PDLP Chapter 313: The Japanese Year-End Sweep 2
Chapter 313: The Japanese Year-End Sweep 2
If the Japanese go all out, the sense of oppression they bring will be obvious.
First, the bombardment started. There is no doubt about that. The Japanese have used this trick so many times that even the soldiers didn't take it seriously. They hid in the anti-artillery cave with their mouths half open.
More than ten minutes later, the shelling continued, and the Japanese had already led the puppet troops to the first line of defense.
This situation was soon discovered by a soldier who was scouting from a distance, and he immediately took out the signal flare he had prepared in advance and fired it.
boom!
With a loud noise in the sky, the soldiers came out of the anti-artillery cave one by one cursing.
"Damn it! The Japs are coming up, and the artillery fire hasn't stopped yet. Are they in a hurry to be reincarnated?"
Wen Jiayi was also very angry. It was obvious that the Japanese wanted to create a time difference. If he didn't come out soon, the Japanese would be right under his nose.
Da da da!
A row of heavy machine guns in the rear opened fire at the puppet troops several hundred meters away, instantly mowing down a large number of them.
boom!
A grenade flew over and hit the machine gun position accurately, and the main and deputy gunners fell directly into a pool of blood.
"Damn it, take away the Japanese grenade launcher for me." Wen Jiayi said angrily.
boom!
A bullet grazed the helmet on his head and flew away, scaring him so much that he immediately retreated into the trench. It wasn't just the Japanese cannons that were accurate.
If Wen Jiayi hadn't moved his head slightly just now, he might have been hit on the head.
Da da da!
The machine gunner in charge of the M60 appeared, and ten machine guns were aimed at the direction of the Japanese puppet army and fired a burst of fire.
The Japanese's momentum was suppressed in an instant, and they all lay on the ground and fired at the soldiers of the third battalion on the position.
Naturally, the artillery battalion was not idle either. The mortars and infantry guns were lined up at a distance and fired several rounds of rapid fire at the Japanese on the position.
Boom boom boom!
There was a loud explosion, and a large number of Japanese and puppet troops were overturned.
Although the Third Battalion was not as powerful as the Second Battalion, the effect of its 18 guns was equally significant. It was simply a pipe dream for the Japanese soldiers to bully others with guns without using heavy artillery.
"Reporting to the battalion commander, a telegram has arrived from the regimental headquarters, reminding us to be on the lookout for the Japanese biological and chemical weapons, including but not limited to poison gas bombs."
"What did you say? Poison gas bomb?" Wu Mazi was shocked for a moment and looked at his communications soldier.
They had indeed never encountered this thing on the front battlefield. The only recent time was when they were blocked by soldiers from the 88th Division, which led to no one thinking about this issue.
"Yes, the telegram from the regiment headquarters said that the Japanese are likely to use biological and chemical weapons," the communications soldier emphasized again.
Wu Mazi came to his senses, thought for a moment, and then urgently ordered, "Hurry up and have the militia fetch water and bring it to the trenches. Hurry!"
Soldiers all have marching canteens, but he doesn't know whether there is water or not, so he must prepare it in advance. As far as he knows, if it is a poison gas bomb, the damage will be too great.
On the mountains on both sides, the soldiers of the second battalion were also ready for battle.
At this time, a large number of Japanese devils had already climbed up the mountain with their puppet troops, preparing to surround the Second Battalion.
Halfway up the mountain, the two sides were 200 meters apart. The soldiers of the second battalion opened fire first, using a combination of M60 and Type rifles.
Yang Zhenhua also received the news from the regiment headquarters. At this moment, he did not want to give the Japanese any chance. He used fifteen M60s and more than a dozen Type s on each side to directly form a fire blockade.
Da da da!
The fierce gunfire caused heavy casualties to the Japanese and puppet troops who were already below, and they retreated in a short while.
The soldiers of the second battalion were in a dominant position, with M60 and Type rifles, and layer upon layer of firepower, making it difficult for the Japanese to break through the defense.
"Reporting to the Commander, these Chinese in the mountains have powerful firepower, and our warriors have suffered heavy casualties!"
In just a few minutes, three or four hundred puppet soldiers and Japanese soldiers were killed in the first group of people who went up the mountain. This made the captain of the team very panicked.
"Baga," Kuchi Keinosuke was furious. With so many people surrounding him, he was not here to listen to his subordinates' complaints.
"Hey!" The captain of the team could only bow and admit his mistake when he heard the captain's roar.
Kuchi Keinosuke looked at his subordinate with a cold gaze for a while before slowly speaking: "Iijima, you are a warrior of the Empire. You should not be afraid of these Chinese."
"Hi!" Lieutenant Colonel Iijima bowed even lower.
Kuchi Keinosuke's expression softened a bit, and he said, "Since these Chinese have strong firepower, your mission is to hold them back. Once our air warriors arrive, you should know what to do!"
When Iijima heard this, his expression froze for a moment, then he respectfully agreed.
It was obvious that the brigade had other plans. If that was the case, he would not have any burden.
He had previously been puzzled as to why the brigade's heavy artillery was not used, but now he seemed to understand a little better.
Time passed minute by minute, and it gradually came to half past ten in the morning. Just when the battle between the two sides reached a stalemate, the Japanese aircraft squadron arrived...
After receiving the report, Tanaka Shinichi looked towards the distant sky and said with satisfaction, "Yoshi, Morimoto-kun, the artillery regiment can attack now. This time we will take down these Chinese in one fell swoop."
He still didn't plan to use the heavy artillery, but he didn't plan to hide the headquarters' artillery regiment.
He just didn't believe that these people could fly away with wings under the ground artillery regiment and the poison gas bombs dropped from the air...
In fact, Zhao Ziqing was not wrong in his guess. The Japanese did prepare poison gas bombs, but they were hidden very well. They were all placed at Shijiazhuang Airport and were not transported directly to Laiyuan for fear of information being leaked or being destroyed.
The division commander, Jun Hougong, knew that the independent regiment had a special operations battalion. He could not be too cautious with such important strategic materials.
Moreover, there are no restrictions on them for airdrops, so this plan is a natural thing to do.
"Battalion Commander, the Japanese planes are coming," the soldier hurriedly ran to the air-raid shelter to report.
Wu Mazi nodded and ordered with a serious expression: "Have the soldiers cover their mouths and noses with wet towels, and hurry up."
Fortunately, there was time to prepare, otherwise his camp would be in real trouble.
The soldiers of the third battalion had received orders early and wet towels with water and tied them behind their heads.
The Japanese attack had slowed down, which gave them an opportunity.
The soldiers of the third battalion were preparing, and the commander of the second battalion, Yang Zhenhua, naturally had already noticed the movement in the sky and immediately ordered the soldiers to act according to the plan.
Towels and water bottles were all captured from the Japanese. They all brought them with them when they went out, so they had no shortage of means to defend against poison gas bombs.
Boom boom boom!
As the Japanese fighter planes approached the sky above the third battalion, poison gas bombs fell with a dull sound.
A few minutes later, the position was filled with poisonous gas and yellow smoke, which soon covered the entire area.
Afterwards, the Japanese artillery regiment set out and fired shell after shell at the second battalion's position.
Boom boom boom!
A large number of grenades fell to the ground, making bursts of violent roars.
Soon, some unfortunate soldiers died. Some soldiers who accidentally dropped their towels were also unlucky. They only took a breath and fell to the ground, spitting out thick yellow-green phlegm. It was obvious that they were dying.
After the Japanese planes dropped their supplies on the third battalion, they naturally would not let go of the mountains on both sides.
24 planes then began to drop not only poison gas bombs but also incendiary bombs on the mountains on both sides.
Soon, the fire spread across the mountains, and yellow smoke mixed with white smoke scattered all over the mountains.
In fact, if these things had not been prepared, the Japanese pilots would not have to wait so long, but it is not too late now.
Tanaka Shinichi was satisfied. With a cold smile on his face, he said to the staff officer, "Mr. Morimoto, the dignity of the empire cannot be violated. These Chinese people should all die!"
Although he had no direct grudge against the Independent Regiment, any army or civilian that stood in their way would be killed, without any exception.