The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 365: Half-crossing and attacking
As the engineer company commander Zhao Jiansan exclaimed, more Japanese soldiers in navy blue uniforms appeared in the hidden positions on the opposite bank of the river.

Unlike the first group of Japanese troops who had already rushed into the river and launched an attack in rubber boats, this new group of Japanese troops carried many Type 92 heavy machine guns, and their vehicle for crossing the river was not a rubber boat, but a larger steel boat.

These newly appeared Japanese troops followed the first group of Japanese troops who launched the attack in rubber boats, and quickly boarded the steel boats. They placed the Type 92 heavy machine guns they carried on the bow of the steel boats, and then started the boats. With the very unpleasant sound of the engine at the stern, they began to launch a high-speed attack on the opposite bank.

"Captain Fu, another group of Japanese soldiers are coming up. They are riding on the Japanese engineers' steel motorboats. These are steel boats with fuel-powered motorboats. They have a large carrying capacity and high speed. The Japanese are planning to launch a large-scale assault landing operation on our position. Judging from the size of the enemy's landing boats, the enemy has at least 500 soldiers!"

Zhao Jiansan looked at the waves of Japanese landing boats consisting of rubber boats and steel boats that were attacking on the river with great momentum, and quickly made the most basic assessment of the enemy situation based on his professional knowledge of engineering.

Just as Zhao Jiansan finished speaking, bursts of booming artillery fire suddenly rang out, and a fierce volley of artillery fire suddenly came over, and a round of artillery shells accurately landed near the position of the First Battalion.

Amid the loud explosions, the river beach in front of the First Battalion's position was hit by bursts of dust. Then, rounds of rapid artillery fire whizzed over the waves of Japanese rubber boats and steel boats that were crossing the river, and shot at the First Battalion's position and the river beach in front of it.

The dense rubber boats and steel boats carrying infantry attacked in waves, and the intensive artillery fire covered the originally calm river surface. In an instant, it was filled with the sound of the rubber boats and steel boats' engines, the whistling sound of artillery shells breaking through the air, and the deafening sound of explosions. Under the waves and mist of the river rolled up by the full-speed operation of the engines of a large number of rubber boats and steel boats, the Japanese army's river crossing and landing attack boats were like ghosts in the daytime, gradually approaching the east bank of the Fuchi River.

And Zhao Jiansan's inference was indeed correct. This suddenly appearing Japanese army with a large number of troops had the same combat purpose as the First Battalion. The First Battalion was preparing to carry out a river crossing attack operation, and this group of Japanese troops also wanted to carry out a river crossing attack operation!
In fact, after quickly defeating the 18th Brigade of the 54th Division last night and completely wiping out the Chinese troops on the west bank of the Fuchi River, the 18th Division's crushing defeat on the west bank of the Fuchi River gave great confidence to Kitaro Tsuchi, the highest commander of the landing Japanese troops.

Last night, at an extremely small cost, we achieved the brilliant result of killing or capturing nearly 18 people from the 54th Brigade of the th Division of the Chinese Army and seizing a large number of weapons and ammunition. This made Kitaro Tsuchibe even bolder in his subsequent command and deployment of troops.

Based on the tactical principle of quick victory and rapid assault, Tsuchi Kitaro immediately began to arrange the river crossing and landing operations of his troops, preparing to attack the east bank of the Fuchi River as soon as possible, expand the results of the battle, and further attack in the direction of Banbi Mountain.

After conducting an overnight investigation on the hydrological conditions near the Fuchi River, the most suitable water area in the Fuchi River for crossing the river was quickly selected.

He Wei had a keen eye for choosing the zone for river crossing operations. Tsuchi Kitaro, a double star officer in the Japanese Navy who was proficient in both naval gunnery and land warfare command, was no less capable. He also had a keen eye for judging the best location for river crossing operations.

Therefore, Tsuchi Kitaro's choice was exactly the same as He Wei's. The river crossing area he selected for the landing of the Japanese army was exactly the narrow water area with a width of only more than 200 meters in front of the river crossing landing starting position that He Wei chose for the first battalion.

In terms of the selection of the location for the river crossing and landing operation, He Wei and Kitaro Tsuchigumi's views coincided with each other. War is sometimes so dramatic.

After determining the location for the river crossing operation, Tsuchiji Kitaro quickly commanded his troops to make preparations for the attack before crossing the river under the cover of night.

Kitaro Tsuchiji formed the main offensive force for this river crossing and landing operation with three infantry companies and a heavy machine gun company of the 4th Special Marine Corps of the Kure Naval Base. In order to achieve the suddenness of the attack, the 4th Special Marine Corps of the Kure Naval Base, which was responsible for the river crossing attack operation, worked almost all night, carried out earthwork trenching operations near the area where the river crossing operation was planned to be launched, and built a large number of long concealed fortifications on the river bank.

All Japanese troops tasked with assault and river crossing operations camouflaged and covered their concealed fortifications with camouflage nets and various tree branches, and then hid in the concealed fortifications close to the river beach and waited for orders.

In order to achieve the goal of crossing the river quickly, Tsuchi Kitaro allocated all the rubber boats and steel boats carried by the landing Japanese troops to the Japanese troops preparing to launch a river crossing attack, so that this river crossing assault force could advance to the other side as quickly as possible.

At the same time, in order to provide corresponding fire cover for the Japanese troops crossing the river, Kitaro Tsuchiji gathered together the artillery squadrons of the 4th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Naval Garrison and the 5th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Naval Garrison. He used the eight Type 41 75mm mountain cannons of the two artillery squadrons to form an artillery group to cover the river crossing troops, and established artillery firing positions behind the hidden positions of the river crossing attack troops.

Therefore, more than 600 Japanese soldiers from three infantry companies and a heavy machine gun company of the 4th Special Marine Regiment of the Wu Naval Base of the Japanese Marine Corps, carrying a large number of rubber boats and steel boats, waited quietly in the hidden fortifications on the river bank, waiting for the order to cross the river and attack.

Until just now, this large-scale Japanese river crossing attack force received the order from the commander Kitaro Tsuchi. Under the personal leadership of Major Kimura Ni, commander of the 4th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Naval Base, they rushed out of the hidden fortifications and started the river crossing attack operation. The Bamenshan artillery firepower, which was responsible for the covering mission, also opened fire and started the artillery fire covering fire, and started the river crossing operation before the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, which was about to launch a river crossing attack!

In the concealed observation post of the First Battalion of the Assault Corps, the officers were all caught off guard when they saw the rapidly approaching Japanese rubber boats and the steel boats equipped with heavy machine guns. Originally, the officers of the First Battalion were ready to start the river crossing operation, but they did not expect that the Japanese on the other side would take action first!
All this happened too suddenly!

What Zhao Jiansan, the engineer company commander of the assault corps, said, "let the enemy take the initiative," was not wrong. After capturing the west bank of the Fuchi River last night, the highest commander of the Japanese landing force, Kitaro Tsuchi, began preparing for the river crossing assault operation.

At that time, He Wei was still on Banbi Mountain, confused by the sudden sound of gunfire from the west bank of Fuchi River. From the very beginning, the Japanese had the upper hand.

The river crossing and landing operation of the First Battalion, whether it was the selection of the crossing point or the various combat preparations, were all quickly planned by He Wei in a very short period of time, and naturally could not be compared with the well-prepared Japanese army.

Moreover, the Japanese army not only had the initiative and the first move in decision-making, but also had a huge advantage in equipment. Compared with the First Battalion, which lacked professional river crossing engineering equipment and needed to carry out engineering bridge-building operations first, the Japanese army's river crossing attack force was equipped with a large number of rubber boats and steel boats, so it did not need to carry out bridge-building operations like the First Battalion, but could easily and conveniently use boats and equipment to carry infantry to directly carry out river crossing assault operations!

Excellent technical equipment further brought tactical advantages and convenience to the Japanese army.

"Battalion Commander, the Japanese are attacking first. Should we notify the captain first?"

The commander of the headquarters company of the First Battalion pointed at the Japanese landing boats in the river and spoke to the First Battalion Commander Fu Chen a little nervously. Several other company commanders also looked at Fu Chen nervously, waiting for their battalion commander to make a decision.

Those who could serve as company commanders in the assault corps were not cowardly and mediocre people who panicked in times of crisis. These company commanders of the first battalion were certainly not nervous and cowardly because of fear, but because the Japanese army's river crossing attack was too sudden.

In addition, the Japanese troops rushing over were all wearing navy blue uniforms that they had never seen before. The sudden battle situation, coupled with the fact that they were facing a strange enemy they had never seen before, made these company commanders somewhat nervous.

Fu Chen was not panicked at all. Amid the roar of artillery fire, he looked at the rapidly approaching Japanese landing boats on the river, sneered, and said, "Since the Japs have taken the initiative, the river crossing attack plan will be suspended. But now that the Japs are here, we have to deal with them well. The entire battalion will stop the river crossing attack plan and prepare for battle. The three infantry company commanders, the heavy machine gun company commander, and the mortar company commander will immediately return to their own companies and act according to the signal flares. When the red signal flares are fired, immediately concentrate your firepower to deal with the Japs on the river!"

"Yes!" The five company commanders stood at attention and answered. After accepting the task, they immediately left and returned to the company along the communication trench.

Fu Chen then said to the company commander of the battalion headquarters company: "You must immediately inform the commander-in-chief of the enemy situation and report the situation here. Then call the mountain artillery company and tell them that as soon as we open fire here, their mountain artillery should also fire hard into the river!"

"Yes!"

After the commander of the battalion company left, the commander of the engineer company, Zhao Jiansan, took the initiative to step forward and said to Fu Chen: "Sir, I am going back to the company as well. I will bring my company to serve as your reserve. We engineers can still serve as infantry even if we put on bayonets and hold submachine guns. Once the Japanese attack, my engineer company can fight together with the infantry brothers!"

Fu Chen patted Zhao Jiansan on the shoulder and said, "Okay!"

After giving the task, Fu Chen continued to lie calmly in front of the observation port of the concealed fortification, looking at the landing boat carrying 600 Japanese soldiers charging at high speed on the river.

Although a sudden situation occurred and the river crossing attack had to be temporarily suspended, Fu Chen was not panicked at all. Although the Japanese army was coming in full force, Fu Chen had great confidence in the firepower and combat effectiveness of his troops.

Facing the Japanese troops rushing across the river, Fu Chen planned to use the powerful automatic firepower in his hands to teach them a severe lesson.

On the river, at the bow of a steel boat, Major Kimiji Motoki, commander of the 4th Special Marine Battalion of the Wu Naval Base of the Japanese Marine Corps, sat behind the heavy machine gun group at the bow of the boat, holding his command knife high and waving it around, constantly shouting loudly to the Japanese Marine Corps infantrymen on the surrounding steel boats and rubber boats.

"Warriors, charge forward! Kill all these incompetent Chinese soldiers!"

"Speed ​​up, boatman, and get to the beach as soon as possible!"

Although the more than 600 Japanese Marines in navy blue uniforms on the rubber boats and steel boats had not slept all night after a night of fighting and preparations for river crossing attacks, there was no trace of fatigue in their eyes. Instead, there was a breath of killing and madness.

In the battle last night, the landing Japanese troops easily defeated a brigade of the 18th Division. The hands of these Japanese soldiers were stained with the blood of officers and soldiers of the 18th Division. Many Japanese soldiers even killed a dozen or even dozens of officers and soldiers of the 18th Division in the battle last night.

In the eyes of these Japanese soldiers, the poor performance of the 18th Brigade of the 54th Division in the battle last night has given them a real understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Chinese troops deployed near the Fuchi River.

According to the interrogation results of the captured soldiers of the 18th Brigade of the 54th Division, it was known that the Chinese troops stationed on the east bank of the Fuchi River were also the 18th Division troops that suffered a crushing defeat last night.

After learning of this situation, the Japanese troops participating in the river crossing attack, from the highest commander, Major Kimura Ieki, captain of the 18th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Naval Base, to the most ordinary private, every Japanese officer and soldier participating in the landing attack believed that this river crossing attack would be like the devastating battle against the 54th Brigade of the th Division last night, and the Chinese defenders on the other side of the river would be easily defeated, routed and slaughtered by them.

The positions on the east bank of the Fuchi River, guarded by such vulnerable Chinese troops, would certainly be as fragile as glass.

Soon, the Japanese landing force boats on the river reached the center of the river. As the distance got closer, the Japanese Marines on the rubber boats and steel boats all crouched as low as possible to avoid the bullets.

As Major Mu Zhener ordered the firing of a green signal flare, the Type 92 heavy machine gun mounted on the steel boat also began to fire. A dense rain of 7.7mm heavy machine gun bullets shot directly towards the river beach in front of the position of the First Battalion of the Assault Corps.

Suddenly, there was a burst of dense heavy machine gun fire on the river, and the Bamenshan artillery on the west bank, which was responsible for covering the Japanese army's attack troops crossing the river, also increased its firing speed. For a while, the river was filled with the roar of guns, the roar of engines and the sound of guns mixed together, making it very lively.

Amid the fierce sound of gunfire, the Japanese army's river crossing attack force, consisting of a group of rubber boats and steel boats, crossed the center of the river. The first wave of boats was less than a hundred meters away from the beach on the east bank of the Fuchi River.

At this time, in the position of the First Battalion on the east bank, Fu Chen, who was closely watching the Japanese assault boats crossing the river in the fortifications, was delighted when he saw that the Japanese landing assault boats had crossed the center of the river.

Ancient military tactics say: "If the enemy comes across the water, do not meet them in the water; wait for them to cross halfway and then attack them; this is to their advantage". The tactic of attacking the enemy when they are halfway across the river has been tried and tested in every war from ancient times to the present. Now the Japanese attack boats have crossed the center of the Fuchi River, and it is the best time to attack them when they are halfway across the river.

So, Fu Chen decisively ordered: "Send flares, open fire!"

Immediately, the messenger behind Fu Chen fired the signal gun towards the sky. With a snap, a red flare shot out and flew diagonally into the air.

Immediately afterwards, after the signal flare representing the order to open fire was fired, a "resounding" firepower suddenly erupted from the position of the First Battalion. The defense line that the Japanese army imagined to be as brittle as glass when crossing the river to attack suddenly fired a series of dense fire lines.

Since Fu Chen's First Battalion used a line-type deployment in the position, the three infantry companies and one heavy machine gun company, which were the main combat companies in the battalion, were all deployed in a line. Therefore, all the firepower of the three infantry companies and the heavy machine gun company was fully utilized.

In terms of automatic weapons and mortars alone, each infantry company of the 26st Battalion was equipped with nine Czech ZB34 light machine guns, three MG60 general-purpose machine guns and six 37mm mortars, while the heavy machine gun company was equipped with eight Czech-made ZB air-cooled heavy machine guns.

The three infantry companies and one heavy machine gun company in the front-line positions were equipped with 26 Czech ZB34 light machine guns, 60 MG37 general-purpose machine guns, mm mortars and Czech-made ZB heavy machine guns.

As the firing signal flares flew up, the officers and soldiers of the three infantry companies of the First Battalion and the heavy machine gun company of the battalion, who had already been prepared for battle in their positions, opened fire almost simultaneously, using a large number of automatic weapons and mortars as the core, and projected extremely fierce firepower at the Japanese landing boats on the river.

(End of this chapter)