Rise From Eight Hundred

It took the 31st Infantry Brigade a full hour to completely withdraw from the battlefield.

However, their losses were not limited to the artillery battalion that was almost blasted by artillery fire.

The three infantry squadrons left to block the enemy were definitely a force that should not be underestimated in the past, with nearly 600 infantrymen.

As the commander of the regiment, Sasaki Xiaoyong would certainly not easily play a heroic act of self-sacrifice. After all, it was just a retreat, not a rout. He also equipped the three infantry squadrons with two heavy machine gun squads and one infantry artillery squad to avoid insufficient firepower in the face of the crazy attack of the Chinese.

But this time, it was obviously different from what he expected.

The Four-Line Regiment attacked the hundreds of Japanese soldiers left behind, but it was not what the Japanese imagined that when the charge horn sounded, the mountains and plains were full of Chinese holding rifles and charging.

They were not afraid of that situation at all. Even if there were only simple field trenches, the firepower suppression of 6 heavy machine guns was enough to make the Chinese bleed to death without making an inch of progress.

But the Chinese brought out more than 16 heavy machine guns, and they started to fire fiercely at a distance of 700 meters from them. The rain of bullets made it difficult for the infantry to raise their heads, not to mention the heavy machine guns.

The two infantry guns placed 400 meters behind the trench did respond, but after just two test shots, the thick smoke rising from the muzzles exposed their position.

The shells of the 75 mountain guns and 82 mortars rained down, and the momentum was no less than when they had previously bombarded the high ground in the middle.

It was not until then that the Japanese infantry realized that the Chinese army in front of them was not weaker than them in terms of heavy firepower, not to mention light firepower.

No wonder the brigade commander and the regiment commander insisted on retreating. If they still used infantry to attack the opponent's high ground as before, they would probably have been killed and wounded.

After the two infantry guns were destroyed, the Chinese still did not give up, and the artillery aimed at the Japanese infantry in the simple trenches.

What's more terrible is that this time, it's not just mountain artillery and mortars, but also 37mm rapid-fire guns and 20mm machine guns.

The Chinese seem to have a grudge against artillery shells, and they won't stop until all the shells are used up.

This is the military order of Tang Tuanzuo!

When they came to the battlefield, the baggage company took great efforts to transport various artillery shells. The captured items on the 683rd Brigade were piled up like mountains and couldn't be transported. The Four-Line Regiment also had to spare enough transportation capacity to transport supplies.

Moreover, now that the main force of the Japanese has fled, if we don't take the opportunity to exchange these artillery shells for the lives of the devils, will the artillery shells be thrown away in vain?

As for the replenishment of these artillery shells, Tang Dao has long aimed at the old man in Shanxi who has lost most of Shanxi Province but is still rich. As long as you give money, let alone artillery shells, you can get a few artillery regiments.

Therefore, facing the Four-Line Regiment that needs to reduce its load, the three Japanese infantry squadrons can only bear it, and thoroughly experience the bitterness of their former opponents relying on luck to avoid artillery fire in the trenches.

Half an hour later, the artillery fire from the Four-Line Regiment stopped, and 40% of the 600 Japanese soldiers had been killed. They finally received the military order from the regiment headquarters allowing them to retreat.

It would be good if they could carry the living away, and the dead would be left in the trenches!

However, the Four-Line Regiment did not pursue the victory, leaving the remaining more than 300 Japanese soldiers behind.

"The commander of the little devils can retreat decisively, which is a character. How could such a person not leave a backhand?" Tang Dao looked at the distant mountains and explained to the two infantry battalion commanders who advocated the pursuit. "Besides, he still has more than 10 artillery pieces in his hands. Once a large number of my infantry are exposed, he will certainly return the artillery fire. The lives of the little devils are not valuable, but the lives of my brothers in the Four-Line Regiment are valuable and cannot be easily consumed."

"Besides." Tang Dao paused slightly.

"Sir, what's the matter?" Leng Feng was still younger after all, and couldn't help asking.

"If we don't scare them to run faster, how can we leave here quickly?" Tang Dao smiled.

"What does the commander mean?" Guo Shouzhi seemed to be thinking.

"The Japanese planes will come again." Tang Dao looked at his pocket watch. "If the Japanese North China Front Command knew that the 14th Division's baggage regiment was gone and the two infantry regiments that went to reinforce it could not make any progress, they would judge that our army must have invested heavily. If they did not send a fleet of aircraft to bomb, then the indoor shrouds might be undercovers sent by our army!

It is already April, and the nights are getting darker and darker, which is enough for Japanese planes to arrive in an hour and return in another hour."

"Li Jiujin, take the brothers in your company, take off the extra uniforms and the uniforms of the dead Japanese soldiers, put them on me on the wooden frame, and put them in the trench!" Tang Dao ordered. "The rest of the troops, immediately clean up the battlefield, and then retreat to the location of the 683rd Brigade headquarters.

In addition, telegraph the commander of the 772nd Regiment, Wang, and ask him to make a full-army assault and encirclement posture to scare the softies of the 108th Division. If the little devils don't withdraw, his main force should be ready to retreat at any time to avoid losses."

Gu Teng Changying, who was reporting to the front army headquarters that his infantry regiment had suffered heavy losses, might never have dreamed that while he was trying to retreat, the group of Chinese troops who had just beaten him hard also ran away.

Moreover, they ran very fast!

Tang Dao guessed right.

Upon learning that the 14th Division's baggage regiment could not be saved, Hu Jinshōyi was furious, but this time he was not angry about the loss of the imperial army, but that the Chinese had spit on his already not glorious resume. It didn't kill anyone, but it was disgusting.

The disgusted Indoor Shroud had to react no matter what, so he ignored the Army Aviation's concerns about getting late and ordered them to send out another fleet immediately. Even if they only carried half of the bombs, they had to be able to block two The Chinese army of the infantry regiment dropped a wave of bombs on their heads.

Out of anger towards the Chinese, Indoor Shroud even selectively ignored the large amount of supplies from the 14th Division's Baggage Regiment that were about to be seized by the Chinese. If he had been calm enough at ordinary times, this wave of bombs should definitely have been dropped on those supplies. superior.

The eight Japanese planes that had just returned to the airport had to refuel and load bombs to take off. However, this time, they did not have much time to hover in the sky to observe before bombing. If they waited until after 6 o'clock, the sky would be too dark, and it would not matter at this time. According to all-weather pilots, flying at night is extremely dangerous, but don't be in trouble if you can't find the route back to the airport.

Tang Dao was not an immortal either. He guessed 90% of the time correctly. The only 10% that he didn't guess right was because the top commander of the Japanese Army Air Force fleet that was attacking this time was Captain Sasaki.

Captain Sasaki finally relied on his ability to defeat all the officers who dared to lead the team, and became the number one leader.

Therefore, under his command, the Japanese planes started dropping bombs this time when they were still 2,000 meters away from the top of the mountain.

The 'scarecrow' Tang Dao ordered Li Jijin's 7th Company to make cannot be said to be ineffective. It can only be said that it has little to do with whether the Japanese aircraft fleet decided to drop the bomb.

It's the same group of people who lost four of their companions here. It's reasonable for them to drop bombs in this area.

After the delivery, the eight fighter planes immediately turned around and flew away without any hesitation.

Three kilometers away!

"Are all the little devils' planes so perfunctory now? Are they dropping bombs at such a height?" Cheng Tieshou was stunned with a telescope.

"Aren't you afraid of the anti-aircraft cannons of your Tietou company commander? You are a big Tietou with a group of little Tietou. When the Lord of Hell comes, you dare to fire a burst of machine guns." Li Jijin joked to himself. Colleague said.

"Old Youtiao, if you say something else, I might refute it, but if you say that I am not afraid of even the King of Hell, then I won't argue with you." Cheng Tietshou was very proud, but within three seconds of being happy, he grimaced again. "But if the Japs' planes are like this from now on, dropping bombs at an altitude of 2,000 meters, then the machine guns won't be able to do anything to them!"

"Then I'll give you Cheng Tietou an anti-aircraft gun with a longer range from now on. I won't leave your Captain Tietou useless." Tang Dao over there said with a smile.

It was great that the almost irresponsible Xia Jiba bombed the Japanese fleet. It was better than the best result he had expected. He sincerely hoped that if the Japanese wanted to send fighter planes in the future, they would send these guys.

Of course, Tang Tuanzuo, who was in a good mood, would not have thought that a certain Japanese army aviation captain had dealt with the Four Elements Group countless times.

"Team leader, are you serious about this? Is it the kind of big guy used in the air battle in Zhengzhou?" Cheng Tieshou was so happy that he almost cracked the back of his head.

The 20mm Sulotong machine gun and the Japanese 25mm machine gun are already the largest caliber anti-aircraft artillery that this artillery company commander has ever seen. Could it be the 88mm anti-aircraft gun owned by the first theater? ?

"Don't even think about the 88mm one. That thing weighs almost two tons. Even if you get it, are you going to hold it or carry it up the mountain?" Tang Dao said to this subordinate who was quite daring to think about it. A basin of cold water. "I have to wait until I go to Jincheng to see what the Germans have before I can place an order."

A group of senior officers in the Four Lines Regiment had only recently learned that there was a batch of arms in Jincheng. After hearing what Tang Dao said, they were even more hopeful.

Why does the Four Elements Group get stronger as they fight? It is nothing more than that soldiers who have experienced the battlefield are becoming more and more skilled in tactics and techniques, their will is getting stronger, and their equipment is getting better and better. These three are indispensable.

But even so, everyone still has a hidden worry after all. The Japanese army has complete control of the air. Without air supremacy, the entire regiment has to be on guard at all times to prevent being hit on the head by a bomb. Just rely on the dozen or so anti-aircraft machine guns in the regiment. and three anti-aircraft guns are far from enough.

Just like what Cheng Tietsou was worried about just now, if the Japanese military aircraft dropped bombs at an altitude of 2,000 meters, even if the bombs dropped were not accurate, as long as less than half of them fell on the position, then no one knows how many people would die, and the artillery All the anti-aircraft weapons of the 2nd Company were just a display at this height.

Of course, these are things that should be considered in the future, but what needs to be considered now is how to transport the large amount of seizures.

When the entire army of the Fourth Army reunited with Brigadier Cheng's headquarters at about 6 o'clock, they were surprised to find that the mountains and forests were filled with various supplies.

On the way here, Comrade Wang Xiaoqiang of the 772nd Regiment had already called. The 108th Division that was facing them also retreated and ran away cleanly. The two infantry regiments left only one infantry company on the position to prevent the Japanese from killing them. Turning around, the rest of the main force is also gathering here.

This also means that this is the work of the 771st Regiment and the 683rd Brigade Guard Battalion, which have a total strength of less than 3,000 people. They actually moved more than 70% of the supplies into the mountains.

This is an absolute miracle.

Seeing the soldiers lying on the wet grass along the way, falling asleep with half a piece of cake in their mouths before finishing the meal, many officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment were shocked.

After the continuous battles, the officers and soldiers of the Si Xing Regiment were very tired, but they were definitely proud. This is a character that any strong army will have.

Only when you are proud can you cherish your honor and be more willing to defend it, even if it means using your own life.

But as proud as they are, they have to admit that in terms of perseverance, this soldier is definitely a match for them.

"Come on, Brother Tang, think about it, how can we transport these things?" Brigade Commander Cheng was also worried. Seeing Tang Dao coming, he quickly threw the problem to him.

"That depends on what path you plan to take, Brother Cheng." Tang Dao pondered for a moment and asked back.

"Then we must take the mountain road! Can we take the main road? Do you think the Japanese who have retreated to Licheng are made of mud?" Brigade Commander Cheng couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"If we take the mountain road, it is far from enough with our current four regiments of 10,000 people, each carrying 20 kilograms, plus all the baggage troops transporting 150,000 kilograms." Tang Dao shook his head.

"Then we still have to mobilize the surrounding people?" Brigade Commander Cheng frowned. "If it really doesn't work, we can only burn some supplies that are not urgently needed."

"What a pity!" Tang Dao shook his head. "I do have a plan. Don't the Japanese still have some undamaged and usable trucks? We can use those trucks and take the highway."

"Let's not talk about how many people can drive this kind of truck. If the Japanese who just retreated to Licheng saw it, they would go crazy!" Brigade Commander Cheng shook his head. "Even if they dare not leave the city, when passing through Licheng, the highway is within the range of their artillery, which is too dangerous."

"We think so, and the Japanese certainly think so too. When their sentry on the top of the city sees the headlights of the car in the distance, can he be sure whether it is their own people or us? By the time they send telegrams to confirm it, we will have gone far away.

Besides, when approaching the periphery of Licheng, all the lights of the convoy are turned off, and the co-pilot can shine the flashlight on the rear of the front car, leaving only the headlights of the head car. The Japanese may not know that it is a convoy." Tang Dao said with a smile.

"As for drivers, our regiment's baggage company has already used this half month to train 50 drivers. They don't need to be very skilled, they just need to be able to maintain stability at low speeds. The key issue now is that the main force of the Japanese army that was entangled with Captain Wang and his men has retreated, and I don't know if the Japanese garrison at Dongyang Pass has retreated."

"Good boy, you are doing the opposite! Even if the Japanese knew we were bold, they would never have thought that we would be so bold as to drive a car and pull goods through under their noses. The key is that they didn't dare to go out of the city to ask in the middle of the night. We only needed to delay for more than 10 minutes and we would have run away." Brigadier General Cheng was also a very smart person, clapping his hands and laughing.

"Of course the Japanese troops at Dongyang Pass ran along with us. There were only a few hundred Japanese soldiers. If they didn't run, wouldn't we be eaten clean by those who dared to challenge his infantry regiment? Okay, we'll do as you say, that is, move the supplies here." At this point, Brigadier General Cheng scratched his head rarely.

If he had known this, he wouldn't have fought so hard. Does he have to move some more back?

"That's not necessary. The materials in the mountains are transported by manpower and the baggage troops of various units. There should be a lot left over there, and fifty trucks should be able to load them. All the officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment pay tribute to the friendly forces who have made great efforts." Tang Dao couldn't let this old senior feel that he hadn't thought it through, so he quickly comforted him warmly.

"You kid, you are so good at talking all of a sudden, are you targeting someone in my brigade again?" Brigade Commander Cheng laughed.

"I am quite familiar with Battalion Commander Xiao Ding of the 772 Regiment, and I just need one." Tang Dao answered as a matter of course.

"Get lost!" Brigade Commander Cheng pointed to the distance unhappily.

"Then two company commanders will do!" Tang Dao was not discouraged at all.

"If you don't leave, I will leave!" Brigade Commander Cheng ran straight in the direction of his finger.

He just tried, and Tang Dao took out the hoe he carried with him. Can't he avoid such a person if he can't afford to offend him?

The officers present at the 683rd Brigade were both amused and surprised. Tang Dao was probably the first person to give their brigade commander, who even gave the two division commanders a headache, a headache.

Jokes aside, the transportation of supplies will not stop. If they don't evacuate at night, it will be difficult to deal with the Japanese army sending planes to bomb during the day.

Therefore, most of the supplies were transported back to the various units' bases by small roads under the transportation of tens of thousands of soldiers and pack horses, carts, and small carts.

A convoy of fifty trucks marched on the highway in a swagger until they were finally away from the most dangerous Licheng.

The Japanese troops in Licheng really did not react as Tang Dao said.

Tang Dao actually outsmarted them. In fact, the Japanese sentry on the top of the city saw a pair of headlights and was sure that it was a vehicle going to Lucheng. There would be no one else except the empire's own people.

Although the distance of two kilometers was not enough for them to not hear the dull roar of the truck engine, the two sentries were unlucky people who had experienced artillery bombardment and had serious hearing loss.

So, you are good, I am good, and everyone is good!

I robbed you of your wealth and used your car to deliver it. It was a perfect ‘robbery’!