Canteen System Assistance Notes

The Japanese 32nd and part of the 31st Battalions, which had rushed here because there was no enemy, could not help but sigh at the scenery, saying that this place was indeed extremely steep. However, the Japanese discovered a strange phenomenon at the 72nd bend: in May, when leaves should be green and grass should be growing, the 72nd bend was actually quite bare.

The sharp-eyed scouts noticed that many of the trees had fresh chopping marks on their roots, which clearly indicated they had been cleaned up. This was not a good sign.

At the foot of the "72 bends" is a place called "Shuangdi Village". At this time, there are only a few empty houses that had long been cleared by the Eighth Route Army and the residents and property had been relocated. The two advancing battalions set up their headquarters here and began to plan to attack the mountain.

There was undoubtedly Eighth Route Army defense on the mountain, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to clear the firing range for no reason. The two captains peered up the mountain through binoculars, only to see a faint temple on the crest of the mountain under the scorching sun, and some vague chaos hidden in the mottled shadows of the vegetation. Some people who had experienced the "nightmare" of the mopping-up operation almost suffered from "battlefield phobia". What could be lurking in the middle of this narrow 5-kilometer mountain road, at the end?

How many things that will take lives are hidden here?

"How ridiculous! How could the Imperial soldiers be frightened by a mere mountain path?"

The captains scolded, as they usually wouldn't be on the front lines of a raid, so they naturally didn't know the fear of being there. "Organize the formation and start the attack!"

Amidst the soldiers' complaints, which they dared not complain loudly, the two battalions launched their first exploratory attack. Because the "72 Bends" (72 being an adjective) twists and turns, with over a hundred turns, each one a 180-degree winding mountain path, ranging from dozens of meters to four or five meters, it was impossible to deploy a large force. Furthermore, all troops had to climb ladders, so neither battalion's artillery nor heavy machine gun squadrons arrived. Their heaviest weapons were Type 99 rifles and grenade launchers.

This attack was a patchwork, only able to gather a small hapless team. To guard against the sudden charge of the Eighth Route Army, these fifty or so men basically fixed their bayonets, put down their bags, and took only some water besides their weapons, and began the arduous climb up the mountain.

Turning left and right, looking up at the sky, the winding mountain path stretched almost to the horizon. This hike, which would normally take about two hours by foot, took the wary Japanese nearly three hours to reach the summit. As the altitude rose, the path's curves became more frequent. By the end, the mountain walls on either side grew ever taller, forcing the narrow path, which was only one person wide, to make a 180-degree turn every four or five meters.

It makes people dizzy.

But we’re finally reaching the top of the mountain!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then, a row of bushes suddenly appeared in front of the mountain god and land temple at the end of the 72nd bend. Bushes?

Just as the scouts ahead were stunned, a new layer of "brush" appeared on top of the grass. Then, flames began to emerge from the grass. Two neat and classic volleys of gunfire!

Although the rifle's sound was chaotic, dull, and ancient, and one could tell it was made from many different models, and the shooter's skill was just so-so, at a distance of less than a hundred meters, facing a dense enemy force that filled a width of three to five meters, even a monkey could hit someone!

Bullets swept across like a fan, instantly hitting several of the sharpshooters who stood tall and straight, sending them tumbling. Then, the enemy's volleys gave way to free fire, the crackling whistles bouncing back and forth between the cliffs, as if countless guns were firing simultaneously. One unfortunate individual tried to peer out to observe the enemy's situation, but was quickly struck in the head by a bullet, leaving two large holes in his soft skull and helmet.

The machine gunner immediately raised his machine gun and tried to find cover to fire back at the enemy, but the unfortunate situation of attacking from above and the narrow and winding road prevented him from finding a place to set up his gun. Although his assistant gunner immediately tried to stand up and act as a human machine gun stand, the act of raising his machine gun was tantamount to making himself a target. Soon, the Japanese soldier was hit by several bullets and fell to the ground.

The entire Japanese squad was suppressed by rifles alone in the narrow triangle area under the road!

They say the right time, right place, and right people are all good. The Eighth Route Army soldiers we were facing practically had every advantage in the terrain. The remaining thirty or so people huddled in a roadblock, not daring to move. "Throw grenades! Throw grenades! Quick!"

To deal with this situation, these experienced veterans did have a way - a grenade thrower wearing a steel helmet and big leather boots crawled to the side, unhooked the short and thick grenade launcher from his back, adjusted the knob, inserted the base into the soil, and stuffed a grenade into it.

Boom! Boom!

The grenade flew up, drew a curve, and landed behind the ridge, causing the Red Army's firepower to pause. Seeing this, the suppressed Japanese soldiers immediately stood up, firing back at the snipers while rushing up the hillside.

Let you experience the invincible and unstoppable hand-to-hand combat of the Imperial Army!

Then they saw rows of flying grenades.

"What? Were we beaten back? How many people are there on the other side?"

The command posts of the 32nd and 31st Battalions were only a few hundred meters away from the battlefield, but the winding mountain roads stretched them out for several kilometers. Hearing the chaotic roar of gunfire from the mountains, one might have expected intense fighting, but after a burst of intense, muffled explosions, the gunfire grew sparse. Twenty minutes later, the squadron leader, bowing his head in apology, arrived at the battalion headquarters in Shuangdi Village.

"Report, Captain! The enemy... on the top of the mountain... is about a battalion. The Red Army occupies the high ground. Although our soldiers bravely charge under a hail of bullets, the enemy is on high ground and our firepower is insufficient... We can only retreat." "Humph! You idiot!"

The captain of the 31st Battalion was dismissive of his squadron leader's words and gave him a stern "Three Pende" and scolded him: "Do you think I'm a fool? The enemy doesn't even have machine guns in such a narrow place on the top of the mountain. How can we have a battalion? How can a battalion deploy its troops?"

"I think at most there's a squadron, a Red Army 'company'! The enemy right in front of us is at most a squad! You losers, you were actually stopped by a Red Army company? You have to understand, if we don't break through the '72nd turn', the entire brigade will be stopped by this small number of enemy forces!"

"Hey! I'm stupid! But..."

The squadron leader was slapped, but he still bowed vigorously. "The enemy has occupied the clifftop. Soldiers must fight to the death! Your Excellency, Captain! I beg for 'tactical guidance'!" "We need to effectively suppress the Red Army's firepower from above to effectively capture this place!"

Chapter 197: Futile Attack

The terrain of the 72 turns is extremely special. After climbing to the top of the mountain, the narrow path does not pass through the pass, but faces a steeper cliff. For this reason, the road turns to the right and bypasses the mountain before it is officially completed.

So, when the Red Army on the mountaintop was resisting the Japanese attack, they could shoot the attacking Japanese from behind in the last thirty or forty meters, achieving the same effect as "reverse-firing the firing point." (I've tried to add an attached image to the battlefield map; you can flip to the back to see it.)

As the squadron leader on the front line, the Japanese army still understood how to deal with such a situation - normally, it is best to use the assigned barreled artillery to carry out destructive artillery bombardment on the narrow positions on the top of the mountain outside the enemy's firepower range at the foot of the mountain, and cover the climbing team; at the same time, considering that the enemy has no machine guns, it should be used to fire vertically from outside the range of the enemy to suppress their firepower, and it is best to cooperate with grenade launchers to destroy their key positions before attacking.

But what about now?

Because the Japanese 31st and 32nd Battalions had to climb ladders, not even the machine gun squadrons could get through much, let alone barreled artillery. As a unit formed by returning soldiers, the heaviest weapons in the entire battalion were four Type 92 rifles (one more than before) and grenade launchers carried on their backs.

On flat ground, a grenade launcher with a range of several hundred meters could effectively suppress the enemy. However, now, the "range" of a grenade launcher attacking from above is similar to that of the enemy's grenades thrown from a high position. The enemy also has a field of vision advantage, so it has no suppressive effect at all. On the contrary, due to the limitations of the mountains, the grenade will be thrown too far or too close, and the enemy will be hit by the explosives thrown in vain.

Facing a squadron leader who couldn't even bow 90 degrees, the two battalion commanders had no choice but to temporarily halt their offensive. Without artillery, how could they suppress the Red Army at the pass?

The 92-type machine gun squadron, with only four boats under their command, came up with a plan. They suggested going to the road ahead, sawing some wood, tying them together with ropes to form a tripod, and then attaching the 92-type machine gun and its tripod to it, thus increasing the available elevation angle and allowing suppressive fire from the bottom of the mountain.

Of course, the main reason for this was that the Japanese army hadn't brought any anti-aircraft gun mounts with them. Those were large and heavy, and were meant to counter aircraft. How could the Red Army have aircraft? But the Red Army didn't have aircraft, they had high ground!

"Okay, go ahead and give it a try! Once you're ready, we'll attack!"

After the order was given, the cursing engineers were driven back to their work, chopping and sawing trees, and then starting the carpentry work. Because the wooden frame had to bear over 50 kilograms of weight, it was still not very good. Without horses as pack animals, the infantry, exhausted from running back and forth and climbing up and down, had to run back to the Magedang and Heimaogou sections of the road to carry the large and heavy frame from the ladder.

In addition, the previous attack consumed a lot of ammunition and produced many wounded soldiers, all of whom had to rely on the two ladders for manpower transportation. As a result, even though there were two battalions of troops in the front and people were constantly climbing over, the number of people available for front-line combat had not increased much.

By the time the attacking troops finished eating, organizing, and resupplying, and the machine guns used for offensive support were set up and firing, it was already afternoon when the Japanese finally launched a new round of attacks. "This attack will be led by our 32nd Battalion! The vanguard will be the 1st Squadron!"

The captain of the 32nd Battalion stood at the entrance of Shuangdi Village, giving a speech to the squadron leaders below. Elsewhere, the 31st Battalion had already dispatched a number of soldiers, who were shouting, dancing, banging pots and pans, and running back and forth at the foot of the mountain, pretending to be about to launch a large-scale attack.

"We need to advance stealthily, getting as close to the Red Army's positions as possible! The road on the top of the mountain is narrow, making it difficult to deploy our forces. However, without machine guns, the Red Army can't stop the Imperial Army's daring and resolute assault! Our team will provide support with machine guns. Once the first squadron breaks through the enemy's position, the remaining squadrons must demonstrate their fearless military spirit and advance in hand-to-hand combat to achieve victory!"

He looked at the vanguard squadron and told the other squadrons to concentrate as many grenade launchers as possible on them so they could prepare the artillery fire before the attack began.

As the sun began to set, two squads from the 1st Company of the 32nd Battalion began their ascent. A squad from the 2nd Company followed, bringing with them nearly all the grenade throwers. The 5-kilometer winding mountain path took nearly two hours to climb. They followed the roadblocks closely, staying in the shadows as much as possible to minimize detection by the Red Army. Halfway up the mountain, the vanguard leader of the 1st Company forcefully ordered the entire squad to crawl up the mountain.

They kept climbing like centipedes for nearly an hour, and finally reached the top of the mountain, which was only about one or two hundred meters away.

"Bombardment, launch!"

The commanders of the two squadrons had long collaborated, developing a strong rapport. The grenade throwers from Squadron 2 then launched their "artillery preparation." Over a dozen grenades were unleashed from their stubby barrels with a thud. Given the significant height difference, even experienced grenade throwers couldn't accurately determine their impact points. Instantly, shells exploded on ridges, cliffs, roads, and even just tens of meters in front of their own lines.

However, the landing point can be adjusted! The 1st Squadron in front can almost see the Red Army's positions made of earth, rocks, and sandbags. As long as they wait for the grenade to hit the target, they can greatly suppress the Red Army's firepower!

and many more!

What is that?

A huge cloud of earth-colored smoke suddenly rose from the Red Army's position, as if something had exploded. Then, tiny black dots emerged from the smoke, each carrying a wisp of bluish-white smoke. These dots passed over the heads of the 1st Squadron, tracing a curved line, and landed near the 2nd Squadron, responsible for the grenade launch!

Boom boom boom!

The warheads, far more powerful than 50mm grenade launchers, exploded with a resounding roar similar to that of mountain artillery. A volley of twelve grenades instantly blanketed the crouching grenade launchers. Although a few rounds strayed, the dense volley was enough to cover a large area. Then, the unfortunate grenades detonated, exploding with a crackling sound like firecrackers at a festival.

What's this???

"Enemy artillery!!!" someone screamed, and a terrifying atmosphere spread like gunpowder. Damn it! How did the Red Army manage to carry such heavy artillery up the hill?

The squad leader in the front row couldn't tell the difference between Jianquan's 50Qg cast iron 105mm warhead and a mountain artillery piece. For a moment, he thought he was under attack from Yan's B8 field artillery. But despite his doubts, he knew that the artillery preparation could no longer be completed.

He drew his command knife and ordered his soldiers to rise and charge the enemy line. The distance was very close. If they stayed here any longer, they would be blown to the sky by the enemy! "Hand-to-hand combat! Assault!"

Some Japanese soldiers took out grenades and threw them, but because of the height difference, they could only land on the mountain road ahead; some Japanese invaders fought ferociously, roared, put bayonets on their rifles, and rushed towards the enemy formation that seemed to be close at hand; more Japanese invaders were swept up, shouted courageously, and followed the crowd to run towards the top of the mountain.

Another round of customary volleys of gunfire, followed by a barrage of grenades. Then, from the jutting cliff, the classic rattle of the Hotchkiss rifles erupted—the Red Army's machine guns, which had been silent until then, finally spoke. Two of them locked onto the winding path at the top of the mountain. In those final fifty meters, the incoming fire from behind and from the side rendered any attempt at evasion or cover futile.

The Type 92s at the foot of the mountain tried their best to support, but the shooting at this time was like anti-aircraft fire. The poor slant range of the Type 92s here could only make the sound of bullets breaking through the air, more like inaccurate stray bullets on the battlefield, and were completely unable to suppress the enemy's firepower; and those grenades that were enough to destroy machine guns had long been scrapped in the "Red Army artillery bombardment".

The Japanese soldiers ran, charged, were shot, and fell. The fifty-plus-meter vertical difference in height became an insurmountable barrier. In just a few minutes, no one in the vanguard was left standing.

The blood had dyed the mountain road ahead red, and the rusty smell of blood began to spread between the canyons. The Japanese soldiers behind just watched as the friendly soldiers who were roaring and charging were hit by blood columns, had their heads smashed, or were swallowed by the explosion. This almost massacre-like scene happening to them seemed extremely terrifying.

Before, they never thought that such a situation would happen to them.

“Ah…..Ah….” Someone squeezed out a few words in his throat, “Ah ...

Finally, someone collapsed. He screamed, threw away his helmet and rifle, and rushed down the mountain like a madman. Although the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade was composed of experienced returning soldiers, it had also been filled with a number of new recruits to make up for the increasingly serious blood loss. This terrifying scene, like a hellish hell, penetrated the poor man's brain nerves, causing him to crawl away from the formation and become a deserter.

Where could the deserter escape to on this narrow mountain path? The sharpshooter on the top of the mountain spotted this conspicuous target and fired a shot at him - but the old round-head bullet's accuracy was really poor, and the bullet only hit a stone on the side, and the flying stone chips scratched his face.

The frightened deserter, already like a frightened bird, tripped on empty air and fell into the valley like a sack. #Bang, the dull sound of a body hitting the ground, insignificant in the noisy battlefield.

Chapter 198: Crazy Prelude

"Brigade...Brigade Commander..."

The captain of the 32nd Battalion stood in the empty house of Shuangdi Village, trembling, and reported to Mizuhara Yoshishige, "The 3rd Squad of the 1st Company lost 37 people, the 2nd Squad lost 28 people; the 1st Squad, the 1st Squad was completely destroyed. The 1st Squad of the 2nd Company and the grenade-throwing unit... only have five seriously injured people left..."

"Losses, total losses, approximately 170 men... Enemy losses, unknown..." "What? You can't even determine the enemy's losses?"

Mizuhara Yoshishige cursed, looking at the equally sullen commander of the 31st Battalion, Tanaka Sho, and pointed heavily at the ground, cursing. He tapped the map, and on it, the 72 bends of Huangwei Mountain were just a tiny part of it, not even occupying any important position in the commander's mind.

"Is this little Huangwei Mountain going to become our army's 203 Heights? You bunch of rubbish!"

He walked out of the civilian house that served as the command center, took a turn, and walked back, looking at the 72 bends that were gradually getting darker in the sunset. There were still some flames burning on the mountain road, emitting thick black smoke.

By now, the 31st and 32nd Battalions had lost two squads, three more were severely damaged and ineffective, and one had lost over a third of its personnel, making it difficult to carry out the heavy operations, and they had also lost a significant number of grenade throwers. The losses of a force of over 2,000 men were approaching 20%. Normally, such a force would need to be withdrawn from the battle to rest and recuperate before resuming the offensive.

In Shuangdi Village, scores of wounded soldiers groaned and cried out, military doctors rushed back and forth, and from time to time, men were carried on stretchers and carried back up the mountain road. Many more leaned against the walls and houses, leaning on their rifles, huddled together, having lost the courage to fight.

Mizuhara Yoshishige felt that compared with the loss of personnel, the loss of morale might be even more fatal: many soldiers were probably afraid of the Red Army positions on the high hills.

"But! How can our army retreat and give up!"

Mizuhara Yoshishige's brigade staff, eyes red, slammed the table, and shouted at the two battalion commanders. The 31st and 32nd Battalion commanders proposed the idea of ​​"seizing victory, advancing, providing tactical guidance, resting, and fighting again." The brigade staff fiercely objected: "Gentlemen, according to your reports, there should only be one 'company' of Red Army troops on the mountaintop!"

"Yes, there is only one company, but our army is under heavy artillery attack!"

"Heavy artillery? How is that possible?" The path on the top of the mountain is as narrow as the mountain itself, so how could there be heavy artillery? This is probably just an excuse you made up to cover up your failure! Staff Officer Showa showed no sign of disguising his youthful demeanor, even taking pride in it. "If the Red Army really had heavy artillery, how could we safely discuss the situation here?"

At this point, the two battalion commanders could no longer refute their argument: if the Eighth Route Army had barreled artillery, then Shuangdi Village, not far from the top of the mountain, would definitely be unsafe. But even so, it was an indisputable fact that the Red Army positions on the top of the mountain were easy to defend but difficult to attack.

"So, how should we attack? Our army has been lingering here for four or five days. If we don't break through here, our allies will have to take Changzhi alone!" Mizuhara was very unhappy after listening to the captain's complaints and emphasizing many difficulties. "I don't want to hear you complain about difficulties! How can the reputation of the Imperial Army be hindered by this small valley?"

This attack, which should have been smooth sailing, was met with a landslide, and then, in this troublesome location, a small enemy unit was blocking the entire division. A single Red Army company was holding them back. While our allies were advancing triumphantly, we were hesitating. This was unacceptable!

"Your Excellency! I believe we should promptly request support from the headquarters' attack aircraft!"

The battalion commander reported in time, ahead of the frantic staff. The brigade commander had already decided to continue the offensive, and that was undeniable. Even if the battalion insisted on a shift, the staff, who had demanded the attack, would likely not assist the brigade in developing a transition plan. He opted for a compromise: "Although the Red Army occupies the high ground, if attack aircraft were to launch an aerial attack and drop explosive bombs, they would surely destroy the Red Army's defenses and crush the enemy in one blow."

It was already late, and the attack aircraft would have to be sent tomorrow after the headquarters had coordinated, so the troops could at least have a night's rest.

With the help of air support, the feasibility of taking this position will be

higher.

"That's one idea, but if our army rests for a night, the Red Army can also rest for a night and strengthen their defenses. Is that a problem?" Mizuhara Yoshishige neither confirmed nor denied the question. He asked, "You two, how many soldiers are available in each unit?" "Your Excellency, the 31st Battalion has two infantry companies ready to go at any time, but the rest of the units are short-staffed."

"Your Excellency, aside from the reserve support troops, the 32nd Battalion still has one infantry squadron available. We're short of an artillery squadron and a machine gun squadron, and the rest are assisting the medics in transporting the wounded." "That leaves three squadrons ready to fight! Don't we still have three squadrons ready to fight?"

Mizuhara Yoshishige slammed his hand on the table, his tone unexpectedly filled with joy. "We have over 800 warriors ready to fight, while the Eighth Route Army on the mountain only has a little over a hundred!" A night attack will do the trick! Under cover of darkness, the Red Army's advantage of high ground will be negated. We can storm the pass with one swift blow and engage the Red Army head-on in a decisive battle!

"Could it be that the two captains still feel they can't defeat the Red Army in a hand-to-hand charge?"

He asked provocatively, then looked at his staff officer, "Besides, our army has the 'Decisive Smoke Screen'!"

Sir, please forgive me for interrupting you. The wind direction in the valley area at night is from top to bottom, which is not conducive to our army releasing the "decisive smokescreen"... The casualties of the army are already very tragic. If we launch another attack, the morale of the soldiers will be difficult to maintain... Captain 31 was interrupted just halfway through his words.

"So what! Captain Nakata, are you scared?" Mizuhara Yoshishige's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Even if we don't have the decisive smokescreen, we still have 'that'!

"That"? Which one?

Tanaka Sho, the commander of the 31st Battalion, was a confident man, not without courage. However, facing this situation, he felt that without support, even attacking the Red Army at night would not have much chance of success. But what was it that allowed the brigade commander to request air support before dawn, launch an offensive under cover of darkness, disregarding morale, and confidently secure victory in a single blow?

He looked at the captain of the 32nd Battalion standing beside him, who also had a puzzled look on his face.

"Why, you don't even remember our army's 'Friends of the March'?"

No, "Friends of the March", I remember that...

Nagata Nakasho remembered. He watched the brigade commander call the staff to prepare an attack plan, then instruct the accompanying military doctor to prepare "that" thing. He remembered the small white pill with tiny characters on it, sealed in a green glass bottle with an iron cap. It was indeed a magical thing, which could make people tireless and fearless. However, it was not often used in the previous battles against the Red Army. It was mostly horse manure, the stuff that only pilots ate. With that, it was indeed possible to break through the enemy before them.

"Anti-fatigue awakening agent, ah, great! Having this, great!" Inexplicably, he was also filled with a crazy confidence.

Chapter 199 The Burden of the Militia

How many people were there in our army on the top of the mountain, and which unit was it that stopped the Japanese brigade at the foot of the mountain and blocked the squad and company-level charges?

Similar to Mizuhara Yoshishige's estimate, they did have only about a company of people, but perhaps beyond Mizuhara Yoshishige's expectation, this unit was not the main force of the Eighth Route Red Army, but a militia within a militia unit, and some "student soldiers" - from the county brigade of Lingchuan County and the teaching team of the Sixth Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, totaling more than 200 people, who were the main force of this blocking battle.

Of course, there were also many mobilized masses. Although they did not participate in the battle, they helped these soldiers transport supplies, ammunition, and carry the wounded, and played a very important role.

Thanks to excellent terrain, thorough preparation, and continuous logistical supplies, these soldiers, armed with weapons that were considered luxurious in history but rudimentary today, held off two consecutive Japanese assaults. "So I say, Xiao Shunzi, this time, you should talk more with the instructors in the training team. Maybe, after this battle, I can even get you a Type 38 rifle!"

After repelling a wave of Japanese attacks, the sun had already set behind the mountaintops. The 72-turn mountain road, which curved from east to west, was soon shrouded in shadows. Several instructors from the training team called on a dozen or so guerrilla fighters, who, carrying shoulder poles and baskets, descended halfway up the mountain in the smoke to collect the firearms and ammunition left behind by the Japanese.

"Special marksman" Guo Shun and another instructor were "keeping watch" on the mountain, observing whether the Japanese soldiers below were making any movements.

"Deputy instructor, if I had had a Type 38 rifle earlier, that devil wouldn't have been able to escape. I would have killed him before he rolled over."

Guo Shun held an old rifle, squinting down. He had just fired at a Japanese deserter who had stood up, but missed, and the guy fell down the ravine and died. "That way, maybe we can get a few more egg mines."