Canteen System Assistance Notes

Chapter 202 The Sun Rises

Led by sergeants and corporals, these ardent second lieutenants, unfettered by the immensity of the world, drew their command swords, donned forehead bands symbolizing "long-lasting military fortune," and charged with bayonets fixed at the head of the infantry. This was a standard Japanese tactic for attacking a fortified defense, and experience in China demonstrated that, whenever such a situation arose, even the strongest defenses could be breached by the Imperial Army's assault: the Battle of Jiangcheng, the Campaign of Hongdu, and so on.

To some extent, this can be regarded as the "last stand" of the Japanese army. To use the words of a navy general, this can be regarded as "the rise and fall of the imperial nation depends on this battle, and everyone at all levels must work hard."

Although the last time the Japanese army was used in China was in the Russo-Japanese War, when they attacked the Russian fleet and occupied Shizikou, this time, it was just to capture a winding mountain in the Taihang Mountains.

—-—-----

Guo Shun gripped his gun tightly, resisting the urge to fire at the enemy and the exhaustion and pain in his body. The Japanese wave charge resulted in heavy casualties, but was highly effective.

The continuous fighting resulted in at least 20 to 30 casualties among the county brigade and the training team, significantly reducing their combat effectiveness. More importantly, the successive Japanese troops consumed a large amount of ammunition in the blocking positions, from rifle and machine gun bullets to various explosives. Grenades, grenades, and explosive packs, which were particularly effective when thrown from high ground, were almost completely destroyed by the soldiers.

Now they were running low on ammunition—the intensity of the battle had exceeded the worst estimates of the pre-war command—so they had to bring the enemy closer.

Put it closer. Compared to those who are used to "put it in and then hit it"

As a Red Army soldier, Guo Shun felt that his bayonet fighting ability was not as good as that of the Japanese.

The farthest few lighting barrels had been kicked over by the Japanese army, and the remaining kerosene and firewood were slowly extinguished, plunging the surroundings into darkness again. The Japanese army advanced in such darkness: However, before that, when several Japanese soldiers tried to put out the fire with soil, Guo Shun and several other excellent shooters caused the Japanese to pay an extra two lives.

How many did I kill today?

Guo Shun slowly lit up. He'd fired at least two Type 2 rifles and over 30 older Type 79 rounds today. He could confirm that he'd killed over 20 people. He looked at the deputy instructor beside him. This veteran, a veteran who'd seen many storms, was gripping his rifle in one hand while deftly peeling off a candy wrapper with the other and stuffing a mint into his mouth.

Puff... Guo Shun laughed secretly and relaxed: Well, I've killed so many people today, even if it's glorious, it's enough. He pulled the bayonet from his belt, removed the whitened leather sheath, and fiercely mounted the bayonet on the muzzle of the gun - no, Guo Shun thought, glanced at the Type 38 rifle with the bayonet on the side, and decisively put the bayonet back.

Come on! Little devils!

"Assault! Load!"

When the two sides were close enough, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and the Japanese sergeants in the front suddenly jumped out of the darkness, holding their command swords high, and as if pulling peanuts, they led out a long line of shouting Japanese soldiers.

Only fifty meters!

The Japanese soldiers no longer crouched and leaped forward, but instead ran straight up and rushed towards the top of the mountain in order to close the distance as quickly as possible. The Japanese soldiers behind them opened fire,

Screaming wildly, trying to suppress the enemy troops on the top of the mountain, and by the way,

Colleagues bolstered their momentum.

Their answer was a machine gun that had been repositioned again and again. It was said that this thing had accompanied the Red Army on the Long March. All night long, they had moved left and right on the battlefield to avoid grenades, and miraculously, they hadn't been lost yet. Now, the veterans were out, one for each of them, instantly knocking out several Japanese soldiers.

The sound of gunfire was like a signal, and the sniper positions on the top of the mountain opened fire. "Shoot!"

Firing had become a mechanical reflex for Guo Shun, as if the action required no brain involvement, handled solely by the spinal cord. He repeated the motions of bolting, aiming, firing, and bolting again, watching the enemies, only twenty or thirty meters away, fall one by one in front of him, and the rain of bullets raining down around him.

"One, two, three... Hold on, hold on, hold on!" He chanted silently, as if no other sound could be heard around him.

Because of the extremely close distance, the accuracy of both sides' shooting was high to a terrifying degree, and people were constantly shot and fell; but because the width of the Japanese army was limited and our army had bunkers for protection, the casualties on both sides were completely disproportionate. However, under the blessing of drugs, the Japanese army was like the "ants" in the ancient siege, pushing the living and the dead, and approaching the front meter by meter.

"Boom!"

The machine gunner, who had been firing continuously, collapsed backward, his hands drenched in blood. The dense charging column had forced the machine gun to abandon its burst fire and instead raked the crowd. After the veteran, who had been consuming nearly ten 79-caliber magazines without ceasing, the now-glow-red barrel finally transferred excessive heat to the loaded ammunition. The hot ammunition, in its violent automatic firing, malfunctioned, causing the machine gun to explode.

"It's a black card, get on board!"

The militia's firepower plummeted, half its machine gun firepower gone, and the Japanese charged onto the hilltop's frontline. A sergeant leading the charge, bloodied and roaring, stomped his feet as he dodged a soldier's valiant charge and then struck him with a slash of his sword.

"It's a black card, get on board!"

The militia's weakness in close combat was magnified infinitely, and the Japanese army's advantage in hand-to-hand combat was clearly revealed! The Japanese soldiers behind the sergeant cheered wildly, and were about to rush into the trench through this breakthrough. "Go!"

Guo Shun grabbed a Type 38 rifle placed beside him, but before he could stand up and charge, a strong hand came down on his head! The deputy instructor at the next station pushed him to the ground and blew a whistle. "Beep! Beep! Beep! All party members, follow me!"

The Sixth Branch Training Team, consisting of only a few dozen men, stepped forward! They pulled out the previously silent "White Gate" and unleashed a dense barrage of bullets into the trench, pressing down fiercely on the Japanese invaders. With a rate of fire of 400 rounds per minute, even the central nervous system stimulated by the assault ingots and awakening agents could not withstand such physical destruction. The Japanese sergeant who had just triumphed was instantly reduced to ashes, and several Japanese soldiers who rushed in from behind also died.

Then, the district squad behind the mountain rushed over. They didn't bring any guns, but instead pushed a two-wheeled cart. On the cart, a bracket hung a full nine double-barreled basket fists, and all the firing mechanisms were removed and connected to a battery box with telephone lines. The soldier pushing the cart shouted "Get down!" and pointed the cart at the general direction of the charging Japanese army. He removed the brakes and headed to the side.

Dive and dodge.

"emission!"

Someone flipped the switch on the battery box, and the nine-barreled Turtle Fist rifle, less than 30 meters away, fired directly at the densely packed Japanese troops at the foot of the pass, even crashing directly into them. The next second, the fuse activated, and over 9 kilograms of high-energy explosive propelled prefabricated iron fragments into the air, illuminating the 72-turn hilltop and turning all the Japanese within the blast range into dust!

Damn it, come and taste the "heavy punch" of the Taihang Military Region!

The firepower of equipment far exceeding historical levels and the ingenuity and talent common in history have combined to raise the firepower density of the Lingchuan County Brigade and the Sixth Branch of the Anti-Japanese University to the top level in the country. Even if the Japanese invaders are more brutal and ruthless, and use drugs to enhance their combat effectiveness, they will eventually be defeated in this confrontation between flesh and explosions.

Pinned to the ground, Guo Shun's head buzzed. The intense, ferocious close combat seemed to last only a moment, yet also a lifetime. The explosion had temporarily damaged his hearing, leaving him feeling a bit dazed and sleepy. This wave of Japanese attacks had been completely crushed. The heroic counterattacks of the training team and the magnificent physical stimulation of dozens of Japanese soldiers had finally broken the last of the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade's teeth—tonight, they had no strength left to attack.

The Japanese army at the foot of the mountain was collapsing, and the district squad that came to support them played a key role... Uh, wait, no, these district squads, no, why?

Guo Shun looked up in surprise, realizing that the district squad, once dressed in civilian clothes and armed with a variety of weapons, had changed. They were now dressed in uniform dark green military uniforms, carrying compact, compact portable machine guns. One of them even held a rapidly revolving spool of wire, dragging a telephone line, and was helping others erect something resembling a bamboo tube.

Main force?

The main force! It's the main force!

After a long battle, the morning sun in the east slowly emerged with a crimson glow, and the dark green warriors were constantly running towards them. There was a slight sound of breaking through the air passing overhead, and then landed on the flat Shuangdi Village at the foot of the mountain, emitting small orange sparks.

And just like the crimson glow, the sound of a charge rang in Guo Shun's ears.

Our army's main force rushed 89 kilometers in one day and night and arrived at the 72-turn blocking position at Huangwei Mountain ahead of schedule.

Chapter 203: Jade "Broken" and Martyred for the Country

When the Japanese troops at the 72nd pass were attacked by the 9-barreled clustered turtle fist at close range, Mizuhara Yoshishige, standing at the foot of the mountain, had a gloomy expression. It was not because he was intimidated by the fierce burst of our weapons and the heavy losses suffered by the Imperial Army, but because he had just received a telegram.

Compared to the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade, which was surrounded at Queen's Hill, Commander Suwon's brigade headquarters was located in the relatively safe Shuangdi Village, so the signalman was able to set up the large shortwave antenna. As a result, in the early morning, he received a telegram forwarded by the headquarters.

"The Maeshima Corps was surrounded by the enemy the other day and has dispersed. We are unable to contact Lord Taniguchi and fear he has perished in battle. We are now ordering all units to make prompt decisions and advance to seize the opportunity..."

The telegram was full of twists and turns, but as an old hand, Mizuhara Yoshishige could read the real message from such a tortuous telegram: "It was previously planned to attack in a coordinated manner.

The 1st Independent Mixed Brigade that captured Changzhi has been surrounded by the Red Army.

In order to at least get some people out, the order was given to disperse. Commander Taniguchi Wulang still hasn't been found, and I'm afraid he's already dead—so now, each unit should quickly withdraw while they have the advantage and turn around and flee, thus preserving some dignity for the Empire."

As for why the news was reported so late, it's likely that the headquarters couldn't believe the devastating defeat and needed to confirm it repeatedly. Another possibility is that the island corps was annihilated so quickly that there wasn't even time to set up a radio station and send a message. This news likely came from the soldiers who escaped.

He covered his head and sighed helplessly. "I thought I was being held back here by a small Red Army unit, that I wouldn't be able to reach Changzhi in time for the Island Corps, and wouldn't be able to launch a coordinated attack on the Red Army base." But now, the friendly forces have already reached Jiudanzaka, and I've wasted so much of my manpower in vain in this small pass. Now...

Mizuhara looked up at the huge flames that almost illuminated the entire pass, guessing that the Red Army had detonated the explosives on the mountaintop, which would surely result in the death of many people. Now that they had taken out almost everything they could, if they could not attack again, Mizuhara would be helpless.

It just so happened that the headquarters had just issued the order to retreat and turn around, so someone had to bear the responsibility. I was "following orders after annihilating the main force of the Red Army" and was returning victorious.

No problem. Mizuhara Yoshishige's face turned from pale to red, and he felt better.

He turned around and gave orders to his staff, asking them to plan a plan to break contact with the enemy and retreat gradually.

Oh, no, not retreat, but advance!

The sun was about to rise. A group of young staff officers from Showa's group began to work out their calculations on blueprints, while messengers went to the 31st and 32nd Battalion Headquarters stationed at Shuangdi Village to convey the retreat order and have them make advance preparations. After all, retreating in front of the enemy was a very complicated matter; a single mistake could easily lead to a rout.

Several brigade and regimental staff officers had Imperial roots, but at least they had received training in staff courses and knew not to act recklessly.

In the current terrain, the Red Army is on high ground, while the Japanese Army is on low ground. If the enemy pursues them, although the 72-turn mountain road is an obstacle, it is still much faster to run down the mountain than to climb it. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange a rearguard force to prevent the Red Army on the mountain from taking the opportunity to counterattack.

The 31st and 32nd Battalions had already been depleted in numerous assaults: the earlier assaults had depleted several squads, and combined with the losses in the scattered interception raids and harassment, and the final assault involving a squadron, these two battalions were essentially crippled and unable to launch a large-scale offensive. However, their numbers hadn't been significantly reduced, so they could still gather a squadron to serve as a rearguard.

However, now almost all the attacking Japanese troops are hiding in Shuangdi Village, one of the few flat areas on Baixing: in front is the "72 bends" where the Red Army is entrenched, behind is the difficult Heimaogou and Magedang sections of the road, and behind is a landslide filled with earth, rocks and trees, which can only be accessed by climbing ladders.

Simply put, this troop of less than 2,000 people has trapped itself in a narrow sausage zone, and its mobility is severely restricted.

The staff officers began to scratch their heads. Seeing that they were unable to produce any results, and with the fleeing soldiers coming down the mountain, Commander Suwon sent several staff officers out to investigate the situation and decide on the next course of action.

"Red Army? Red Army! Red Army..."

Seeing the fleeing soldiers lying or being supported, stumbling and falling, the white-gloved staff officers remained as aloof as ever. However, the imperial soldiers they saw no longer bowed and scraped to them as usual. Instead, they seemed to have lost their souls, stretching their necks and mumbling to themselves.

"Red Army? What's going on with the Red Army on the mountain? How are you doing?" "Red Army!!! Onboard!!"

At the stern shouts of the young staff officers, several huddled soldiers raised their heads. One of them, upon hearing the word "Red Army," suddenly widened his eyes, turning bloodshot. Veins bulged on his face, and he lunged at the staff officers! Fortunately, the guard nearby was quick-witted and kicked the overly stressed, volatile repeater aside.

With a thud, the man fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and then burst into tears like a baby.

"Woo woo woo, ah ah! Red Army! Red Army ah ah ah!"

"What kind of shit is in this guy's head? It stinks!" The staff officer clapped his hands in disgust and pointed at another person. "You! You tell me! How is the battle going on the mountain?

Compared to the moody repeater just now, this man's expression was like burnt coal ash, completely devastated and hopeless. The command from the superior staff was whispered in his ears, but he just raised his head slightly, stretched his neck, and replied: "Dead, all dead... Killed, killed, all killed..."

"They're all killed!!!" He suddenly yelled, and then he collapsed to the ground, howling like a raging wrathful rage, "Dead! Dead!!!"

For a moment, this man's wailing served as a catalyst for the numerous soldiers fleeing down the mountain to let out a variety of howls—some angry, some sad, and some unintelligible monkey cries. The fearless spirit they had displayed during the march was completely lost. The sergeants and corporals who remained behind were forced to overstep their authority and charge forward, delivering a barrage of three-packs and leather boots to quell the unrest.

--all-

The severe aftereffects of the awakening agent caused users to become prone to manic, depressed, and erratic behavior after the initial stress period. In a sense, these defeated soldiers fleeing down the mountain were unable to extract any valuable information. The few staff officers pieced together only fragmentary accounts of the battle situation.

"Sir, I've already consulted the soldiers outside about the situation. Just now, the Red Army on the hilltop suffered heavy casualties from our forces, and we successfully overran their positions. However, the Red Army used explosive tubes (referring to turtle fists) loaded onto carts, launching a Chibi-style human bomb attack on our troops, causing significant damage to our attacking soldiers..." The staff officer pretended to flip through his notebook without writing anything down. "The attacking squadron has suffered heavy damage and is unable to fight again."

"I see. Then, let's arrange a gradual retreat. Since the mountain pass has not been captured and the headquarters has ordered a retreat, we have made considerable gains in our attack. It's time to seize the opportunity and move forward."

The situation wasn't much worse than Mizuhara Yoshishige had anticipated. He nodded and began to plan his retreat, thus successfully overlooking a crucial piece of information: a large number of reinforcements had arrived. The versatile "Assault Ingots" and "Awakening Agents" had become the "horseshoe" that destroyed the kingdom, leading the general to misjudge the situation.

Mizuwon stood at the window of a village house, looking at the sky that was getting brighter outside the glassless wooden window frame, and the dazzling meteors... A string of white meteors streaked across the sky, illuminating the night of Shuangdi Village hidden in the valley.

Then, a rhythmic barrage of mortar shells began to fall—and by chance, one of the 82mm mortars landed right on the thatched roof of the house.

Chapter 204: The flaws of a perfect battle

There were not many surprises in the process of annihilating the Independent Mixed Brigade No. 8, which had lost its command.

Because of the advantage of altitude, the 82 and 60mm mortars carried by our army's assault troops took advantage of the vertical height difference to smoothly hit Shuangdi Village with an effective shot. Fortunately, the commander of the Suwon Brigade who was preparing to move into the house was killed by the artillery, and the search squadron that had been circling in the ravine for a whole day and looking for other roads in vain was crippled.

Without their command and staff, the Japanese retreat turned into a rout. This was a dangerous situation, but without the upper echelons of command, the Japanese army's tactical initiative was further unleashed. Several squadron leaders and battalion commanders decided to leave their "encumbrances" behind and headed for Heimaogou and Magedang.

Following the route of the retreating troops, our troops, counterattacking the enemy, reached the foot of the mountain, only to find the battlefield transformed into a scene of sheep herding. The soldiers of the two regiments of the newly formed 2th Brigade, charging forward, separated a small number of men to guard the prisoners and pursued them tenaciously. Overcoming the difficulties of lightly armed assaults and insufficient breakthrough power, they charged and attacked fiercely, constantly disrupting the Japanese army's attempts to re-establish its defenses, and ultimately pinning a large number of Japanese troops on the Magedang section of the road.

At this time, Japanese engineers were making wooden pulleys, trying to lift heavy weapons such as the Type 92 infantry gun over the landslide.

The battle turned into a farcical drama - the Japanese troops in the rear were desperately trying to block our increasing number of troops coming down the mountain on the narrow and inescapable mountain road; the Japanese troops in the front had to abandon their weapons and tried hard to evacuate to the other side of the landslide using two ladders; and more Japanese troops could only squat in the ravine, unable to fire, escape, or hide, and endure our army's attacks.

Finally, at noon that day, after our follow-up troops arrived, they annihilated the majority of the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade's 831st and 32nd Battalions with minimal casualties, excluding the nearly 200 who crawled over the landslide. They also seized a large number of rifles, uniforms, ammunition, four heavy machine guns with anti-aircraft mounts, and a disassembled 92mm infantry gun. Unfortunately, the towering landslide also posed an obstacle to our troops, and we had no choice but to let the Japanese troops on the other side of the landslide escape.

By this point, the Taihang base area's counterattack against the encirclement and suppression campaign had annihilated three battalions of the "Island" Corps of the 3st Independent Mixed Brigade and two battalions of the "Spring" Corps of the 2th Independent Mixed Brigade, killed two Japanese brigade commanders, and seized a large amount of weapons and supplies.

This should have been a great victory, but Chen Shukang, the "instigator" who planned all this, was in a bad mood at the moment: the reason was that the last of the three main attack fronts of the Japanese army, the direction of the 36th Division, finally ran into some problems.

"Ran?"

"They ran away! Brigade Commander, the devils ran away!"

Wang Wenshan shouted into the phone, making the receiver buzz. According to previous battle reports, the Japanese 36th Division, advancing from Jinzhong along the Yushe and Wuxiang lines, should have been "making rapid progress" amidst our "continuous resistance," pursuing our "headquarters radio station" fiercely, and then, passing through Wuxiang County but before reaching Changzhi City, had entered our three-sided pocket in the Wangcunkou area and been brutally annihilated.

To this end, he specially released the "special battalion" reinforced by the 129th Division Headquarters, removed the advanced "gold finger automatic key" from the command center's modified radio, restored it to the configuration of the old radio, and equipped it with an old telegraph operator who had fought with the Japanese army several times before, so that the Japanese army could recognize his fingering habits.

Chen Shukang had led the Red Army Cadre Corps before, and he knew that we shouldn't underestimate the enemy just because of the current situation. It would be best if the Japanese army followed our rhythm, but even if they didn't, he made detailed arrangements for various situations:

If the Japanese division with a full strength of 23,000 people came too many and ran too fast, and the encirclement at Wangcunkou could not break through, then the troops blocking the mouth would simply delay the attack, and change from attacking the enemy from the front to sealing the mouth from the rear, drive the Japanese army into the closed Changzhi Basin, and when the Japanese army entered the basin but not completely, attack the Japanese army when it was about to deploy but not yet deployed.

If the Japanese army is not fooled and advances cautiously, then we will use a starvation tactic to cut off their logistics in the Wuxiang area that our army is familiar with, and at the same time besiege them from multiple sides to force them to choose a route to evacuate - this is almost a replica of the Battle of Changle Village. When the exhausted and hungry Japanese army can no longer be harassed, our army, which has already defeated the other two routes, will rush to the battlefield and wipe out their main force.

After all, this was a battle against the Japanese, not against the National Army or local warlords. Chen Shukang sought to make full use of the convenience of the troops' internal mobility within the base area in this anti-encirclement and suppression campaign, allowing the entire base area's total of 65,000 people to be flexible and mobile, forming an absolute advantage of at least one to five on the local battlefield; at the same time, with the help of his familiarity with the terrain and people's conditions, he reduced his own losses and magnified the enemy's costs, truly implementing the idea of ​​eating one, clamping one, and watching one, using the same force to fight three consecutive battles and annihilate three forces that could not be dealt with at the same time.

"Brigade Commander! The Japs haven't even left Wuxiang. They weren't even prepared to defend it! Damn it! As soon as our troops opened fire, the Japs all ran back! The Telecommunications Department even intercepted a telegram requesting tactical guidance!"

The newly issued phone and line perfectly reproduced Wang Wenshan's anger, and even Chen Shukang on the other end realized the seriousness of the situation. Elsewhere, the telegraph operator had copied a briefing on the automatic keypad radio and handed it to him, "Crazy Wang, speak slowly and clearly."

"Brigade Commander, our 772nd Regiment is one of the fastest in the 386th Brigade. We just captured Queen's Ridge and wiped out this unrelated group in Licheng. Following the command of the front command, we headed towards Wangcunkou. It was a distance of 120 miles, and we arrived in just over half a day. We were the first main force there. As soon as we arrived, we checked in with the local troops, and they told us that these devils had actually stayed in Wuxiang for two full days without moving!"

Wang Wenshan spoke loudly, not caring whether the commanders nearby could hear him. At this point, everyone's eyes turned to Commander Yin of the newly formed 11th Brigade, causing this veteran comrade, who had joined the revolution in 1930, to clench his fists in regret.

"The 11th Brigade had been squatting at the entrance to Wangcun, digging trenches. They'd posted outposts toward Wuxiang, but they hadn't considered setting up any inside the city! We only learned from the guerrillas that just a few hours earlier, the Japanese 36th Division hadn't even bothered to stay in Wuxiang and had headed straight back! Later, the Telecommunications Office told me they'd intercepted a Japanese call for help, saying they were in danger of being pursued by a large Red Army force and desperately needed some kind of tactical guidance."

"The distance between Wuxiang and Yushe is only 40 miles! The Japanese can reach it in a few hours by climbing! There's a city wall on the Yushe side, and the Japanese are probably staying there, holding their ground and waiting for reinforcements!"

? ? ? ? ?

Chen Shukang on the other end frowned and looked weird, almost unable to believe the current situation.

He had anticipated many situations beforehand, ranging from the Japanese fighting to the death to the rapid attack that prevented our army from stopping them, to the possibility that they would not trust our decoy troops and follow Xue Yangyue's example of advancing cautiously - but all these plans did not take into account the possibility that the Japanese army would simply run away, or in other words, they did not take into account the possibility that the Japanese army would simply abandon their plan to attack Changzhi and run away.

Were the Japanese army so easy to abandon their combat objectives and run away? He couldn't help but reflect on whether he had underestimated the enemy to some extent.

Although it was a good thing that the Japanese army retreated directly on the battlefield, it was a victory for our army's anti-encirclement and anti-mopping-up strategy - Chen Shukang thought that if it were himself in the Red Army era, he would be able to force back a Japanese division with a strength of 23,000 people and an actual deployment of nearly 10,000 people. This was an achievement that far exceeded his expectations.

But the situation is different now. He is no longer commanding a general reserve force. He must think about the problem from a more perspective.

If the Taihang base area, which includes the Changzhi Basin, wants to develop better and faster and achieve the goal of expelling the Japanese invaders sooner, it is obviously not a good thing for the Taihang area, which needs a stable development environment, to allow a complete enemy that can mobilize most of its troops to attack at any time to stay right next to it.