under fire

It was already early morning.

Three miles west of the canal, if you could look down from the sky at night, you could spot hundreds of local guerrillas lying in wait.

Perhaps because it was their first time facing enemy artillery fire, most of them appeared somewhat nervous and anxious.

The booming explosions that reached my ears continued for a full half hour without stopping.

The entire platoon that launched the probing attack was wiped out.

The detachment leader, who was hiding in the ditch, had his brows furrowed in worry.

The Japanese established a defensive line along the river embankment, and the Canal Detachment, skilled in guerrilla warfare, had no way to deal with the Japanese and puppet troops who were retreating to their defensive positions.

This was an expected situation; the original plan was to launch an attack under cover of darkness and fight the enemy with courage.

The original plan was to divide the troops into three routes: a feigned attack from the front, while the two flanks would directly charge into the puppet army's riverbank positions.

Then they fired at the fleet of boats that were now sitting ducks on the river.

The tactics were simple and straightforward; now, the plan has completely fallen through.

He mentally complained countless times about Ma Liang's terrible idea of ​​blowing up the enemy's iron-hulled ships, which alerted the enemy and caused them to retreat and defend.

The rotating training team that took over the defense launched three rounds of probing attacks.

Despite the cover fire from the training team's grenade launchers in the darkness and the team's close-range attacks, the puppet troops maintained an impenetrable defensive formation and showed no intention of launching an attack.

If the enemy doesn't come out, there's naturally no advantage to be gained.

If we take a hard line...

The puppet troops, supported by ammunition on boats in the river, were terrifyingly powerful.

In an instant, the sound of gunfire and explosions became one-sided.

In the darkness, the gunfire of the Eighth Route Army gradually subsided.

The training team members brought by Ma Liang were all platoon-level commanders who had come from grassroots combat experience, and all of them were seasoned guerrilla warfare experts.

However, faced with the tough nut of Japanese and puppet troops who had retreated to a defensive posture, they could only stare helplessly.

Of the Japanese fleet, only three ships with iron hulls were actually capable of fighting.

Originally made by mounting light and heavy machine guns and mortars on iron-hulled cargo ships, this monstrosity was considered outdated equipment by other countries at the time.

However, it is virtually invincible on this ancient land of the East.

Ma Liang had no choice but to have the training team abandon their frontal assault.

In a dark ditch, Ma Liang faced the detachment leader.

The detachment handed Ma Liang a cigarette: "After the main force was transferred to the west, the Canal Detachment was upgraded from a county brigade to a regional main force. We are actually an incomplete battalion-level team, barely equivalent to a regimental-level detachment. We usually do raids and sabotage along the canal and rarely participate in major battles."

After Ma Liang took the cigarette, bent down to light it in the ditch, and took a deep drag, the detachment commander spoke again: "The higher command has ordered us to destroy the Japanese fleet at all costs. This battle is not just about eliminating the enemy; there is a more important meaning behind it."

Ma Liang remained silent; he couldn't think of any other solution.

“The training team members are almost all junior commanders, not suitable for frontline combat.” Seeing Ma Liang remain silent, the detachment commander finally couldn’t help but say, “I’ve decided to launch the attack as planned!”

"."

"Why don't you give us your opinion?"

Ma Liang finally spoke: "We have people on the west bank of the canal. We just need to launch a feint attack to draw the firepower of the Japanese and puppet troops on the east bank."

The detachment commander was taken aback: "You mean... we still have men on the west bank? You mean a pincer attack? But do they have enough troops? Can their firepower defeat the Japanese and puppet troops on the west bank?"

Faced with a series of questions, Ma Liang reassured him in a low voice, "Don't worry, that guy on the west bank, I can't speak for everything else, but his skill in attacking and fighting with bayonets is absolutely top-notch."

...

The offensive on the east bank was chaotic and disorganized!

Gao Yidao, listening to the sounds of gunfire from afar on the west bank, concluded that Ma Liang, who was leading the training team, had suffered a setback.

The attack plan was immediately modified.

The attack plan was revised to be simpler: a frontal assault and attacks on both flanks.

To put it bluntly, it's a swarm of bees; to use a nicer term I recently heard, it's a complete crushing defeat.
He dared to do this because he judged that the attack by the training team and the canal detachment had drawn all the heavy firepower of the Japanese fleet.

The nighttime attack was all about momentum.

In a battle between offense and defense, the defending side usually gains the advantage.

This time, however, the situation seemed somewhat different. The puppet troops, unable to move due to their need to hold the riverbank positions, were in a desperate situation after setting up their positions on the embankment. Unfortunately for them, the puppet troops stationed on the west bank of the canal were already on high alert.

So far, there has been almost no major activity on the west bank.

The Imperial Army's order was to defend the area at all costs.

The fake company commander was a seasoned veteran who had already gathered all the scouts back to prevent them from being ambushed one by one by the Eighth Route Army.

As for how to defend in the shadows, the fake company commander believed he had some skills: the Eighth Route Army liked to play guerrilla warfare and shoot from the shadows.

I gathered everyone together and arranged them in a tortoise shell formation. No matter how good the Eighth Route Army's teeth were, they couldn't do anything to us!
The fake company commander knew very well that commanding in the dark was inconvenient. Fortunately, his platoon leaders and squad leaders had been with him for many years. Even if the Eighth Route Army attacked from the west, each platoon leader could take charge of one direction.

Gao Yidao lay silently in the darkness, holding his binoculars. The soldiers ahead were less than a mile from the riverbank.

Upon learning from the scouts that the puppet troops had retreated to the riverbank, Gao Yidao cursed incessantly.

Since the puppet troops retreated to the riverbank to establish defenses, launching an attack has now become a direct confrontation.

In other words, there is no longer any concept of frontal or flanking maneuvers, because the two sides are now completely aligned as two parallel lines facing each other.

The situation on the battlefield became very strange.

If an attack is launched, the puppet troops only need to fire two flares, and all the soldiers of the Second Battalion on the attacking side will be exposed to the puppet troops' guns.

Gao Yidao calmly and steadily loaded the bullets into the Mauser pistol magazine, his mind constantly racing.

This kind of frontal attack is not difficult to execute if there is heavy firepower suppression, but the problem is that the Second Battalion lacks heavy firepower.

They pondered one attack plan after another, each of which would result in most of the soldiers of the Second Battalion falling on the way to the attack.

This situation is completely unsolvable.

He forced himself to calm down and reluctantly continued to devise the next battle plan.

Hu Zasui. What would he do if faced with such a situation?
After thinking for a long time, I shook my head. Hu Zasui will probably run away.

...

Gao Yidao on the west bank remained silent for a long time.

Ma Liang finally lost his composure.

He knew very well that Gao Yidao's Second Battalion was not necessarily a match for the puppet troops defending in the dark.

The Second Battalion, together with the Canal Detachment and the training team, launched a pincer attack, but still had no way to deal with the group of Japanese and puppet troops in front of them.

Ma Liang fell silent…

The strategic objective of the division to destroy the enemy fleet at all costs is clearly no longer achievable.

"I know what you're thinking, but orders from above must be obeyed!" The detachment commander looked at Ma Liang with red eyes: "You are the hope of the Eighth Route Army. It was just a lucky coincidence. The orders from above were issued to the district, not to you. You should take your men and leave immediately."

Clearly, the detachment leader was prepared to go all in.

Ma Liang was silent for a moment, then turned to the training team leader next to him and said, "Map!"

In the darkness, a tent was quickly and crookedly erected in the ditch. Soon, several dark figures slipped into the tent, and a map was quickly unfolded inside.

“The Japanese fleet has heavy firepower. A battalion of puppet troops escorting the fleet is under Japanese command. We are no match for them now.” Ma Liang tried to persuade them while anxiously recalling all the battle examples his instructors had given him when he was studying at the division.

The detachment commander shook his head: "I know the Japanese are likely using their fleet to probe, trying to lure out the Eighth Route Army along the canal. If the Eighth Route Army or other anti-Japanese forces attack, they will surely be dragged into this meat grinder and crushed. If they don't attack, the canal route will become a vital transportation route for the Japanese's logistics support plan to move supplies from North China to the south and north."

Despite racking his brains to deduce the situation, Ma Liang ultimately realized that this was a battle the canal detachment simply couldn't afford to fight.

Now, we need to find a way to persuade the detachment commander to give up the attack: "It has been almost six years since the Japanese army occupied Wuhan in 1938. In these years, the various districts have carried out extensive destruction on the Pinghan Railway, which has affected the Japanese from sending guns and ammunition produced in Northeast China southward."

Ma Liang carefully considered the information he had come across recently and selected the parts that could be revealed: "The real purpose of the Japanese invasion of northern Shaanxi was Chongqing and the rear area of ​​Sichuan. The Eighth Route Army transferred its main force to northern Shaanxi. The Japanese plan to attack the capital of SX province via the northern route failed. Hu Zongnan deployed hundreds of thousands of troops in Shaanxi. The Japanese are still carrying out their plan to attack Chongqing. They failed to open up the Pinghan Railway transport line, so they had to try to transport troops and supplies through the canal!"

"What do you mean by all this?"

“We must ensure that there is a strong armed force along the canal. Even if we cannot destroy this fleet for the time being, we will still have the opportunity to attack the enemy's transport fleet in the future.” Ma Liang’s face was a little pale.

The squad leader looked at Ma Liang with a strange expression: "You mean, disobeying orders from superiors?"

"Our superiors have ordered us to destroy this fleet at all costs to prevent the enemy from restarting canal shipping, but they haven't specified a timeframe for completing the mission." A thought flashed through Ma Liang's mind: "Since we understand the Japanese strategic objective, continuing our attack now would be completely futile. Therefore, I suggest we choose a different ambush location!"

The detachment commander shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If the Japanese fleet continues downstream past Neihuang, the Japanese troops stationed in western Shandong are waging a large-scale mopping-up operation. There are Japanese and puppet troops everywhere. Once the enemy leaves this area, we will have even less of a chance."

Ma Liang suddenly remembered something: "We are not fighting alone. The newly reorganized Jiluyu Military Region has assembled nearly ten regiments to launch an attack on the East Asian Allied Army. Their real strategic objective is still to occupy the canal crossings in Guantao and Qinghe, and then completely crush the enemy's attempt to restart canal shipping."

The squad leader did not question what Ma Liang said.

He knew that his superiors had secretly transferred troops to southern Hebei, but he was unaware that this troop buildup was part of a plan to launch an attack on the East Asian Allied Army. (End of Chapter)