The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 522: Encircle and annihilate! Eat!
"Captain, the tank battalion and Captain Fu report that they have completely driven out the enemy reinforcements. Most of the enemy troops have been annihilated, and only a small part has fled back to their starting position!"

In the command post of the assault corps, Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling excitedly reported to He Wei.

The results of the tank battalion and the 42st infantry battalion were indeed fruitful. This mixed infantry-tank column composed of infantry and tanks caught the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the nd Regiment of the Japanese Army, which was in a scattered charge state, by surprise and quickly defeated it in a very short time. Relying on the speed and firepower advantage of the tanks, they turned a rout into an annihilation battle.

The 3rd Infantry Battalion, which was fully equipped with more than a thousand people, its heavy machine gun squadron and infantry artillery squad, along with its battalion command post were all annihilated, and all of its heavy machine guns, infantry artillery and other equipment and ammunition were also lost.

The three infantry squadrons under its command also suffered more than two-thirds casualties under the fire pursuit of tanks and the 1st Battalion of the Assault Corps. The total casualties of a fully equipped brigade exceeded 800 people. They were unable to organize even a decent resistance or a powerful counterattack and were defeated, losing their combat effectiveness.

Both the tank battalion commander Zhao Huzhen and the commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps Fu Chen were very excited about the results achieved by this coordinated infantry-tank attack. In just a short assault, they almost wiped out an entire infantry battalion of the Japanese army. How could such a hearty battle not make them feel happy?

The same was true for all the officers and soldiers who participated in the war. In the past, the Japanese tanks had always been at odds with the Nationalist Army, which lacked anti-tank weapons. But now the situation has reversed, and the officers and soldiers who have tasted the sweetness are naturally greatly excited.

Even the usually mature and steady Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling could not contain his excitement and kept pacing around He Wei, muttering excitedly. However, in comparison, He Wei was much calmer about the results achieved by the Tank Battalion and the 1st Infantry Battalion.

After all, he was a time traveler and had a solid understanding of the power of large-scale concentrated use of tanks and large-scale assault operations in coordination with infantry. What's more, the troops he was fighting against were a group of Japanese infantry units without anti-tank weapons.

"Brother Yuan Ling, tell Captain Zhao and Captain Fu not to pursue, but to withdraw while they are ahead. Start retreating immediately. The tank battalion should withdraw, and the infantry of the first battalion should retreat to the main position of the new 19th Division to build fortifications and prepare for battle. They should get as close to the main position of the new 19th Division as possible, blocking the retreat route of the Japanese troops in the position of the new 19th Division, while guarding against the possible second batch of Japanese reinforcements."

Wang Yuanling pulled over a staff officer and quickly relayed He Wei's order, and he also realized the intention of He Wei's order.

The Japanese reinforcements have been dealt with, so the next thing to do is to deal with those trapped troops who are currently fighting with friendly forces in the positions of the New 19th Division.

The tank battalion and the 1st infantry battalion of the assault corps, which had completed the attack mission, should have retreated as soon as possible. After all, the Japanese air force was not to be trifled with. Moreover, if the Japanese army, which had suffered a heavy loss, pulled up anti-tank guns, or opened fire on the tank battalion and the 1st infantry battalion of the assault corps with heavy artillery fire, the victory just now might have turned into a tragic victory.

Moreover, the tank battalion has already completed its combat mission, so it is only natural to withdraw it.

As for He Wei's intention of ordering the 19st Infantry Battalion to retreat to the main position of the New 19th Division and build a position, it is not difficult to understand. He ordered them to get as close to the main position of the New 19th Division as possible, blocking the retreat of the Japanese troops in the position, forming an encirclement from the front and back, and establishing a temporary defense line in front of the New th Division's position, which was enough to deal with the possible second reinforcement of the Japanese army.

Of course, He Wei had the 19st Infantry Battalion as close as possible to the new 19th Division's position in order to prevent Japanese artillery and air strikes. After the Japanese troops in the new th Division's position were surrounded, He Wei had no doubt that the desperate Japanese would use artillery and air strikes to rescue their own troops who were besieged in the position.

However, when the 19st Infantry Battalion got as close as possible to the positions of the New th Division in the midst of the melee, the possibility of the Japanese army using heavy artillery and air strikes would naturally be minimized.

The two armies were fighting in the position, and if the First Infantry Battalion in front of the position came up, if the Japanese army went crazy and organized fierce artillery and air strikes, they would kill 1,000 enemies and lose 900 of their own! Large-scale accidental casualties were inevitable, unless the Japanese commander was crazy.

Realizing He Wei's next possible order, Wang Yuanling, with a slightly flushed face, asked excitedly: "Captain, should we deal with the Japanese who broke into the position of the New 19th Division?"

He Wei nodded slightly and said calmly: "Pass my order, the 19nd Infantry Battalion and the 19rd Infantry Battalion will start attacking the positions of the friendly New th Division and eat up the enemy that has entered the positions of the New th Division."

As soon as He Wei gave the battle order, several staff officers rushed out of the command post, raised their signal guns and pulled the triggers.

"Boom...boom..." Four red flares rushed into the air with a "hissing" sound.

In the concealed position of the assault corps, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Fang Jing, and the commander of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, Hu Zhaowu, saw the flying signal flares and simultaneously gave the order to start the attack. The officers and soldiers of the eight infantry companies belonging to the two infantry battalions, which were the main force of the attack, jumped out of the positions with submachine guns, rifles with bayonets and light machine guns at the commands of the officers and sergeants, and immediately launched a charge.

"kill!"

A loud shout of killing suddenly rang out, followed by a loud charge horn. The intertwined shouts of killing and the charge horn were not only the clarion call for the assault corps to launch a general attack, but also a prelude to the death sentence for the Japanese troops in the new 19th Division's position.

More than a thousand officers and soldiers from eight infantry companies rushed out of the starting positions shouting and killing. They did not deploy the conventional skirmish attack formation, but instead formed dense skirmish lines of attack in company and platoon units, and then rushed towards the new 19th Division positions ahead at the fastest speed.

In the positions of the New 19th Division, the two armies had already been fighting hand-to-hand combat. Many of the New 19th Division's troops and the Japanese troops had been dispersed in this tragic close combat. Many units could not find their superior units, let alone their subordinate units. All they could do was fight and kill the enemy in front of them. In the positions of the New 19th Division, the Japanese troops in yellow uniforms and the national troops in gray uniforms were mixed together, and the entire battlefield was a mess.

In this situation, the assault corps troops that rushed forward did not need to deploy conventional attack formations. All they had to do was rush in and completely eliminate the Japanese troops in the position with the force of a mountain pressing down on them.

The officers and soldiers of the eight assault corps infantry companies quickly rushed forward, and the assault corps' skirmish lines attacked the positions of the new 19th Division and crashed into the melee between the two armies.

Then, dense gunfire rang out in the positions of the new 19th Division, the continuous sound of submachine guns, and the crisp sound of rapid-fire and slow-speed machine pistols came one after another, instantly suppressing the shouts of the two armies in the positions.

新19师阵地中的日军步兵第42联队步兵第1大队，步兵第2大队的日军步兵们，终于感受到了那晚21联队所经历的恐怖战斗场面。

Countless Chinese troops wearing German steel helmets rushed into the positions. Before the two sides even fought, these Chinese troops opened fire with fierce submachine gun and automatic pistol fire. Even the rifle soldiers did not choose to fight with bayonets, but opened fire at the first opportunity. The Japanese troops were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. Countless people were knocked down by the dense submachine gun and automatic pistol fire before they could figure out the situation.

Eight infantry companies of the assault corps joined the battle and fought together with friendly forces against the Japanese army. The officers and soldiers implemented the close combat principles taught by He Wei very well. They shot when they could and fought with bayonets when they had to. They fully utilized the powerful automatic close combat firepower of the grassroots infantry squads of the assault corps to the extreme, causing heavy casualties to the Japanese army in a short period of time.

Even though some Japanese soldiers successfully seized the opportunity and engaged in bayonet fighting with the officers and soldiers of the assault corps, they soon discovered that the bayonet fighting skills of this Chinese army were not weak at all, and their bayonet fighting tactics adopted a group coordination, with combat teams of at least three people to engage in bayonet fighting with a Japanese soldier.

As a result, few of the Japanese soldiers who rushed forward to fight with bayonets were able to gain any advantage. The vast majority of them fell under the bayonets and bullets of the officers and soldiers of the assault corps.

Less than ten minutes after the eight infantry companies of the assault corps rushed to the positions of the new 19th Division, the balance of victory in the battle tilted in favor of the Chinese army.

The Japanese troops that rushed into the position of the New 19th Division were the 42st Infantry Battalion of the 1nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army, several infantry companies under the 2nd Battalion, as well as a group of artillery, heavy machine gunners and service soldiers. The total strength of this part of the Japanese troops was not at an advantage compared with the number of defenders of one and a half regiments of the New 19th Division in the position. They gained the advantage entirely by relying on their relatively excellent bayonet fighting skills and close combat qualities. Now, more than a thousand officers and soldiers of the Assault Corps with excellent combat qualities rushed in, and the Japanese troops in the position finally couldn't hold on. In addition, the long-term fierce fighting had greatly consumed their manpower. More than ten minutes after the Assault Corps attacked, more than half of the Japanese troops in the position had been killed or wounded.

It is said that the first effort is strong, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted.

After such a long period of hand-to-hand combat, not to mention that the loss of manpower was not enough to support the Japanese army to continue fighting, the physical and mental strength of the Japanese officers and soldiers who were in the fierce battle had been reduced to the lowest point in the brutal battle. Many of them had already found it very strenuous to even hold up their rifles and make fighting and stabbing movements, let alone continue to carry out the task of capturing the positions of the new 19th Division?

At this point, the Japanese army in the melee finally gave up the tactical attempt to continue to make a breakthrough in the new 19th Division's position and began to retreat. The Japanese officers and non-commissioned officers who were exhausted in the brutal close combat shouted to their men at the top of their lungs and loudly issued orders to retreat.

The Japanese soldiers who heard the order to retreat felt as if they had been pardoned. They stopped fighting with the surrounding Nationalist officers and soldiers and turned around to retreat and rushed towards the front of the new 19th Division's position.

Although the Japanese army was unable to make a breakthrough, they were the elite troops of the 19th Division after all, with excellent combat quality and organizational ability. In the melee, the Japanese troops who received the order to retreat quickly gathered in groups of two, three, five or six and retreated together. The strong desire to survive made the Japanese army burst out with powerful organizational ability. Although the organizational structure was in chaos, the Japanese troops in the melee still gathered and broke through at a very fast speed in an attempt to break out of the position of the new th Division.

When the officers and soldiers of the assault corps and the new 19th Division saw that the Japanese army was about to retreat, they naturally tried their best to stop them. They chased the retreating Japanese troops and attacked and killed them, launching a fierce pursuit. After a brutal siege, a large number of Japanese troops fell on the road of retreat. The gray human wave was like a tide, almost drowning the retreating Japanese troops.

The siege and pursuit of the retreating Japanese troops can only be described as brutal. The officers and soldiers of the assault corps kept attacking and chasing the Japanese troops fiercely. The officers and soldiers of the new 19th Division, who had been suppressed by the Japanese troops, were even more determined to take revenge and beat the enemy when they were down, and they frantically blocked the Japanese troops' retreat.

Some fired shots, some rushed forward with bayonets pointed, and some even went so crazy that they simply threw themselves to the ground with the retreating Japanese soldiers and pulled the pin of a grenade to die together.

The Japanese troops who had difficulty breaking through the siege of the superior national army were like a small boat in the raging sea. Amid the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and shouts of killing, Japanese soldiers continued to fall in pools of blood. Some were shot to death, some were stabbed into bloody gourds by the cold and shining bayonets, some were shot into sieves by submachine guns, and some wounded soldiers were killed or even trampled to death by many national army soldiers amid their desperate cries for help.
For the Japanese troops struggling to break out, the battlefield beneath their feet was simply hell, and a purgatory on earth more terrifying than the eighteen levels of hell!

The Japanese army's retreat route in the New 19th Division's position became a bloody trail. After more than ten minutes of fierce breakout melee, the retreating Japanese army finally fought their way out of the New 19th Division's position. However, at this time, there were only less than Japanese soldiers who managed to break out.

Of the two field infantry battalions, only less than 500 people were left so far in the battle. A battalion commander was also killed in the battle. Only a major battalion commander escaped and fled in panic with more than 400 Japanese soldiers.

These elite Japanese soldiers, who had shown great courage and excellent combat qualities in the recent attack and hand-to-hand combat, had lost most of their courage and fighting will after such a brutal and bloody battle. All of them just wanted to break out quickly and get away from this hellish battlefield!

The Japanese troops who broke through the encirclement fled at a speed faster than the charge, and were all thankful to have escaped. However, not far from the direction they broke through, the officers and soldiers of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Assault Corps had already been ready for battle and prepared a "big meal" for these Japanese troops who had escaped.

(End of this chapter)