Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Under the constant urging of the Japanese officers, the attacking Japanese soldiers rushed forward desperately, wanting to capture Tianma Mountain at all costs.

When Li Guotao saw the Japanese launched a group charge, he immediately ordered the machine guns to open fire to stop them.

"Da da da~!"

Intensive gunfire rang out, and a series of hot bullets swept towards the Japanese.

These soldiers were also experienced and specialized in attacking the Japanese who were carrying ladders.

Although part of the cliff was blown down, the gap was too small and too little.

If the Japanese want to climb up the mountain, they have to rely on these ladders.

Moreover, the Japs are easier to defeat because their movements are restricted when carrying ladders.

The Japanese soldiers rushed forward desperately, and after paying a certain price in casualties, most of them successfully rushed into the trench.

The tragic scene in the trench at this moment moved even these beasts.

In the deep trenches, fragments of shattered bodies could be seen everywhere.

There are also a large number of burnt skeletons scattered everywhere, as well as some charcoal that has not been completely burned. These scenes are chilling and creepy.

Although these Japanese soldiers were shocked, they also understood that if they failed to successfully capture Tianma Mountain, they would soon become a pile of mutilated corpses lying in this stinking trench.

So some of the Japanese soldiers climbed up with ladders, while others looked for gaps in the cliffs and climbed up the mountain carefully.

At this point, Li Guotao had no intention of holding back.

Under Li Guotao's command, wave after wave of grenades flew into the trenches.

"Boom~! Boom~!"

Violent explosions continued to sound, and flames rose into the sky. The Japanese were blown to the ground and many were killed or wounded.

Those Japanese soldiers who managed to climb up the mountain were hit by the defenders' rifles and machine guns as soon as they showed their heads, and died.

The fierce battle lasted for more than half an hour. Most of the hundreds of attacking Japanese soldiers were wiped out, leaving only a few wounded Japanese soldiers lying in the trenches, wailing.

Takano Jiro was so angry that he yelled, "Bagayaka, these damn bastards, if they take over Hengyang, I will kill them all!"

In fact, Jiro Kono was somewhat mentally prepared and knew that it would not be easy to take over Tianma Mountain.

However, when he saw his troops suffer such a terrible defeat, he could not suppress the anger in his heart and it burst out.

The old Japanese soldier was filled with rage and had no place to vent it, so he pulled out his command knife and chopped at an empty ammunition box next to him, again and again, until the entire ammunition box was chopped into pieces of wood. Only then did he stop and sat down on the ground, panting.

The Japanese officers nearby were so scared that they dared not say a word. Only when they saw Takano Jiro slumped on the ground did they go up to help him up.

"Captain, calm down!"

Takano Jiro shouted angrily: "Keep preparing for a new round of attack. I don't believe that we can't take down this small Tianma Mountain."

At this time, a Japanese officer reminded: "Sir, it's almost dark, do you still want to continue the attack?"

Jiro Takano was so angry that he forgot that it was already evening.

But the old devil still insisted: "We must attack even after dark."

"Launch the attack in squadrons in turns."

"We must combine strong attacks with sneak attacks, and launch attacks continuously. In short, we must try every possible way to consume their troops, ammunition, and even their physical strength. We must tire these bastards to death. No matter what, we must find a way to capture Tianma Mountain as soon as possible."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese officers present responded respectfully and no one dared to raise any objection. At this time, no matter what Takano Jiro said or did, they had to do it obediently.

So under Jiro Takano's order, the Japanese soldiers were busy all night long.

They launched attacks continuously, or sneaked up at night to launch surprise attacks. The battle lasted intermittently for the entire night.

Li Guotao also knew that the Japanese had run out of tricks and were planning to consume them bit by bit.

Li Guotao had already prepared a plan to deal with this. He let the soldiers take turns to rest and then take turns to fight the enemy.

No matter how the Japanese attacked, Li Guotao and his men had to grit their teeth and persevere.

Because now they have no choice, and the defenders have fewer and fewer troops. Although the defense line has been shortened, the troops are still stretched.

In this case, Li Guotao and his men must be prepared to hold out for a long time, because they don't know when troops can be deployed to take over the defense.

Moreover, there may be no troops coming to take over the defense. If they really can’t hold on, reinforcements may be sent to strengthen the defense on Tianma Mountain.

Because there are fewer and fewer troops now, the fighting in other positions is also very difficult, the losses are getting bigger and bigger, and the situation is naturally becoming more and more critical.

The more critical the moment is, the more Li Guotao and his team must continue to persevere and never give up.

During breakfast, Li Guotao was actually given a bowl of hot beef soup with two slices of beef floating on top. Although it was not much, it was rare.

Because all the meat in the city had been eaten up long ago, and looking at this beef, it was obviously made from fresh meat.

Li Guotao couldn't help but ask curiously: "Is this beef?"

"Correct!"

Yang Jihe nodded.

Li Guotao then asked: "Where did the beef come from?"

I have eaten fish and fish soup these days, which were all made from fried fish caught from a nearby pond, but I haven't seen beef for some time.

Yang Jihe smiled and said, "Yesterday evening, a few cows suddenly ran in front of the 569th Regiment's position."

"That was exactly the area where the two sides were confronting each other. A soldier risked being shot by the Japanese to bring back a cow."

"Then they slaughtered them and distributed them to the various troops. However, there were too few of them, so the commander specifically asked for some to be sent to us."

Although a cow is not small, there are so many people in the army, so naturally there will not be much left after dividing it.

Li Guotao nodded slightly and said, "It should be the cattle that the Japanese had stolen to transport supplies. They didn't keep a close eye on it, so it must have escaped!"

"That's good too. This cow can be considered to have contributed to the war of resistance."

"Haha~!"

Yang Jihe couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard this.

At that time, the Japanese troops had not yet achieved full mechanization, and many supplies had to be transported by mules and horses. Many times they would plunder the civilians' cattle, horses, mules, and donkeys to assist in the transportation of supplies, which was not uncommon.

Although there is not much beef, it can satisfy your appetite and tastes quite delicious.

Several people were eating when a loud explosion was heard outside again. The Japanese attacked Tianma Mountain again.

Yang Jihe couldn't help but curse: "These damn Japanese devils can't even let us eat in peace."

Li Guotao sneered and said, "The more fun they have now, the more miserable their death will be later."

"Why bother getting angry with these dead people?"

Li Guotao has become accustomed to this. It doesn't matter. If you dare to come, I will beat you up.

While eating rice balls, Li Guotao shouted outside: "Notify the brothers to strengthen the alert to prevent the Japanese from releasing poison gas again."

"Yes!"

The Japanese artillery bombardment could not cause a devastating blow to the strong fortifications on the mountain. The soldiers were also experienced and usually hid in absolutely safe places.

The only thing they needed to guard against was the Japanese's poison gas. The anti-gas equipment was complete and placed where the soldiers could reach it at any time. Once they found that the Japanese were releasing poison gas, they would immediately put on the anti-gas equipment.

As long as nothing unexpected happens, these poisonous gases will not pose much of a threat.

This time, Jiro Takano did not intend to hold back. After the artillery preparation was completed, he immediately ordered his troops to launch a series of attacks on Tianma Mountain.

……

Inside the military headquarters, a staff officer ran up to Commander Fang with a telegram in his hand and shouted, "Commander, good news."

"I just received a telegram from my superiors. Our reinforcements have broken through the Japanese blockade and are on their way to Hengyang from Qiyang and other places."

"The 62nd Army is less than miles away from Hengyang, and the troops are rushing here day and night."

"Other reinforcements are also speeding up and rushing to Hengyang for support as soon as possible."

"Hengyang is saved!"

Hearing this, Commander Fang's eyes filled with tears. He quickly walked to the front of the sand table, stared at the sand table in front of him, and said excitedly: "Great, less than 80 miles."

"No matter how slow it is, it should arrive in two days at most." "After fighting for so long, I finally see hope."

"Inform all soldiers of this good news immediately and tell them that reinforcements are on the way and will arrive in Hengyang soon."

"Brothers, no matter what, you must grit your teeth and hold on. Persistence is victory."

"Yes!"

At this time, Sun Mingyu said: "However, after the reinforcements arrive near Hengyang, they will definitely be blocked by the Japanese. We must also prepare in advance to respond."

Commander Fang nodded and said, "The Japanese are determined to take Hengyang and are unlikely to give up easily."

"So we still have to prepare for the worst and leave a troop ready to go out of the city to provide support."

"As long as we can open a gap and allow reinforcements to enter Hengyang, Hengyang will be saved."

Sun Mingyu said quickly: "Then I will immediately organize all the remaining reserve teams that can be organized."

"Prepare to leave the city to meet reinforcements."

"It's just that our troops are really insufficient."

Commander Fang said helplessly: "There is nothing we can do about it. We will just take whatever we have."

"Yes!"

The news quickly spread throughout the army and greatly boosted the morale of the 10th Army.

The soldiers of the 10th Army had been holding Hengyang for nearly a month, but there was no news of reinforcements, the casualties in the army were increasing, and the Japanese were getting closer and closer to the city of Hengyang.

Such a result almost plunged the soldiers into despair.

Now the news that reinforcements are about to arrive is like a ray of light in the darkness, allowing the soldiers to see hope again.

Yang Jihe also got the news quickly, and immediately found Li Guotao excitedly and told him the news.

While Li Guotao was surprised, he also pretended to be very happy, because at this time, Li Guotao knew that the reinforcements would not arrive in time, and he had to pretend to firmly believe this to boost the morale of the troops.

Given the current situation in Hengyang, the soldiers are gritting their teeth and holding on. Once they lose confidence, Hengyang will be really finished.

What surprised Li Guotao was that if it was so smooth, then why didn’t the reinforcements arrive in Hengyang until more than ten days later?
What Li Guotao didn't know was that the reason why the reinforcements were able to break through the Japanese's blockade and rush to Hengyang quickly was because the Japanese took the initiative to retreat and shrink their defense line.

The Japanese were determined to capture Hengyang, so Yokoyama Isamu adjusted his deployment in advance and prepared a response plan.

Although the reinforcements are now approaching Hengyang, it is not easy for these reinforcements to enter Hengyang due to the obstruction of the Japanese devils.

At the same time, Yokoyama Isamu was also busy deploying troops in his own command center, preparing to quickly build an indestructible line of defense outside Hengyang to resist the troops reinforcing Hengyang.

Yokoyama Yong said with a serious face: "Notify all troops to arrive at the designated location on time and build a defense line. Don't be negligent at all."

"We must stop the enemy within 20 kilometers of Hengyang and never let them enter Hengyang City."

"Hayi~!"

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

Yokoyama Isamu went on to say, "Immediately send a telegram to the commander of the Iwanaga Wang Division at the front, asking them to intensify the general attack on Hengyang and try to break through their defense line as soon as possible and capture Hengyang."

"Also, have him report detailed intelligence within a 20-kilometer radius of Hengyang to the blocking troops, and help them quickly build a defense line. There must not be any omissions. Even a small path must be blocked. No enemy can be allowed to enter Hengyang."

"Hayi~!"

A Japanese officer took note of Yokoyama Isamu's order and turned to send a telegram.

At this time, a Japanese major general said: "Your Excellency the Commander, rest assured that the enemy's reinforcements will never reach Hengyang."

"And judging by the current trend, the defenders of Hengyang won't be able to hold out for much longer."

"As long as the attacking forces continue to intensify their offensive, it will only be a matter of time before we capture Hengyang."

Yokoyama Isamu frowned and said, "But the tenacity of the Hengyang defenders is beyond our imagination."

“Who can guarantee how long they can hold on?”

"I will not be at peace if I cannot take Hengyang City."

"Commander Hata has sent another telegram urging us to take Hengyang as soon as possible. I don't know how to reply."

"We have to race against time now. The sooner we take Hengyang, the better it will be for us."

"If we delay too long, the empire will be in danger."

The Japanese major general said: "I believe that the Empire will be able to overcome the difficulties. The difficulties are only temporary. The Empire will definitely win the holy war."

Although Yokoyama Isamu is no longer optimistic about this, he can't say anything.

The old devil said: "What we have to do now is to capture Hengyang and go all out to open up the mainland transportation line. This is the last lifeline of the empire."

The Japanese major general said respectfully: "Your Excellency the Commander is right. Judging from the current situation, as long as the locust army successfully captures Hengyang and goes south, with the support of the southern army, it will be easy to capture Guangxi."

……

At the same time, the battle on Tianma Mountain once again fell into a stalemate.

Under the command of Jiro Takano, the Japanese continued to launch fierce attacks on the Tianma Mountain position.

When the soldiers learned that reinforcements were about to arrive, their morale was boosted and they fought even harder.

Faced with the tenacious resistance of the defenders, the Japanese were naturally unable to attack the mountain.

Moreover, Li Guotao also used fire attack again. When a lot of Japanese soldiers gathered in the trenches, he burned many of them to death with one fire.

Moreover, the fire temporarily blocked the Japanese attack and bought time for the defenders to rest and adjust.

Flames were raging in the trenches, and a large number of Japanese corpses were set on fire. For a moment, the entire Tianma Mountain was filled with stench and thick smoke.

One soldier was so irritated by the stench that he could not help but say, "It stinks so much that I am about to vomit, but I am afraid that I will vomit the beef I ate this morning."

"You gotta do it!"

A soldier nearby said with a smile: "That little bit of beef would have turned into poop a long time ago."

Another soldier also said: "It's indeed a little less, not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth. I originally wanted to satisfy my craving, but it ended up arousing my craving."

At this time, Chen Jianghe said: "Brothers, rest assured, when the reinforcements arrive and we win this battle, the superiors will not treat us unfairly. We will have plenty of wine and meat."

Hearing this, all the soldiers became excited again.

At this time, Li Guotao reminded everyone not to be too happy, but to take a rest and recharge their energy, because the Japanese would not give up.

Only if we get enough rest can we continue to fight the Japanese.

On the other side, Jiro Takano was gritting his teeth in hatred as he looked towards the direction of Tenma Mountain.

"Who are the enemies on the other side? They are so abominable."

A Japanese officer replied: "It seems to be the 10th Division of the 190th Army, but the specific number has not been found out yet."

Takano Jiro gritted his teeth and said, "I don't care who they are, I want them dead."

"Continue to organize a new round of attacks. No matter how great the cost, you must capture Tianma Mountain for me."

"Hayi~!"

The Japanese soldiers present responded respectfully.

In fact, Jiro Takano didn't want to continue wasting time like this, but the pressure from above was too great, so he had no choice but to attack with all his strength.

However, the fire blocked their way of attack, and Jiro Takano didn't want to just sit there and wait.

Takano Jiro ordered: "Continue to mobilize artillery and bombard the cliffs, and try to blow a few more gaps."

"Hayi~!"

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

Takano Jiro then ordered: "Also, request to dispatch more ammunition and supplies. We need more ammunition now."

"Have the baggage train brought up as soon as possible. If the attack is delayed, they cannot afford the responsibility."

When Takano Jiro said this, he seemed to be trying to pass on the blame.

"Ha!" (End of this chapter)