Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

While the Japanese were making intensive preparations to launch a new round of attacks, Li Guotao had already made preparations to counterattack Hill 227.7 and Hill 221.

Li Guotao returned to the main peak of Zhangjiashan again. When Song Weiguo saw Li Guotao, he said excitedly, "Battalion Commander, you are finally back. Are you leaving this time?"

Li Guotao picked up the teacup on the table, filled it halfway with water, and said with a smile, "I'm not leaving this time."

"Tonight we will launch a counterattack on Hill 227.7 and Hill 221. We must strive to recapture these two small hills in one fell swoop."

Song Weiguo said with a little surprise: "Counterattack tonight? Is it possible?"

Li Guotao asked back: "Why? Are you scared?"

Song Weiguo quickly shook his head and said, "No, I don't know what fear is yet."

"It's just that the Japanese have been building fortifications on these two high grounds for a few days and have stepped up their defenses. I'm worried that it won't be easy to recapture these two positions."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "I had expected this a long time ago. Do you think I have been idle these days?"

Song Weiguo asked curiously, "So you went to get help?"

"It's just that Zhangjiashan has limited terrain, and too many troops can't be deployed at all. It's not that easy to quickly recapture these two high grounds, right?"

Li Guotao smiled bitterly and said, "How can we get any reinforcements now? We only have so few troops. Even the commander has no extra troops. We have to split each man in half. How can we get any reinforcements?"

"But the higher-ups did dispatch a reinforcement company and promised to provide us with artillery support."

"That's enough."

Song Weiguo looked puzzled. He really couldn't understand what Li Guotao was up to. However, things had already come to this, and Song Weiguo couldn't say anything more.

Li Guotao went on to say: "I have prepared a great gift for the Japanese these days. With this gift, we are guaranteed to be able to recapture these two small hills."

"There is no time to lose. We should act in the second half of the night. Let the brothers prepare in advance."

"Yes!"

Although Song Weiguo was still a little confused, he did not ask too many questions. He believed that Li Guotao was not making random comments, and the answer would be revealed soon, so there was no need to worry.

After dark, Chen Jianghe led a company of brothers and quietly climbed to the main peak position of Zhangjiashan.

Seeing that they had brought in a lot of things, Song Weiguo originally thought that they were replenishing their ammunition.

But when he saw many people carrying oil drums to the battlefield, he couldn't help but frown.

They don't have cars or anything, so they don't need gasoline or diesel. Why are they carrying so many oil drums? And it seems that these oil drums don't contain gasoline or diesel.

Song Weiguo frowned and asked, "Old Chen, what is this?"

Chen Jianghe wiped the sweat off his face and said with a smile, "You're talking about this! This is the battalion commander's secret weapon, it's called the Flying Thunder Cannon."

"Flying Thunder Cannon?"

Song Weiguo's eyes almost popped out of his head in surprise. He leaned forward to take a closer look. At first he thought he was seeing things, but after a careful inspection, he confirmed that this thing was indeed a modified oil barrel.

Song Weiguo said in surprise: "Is this a cannon? Are you sure it can be fired?"

"It won't explode, will it?"

Chen Jianghe smiled and said, "Don't worry, we have all done experiments. Don't underestimate this thing, it is very powerful!"

"Hehe~! You'll know when the time comes. With these things, it's enough to give the Japanese a hard time."

"The battalion commander is a damn genius."

"But the battalion commander also said that this thing is indeed not very safe. There is a certain risk of explosion. But there is no other way!"

"We are short of artillery, and we don't have any more powerful heavy artillery, so we can only use this thing to make up the numbers. But under normal circumstances, there won't be any big problems."

After listening to Chen Jianghe's explanation, Song Weiguo was still worried, but seeing Chen Jianghe's expression, he couldn't say anything more and could only give it a try.

He was also curious, could this thing really fight the Japanese?
Could this be the gift that Li Guotao mentioned for the Japanese?

After these flying thunder cannons were carried up the mountain, Li Guotao immediately arranged for the soldiers to place all the cannons in their corresponding positions.

Li Guotao had conducted experiments before. The batch of flying thunder cannons they urgently manufactured had a range of more than 150 meters, and could reach a maximum distance of nearly 200 meters.

The main peak of Zhangjiashan is only about 150 meters away from the two high grounds in front, and the shooting is from a high vantage point, so there is absolutely no problem in hitting these two hills.

Since the two sides were not far apart, the Japanese also noticed the big commotion on Zhangjiashan.

Therefore, the Japanese defenders also prepared for battle to prevent Li Guotao and his men from launching a sudden counterattack.

By the second half of the night, the brothers had already prepared for battle as ordered.

Song Weiguo and Chen Jianghe all gathered around Li Guotao.

"Captain, the brothers are ready and are just waiting for your order."

Li Guotao nodded, turned around and went back to the command center, picked up the phone and connected to the regiment headquarters.

"Hello~! Captain?"

"Guo Tao, how is the situation over there?"

Li Guotao said: "We have already made preparations for the battle according to the original plan."

Yang Jihe said: "We are ready here and can fully assist you in the counterattack."

"But I still want to remind you to be careful. If things are impossible, withdraw from the battle and don't make unnecessary sacrifices."

"Do not worry!"

Li Guotao assured confidently: "We will definitely be able to take Hill 227.7 and Hill 221 this time. Just wait for the good news of our victory."

After hanging up the phone, Li Guotao came to the front line.

Holding up a telescope to observe the situation on the other side, Chen Jianghe said, "Battalion Commander, the Japanese seem to have noticed that we are about to take action."

Li Guotao said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter. Even if the Japanese are well prepared, we will still fight them."

"Pass on my order. Concentrate your firepower and fire!"

"Yes!"

Following Li Guotao's order, rumbling artillery fire suddenly sounded on the Zhangjiashan position.

Dozens of flying thunder cannons opened fire at the same time, and explosive packs weighing ten kilograms were thrown by the flying thunder cannons onto Hill 227.7 and Hill 221.

"Boom~! Boom~!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another, flames rose into the sky, and in an instant the two small hills were completely covered by artillery fire.

The violent explosion was like a landslide, and the Japanese bunkers that were hit were blown up into the sky one after another.

The Japanese on the position also suffered heavy losses.

Li Guotao ordered loudly: "First Company, Second Company, charge with all your strength."

"Give full cover to the machine guns and mortars and recapture these two high grounds in one fell swoop."

"Yes!"

Following Li Guotao's order, Chen Jianghe and Song Weiguo led their brothers to rush out of the positions and charged towards the two high grounds respectively.

At the same time, the machine guns on the main peak position of Zhangjiashan also began to fire at full speed. Dense bullets fell on Hill 227.7 and Hill 221 like raindrops, suppressing the firepower of the Japanese devils with all their strength.

Li Guotao then ordered: "Fire the flare!"

"Chirp~!"

A shining flare soared into the sky, emitting dazzling light in the night sky.

At this time, rumbling sounds of artillery soon came from the mountain artillery position in the distance.

This was also planned in advance. The military dispatched mountain artillery to deal with the attack once it started.

The artillery began to fire according to the parameters that had been marked in advance.

However, they did not bombard Hill 227.7 and Hill 221, but the rear of these two hills, and their purpose was only to prevent the Japanese from supporting these two hills. After a round of artillery fire from the Flying Thunder Cannon, the Japanese on the position suffered heavy casualties.

The Flying Thunder Cannon was so powerful that even if many Japanese soldiers were not hit directly, their internal organs ruptured and they died on the spot. Therefore, the Flying Thunder Cannon was also nicknamed the "Heartless Cannon".

Li Guotao also determined through the system that there were not many Japanese soldiers left on these two positions.

Amid the thunderous shouts and cries of killing, the brave soldiers rushed to the two heights.

At this time, the remaining Japanese soldiers on the position still tried to resist stubbornly, but under the powerful machine gun and mortar fire suppression of the 1st Battalion, the remaining Japanese soldiers were unable to stop the powerful offensive of the 1st Battalion.

Soon, the brave soldiers rushed to the top of the mountain one after another, and the remaining Japanese soldiers were quickly wiped out.

At this moment, the Japanese soldiers who came to support from the rear were covered by mountain artillery fire on the way, suffered heavy losses, and were delayed for a while.

By the time they arrived at the foot of Zhangjiashan, the first battalion had already occupied the two heights.

Chen Jianghe observed the situation and ordered loudly: "Shoot with all your strength immediately and shoot the Japanese down."

"Grenade hit me hard."

Following Chen Jianghe's order, the soldiers raised their guns and fired. Light machine guns were set up and fired fiercely at the Japanese on the hillside.

Then, round after round of grenades were thrown into the crowd of Japanese devils.

Violent explosions continued to ring out, and the Japanese were blown to pieces.

The unsuspecting Japanese soldiers suffered heavy casualties in a short period of time.

On the other side, Song Weiguo and his brothers also began to block the supporting Japanese soldiers with all their strength, and a large number of them were killed on the hillside.

For a moment, the battlefield was filled with the sound of gunfire and artillery fire.

The unprepared Japanese were hit hard and suffered heavy losses. They had no choice but to temporarily collapse.

Yan Yongwang was sleeping soundly in the middle of the night. It was a rare occasion for this old devil to have a good sleep during this period of time.

But I didn't expect to be woken up in the middle of my sleep.

"Your Excellency, the division commander, this is bad. The enemy has suddenly launched a counterattack."

"Counterattack?"

Yan Yongwang was half asleep and said angrily, "Bagayalu, how can they have the energy to launch a counterattack now?"

The Japanese officer said: "The enemy launched a counterattack at Zhangjiashan, and they took back the two hills."

When Yan Yongwang heard this, he woke up instantly, grabbed the guy by the collar, and shouted, "What did you just say?"

The Japanese officer was so scared that he stammered, "Your Excellency the division commander, the two hilltops in front of Zhangjiashan have been recaptured by the enemy again."

"Baga~!"

Yan Yongwang was furious and said, "How could this happen? I reminded them again and again to be on high alert. There are so many people on the mountain, how could they lose their position so quickly?"

The Japanese officer said helplessly: "I don't know either. The enemy used powerful artillery fire to cover the locust army's position. The enemy's firepower was too strong. The locust army on the mountain suffered heavy losses. The enemy immediately launched a fierce attack and took the opportunity to seize the position."

Yan Yongwang said angrily: "What about the supporting troops behind? Why didn't they go up to support?"

The Japanese officer replied: "The support troops behind set out to provide support as soon as possible, but were blocked by enemy artillery fire."

"By the time they got to the foot of the mountain, their position had already been lost. They encountered strong firepower resistance from the enemy and were forced to withdraw from the battle."

"This is impossible~!"

Yan Yongwang said in disbelief: "With the enemy's limited firepower, how could they capture these two important positions so quickly?"

"We have built so many fortifications on the mountain in the past few days, enough to withstand the enemy's attack for several hours. Why did it collapse so quickly?"

The Japanese officer said: "In fact, the locust army on the mountain only resisted for more than ten minutes before the position was lost."

"We don't know the specific situation, but the Locust Army suffered heavy losses under the enemy's artillery fire, and the fortifications were basically destroyed. Otherwise, they would never have lost the position so quickly."

Yan Yongwang's eyes widened and he shouted, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."

"How could the enemy possess such powerful artillery? Could they have heavy artillery? At most, they have a few mountain guns and 75mm field guns. Their artillery is quite limited."

The Japanese officer said helplessly: "I don't know the specific situation, but this is the fact."

Hearing this, Yan Yongwang's face became even uglier, and he said angrily: "This is not true, I must be dreaming."

Yan Yongwang was so ashamed that he could not bear it. It was really too embarrassing. He originally thought that by launching a counterattack the day after tomorrow, he could defeat the defenders and capture Hengyang.

However, unexpectedly, at this time, the defenders suddenly launched a counterattack and captured the two hills. As a result, it became more difficult to capture Zhangjiashan, which might also affect his entire combat plan.

Although it was hard to accept in his heart, it had already happened and Yan Yongwang was forced to accept this cruel reality.

Yan Yongwang urgently convened a meeting of his staff to further understand the situation.

However, all the Japanese soldiers guarding Hill 227.7 and Hill 221 were killed. Now there is no evidence and the Japanese soldiers have no idea what happened on the mountain at that time.

In any case, the two hills were lost in just over ten minutes.

The Japanese soldiers in the distance only saw that the two hills were covered by artillery fire.

Yan Yongwang frowned and said, "It's really strange. The enemy's firepower has suddenly become stronger. Could it be that they have a heavy artillery unit that they haven't used before?"

At this time, a Japanese officer suddenly said: "Your Excellency, division commander, do you remember that a very strange thing happened before?"

"A group of enemies suddenly went around and attacked the locust army from behind. At that time, about a battalion of support troops rushed to support them, but were blocked on the north side of a small river ditch."

"As a result, they were suddenly bombarded by the enemy, and a battalion of the Locust Army suffered heavy losses."

"But afterward, we investigated for a long time and questioned the surviving locust soldiers, but we did not find the enemy's artillery and artillery positions in the corresponding locations, and there was not even any trace left behind."

"Later, the case was not investigated thoroughly, so it was temporarily shelved."

Yan Yongwang frowned and said, "What do you mean by bringing up this unsolved case now?"

The Japanese officer said: "I don't think this makes sense. The enemy we are facing this time is a bit strange."

Yan Yongwang was also confused and puzzled. Could it be that he really encountered a ghost?

However, Yan Yongwang still didn't believe in any ghost stories. He would rather believe that the defenders of Hengyang still had some strength left and had not used their full strength before.

However, this made it much more difficult for them to take over Hengyang by taking advantage of this opportunity.

Thinking of this, Yan Yongwang was also very embarrassed.

Yan Yongwang and the others discussed for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was going on.

However, after discussion, Yan Yongwang decided to change his previous plan.

As soon as the sky was getting light, Iwanaga Wang sent someone to call Takano Jiro over.

After meeting Iwanaga Wang, Takano Jiro asked politely, "General, why did you ask me to come here? Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Yan Yongwang said: "Mr. Gao Ye, last night, the enemy suddenly launched a counterattack on our two front positions in Zhangjiashan. The two positions were lost and the locust army suffered heavy losses. This will undoubtedly affect our next offensive plan."

Upon hearing this, Takano Jiro frowned and said in surprise, "So the enemy still has the strength to counterattack. It seems that it is not that easy to capture Hengyang."

Yan Yongwang nodded and said, "I think so too, so I called you over to discuss this matter."

Takano Jiro said, "If the general has any orders, just give them."

Jiro Takano also realized that this idiot, Wang Iwanaga, was used to being arbitrary and dictatorial. He could do whatever he wanted. Jiro Takano naturally couldn't win against him, and he was too lazy to argue with him. He just did what he said. Anyway, even if he made some suggestions, he would most likely not adopt them, so why waste his breath?

However, Jiro Takano still guessed that there must be something wrong since Wang Iwanaga called him over at this time.

Yan Yongwang sighed helplessly and said, "I originally thought that taking Zhangjiashan would be a piece of cake, but now it seems that it may not be that easy."

"Takano-kun's troops are the elite of the Locust Army, and they are also a fresh force. I wonder if Takano-kun has the confidence to take down Zhangjiashan."

Takano Jiro asked: "General, do you want us to attack Zhangjiashan with the 65th Regiment?" (End of this chapter)