The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

"If it's just that an individual soldier is genuinely tired and sleepy, and is grumbling or saying something strange, that's just his opinion, and I won't get angry."

But you are not ordinary soldiers; you are officers and commanders. If you underestimate the enemy, it will affect not just one person, but an entire company and battalion. Perhaps this reinforcement regiment is weak and an easy target! But it's better to be safe than sorry. What if this reinforcement regiment is a tough nut to crack?

If such a problem occurs, who can bear the consequences?

Therefore, we can strategically despise the enemy, but tactically we must take them seriously and always prepare for the worst. I don't want to see a repeat of the Tanjiaqiao incident.

The officers, who were casually sitting on the ground, were stunned by their division commander's seemingly casual words. They stood up in unison. In their memory, their division commander was a cheerful and gentle person who never frowned in the face of any difficulty. But now...

Seeing this, the chief of staff hurriedly spoke, emphasizing that they absolutely must not underestimate the enemy or be arrogant. He also recounted the reasons why Ding Fujiang was dismissed before the battle and the brutality of the fighting. His words made the officers lower their heads. Seeing everyone's faces full of shame, Xu Wenqing took a sip of water and said earnestly:

"Our troops must never let their guard down! Enduring hardship and exhaustion now will reduce bloodshed once the battle begins..."

The cadres found their commander's words very practical and useful, and nodded in agreement repeatedly. Finally, Xu Wenqing loudly encouraged them:

"Comrades, the Battle of Wild Boar Ridge is the first battle our Special Service Regiment has independently undertaken. It is a battle of honor and a battle to make us famous. As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning. Do you all have the confidence to get off to a good start?"

The cadres answered loudly:

"Fight a battle for honor and resolutely annihilate the enemy!"

After the meeting, the company and battalion commanders hurriedly led their troops to their designated positions to build fortifications. Party members and Youth League members, hearing the call, immediately took the lead, wielding shovels and picks and getting to work. By noon, all the fortifications on the position were completed. After lunch, the officers and soldiers, armed with their rifles, leaned against the trenches to rest, waiting for the reckless reinforcement regiment to come and meet their doom.

Niu Yuelin, commander of the 73rd Division's Supplementary Regiment, didn't take the Red Army appearing in Dinghai County seriously. He had over a thousand men under his command, well-trained and well-supplied. According to estimates, the Red Army in Lingling was small in number, and it was well known that the Red Army was poorly equipped, with only a few bullets per rifle. In his view, his regiment alone could easily defeat the Red Army appearing in Lingling, and with the combined efforts of friendly forces flanking from Xinning, wiping out this small group of Red Army soldiers would be a breeze.

Why was Li Yuelin so proud? Because his regiment was the elite of the 57th Army. In 1931, Niu Yunjie was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as the general commander of the 57th Army. However, the 57th Army actually only had one division. In order to expand its strength, he recruited soldiers and cultivated his confidants, absorbing a large number of his hometown youths into the army. The three regimental commanders, Niu Ziqing, Niu Bifang, and Niu Yuelin, were all from his hometown, hence the name "Niu Family Army".

During the Long March of the Red Army, the Central Government of the White Area issued a large number of weapons and equipment to the pursuing troops. Although Niu Yuelin was only the deputy brigade commander of the 218th Brigade and the commander of the supplementary regiment, he was kept by his superiors to receive the equipment and supplies because he was good at social maneuvering, flattery and handling affairs.

The current supplementary regiment has three battalions, with a mortar company and a communications platoon at the regimental headquarters. Each battalion has three rifle companies and one heavy machine gun company. Each company has three platoons, and each platoon has three light machine guns. The rifles are standardized Mauser-style rifles, and ammunition is plentiful. In terms of equipment alone, this regiment is in no way inferior to the elite units of the Central Army, and is among the best in the 57th Army.

The overwhelming strength made the ambitious Niu Yuelin indulge in self-inflation, so he planned to abandon the friendly forces in the Xinning direction and take all the credit for annihilating the Red Army by himself with his own regiment.

Niu Yuelin felt that the Red Army was already in its twilight years and had little strength left. If he wanted to make a contribution, he had to get ahead of others. Besides, the aircraft reconnaissance showed that the Red Army was still active in Taizhou Prefecture, so he had no worries along the way. The scouts he sent out only walked about a hundred meters ahead of the main force.

The replenishment team was quite efficient; having received orders from their superiors, they rushed to Jinghai County by yesterday evening and camped in Caoshi Township. Upon waking this morning, Niu Yuelin immediately sent his adjutant to urge them to eat and continue their journey, aiming to reach Dinghai County that evening.

The reconnaissance battalion sent out scouts to a location ten kilometers north of Wild Boar Ridge for covert reconnaissance. To save time on reporting back and forth, the communications platoon used harvested power lines to stretch out a telephone line of about ten kilometers, connecting the forward observation post and the command post.

Xu Wenqing knew that he would not have many more opportunities to personally participate in battles at the front lines in the future. Therefore, he wanted to fire the first shot in this battle. To this end, he ordered that the attack be initiated by the sound of his gunshot and that the charge be signaled by the sound of the charge bugle.

As intelligence came through the phone that the enemy was getting closer, the Red Army soldiers who had been lazily resting on the position suddenly opened their eyes. In an instant, they seemed like different people, nimbly lying prone in the trenches, taking bullets from their pouches and loading them into their rifles. Each one was focused intently. The sound of loading bullets seemed like beautiful music. After loading the bullets, the soldiers then placed grenades one by one on the trenches.

The comrade carrying the broadsword touched the blade with his hand, then deftly sheathed it behind his back.

The machine gunners carefully inspected the machine gun again, and then assigned the assistant gunner to check outside to see if it was well concealed.

The mortar battalion, having just arrived, was panting heavily. At that moment, the commanders and soldiers saw billowing dust rising several miles away. Battalion Commander Wang hurriedly led his men to quickly begin preparations. Once everything was ready, several scouts carrying large reels of telephone wire were walking along the road, tidying up the fallen wires. Luo Jinsheng quickly ran over to report:

"Reporting to the commander, the enemy is still four miles away from us."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wenqing immediately ordered preparations for battle, and the communications officer used flag signals to notify each ambush position to take cover and be ready.

Before long, many small black dots began to appear one after another at a bend in the road a few miles north of Wild Boar Ridge. As time went by, they grew larger and larger, eventually becoming a large black shadow.

If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old. Perhaps unable to bear witnessing the brutal battle about to begin, the clear sky suddenly darkened, and dark clouds filled the air. The 73rd Division's supplementary regiment marched forward in groups toward the ambush position. At this time, they were convinced that the main force of the Red Army had been wiped out, and only small detachments had escaped, posing no threat to them. Moreover, this was the heartland they had ruled for many years, so naturally, no accidents would occur.