Bright Sword: Leading the Special Operations Squadron to Fight the Japs

At this time, Zhao Gang climbed up a platform more than two meters high and started shouting with an electric loudspeaker.

"Brothers, I am Zhao Gang, the political commissar of the independent column.

You have worked hard on the front lines and have fought the Japanese for such a long time. The Chinese people have seen it and remember it in their hearts.

The battlefield will be handed over to our independent column. You can take a break. There are porridge, rice, and steamed buns here. Although they are not delicious, they can fill your stomach. "

Hundreds of defeated soldiers gathered at the entrance of the shelter and began to chatter. One of the brave soldiers shouted at the top of his voice:

"Can our Central Army eat it too?"

"Of course, as long as you are a Chinese soldier, you are welcome, regardless of who you are! After you fill your stomach, you can continue to retreat westward, and we will never stop you. You can also take off your military uniform and enter our shelter. You will then be sent to the north bank of the Yellow River for training and join the independent column."

"We are defeated soldiers. Your independent column is strong and powerful. Do you think we are worthy of you?"

"Haha, you are all experienced veterans, the backbone and soul of the army. I said before that the defeat has nothing to do with you. The commander bears the main responsibility! So, don't worry, after you are full, you can stay or leave as you like!"

The defeated soldiers of the Central Army looked at each other, and finally a few brave ones stepped forward and grabbed the white flour buns. Seeing that the smiling soldiers of the independent column did not stop them, they felt relieved and began to eat with big mouthfuls.

"Alright! Everyone, please line up and don't rush to grab anything!"

These hundreds of Central Army defeated soldiers wanted to rush forward, but when they saw the armed soldiers of the Independent Column standing guard nearby, they became obedient and started to line up like new recruits.

Some soldiers ate and continued on their way, while others had no worries and simply took off their Central Army uniforms, handed their rifles aside, and walked into the shelter with confidence.

Their company commander and platoon leader wanted to stop them, but were immediately talked back.

"Captain, we don't want to lose the battle anymore. We fought from the Northeast to Shanxi, and then from Shanxi to central Henan, losing battles all the way. We just want to be worthy of the clothes we wear and the military rations given to us by the people!"

The company commander's face turned red, and he had to swallow his words in the end. Was he going to use force and get shot like a hornet's nest by the machine guns of the independent column?

Forget it!

Unexpectedly, the company commander also walked to the side, reluctantly took off his uniform, tore off his name tag, took one last look at his uniform, and then threw it to the stove next to him.

"Make a fire!"

The company commander went in with his name tag and registered, becoming a member of the shelter.

If you can't beat it, join.

There were more than 20 reception stations in Luoyang, Ruzhou, Pingdingshan and Luohe, which accommodated more than 20,000 people on the first day. They were continuously sent to Jincheng via the Yellow River floating bridge in Mengjin for examination and training.

Zhao Gang was busy as always, and Li Yunlong and Wang Meng were also busy. They ordered the troops to build fortifications, preparing to stabilize the defense line first and let the Japanese lose their composure.

After the Fourth Army on the north bank of the Yellow River took control of Anyang, Hebi and Xinxiang on the Pinghan Line, it cut off the Japanese's fantasy of quickly mobilizing reinforcements from the north.

Therefore, although the Japanese in central Henan captured Zhengxian and Xuchang, as well as some cities in the west, they had become an isolated force in a certain sense.

If they could not continue to break through, they would be eaten up bit by bit by the independent column sooner or later. Moreover, the morale of the troops would gradually be exhausted, and finally they would become a force without any combat effectiveness.

Therefore, Okamura Yasuji decided to launch an offensive, attacking Luoyang in the west, Ruzhou in the southwest, and Luohe in the south.

After giving the order, Okamura Neiji bowed deeply.

"Everyone, this battle is related to whether we can open the north-south passage. Please!"

"Hayi!"

In Luoyang, the 1st Division, 110th Division and rd Tank Division of the Kwantung Army launched attacks from Dianzhuang in the north, Dakou Town in the south and Pangcun in the middle respectively.

Nakaike Sanfu of the 1st Division was still in fear, but now there was no way out, so he could only give it a try. Moreover, this time it was not just their division facing the independent column, but also the 110th Division and the 3rd Tank Division, which was a bit of a boost in courage!

Lieutenant General Hayashi Yoshitaro, commander of the Japanese 110th Division, looked at Luoyang from afar, his heart beating fast.

Although he had a division organization, it was still far inferior to the powerful 1st Division.

The 110th Division only had three infantry regiments, one field artillery regiment, one engineer regiment, one light and heavy regiment, and one cavalry battalion. There was a huge difference in the number of people and weapons and equipment.

But Hayashi Yoshitaro had no choice but to go ahead. He couldn't bring shame to the North China Front Army, right?

“Order each unit to attack, and the cavalry to search both wings to make sure there are no ambushes.

The engineering regiment prepared to build a bridge over the Yi River and cross the river near Yangtang Village.

The Field Artillery Regiment is preparing to build an artillery position west of Yangtang Village to cover the infantry regiment crossing the river! "

After giving the order, Hayashi Yoshitaro could only pray in his heart that the independent column's defense focus would not be on the south route.

The 1st Division, 110th Division and 3rd Tank Division attacked Luoyang in parallel, and under the cover of more than 120 aircraft that were hastily assembled, they attacked Luoyang in a mighty manner.

"Chief of Staff, the commander of the Fourth Army, Li Jiayu, called and requested air force support to strike the enemy's air force!"

"Send a telegram to Commander Lu Tianlong, asking him to ensure that no bomb falls on the Luoyang position! In addition, they must also let the Japanese have a taste of the power of our independent column's aerial bombs!"

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Lu Tianlong immediately ordered the fighter squadrons of the 4th, 5th and 6th Air Divisions to take off immediately to intercept the fighters and attack aircraft of the Japanese. The bomber squadron cleared the Japanese fighters in the sky before taking off to carry out the bombing mission.

Changzhi, Jincheng and Pingshun airports are very close to Luoyang, and arrived in Yanshi, east of Luoyang almost at the same time as the Japanese planes, and then the fight began.

The performance of the independent column's aircraft was better than that of the Japanese, and the pilots' training was equally good. They had a slight advantage in numbers and eventually took the lead by a large margin. After shooting down more than 40 enemy planes, the Japanese aircraft fleet was dispersed.

The independent column air force returned here to refuel and prepare to cover their respective bomber squadrons in carpet bombing.

At this time, the Japanese 110th Division, under the order of Division Commander Yoshitaro Hayashi, was working non-stop to build a pontoon bridge in preparation for the infantry to cross the Yi River.

Hayashi Yoshitaro looked at the planes gradually disappearing in the sky, and his worries were lessened. He thought that the air game was officially over, and the next step would be for each side to fight with their infantry.

But he seemed to be overthinking...