The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 411: Sweeping the Remaining Enemies 1
"Captain, it's Captain Hu and his men!"

On the tracked vehicle, Tao Heiwa pointed at the officers and soldiers of the assault corps rushing towards them in the distance, and said to He Wei excitedly.

The ones charging forward were the 3rd Infantry Battalion of Hu Zhaowu's Assault Corps. Under He Wei's adjustment, the 3rd Infantry Battalion, which had originally been responsible for attacking the main position of the Japanese army together with the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, temporarily handed over the attack mission to the 1st Infantry Battalion, and instead took on the task of returning to support the anti-aircraft artillery company and the direct special service company led by He Wei.

The telegram ordering the Third Battalion to return for reinforcement had just been sent out. He Wei thought that he would have to hold out for a while longer before the Third Battalion arrived, but he did not expect the Third Battalion to reinforce him so quickly.

Hu Zhaowu's Assault Corps' 3rd Infantry Battalion had not yet engaged in large-scale battles with the Japanese army. The entire battalion was fully staffed and well-equipped, and when it pounced at this moment, the momentum it displayed was extremely high.

The direction of their attack happened to be the side and rear of the Japanese assault column. The Japanese army had fifteen tracked tractors loaded with officers and soldiers of the special forces company, which were destroying the Japanese army. More than a thousand Chinese officers and soldiers suddenly rushed from the side and rear. The balance of the battlefield instantly tilted towards the Chinese army.

Feeling the breathtaking momentum of the soldiers of the Third Battalion who were rushing at him like mad wolves, He Wei felt very happy and shouted excitedly, "Hu Zhaowu is here at the right time! Kill him!"

He Wei wiped the blood off his face, picked up the rifle left by the dead soldier on the tracked vehicle, ejected the shells in the magazine, and fired a shot, hitting a Japanese non-commissioned officer who was rushing towards the tracked vehicle where He Wei was.

The Japanese non-commissioned officer who was hit in the thigh screamed in pain and fell beside the tracked vehicle. At this moment, the driver of the tracked vehicle suddenly turned, and the head of the Japanese non-commissioned officer who was caught off guard was instantly caught in the track and crushed into a rotten watermelon.

"idiot!"

Many Japanese soldiers rushed towards the back of the tracked vehicle where He Wei was. Several inaccurate bullets flew over one after another and brushed past the tracked vehicle.

He Wei was the first to open fire towards the rear, and the soldiers of the special forces company on the vehicle also turned their guns. The general-purpose machine gunner had no time to replace the MG34 general-purpose machine gun barrel which had been fired hot, and he opened fire immediately after slightly adjusting the barrel.

da da da da da

Amid the sound of gunfire like a cloth-tearing machine and the collision of metal ammunition chains, the MG34 general-purpose machine gun fired at full speed to weave a firepower network that instantly wiped out the Japanese troops rushing in from the back of the tracked vehicle, and clouds of blood mist erupted in the air.

"well played!"

He Wei cheered, but just as he finished speaking, nearly twenty crazy Japanese soldiers rushed over from the right side of the tracked vehicle, firing as they charged. They fired more than a dozen 6.5mm Type 38 rifle bullets. Some of the flying bullets hit the steel plates of the vehicle, emitting dazzling sparks, and some flew over the tracked vehicle. Although most of them missed, a soldier from the special forces company was hit and fell on the seat of the tracked vehicle.

"idiot!"

"Onboard!"

The Japanese troops who were rushing forward howled and dispersed, then split into several scattered groups, rushing in groups of three or five from multiple directions.

The general-purpose machine gunner, who had already used up a box of ammunition, was unable to shoot because the barrel overheated. He was hurriedly replacing the smoking barrel with the ammunition carrier. The fierce firepower of the mg34 general-purpose machine gun came to a halt.

Facing the besieging Japanese troops, He Wei raised his rifle and fired again. With two shots, he knocked down two Japanese soldiers. Other soldiers also raised their guns and fired, killing several people. However, despite killing many people, the surrounding Japanese troops completely ignored these casualties. They took advantage of the pause in the firing of the most powerful general-purpose machine gun on the tracked vehicle and swarmed in to attack.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, a 60mm mortar shell exploded more than meters in front of the right side of the tracked tractor.

Amidst continuous screams, sand and dirt near the impact point mixed with dense shrapnel flew up, covering and knocking down all the besieging Japanese troops.

By the time the mud and rock rain mixed with blood mist gradually dissipated, all the Japanese soldiers who had besieged He Wei's tracked vehicle had fallen in a pool of blood on the ground.

Then, there were continuous sounds of mortars in the distance. He Wei looked in the direction of the sound and saw that a 60mm mortar on a tracked tractor was continuously firing a few hundred meters away, bombarding various places on the battlefield where Japanese troops were densely packed.

This is a mortar gunner from the special forces company demonstrating his superb shooting skills. Even on a maneuvering tracked tractor, he can still accurately launch mortar shells into the enemy group. The mortar shell that just landed near the tracked tractor where He Wei is located is obviously the masterpiece of this mortar gunner with excellent shooting skills.

When the smoke from the mortar shells cleared, most of the Japanese soldiers who had besieged the tracked vehicle where He Wei was had been killed or wounded. Only two Japanese soldiers covered in blood successfully rushed to the tracked vehicle and stabbed at it with their Type 38 rifles.

With a bang, He Wei fired the last bullet in the magazine of his rifle, blowing up the head of a Japanese soldier. Tao Heiwa also shot another Japanese soldier in the abdomen with a Mauser C96 revolver. However, the Japanese soldier who was hit in the abdomen was not knocked down. Instead, he leaned forward, holding the rifle, and used his last strength to rush towards the tracked vehicle.

嗖

The bayonet of the Type 24 rifle flashed with a cold light and stabbed towards He Wei. He Wei turned sideways, stepped on the bayonet, and then stabbed out the vz rifle in his hand.

"kill!"

The sharp bayonet of the vz24 rifle flashed with a sharp light and pierced into the throat of the Japanese soldier very smoothly. Blood spurted out of the throat of the Japanese soldier like a fountain, soaking the extremely hideous face of the Japanese soldier and splashing He Wei's face.

He Wei immediately put away his gun and stabbed again, knocking the Japanese soldier to the ground with his eyes wide open and full of unwillingness. The accelerating tracked tractor turned on the spot and crushed the soldier to death.

"Captain, look, Captain Hu's troops are charging forward!"

At this time, Tao Heiwa pointed to the rear of the Japanese assault formation in the distance and said to He Wei excitedly, looking around, they saw that the Japanese troops where Tao Heiwa pointed had collided with the troops of the Third Battalion of the Assault Corps that were rushing over.

After the increasingly loud shouts, there was dense gunfire, including the gunfire of Czech vz24 rifles, the crisp sound of Type rifles, the bursts of Czech light machine guns, the sound of grenade explosions and the knocking of bayonets. Of course, there were more continuous and dense gunfire from -round machine guns and flower machine guns. Obviously, the Third Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, which had powerful automatic firepower, had fought with the Japanese army and launched a large-scale close combat.

Not long ago, after receiving a telegram from He Wei changing the combat mission and ordering the Third Battalion to quickly return to support the anti-aircraft artillery company and the special forces company to attack and kill the main force of the Japanese army, Hu Zhaowu decisively ordered the entire Third Battalion to move out and quickly charge at full speed to the high ground near the Big and Small Bear Mountains to provide support.

Not only the three main infantry companies of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, but also the headquarters company, the heavy machine gun company and the mortar company of the 3rd Battalion all fought back to provide support.

In order to increase the infantry's combat effectiveness and reduce the combat burden on officers and soldiers, Hu Zhaowu decisively ordered the heavy machine gun company, mortar company and battalion headquarters company to leave their heavy machine guns, mortars, equipment, mule and horse supplies, as well as the backpacks of all officers and soldiers in the battalion and things not related to combat in place and not to carry them.

All officers and soldiers in the battalion, whether they were officers of the infantry company or not, were converted into infantry and moved forward lightly to quickly support and intercept the main force of the Japanese army that was fighting with the anti-aircraft artillery company and the special forces company.

All the officers and soldiers of the heavy machine gun company, mortar company and headquarters company of the 3rd Battalion had received basic infantry tactical training, and no matter they were gunners, ammunition handlers, machine gunners or baggage soldiers, they were all equipped with basic weapons such as rapid-fire machine pistols, rifles, bayonets, etc. Almost everyone had a gun, so although these brothers were officers and soldiers of the heavy weapons company and support arms company, everyone could be used as infantry in an emergency.

Therefore, when all the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion learned that the commander was besieged by the main force of the Japanese army with only the anti-aircraft artillery company and the special forces company directly under the assault corps, they all rushed to the rescue as quickly as possible, and broke out into an extremely fast marching and assault speed, returning to the rescue in a very short time that even He Wei could not have expected.

"Brothers, fight and kill!"

At the tail end of the Japanese assault formation, Hu Zhaowu, commander of the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, held a machine gun and fired fiercely at the Japanese troops dozens of meters away. A string of bullets knocked down seven or eight Japanese soldiers, and the Type 92 infantry cannon that was being towed by several Japanese soldiers caused sparks to fly.

Around Hu Zhaowu, waves of intensive automatic fire centered on machine guns and twenty-shot rapid-fire machine guns smashed down on him, causing wails and screams. The Type 92 infantry guns and Type 92 heavy machine guns, which were either in disassembled or intact states, were scattered in a pool of blood after the gunners and machine gunners were mowed down.

The ammunition boxes carried by the Japanese ammunition soldiers were thrown everywhere. After being trampled to pieces by the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion who charged bravely, the golden infantry artillery cartridges and rows of Type 92 heavy machine gun bullet shields in the boxes were kicked and trampled all over the ground.

The golden shells, soaked in black soil stained red with blood and specks of emerald green, emitted a strange bloody glow under the sunlight.

The Third Battalion attacked almost directly from the rear of the Japanese infantry attack formation. Therefore, the two Japanese infantry artillery squads and two heavy machine gun squadrons dragging heavy Type 92 infantry guns and carrying Type 92 heavy machine guns at the rear of the team were the first to suffer the swift attack of the Third Battalion.

The morale of the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion, which had not yet engaged in large-scale battles with the main force of the Japanese army, was high and they were full of fighting spirit. The officers and soldiers of the Japanese infantry artillery squadron and heavy machine gun squadron were already struggling to carry their artillery and heavy machine guns forward. The vast majority of the Japanese infantry gunners and heavy machine gunners did not have rifles, pistols and other self-defense combat weapons. Except for officers and non-commissioned officers, most people only had a bayonet. Facing the Third Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps, where almost everyone had a gun, they had no ability to fight back at all.

Faced with the fiercely charging officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion, they soon suffered heavy casualties under the dense automatic firepower of the Third Battalion and were defeated by the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion within a few minutes.

The vast majority of the Japanese troops in the two infantry artillery squads and the heavy machine gun squadron fell under the fierce automatic fire of the Third Battalion. Only a few abandoned their infantry artillery, heavy machine guns and ammunition boxes and fled in all directions.

The infantry artillery squads, heavy machine gun squadrons and other supporting firearms units under the two Japanese infantry battalions that launched the Banzai death charge were swallowed up and crushed by the attacking Third Battalion in an extremely sudden and extremely fast manner.

The Third Battalion had only two dozen officers and soldiers, and they fell in the resistance and attack of a few officers and non-commissioned officers from the Japanese infantry artillery squad and heavy machine gun squadron equipped with rifles and pistols.

Immediately afterwards, after the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion wiped out two Japanese infantry artillery squads and most of two Japanese heavy machine gun squadrons, they quickly started fighting with the main force of the Japanese infantry.

The main force of the Japanese infantry, which was suddenly "stuck" by the Third Battalion, was busy besieging the fifteen extremely disgusting tracked tractors. It can be said that they were overwhelmed by these fifteen tracked vehicles and had no time to react when the Third Battalion first attacked.

Only after the infantry artillery squad and heavy machine gun squadron were completely wiped out by the Third Battalion's charge did a part of the Japanese infantry turn around and rush towards the Third Battalion.

The close combat knife skills of the Japanese infantry were naturally not comparable to those of the soldiers of their infantry artillery squadron and heavy machine gun squadron. After seeing their own infantry artillery squadron and heavy machine gun squadron being eaten up by the suddenly appearing Chinese army, they all held their bayonets with bloodshot eyes, shouted "Board" with red eyes and rushed over.

Similarly, the officers and soldiers of the third battalion also shouted loudly and charged forward continuously. The shouts of killing were overwhelming and the momentum was astonishing.

However, facing the charging Japanese infantry, the officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion obviously would not give the Japanese a chance to demonstrate their bayonet and close combat skills.

The officers and soldiers of the three infantry companies of the third battalion at the front immediately greeted the Japanese army with fierce machine gun fire, twenty-shot submachine guns and other firearms, firing rows of bullets. Some soldiers of the third battalion who rushed to the front and were good at throwing grenades also threw grenades.

Amidst a hail of bullets and the sound of grenade explosions, a large number of the rushing Japanese infantry fell down. Of course, the Japanese were not stupid. They would not, as in later film and television dramas, foolishly empty the magazines of their Type 38 rifles and then fight with bayonets in hand-to-hand combat (if they really wanted to avoid accidental injuries, they could just adjust the safety of the Type 38 rifles). They also opened fire.

However, the firepower projection speed of the Japanese army's Type 38 bolt-action rifles could not be compared with the automatic firearms such as machine guns that the Third Battalion was equipped with in large numbers, and they did not knock down many soldiers of the Third Battalion.

Often, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers would be knocked down by the automatic weapons of the Third Battalion before they could knock down one or two soldiers of the Third Battalion with their rifles. Only the strafing of the Taisho 11-type Type 99 light machine guns by a few Japanese light machine gunners who were blinded by anger would cause large-scale casualties to the Third Battalion.

Due to the difference in close combat automatic firepower between the two sides, the casualties ratio between the two sides in this hand-to-hand fire battle was very different.

After a brief firefight, the Third Battalion started to fight with the rushing elite Japanese infantry, and they collided and tangled together, starting a hand-to-hand fight with swords against swords and guns against guns.

More than a thousand officers and soldiers of the Third Battalion completely killed their way into the Japanese army. The two armies were stalemate in an open battlefield two or three kilometers long. The sound of killing was everywhere, the battlefield was dusty, the shouts of killing were deafening, the blood was everywhere, and the corpses were piled up.

For a time, the battle was extremely brutal.

(End of this chapter)