Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 190 The Pot Flying in the Sky (Monthly Ticket +3)

"Squad leader, squad leader, the devils are coming!"

The edge of the high ground of Xiaoxiaoying had already been monitored by the sentries of the New Second Regiment, so the Japanese were discovered by the secret sentries as soon as they left the position.

"Squad leader, I can run fast. I'll go tell the commander right away."

"Are you fast? How fast can you run?" the squad leader asked unhappily.

If you run out at this time, not only will the news not be timely, you may be discovered by the Japanese if you leave this place.

"I've already made an agreement with Staff Officer Zhang. We are in Area 3. We can just fire two flares, one white and one red."

Although transmitting messages via flares is not that accurate, mortars are not accurate anyway, so it is enough to know the approximate location.

"Have you finished the foxhole I asked you to dig?" the squad leader asked as he took out his signal gun.

"Time was tight, so we only dug up one person."

"That's enough. The foxholes cannot be dug too big. If they are too big, they will be easily bombarded. You will shrink into them in a while." The squad leader pointed the signal gun into the air.

"What about you?" the little soldier asked anxiously.

In order to detect the movements of the Japanese earlier, the two of them had to move forward than the designated surveillance position, and their current location was in the bombardment zone.

It was extremely dangerous to be in a bombardment zone without the cover of a foxhole.

"There is a pit 10 meters behind the right. It's a natural shelter. I just need to hide there." After the squad leader said this, he fired the first flare, followed by the second one.

"Flare?" Takeuchi Matsu looked at the two flares hanging in the air with some confusion.

He led his team only 100 meters out of the position and they were discovered?

Before Takeuchi Matsu could figure out what was going on, shells had already fallen from the sky.

"Boom!" "Boom!".
Although there are only 3 mortars in the three artillery companies, together with 18 mountain guns and 4 infantry guns, it is enough to provide fire coverage for this small hill.

After 20 minutes, the shelling gradually decreased, but did not stop completely. The three mortar companies were divided into three groups and began to take turns shelling the high ground to prevent the gun barrels from overheating.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Seeing that the intensity of the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire had weakened, Takeuchi Matsu lay on the ground and shouted.

The shelling had not stopped yet, and it was not easy for the Japanese to die while crawling on the ground, but if they dared to stand up, no one within 10 meters of the landing shell would survive.

After the Japs crawled back to the trenches in a miserable state, the adrenaline gradually subsided, and everyone was gasping for breath weakly and rolled around in the bombardment area. This was not like putting their heads on their belts, but like throwing their heads on the ground and kicking them like a ball.

They all saw the fate of those who were not possessed by the Sky Locust. As long as the shells fell within a one-meter range, parts would inevitably fly everywhere.

After counting the number of people and reporting to Nara Yukio, Nara Yukio's face turned black.

Two squadrons went out, but less than one squadron came back, and we haven't even encountered the Eighth Route Army yet.

"Mr. Takeuchi, you should take a rest first." Yukio Nara said helplessly.

"Hai!"

After Takeuchi Matsu left, Nara Yukio looked at Toyama Ryotaro and said, "Toyama-kun, what do you think?"

"Brigade Commander, since the Eighth Route Army has sent out a surveillance post, it is impossible that they only sent one. There must be surveillance posts everywhere now. I'm afraid we will be bombarded wherever we go out." Toyama Ryotaro did not give a direct answer, but talked about the current situation.

Nara Yukio understood the subtext of Toyama Ryotaro and said speechlessly: "The small camp has most of our supplies and more than 400 soldiers. We can't give up easily!"

"But we have already lost a squadron just for the trial support. If we provide more support, how many more will we lose? How many troops do we have now? If the losses are too great, will there be danger?"

"Brigade Commander, the most important person for the 3rd Mixed Brigade right now is you! You are the backbone of the brigade. As long as you can successfully break through, the 3rd Mixed Brigade will still exist. I think Lieutenant Colonel Nakakuma would definitely not want you to be in danger!" Toyama Ryotaro said sincerely.

Of course, this is also because he is next to Nara Yukio. If he is responsible for defending the small camp, the most important thing would probably be the baggage.

Yukio Nara thought about the troops on the high ground, then thought about what Ryotaro Toyama said, and finally nodded.

"Mr. Dongshan, you are right. If we send more troops to support us, there will be less than 600 soldiers left on the high ground. This is really dangerous!"

"I think Lieutenant Colonel Nakaxiong will be able to stop the joint attack of the Eighth Route Army! But we can't just sit there and do nothing. Take out all the flares and help the small school battalion maintain its visual advantage! The mountain artillery troops must not stop attacking the Eighth Route Army and must do their best to support Lieutenant Colonel Nakaxiong's defense."

"Also, order the troops to step up their alert to prevent the Eighth Route Army from making a feint to the east and attacking in the west!"

"Hai! The brigade commander is wise!" Toyama Ryotaro finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that he didn't need to send troops.

Now that Takeuchi Matsu has been beaten and is retreating in a panic, who will go to support him? It will still be me.
In order to ensure their own safety, they had no choice but to put more burden on the bear.

As for whether the Eighth Route Army would send out more than 10,000 people to make a feint to the east, and then use a small force to attack from the west, that was not something he should consider. What if the Eighth Route Army was treacherous?
Without the support and coordination of reinforcements, the 400 or so men under Zhong Xiong Zhizheng's command could not withstand the joint attack of so many Eighth Route Army troops, even if Chen Chengxing transferred all the artillery companies away.

Although the troops participating in the attack did not have 82mm mortars, they still had 60mm mortars, which could also attack the Japanese heavy machine gun and light machine gun fire points.

After learning through a telegram that the reinforcements sent by the brigade commander had come under artillery fire and that the support road was still under constant artillery fire, Nakakuma Naomasa knew that he might not receive reinforcements in a short time.

"Captain! The Eighth Route Army's offensive is too fierce. The frontline troops are resisting step by step, but I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for much longer!"

"Where are the soldiers of the baggage train? Let them rush to the front line immediately!" Zhongxiong Zhizheng ordered immediately.

Although the soldiers of the baggage train were not professional infantry and their combat effectiveness was much lower, the situation had become critical and it didn't matter whether they were professional or not, as long as they could go up and shoot to block the bullets.

It's already past two in the morning. As long as we can hold on until dawn, support will arrive.

"Captain, the soldiers of the baggage train have already been there, and now more than half of them have been killed or wounded."

"Baga." Zhong Xiongzhi was a little desperate. The offensive of the Eighth Route Army was too fierce. Let alone dawn, it would be a miracle if they could hold out for another hour.

Just then, the captain of the baggage train ran over.

"Lieutenant Colonel Nakaxiong, do you want to burn and blow up the baggage train immediately? The Eighth Route Army is about to attack the baggage train."

Nakaguma Nao was about to order the immediate destruction of the baggage and heavy weapons, but he stopped himself before the words came to his lips.

At this time, he still had the choice of life or death, but once the baggage and heavy weapons were destroyed, he would only have the choice of fighting to the death. After all, the heavy weapons were destroyed, but he was not killed by the Eighth Route Army. At that time, the pointing and criticizing behind his back could cost him his life.

Zhongxiong Zhizheng closed his eyes. He thought of his family and the honor of Tianhuang. The two little people in his mind kept arguing.

Finally, Nakakuma Naomasa opened his eyes, his eyes full of determination.

"Major Kamei, jam all the carriage wheels immediately!" ordered Nakakuma Naomasa.

"The wheel is stuck?" Kamei said he didn't understand.

"With so many supplies, we need a carriage to transport them. If we jam the wheels, the Eighth Route Army won't be able to repair them at night, and the supplies won't be taken away in time. After we meet up with the brigade commander, we can launch a counterattack and take the supplies back!"

"Besides, we know exactly where we are stuck. We can recover after we recapture the supplies."

"The same method applies to mountain artillery!" Zhongxiong Zhizheng said. As for mortars, they can be carried with them when moving.

As for how to recapture the supplies after reuniting with the brigade commander?

Sorry, the brigade commander is the commander, please ask him.

"Yes! I'll do it right away!" Kamei immediately understood Nakakuma Naomasa's plan.

But he said nothing. The supplies were destroyed and he, as the captain of the baggage team, would be the first one to be unable to escape. Now that someone had finally taken the blame, what was there to be afraid of?
Half an hour later, the Japanese soldiers, who had completed all their preparations, launched a fierce fire attack on the attacking Eighth Route Army at the command of Zhongxiong Zhizheng.

Then, while the Eighth Route Army slowed down its attack, they suddenly rushed towards the small hill.

The small hill was not far from the small school camp, and it was impossible to deploy a large army in the area where they were sandwiched between the two. Chen Chengxing only arranged a platoon of main forces as support.

Faced with the Japanese who were frantically fleeing, the soldiers had no time to react before the Japanese had already forced their way through the blockade.

Chen Chengxing was the first to know about the Japanese breakout.

At this time, Li Yunlong also rushed in from outside: "Old Chen! The devils have escaped, let's surround the high ground immediately!"

The Japanese now only have one position left, and Li Yunlong is really envious.

"Forget it, stop the pursuit! Clean up the battlefield immediately and transport the supplies!" Chen Chengxing did not agree with Li Yunlong's idea.

Even though the Japanese only have one high ground left, they still have more than a thousand soldiers, and their firepower density is greater than that of the small school battalion.

It is not impossible to attack by force, but there will be great casualties, which is totally not worth it. Chen Chengxing decided to quit while he is ahead.

"What a pity." Li Yunlong looked towards the high ground, feeling regretful.

"We will have plenty of opportunities to fight the Japanese in the future. The most important thing now is the gains of the small school camp." Chen Chengxing said.

"That's right, it's better to put it in your pocket." Li Yunlong nodded and suggested, "Let's go and take a look."

"Walk."

"Captain, the devils have damaged the carriage, and we can't move it at all!"

"The same goes for artillery!"

As soon as Chen Chengxing entered the small school camp, a soldier came to report.

Following the soldiers to take a look, Chen Chengxing could not see anything. The Japanese's tricks were very secretive. If it was daytime and the light was good, he could make out something. But now it was pitch dark and the light from the flashlight was very dim, so he could not see clearly at all.

"All the supplies should be unloaded and transported by manpower. Military supplies such as ammunition should be transported first, and food should be transported last."

"The mountain cannon needs to be dismantled and carried by people. Let's go into the mountain first!"

Fortunately, the Japanese brought mountain cannons. If they had brought field cannons, it would have been difficult to transport them without wheels.

After the mountain cannon is disassembled, each piece weighs no more than 100 kilograms and can be carried away by a few people.

"Yes!"

The New Second Regiment, the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment each sent out a battalion of troops to guard the Japanese troops stationed on the high ground, while the rest of the troops began to transport supplies.

With the end of the battle of the small camp, the troops of each regiment had surrounded the high ground, and the artillery company's shelling gradually stopped.

The young soldier huddled in the foxhole heard the shelling stop, looked up, and when he found nothing unusual, he immediately prepared to meet up with his squad leader and then retreat.

But after walking a few meters, he saw the squad leader lying in a bomb crater.

"Squad leader, squad leader!" The little soldier rushed over, crying and shaking.

After being hit by such a large shell, it was a blessing from God that I could survive with my body intact.

"Uh, stop shaking," said the squad leader, opening his eyes.

"Squad Leader, are you okay?!"

"What did you say?" The squad leader scratched his ears, indicating that he didn't hear clearly.

After firing the signal flare, he was just about to get up when a bomb crater was suddenly created nearby.

Although he was a little dazed by the shock wave at the time, he still rolled a few times and got closer to the crater. After all, those who have fought in wars know that shells rarely fall into the same crater.

Seeing this, the young soldier hurriedly touched the squad leader's body and found that there was no tear in his clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that only one ear was deafened by the artillery explosion and it would slowly recover.

"Sergeant, the artillery has stopped, it's time for us to retreat." The young soldier shouted from the other side.

"Let's go, let's go quickly." The squad leader got up with difficulty.

The young soldier hurried forward to support him, and the two quickly disappeared into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)