Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Chapter 344 Everyone has their own agenda!

The news of the complete annihilation of the Hashimoto Battalion soon reached the headquarters of the 218th Regiment.

When Colonel Itsuki Hariya heard the news, he angrily shouted, "Bakayashi!"

"This idiot Hashimoto is just a stupid pig!"

"It is absurd that a team of several hundred people was wiped out so easily by the enemy."

"The locust army has lost all its face because of these idiots."

In fact, Colonel Itshiro Hariya was also responsible for this matter. In order to take credit, he ordered Major Hashimoto to advance boldly. He also knew that Major Hashimoto was a very adventurous guy. But at that time, Colonel Itshiro Hariya believed that the 10th Army had retreated across the board and had been defeated. They only needed to make a little more effort to quickly capture Hengyang and completely destroy them.

That's why he ordered Major Hashimoto to continue advancing towards Hengyang City even though he knew that Major Hashimoto was a fool who was brave enough to take risks but was a little simple-minded. This led to the disastrous defeat.

But at this point he naturally would not admit his misjudgment, and instead put all the blame for the failure on the already deceased Major Hashimoto.

Their 218th Regiment rushed to Hengyang to participate in the war together with the 65th Regiment, but they were not assigned any good tasks.

Jiro Takano's 65th Regiment captured Zhangjiashan. Although it suffered heavy losses, it was a great achievement after all, which made Itshiro Hariya extremely jealous.

Originally they thought they could attack Hengyang first and make great contributions, but unexpectedly, the assault team of several hundred people led by Major Hashimoto was completely wiped out due to their greed for merit and reckless advance, as well as Major Hashimoto's carelessness.

Such consequences were hard for Ichiro Hariya to accept, but since things had already happened, he could only find a way to remedy the situation.

A Japanese officer nearby said cautiously: "Colonel, calm down. Things have come to this point. We can only find a way to remedy the situation."

Colonel Itsuki Hariya, who was already furious, shouted, "Remedy? How can we remedy this? Can the dead be resurrected?"

The Japanese officers present lowered their heads in fear.

Only the Japanese officer said with a stiff upper lip: "It is impossible for the dead Locust Army warriors to be resurrected."

"But we can use our merits to make up for our sins. Now that things have come to this, this is our only remedy."

Colonel Itsuki Hariya gradually calmed down after hearing this. This was indeed reasonable. No matter how angry he was now, it would be of no use.

Seeing this, the Japanese officer quickly continued, "Judging from the current situation, Tianma Mountain must be the enemy's defense focus."

"Besides, after crossing Tianma Mountain, the city of Hengyang is just a few hundred meters away. It's flat and there are no strategic locations to defend."

"I guess this should be their last line of defense outside the city. As long as we can conquer Tianma Mountain, we can directly break into the city and enter the urban area. Taking Hengyang is our only chance to atone for our crimes."

Colonel Ichiro Hariya pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense, but since Tianma Mountain is the enemy's last line of defense, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to attack."

The Japanese officer said: "But now that things have come to this, we have no other choice but to attack the Tianma Mountain defense line with all our strength. Only then will we have a chance to atone for our crimes."

"Yoshi~!"

Colonel Itsuki Hariya nodded slightly and said, "It seems that this is the only way."

"Immediately order all troops to continue advancing and reach Tianma Mountain as soon as possible. Once the troops arrive, immediately deploy on the spot and prepare for the attack. We must capture Tianma Mountain as soon as possible."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese soldiers present responded in unison.

Under the leadership of Itsuki Hariya, the main force of the 218th Regiment quickly arrived at the area south of Tianma Mountain, deployed on the spot, and began to make preparations for the attack.

Li Guotao stood on the hill, looking at the Japanese positions in the distance, and sneered, "I didn't expect these idiots to come so quickly."

Yang Jihe said: "The latest battle report from the military shows that the main force of the Japanese has basically arrived at the suburban defense line."

"All the troops that can be withdrawn have been withdrawn. The military headquarters is concentrating its forces to hold the last line of defense and prepare for a decisive battle with the Japanese."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "In that case, let's fight to the death and have some fun with the Japanese."

"Hengyang City is behind us. We must not let the Japanese invaders set foot into the city."

Yang Jihe said: "With the fortifications of Tianma Mountain, it will definitely not be a problem to resist the Japanese for a period of time. I am just worried that there will be some loopholes in other directions."

Li Guotao waved his hand and said, "We don't have to worry about this. We just need to hold on to the Tianma Mountain position."

"The military will make arrangements for other positions, so we don't have to worry about them."

Yang Jihe smiled and said, "That's right. We should just do our best to defend Tianma Mountain."

"No matter what the outcome is, we must make Tianma Mountain the grave of the Japanese. As long as the Japanese attack, let them all be buried in Tianma Mountain."

Li Guotao said with a smile: "Haha~! Although these damn Japanese devils are a bunch of garbage, they are still quite good as fertilizer."

Yang Jihe smiled and said, "You're so smart to think of that."

Li Guotao said: "I think the Japanese will launch an attack soon. I can feel that they are very anxious now."

"in a hurry?"

Yang Jihe frowned slightly.

Li Guotao smiled and said, "Yes, they are all in a hurry to reincarnate, we have to help them."

"Pass the order down. Except for the scouts who are keeping a close eye on the movements of the Japanese, all other personnel should hide in the anti-artillery fortifications, conserve their energy, and gather enough strength to kill the Japanese later."

"Yes!"

……

Inside Yan Yongwang's headquarters, the old devil was looking at a map with a group of his staff, adjusting their deployment in order to launch a new round of fierce attacks.

Yan Yongwang said somewhat disappointedly: "I originally thought that once they were defeated and retreated, they would no longer have the ability to fight. The previous battles have proved this countless times."

"Once these enemies are defeated and begin to retreat, chaos will inevitably occur, making it difficult to organize a new line of resistance."

"However, the 10th Army was beyond our expectations. They were able to rebuild their defenses. That's not easy."

A Japanese colonel nearby said, "This 10th Army is indeed difficult to deal with, but their current line of defense should be their last line of defense. Hengyang City is now in ruins and has no defenses. We only need to break through this line of defense and we can take Hengyang directly."

"And after this period of consumption, the defenders of Hengyang also suffered heavy losses."

"I guess they won't be able to hold out for much longer. I believe the locust army will be able to capture Hengyang soon."

"Yoshi~!"

Yan Yongwang nodded slightly and said, "In this case, we must not give the enemy any chance to breathe. We must strive to crush their last will of resistance as soon as possible and capture Hengyang City in one fell swoop."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officers present responded in unison.

At this time, a Japanese officer came over and said respectfully: "Report to the division commander, I just received a telegram from Colonel Hariya of the 218th Regiment. They are ready to attack Tianma Mountain and request artillery support."

"Pegasus Mountain?"

Yan Yongwang quickly found the location of Tianma Mountain on the map and said, "They are advancing quite fast."

At this time, a Japanese officer said: "It is said that they arrived at Tianma Mountain last night, but the Hashimoto Battalion, which led the charge, wanted to launch a surprise attack on Tianma Mountain, but was ambushed by the enemy, and more than 600 Locust Army warriors were killed."

"I never thought that Colonel Hariya would be so eager to attack Mount Tenma."

Yan Yongwang sneered and said, "He is also a fool who is eager to make a contribution."

In the eyes of the Japanese, the current Hengyang City is like a fat sheep, and these mad dogs all want to rush up and bite off the fattest piece of meat.

However, Yan Yongwang is now very rational. He doesn't think it will be so easy to eat this piece of meat.

Iwanaga Wang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since Jingu-kun is so eager to make a contribution, let's help them."

"Notify the artillery regiment and give them full artillery support to help them capture the Tianma Mountain position."

"Hayi~!"

A Japanese officer responded and turned to convey the order.

Yan Yongwang continued, "Also, send a telegram to the commander immediately. We now need larger-scale air support to cover our final attack on Hengyang City."

"The Hengyang defenders have suffered heavy losses and can no longer hold out for much longer. We can fully utilize this opportunity to capture the entire Hengyang in one fell swoop and completely wipe out this so-called 'Taishan Army'."

"Hayi~!"

...Colonel Itshiro Hariya was observing the situation at Tenma Mountain through a telescope.

A Japanese officer next to him said, "Your Excellency the commander of the regiment, we just received a telegram from the front-line headquarters. They said that the artillery is moving its position and artillery support can only be provided after ten o'clock."

Ichiro Hariya said angrily: "These idiots are too slow."

The Japanese officer said: "But since General Iwanaga has already agreed to provide us with artillery support, we don't need to be too anxious."

Another Japanese officer said: "Sir, based on the current situation, Tianma Mountain may not be so easy to take."

"We have sent people to scout. The enemy has cut the mountain wall into a cliff with an angle of almost 90 degrees. It is difficult for the Locust Army warriors to climb up."

"There are trenches as wide as 15 meters at the foot of the mountain. So the cliff we need to climb is about 15 meters high."

"And these bastards set up barbed wire in the ditch. They should have set up camouflage before."

"Last night, Hashimoto's battalion launched a surprise attack. Because they didn't understand the situation, they were fiercely strafed by enemy machine guns at the foot of the mountain and were forced to hide in the trenches. As a result, they were all hung on the barbed wire and couldn't move at all. The enemy then used grenades to kill and injure them, causing heavy losses to the Locust Army."

When Colonel Ichiro Hariya heard this, he gnashed his teeth in anger and cursed: "Bakayaka, these damn enemies are too cunning."

"I must take over Tianma Mountain and cut them all into pieces."

The Japanese officer continued, "Sir, if we want to conquer Tianma Mountain, we must clear these obstacles."

"First of all, the barbed wire must be completely destroyed, otherwise it will be difficult for the locust army to rush up the mountain."

"Also, the nearly 90-degree cliff is very difficult to climb."

Yilang Jingu nodded slightly, then asked: "The locust army encountered similar troubles during their previous attack. How did they solve it?"

A Japanese officer said: "The Locust Army has never encountered such barbed wire before."

Yilang Jingu said: "The barbed wire is not difficult to deal with. The fastest way is to blow it up with explosive packs."

"We can have the commandos carry a large number of explosive packs, get close, blow up the barbed wire, and create a safe passage for the attacking locust army."

A Japanese officer quickly responded: "Hi, I will prepare it right away."

The Japanese officer said: "As for those cliffs, the previous method was to use ladders to climb, but the effect was not obvious."

"Later, the locust army usually mobilized a large number of flat-fire cannons and bombarded the cliffs, blowing them down. The soil and rocks blown down would form a gentle slope and fill up part of the trench, making it much easier for the locust army to climb up."

"But we can't mobilize enough flat-fire artillery to bombard in such a short time, and it's not a task that can be completed in such a short time to climb such a high cliff."

Colonel Itsuki Hariya frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "Then we will do it on two fronts. On the one hand, we will order people to build ladders and prepare for a strong attack."

"At the same time, mobilize all the flat-fire artillery and tanks, concentrate their firepower, and bombard one part of the cliff, and try to blast a few breakthroughs first."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officer responded respectfully: "Your Excellency the Colonel is wise. I will do it right away."

Yilang Yishi said with some pride: "They have their methods, and we have our countermeasures. As long as we use our brains more, these problems will not be problems."

"No matter what, we must capture the Tianma Mountain position as soon as possible and open the passage to Hengyang."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officers present responded in unison.

It will take some time before we can get artillery support from our superiors, but Itsuki Hariya can't wait any longer.

So the old devil decided to clear the obstacles first.

Under the command of Itsuki Hariya, the Japanese gathered all their direct firepower, even several tanks, and drove them up and started bombarding the cliff.

At the same time, the Japanese also built heavy machine gun positions and mortar positions on the front line and began to suppress the main position of Tianma Mountain with artillery fire.

Bullets were fired at Tianma Mountain like raindrops, and artillery shells fell on the positions one after another. At the same time, artillery shells also hit the cliffs continuously.

Yang Jihe said to Li Guotao: "You are right. These little devils are very anxious. They started attacking without even waiting for the heavy artillery fire support. What do they want to do? They don't think that this little firepower can suppress us and take Tianma Mountain."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "I guess the Japanese soldiers are not that stupid. After all, it's rare to see Japanese soldiers who were so blatantly seeking death like yesterday."

"The purpose of their doing this may be just to clear obstacles."

"Can't you see they're blowing up the cliffs?"

Yang Jihe said: "With their limited firepower, how long will it take for them to flatten the cliff?"

"If they want to waste shells, let them waste them."

In fact, Yang Jihe had no choice but to say this because they did not have enough artillery fire to launch a counterattack.

Li Guotao said: "I'm afraid it's not just that! Look~!"

Yang Jihe looked in the direction of Li Guotao's finger, and saw a group of Japanese soldiers on the Japanese position, holding explosive packs and carrying some explosive packs on their backs, running out of the position one after another.

These are carefully selected Japanese soldiers, each of them has strong combat skills, and they are here specifically to blow up the barbed wire.

Yang Jihe said: "They want to carry out blasting below to blow up the cliff."

Li Guotao said: "I'm afraid it's not just the cliff, they have to blow up the barbed wire first."

"Machine gun fire?"

Li Guotao smiled and said, "We don't have enough bullets, and the Japanese are so scattered. If we open fire with machine guns at this time, we won't be able to kill many of them, and we will expose our firepower in advance."

"Chen Jianghe, Song Weiguo, order all the sharpshooters to take up their positions immediately, spread out, and shoot the approaching devils."

"Yes!"

After Li Guotao finished speaking, he rushed out with a Type 38 rifle in his hand.

Li Guotao quickly came to a position, and after confirming it was safe, he raised his gun and shot dead a Japanese soldier who stood up and rushed forward.

The Japanese soldier was shot in the head and fell to the ground, throwing the explosive pack in his hand away.

With a "clatter", Li Guotao quickly pulled the bolt, raised the gun and shot dead a Japanese soldier who was rushing over.

Under Li Guotao's command, more than a dozen brothers in the first battalion who were good at shooting rushed into the trenches, dispersed to various positions, and began to look for opportunities to shoot and kill the Japanese soldiers who rushed up to explode.

As the crisp sound of gunfire continued to ring out, the Japanese soldiers were knocked to the ground one after another, making it difficult to get close to them.

Colonel Ichiro Hariya was so angry that he yelled, "Bagayaka, suppress the enemy with firepower, hit them hard and kill them."

A Japanese officer reminded: "Sir, these enemies are hiding in strong fortifications. It is difficult for our guns to kill them."

"Then hit me too!"

Yilang Xigu said angrily: "Fire with all your strength and cover the charge of the blasting team. Make sure to blast a few more gaps for me."

"Hayi~!"

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

Itsuki Hariya was also anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that at this moment, he could not care about casualties.

After all, if they don’t clear these obstacles now, they will definitely pay a heavier price in casualties when the real general offensive launches.

Now they can only focus on blowing up the barbed wire and breaking open the cliffs.

The Japanese soldiers who were in charge of the blasting rushed forward desperately, risking being killed by their own shells.

As long as we can rush to the foot of the mountain, we will be safe. The guns above cannot hit the Japanese at the foot of the mountain due to their limited shooting angles.

Then they can use explosives to blow up the barbed wire.

Under the command of Colonel Itsuki Hariya, Japanese soldiers continued to rush out with explosive packs.

As a result, most of the Japanese soldiers were killed along the way, and the battlefield was soon covered with a layer of their corpses.

However, some Japanese soldiers managed to escape to the foot of the mountain.

(End of this chapter)