saying goes, there must be something wrong when things are abnormal. I personally think it's not right!" Major Tominaga I, with a pale face, immediately objected.

There is both rational judgment and rebellious thinking at work.

If the main force of the regiment actually passed through smoothly, what would the loss of his 3rd Infantry Battalion today be? Is it stupid or blind?

"Haha! Yongyijun, that's because you don't understand the Chinese. The Chinese have always worshipped their ancient military god Sun Bin, and are especially superstitious about the so-called Thirty-Six Stratagems, which is the so-called strategy of confusing the enemy. They judged that our troops would never dare to take the risk of passing through that natural barrier, and using limited troops in the mountains would be more conducive to their task of blocking our advance.

I think it's not that they didn't send people to guard, but the number is very small. I suggest that before our troops pass through, our air fighters can drop incendiary bombs on the high ground of the mountains to clear the possible enemies, and then enter with infantry. Even if the Chinese want to attack our troops from a high place, it can only be a fantasy." The captain of the 1st Infantry Battalion smiled and talked freely.

"And, just in case, we can even let only one infantry squadron go in first to explore the way for the whole army. Only if they pass through the passage safely and set up a blocking position at the exit of the passage, our main force will enter in full."

"Yoshi! Chishima-kun's suggestion is good! Chishima-kun will be in charge. We will formulate a marching plan tonight according to Chishima-kun's suggestion. At 7 a.m. tomorrow, we will start to explore the passage area." A smile finally appeared on George Naoki's gloomy face.

The most dangerous passage is above the head. Not to mention grenades and explosive packs dropped from a hundred meters above, even a stone can kill people. As long as the threat above is removed, what else is there to be afraid of?

In the dark night, about 300 Japanese infantrymen climbed up the peak tirelessly and shrank into the cold bushes to escort the main force of the regiment that will march through it tomorrow.

At 6:30 in the morning, when it was still light, three Japanese infantry squads entered the passage with flashlights. The eerie passage made them only look at the mountain wall for a short time before they turned their eyes to the ground to prevent the Chinese from burying mines and explosives.

After more than an hour of searching, 150 Japanese infantrymen successfully passed through the passage and established a blocking position at the entrance of the valley.

"Yoshi, all troops, follow the marching plan, enter the passage in an orderly manner, and pass quickly!" Facing the rising sun, Colonel Naoki Saji, who received news from the two Japanese troops on the top of the mountain and at the end of the passage, breathed a sigh of relief.

This should be the most wrong choice Colonel Naoki Saji has made in his life, because since he stepped into the dark passage under the protection of the guards, he had no chance to make other choices.