A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

"We are defending in depth, and they are advancing step by step, building a deep fortification?" Looking at the map, the Japanese army has built at least three fortification positions between Zhangxiang and Caijiazhai.

These were originally defensive positions of the National Revolutionary Army, but the Japanese army had made full use of them and expanded and modified them. Their front line had reached north of Caijiazhai, and the two armies were facing each other across the Caijiazhai ruins, which had been bombed to pieces.

Song Hongfei looked away from the map, but his brows furrowed.

The Japanese army was bad, not stupid. If you adjust, they will adjust too; if you improve, they will improve too.

This is a process of continuous negotiation and bargaining between the two sides.

In terms of the principles of winning wars, the key is to do everything possible to destroy the opponent's intentions while simultaneously doing everything possible to achieve one's own goals.

But now it is clear that our army has no ability to thwart the Japanese army's intentions and can only wait for the Japanese army to be ready and launch a sudden attack.

"We're just going to be on the defensive!" Song Hongfei sighed inwardly; this was the last thing he wanted.

The intense and fierce artillery fire roared once again, and after the artillery fire extended, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the 3rd Regiment of the Training Corps.

Under the cover of infantry artillery and heavy machine guns, the Japanese infantry surged forward like a tidal wave, simultaneously attacking the forward positions of the two battalions of the 3rd Regiment positioned in front.

In an instant, all kinds of light weapons from both sides opened fire, and the dense gunfire intertwined, as if playing a thrilling symphony of death.

"250 meters, enemy heavy machine gun! Concentrate fire! Fire!" shouted a Japanese sergeant with a ferocious expression, his saber flashing in the air as he pointed at the target.

Several Japanese grenade launcher gunners had already set up their grenade launchers, adjusted their direction and distance, and a series of muffled thuds rang out as grenade launcher grenades whistled toward our positions.

With each violent explosion, the grenades drew ever closer to their blast points, and amidst the dust kicked up by the explosions, our troops began to emerge from their forward positions.

The crisp and fierce gunfire suddenly rang out. The Type 24 general-purpose machine gun roared angrily, spitting out long tongues of fire and firing a series of deadly bullets at the Japanese invaders.

Our brave and fearless soldiers showed no sign of retreating. They gripped their weapons tightly and fired fiercely, fighting back tenaciously.

The 82mm mortars on the rear positions were also firing rapidly with a "thump, thump, thump," and the shells hit the Japanese troops' ranks and exploded with a loud bang, forming a blocking fire net.

"Charge! Kill!"

The Japanese sniper squad leader suddenly raised his sword and roared like an enraged beast!

The elite squad immediately launched a fierce attack with howls, their ferocious faces clearly visible.

"Fight! Kill the Japanese devils!"

On the front lines of our army, the platoon leader's eyes seemed to burn with raging anger. Without fear, he pulled the trigger, and the MP28 submachine gun in his hand roared, firing a burst of angry bullets straight at the charging Japanese soldiers.

Our light machine guns, submachine guns, and semi-automatic rifles also opened fire fiercely, with dense bullets carrying the pent-up anger of the Chinese soldiers as they rained down on the Japanese troops like a storm.

The charging Japanese soldiers were hit one after another, their bodies convulsing as they collapsed amidst the flying dust. The once-fierce charge instantly turned into chaos, and this was only the beginning.

The powerful force of our automatic weapons was demonstrated, and their fierce firepower inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese army.

The attack spearhead of the two meticulously organized Japanese spearhead squads quickly crumbled, ultimately resulting in heavy casualties as they completed their probing attack.

In front of our forward position lay dozens of Japanese soldiers' corpses, some unrecognizable, others still bearing the terrified expressions of their last moments.

Infantry retreat, artillery fire!

The Japanese army continued with its three-pronged approach.

With a powerful artillery force of one field artillery battalion and one heavy howitzer company, they concentrated their fire and bombarded our forward position, which was only defended by a platoon.

The forward positions, built using the terrain of the river network, were quite rudimentary and shallow, and were shattered after repeated bombings. Under the intense and devastating artillery bombardment, the soil was loosened, the fortifications collapsed, and the soldiers hiding in the anti-aircraft bunkers with their heads and ears covered felt like they were about to be buried alive.

The artillery fire subsided, but the roar of massive engines and the creaking of metal tracks over the ground became increasingly clear. Japanese tanks were coming from Zhangxiang behind the lines, providing cover for the infantry to launch another attack.

The platoon leader at the front roughly counted the number of Japanese tanks—enough to fill a tank company. Then he looked at the remaining 20-odd soldiers on the position, some of whom were wounded. The seriously wounded had already been evacuated; this was their last fighting force.

The platoon leader smiled helplessly and said to his men in a lighthearted, teasing tone, "Brothers, we'll take one car for two people, and there will be some left over. Those Japanese are usually so stingy; they even wash their toilet paper before using it again! They're being so generous this time, so we don't need to be polite with them!"

"Hahaha!" the brothers laughed.

The platoon leader's resolute face showed a determination to face death.

"No problem, Platoon Leader, give the order!"

"Yes, just do it!"

Some soldiers were already preparing rapid-fire grenades and explosive charges.

The forward position was outside the firing range of our anti-tank guns.

On the rear positions, the 82mm mortar crews loaded their mortars at top speed and desperately tried to block the fire. Shells whistled out and rained down on the Japanese tanks and the Japanese soldiers following behind them.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of explosions was deafening.

Protected by their robust armor, the Japanese tank formations, resembling steel behemoths, remained unaffected. Their steel tracks continued to relentlessly crush the earth, emitting a chilling creaking sound as they gradually approached our positions.

Some Japanese soldiers following behind the tanks were not so lucky. They were caught off guard by the dense barrage of our artillery fire and suffered devastating blows. They were blasted into the air by the powerful impact, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

The Japanese tank formations continued to approach.

Our Type 24 general-purpose machine guns, positioned at the forward positions, also fired fiercely at the Japanese attack formation. The dense bullets poured down on the Japanese troops like a powerful and mighty torrent of metal.

Many Japanese soldiers were hit by the sudden hail of bullets; some died instantly, while others were wounded and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The other surviving Japanese soldiers, seeing this, all threw themselves to the ground, using the terrain and obstacles to avoid the deadly fire.

A barrage of machine gun fire echoed through the Japanese Type 89 medium tank, striking its armor with a series of clanging sounds. However, this had no effect whatsoever; even the 7.92mm heavy-point armor-piercing rounds could not penetrate it.

"Da da da"

"Da da da"

The machine guns of more than ten Japanese Type 89 tanks were like venomous snakes spitting fire, and the fierce machine gun fire made it difficult for our soldiers to raise their heads.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

One after another, the tanks briefly stopped, aimed, and fired, their 57mm short-barreled tank guns bombarding the fortifications and firing positions of our troops in turn.

Faced with the enemy's overwhelming offensive, our forward platoons were fearless and fought back fiercely. The soldiers used their light weapons to fire fiercely at the charging Japanese infantry. Bullets flew like raindrops at the enemy, and the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the battlefield.

Heroes emerged from the battlefield.

The platoon leader was shot in the abdomen during the fierce battle, and his intestines spilled out.

"Platoon leader, you're wounded! You need to get back quickly! I'll hold them off here!"

He said with concern.

"Don't worry about me, keep fighting!"

The platoon leader gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

The platoon leader refused to leave the front line. He stuffed his intestines back into his stomach, wrapped them in bandages, and continued to command the battle. In the end, this young platoon leader fought until he sacrificed his life on the battlefield.

Upon receiving the report from Battalion Commander Wang Jingxiong, Song Hongfei's expression turned solemn, and a deep respect welled up within him.

He was proud to have such brave and fearless officers and soldiers, and proud that the nation had such fearless heroes.

"Let the forward platoon withdraw," Song Hongfei said to Wang Jingxiong over the phone. "Tell them that the mission is complete, and they did a great job."

“Yes! I understand,” Wang Jingxiong replied.

Song Hongfei did not want his soldiers to make sacrifices in vain, and the soldiers of the Training Corps were capable of serving as backbone members in other units.

The mission of the forward positions is to provide early warning to the rear, eliminate enemy patrols and reconnaissance teams, and prevent the enemy from infiltrating deep into friendly territory. When the enemy attacks, the goal is to disrupt their attack formation as much as possible, and artillery observers will call in long-range artillery fire from the rear. The objective is not to engage in fierce fighting with the main enemy force.

Song Hongfei's face was ashen, and his gaze was sharp as a knife.

The Japanese army changed its tactics, combining infantry and tanks to gradually erode our forces. Our artillery was suppressed, and his plan to use the forward positions as artillery observation posts was not achieved.

Wang Jingxiong ordered soldiers from the rear of the First Battalion to go forward and meet the front-line platoon. They then carried the bodies of their fallen comrades back along the pre-arranged route, and our troops retreated to the guard zone.

The 3rd Regiment of the Training Corps has a large depth of flexible defense.

The guard posts were built along an unnamed ditch. They were relatively solidly constructed and equipped with more complete firepower. They also included many decoy positions, decoy targets, various obstacles and minefields, as well as various fortifications and firing points, serving as defensive support points for the front.

Behind the guard post lies the main defensive line, followed by the reserve positions, and then Qujiaqiao, which has been constructed into a solid defensive fortress.

Our army has burned down many of the small wooden bridges over the nameless ditch, leaving only that sturdy stone bridge.

The Japanese artillery fire swept in again like a storm, fiercely covering our positions.

The Japanese army completely disregarded whether the positions were real or fake, or whether the targets were real or disguised; they simply poured out ammunition indiscriminately and carried out a brutal bombardment.

Our positions were turned into a burning inferno, engulfed by massive explosions and flames.

Choking smoke and dust that blotted out the sky, along with the intense heat of the flames, swept in, completely covering the entire position and making it almost impossible to breathe.

The soldiers of the Training Corps hid in the artillery shelters, feeling the earth tremble violently and the ground shake violently.

Song Hongfei could only hide in the most sturdy semi-underground regimental headquarters shelter, where sand and dust kept falling from above, covering his head and body and instantly turning him into a dusty mess.

"Ptooey! Ptooey!" He spat out the sand that had been shaken into his mouth, and then shook off his body and head.

He kept thinking to himself, "Has my lifestyle changed drastically? When did I become so wealthy and powerful?"

Song Hongfei estimated that the amount of ammunition consumed by the Japanese army in this shelling was probably the sum of several previous artillery preparations.

Due to the continuous failures in the attacks over the past few days, resulting in heavy losses and retreat, Yoshizumi Ryosuke, the commander of the Japanese 9th Division, was filled with pent-up anger. In a fit of rage, Yoshizumi Ryosuke committed all the artillery units assigned to him to this bombardment.

The Japanese artillery positions were unusually busy, with figures constantly carrying out transport, loading, and firing operations.

The mountains of large-caliber shells seemed to speak of the ferocity of this massive bombardment and Yoshizumi Ryosuke's determination to turn the tide of the battle.

After the shelling, the 9th Division launched a series of fierce attacks on Qujiaqiao and Xujialong. The battle was extremely intense, with the 3rd and 1st Regiments of the Training Corps fully engaged in the fighting.