Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1451 Assassination!

  It’s already June in the blink of an eye!

The sun was scorching, but the Japanese army was ready to move. The 40th Division of the Japanese Army located on the north bank of the Han River was already preparing for battle.

The 2th Regiment, which had been resting for nearly two months, received an order to prepare to enter the war zone and join forces with the 67th Army to block the enemy.

During May, Tang Dao had met with Commander Wu at his military headquarters in Baokang County. They went there in a second-generation assault jeep named "Dongfeng" by Tang Dao.

The convoy and horse team consisting of 8 jeeps and a cavalry company was huge and the raised muzzles of 8 12.7mm heavy machine guns made everyone tremble.

"Your son is really too high-profile. If other army and division commanders see this, they may not say anything on the surface, but they may say behind your back that your son is relying on the Rockefeller family to buy the latest equipment. This is not only to prepare for war against Japan, but also to confront the superiors. The superiors were extremely dissatisfied with you to begin with, and now that the war has eased a little and the external pressure has been reduced, it is inevitable that they will do something to maintain their authority.

As for Commander Li, although you sent five jeeps, your convoy is larger than his, and you are escorted by a fully armed cavalry company, which makes you more impressive than him. "General Wu should have heard some rumors, so he advised Tang Dao to keep a low profile.

This is understandable from his point of view. Now it is a national war. In order to recover the country's territory, the second-in-command of the Northeast Army is even willing to temporarily endure the anger of the soul of the Northeast Army being imprisoned by that person and fight under his command. Naturally, he does not want to see Tang Dao openly sing against that person.

But he didn't know that Tang Dao did it on purpose, including the telegram sent to all the officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment of the War Zone Command in early May refusing to attend the education class.

That was Tang Dao indirectly expressing his attitude towards the Jiangnan incident that broke out a month and a half ago.

An infantry corps headquarters of the 9000th Army in Jiangnan and a detachment responsible for protecting it, totaling people, were ambushed by direct troops of that person, resulting in thousands of casualties.

That was obviously a premeditated act. Tang Dao had actually issued a warning to the 80th Army Headquarters through Brigade Commander Cheng more than half a year ago.

However, the 80th Army Group misjudged the man's ruthlessness and did not expect that he could endure for so long, waiting until the Battle of Shipai was completely over before launching this despicable attack.

As soon as the news came out, the whole country was in an uproar!

The 2th Army Group expressed its extremely strong anger and organized two consecutive counterattacks against Japan on the battlefield in North China, annihilating nearly Japanese troops and showing off its muscles to that extremely tough guy.

If it were not for the national war, the angry 20th Army could even withdraw more than troops from the North China battlefield to attack Shaanxi Province.

If those thousands of elite soldiers had not died at the hands of their own people, even a one-for-one exchange could have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Japanese soldiers. Whenever he thought of this, Tang Dao, who was powerless to change history, felt quite depressed.

  Since you are feeling bad yourself, why should you let the person who started it feel good?

Of course, what Commander Wu said made sense. Tang Dao's "show of force" made his colleagues in the Fifth War Zone feel quite uncomfortable.

Tang Dao left five Dongfeng jeeps as gifts for Commander Wu and drove three of them back himself.

On June 6, after receiving a secret telegram from the Operations Department of the Theater Command's General Staff, inviting Tang Dao to go to the Theater Command in Xianrendu, Tang Dao, who was still the chief of the first section of the Theater Command's Operations Department, set off on horseback with a guard squad.

6月9日，在抵达战区司令部后，由中将参谋长亲自主持作战会议，67军参谋长和下辖的1个师长、1个师级参谋长、两个旅长及第32集团军下辖的第70军一名中将师长和2名少将旅长。

The level and scale of the meeting were not too big for a theater-level staff, but those who could attend the meeting were all major generals and above. The reason why Tang Dao, an army colonel, could sit in the front row of the conference table was obviously not because of his position as regiment commander, but because of the title of chief of the first section of the Operations Department that General Li specially gave him.

Originally, General Li intended to use the two divisions of the 67th Army and the Four-Line Regiment, totaling about 2.8 people, to deal with the Japanese 40th Division, which was ready to make a move. However, the general commander of the 32nd Army Group, which belonged to the Central Army, insisted on getting involved.

In fact, the size of the Fifth War Zone has been decreasing since 1939. It is basically composed of the army group controlled by the Guangxi clique, the Sichuan Army group, the Northwest Army, etc. However, in the Zaoyi Campaign in the middle of last year, the Fifth War Zone suffered heavy losses in its independent fight against the Japanese 11th Army. The 32nd Army group belonging to the Central Army group was transferred from other war zones to the Fifth War Zone. In name, it was to strengthen the strength of the Fifth War Zone, but the real reason was self-evident.

Moreover, the Lieutenant General Shangguan of the 32nd Army also served as the deputy commander of the Fifth War Zone, which was obviously used to restrain General Li.

Fortunately, the main forces including the 33rd Army commanded by General Zhang of the Fifth War Zone, the 11th Army of the Guangxi clique, the 22nd and 29th Army of the Sichuan clique, and the 67th Army of the Northeast Army have all fought under the command of General Li for a long time, and they strongly support General Li both publicly and privately. This Guangxi clique leader can also firmly grasp the military power.

It was just a small matter like the 32th Army, the main force under the 70nd Army, volunteering to fight. General Li naturally could not refuse the kindness of his deputy, so he ordered the 70th Army stationed in Zijin Mountain in Gucheng to dispatch its main division, the 19th Division, to participate in this battle.

The combat meeting lasted for two days, during which the three units that were about to join the battle were deployed to block the enemy and the secret codes for communication between the units were determined.

Naturally, there were some disputes during this period, such as who was the main and who was the auxiliary, who was on the front battlefield and who was guarding the flank, and about material supplies, etc. These were all normal things.

This time, Tang Dao focused on listening to advice and did not say much in the combat meeting. Instead, he said, "I am a brick of the revolution and I will move wherever I am needed."

The Japanese 40th Division was just a second-line division. Although it had more than 2 troops, this war zone deployed two Type B divisions, one Type A division and a special forces regiment, with a total strength of more than 4. The battle was also a blocking battle, so the difficulty was the lowest since Tang Dao participated in the war.

Tang Dao knew that in such a small and insignificant battlefield, there was no need for the Four-Line Regiment to fight for the first credit. Since the Central Army wanted it, just give it to them. He could just focus on supporting them. If they really encountered the blind Japanese who gathered their main forces to attack him as a flank defender, then they would be unlucky.

Sure enough, Tang Dao's inaction made the three generals of the 70th Army look at him with a more favorable attitude.

  Everything is normal!

However, when Tang Dao returned from the headquarters on June 6 and passed through a hilly area where the Cisha Town was located after crossing the Han River, he was attacked.

This was clearly a carefully planned ambush.

There were about 200 attackers in total. They not only had extremely accurate shooting skills, but also had 6 heavy machine guns, 10 light machine guns, and even submachine guns such as MP28.

The terrifying combination of long, medium and short-range firepower was extremely excellent, making Commander Tang and the elite guard squad accompanying him completely at a disadvantage in firepower as they were caught off guard and could only defend on the spot.

Furthermore, the attackers were extremely ferocious. They seemed to know that Tang Dao carried a field radio with him and could call for support. After completing the encirclement of the 17 Chinese soldiers, they used long-range firepower and long-range precision sniping to suppress the Chinese soldiers in the encirclement, covering the attack of more than 150 attackers.

Their close combat weapons and equipment are no worse than those of the guard squad. They have nearly 28 MP40 submachine guns alone, and also the American Garand rifle, commonly known as the Big Eight. These are semi-automatic rifles that the Chinese military has just started importing from the United States since the beginning of the year. There is less than a division that is qualified to be equipped with these rifles, and even the ace armies such as the 71 and 74 have only just begun to equip them.

  But these attackers were carrying more than 50 rods!

With more than 10 times the number of troops, and their weapons and equipment as well as their combat proficiency, were no worse than those of the guard squad of the 15th Regiment, one can imagine the pressure faced by Tang Dao and the guard squad soldiers.

However, what is extremely strange is that the attack took place at 2 pm, and there was an infantry company stationed less than 15 miles away from the scene. Even if the fierce gunfire could not reach them, the surrounding mountain people could hear it and report it to the infantry company.

Even if they had to crawl, it would have taken two hours to get there. However, the cavalry battalion of the Fourth Regiment arrived at the scene after crossing a 2-kilometer mountain road, but the infantry company didn't see a single person.

It seemed as if this fierce battle that lasted for more than two hours took place in another time and space.

Yes, even though the attackers had the upper hand, it still took two hours from the ambush to the cessation of gunfire.

The Chinese soldiers in the encirclement burst out with unprecedented energy, making it impossible for the enemy, which had 10 times more people than them, to break through their makeshift positions which relied entirely on natural shelters.

However, in the face of absolute strength, they ultimately failed.

"Tang Dao was attacked. After holding out for two hours, he broke through the encirclement and retreated into the mountains. His life or death is currently unknown!"

"Tang Dao was attacked, 13 members of the guard squad were killed on the spot, and the rest of the casualties are unknown!"

"More than 300 cavalrymen from the 500th Regiment Cavalry Battalion have arrived at the attack site!" "About 32 soldiers from the 109th Regiment Reconnaissance Company and Mountain Infantry Company have arrived at the attack site. Part of them has surrounded the infantry company of the th Division of the nd Army, which is on a long-distance march. The two sides are about to meet swords and guns!"

"The 1st, 2nd, 3rd Battalions, the Artillery Battalion, the Anti-Aircraft Battalion and other units of the 4th Regiment have already set out and are currently hiding in the mountains. Their whereabouts are unknown!"

"This is going to be a big thing!" Holding the secret reports continuously sent by the Theater Intelligence Department, the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff felt as if there was a beehive stuffed in his head. Apart from the buzzing sound, he could no longer hear any other sound.

The fact that Tang Dao was attacked in the war zone-controlled area was terrifying and infuriating in itself.

  Anyone who is not a fool would know that there must be something wrong here. Otherwise, how could one seize such a good opportunity, just when Tang Dao was returning from the combat meeting at the theater headquarters?

Regardless of whether the attackers were Chinese or Japanese, there must be a traitor, perhaps inside the theater headquarters.

The overall reaction of the Four-Line Regiment was so intense that even the war zone chief of staff turned pale.

  That was a heroic regiment that had once fought against 20,000 Japanese troops. Once they went crazy, who in the entire war zone could stop them?

Commander Wu of the 67th Army and Tang Dao are close friends regardless of age difference, and their friendship was established during the four-day and night bloody battle in Songjiang. It is rumored that when the Four-Line Regiment was first established, many elite members of the 67th Army joined the Four-Line Regiment. It is good enough that he does not go crazy with them, so how can you expect him to send any soldiers?

The 22nd Army Group was part of the Sichuan Army. The Tang Dao and Si Xing Regiment were once infantry regiments directly under the command of their army group headquarters. After three years of the war of resistance, the Sichuanese were extremely united. How could we expect them to fight among themselves? That was out of the question.

Not to mention the 33rd Army Group, when General Zhang, who died in the battle to protect the soul of Tang Dao, returned to the mountain city, everyone in the 33rd Army Group was filled with gratitude.

  The Lieutenant General Chief of Staff felt a pain in his heart when he had to ask his own Guangxi clique's 11th Army to restrain this beast that was about to go mad. How many elite soldiers would have to die?

"As long as Tang Dao is not dead, the Four Element Group will not really go crazy. As long as he hides in the mountains, with his ability, the possibility of him being alive is higher than 90%.

I tied up all the members of the infantry company of the 70th Army and asked the military police of the war zone to investigate whose orders they received and when the orders were conveyed.

  Tell them that this is an order from the theater command. Anyone who dares to resist will be executed by military law on the spot!

Send out the war zone security division to find those attackers for me. I want all of them dead or alive. No one can be left behind. I want to give an explanation to Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment.

Also, I want to go to the scene to see who has the ability to sneak into my 5th War Zone and kill my top general." Admiral Li's face was as cold as frost, and he punched the small table hard.

The veteran politician, who usually never shows his emotions, rarely revealed his inner emotions.

This anger is not just about the attack on Tang Dao itself. When two countries are at war, assassinations and attacks are all part of the tactics.

Since the war began, China has carried out at least hundreds of assassination attacks on high-ranking Japanese generals and core officers. Assassination attacks on traitors who have defected to the Japanese army occur almost every day.

  However, Tang Dao had just expressed his dissatisfaction with the military reward when he encountered such a powerful attack in his own war zone. Does that mean that anyone who opposes him will be assassinated?

What made the admiral commander even more angry was that the person who planned it behind the scenes actually put the blame on him, Li.

Because Tang Dao was ordered to attend a high-level military meeting organized by his theater command, and that’s when the incident happened.

It would be strange if the thousands of officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment who broke out of the camp and disappeared were not furious at him, the commander of the theater, before learning the truth.

When General Li arrived at the scene, it was around 7 o'clock in the evening. The scene had already been surrounded by 300 soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment with firepower points.

A guard battalion that was ordered by the theater command to arrive, as well as personnel from the general staff, military police and other departments were all on the periphery and could not enter the attack site.

The captain leading the Four-Line Regiment did not give any explanation. No matter whether he was a major general or a colonel, if anyone dared to step forward, there would be countless guns pointed at him.

The extremely cold faces and angry eyes made them feel that those soldiers would really shoot.

Several officers from the Theater Intelligence Department who were the first to arrive at the scene were detained. They had scars on their faces to varying degrees and looked quite embarrassed. That was the response they received after their explanation.

The officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment, who were already on the verge of going crazy, regarded everyone as a suspect, especially the theater headquarters that sent the secret telegram.

"I promise you that I will give you a satisfactory explanation! No matter who is involved in this matter, I will investigate it thoroughly." Admiral Li gave this reply in response to the cold gaze of the cold-faced captain.

After a long silence, the cold-faced captain made way.

He didn't salute, though.

This is the greatest restraint that Gu Xishui can exert.

They were attacked on the way home from a meeting, but the local garrison did not come to their rescue. The attackers were using the most sophisticated firearms that the National Army could currently equip. Even if all the attackers were Japanese, they could not clear themselves of internal suspicion.

The scene was extremely tragic!

The 13 bodies were collected and laid flat on the remains on the hillside. The ones with the least bullet wounds had more than 10 bullet holes, and two of them were even pieced together manually.

Judging from the torn wound, it was obvious that he was seriously injured and then detonated the grenade and died together with the enemy.

After standing in front of the remains of 13 soldiers from the guard squad of the Fourth Regiment who died in the battle for a full five minutes, General Li went to the battle area between the two sides.

There were more than 160 bodies of the attackers, all stripped of their clothes, revealing their once strong bodies.

The dents on the shoulders caused by the long-term impact of gun butts, the strong arms, and the calluses on the knuckles all prove that these people are veterans who have received more than three years of firearms shooting training.

"These Japanese are very strong! The bullet in the chest of a brother in my guard squad was shot from at least 350 meters away. Without a scope, it is not possible to hit the vital part of the human body from such a long distance with one bullet. In our regiment, not many people can do it." Gu Xishui, who had been silently advancing with General Li, finally spoke.

"How do you determine that they are all Japanese?" Admiral Li had just asked when he saw the cold-faced captain looking at the toes of the corpse.

It suddenly became clear!

There are very subtle differences between the toes of Japanese and Chinese people. It is not the structure and shape that are different, but the width between the big toe and the second toe that is different. This is caused by wearing wooden clogs for many years and will not change due to years of military service.

"Such elite soldiers, who can organize so many people, must be qualified from a very high-level organization. And these people want to sneak into our war zone quietly, but it is impossible without the cover of an insider." Gu Xishui continued.

"We have found their campsite. Based on the freshness of their feces buried in the soil, we found that they stayed there for three days."

Admiral Li narrowed his eyes.

On the 3rd, it was the eve of Tang Dao's arrival at the theater headquarters.

That means, one day after the theater staff sent a secret telegram asking Tang Dao to come to the headquarters for a combat meeting, those people had already arrived here.

They even calculated the route that Tang Dao had to take on his return journey!

(End of this chapter)