The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Although the planes did not strafe or pose any threat to the soldiers in the trenches, the deep-seated fear in everyone's hearts was still shrouded in the shadow of battle brought by the planes. The arrival of the reconnaissance planes indicated that the Zhejiang army was approaching, and the soldiers knew that the battle was about to begin.

Xu Wenqing glanced disdainfully at the enemy planes flying away, frowned, and paced around for several minutes. He judged that the enemy would definitely launch a fire attack before attacking, and ordered Chen Hong to order the troops to quickly enter the dug air-raid shelters and bunkers to avoid the artillery fire.

As expected, not long afterward, the Zhejiang army began its artillery barrage before the attack. The sharp whistling of shells flying through the air filled the air, and the shockwaves from the explosions kicked up towering dust, shaking the soldiers. The entire position was immediately engulfed in a sea of ​​fire, and the trees were blown about, with branches and leaves flying everywhere.

Xu Wenqing brushed the dust off his body and said jokingly:

"The night wind is cold, and the dust from the bombing is thick. Wang Bin is really too kind. Not only did he send us so many things in the city, but he also made a special trip to welcome our 19th Red Army Division!"

"Looks like a fierce battle is inevitable today!"

Chen Hong observed the outside world while sighing.

Xu Wenqing chuckled softly:

"Our commander Wang's stronghold was taken by our sneak attack, and he seems to be quite unconvinced. He wants to test the strength of our 19th Division. Regimental Commander Chen, we'll teach him a lesson with bullets and nuclear artillery shells later!"

"Yes, Commander, just you wait and see!"

Chen Hong gripped his pistol and took up his command post.

The intense shelling lasted for more than ten minutes. As soon as the shelling stopped, Xu Wenqing saw through his binoculars that the Zhejiang army, which had formed a long formation, had begun to attack. About a battalion of soldiers, like ants, pressed directly down on the hillside from the front, almost covering the hills in front of the mountain.

The soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 57th Regiment quickly crawled out of the air-raid shelter, bent down and entered the trench. After being subjected to the initial baptism of enemy artillery fire, everyone understood that a fierce battle was inevitable. Being in a life-or-death situation, they remained calm and took out their grenades, opened the caps and placed them on the trench. No matter how the Zhejiang army howled and shouted, the soldiers calmly waited for the commander's orders.

For the newly upgraded 57th Regiment, this was the first time they had ever faced a more powerful enemy head-on. Although the troops had built many fortifications and air-raid shelters in advance, after the enemy's artillery fire subsided, Acting Regiment Commander Chen Hong found that many fortifications and shelters had been destroyed by the artillery fire, and there were also casualties among the officers and soldiers.

When the attacking enemy advanced to within two hundred meters, Commander Chen suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Fire!"

Although the Zhejiang Army was extremely arrogant and had stronger firepower than the Red Army, they were, after all, the attacking side and were at a disadvantage in terms of terrain. When hundreds of Red Army rifles mixed with several machine guns fired at the same time, a large number of the enemy who were charging at them were shot down, and the rest of the Zhejiang Army were so frightened that they hid behind various obstacles.

Despite being hit hard, the tenacious Zhejiang troops refused to retreat and immediately formed an attack formation, continuing to follow the junior officers leading the charge. They returned fire as they advanced, and the closer they got to the position, the more Zhejiang soldiers were hit by bullets. The surviving soldiers continued to charge forward relentlessly, gradually advancing to within a dozen meters of the 1st Battalion's position of the 57th Regiment. The Red Army's position was in danger of being breached.

Just then, the concealed light and heavy machine guns on the position opened fire. The muffled firing of the heavy machine guns and the crisp, cheerful cries of the more light machine guns intertwined, creating a duet that reaped lives. The Zhejiang troops, who had just been riding high on their victory over the Red Army, now collapsed like wheat being harvested by a sickle, and the remaining Zhejiang troops retreated like a receding tide.

The soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 57th Regiment were overjoyed at their initial victory.

After the first attack was repelled, Wang Bin, commander of the Zhejiang East Garrison Division, ordered a battalion advancing along the east bank of the Shahe River to immediately launch a probing attack on Shuicun, a key location on the only route to Wenzhou. Holding binoculars, he stared motionlessly at the various bunkers dotting the hills behind Shuicun, muttering to himself:

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, if you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Why did you go through all that trouble to build these bunkers, only to have your own people's lives used to fill them now!"

Wang Bin knew that with its numerous bunkers, the Red Army could not break through in a short time if even a single company of its troops were stationed there. However, he was caught up in wishful thinking, hoping that the Red Army, unfamiliar with the area, would not have discovered it and that he could send troops to occupy it so that his army could advance straight ahead, bypassing the tough Mengshan Mountain and taking Wenzhou City directly.

"Once we've done that, we'll surround the Red Army on the hilltop and trap them. That way, we can avenge our home base being raided and show all our comrades what we're capable of!"

Wang Bin's mind wandered, and he let out a few cold laughs. He imagined himself as the rolling northward-flowing Shahe River, rushing headlong into the Red Army's position, tearing the Red Army to pieces.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Wang Bin couldn't help but shiver. He quickly tightened his coat and continued to observe the progress of the troops on the opposite bank. The Zhejiang army's initial attack went very smoothly. There was no movement in the bunker, and the soldiers actually stood up straight and gradually formed a dense formation as they rushed towards the bunker. The staff officers of the Zhejiang East Garrison Division, who were watching the battle from a high place, high-fived each other, preparing to celebrate the victory of capturing Nanshui Village.

The sudden burst of machine gun fire shattered the daydream of the enemy on both sides of the strait. The Zhejiang soldiers, who were thinking that the Red Army had not yet arrived and were only trying to warm themselves in the bunkers, collapsed like sorghum stalks broken by a storm. Those who were lucky enough to survive also hurriedly lay down on the ground. Ding Fujiang, who had been sent by his division commander to direct the battle, used his trump card again, throwing grenades and Molotov cocktails at the Zhejiang soldiers. The explosions and the sudden burst of flames threw the attacking enemy into a panic. Many soldiers covered in gasoline mixture immediately burst into flames, and soon screamed in agony as they ran around in all directions.

With the resounding bugle call, Ding Fujiang led his soldiers in a brief counterattack, chasing after and annihilating most of the enemy. After picking up the weapons and ammunition abandoned by the Zhejiang army, they quickly returned to the fortress.

He Feng, who was also paying close attention to the situation in Shuicun, finally felt relieved. He turned around and ordered the phone to be connected so he could inquire about the battle situation of the 56th Regiment. During the capture of Wenzhou, the telephone lines around Wenzhou City were cut, coiled up, and taken away by the communications company of the 19th Division of the Red Army.

Before the battle, in order to facilitate command, the division's communications company used captured wires and telephones to connect the three positions.

The phone rang suddenly. Xu Wenqing answered it and heard that it was the commander of the 56th Regiment calling to report on the battle situation.

"Reporting to the division commander, this is Deng Shan from the 56th Regiment. The enemy's attack on our regiment has been defeated by our regiment, and our casualties are very small."