Chapter 77 Encirclement and interception
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Chinese people often say "God will", just as foreigners often say "God". When coincidences cannot be explained, they will be called "God will" to deal with it. Even poverty, wealth, wind, rain, etc. will be called "God will" by the people. God's will cannot be disobeyed, just like God rolls dice, you cannot know what time it is.
As it was getting dark, Kono had just issued an order to retreat. He wanted to temporarily deceive the enemy on the other side and quietly walked away in the dark, but unexpected changes appeared again, casting a layer of haze on the enemy's retreat.
As soon as the forward drove out of the village, he saw a light fog that seemed to surf the horizon. The fog quickly became heavier and thicker, like layers of gray cotton wool covering his head.
"Is the weather going to change?" Kono said suspiciously.
The officers around them also asked each other with surprise eyes, but no one spoke.
The small white feathers flew down like blown petals, and they fell down first, and then they flew together in balls. The flowers became bigger and bigger, and they fell silently on their clothes, hats, on their eyebrows, and on their faces. There was nothing in the air, only layers of cotton that were stacked and layered up and layered.
"It's snowing." Kawano frowned and wiped off the snow on his eyelashes. The snow disappeared and he gathered again.
It was already mid-to-late November, and it was nothing strange to snow, but at this time, it cast an ominous shadow on the enemy's heart.
"It's snowing!" Yang Tianfeng watched the snowflakes fall into his palms, turning into drops of water, and another snowflake pounced on him without hesitation. The corner of his mouth was pursed and a sneer appeared.
In the winter of 1942, outside the city of Stalingrad, the temperature dropped sharply, and Hitler's millions of soldiers encountered the century-old heavy snow in Stalingrad. In 1812, Napoleon attacked Russia and was also unable to fight in the severe cold. When he withdrew from Russia, he only had more than 20,000 troops left.
In the dark, there is always a mysterious hand pulling everything in the world. Could it be that everything is in God's control, and nothing is accidental?
Yang Tianfeng shook his head, and while throwing away the snow, he threw away these messy thoughts. No matter what, heavy snow was flying, which was not a good thing for the enemy, and it might even be wiped out in one fell swoop.
He wiped his face, the coolness of the snow made him excited, and turned to the radio operator and said, "Send a report, please ask the Commander Zhou and the remaining troops of the Third Column to closely monitor the enemy. Be careful when pursuing. You can either conduct tentative attacks or stick them out. After our troops cut off the enemy's retreat and block them successfully, use three red signal flares as general attack signals, and the entire army will assault and destroy this morning food. This ancestor has spirits. When the sky destroys the Japanese invaders, I hope that all troops will work together to fight the enemy bravely."
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God is still from China, as if he is deliberately fighting the invaders. The sticky first snow fell for more than two or three hours, and after a moment of pause, heavy snow flew out from the sky again, wrapping the whole world in peach blossoms, pear blossoms, or hydrangeas.
The long line was moving forward, but the speed had slowed down. It was becoming more and more difficult to march in the snow. The snow was getting thicker and thicker, and the road was bumpy. If you were deep and shallow, you would soon sweat your body. But once you stopped, the cold wind would freeze your body, like being in an ice cellar.
The wind slammed the snow on the face. At first, it didn't feel anything, but it slowly became numb, and then it hurt like a knife. In just two or three hours, the enemy began to lose strength; later, the snow had already passed through the shins, and every step was getting more and more difficult.
In the woods more than 200 meters away on the avenue, a black muzzle stretched out. Xu big eyes, who were wearing clothes on his back, were lurking quietly, and his hat and snowflakes were already covered with snow.
Yang Tianfeng led hundreds of people to continue to go deep into the enemy-occupied area to destroy, leaving behind a special forces team and a hundred and eighty troops along the way. The remaining troops were divided into more than a dozen teams, ambushing in woods, villages, dirt mountains, cemeteries, etc., waiting for the enemy to retreat.
The enemy's team approached, and when they approached again, the forward had passed, but the leader of the lurking team, Xu Dayan, did not fire the gun. The soldier next to her looked at her strangely, but did not dare to ask.
"The real sniper does not depend on how many people he killed, but on how much impact it has on the enemy and how helpful it will be to the battle situation..." Xu Dayan thought about the words in the "Sniper Manual", and this rough-printed booklet was almost ruined by him.
Finally, the target appeared. Kono, who was riding a tall horse, looked very eye-catching in the team.
"Bang!" The gunshots seemed harsh in the quiet snowy night, and Kono was caught off guard under this sudden cold gun.
No matter if you are an officer or a soldier, you can only pray that the target of the first shot is not you.
Kono can be said to be careless, or it can be said that it is due to the Japanese personality. As a samurai, as an officer of the Great Japanese Empire, would he change into soldiers' clothes, not ride a tall horse, and hide in the team in a vulgar way? Kono, who regards honor as more important than life, even if he knows that there are snipers, he may not do this at all.
With the gunshot, "Dadadada...Bahaha, Baha...", more than a dozen ambush soldiers immediately fired fiercely at the enemy's marching team, causing chaos among the enemy. When the enemy adjusted and launched an attack on Shulin, Xu Dayan led his subordinates to retreat with the cover of Shulin.
Who said that the scene of the boss' death would be different from that of the horse-boy, or that the official is more heroic than the soldier and is meaningful? Human life is the same. In the face of death, there is no distinction between honor and humbleness.
Kono's death can be attributed to many aspects: the progress of sniping technology and ideas of Xu Dayan and others; the formation and speed of the enemy's retreat; the snowy night covers people's eyes and ears...
In any case, Kawano's death also made the retreating enemy worse and the situation became increasingly unfavorable. The sick Shimada had to take over the command, strengthened the alert and reconnaissance, and continued to retreat.
"Dadadada...bangh,bangh..." Another group of lurking soldiers leaned on the edge of the ditch and shot fiercely at the enemy's vanguards. When the brigade of enemies caught up in panting, only lying bodies and wounded men were left on the snow.
Not far away, another roster of guns shot, with more firepower and heavier damage. Array lurkers continued to attack, and then alternately covered and retreated.
When trekking in the snow and ice, the most feared thing is to stop. No matter how tired you are, you have to persevere. Once you stop, you may be blown through by the cold wind and you will never be able to continue on the road.
There was a vast snowy place and heavy snow. Four hours later, the puppet army with poor physical fitness began to fall behind. No one cared about them and moved forward with difficulty. Everyone was panting and their guns became extremely heavy.
"Tell the soldiers that they should not stop when they encounter harassment, and rush forward in one go." Shimada curled up tightly and fought with his teeth. Due to illness, his ability to resist cold is very poor. "If you stop, you may never stand up again. The enemy just wants to torture and consume us with this damn weather."
Shimada's analysis and judgment cannot be said to be very correct. The sudden snow is a test for both the enemy and us, and both need to be adjusted and deployed.
Guns and explosions came from the rear of the team, which made Shimada's heart sank. The pursuers came so quickly that they quietly retreated without hiding the enemy. In addition to being surprised, Shimada also realized the severity of the situation.
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Zhou Zhizhong tightened his collar tightly and stepped on the snow like goose-feather mattress. It creaked and his expression was solemn, but he felt in his heart that this was really "Heaven destroys the Japanese invaders, and heaven destroys the Japanese invaders!"
The pursuing troops were more than 2,000. Under the leadership of Chen Dalong, the Third Column troops were more active than the Sixty-first Regiment, whether they were rushing or tentative attacks.
The reason is very simple. Yang Tianfeng, the highest commander of the Third Column, is in front of him. Whether he is eager to show or respond, there is no need to investigate in depth.
"Captain Zhou." Chen Dalong, with snow all over his head, burst into thick white mist, and hurriedly came to find Zhou Zhizhong.
Surrounding the enemy or circumventing the enemy. Zhou Zhizhong agreed with this idea. The reason why he did not propose it first was because the Sixty-first Regiment was not familiar with the terrain and roads and did not dare to undertake this task.
"Although the Chen Detachment leads his troops to go, we will leave it here to us, so that the enemy's butt will be poked to pieces." Zhou Zhizhong assured Chen Dalong.
The enemy has only 1,800 people, and there are only 100 Japanese soldiers who can fight, and they have to be divided into the beginning and end. Zhou Zhizhong led a regiment of regular troops. Even in terms of military strength, it is slightly stronger than the enemy. Moreover, the Zhou regiment has combat experience and has certainly had confidence after confronting the Japanese army several times.
"After fighting this battle, I'll invite you to drink." Chen Dalong felt relieved and had not forgotten the matter of fighting with Zhou Zhizhong.
"I will stop after I get drunk." Zhou Zhizhong nodded vigorously and watched Chen Dalong lead people away.
The troops were divided here to pursue the troops. Instead of not realizing it, the pressure suddenly increased. The front harassment and sneak attacks continued to use landmines, which delayed the enemy's speed of travel; the team was constantly attacked by short attacks by companies and platoons, and even used grenade launchers and mortars, forcing the enemy as defenders to continue to turn back and fight, increasing casualties.
The gloomy night sky, flying snowflakes, the sound of machine guns and cold guns shooting from time to time on the road, and there may be a few roar of landmines.
The Japanese and puppet troops were facing the wind and snow, with bumpy roads under their feet and thicker snow, which were both nervous and fearful, exhausted and hungry. It was already midnight and had retreated less than twenty miles.
When he received another report from the defender and several more Locust soldiers were killed and injured, Shimada knew that if this continued, it would inevitably lead to a destruction.
This army can still maintain a normal retreat posture because there are locust troops in front and escort formations in back. However, there are too few locust troops to bear the fragmented consumption now. Without the locust troops, the Imperial Army will soon be defeated under the enemy's attack.
If you continue to hold on, you will be waiting for death slowly, and the Locust Army and the Imperial Army will set up their graves together; if you adjust the arrangements, Shimada feels that there is still hope to bring the precious Locust Army soldiers to a safe area.
He even thought of the serious consequences of the annihilation of the entire army, which was the emptiness of Dangshan County. The enemy took advantage of the victory, and with the defenders of the county, it would be difficult for him to resist the fierce attack of an infantry regiment and the third column to pounce on the city.
Xiayi's friendly forces have been almost wiped out because of underestimating the enemy and unclear situation. In this heavy snow, it is probably difficult for Xiaoxian's friendly forces to continue to penetrate deeper. The enemy must have taken a big move after seeing this favorable change, and they have to launch a heavy or even annihilated blow to their side.
A small village appeared in front of him, and Shimada immediately ordered the vanguard to occupy it quickly. He regarded this village as a very good blocking position, and prepared to leave some of the Imperial Army after the occupation, and a few locust troops supervised to block the pursuers. In this way, the large group of people could accelerate their advance and get rid of the current dilemma of being attacked.
But Shimada's abacus soon encountered difficulties and setbacks. He thought it would be an easy occupation, but was shot back by a bullet.
This small village is not only close to one side of the main road, but also outside the village there is a large lotus pond connecting each other, which surrounds the village in a half-moon shape. The towering dike in front of the pond becomes a natural barrier to blocking.
Yang Tianfeng left Song Qingpu and others with a task of being responsible for harassing and attacking. Song Qingpu and others also took a look at the favorable terrain of the village and made some arrangements in the village.
Several harassed and attacking groups kept retreating and gathering along the way. More than 70 people had gathered in this small village. Similar to Shimada's idea, Song Qingpu and others were preparing to rely on the favorable terrain of the village to launch a frontal blockade. This was not to completely block the enemy, but to better complete the task of restraining and delaying.
The fierce gunfire and explosion surprised Shimada and was anxious. He gave the forward another order to launch a second attack.
Hundreds of enemies howled and charged again, bullets flew across the air, and grenades fired by grenade launchers exploded on the dike, causing white and black snow dust and mud.
Sixty meters, fifty meters... After a sudden burst of more than a dozen black muzzles, hot iron sand and lead bullets sprayed towards the enemy in the roar. Dozens of grenades flew out, forming an explosive barrage at a distance of three or forty meters in front of the position, shrapnel flying across and gunpowders filled with smoke.
Another defeat finally made Shimada understand that this was different from the harassment and attacks of more than a dozen people in the past. After the fight, it ran away, but a frontal blockade.
He thought quickly and decided to launch a fierce attack, giving the blocking enemy a severe blow, weakening their strength and destroying their sharpness, making them no longer dare to easily carry out large-scale restraints, so that the troops could advance more smoothly.
This is a last resort strategy. When retreating and turning into an attacking posture will undoubtedly delay time. However, if there are pursuers behind, if you do not want to become a defeated and escape, you must defeat the front blocking and build a defense line to block the pursuers based on the village and dikes.
After a brief adjustment, the Japanese and Imperial Army launched an attack on the dike under the cover of several mortars that were urgently set up.
The shells fell on the dike, causing heavy smoke and dust, frozen soil and snow, shrapnel flying everywhere, and gunpowder smoke filled the air.
Seeing that the enemy had brought artillery fire, Song Qingpu ordered the soldiers to retreat and retreat into the village before the enemy began to bombard.
After bombardment and charge, the enemy easily occupied the dike, they began to mobilize artillery and prepare to bombard the village, trying to capture the village in one fell swoop with fierce firepower and the first successful majesty.
After some preparation, the enemy launched an attack. Mortar bombarded, smoke filled the gunpowder, dust and snow splashed, and shrapnel flew everywhere.
Under Shimada's personal command, more than 200 imperial troops, under the supervision of several Japanese soldiers, launched an attack on the village.
In order to reduce the killing of artillery fire, the troops retreating into the village did not adopt the tactic of resisting the enemy outside the village. Instead, they rely on the courtyard, house, and walls to put the enemy in, and then fight in close combat with them. Once a situation of intertwining canines and teeth, the enemy's artillery lost most of its power because of throwing rats and being afraid of weapons.
The dense gunfire sounds mixed with violent explosions, the rolling tongues of flames intertwined with rising smoke columns, and the endless smoke and dust formed a large net, covering the sky above the village.
The enemies entering the village were subjected to stubborn resistance. Middle and lower-level officers, machine gun shooters, and gunners were frequently shot dead by hidden snipers. The hidden fire points flashed fiercely with flames. The shotgun sprayed unpreventable death flames in the narrow streets and alleys. Landmines exploded under their feet from time to time. Grenades thrown from the partition walls splashed with shrapnel of death.
The Imperial Army, which had not undergone street fighting training, seemed extremely uncomfortable. Not only were the casualties and injuries, but they were also repeatedly attacked and killed. After all the Japanese soldiers supervised the war were killed and injured, the Imperial Army could no longer bear the casualties and withdrew from the village in a panic.
Shimada held up the telescope and did not put it down for a long time, and was both angry and anxious.
The enemy did not suddenly decide to block here, but had prepared and arranged it. Not only did they buried mines in the village, but they were also familiar with the streets, houses, terrain, and terrain. These enemies were divided into teams of more than ten people, seven or eight people, either scattered in various places and corners, or relying on familiar geography and interspersed in bunches, and carried out clever and tenacious resistance.
There are too few locust troops! Shimada lamented in his heart. If he was given another team of troops, he would have the confidence to quickly capture the village. However, the fierce gunfire and explosion sounds came from afar, which was the troops behind the palace fighting with the pursuers again.
Frontal assault, side attack on both wings, short disturbance attacks, Zhou Zhizhong did not relax at all, firmly stuck to the enemy, making it difficult for the enemy to speed up the pace of retreat.
The more than a hundred Japanese behind the palace could only be divided into three parts, with only more than 30 people in each part. Each of them led a group of Imperial Army to carry out alternate cover. If these Japanese hadn't been forcing them, the Imperial Army would have been defeated and fled long ago.
Even so, the Japanese behind the palace were not in a row and suffered casualties, and it was difficult to draw troops to support the vanguard. After continuous harassment and casualties, there were only more than 30 Japanese soldiers left in the vanguard, and Shimada did not dare to devote all of them. The Imperial Army had poor combat effectiveness and weak fighting will, so he had to have only a few. The draw of a few Japanese played a role in supervising the Imperial Army.
Chapter completed!