Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

After dark, the Japanese attack came to a temporary halt and the battlefield returned to a rare calm.

Li Guotao observed the situation and said, "Looking at this trend, the Japanese will not launch an attack for the time being."

Chen Jianghe said: "These bastards have been fighting for so long, it's time for them to take a break. After all, these beasts are not made of iron. Moreover, they have lost so many troops, it is impossible for those Japanese commanders to remain indifferent."

Li Guotao nodded slightly and said, "That being said, the Japanese will not give up until Hengyang is captured."

"We still have to be careful. It's dark now and visibility is poor. We have to be on guard against sneak attacks from the Japanese."

"In addition, we must prevent the Japanese from blowing up the two bunkers when it's dark. If we didn't have these two bunkers, we wouldn't be able to defend them so easily, so we must ensure the safety of these two bunkers."

Chen Jianghe said: "Don't worry, Captain. I will send someone to keep an eye on it. I don't think the Japanese have any better solution."

"Today's weather is good and the moon is bright. Even if it's dark, we can still see the Japanese moving around on the opposite hillside."

"It's just... after all, it's night time, and the visibility is poor. If the Japanese are hanging explosives to blow up the bunker, can you still cut the rope?"

Chen Jianghe was also full of admiration for Li Guotao's methods.

Li Guotao said helplessly: "That might be a bit difficult."

"If you can't hit the rope, hit the person. If that doesn't work, use the artillery."

"In short, we must not let them succeed."

"Understood!"

Li Guotao looked across and said thoughtfully: "The real test has just begun. We must hold on no matter what."

The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and the Japanese are not fools. This battle will only become more and more difficult. Even Li Guotao dare not be careless now and remains highly vigilant at all times, fearing that all his efforts will be wasted if he is not careful.

Fortunately, everything seems to be normal now and no accidents have occurred.

Li Guotao reminded again: "Let the brothers take turns on duty and pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese on the opposite side. The brothers who are resting should also turn a blind eye and be ready to fight at any time."

Chen Jianghe quickly responded: "Don't worry, I guarantee there won't be any mistakes."

……

Inside the Japanese headquarters, Yokoyama Isamu looked at the report from the front and couldn't help cursing, "Bagayaka, these idiots."

Yokoyama Isamu originally thought that he could capture the small city of Hengyang in a few days, but he did not expect that after fighting for more than ten days, he had not yet captured the outer positions of Hengyang.

Moreover, both attacking divisions suffered heavy losses, including the loss of a division commander.

Such a result was really unacceptable to Yokoyama Isamu, but there was nothing he could do. The facts were before him and he had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.

The Japanese officers present were so frightened by Yokoyama Isamu's rage that they dared not say a word, for fear that they would accidentally become the commander's punching bag.

After a while, Yokoyama Yong finally suppressed his anger and said to himself, "Is Hengyang really that difficult to defeat?"

A Japanese colonel said cautiously: "Commander, according to what I have learned, the defenders of Hengyang have built a large number of fortifications. These fortifications, combined with the local terrain, can effectively block the attack of the locust army."

"The Locust Army warriors on the front line did their best. Although they failed to capture Hengyang, it cannot be entirely blamed on them."

Yokoyama Yong said angrily: "We have been besieging Hengyang for more than ten days, and there is only the enemy's 10th Army in the city. Moreover, according to the intelligence we have learned, the four divisions under their command are not fully staffed, and the total strength is only more than people."

"We've been fighting for more than ten days. Even if we're wasting time, we should have worn them out. But what about now?"

"After fighting for so long, we have only caused a few thousand casualties to the enemy, while our casualties have reached nearly 20,000. Our casualties are several times that of the enemy. Such a loss ratio has never been seen before."

"The locust army has lost all its face. This is really unreasonable."

The Japanese colonel said quickly: "Commander, please calm down. I think the reason for such heavy casualties is that the locust army was too eager to succeed. Otherwise, the casualties would not be so great."

"We really want to take Hengyang as soon as possible, but more haste makes waste."

"Things have already come to this. We must accept the reality and prepare for a long battle."

"The enemy has been surrounded and has no reinforcements. The longer the time drags on, the better it will be for the locust army. When their supplies are exhausted, it will become much easier to capture Hengyang."

Yokoyama Isamu frowned and said, "How long do you think their supplies can last?"

The Japanese colonel was speechless for a moment, and he stammered, "Well, I don't know about this either."

Yokoyama Isamu frowned and said, "They can obtain supplies through airdrops. Even if their airdrop capacity is limited and cannot offset the consumption, as long as the airdrops continue, they can persist for a long time."

"Moreover, their troops in the periphery are also being mobilized to support Hengyang. Once they are able to withdraw enough troops to support Hengyang, it will be even more difficult for us to capture Hengyang."

The Japanese colonel said helplessly: "But if we continue to fight like this, the casualties of the Locust Army will be too great. We really can't afford it."

Yokoyama Yugi said sternly: "Taking Hengyang is the established strategy. This is related to the survival of the empire. Hengyang must be taken at all costs."

"No matter how much it costs, it will be worth it as long as we can take Hengyang."

"Immediately dispatch more troops to support Hengyang City, and order the siege troops to continue the attack. We must take Hengyang for me no matter what. If we fail to take Hengyang, we will have no choice but to commit seppuku to apologize to His Majesty the Heavenly Locust."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officers present responded in unison.

Of course, Yokoyama Isamu knew that the front-line troops had suffered heavy casualties, but the task of opening up the mainland transportation line was too important, and taking Hengyang was a key link in it.

Only by taking Hengyang can we continue to advance towards Guangxi and then take Guangxi, so that we can open up the mainland transportation line.

If they cannot open up the transportation lines to the mainland, they will be defeated in Southeast Asia, and defeat will then be only a matter of time.

In fact, on the Pacific battlefield, the Japanese had completely fallen into a disadvantage. As the Japanese navy suffered heavy losses, control of the sea gradually fell into the hands of the Allies.

This resulted in the Japanese being unable to transport enough supplies to Southeast Asia by sea, so the Japanese wanted to open up the mainland transportation lines and transport supplies to Southeast Asia by land in order to reverse their defeat in Southeast Asia.

The previous attacks on Henan and even Changsha were very successful, but we did not expect to suffer such a disastrous defeat in this small Hengyang.

The superiors had issued a death order that the mainland transportation line must be opened up, so if they failed, Yokoyama Isamu might really have no choice but to commit seppuku to apologize, so this was by no means an exaggeration.

In order to save his own life and for the overall strategic policy, Yokoyama Isamu could only grit his teeth and continue to attack Hengyang City.

Yokoyama Isamu's telegram was delivered to Iwanaga Wang. After reading it, the old Japanese also looked embarrassed.

Of course he understood the interests involved, but there was really no way to take Hengyang.

During this period, Yan Yongwang convened meetings of his officers whenever he had time to discuss countermeasures, but he never came up with any practical and effective solutions.

At this point, the Japanese have really run out of tricks and can only fight hard, but the result is heavy casualties.

Every day when he saw the casualty figures, Yan Yongwang felt heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do.

Now Yokoyama Isamu once again issued strict orders, urging them to continue the attack, and Iwanaga Wang was also very embarrassed.

Now Iwanaga Wang even envied Sakuma as a person. That guy was killed in the explosion and got a good reputation. The most important thing is that he doesn't have to worry about these troubles anymore.

Now all the mess has to be cleaned up by him alone.

The pressure on Yan Yongwang was so great that he could no longer bear it.

Due to lack of sleep for a long time, Yan Yongwang's eyes turned red, as if he had conjunctivitis.

The old devil came to the front of the sand table and asked, "Haven't you figured out a way to take down Zhangjiashan yet?"

A Japanese colonel said: "Your Excellency, now that we have captured the two small hills in front of Zhangjiashan, it will be much easier to capture Zhangjiashan."

"But the enemy dug two bunkers on the cliffs of these two mountains, and cooperated with the main peak position of Zhangjiashan, causing great casualties to the locust army. Otherwise, the 133rd Regiment would have been able to capture the main peak of Zhangjiashan."

"So the key now is to destroy these two bunkers to prevent the attacking locust army from being attacked from both sides."

"The locust army on the front line is ready to launch a surprise attack at night. At the very least, they must destroy these two bunkers first. In this way, the main force of the locust army can attack the main peak of Zhangjiashan head-on."

Yan Yongwang frowned and asked, "Are you sure you can destroy these two bunkers?"

The Japanese colonel replied: "I think we should be 70% to 80% sure."

Yan Yongwang gritted his teeth and said: "Then destroy them as soon as possible, and then mobilize troops to attack the main peak position of Zhangjiashan."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officers present responded in unison.

Yan Yongwang continued, "The commander has lost his patience. If we still want to make contributions to the country, we can only work together to capture Hengyang as soon as possible. Otherwise... I don't need to tell you what the consequences will be." "Haha~!"

The Japanese officers present responded again, and their heads hung even lower.

……

Li Guotao was taking a nap when he was suddenly woken up by Chen Jianghe.

"Something's happening. The Japanese are launching another sneak attack and trying to blow up our bunker."

"Our sharpshooters and machine guns killed a bunch of Japs, but these bastards obviously haven't given up."

"Go check it out~!"

Li Guotao came to a frontline position and observed the situation on the opposite side. With the help of moonlight, he could vaguely see something shaking on the cliff opposite. However, it was night after all, and even with Li Guotao's excellent eyesight, he could not see it clearly.

Chen Jianghe explained: "The Japanese still used the old method, hanging explosive packs from above."

"The Japanese up there are hiding behind a big rock, placing explosive packs down there."

Li Guotao ordered: "Use the mortar to shoot down the Japanese soldiers up there."

"Yes!"

With Li Guotao's order, several mortar shells flew over.

"Boom~! Boom~!"

Several loud explosions were heard, and several Japanese soldiers on the cliffs of Hill 227.7 and Hill 221 were blown to the ground, and the explosive bags hanging with ropes also fell down.

At this moment, a group of dark shadows suddenly appeared below the cliff, each holding a long bamboo pole.

Chen Jianghe explained: "The Japanese used long bamboo poles with explosive packs tied to them, hoping to blow up our bunker."

"Machine gun fire~! Kill them all."

"Da da da~!"

The machine guns on the main peak position of Zhangjiashan immediately opened fire. Several tongues of blazing fire enveloped the group of Japanese soldiers, and soon they were all wiped out.

However, a few Japanese soldiers still rushed to the foot of the mountain. The machine guns in the bunker could not hit the Japanese soldiers below, but they were not completely powerless to fight back.

Through the gap, the soldiers inside saw some Japanese soldiers raising bamboo poles and immediately threw grenades down.

"Boom~! Boom~!"

Several violent explosions were heard, and the Japanese soldiers who rushed over were all blown to the ground.

Li Guotao sneered and said, "These little devils really know how to think of a way."

Chen Jianghe said: "These bastards have tried every possible means to destroy our bunker."

Li Guotao said: "Now that the Japanese haven't launched an attack, we must cooperate with the brothers in the bunker to ensure its safety."

"Yes!"

Chen Jianghe said with a smile: "Don't worry."

Li Guotao asked, "The Japanese only wanted to blow up the bunker, and didn't send troops to attack the main position?"

"no!"

Chen Jianghe shook his head and said, "I sent a few people out to steal the weapons and ammunition of the Japanese."

There were many dead bodies of Japanese soldiers left on the hillside. These Japanese soldiers were carrying weapons and ammunition. Taking advantage of darkness, Chen Jianghe sent a few people to quietly climb out of the position and bring back as many weapons and ammunition as possible from the Japanese soldiers.

At this rate, it is unknown how long this battle will last, and the defenders' ammunition cannot be offset by airdrops alone.

Because the fighting was so brutal, a huge amount of ammunition was consumed. In terms of hand grenades alone, 20,000 to 30,000 grenades were consumed every day.

Such a huge consumption cannot be met by airdrops alone.

So since there was a chance to take some ammunition from the Japanese corpses, the soldiers would try to take as much as possible back.

Li Guotao also understood the situation and instructed: "Be sure to pay attention to safety."

Chen Jianghe said with a smile: "Don't worry, the people we sent out are all veterans with a lot of experience. We guarantee that there won't be any accidents."

"And if the Japs dare to shoot, we can also shoot to cover them."

"Hmm~!"

Li Guotao nodded slightly and said, "How was the harvest?"

Chen Jianghe said with a smile: "I asked, and they found more than a hundred guns, tens of thousands of bullets, and more than three hundred grenades."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "That's quite a harvest."

Although these weapons and ammunition are not many, it is better than nothing.

One more bullet and one more grenade now may help you hold on for one more minute.

So now every piece of ammunition is extremely precious, and of course the most precious thing is the lives of our brothers.

At this moment, another group of Japanese soldiers holding long bamboo poles carefully approached the cliff.

Li Guotao immediately raised his gun and shot, killing one of the Japanese soldiers with one shot, and at the same time ordered: "Fire with all your strength to provide cover and kill all the Japanese soldiers approaching the cliff."

"Yes!"

The main peak position immediately opened fire. Several machine guns and several sharpshooters fired indiscriminately, killing another group of Japanese soldiers. In the end, no Japanese soldier could get close to the cliff and blow up the bunker.

A Japanese lieutenant colonel in charge of the command on the mountain was so angry that he yelled, "Baga Yalu."

"Concentrate all your firepower on the opposing position. Open fire with all your might and provide cover fire."

"Group three, keep going. No matter what, you must blow up those two bunkers for me."

"Hayi~!"

Following the order from the Japanese lieutenant colonel, the Japanese machine guns and mortars on Hill 227.7 and Hill 221 immediately concentrated their firepower and opened fire fiercely at the main peak of Zhangjiashan.

Dense bullets and mortar shells fell continuously on the main peak position.

Li Guotao raised his rifle and fired continuously, destroying four machine guns in a blink of an eye. However, the four machine guns soon started firing again, and it was obvious that there were Japanese soldiers behind them to provide backup.

Li Guotao also became interested and said, "Since the Japanese want to play, let's play with them."

"Notify the brothers to do their utmost to protect the safety of the two bunkers."

"If any of the Japanese dare to approach the bunker, beat them hard."

"Sharpshooter, pay attention to the enemy machine gunner on the opposite side."

"Yes!"

Under the personal command of Li Guotao, the soldiers relied on the solid fortifications and fought fiercely with the Japanese.

In order to blow up the two bunkers, the Japanese sent out waves of Japanese soldiers to rush down the cliff.

However, because the moonlight was bright that day, the Japanese were immediately discovered by the brothers on the main peak position as soon as they approached that side, and most of them were shot dead.

The people in the bunker were also secretly observing the situation below, because if only one explosive pack reached the entrance of the cave and exploded, they would all be finished.

So they dared not be careless, so as long as they found someone approaching the bottom of the cliff, they would just throw a grenade down without thinking twice.

Li Guotao had been prepared for this move before and had stored a batch of grenades in the cave in advance.

The sound of gunfire and explosions on Zhangjiashan never stopped all night long.

The Japanese struggled all night but ultimately failed to blow up the two bunkers.

As daybreak approached, the Japanese, who had suffered heavy losses, could only temporarily stop their attack and prepare to find another opportunity to attack. (End of this chapter)