Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 204: The Kumamoto Division also gets hurt

Thousands of Japanese soldiers from the 13th and 23rd Regiments rushed forward and died one after another. Several Maxim heavy machine guns deployed by the defenders in the permanent bunkers spit out long tongues of fire, constantly reaping the lives of the Japanese soldiers. Even Aunt Amaterasu, who was collecting souls for them in the sky, was too busy to cope with the situation.

The devils of the 37th Division would not just take the beating. They pushed out their mm anti-tank guns and fired at the bunkers. They soon blew up a bunker and the firepower of the defenders dropped a lot.

The Japanese infantry also seized the opportunity to continue their attack, completely ignoring the light and heavy firepower of the defenders. The two sides soon engaged in a battle, with casualties on both sides.

Yue Qianli, who was watching the battle in a hidden place on Hill No. 1, a commanding height, naturally would not watch the Second Detachment fight to the death, and immediately ordered the anti-aircraft artillery company to level the fire on the Japanese, which cost the Japanese their lives. Wherever the shells passed, the Japanese fell down in rows, and those who were able to leave their bodies intact were lucky.

"Yamedie, what is that?"

Colonel Okamoto asked in surprise, and the knowledgeable Major Miyakawa reported in a flattering manner:
"Your Excellency, the commander of the regiment, this is an anti-aircraft gun made in the Empire—"

"Damn it! How come they have anti-aircraft guns made in the Empire? Who is aiding the enemy? I will sue them to the Commander!"

It is no wonder that Colonel Okamoto was angry. Even the anti-aircraft guns could be lost. They are not worthy of living in the glory of the empire. A division would not have many such powerful weapons.

Major Miyagawa was unable to answer this question, but Sano Torata had just heard of it and answered immediately:
"Mr. Okamoto, the 16th Division lost a batch of supplies in Kunshan, including a large number of anti-aircraft guns, which were all lost to Yue Qianli's troops."

Now Colonel Okamoto had found his target and vented all his anger on the 16th Division. The trash he uttered could be compiled into a book.

Sano and the others pretended not to hear anything. Cursing was useless. When he had almost vented his anger, Lieutenant Colonel Sano interrupted and said:
"Okamoto-kun, morale has been lost. It is futile to continue fighting. It will only increase unnecessary casualties. Withdraw the warriors!"

Colonel Okamoto also needed a way out, so he immediately adopted Sano's suggestion and ordered the attacking troops to withdraw. However, the number of people was obviously much smaller, so he and Colonel Sano wisely chose not to see it.

After Sano dismissed the others, he said:

"Mr. Okamoto, your reputation is real. The 88th Division is indeed difficult to defeat. They blocked the attack of our two divisions at Yuhuatai. If we continue to fight, it will only increase casualties."

"Mr. Sano, I admit that the 88th Division is indeed the elite of the Chinese people. Are we not going to fight this war? There is no fortress that the Imperial Army cannot break!"

Sano was not surprised by Colonel Okamoto's reaction. Even a dead duck is still stubborn, let alone the arrogant Okamoto.
He pretended that Okamoto hadn't said anything and continued:
“Yuhuatai will definitely be breached, there is no doubt about that, but it will take a lot of time and cost. Don’t forget that they have only deployed one regiment.

"Over half of the Kumamoto corps has been killed or wounded, and the Sano corps has also suffered several hundred casualties. If we continue to attack, how many people will be left in the Kumamoto corps?"

Colonel Okamoto fell silent. Now it was just him and Sano. There was no need to act too much. If the fight continued, he would be the captain of the regiment without any troops. Thinking of this, he said in a low voice:

"It's hard to explain to the division commander!"

Sano smiled and said in a low voice:
"I'm sure the division commander wouldn't want to see the 13th and 23rd regiments wiped out. The defense line of Jinling City is a whole. If one point is breached, the whole line will be breached.

Not every unit is as capable of fighting as the 88th Division. As long as there is a sustained attack on Yuhuatai, no one can find fault with it, and the division commander can only curse a few words at most.

When other places are breached, the morale of the 88th Division will surely be in chaos. Then, a thunderous attack will be launched, and the 88th Division will be easily defeated. It is still unclear who will enter the city first! "Okamoto finally smiled, but he still said worriedly:

"The 114th Division is still launching a fierce attack. If they break into the city first, the Kumamoto Division will not be able to hold its head up."

Colonel Sano said disdainfully:
“Okamoto-kun, you’re worrying too much. Do you think the gap between the troops guarding the left wing hill and those who are also in the position of a thousand miles away from the mountain will be that big?
Yue Qianli will use anti-aircraft guns to attack us, and if he gets desperate, he will also attack them, so the Utsunomiya Division will not be able to break through. "

Okamoto thought about it and he didn't believe that the Utsunomiya Division would be stronger than the Kumamoto Division. Only by keeping the troops could he enter Jinling City to revel;
Thinking of this, he nodded and said:

“Sano-kun, the Kumamoto Regiment suffered heavy casualties in the previous operations and urgently needs to be adjusted. The combat mission of Post No. 3 is now handed over to you;
You can decide how to fight specifically, but you must keep the defenders under constant pressure, otherwise you will not be able to report to the division commander."

Seeing that Colonel Okamoto had finally stopped being so stubborn, Sano pretended to say:
"Mr. Okamoto, the division commander will understand our good intentions. In military tactics, this is called showing weakness, and then defeating the enemy in one fell swoop when the time is right.
The purpose is the same, but there are some differences in the process. The general is away and the military orders are not given."

"Yoshi, Sano-kun, you are indeed an expert on China. You have mastered their tactics and strategies to perfection. I admire you - I admire you!"

After their knots were untied, the two old devils began to flatter each other, both looking for excuses for their own incompetence;

If you brag too much, you will start to believe it yourself. This is the benefit of mutual flattery.

The Sano United took over the subsequent attacks, and the style of the game changed accordingly. Although the offensive continued, it was all just a lot of noise but little action.
The scale was also reduced from wing level to brigade level, squadron level, and finally to squad level, which was purely a waste of time.

The same thing happened to the 114th Division on the left wing. They really couldn't fight anymore. For them, losing to the 6th Division was not shameful, and it was better than losing all their troops.

The battle situation at Yuhuatai stabilized inexplicably, and Yue Qianli was naturally very satisfied. He was also worried that all the veterans would be defeated.

Without enough veterans, how can he gather the defeated soldiers? He also has to leave enough troops to resist the Japanese. The veterans of the guerrilla column are now his foundation. The defeated soldiers without men and guns will not pay any attention to him.

The only one who was upset was the commander of the Sixth Division, Tani Hisao. He wanted to personally fight Yue Qianli, but was dissuaded by the Chief of Staff Xiaye Yihuo. However, he still cursed indignantly:

"Damn it, these two bastards! Do they still have any sense of honor for the Kumamoto Division?

We have been fighting on the small Yuhuatai for three days! Not only have we made no progress, but we have also asked the division headquarters for tactical guidance. Almost all the reinforcements from the division headquarters have been given to them. Is it true that Yue Qianli's troops are so difficult to deal with?"

"Your Excellency, the 13th and 23rd Regiments suffered heavy casualties, especially the 13th Regiment. If we continue to fight, we will lose our entire organization.

The Chinese seized a large number of anti-aircraft guns in Kunshan City. They laid them flat to defend their positions, and they were very powerful. "

"Damn it! The 16th Division is a bunch of rubbish that can't even take care of the supplies. They must take responsibility!"

Tani Hisao finally found someone to take the blame, and Colonel Shimotani agreed with him.

(End of this chapter)