Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Under the command of Iwanaga Wang, the Japanese once again concentrated their superior forces and prepared to launch a fierce attack on the 10th Army's defense line.

The 133rd Regiment has replaced the 120th Regiment and is preparing to launch an attack on the main position of Zhangjiashan.

Colonel Heiichi Kurose, commander of the 133rd Regiment, personally rushed to the front line and climbed up to the Tingbingshan position opposite the Zhangjiashan position.

A Japanese lieutenant colonel next to him cautiously advised: "Colonel, this place is already within the enemy's artillery range. It is too dangerous. You should not come here."

After all, a few days ago, the commander of the 68th Division and several other senior generals were killed by the defenders' artillery fire under such circumstances.

These little devils were naturally afraid that something similar would happen again.

Colonel Kurose Heiichi didn't care and said, "As the frontline commander of the Locust Army, how can I not go to the frontline in person? If I don't understand the situation at the frontline, how can I command the troops to fight?"

As he spoke, the old Japanese soldier raised his telescope and began to observe the situation on the opposite side.

Observing from here, the Zhangjiashan on the opposite side is just a small hill of several dozen meters high, and the terrain is not too steep. It stands to reason that the Japanese can easily take such a small hill.

However, the 120th Regiment was almost crippled and still failed to capture such a small hill.

But facing such a small hill, Kurose Heiichi now dare not take it lightly at all.

Kurose Heiichi widened his eyes and carefully observed the situation on the opposite side.

It was discovered that a huge bunker was built on the main position of Zhangjiashan. It was a reinforced concrete bunker, very strong, and it was difficult to completely destroy it with ordinary artillery fire.

According to his experience, such a bunker can accommodate a company of troops.

Apart from this, other fortifications were basically built temporarily, and the criss-crossing trenches did not look anything special.

What gave him the most headache was that this front position was 90 meters wide, and the defenders had dug the bottom of the hillside into a nearly -degree cliff, and below the cliff was a deep trench.

It was this defense system that became the biggest obstacle to the Japanese attack.

If the Japanese wanted to climb up the mountain, they had to enter the trench and then climb up with difficulty. The defenders could take advantage of this opportunity to kill a large number of attacking Japanese.

The reason why the 120th Regiment suffered heavy losses in the previous attack was because of this cliff and this deep trench. Now the trench is full of Japanese corpses. Due to the hot and humid weather, many corpses have rotted and stunk. The Zhangjiashan position is stinking.

A Japanese officer next to him said, "Colonel, the enemy's defense system is very disadvantageous to the attacking locust army."

"The enemy's will to resist was also very tenacious. They held their positions and refused to retreat, causing great casualties to the locust army."

"The reason why the 120th Regiment suffered heavy losses was because of these damn defensive offensives. The attacking locust soldiers had a hard time climbing up the mountain, and a large number of locust soldiers died in the trenches at the foot of the mountain."

"The Tiger's Nest position next to us is also very unfavorable to us and not very suitable for launching an attack. The enemy's resistance is also very tenacious, and the Locust Army has also lost a large number of troops there."

"Bagaya Deer~!"

Kurose Heiichi thought hard but couldn't come up with a particularly good idea, so he couldn't help but curse.

A Japanese officer gnashed his teeth and said, "The enemy occupies an advantageous terrain. If we want to capture Zhangjiashan, we must first eliminate all the defenders on the mountain. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the locust army to take this hill."

Kurose Heiichi put down the telescope, nodded slightly and said: "That makes sense. The enemy has its own advantages, and the locust army also has its own advantages."

"We must give full play to our advantages in order to win this battle."

A Japanese lieutenant said: "But it is not easy to eliminate the enemy on the mountain. In the previous battle, the locust army has used all its weapons, even special bullets, but the effect is not very good."

Kurose Heiichi gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I have to use a cannonball to smash this hill, I will flatten it for me."

"The division commander has issued strict orders again and again. We must capture the opposing position as quickly as possible and break their defense line."

“Even though we know it’s very difficult, we can’t wait any longer.”

"Notify the artillery unit immediately and concentrate superior firepower to bombard the Zhangjiashan position."

"The infantry should be ready to attack at any time. I believe that the heroic locust army will be able to defeat these hateful enemies."

"Hayi~!"

A Japanese officer nearby responded respectfully and turned to convey the order.

This old dog, Kurose Heiichi, couldn't think of a better solution and could only continue to launch a strong attack.

Following Kurose Heiichi's order, rumbling sounds of artillery soon came from the Japanese artillery positions.

This time, the Japanese concentrated all their artillery fire and launched a fierce bombardment on the main position of Zhangjiashan.

"Chirp chirp chirp~!"

Amid the shrill whistling sounds, artillery shells fell on the Zhangjiashan position one after another like raindrops.

The violent explosions were continuous and the entire Zhangjiashan was soon covered by artillery fire.

Kurose Heiichi couldn't help but feel excited when he saw the scene in front of him. In his opinion, such fierce artillery fire should be able to wipe out the defenders on the mountain.

However, he forgot one thing, that is, the tactics he used had already been used by the 120th Regiment before.

The Japanese artillery bombardment lasted for half an hour before it finally came to an end.

At this time, the Japanese infantry, who had been prepared for a long time, finally launched an attack.

Major Osuga Gong, commander of the 133st Battalion of the 1rd Regiment, drew his saber and swung it forward.

"Warriors of the Empire, the opportunity to serve His Majesty Tian Huang has come. Take down Zhangjiashan in one fell swoop."

"Give me the rabbit~!"

Following the order from Major Osuga Gong, a large number of Japanese soldiers, holding rifles with bayonets, rushed towards Zhangjiashan with great momentum.

This group of Japanese soldiers had just been deployed here, and they had no idea how powerful the defenders were. At the moment their morale was high, and each of them was as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

In order to climb the cliffs at the foot of the mountain, the Japanese also prepared a large number of bamboo ladders.

The Japanese soldiers, holding bayonets and carrying ladders, rushed towards Zhangjiashan like a tide.

Osuga Gong looked up and saw that some of the fortifications on the mountain had been destroyed by artillery fire, and there was no trace of the defenders on the mountain.

In his opinion, they should be able to successfully capture the Zhangjiashan position this time.

However, for these little devils, the nightmare has just begun.

The Japanese attack was very smooth at the beginning. They successfully rushed to the foot of the mountain, and a series of ladders were set up at the foot of the mountain. The Japanese soldiers, eager to make contributions, scrambled to climb up the ladders.

On the Hill of Stopping the Fight, Kurose Heiichi held up a telescope and observed the situation on the battlefield. When he saw that the Japanese soldiers had started to climb up, the old Japanese soldier couldn't help but reveal a smile.

However, soon, the old devil could no longer laugh.

Seeing that the Japanese soldiers on the battlefield were about to climb up, Kurose Heiichi suddenly saw a group of Chinese defenders appear on the mountain. These soldiers threw their arms wide and raised grenades to throw at the Japanese soldiers at the foot of the mountain.

The Japanese soldiers attacking from the foot of the mountain were climbing up with all their might. Because they were attacking from above, from their perspective they could not see any trace of the defenders at all.

However, Kurose Heiichi on the Hill of Stopping the Battle could see it clearly. At this time, the two sides were very close to each other and it was no longer possible to launch artillery fire to destroy the defenders.

Kurose Heiichi's face suddenly turned gloomy.

At this time, grenades emitting black smoke fell from the sky and landed among the crowd of Japanese devils.

The attacking Japanese soldiers couldn't see the defenders at all. They only realized something was wrong when the grenades fell, but it was too late to dodge.

"Boom~! Boom~!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another, and flames rose into the sky. The Japanese were blown to pieces and many were killed or wounded.

The attacking Japanese suffered heavy losses, but the officer in charge was still shouting at the Japanese to continue charging forward.

Grenades flew down one after another, and loud explosions rang out. The Japanese soldiers who did not have time to climb up fell into the trenches in large numbers.

There were bursts of dense gunfire on the mountain. Some Japanese soldiers who climbed quickly managed to climb up, but before they could gain a foothold, they were riddled with bullets. Their bodies rolled down the mountain one after another like torn sacks.

Kurose Heiichi could only watch his soldiers go up to die. This feeling was even more painful than eating shit.

Kurosawa Heiichi gritted his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

Kurosawa Heiichi cursed: "Bagayashi, these damn bastards, I will cut them into pieces."

"Let the attacking forces withdraw."

"Hayi~!"

Kurose Heiichi reluctantly issued the order to retreat, because there was no point in fighting any further, as they simply couldn't get forward.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He shouted, "Notify the artillery unit to continue to concentrate their firepower and bombard the Zhangjiashan position."

"I don't believe that I can't kill these bastards."

"Also notify the chemical troops to prepare to use special ammunition to cooperate in the battle."

"Hayi~!"

A Japanese major next to him responded respectfully and turned to convey the order.

Following Kurose Heiichi's order, the Japanese soldiers who had not yet rushed forward immediately retreated in disgrace after receiving the order.

However, of the two or three hundred Japanese soldiers who had rushed into the trenches before, almost no one escaped alive.

In other words, in one charge, the Japanese lost two or three hundred lives in vain.

Such losses can be said to be quite heavy. After all, this was only a loss on a battlefield in Zhangjiashan.

There were at least a dozen battlefields like Zhangjiashan along the entire front line, and the fighting in various places never stopped.

The Japanese were also launching an attack, but Zhangjiashan was a very important key position, the main attack direction of the Japanese, and the fighting here was also the most brutal.

But even if the losses in other battlefields were not so great, after all, there were more than a dozen battlefields, and the total losses added up were not small.

If the war continues in this trend and the consumption of resources continues, even if Hengyang can be captured, the Japanese will inevitably pay a heavy price in casualties.

In fact, in just less than ten days of fighting, the Japanese casualties had already exceeded 10,000.

It was only because of the continuous influx of reinforcements that the attacking 68th and 116th Divisions were not destroyed and their manpower was still relatively sufficient.

The reason why Yan Yongwang ordered to continue the fierce attack was also because of this. Although their casualties were heavy, they could continue to receive reinforcements.

However, the defenders' strength is limited, Hengyang has been surrounded, and based on the situation on the surrounding battlefields, the Chinese army does not seem to have any intention of sending large-scale reinforcements to Hengyang, or the Chinese army can no longer mobilize strong troops to support Hengyang.

Therefore, every loss of the 10th Army in Hengyang means one less soldier. If the war continues, even if it takes a lot of effort, the 10th Army can be completely exhausted.

Without a better solution, the Japanese could only hope to exhaust the defenders of Hengyang and occupy the city.

Although they would suffer heavy casualties, in order to open up the mainland transportation lines and for the sake of the entire war situation, they had to capture Hengyang and then go south to capture Guangxi Province.

From an overall strategic perspective, no matter how great the casualties are, it is worth it for the Japanese.

Not only Iwanaga Wang, but even Yokoyama Isamu thought so. He was determined to take Hengyang at all costs, even if it cost tens of thousands of casualties.

So now the Japanese know that Hengyang City is difficult to capture, but they can only grit their teeth and continue their fierce attack.

After the remnants of the attacking Japanese troops retreated, the Japanese artillery immediately concentrated their fire and continued to bombard the Zhangjiashan position.

With a sharp whistling sound, artillery shells flew towards the Zhangjiashan position one after another, and the artillery fire once again covered the entire position.

The defenders on the position were forced to hide in the fortifications again, relying on the fortifications to withstand the Japanese artillery fire.

Because the defenders' artillery strength was limited, they were simply unable to suppress the Japanese artillery fire.

There are few cannons and a limited number of shells. The defenders must also be prepared to hold out for a long time, so every shell is extremely precious. It is naturally impossible to easily waste shells and fight the Japanese.

After a fierce bombardment, Kurose Heiichi said with some pride: "With such fierce artillery fire, there shouldn't be many enemies left."

Kurose Heiichi then ordered: "Fire the special bullets."

"Hayi~!"

To be on the safe side and minimize casualties, the old dog Kurose Heiichi once again ordered the use of poison gas bombs to cover the infantry's attack.

This old Japanese often used poison gas bombs on the battlefield, and had received professional training, so he was adept at using them.

Then the Japanese used a large smoke gun to emit poisonous gas fumes, and under the influence of the southwest wind, the smoke gradually drifted towards the Zhangjiashan position.

Poison gas bombs continued to fall on the Zhangjiashan position, and soon the entire position was shrouded in poisonous fog. (End of this chapter)