Songhu: Never Give Up

There were only 54 people in Kameda's squad. Before they encountered the attackers, most of them were carrying the stolen gold, silver and jewelry, and only a dozen devils were responsible for guarding.
The guerrilla column that attacked the Japanese from both wings consisted of two platoons of more than 2 soldiers, equipped with six Type 100 light machine guns, four grenade launchers and dozens of long and short guns.

With deliberate planning, he knocked down more than half of the Japanese soldiers in the blink of an eye, killing them without any chance to fight back, and they all left their "burdens" behind them and fled in defeat;

As a result, they ran into the three rows of gun muzzles of the guns, and more than a dozen of them were knocked down. In the end, only a dozen Japanese soldiers were left, and they were in a mess, not knowing which direction to fight back.

Lieutenant Kameda fired only one shot, and his head was blasted open by the sniper. Imagawa Minetarou was very lucky, and he survived.

Captain Imai was also very tough, but their luck had come to an end. In order to achieve a quick victory, the defenders had launched a charge.

Hundreds of people surrounded them and instantly overwhelmed the Japanese. Lieutenant Imai was shot into a sieve by a box gun. No matter how strong his life was, he could not withstand the close-range siege.

Imagawa Minetarou was sent back to his hometown less than a month after being sent to the Chinese battlefield. Kameda's team was completely wiped out, and all the looted items became the spoils of the Third Team, just in time to be used in the great cause of fighting the Japanese.

"Captain, we've made a fortune! All silver dollars and gold bars, more than twenty boxes!"

The second platoon leader excitedly reported to Yang Hu. Yang Hu knew that now was not the time to be happy. Their gunshots would attract a large number of devils at any time, so he said loudly:
"The first row is on guard, the second and third rows quickly clean up the battlefield. Take the guns, ammunition and rations, carry the captured gold and silver and quickly retreat to the tunnel. Quickly!"

The Second Company moved very efficiently, cleaning up the battlefield in just a few minutes and then quickly evacuating the ambush area because they knew the Japanese would not give them much time.

The gunshots near the Ma family mansion were like a burning cigarette butt thrown into a gunpowder barrel, which soon set off most of the northern city.
Groups of Japanese soldiers followed the sound of gunfire to reinforce the Ma family mansion, while the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the rd Detachment, who had been hiding until then, continued to harass the Japanese soldiers to prevent them from sending reinforcements.

They didn't know what was going on, but as long as the Japanese passed through their defense zone, they would find ways to attack them;
The Japanese didn't know what was happening. They fired back in the direction where bullets were fired. The battle soon turned into a mess.

At the 6th Regiment Headquarters, the sudden outbreak of fierce fighting in the city made Colonel Kawanami startled, and the fear that he had been dominated by the guerrilla column surged into his heart again;
His first reaction was that he had fallen into an ambush by the guerrilla column again, and his second reaction was to "retreat"!
Senior staff officer Tsuchiya Ryuichi quickly reminded him:

"Sir, from the noise, this should be a small force, no more than 3 people.

After the previous heavy bombardment, most of the northern city was destroyed, with ruins and rubble everywhere, and they could not hide many troops.

The Imperial Army has three main regiments, and we are not afraid of them in street fighting!"

Colonel Kawanami thought it made sense. He was almost fooled by the Chinese and almost had a psychological trauma from being beaten by Yue Qianli.

Thinking of this, his old face flushed, and he took over Major Dobashi's words and said:
"Yoshi, the Imperial Army is not afraid of anyone in street fighting. Send telegrams to all the brigades and order them to work closely with the 34th Regiment. Use the advantages of manpower and firepower to completely wipe out the remaining soldiers of the guerrilla column in the city. Kill them!"

Dohashi Ryuichi took the order and left with a "hey". Colonel Kawanami then breathed a sigh of relief. Although he said it with ease, he was not sure in his heart. He could no longer measure the guerrilla column with conventional combat power ratios.

The 34th Regiment encountered similar troubles. Their troops on the left wing of the railway were also scattered, and many of them were left alone;

They were all busy reveling, burning, killing and looting in groups of two or three, and were not well prepared for the hidden crisis in the city, so they suffered a lot. The first battalion's task for each team was still mainly harassment, fighting in different areas, and hiding in the tunnels when the Japanese had the upper hand;
Use a small number of scattered soldiers to attract the Japanese and lead the main force of the Japanese by the nose. The main force will wait for an opportunity to move, just like lone wolves hiding in the darkness. When they get a chance, they will surround them and take a bite. Every bite of meat counts as a bite of meat.

Although the Japanese had three regiments, which sounded like a lot of people, there were only a few Japanese soldiers in the huge North City, and their military strength was very tight;

The advantage of the defenders was that they implemented a zoning system, with each company having its own activity area, and they were familiar with the terrain before the Japanese entered the city;
They were familiar with every street and every house. A company thrown into a group was like a fish swimming in the ocean, with enough space to play hide-and-seek with the Japanese.

The three platoons had their own agreed way of communicating with each other. Sometimes they gathered together to do big things, and sometimes they dispersed to lead the Japanese by the nose, making the Japanese run around in circles and easily fall into the trap of the defenders if they were not careful.

On the other hand, the Japanese were forced into street fighting because they had lost their way in the looting, which was contrary to their previous plan to sweep away the remaining enemies and then flank the right wing positions outside the city.

The 13th Division still failed to cross the river. The three regiments of the 3rd Division had a hard time fighting alone, and the plan of a quick victory failed.

On the right wing of the Huaihe River defense line in the north city, the vanguard regiment of the 13th Division had crossed the Huaihe River and occupied several bridgeheads, but it also suffered thousands of casualties.

The firepower of the defenders was more intense than they had imagined. The one who blocked them head on was the third detachment, Yue Qianli's direct troops, equipped with a large number of Soviet weapons and powerful firepower;

Equipped with a large number of mortars and 75mm mountain cannons, the Japanese were blocked in a narrow area less than 500 meters deep to the north of the river bank, and could no longer move forward.

The 13th Division also had a psychological shadow on the guerrilla column. Not only was the division headquarters annihilated, but the 65th Regiment, the 13th Cavalry Regiment, and the 116th Regiment were also annihilated in Wuhu.

In other words, the Japanese were reorganized after they had a face-saving move. They simply cancelled the establishment of a mixed brigade and assigned it to the 13th Division, and its combat effectiveness was quickly restored.

However, everyone from top to bottom had complicated feelings towards the guerrilla column. They were a contradictory group, hating and yet fearing it. They wanted to get their revenge, but they were also scared.

The first to cross the river was the 58th Regiment. This regiment suffered little loss in the Wuhu Campaign, so it was used as the vanguard regiment. Lieutenant General Tanaka Shizuka had high hopes for them.

Colonel Kitamura Katsuzo, the commander of the regiment, was obviously very dissatisfied with the situation. They had an entire division, and a small Huaihe River defense line had not been broken, so he cursed:
"Damn it, they have completely disgraced the 13th Division!
Akita-kun, send a telegram to the first and second battalions. If they cannot break through the Chinese defense line, they don't need to come back. They should all apologize to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Major Akita looked stern. He had never seen the commander of the regiment issue such a strict order, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and persuade:
"Your Excellency, the enemy facing the Imperial Army is the Third Detachment, of which Yue Qianli is also the commander. The total strength of the guerrilla column exceeds 7500 men. They are the most elite of the guerrilla columns and have once fought against the Third Division—"

"Bakayalu, what's wrong with the elite? Since when did the warriors of the 13th Division fear the elite of China?

Excuting an order! "

(End of this chapter)