Canteen System Assistance Notes

They said that if feasible, they should find a way to go north or south, cross the river twice in a row to make a detour, meet up with the guerrillas who are still resisting, and attack the enemy's support forces and logistics transportation lines in the rear - because Wang Tiechui and Lei Zhende both knew how quickly those powerful iron lumps would be paralyzed once the logistics were cut off.

"But there's the Japanese 110th Division to the north and the 32nd Division to the south. If we cross the river and make a detour, we might just run into their guns... Go!"

Wang Tiechui rode his horse at full speed, mumbling to himself, "Even if we don't consider these two Japs, crossing the river and making a detour will take too much time. If we can't stop these Japs with tanks head-on and let them into the base, then once all the bottles and jars are gone...the Japs's battle goal will be achieved!"

"The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and the Japs are no fools. They must have thought of this. We're completely swarmed with Japs right in front of us, and there's a river on both sides. If we can just cover a little, we'll have to wrestle with the Japs in the corridor." Instructor Lei Zhende, driving a "little bastard" behind him, summarized:

"Separated by two rivers, this terrain, which is not conducive to north-south maneuvering, was actually exploited by the Japanese to divide the battlefield—the Japanese commander must have been replaced." "What Okamura?"

"Ah."

"Tsk, this is tough. I'd only heard this old devil was more formidable than Itagaki before, but now I can actually feel it." He put together a mosaic-like war game in his mind. "120 miles northeast of Fukaze is Suning, where the alcohol factory, ammunition reloading plant, and clothing factory are all located. If we can't plug this hole, I'm afraid it'll trigger a chain reaction."

This restricted space for maneuver, the inability to retreat, the inability to maneuver, the inability to "fight with the enemy," made Wang Tiechui extremely uncomfortable. Now, even his reconnaissance company, whose survival depended on mobility and infiltration, had been sent here to plug the gap. The base's predicament was beyond words. He sighed: "Where is our designated position?"

"Madian Town is where the Zhulong River and the Hutuo River are at their narrowest. We have to defend an eight-li-wide front... Look! We're almost there!"

Some raised shadows on the distant horizon began to gradually become clear, as if the rising smoke was pulling the potato vines, pulling up a bunch of small potatoes from the ground, revealing the appearance of a village - the villages and towns here are all very large, which reminded Wang Tiechui of the "tun" in his hometown.

There were quite a few people lined up in a line, heading eastward along the road ditch. The villagers who were "running away" with their families reminded him of the scenes of fleeing back then - the only difference was that the "running away" here was obviously organized, seemed more orderly, and the emotions of the people were relatively stable.

This time it's definitely going to be a tough battle, he thought. I'll get a few people to check out the terrain when we get there. This flat terrain is probably not going to be easy to defend. And even if we do defend it, we can't just hold on to it; we have to find a way to be more flexible.

"Which unit are you from?" Sentry guards and checkpoints began to appear along the roadside. Wang Tiechui and his men slowed down and reported, "We're from the Military District Training and Reconnaissance Company, bringing our special forces battalion to reinforce us. I'm the commander of the training special forces battalion, Wang Tiechui!" "We're from the Second Division's Madian Town Squadron! You're finally here!"

Hearing his cry, the sentry responded joyfully, and several people who were discussing something with Luca also turned their heads. Someone stepped out of the crowd, strode over, and directly punched Wang Tiechui, who had just dismounted. He then extended his hand: "Hey! Tiechui! You brat!"

The punch was powerful and heavy, but it contained no malicious intent. Wang Tiechui skillfully dodged the opponent's fist and was about to twist his arm, turning his back. However, the opponent's voice was so familiar that he had to hesitate for a moment - in that moment, the powerful fist turned into a grabbing hand, grabbed Wang Tiechui's hand and shook it hard.

"Nip! Hammer! You stinky boy! Is this the only gift you give your old squad leader?"

Um?

Wang Tiechui never thought that he would meet an acquaintance here, let alone his old platoon leader, Wu Jin.

Chapter 430: Central Hebei Circulation (5) The Eye of the Storm is Quiet

The Hutuo River and the Zhulong River flow gradually from southwest to northeast. Although there has not been a heavy rain since 41 years, these two rivers are still not wadable.

From then on, the battlefield was confined to a narrow strip of battlefield that had been reduced from more than ten kilometers wide to 4.5 kilometers. The idea of ​​crossing the river, avoiding the strong enemy in the front, and outflanking the enemy's rear was a good one, but the premise of this tactic was that the enemy could be stopped at the front. Now, the mobile forces of the Jizhong base area had been almost completely depleted, and even stopping the enemy at the front was extremely difficult.

So, there's going to be a "wrestling in the hallways and alleys" kind of fight going on here.

With the war imminent, the Communist Party must hold a meeting first.

Wang Tiechui, who did not have much time to reminisce about the past, walked into the temporary headquarters located in Liujikou Village, Madian Town. It was called a headquarters, but in fact it was just an ordinary room.

Houses - This improvised blocking team began to count themselves

All the cards in hand.

The largest unit present was the Second Division's main force, the Jizhong 3th Regiment, numbering nearly 2300 men. This unit had been active on the Second Division's front lines against the enemy, fighting valiantly. While gaining experience, its casualty rate consistently ranked among the highest within the base area. This loss of manpower even led to repeated delays in its promotion to a Class A regiment. To this day, the regiment's artillery battalion remains uncommitted, consisting solely of a few 82mm mortars and recoilless guns. Its commander had been injured and had been transferred for recuperation, leaving only Wang Wei, the political commissar and acting commander, in command.

"We were originally stationed in the Shenze area and were recently rotated in." Political Commissar Wang Wei wasn't thinking much about his own thoughts. He was more worried about the friendly forces in Shenze. "There's only a reinforced battalion of the military sub-district cavalry regiment there. Their radio reported encountering the enemy a few hours ago, but now it's down. We've also lost contact with the surrounding guerrillas... If we encounter these mobile enemy forces and are pursued, we'll probably suffer heavy losses."

"Troops have already been dispatched to assist. We'll bring back as many as we can," someone consoled them. "The county committee has also organized a stretcher team to immediately evacuate any wounded."

"Speaking of this, the stretcher team on the people's side is a bit unstable. It's better to withdraw it early and replace it with militia." A man wearing an old military uniform said at the meeting.

"The news of the attack on the Shenze County Party Committee has basically spread everywhere, and the masses are

Those whose hometowns are in Shenze are very emotionally unstable. They are terrified by the sound of artillery and gunfire, and many have already fled.

The speaker was Zhang Mengdong, the political director of the Shenze County Party Committee. He was the head of the civil affairs office in Madian Town and the core commander of the militia. This unit, numbering approximately 1000, comprised a variety of units, including local militia, guerrillas, base area police, and security personnel, representing the base area's third-tier armed forces. Not only was their equipment relatively modest, but at this point, they were burdened with non-combat tasks like organizing the transportation of supplies, leading the evacuation of civilians, and assisting in the construction of fortifications. It was unlikely they would participate in combat.

"Who is in charge of the militia now?"

"It's Secretary He, He Zhenshan," Director Zhang Mengdong replied. "Old He is good at this. With him around, the logistics should be fine. But we can't force anyone. With the Japanese coming, many people are worried about their families. It's natural." "The militia does a better job of political work," he added.

"According to reconnaissance, there are at least 10 Japanese soldiers facing us, almost all of them cavalry. I'm afraid Okamura has sent the entire 4th Cavalry Brigade. The tanks we saw alone are of three different models - these Japanese should have more than 20 tanks, and there may be follow-up infantry reinforcements. The one leading the way is a search party of about 100 people, and within that search party alone, there are at least 4 tanks and 10 trucks."

"With this kind of scale, the Japs will definitely have an artillery unit pulled by trucks. I think it's at least battalion-sized, with at least 12 guns, maybe 24, possibly 105mm and 150mm guns."

The infantry was short of cards and the enemy was aggressive, but no one was panicking: not only because everyone present had fought many tough battles, but also because a veteran standing next to the map and speaking helped to dispel the atmosphere of impending disaster.

He is Wang Tiechui's "old squad leader", Wu Jin.

This veteran of the Long March, who was said to have struggled out of the First Red Army Corps, has gone from being the platoon leader of a machine gun platoon with four "seven-pulled donkeys" to the commander of an artillery regiment in the Hebei-Central Military Region.

He represents the last bit of heavy artillery that can be temporarily withdrawn from the Jizhong Military Region.

Force units came to support.

Because the base was surrounded by enemy forces, the mountain artillery was distributed to various field units, but the old squad leader still brought two 100mm mortar companies with 6 guns. Even considering the armored units possessed by the enemy, a 6-gun anti-tank gun company was also brought - 2 37mm German-made anti-tank guns inherited from the Northeast Army and 4 82mm high and low pressure guns manufactured in the border area, which together constituted the main firepower of the few long-range anti-armor guns in the hands of this unit.

In addition, with the "Anti-Japanese Trenches" scattered throughout the Hebei-Central region and crisscrossing each other, this battle could still be fought.

"Comrade Wang Tiechui, how about you?"

Just as he was thinking about it, Wu Jin called out Wang Tiechui's name. As the last reinforcement to arrive, he immediately stood up and began to introduce the composition of his unit.

Before setting out from Fushe more than a month ago, Wang Tiechui's reconnaissance company was strengthened according to the standards of a "battalion-level command company" and a "seed company". The entire company was expanded to more than 150 people, and the battalion headquarters was built according to the standards of a special forces battalion - after all, originally, this unit was planned to be expanded into a special forces battalion directly under the military region, with a scale of more than 500 people.

Logically speaking, this unit would be mixed into a battalion artillery company equipped with 82 mortars and 82 rifles, and then after being equipped with high-end communication equipment, they would ride bicycles and horses to become swift scouts in the base, dispel the fog for other friendly troops and obtain important information; or based on this, reconnaissance troops could be trained for future field troops in the Hebei-Central region to jump out of the outside line to fight - in any case, they were definitely not supposed to be used to block holes and fill lines.

But there is no other way in this situation now.

"We've only managed to establish a formal framework. Our three companies have only been working together for less than a month, and we haven't even completed joint training with the artillery company." During the pre-battle briefing, Wang Tiechui honestly recounted the unit's situation, not hiding his shortcomings. His promotion from company commander to battalion commander was a hasty one, and with so many battle-hardened veterans present, Wang Tiechui hadn't yet developed the aura to handle such an environment without fear.

To be honest, I haven't done a good job as the battalion commander - that's what he wanted to say.

"But even so, I have the confidence to complete the task." But in the end, he still answered like this.

Through serious deliberation, candid communication, and meticulous planning, the many details of this blocking battle were quickly finalized. The officers in attendance left the meeting and began to further divide up their responsibilities, passing them down the line. The "anti-Japanese trenches" that served as bunkers and fortifications needed to be repaired and reinforced as soon as possible. The stored supplies in the villages of Madian Town needed to be loaded and transferred. The troops' logistical supplies needed to be stored and shipped. The remaining civilians needed to be evacuated.

This time, the enemy was moving quickly, and they probably didn't have much time left. Wang Tiechui walked towards his "Fei Fei"—a white Hequ horse, head bowed, chewing feed from the trough. Seeing its master approach, its ears perked up like antennae, and it shook its head, trying to get a carrot.

"Attention, all artillery companies! The first company will go to eat first, then the second company, and finally the third company! Those from the company headquarters, follow me and go last!" "A familiar voice came from behind. It should be his old squad leader Wu Jin - even if he didn't see him, Wang Tiechui could still recognize his voice. The air was filled with the aroma of food. It seemed that the kitchen team of the artillery regiment of this half of the military region had already prepared dinner.

"Today it smells..." someone said, "like spiced anchovies and cooked vegetables."

"No, I think it's mackerel in fermented black beans. The smell is definitely fermented black beans!"

"Time flies, and so do we all." Wang Tiechui sighed as he looked at the group of soldiers. Under the setting sun, the soldiers chatted casually, holding their lunch boxes and chopsticks, preparing to line up for their meals.

They obviously knew all this, knowing that many of them would be injured, disabled, or even sacrificed in this battle. But at this moment, they acted as if they knew nothing, guessing what would be for today's meal, chatting about family matters, and preparing to fight hard for the huge and filling dinner.

The warhorse Feifei snorted loudly, and the smoke from cooking fires in Madian Town was quiet under the setting sun.

Chapter 431: Bloody Blockade (1) Wucui Village Attack and Defense

The Madian Town blocking battle began on a hot day.

Wang Tiechui was not so bored as to go to the old squad leader Wu Jin to reminisce about the past. Instead, he came to the front of the position, Wu Cui Village. He inherited the bad habits of the old squad leader Wu Jin.

Even though he is now a battalion commander, he still likes to go to the front line.

He, along with signalman Guo Shun and several guards, came to the position in charge of the first company of the second battalion of the 30th regiment. They lay down together at the corner of the anti-Japanese ditch, wearing helmets made of dry grass and looking into the distance.

This large trench, which was widely distributed in the Hebei-Central base, was the material basis of the entire army's defense - the anti-Japanese ditch. This deep ditch surrounded villages and towns and was divided into three levels. The deepest one was 3 meters wide and 2 meters deep, enough to defend against Japanese cavalry; the medium one was 2 meters wide and 1.5 meters deep, often connecting some villages. It could not only guard against bandits, but also be used as a passage for troop deployment between villages; the lowest level of blockade ditch was mainly used to stop Japanese vehicles, often arranged in an "S" shape and dug along the carriage road.

In the unaltered history, by the time of the May 1st mopping-up campaign in 1942, the total length of anti-Japanese trenches in the Hebei-Central base area exceeded 5000 kilometers. By this time, the digging of anti-Japanese trenches had become standardized and procedural, reaching a scale comparable to that of World War I trenches. These trenches featured access roads for large vehicles, interchanges and switchbacks, and drainage ditches. These trenches provided interconnected villages, multi-layered, circular protection, and allowed troop movements between villages to be completely "semi-underground."

But after all, these are not the endless trenches on the European battlefield during World War I. The blocking troops do not have large-caliber heavy artillery that can be called upon at any time, permanent shelters filled with machine guns, or pre-placed minefields several kilometers deep, and the troops they can mobilize are even more insufficient.

This lack of a trump card would make any commander uneasy, and they would instinctively withdraw their forces to defend the line, thus rejecting the friendly forces' requests for assistance. However, the Chinese troops responsible for blocking the attack could not allow the 1st Battalion of the Jizhong Cavalry Regiment defending Shenze County to be wiped out by the Japanese. Despite the extremely tight situation, the reconnaissance company of the 30th Regiment sent cavalry to support them.

"We found the troops of the Second Company of the First Battalion of the Cavalry Regiment! But they've been caught by the Japanese! 50 cavalrymen, 3 tanks, 1 kilometer behind us!"

Just this morning, a string of anxious calls came through a file shared on Baidu Netdisk: "500 Historical Military Books...

链接:https://pan.baidu.com/s/14V6X4c1IALlypl9XF9_g9Q?pwd=j3ut

Extraction code: j3ut Copy this content and open it. The wave passed through the sky and was transmitted to the radio station of the special forces battalion headquarters.

The first thing that appeared through the telescope was a line of men and horses. Above the scorching surface, only half of their bodies were visible, their figures somewhat distorted. The cavalrymen were clearly in a state of distress: the mounted warriors clung to their horses, crouching low on their backs, as if dodging projectiles from behind. Wang Tiechui noticed that many of the horses were unsupported, simply galloping along with the herd.

Those were the people from the cavalry battalion and the reconnaissance company of the 30th Regiment! Wang Tiechui made a quick count and found that there were very few of them, no more than 30 - they were rushing towards the blocking position along the road from southwest to northeast. If there was an enemy one kilometer behind them... "Guo Shun!" Two arrows moving quickly, one in front and one behind, appeared in the battlefield simulation in his mind, and Wang Tiechui shouted subconsciously.

"arrive!"

"Prepare the signal flares, two green and one red. Follow my command on the launch time! Order - One." As the front-line battlefield commander, Wang Tiechui quickly issued orders, "At the signal time, the cavalry will turn north and go through the chariot entrance south of the village. Have the third company of the second battalion of the 30th regiment of Changru Village prepare for battle. Once the enemy turns, fire immediately!"

"receive!"

He paused and continued to give orders to the messengers and signalmen around him.

"The front-line artillery group is ready to fire, ready to block fire, ready to fire effectively - first separate the devils! We are ready to fire here to scare the devils!" "Yes!"

The 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Regiment, which was the closest, did not need to send a message, but instead integrated two 82 mortar platoons and a part of the large and small mortars of the 30th Regiment of Hebei Province into the "forward artillery group" observation post.

In a mud enclosure less than 50 meters away from Wang Tiechui.

The gun telescope and rangefinder were raised on the roof and began to measure distance and direction.

"Forward artillery group, observation post 02, centralized control! Units 1 and 2, prepare for interdiction fire, and prepare to receive fire orders!"

The signalmen squatting in the anti-Japanese trench immediately drew their signal pistols, loaded their ammunition, and prepared themselves. Guo Shun, carrying a battalion- and company-level dual-mode radio, immediately used the transmitter on his throat to convert the radio commands into electromagnetic waves and transmit them.

"30th Regiment Reconnaissance Company, this is 'Pyramid'! Two red and one green flares, turn north, south passage to the village!

"Big Ben, this is the Pyramid. Over 20 of our cavalry are approaching our positions along the Shensu Highway. One kilometer behind us are 50 Japanese cavalry and 3 tanks! We will fire artillery to force the enemy to turn. Wait until the enemy turns and then fire!"

Soon, behind the Jizhong cavalry, another group of cavalry appeared. They also rode forward, but their formation was more strict and their march was more orderly. Unlike the Jizhong cavalry, this group did not gallop in a single column through the anti-Japanese trench. Instead, they spread out along both sides of the road, avoiding the anti-Japanese trenches dug in the road and advancing rapidly in two columns.

This newly emerged group of cavalrymen were clearly more confident, completely disdainful of concealing their identities. At the forefront of their column, three compact mechanical creations, draped with crimson plaster flags, led the charge. Those small tanks lacked artillery, only a single machine gun. Yet, the barrage of machine gun bullets fired from them still kept the Jizhong cavalrymen in front from daring to raise their heads.

Wucui Village and Changru Village in Madian Town in front of us did not fire a single shot and maintained an eerie silence.

"Fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight…" Wang Tiechui leaned over to the artillery observation post, glanced at the range-finding results, and began to count silently with his eyes closed. He listened intently, almost feeling the clatter of hooves and the clatter of tracks drifting through the soil. "Closer, closer!"

"Ten, nine, eight..." He suddenly opened his eyes and estimated the distance. Without waiting for the countdown to return to zero, Wang Tiechui shouted to the signalmen: "Flare!"

Bang, bang, bang! Three flares rose into the sky—a perfect combination of one red and two green. They quickly ascended over Wucui Village, dragging out a small parachute, like three eyes suspended in the sky.

The cavalrymen at the forefront were slightly disoriented, but quickly reacted. Less than 50 meters ahead, the Anti-Japanese Trench began to slope gently upward, gradually widening to the left and right. This was the "turning point" at a T-intersection, where the deep dirt road split into two routes: one continuing east, the other turning north. Recalling the previous order, the cavalrymen no longer hesitated, immediately pulling on the reins and galloping up the slope, turning north.

However, this action of turning in front of the enemy was equivalent to exposing one's own flank to the Japanese soldiers, and quickly narrowed the absolute distance between the two sides.

The Japanese cavalrymen who found the opportunity were overjoyed. Immediately, many of them squeezed their legs together, drove their horses to speed up, and prepared to attack the flank of the Communist army.

Meanwhile, flames flickered in Wucui Village, on the north side of the road, and sparse resistance emerged. This feeble resistance, like the most common guerrillas these Japanese soldiers had encountered in recent days, was desperate, brave, but useless, a mere spice in the Imperial soldiers' victory.

On a small tank in the front, a Japanese soldier who looked like an officer leaned out from the turret, waving a signal flag in his hand, and began to command the cavalry to change formation.

This carefully selected Japanese cavalry displayed exceptional quality in this regard. Without any radio coordination, these riders remained on their toes, swiftly maneuvering their horses and transforming their two columns into a two-row assault formation, also turning north. The three tanks led the way, driving off the road and crushing the wheat in the fields, transforming their triangle formation into a horizontal column, ready to lead the cavalry charge.

At this moment, the inaccurate bullets whizzing through the air turned into whistling, very accurate mortar shells - they came from behind Wu Cui Village and created a wall of earth in the Japanese formation.

The war horses were in a panic, but the Japanese riders on their backs had seen such situations before! They controlled the horses very quickly, and after suffering some losses, they spread out the formation to the left and right, preparing to avoid the blocking area where mortar shells were falling, and continue to pursue the enemy who were desperately fleeing.

But at this moment, the three tanks that were rushing forward, protecting the entire cavalry team, continued to charge forward. This round of continuous blocking fire successfully isolated the Japanese cavalry around the tanks and pushed them to the rear! At the same time, the Japanese troops happened to be less than 500 meters away from the front of the blocking positions in Wucui Village and Changru Village!

"Fire!"

The 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Regiment, stationed in Changru Village, happened to catch a large flank of Japanese cavalrymen, who were turning, but their formation was in disarray due to being cut off by artillery fire and tanks. Suddenly, light and heavy machine guns blazed, and a barrage far more powerful than before descended upon the Japanese army!

The Japanese commander of the tank ahead was utterly terrified. The multitasking commander frantically kicked the driver below, ordering him to turn the vehicle quickly and suppress the sudden fire points so that he could rescue his own cavalry, which was pinned down by the fire. Damn it! Cunning Communist Red Army!

But Wang Tiechui and his men clearly didn't give the invaders any chance. A distance of less than 500 meters was a matter of just over two minutes for the soldiers of the 30th Regiment, who had diligently practiced obstacle courses in training grounds and under fire. Three anti-tank teams advanced low, following the anti-Japanese trenches surrounding the village, darting through the wheat fields. Their denim uniforms shielded them from the prickly wheat thorns, and their sneakers gave them a brisk pace.

They leaped all the way to within a hundred meters of the Japanese tanks that were stuck in a dilemma, and pulled the trigger of their "turtle fist" at the tanks that were trying to turn.

Chapter 432: Bloody Interception (⑵) First Round of Contact

The wreckage of two Type 94 light tanks was left on the battlefield, and the machine gun bullets inside were crackling due to the burning flames, like tofu fried in vegetable oil.

This outpost battle left about 20 Japanese cavalry and two tanks, and the blocking troops suffered almost no casualties, except for one unlucky member of the anti-tank group who twisted his ankle while running cross-country. If nothing unexpected happened, this injury would follow this unfortunate man for several months, becoming a source of amusement for his comrades.

Of course, the prerequisite is that they can survive this arduous blocking battle.

The cavalrymen who were brought back brought back more detailed news from the front: the Japanese army defeated the Wuji defenders in just one day and broke through the guerrillas'

The first day was blocked and the team arrived at the deep sea 60 kilometers east of Zhengding in the evening.

Ze.

The First Battalion of the Ji Zhong Cavalry Regiment, which was stationed here on a rotation basis, put up a heroic resistance together with the militia regiment of Shenze County. After repelling the Japanese attack for the first time, the county's outer positions encountered an extremely fierce artillery attack. The Japanese army, with tanks and armored vehicles as the vanguard, launched a second round of charge within less than a minute of the artillery fire, and the militia regiment was caught off guard and dispersed in one round.

The cavalry battalion, originally intended to outflank the Japanese army and attack their logistics, ran into the Japanese armored cavalry and was defeated in the collision. After the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion of the Cavalry Regiment was dispersed, it was pursued by the Japanese search team until it encountered the reconnaissance company of the 30th Regiment sent by Wang Tiechui.

The cavalry battalion of the Central Hebei Military Region that withdrew and the reconnaissance cavalry of the 30th Regiment that went out to provide support totaled 28 people. Together with the troops who have returned to our army's controlled area in the past few days, there are only more than 50 people left in the cavalry battalion of more than 300 people. When saying this, the soldiers of the cavalry battalion gritted their teeth, almost cried, and hit their heads, saying that they wanted to avenge their comrades.