Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Li Guotao observed the situation on the Tingbing Mountain position. More than half of the defenders in the two platoons on the position had been killed or wounded. However, in the outer trench below, there were hundreds of Japanese corpses left.

However, under the fierce bombardment of the Japanese artillery, the defensive fortifications on the Tingbing Mountain position were severely destroyed, and the current situation is not optimistic.

Li Guotao sighed slightly. Judging from the current trend, the Tingbing Mountain position would not be able to be held for much longer.

The bunkers on the mountain were basically destroyed, and the cliffs at the foot of the mountain that blocked the Japanese attack were also devastated by the Japanese artillery bombardment. Many large and small craters were blown out on the cliffs, and some places had collapsed.

In this way, the enemy can climb up the mountain even without the help of ladders.

Li Guotao thought about the current situation and it seemed that there was not much point in continuing to hold the position. It was estimated that Tingbing Hill and the high ridge opposite could not be defended.

Giving up the position was also a helpless move, because the defenders were short of manpower, and they could not afford to continue fighting a war of attrition around the two destroyed hills.

After learning about this situation, Li Guotao left the front line.

Not long after, the Japanese launched another fierce offensive.

The defending troops continued to resist stubbornly relying on the incomplete fortifications.

Li Guotao said to Captain Wang: "Brother Wang, judging from this trend, Tingbing Mountain and Gaoling can't be defended at all. The Japanese have too many troops."

"And I just took a look. The fortifications on the Hill of Tingbing have been almost destroyed. If we continue to fight, our casualties will only increase."

"We have already taken advantage of what we should have. If the fight continues, we can't afford it."

Upon hearing this, Captain Wang nodded slightly and said, "I agree with you. One of my two companies is almost wiped out, and the other is also crippled."

"But we can't retreat without orders from our superiors, right?"

Li Guotao said: "Then report this situation to the higher-ups. I believe the higher-ups will not ignore the lives of our brothers."

Captain Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go find the regiment commander right away."

……

At one of the Japanese front-line positions, Ota Sadamasa was observing the situation on the battlefield and saw that the attacking Japanese were delayed again.

The attacking troops suffered heavy losses, and Ota Sadamasa was so angry that he started cursing.

"Bagaya deer, they are all a bunch of gluttons."

A Japanese officer said: "We have used anti-tank guns to bombard the cliffs, and have blown up a part of it. This makes it much easier for the Locust Army warriors to climb up. However, fighting this way, the enemy has the advantage of terrain, and the Locust Army still suffered heavy casualties."

"Bagaya Deer~!"

Ota Sadamasa kept cursing, but facing such a situation, there was no better way.

At this time, a Japanese officer ran over and said, "General, the division commander has arrived at the brigade headquarters. Please go there immediately."

When Major General Sadamasa Ota heard this, his face instantly turned gloomy. It was obvious that the division commander was here to call him to task.

But the division commander had already arrived, so Ota Sadamasa had no choice but to go over.

"Hey~!"

Ota Sadamasa sighed helplessly, then hurried back to the brigade headquarters.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw Lieutenant General Sakuma Hitoshi, commander of the 68th Division, sitting there with a gloomy face and not saying a word.

Ota Sadamasa walked over quickly, lowered his head and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, the Division Commander."

Sakuma frowned and said, "Ota-kun, you disappoint me so much."

"You have a brigade of troops, and you have been fighting for almost two days on just two small hills, but you still can't take them?"

Major General Ota Sadamasa said helplessly: "Your Excellency the Division Commander, please calm down. It is mainly because the enemy has built strong fortifications that have repeatedly hindered the locust army's attacks."

"The troops suffered heavy losses."

"Baga~!"

"Ha! Damn it!"

Sakuma waved his hands in an upset manner and said, "Don't say these useless things. Shima-kun also suffered heavy casualties. I was hoping that you could save face, but what happened?"

"Hayi~!"

Ota Sadamasa responded respectfully: "I deserve death."

Sakuma was also very angry. Both of his brigades were defeated this time and suffered heavy losses. Where could he put his old face?

Ota Sadamasa asked cautiously, "Mr. Commander, how is the progress of the 116th Division?"

Sakuma sighed helplessly and said, "I just learned about the situation. They started off well, but once they encountered the enemy's main defense line, they were stubbornly blocked and suffered heavy losses."

Ota Sadamasa asked, "That means the enemy has also built a lot of strong fortifications on their side."

"Not bad!"

Sakuma nodded and said, "Please tell me in detail about the enemy's defense system."

"Hayi~!"

Ota Sadamasa responded respectfully, and then led Sakuma Tairen to a small sand table nearby, on which was a model of Fang Xianjue's trench.

Ota Sadamasa pointed to the sand table and said, "Look, Your Excellency the Division Commander. This is the enemy's defense system."

Sakuma nodded and said, "The hilly areas to the west are also full of such fortifications. The 116th Division was also blocked by this defense system, which hindered the attack and caused heavy losses to the troops."

Ota Sadamasa then explained in detail the specific structure and some specific circumstances of Fang Xianjue Trench.

Ota Sadamasa sighed helplessly and said, "Our staff has been studying how to deal with the enemy's defense system, but so far, no better solution has been found."

Sakuma frowned and said, "Fang Xianjue's defense system is indeed not easy to deal with."

"Although the locust army is brave, the enemy has the advantage of terrain and is so cunning. If we continue to fight like this, it will only increase casualties."

"Immediately tell the attacking troops to stop the attack!"

"Stop attacking?"

Ota Sadamasa frowned and asked, "Are you just giving up like that?"

"give up?"

Lieutenant General Sakuma Hitoshi frowned and said, "Taking Hengyang is an established strategy. How can we give up?"

"Our ultimate goal is to open up the mainland's transportation line. A small Hengyang must not become an obstacle to us. Do you understand?"

"Ha!" Ota Sadamasa responded respectfully, and then ordered someone to convey the order.

In fact, he had wanted to stop the attack a long time ago. After all, the casualties would be too great if the battle continued.

But he did not dare to make a decision on his own, because the task assigned by the headquarters was to capture Hengyang City as soon as possible.

Now that the division commander had given the order, Ota Sadamasa naturally had no worries.

Sakuma explained: "The lives of the locust warriors are precious. We can't afford to pay if we continue to fight like this."

"Hayi~!"

Ota Sadamasa asked cautiously, "Your Excellency, the division commander, is it that we should wait until we come up with a way to deal with their defense system before launching a new attack?"

But the question is, what if we can’t think of a solution? Are we just going to wait day after day?

Sakuma said, "It's not like there's no solution at all?"

When Ota Sadamasa heard this, he suddenly realized what was happening and quickly asked, "Sir, you want to use special bullets?"

Sakuma sneered and said, "Isn't that when special bullets are used?"

"I have already asked the Commander for instructions, and have discussed with Iwanaga-kun of the 116th Division about using special ammunition together."

"Completely destroy the enemy's defense system and quickly capture Hengyang City."

"The Commander has approved it. The special ammunition is on its way and will be ready for use tomorrow, so we can just wait for another day."

"It's a good opportunity for the warriors to rest and recuperate so they can get ready for the next battle."

"Hayi~!"

Ota Sadamasa responded respectfully: "Your Excellency the division commander is wise. In this way, the enemy's defense system will be completely useless. We can quickly overcome their defense line and then capture Hengyang City."

"It's just that... from what I've learned, the enemy has built such a defense system on the hills outside the city."

"The situation in the west is similar. In this case, we have to advance little by little, which will consume a large amount of special ammunition."

Sakuma said, "That's better than consuming the lives of a large number of locust warriors."

"Although the special bullets are valuable, the lives of the Locust Army warriors are more valuable, especially at this critical moment."

It was already the late stage of World War II, and the Third Reich was on the verge of collapse.

The Japanese were gradually going downhill. The Allied forces launched counterattacks in the Pacific, northern Burma and other places. The situation of the Japanese had become very dangerous.

At this time, the Japanese had basically mobilized all the personnel they could to join the army, but even so, they were unable to change the situation of the war.

As the scale of the war expanded and the front line became too long, the Japanese were short of soldiers and generals everywhere. Naturally, the lives of these Japanese became more precious to them.

As for special bullets, they are poison gas bombs. At that time, the Japanese did not have advanced technology in this area, and their production capacity was limited. However, the production capacity has been continuously increasing in recent years, so special bullets are not in short supply now.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Japanese did not dare to use poison gas on the Pacific battlefield.

Because the poison gas of the United States and Britain is much more technologically advanced than that of the Japanese, and their poison gas reserves are dozens of times more than that of the Japanese.

Therefore, the Japanese did not dare to use poison gas against the Allied forces, for fear of giving the Allied forces an excuse to use poison gas, which would be like shooting themselves in the foot.

So throughout World War II, several of the warring powers actually had poison gas, but except for the Japanese, none of them used it on a large scale.

Because poison gas was a prohibited weapon at the time, both sides were wary of each other, so neither used it.

Of course, there is another reason, that is, the major warring countries are all equipped with gas masks. With this thing, the effect of poison gas becomes smaller and smaller. Therefore, the use of poison gas may not achieve the desired effect except for carrying a bad reputation.

Due to various reasons, no country has used poison gas on a large scale.

Only the Japanese used poison gas on a large scale on the battlefield in China, and the reason was very simple.

That is because the Chinese army has no poison gas and cannot produce it. In addition, their equipment is simple and they are equipped with very few gas masks. Using poison gas against the Chinese army can often achieve good results.

The Japanese didn't have to worry about retaliation, so they repeatedly used poison gas on the battlefield.

If you fall behind, you will be beaten. This is an eternal truth. The only way to avoid being bullied is to have enough strength.

"Hayi~!"

Ota Sadamasa replied respectfully: "I understand. I believe that as long as we use special bullets, we can capture Hengyang in no time."

Sakuma Hitoshi continued, "The Commander is very dissatisfied with our progress and has issued a strict order to us to capture Hengyang City as soon as possible."

Ota Sadamasa smiled and said: "If we use special bullets, we can easily take down the opposing position. I believe the enemy's entire defense line will soon collapse, which will affect their morale."

"Once the enemy loses their will to resist, they will be nothing more than a group of sheep waiting to be slaughtered. It will be easy for us to deal with them and take Hengyang."

"Yoshi~!"

Sakuma nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's settled. You guys get ready. Tomorrow, as long as the weather permits, we will launch an attack as soon as possible. We will also mobilize the Army Aviation to assist in the operation to contain their aircraft."

Ota Sadamasa frowned and said, "These damn enemy planes are too rampant. If the Army Aviation planes can contain them, then it will be easier for us to capture Hengyang."

Sakuma Hitoshi continued, "Yo! I'll come over early tomorrow morning."

After saying this, Lieutenant General Sakuma Hitoshi turned and left the front-line command center.

After seeing off the division commander, Ota Sadamasa finally couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The old Japanese soldier thought that as long as he waited for the special missiles to arrive, it would be much easier to capture the opponent's position, and he could finally vent the anger in his heart.

Ota Sadamasa gnashed his teeth and said, "These damned enemies, I will definitely cut you all into pieces this time."

His troops suffered heavy losses, and the old Japanese was really furious.

……

At the same time, Commander Fang also arrived at the front line in the south of the city and personally inspected the battle situation on the front line.

After receiving the news, Li Guotao also rushed over.

When Commander Fang saw Li Guotao, he smiled and said, "I just heard from Commander Ge that you guys performed well."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "I just came here to scout out some situations and help out a little bit."

"It was mainly because the brothers on the front line fought bravely and killed more than a thousand elite Japanese soldiers."

"only……"

Commander Fang asked: "Just what?" (End of this chapter)