Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

After fighting for so long and paying such a heavy price, the Japanese still failed to take Zhangjiashan.

However, Jiro Takano was not going to give up. He wanted to take Zhangjiashan even for the sake of his face.

So at night, the Japanese were not idle either. Under the command of Jiro Takano, they launched a sneak attack.

Under the cover of night, the Japanese organized a suicide squad, approached the bunker under the cliff, climbed up using a human ladder, and then threw grenades into the cave of the bunker.

Since the entrance of the cave had been blown up, it was now much easier for them to throw grenades in.

The defenders also hid inside and threw grenades out.

The people on the opposite main peak also opened fire to provide cover, but the Japanese kept launching sneak attacks. Although it cost a considerable price, they finally blew up the two bunkers and all the defenders inside were killed.

Having finally eliminated these two threats, Jiro Takano seemed extremely excited. He immediately deployed his troops and prepared to launch a new round of general offensive.

Before daybreak, the Japanese artillery shells fell on the main peak position of Zhangjiashan. Violent explosions continued to sound, and artillery fire once again covered the main peak position.

A large number of Japanese soldiers entered the attack position and prepared for battle.

After the artillery preparation was completed, Jiro Takano immediately ordered his troops to launch a new round of attack.

But this time they were hit by the flying thunder cannon again and suffered heavy losses.

However, Jiro Takano was also forced into a panic, and immediately ordered the artillery to cover the Zhangjiashan position with full fire, even at the risk of accidentally injuring his own officers and soldiers.

Under such a sudden artillery attack, the defenders of the main peak position of Zhangjiashan suffered heavy losses.

Takano Jiro yelled like crazy: "Continue the attack and make sure you capture the main peak of Zhangjiashan."

"Hayi~!"

At this time, Takano Jiro suddenly remembered something and asked, "Have you found out what the homemade cannon they used is?"

A Japanese officer replied: "It has not been investigated yet, but according to the reports from the Locust Army warriors who participated in the battle, they saw the enemy on the mountain carrying gasoline barrels and moving around on the mountain, and some people saw with their own eyes that the explosive packs seemed to be thrown out from the gasoline barrels."

"Oil barrel?"

Takano Jiro couldn't help but frown, his face full of disbelief, and asked: "Are you sure they saw a gasoline barrel?"

The Japanese officer replied: "I have asked more than one person, and they did see what looked like an oil drum, but whether it was an ordinary oil drum or not, it is still uncertain because the distance is too far."

Takano Jiro frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems that they used oil barrels to transform the homemade cannon. But can the oil barrels withstand the power of the gunpowder explosion and throw the explosive pack out?"

The Japanese officer said: "Your Excellency the Colonel is wise. Maybe they have reinforced the oil drums."

Takano Jiro nodded slightly and said, "No matter what it is, as long as we take down the main peak of Zhangjia Mountain, there will be nothing to worry about."

Jiro Takano was extremely angry. Such a crude weapon had caused them heavy casualties. How could Jiro Takano not be angry?

But now that things have come to this, the old Japanese can only suppress the anger in his heart.

At this moment, the battle on the front line once again entered a stalemate. The Japanese soldiers rushed towards the main peak position of Zhangjiashan like crazy.

However, they were met with tenacious resistance from the defenders and the attacking Japanese suffered heavy losses.

But Jiro Takano was completely furious and ordered his troops to charge continuously.

The fierce battle lasted until noon, and the defenders on the mountain had been exhausted by the series of fierce battles.

The troops in the rear preparing to provide reinforcements were also blocked by fierce fire from the Japanese, making it difficult for them to provide support.

In addition, the defenders suffered heavy casualties and were seriously short of manpower. At this time, it was really difficult to withdraw troops to support the Zhangjiashan position.

A large number of Japanese soldiers rushed to the main peak of Zhangjiashan. After a fierce battle, all the defenders died heroically.

Under the command of Jiro Kono, the 65th Regiment finally captured the Zhangjiashan position after paying a heavy price in casualties.

Since the beginning of the war, the Japanese have paid the price of thousands of casualties in order to capture this position. All three regiments were crippled, and some were even crippled again after being reinforced.

After finally capturing the Zhangjiashan position, Takano Jiro breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not show any excitement because the casualties were so great.

Jiro Takano picked up the phone and connected the call to Iwanaga Wang's command center.

"General, our troops have successfully captured the Zhangjiashan position."

Yan Yongwang seemed unusually excited when he heard this, and said, "Did you really take over the main peak of Zhangjia Mountain?"

Takano Jiro nodded and said, "Yes, the locust army suffered heavy casualties and finally wiped out all the defenders on the mountain."

"These enemies are too tenacious. They would rather die than surrender. No one even quit the battle. At the last moment, they were willing to perish together with the locust army."

Yan Yongwang said: "But no matter what, we have captured the Zhangjiashan position."

"Takano-kun, you have successfully captured Zhangjiashan. This is a great achievement."

Takano Jiro was not happy at all, and said: "General, although we have captured the Zhangjiashan position, our 65th Regiment suffered heavy losses and its combat effectiveness was seriously damaged. I am afraid that the next battle will be..."

Yan Yongwang said quickly: "It doesn't matter. I will replenish as many troops as you lose to ensure the combat effectiveness of your 65th Regiment."

"We will have to rely on Kono-kun to attack Hengyang City next."

Jiro Takano was a little surprised by this. He originally thought that since they were badly defeated this time, Iwanaga Wang just wanted them to retreat and rest to prevent them from continuing to steal the credit. However, he did not expect that Iwanaga Wang would actually take the initiative to agree to provide them with reinforcements.

Did I hear it wrongly?

Jiro Kono couldn't even believe that what he heard was true.

Iwanaga Wang smiled and said, "Takano-kun, the commander has dispatched another batch of reinforcements. You have made great contributions this time, so I will definitely give priority to you. Don't worry."

"We will definitely be able to reach Zhangjiashan before dark with the reinforcements."

When Takano Jiro heard this, he believed that he had not heard it wrong. What happened to this Iwanaga Wang this time? Why did he suddenly become so nice?

Takano Jiro quickly said, "Thank you, General."

The two exchanged a few polite words and then hung up the phone.

Yan Yongwang said excitedly: "Great, if we take Zhangjiashan, the enemy's defense line may collapse completely."

"Immediately order all troops to launch a general offensive across the board. We must seize this opportunity to completely destroy their outer defenses and continue advancing towards Hengyang City."

"Hayi~!"

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

At this time, a Japanese colonel asked: "Mr. Commander, do you really want to prioritize replenishing the 65th Regiment?"

Yan Yongwang said sternly: "Of course, can I not count what I said?"

"Immediately dispatch two thousand additional troops to the 65th Regiment and place them under the command of Kono-kun."

The Japanese colonel said: "But our troops have also suffered heavy losses and need reinforcements. There is also the 68th Division, they also need a large number of reinforcements."

Yan Yongwang said coldly: "I said, give priority to replenishing the 65th Regiment first, follow the order."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese colonel responded quickly and turned to convey the order.

In fact, Yan Yongwang is not that kind-hearted. He has his own ideas for making such arrangements.

After all, Iwanaga Wang was the commander of the 116th Division. The Battle of Hengyang had lasted for so long, and the 116th Division suffered heavy losses and had never been able to capture the city.

The higher-ups were very dissatisfied with this, and even Yokoyama Isamu was reprimanded by Hata Shunroku more than once.

Even if we take Hengyang now, at most we can just make up for our mistakes.

However, Yan Yongwang felt that the following battle would not be too easy.

Because the 10th Army resisted so stubbornly, it was difficult for them to even capture a prisoner on the battlefield.

All the officers and soldiers of the 10th Army fought to the last moment, and even at the last moment, they would choose to die together with the Japanese. So the next battle will definitely not be easy, and if they continue to fight like this, they may suffer greater casualties.

Yan Yongwang really does not have enough confidence now, so he gives priority to replenishing troops to the 65th Regiment to allow them to maintain sufficient combat effectiveness. He also wants to continue to use the 65th Regiment as a knife, hoping that this elite force can bring them surprises again.

Even if the battle was not going well and the 65th Regiment suffered heavy losses, it had little to do with him, after all, his position was the commander of the 116th Division.

Taking these two thousand additional troops as an example, if they are added to the 116th Division and they are used up in battle, then the casualties will be charged to the 116th Division.

If it was given to the 65th Regiment, even if it was wiped out, it would only be charged to the 13th Division and would have little to do with them.

So now Yanyong Wang is not thinking about taking credit, but trying to reduce the number of casualties of the 116th Division as much as possible so that he can explain to his superiors in the future.

Whether it was the 65th Regiment that captured Hengyang, their 116th Division, or the 68th Division that captured Hengyang, they were all under his unified command, and he will always be credited with the credit.

Of course, these are just his wishful thinking.

The most important thing is to capture Hengyang as soon as possible. If he fails to capture Hengyang, he will probably have no choice but to commit seppuku to apologize.

The capture of Zhangjiashan finally gave Yan Yongwang a glimmer of hope for victory.

Under his command, the Japanese troops began to intensify their offensive, preparing to take the opportunity to completely crush the defenders' will to resist and capture Hengyang City in one fell swoop.

Before the fall of Zhangjiashan, the military had already learned of the situation on the front line. They knew that the Japanese offensive was too fierce and that Zhangjiashan could not be held for much longer.

So Commander Fang had no choice but to prepare for the worst in advance.

When the news reached the military headquarters, Commander Fang sighed helplessly and walked quickly to the front of the sand table.

Chief of Staff Sun Mingyu hurried over and said, "General, now that Zhangjiashan has been lost, the enemy will definitely take the opportunity to launch a larger-scale offensive."

"Without the support point of Zhangjiashan, we will become more passive."

Commander Fang said helplessly: "Now that things have come to this, there is no better way."

"Order all frontline troops to gradually retreat according to the original plan, abandon these outer positions, and retreat to the area near Hengyang City to continue holding on."

"Yes!"

Sun Mingyu responded quickly and turned to convey the order.

In view of the fall of Zhangjiashan, the outer defense line could basically no longer be held. If the battle continued, it would only be a waste of manpower.

So now Commander Fang placed all his final hopes on the city’s defense line.

This should be their last line of defense.

Once the city is broken, the Japanese will rush into the city and engage in street fighting?

Commander Fang really had no hope for street fighting. First of all, they had no advantage in street fighting. Even if they could consume a group of Japanese troops, they would not be able to hold out for long. So once the city was broken and a large number of Japanese troops poured into the city, it would mean that Hengyang would be lost.

Because now in the entire Hengyang city, there are only a handful of intact houses. Under the Japanese's fierce bombing, the entire city has been reduced to ruins.

There was scorched earth everywhere, so there was no street fighting to speak of.

The whole city was in ruins, but there were some houses in the suburbs that had not been destroyed.

However, as the Japanese gradually approach, these areas will probably be bombed into a scorched earth.

Commander Fang gritted his teeth and said, "We must hold this last line of defense."

"Send a telegram to Chongqing immediately to report the current battle situation and request reinforcements."

A staff officer nearby asked, "Is it the same codeword as before?"

"Correct!"

Commander Fang nodded and said, "Keep sending. I don't believe it. I believe reinforcements will arrive."

In his previous reply to Commander Fang, Baldy said that the various units had now mobilized several armies, with a force of nearly 100,000 men, to rush to Hengyang to provide assistance, and asked them to continue to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements to rescue them.

However, the so-called reinforcements were still hundreds of miles away and were blocked by the Japanese 13th and 40th Divisions. The two sides were fighting and they were unable to reach Hengyang for support for a while.

Commander Fang did not know the specific situation outside, but he believed that his superiors would not sit idly by and watch Hengyang fall and the 10th Army be wiped out.

……

Li Guotao hurried to the regiment headquarters.

After seeing Li Guotao, Yang Jihe sighed helplessly and said, "Zhangjiashan is lost."

Li Guotao's face suddenly turned gloomy. He found a seat, sat down and lit a cigarette.

"I originally thought that Zhangjiashan could hold out for a few more days. It seems that we still underestimated the determination of the Japanese."

Although he didn't know the specific battle situation, Li Guotao could guess that it must have been extremely brutal. If the defenders had a chance to hold on to Zhangjiashan, they would never have lost it so quickly.

Yang Jihe said: "In fact, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese is far less than before, and their tenacity is not as good as before."

"It used to be very difficult to capture a Japanese prisoner."

"In the Third Battle of Changsha, we won such a great victory, but we basically took no prisoners."

"There was even a joke during the press conference when a reporter asked to see the prisoners, but our spokesperson could only reply that there were no prisoners."

"Now, it will be much easier to capture the Japanese prisoners."

"The Battle of Hengyang has been going on for so long. We have basically been on the defensive and have captured more than ten Japanese prisoners."

"This shows that the Japanese's fighting spirit is gradually declining, their combat effectiveness is declining, the Japanese are already on the decline, even their so-called Bushido spirit is no longer effective."

Li Guotao said: "Well! Although Hengyang is in danger now, we are getting closer and closer to victory."

"But at this critical moment, Hengyang must not be lost again."

Yes! Changsha has been lost. If Hengyang is lost, Guangxi in the south will probably be lost.

Yang Jihe said: "The Zhangjiashan position has been lost, and the outer defense line is basically about to collapse."

"Given our current situation, we are unable to launch a counterattack and retake the Zhangjiashan support point."

"Therefore, the commander has ordered all troops to retreat in an orderly manner, to reduce their forces, to concentrate their last limited forces, and to use the city's defenses to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy."

"The commander said that this is our last line of defense. Once the enemy breaks into the city, Hengyang will be undefendable."

Li Guotao took a deep puff of his cigarette and said, "We don't need to be too pessimistic. I have carefully observed the situation around us in the past two days."

"We still have a lot of terrain to rely on near the outskirts of the city. This last line of defense should be able to hold out for a while. We must hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Based on the situation he had learned, Li Guotao also judged that once the Japanese army broke into the city, they would not be able to hold out for long. The city was in ruins and basically had no defenses.

The Japanese had an absolute advantage in military strength, and the 10th Army was originally short of manpower. After fighting for so long, all the troops were almost exhausted. If they fought street fighting, they would not be able to hold out for too long. Therefore, all their hopes could only be placed on the city defense line, which was their last line of defense. If it was lost again, Hengyang would be really finished.

However, Li Guotao also knew that they could definitely hold on until the last moment and achieve the final victory.

But we still must not be careless now. Even though the quality of the Japanese soldiers is far inferior to before, facing such a group of lunatics, any complacency may lead to failure.

Moreover, the Japanese still have an absolute advantage in artillery fire.

Li Guotao took another puff of his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and asked, "So has our mission been assigned?"

Yang Jihe said: "Not yet, but it should be soon."

Before he finished speaking, a staff officer came over and said, "Report to the regiment commander. The military has ordered our 568th Regiment to rush to Tianma Mountain and wait for orders."

"understood!"

Yang Jihe nodded, looked at Li Guotao and said: "Guotao, gather the team and set off immediately." (End of this chapter)