Rise From Eight Hundred

 Chapter 1417 The first wave!

“You platoons have checked the terrain, what do you think we should do?” Standing on the cliff at an angle of nearly 90 degrees, Gu Xishui stared into the distance.

The Japanese army is advancing faster than anyone imagined. According to the battle report relayed by the regiment headquarters to the theater, at least two infantry regiments have already set up troops on the banks of the Qingjiang River and are about to launch an attack on the Changyang defenders.

 That means that in ten days at most, the Japanese army will march from Changyang to the Shipai Defense Area, leaving only so much time for the mountain infantry company to set up defenses here.

 But the mountains here are very different from those in Taihang. They are not only high, but also steep. There are always cliffs close to 90 degrees.

Don't think that this will make it possible for one man to guard against ten thousand men. When setting up defenses on such a cliff, it is extremely difficult for infantry to attack. However, the Japanese artillery is not a vegetarian, especially when there are threats from the air. A series of bombs are dropped. Coming down, it is simply fatal to the infantry who are clinging to the civil fortifications on the cliff and shooting at the passage below.

What's more terrible is that this kind of natural danger is very painful for the attacker, and for the defender, there is no way out.

The Japanese could easily circumvent the two wings and cut off the only retreat from the mountain. The defenders on the mountain were completely alone. Reinforcements and supplies could not get up, so they could only let the Japanese planes and artillery bombard them. In the end, one One died.

If the war reaches that point and the only option is to carry out this kind of war of attrition that will destroy everything, then of course there is no telling. Gu Xishui will not hesitate to scatter all 4 platoons and 16 squads in this mountainous area like nails. , the Japanese had to use human lives and massive artillery shells and bombs to pull out these nails one by one.

But the war hasn't started yet. Tang Tuanzuo's tactical intention is to eliminate a large number of Japanese troops in this mountainous area, rather than to fight with the Japanese with their lives.

 So, you still need to use your brain more and not act recklessly.

“Company Commander, I found an interesting place 3 miles ahead. I think we can take advantage of it!” Long Yan pointed to a mountainous area in front of him.

"Then let's go take a look!" Gu Xishui glanced in that direction and made a decisive decision.

There is the only passage from the outside world to Shipai, but everyone instinctively believes that the Japanese will never be so stupid. There are cliffs on both sides of the passage. Mountain people walking on it can't help but look up at the sky from time to time. I was afraid that a stone would fall and hit me to death.

Ambush a troop above, let alone throw grenades and shoot with machine guns, or even use rocks to kill a large number of people below.

 There is no chance that a large army will enter it.

The 3rd Battalion of Heilongtan in Wangwushan fought a similar battle against the Kunozaki Detachment of the Fifth Division, but the crack passage was much shorter than this one. In addition, the Japanese army was eager to pursue, so they made a fatal mistake.

Therefore, after taking a general look at the terrain of this area, the other three platoon leaders all tended to believe that the Japanese army would definitely choose to cross the mountains instead of taking the canyon passage that seemed easier to reach but was a dead end.

 But now Long Yan brought it up again after an on-the-spot investigation, and Gu Xishui even agreed.

Gu Xishui had to understand Long Yan. Even though Long Yan was usually careless and a bit careless, he was actually very delicate at heart. Especially since he joined the army, he had grown rapidly. He was no longer the person he was before, who only gave symbolic gifts to appease the Yeyue villagers. A young man with the rank of second lieutenant, he is now an extremely qualified infantry platoon leader.

 He ​​said it was interesting, it must be something that can be used.

A few people approached the mountain path called Pai Tong. The overall length is about 3 miles. It is surrounded by dangerous stone walls on both sides. It is as steep as a knife and an axe. The passage in the middle is less than four meters narrow. People at the bottom of the valley feel like they are at the bottom of a well.

The peaks on both sides of the mountain road are even hundreds of meters high. Looking up, my neck feels sore and I can’t see clearly what the mountain looks like.

"If I were the Japanese commander, even if I decided that the main force wanted to pass through this passage, I would definitely cover the peaks on both sides with heavy firepower, and then send a large number of vanguard teams to climb these peaks from other places for reconnaissance. In this way "Not only did I and the brothers who were ambushing here suffer losses in vain, but the main force of the Japanese army cannot attack them. We cannot do this kind of loss-making business," a lieutenant platoon leader looked up at the mountain and shook his head.

The lieutenant platoon leader was one of the veterans who followed Tang Dao and Lei Xiong all the way out of the Sixings Warehouse. Not only was he senior enough, he also had rich battlefield experience. He was considered the second-ranking commander in the mountain infantry company. Company Commander Gu Xishui also respects him.

 He said no, and Long Yan's unspoken suggestion was basically a death sentence.

"Hey! Brother Zhou, I didn't say I was going to ambush the little devil on the mountain peak, look over there!" Long Yan was not in a hurry, but chuckled and pointed to the top of the cliff, which was about tens of meters above his head.

On the cliffs on both sides, there are many natural stone caves, and you can see with the naked eye that there are boat-shaped coffins placed by local people inside.

That is called a hanging coffin, which is a unique burial method of the ancient Ba people in the Three Gorges area.

After a person dies, his or her family will choose to be buried halfway up the cliff along the river. They will use natural caves on the cliff or specially dug cliff holes to place or hang the coffin in the cave. These coffins are usually placed in the cave. It is made into the shape of a ship, so it is also called a ship coffin or a rock coffin.

Although this area is not adjacent to the river, it is only a few miles away from the Yangtze River, which is considered an excellent location.

Most of the officers and soldiers of the mountain infantry company came from the north. They had never seen such a coffin hanging in a cave halfway up the mountain. During the terrain survey, a team used a walkie-talkie to report to the platoon headquarters. The horrified tone made Gu Xishui next to him. Some couldn't help but laugh.

These guys have experienced countless battlefields filled with flesh and blood, and yet they are still afraid of the coffins of people who have been dead for who knows how many years. I don’t know if they are brave or timid.

Of course, this is mainly due to the Chinese tradition of respecting the ancestors, and it is not that the officers and soldiers are afraid of the dead bones in the coffins.

"What do you mean?" Gu Xishui's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yes, I want to use these natural caves where coffins are placed as firepower points. Company commander, brother Zhou, look at these caves. The shortest one is thirty or forty meters from the ground, and the highest one is sixty or seventy meters, which is almost as close to the ground as possible. It's straight up and down. The Japanese can't even hit us with grenades and grenades, let alone climbing people up. As for the infantry artillery, if they can, they just carry it on their shoulders.

Not to mention that firing cannons can kill people. With their small bodies, they thought it was me! "Long Yan laughed and stretched out his arms to bulge his muscles.

"Besides! What Brother Zhou was worried about just now was that the Japanese would conduct fire reconnaissance and personnel checks on the mountain. I hide in such a cave, block the entrance with big rocks, and make some disguises. With the IQ of a little devil , How could you imagine that I would be hiding above their heads and preparing to give them a gourd!"

 “What a great idea! Long Yan, it’s really yours.” The lieutenant platoon leader who objected at the beginning gave Long Yan a thumbs up and praised Long Yan, and took the initiative to help Long Yan make up for it.

"By visual inspection, there are no less than 30 caves where hanging coffins are placed. We only need to place a three-person team in most of the caves, with two rifles and one submachine gun as the firepower, and then place them in caves with suitable shooting ranges. A machine gun team can form a perfect fire network on this passage.

As long as any Japanese dare to pass through here, they will be beaten until they have no way to go to heaven and no way to go down!

Moreover, a rough calculation shows that it is about the strength of one platoon. Our other three platoons happen to be guarding the other two mountain passes. The Japanese were frustrated on our side. Even if they did not want to choose this road, they had to choose this road.

That's like driving fish in the river, driving the little devils here, and killing them with one guy. "

"Haha! Brother Zhou, you must understand me and tell me exactly what I am thinking. There is no need for mortars here. I will give you all the mortars in my platoon. You can fight the little devils on the outside. The more ruthless you are, the more little devils will get here." Long Yan laughed loudly. "What about the food and drink in the cave, Captain Long? There is also the issue of how to evacuate, have you considered it?" Another second lieutenant asked after thinking carefully.

"Eating and drinking are easy to solve. Prepare 10 days of dry food and water in each cave. In addition, each rifle carries 300 rounds of ammunition, submachine gun 1,200 rounds, pistol 70 rounds, and 90 grenades!" Long Yan obviously had a plan for this.

"As for the issue of evacuation, hehe! It depends on you guys. If there are still some of you alive, then the rope will naturally be hung from the mountain to pull us up. If there is no more, what else can we say, everyone? Let’s play with eggs together!”

What he said made several lieutenants dumbfounded. This guy is really a ruthless person. He puts others to death and lives later. He not only put himself to death, but also completely handed over his life to their comrades.

　　It really takes the idea of ​​living together and dying together to the extreme.

"Okay! Since you Long Yan and the brothers in the 2nd Platoon have this awareness, then all the brothers in my mountain infantry company will join you in taking a gamble. I will try my best to provide walkie-talkies in every cave of your platoon. If you need anything, I can Call for help through the walkie-talkie, don't end up with me alive, but you, the platoon leader, starve to death in the cave.

Then I must not be chased and beaten by Platoon Commander Long Ying and Platoon Commander Shen in front of the group. One of them is playing with a knife and the other is playing with a gun. I really can't win! "Gu Xishui is also a courageous person. In the discussion among his subordinate platoon leaders, he agreed with Long Yan's tactics.

It is really not easy to enter the cave. At a height of tens of meters, it is definitely not possible to go from bottom to top. You can only hoist it from top to bottom.

 It took three full days to send more than 80 officers and soldiers and the required weapons and supplies into various caves.

The height of the descent can be as short as tens of meters or as long as more than a hundred meters. Even the villagers of Yeyue Village who grew up in the mountains and collected herbs on the cliffs are hanging in the cold winter wind. More than a hundred meters in the air, I also felt dizzy.

 But that’s not the most difficult thing, it’s that the soldiers, who are basically a group of three, have to live with the dead bones in the cave for many days.

At that time, rumors of gods and ghosts filled the countryside. The thought of not only touching the coffins of the ancestors of the Ba people, but also having to deal with them in a space of only a few square meters made all the soldiers who were basically farmers tremble. vertical.

"Find a place for me to put all the bones, light three incense sticks, or three cigarettes if there is no incense, kowtow to the ancestors a few times, and tell them that future generations will fight against the devils who occupied his place and let them Don't blame us, if you can, just lie down and watch how we kill the Japanese." It was Long Yan, who listened to the soldiers on the walkie-talkie who picked up broken arms and legs on the battlefield without frowning and asking for instructions. How to deal with those coffins that take up space and are eye-catching, I gave this order directly.

Once he heard this, the soldiers who were troubled by ghosts and gods were relieved.

Yes! If our ancestors knew that they were fighting Japanese pirates who invaded their homes, they would definitely not blame them, and maybe they would be able to protect them!

 Morale improved inexplicably.

As expected, within three days, news came from the regiment headquarters that Changyang County had been captured!

 In two days, Yuyang Pass will be lost!

　　A Japanese division followed the mountain road between Changyang and Shipai and headed straight for Shipai.

At the same time, the Japanese 13th Division and the 39th Division have gathered in Yiling. There are more than 20 Japanese warships coming from the Jiangxia direction, including four 2,000-ton destroyers and 700 There are eight ton and 600-ton gunboats, and up to 15 armed transport ships.

All this has shown that the Japanese army can no longer wait for the Chinese New Year and hopes to break through the east gate of the most important city in China before the arrival of the Chinese New Year.

In the past, the Japanese army assembled heavy troops to attack Shipai. This was because the Japanese navy had repeatedly failed in the Pacific battlefield. The military headquarters in Japan hoped to mobilize the army and navy forces from the Chinese battlefield to the Pacific battlefield.

　　Conquer Shipai, threaten to attack the mountain city, and force the Chinese government to surrender, so as to quickly resolve the war on the Chinese battlefield.

That was affected by the entire grand strategy, otherwise the Japanese army would not have rashly invested tens of thousands of troops into this high mountain.

But in this era, the Chinese dispatched troops resolutely made this deployment two years in advance. To be honest, it still has something to do with Tang Dao, a little butterfly from the future.

Mainly because of the relationship between the Rockefeller family, Shancheng received assistance from new fighter jets and a large number of anti-aircraft guns in 1940.

This may be a prelude to the Americans joining the war, and whether they have already privately concluded an alliance with China is a question that must be considered by Japanese senior leaders who have deployed their troops directly towards the battlefield in Southeast Asia.

They have the idea of ​​Southeast Asia, a fertile land with extremely rich products. The first one who won't agree is naturally the old empire. However, the empire where the sun never sets is currently in a fierce battle with the German Empire, and it is hard to protect itself. How much energy can it pay to pay attention to the distance? A colony thousands of kilometers away from the mainland?

  Japan, which has already expanded, does not take the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets seriously. The one that deserves their most vigilance is the United States, which has remained neutral so far.

It can be said that what the Americans did in 1940 was like a coquettish beautiful woman, constantly teasing the extremely fragile nerves of this short and rough-looking man in Japan.

In the midst of constant guessing, the senior leaders of the Japanese base camp finally made up their minds to first deal with China, the stubborn enemy, and then mobilize the whole country to fight against the Americans.

China still has millions of troops and a vast land. China’s current dispatched army is only one million. If they want to eat it up in one bite, even the arrogant Japanese feel that it is not possible.

The simplest and easiest thing to do is to directly attack the mountain city and force the Chinese government in the mountain city to surrender. As long as its command center surrenders, the millions of troops will be nothing more than a piece of scattered sand. Their destruction is only a matter of time. Unlike now, the Chinese army is getting more and more. The more they fought, the more they fought, so much so that even a strong warrior like Itagaki Shiro felt a little desperate.

  . . . . . . . . . .

  January 13, 1941!

The 232nd Infantry Regiment of the 39th Division of the Japanese 11th Army, led by its infantry regiment commander Saji Naokage, set out from Yiling, crossed the Qingjiang River, crossed Changyang, and rushed along the mountain road toward Shipai.

This may not be the first Japanese army to approach the central defense area of ​​Shipai in what will be called the Shipai Defense War in the future. The blocking battle they eventually encountered was not the first battle that broke out in the Shipai Defense War.

But this is definitely the first wave of elite Japanese troops faced by the Chinese army in the Battle of Shipai!

Although the 39th Division is only a B division organized by the 3rd Infantry Regiment, in the Battle of Zaoyi not long ago, the reason why General Zhang died was because he was besieged by this division. Its division commander Murakami Qi Zuo is also a product of Japan's "elite education", and his strategy and courage are not bad in everything. In order to catch up with the West, Japan has gone through a series of reforms and formed a unique "elite" education system. Those who are outstanding first enter the infant school to study, then the outstanding people enter the sergeant school, and finally those who can graduate from the Army University are what Japan calls "Elite" talents!

Murakami Saisaku, who will become the commander of Japan's Third Army in the future, may not make it obvious, but those who have the same academic trajectory as him, such as Okamura Koji, Anami Yuki, Doi Madoka, Taten Shun, etc., all studied in China. Heinous crimes were committed on the land.

The combat effectiveness of the 39th Division is comparable to that of many veteran permanent divisions!

Even the proud commander surnamed Hu, after learning that the 39th Division who took the lead from Changyang to attack the central position of Shipai, called Tang Dao specifically to ask: "Do you have the confidence to stop this Japanese army? If the troops are insufficient, 34 The division can support one or two infantry battalions at any time!"

But Tang Dao didn't tell him that he only sent a mountain infantry company. Although the strength was larger than that of an ordinary infantry company, it was nothing compared to the elite infantry regiment of the Japanese army.

Tang Dao chose to trust Gu Xishui and rejected the kindness of the division commander named Hu. However, during the period of caution, he also sent reinforcements to the mountain infantry company, but only sent a heavy force platoon and a baggage platoon to support, a total of 4 150 caliber mortars, 400 rounds of artillery shells and 150 second-line combatants!

 At noon on the 15th, the snipers of the mountain infantry company fired the first shot on the peak 400 meters away from the Japanese army!

 Kill a Japanese lieutenant!

 The battle begins!