Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

Chapter 281: Zhulong River Blocking Battle

The next morning, news came from Zhao Ziqing that the Japanese had captured a large number of local people as coolies and were transporting supplies to Baoding.

Although the Japanese unloaded the goods in Taipingzhuang, the supplies could not be left in Taipingzhuang and had to be given to the 6th Division in Baoding, so they came up with this idea.

After receiving the news, Gu Changfeng immediately organized the battalions to set off in batches.

The strength of the Japanese transport team was not weak. There were two battalions in Shijiazhuang and more than 2,000 puppet troops transporting goods.

Zhao Ziqing's mission was to investigate, and since he didn't bring many people with him, he could only follow from a distance.

The Japanese's goal was to go to Wuji County, then go along the Ci River to Zhulong River, and then transport the supplies from Zhulong River to the vicinity of Gaoyang County. They didn't have to worry about the rest of the time as the 6th Division would take over the supplies.

By the afternoon, the supplies were quickly loaded onto the ship at the urging of the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese mobilized a lot of manpower to get this batch of supplies.

Naturally, a large number of people suffered.

The Japanese invaders who entered the village burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of atrocities. Many innocent people died at the hands of these beasts, and the young and strong were escorted to the banks of the Ci River.

The boats that the Japanese had assembled overnight were now floating quietly on the Ci River.

More than 200 boats were lined up for more than ten kilometers. After being loaded with supplies by captured civilians, the boats began to sail under the leadership of the Japanese squadron in the front.

Of course, the devil's guards are more than these. More than 2,000 puppet soldiers have already cleared the way under the leadership of the devil's captain.

They must first clear the river banks of potential threats.

The Eighth Route Army naturally would not be unaware of the Japanese's large-scale transportation. Faced with such a large piece of fat meat, everyone was greedy.

Therefore, after receiving accurate intelligence, the boss immediately ordered all the Eighth Route Army troops near Shijiazhuang to go out.

Regardless of whether we can get this batch of supplies, at least we can’t let the Japanese get it.

The boss was also very clear that the Japanese had been planning this for a long time, and a war at the end of the year was inevitable. If they could destroy or snatch back some of the Japanese supplies, they could also reduce the casualties of the soldiers here.

On Gu Changfeng's side, after obtaining the exact route of the Japanese, he directly ordered each battalion to go out, with the third and fourth battalions responsible for blocking the enemy near Zhulong River.

As soon as he made his move, the Japanese division commander Inaba Shiro could no longer sit still.

However, since all the devils around Gu Changfeng were cleared out by the special forces, and the battalions were dispatched in batches,

Shiro Inaba has not yet received any information about the target of the Laiyuan Independent Regiment, so apart from reminding the Shimen Garrison Division to be careful, all he can do is wait.

The time came to four o'clock in the afternoon.

Several battalions of soldiers rushed to both sides of the Zhulong River.

Upon receiving the news, Shiro Inaba felt his scalp tingle instantly. He immediately ordered his brigade to rush to the rescue and sent a telegram to the commander of the Japanese 110th Division, reminding him to provide support quickly.

Lieutenant General Sangmu Chongming was also aware of the strength of the Laiyuan Independent Regiment. He immediately notified the commander of the regiment, Kobayashi Masao, who was in charge of transporting supplies, and ordered Major General Kurokawa to lead a team to provide support.

And of course, their flying squadrons.

But it seemed too late. When Kobayashi Masao received the news, the puppet troops in front had already engaged in a firefight with the other side.

The battle is about to break out.

The sound of gunfire continued to rang out on both sides of the Zhulong River.

Since Gu Changfeng, the puppet army and the Japanese were not prepared, neither side had any fortifications or bunkers and had to rely entirely on their own firepower.

Of course, the battalions didn't really need those things, and they relied entirely on heavy machine gun snipers to hold the line.

The puppet army suffered heavy losses after entering the shooting range. After a round of counterattacks, they retreated in a hurry, leaving behind a field of corpses.

The puppet army commander Zhou Jiyue turned around and cried to Xiaolin: "Mr. Xiaolin, this unit's firepower is too strong, and the brothers can't hold on at all."

Kobayashi Masao had just received the news from the division commander and was already furious. When he saw the puppet army retreating without any backbone, he couldn't help but get furious.

"Bakayarū, Mr. Zhou, you have a very bad conscience."

As he said that, he slapped Zhou Jiyue hard several times.

The battle in front was still going on. When the Japanese saw the puppet troops retreating, they had no choice but to attack on their own.

But even if the Japanese battalion was fully staffed, it was useless and suffered a heavy loss against the Third Battalion.

With the help of special forces snipers, the Japanese machine guns and grenade launchers were brought to a standstill again.

"Sir, the captain, the warriors can't get through at all. The enemy's firepower is too strong."

The frontline Japanese captain, Toyoyasu Minamino, hurried to the rear to report,

Two squadrons took over the puppet army and pushed forward, but due to the enemy's dense firepower and snipers, hundreds of them were killed as soon as they went up.

If the fighting continues, not only will the entire team be destroyed, but we may not even be able to touch the enemy.

So at this time, Minamino Fengyasu had the idea of ​​retreating.

Just when Kobayashi Masao wanted to slap Minamino Toyokawa a few times, the Japanese communications soldier ran up and reported.

"Your Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, the Handa Battalion on the other side sent a telegram saying they can no longer hold on."

These words made Kobayashi Masao dumbfounded. He wanted to be angry but didn't know who to vent his anger on.

When problems arose with the puppet army and with his own brigade, he simply thought it was the soldiers' problem. However, the same news came from the other side of the river, which put him in a difficult position.

Retreat or continue?

But the division headquarters meant for them to hold on and wait for reinforcements. After all, there were still a large amount of supplies on the river behind them, and it was impossible for them to turn around and evacuate immediately.

What should we do now?

Kobayashi Masao thought about it and looked at Zhou Jiyue with a sharp look in his eyes: "Mr. Zhou, the imperial army has treated you well. Now it's time for you to contribute."

To hold out for more than an hour, we must have these Imperial Army troops at the front, otherwise we will not be able to hold out at all.

You know, the enemy hasn't used artillery yet. Some of them only use grenade launchers, not even mortars.

The division commander meant that we should be wary of the enemy's artillery battalion, as that was the enemy's most threatening force.

When Zhou Jiyue heard what Xiaolin Zhengnan said, he was frightened and begged for mercy: "Xiaolin Taijun, more than 300 of our brothers were killed or injured. We can't fight any longer."

There are only about 1200 people on his side. After a brief contact,

He knew very well that if he continued to fight, he would lose his position as the pseudo-corps commander.

But how could Kobayashi Masao let him go? Hearing Zhou Jiyue's excuse, he raised his hand and slapped him twice, then pulled out the Nambu pistol from his waist and pointed it at Zhou Jiyue's forehead.

He said in a cold tone: "Mr. Zhou, the Imperial Army can make you a regiment commander, but they can also execute you at any time. If you are afraid of fighting, you must think carefully."

Beads of sweat instantly appeared on Zhou Jiyue's forehead. He was being pointed at with a gun, and Kobayashi Masao was gradually losing his patience.

His heart gradually sank to the bottom. He knew very well that if he continued to refuse, Kobayashi Masao would definitely break him, without a doubt.

"Kobayashi Taijun, I will go organize the brothers now,"

Zhou Jiyue was getting scared. Facing the glaring gun of Kobayashi Masao, he didn't dare to resist.

Indeed, if he didn't value his life, he, the former commander of the Northeast Army, would not have run to the Japanese and become their dog.

To be honest, in the Jin-Cha-Ji region, in addition to a large number of Jin-Sui Army soldiers being crippled and captured, this situation was also not uncommon for the Northeast Army.

The Young Marshal's order not to resist caused many Northeast Army soldiers to lose confidence, and they began to go with the flow and live a life of following whoever feeds them.