The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 513 The Second Line of Defense

The large-scale melee at night did not end until daybreak. Under the counterattack of the assault corps, the 56st Regiment of the Japanese Army that had broken into the position of the 21th Regiment was caught in a tragic battle. The victory that was within their grasp was about to be lost. Under the siege of the Chinese army with superior forces, the 21st Regiment gradually lost its strength in the melee and was about to collapse from the position of the 56th Regiment that it had finally broken into.

Even the commander of the 21st Brigade, Masao Nakamura, who was commanding on the beach, could not bear to see the tragic situation of the 21st Regiment in the melee, and issued a series of retreat orders.

But soon after the 21st Regiment withdrew from the 56th Regiment's position, the Chinese army that launched a counterattack did something that the Japanese army could not understand.

The Chinese army, which had already counterattacked the Japanese army, did not consolidate the positions they had recaptured, nor did they even launch a fire pursuit to expand their victory. Instead, they quickly retreated from their positions like a tide, leaving behind only a devastated position littered with corpses.

In other words, the Chinese army voluntarily gave up its position!

Faced with such strange behavior of the Chinese army, both the commander of the 21st Regiment of the Japanese Army, Yoshinosuke Miki, and the commander of the 21st Brigade, Masao Nakamura, were a little confused for a while, and even suspected whether there was some trick behind the Chinese army's sudden recapture and then sudden abandonment of the position.

With doubts in his heart, Masao Nakamura, who was unable to figure out the strength of the Chinese army, did not dare to send people to occupy the empty position in front of him which was within his reach. Instead, he stared at the position in front of him with high vigilance, fearing that the Chinese army was playing some tricks again.

Of course, Nakamura Masao's suspicion was really unnecessary. Until the sun rose, the Chinese army did not take any action, did not send people to reoccupy the position, and did not launch a counterattack.

It was not until then that Nakamura Masao sent out a small force to search repeatedly, and then he felt at ease to send people to reoccupy the position of the 56th Regiment and plant the general flag in the position of the 56th Regiment.

In the position of the 56th Regiment, Commander of the 21st Regiment Miki Yoshinosuke and Commander of the 21st Brigade Nakamura Masao stood in the position of the 56th Regiment, and the ground under their feet was still warm.

Around the position, various large and small gray and black craters were scattered, emitting wisps of white mist. The bodies of the dead from both sides were scattered all over the place. The bloody remains of the limbs and the bodies burned by flamethrowers gave off a sickening stench. Various guns and ammunition, ammunition boxes, shell casings, and helmets were scattered in a disorderly manner inside and outside the position. The bodies of some of the dead officers and soldiers from both sides even maintained a desperate fighting posture until their death.

The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties at one point, and most of the concrete bunkers that could not be directly destroyed even by naval gun fire collapsed, with rubble, bricks, and steel fragments scattered all over the ground.

The broken inner wall of the bunker was smoked yellow and black, and scattered among them were the remains of Kuomintang officers and soldiers in the bunker, parts of Type 105 Maxim water-cooled heavy machine guns, Czech light machine guns, and the broken steel body of the mm armor-piercing shell that hit the bunker.

The Japanese officers and soldiers cleaning up the battlefield all had expressions of fear on their faces.
"A bloody battle. It was a bloody battle."

Masao Nakamura couldn't help but sigh after looking around, and recalled the fierce battle last night. The scene of the two sides fighting desperately was still vivid in his mind.

The blood-stained commander of the 21st Regiment, Yoshinosuke Miki, felt like crying when he looked at the Rising Sun Flag planted on the Chinese army's position.

In order to capture this position, the 21st Regiment paid a heavy price. In the first attack on this position, the 21st Regiment suffered more than casualties in one go, and the losses in last night's melee were also heavy. The entire regiment was killed and more than were injured, and a major was killed in close combat.

In addition to an infantry battalion that was almost completely destroyed in the landing operation, the 21st Infantry Regiment, which was fully equipped and staffed a few days ago, suffered nearly casualties, and the entire regiment's combat effectiveness was only more than people.

The most unlucky ones were the flamethrower squadron of the 21th Engineer Regiment assigned to the 5st Regiment. This engineer squadron equipped with flamethrowers was involved in close combat after the eight infantry companies of the assault corps launched a counterattack. This group of Japanese engineers carrying flamethrowers and fuel tanks were no match for close combat, and almost all of the entire squadron, from the squadron leader down, were wiped out by the officers and soldiers of the assault corps.

Colonel Miki Yoshinosuke, the regiment commander, was nearly killed by a stray bullet from the Chinese army in the melee last night.

It was truly a bloody battle with a heavy price!

With mixed feelings, Nakamura Masao said to Miki Yoshinosuke: "Mr. Miki, this battle is not easy. Your regiment should take the lead. The Chinese army in front of us is difficult to deal with. We must hold on to the hard-won results. Your regiment must strengthen its defense and make more contributions. I will also drive the 42nd Regiment to the position. You must hold this position to prevent the Chinese army from counterattacking. By holding the position, our main force can complete the landing safely!"

"Please rest assured, sir. We will definitely hold our ground!"

Miki Yoshinosuke bowed, quickly put aside the sadness in his heart, and answered solemnly.

Masao Nakamura also put aside all distractions, and felt relieved. Although there were heavy casualties, they finally captured the Chinese army's position on Qisha Beach.

If this obstacle is removed, it means that our main force, the remnants of the 5th Division, and the Guards Mixed Brigade can calmly open up a larger landing site on Qisha Beach. Combat troops, baggage, equipment, etc. can calmly and safely complete the landing operation. The 21st Army's strategy of capturing Nanning can finally be smoothly implemented.

In the command post of the 56th Regiment, Wang Yuanling, the chief of staff of the assault corps, held up a battle briefing that had just been prepared and reported: "Captain, in the battle last night, the 1st Infantry Battalion and the eight infantry companies of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, together with the mortar companies of each battalion, the anti-aircraft company directly under the corps, and the tank defense artillery company, a total of officers and soldiers were killed and were injured. The artillery of each artillery company was not damaged, and all the remaining ammunition was brought back."

He Wei nodded slightly and said, "You fought well. How are the injured brothers doing?"

"They have all been properly treated, and the seriously injured have been sent to Nanning."

"Very good. How is the search company's reconnaissance of the front position?"

Wang Yuanling hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Captain, according to the search company's report, after our troops completely withdrew from our positions, the Japanese army sent out search troops to the positions we had voluntarily abandoned about two hours later. Another hour later, a large group of Japanese troops on the beach completely occupied our positions. According to the search company's estimate, the Japanese army may have sent no less than 4,000 troops to the beach overnight."

"After the search company approached the enemy position in secret, it observed that a large number of the enemy's main infantry had entered the position abandoned by our army, and the heavy artillery on the beach also left the beach and moved forward. The enemy is now cleaning up the battlefield and deploying defenses on the position."

He Wei thought for a moment and asked, "What is the current situation of the fortifications and bunker firepower points on the position?" Wang Yuanling sighed and said, "Last night's melee was too intense. The fortifications in the front position were severely damaged, especially the bunker firepower points in the position. More than two-thirds of them were destroyed by the Japanese. According to several artillery company commanders, the Japanese army directly pulled large-caliber artillery to the beach and used armor-piercing shells to shoot at the bunkers at night. At most two shots could cause structural damage to the bunkers. Thanks to our withdrawal, now the bunker fortifications and firepower points have been destroyed. If we continue to fight to the death in the position, I really don’t know how to defend this position."

After understanding the specific situation, He Wei also felt that his order to withdraw from the position after the counterattack last night was absolutely correct.

It was a pity that the position in the front was lost, but as Wang Yuanling said, the Japanese army destroyed most of the bunkers and firepower points in the area with large-caliber artillery fire. The defensive backbone of the 56th Regiment's position was these firepower points. Now that the solid firepower points are gone, the difficulty of defending this position has greatly increased.

If they continued to counterattack, recaptured and defended the position of the 56th Regiment, in the absence of solid bunkers and firepower points to support the position's defense line, the Japanese army would not even need the fierce naval artillery fire cover. Using the ground artillery firepower at hand to coordinate with the infantry to organize a coordinated infantry and artillery attack would be enough to break through the position of the 56th Regiment.

What's even more terrible is that He Wei estimated based on the reconnaissance reports from the search company that the Japanese landing troops might have the strength of a brigade, which was enough to be considered a heavy force.

It was definitely a wise move to withdraw from a defensive position that was severely damaged, about to be attacked by heavy Japanese forces, and within the range of Japanese naval gunfire.

In other words, the value of this defensive position has been exhausted. There is no need to counterattack to retake it, and there is no value in defending it any longer.

Wang Yuanling added, "Captain, the soldiers of the first battalion seized eight flamethrowers from the Japanese during the counterattack. These things are very powerful and can burn a large area. I have asked them to hand over these flamethrowers to the engineering company for research and use."

He Wei nodded and said, "Yes, this thing is a sharp weapon. Let the engineering company study it carefully. By the way, have you captured any prisoners? Can you determine the current number of the Japanese army?"

"We didn't capture any prisoners. These Japanese soldiers were also very fierce and fought desperately with our brothers. We didn't capture any prisoners, but our brothers brought back several Japanese bodies when they retreated. Their IDs showed the numbers of the 5st Infantry Regiment of the 21st Infantry Brigade of the 21th Division and the 5th Engineer Regiment of the 5th Division. They belonged to the same unit as the Japanese troops we annihilated at sea."

He Wei heard this and said, "The 5th Division? It seems that this division is the main force of the Japanese landing army. It is also an elite unit. It was the main force during the Battle of Xinkou. At that time, I was still a platoon leader in the th Division. I didn't meet it then, but this time I have to compete with it."

On the side, the commander of the 56th Regiment, Yang Tian, ​​had an ugly look on his face, looking frustrated and gloomy. The casualties of his 56th Regiment had already been counted, and were much greater than those of the Assault Corps.

The entire regiment lost nearly 700 people, and more than 400 seriously wounded soldiers were dragged back. The remaining available troops in the entire regiment were only a little over 1,000.

What's even worse is that the position of the 56th Regiment has been lost, and he, as the nominal supreme commander of the Qisha defense line, has to take responsibility.

Yang Tian was extremely panicked now. The news of losing the position had not been reported yet. When he thought of the punishment he might face, Yang Tian couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine. He might even be shot. He remembered that He Wei had said last night that he would help him take back the position. Yang Tian suddenly cast a hopeful look at He Wei again.

He Wei knew what Yang Tian was thinking, and waved his hand and said, "Captain Yang, you have seen the situation in the front position. Under this circumstance, there is no need for us to launch a counterattack. You and your troops have done your best. If the higher-ups investigate, we can invite your division commander and army commander to come and see the situation on the spot. I will speak for you then. As far as the current situation is concerned, what we have to do is to build fortifications on the spot to form a second line of defense, waiting to continue to block the Japanese attack."

"Commander He, we still have more than a thousand people in our regiment, and our division's supplementary regiment is still on standby in the rear, and can also be brought up to continue the counterattack. If your unit can lend a little more help, I think we can counterattack this position."

He Wei interrupted Yang Tian without hesitation and said, "It's not easy to counterattack. Even if we succeed, the bunkers and other firepower points in the front have been bombed to pieces by the Japanese army. Such positions are simply impossible to defend. Instead of wasting manpower to counterattack the lost positions, it is better to build fortifications on the spot and organize a second line of defense."

Yang Tian stammered, and He Wei sighed and said, "How about this, I call your division commander and army commander and explain the situation in person?"

Seeing that He Wei had made up his mind and that what he said did make sense, Yang Tian smiled wryly and nodded in agreement.

He Wei did what he said and immediately called the commander of the new 19th Division, Huang Gu, and the commander of the 46th Army, He Xuan, to inform them of the battle situation in Qisha. After learning that the 56th Regiment's position in Qisha had been lost, Huang Gu and He Xuan were both terrified and severely reprimanded the commander of the 56th Regiment, Yang Tian, ​​on the phone.

Without He Wei's invitation, Huang Gu and He Xuan hurried to the 56th Regiment Command Post in Qisha.

But when the two men arrived at the command post and saw the tragic situation of the retreating soldiers of the 56th Regiment after the bloody battle, and listened to He Wei's description of the battle situation on the front line, they had to admit that Yang Tian's 56th Regiment had tried its best, lost half of the regiment, and caused a lot of losses to the Japanese army with the help of the assault corps. It could not be blamed on Yang Tian.

In this way, Yang Tiancai, the commander of the 56th Regiment, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, these two army and division commanders had some resentment towards He Wei. After all, he, He, had an elite force like the Assault Corps, as well as tanks and cars, but when the position was lost, he only sent troops to counterattack and left, and did not help the 56th Regiment to retake the position. This was really unreasonable.

He Wei certainly saw what they were thinking, but he would never send troops to counterattack. The reason was very simple. It was not that he was reluctant to use his troops to take the initiative, nor was he reluctant to let the assault corps fill the line and fight in positional warfare, nor was it that he did not dare to fight the Japanese army head-on and consume their resources.

But the time is not right yet. The current task is to stop the Japanese army and buy time for troop deployment and strategic decision-making in the rear, rather than using precious combat forces in a position that has lost its usefulness.

He Wei presented facts and reasoned with them, and finally convinced the two army and division commanders, successfully dissuading them from launching a counterattack against the positions lost by the 56th Regiment.

At the same time, He Wei took the opportunity to propose the current defense deployment, which was to build fortifications on the spot with the 19th Regiment of the New 56th Division, which had lost more than half of its troops, and the Field Replacement Regiment of the New 19th Division as the reserve force, to establish a second line of defense to resist the next attack by the Japanese army, while his assault corps would continue to serve as the reserve force behind the second line of defense.

Huang Gu and He Xuan had no objection to He Wei's suggestion and specific deployment of establishing a second line of defense. Of course, they still had complaints about He Wei's deployment of letting the assault corps serve as a reserve force and keep it at the back instead of entering the position to defend. However, although they were quite dissatisfied, they could do nothing about it.

Finally, the 46th Army issued an order to the 56th Regiment and the Field Replacement Regiment to establish a second line of defense on the same day.

(End of this chapter)