The sun never sets

In the distance, Ijichi Yukisuke shouted loudly, "The Empire of Japan is on board! The sky is dark and the black card is on board!"

The dense crowd of officers and soldiers on the snow shouted together: "Board!"

"Onboard!"

"Onboard!"

“Swoosh…”, “Boom!”

Ijichi Yukisuke and Nogi Maresuke were shaken to the ground, and someone shouted, "What happened?"

"The Chinese long-range artillery bombardment..."

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Heavy grenades fell one after another, making the assembled Japanese soldiers cry for their parents. The Russians had encountered such a thing before. It was as if the Chinese artillery shells had eyes. Every time they just gathered their troops, they would be bombarded by artillery shells. Artillery positions, headquarters, military camps, as long as there were many people or important places, would be repeatedly bombarded by the Chinese. At one point, the Russian army thought that all the senior officials were Chinese spies. Now, it was the turn of the Japanese army to face such a situation.

Chapter 340 Comrades

After the supply line was shortened by several hundred miles, the firepower density and manpower density of the People's Army were greatly improved, and the heavy artillery units no longer had to count shells to make a living. Generally speaking, the main force of the People's Army was attacking in the direction of Seoul and Busan. The number of troops in Laolongshan was less than that of the Japanese troops in Outer Northeast, but the Japanese army came from afar, and the supply line was stretched for several hundred miles, so the troops available for the front line were at a disadvantage. As for firepower, many Japanese troops had no supporting firepower except rifles.

With the support of Marshal Lin's intelligence, an entire heavy artillery regiment launched a fierce artillery attack on the Japanese army, disrupting the Japanese offensive deployment and destroying more than a dozen mountain and field artillery that the Japanese army had finally pulled over. After being stunned for a while, the Japanese army reacted and shouted that there must be Chinese observation points around, otherwise it would be impossible to shoot so accurately!

It is not wrong to say so. On Laolong Mountain and the surrounding peaks, the People's Army has set up observation points and deployed some troops. Even if the Japanese army knew about it, there was no good way, and they could only send small forces to gnaw one by one. As long as the Japanese army's assembled troops did not exceed one battalion, or there were important targets such as artillery, the People's Army's heavy artillery would not easily open fire. The supply line was shortened by hundreds of miles, but transportation was still difficult, and it was better to save some when possible.

The Japanese army sent a number of small units to attack the Laolongshan defense line, trying to find the weak points on the defense line, but it had no effect. Instead, the People's Army counterattacked and killed and injured thousands of people. The most hateful thing was that the Chinese used "Japanese traitors" to shout everywhere with wooden loudspeakers, saying that the People's Army treated prisoners well. Some previously captured soldiers of the Third Army stood up to speak out, mainly those who had no relatives at home. Every time they started by introducing themselves, and then said that as long as they surrendered, they would be able to eat steaming rice balls and miso soup.

This is of course not true. The People's Army has pickled cabbage, pork stewed with vermicelli, sweet potatoes and potatoes stewed with corned beef, but no miso soup. There is rice, but it is not made into rice balls. If you want to make rice balls, you have to make them yourself.

In line with the shouting of those "Japanese traitors", the People's Army also set up more than a dozen large iron pots behind the position and stewed many hard dishes over a high fire. The aroma drifted over with the wind, and the hungry Japanese soldiers swallowed their saliva after smelling it. Many of them stretched their necks to look to the west, and only continued to work reluctantly after being scolded by the officers. Just like the Russian army would learn the tactics and strategies of the People's Army in the war, after so many bloody battles with the People's Army, the Japanese army also learned a lot from the People's Army, such as using ice and snow to build houses and barriers. This is not something that requires much technical content. There is ice and snow everywhere on the ground.

The materials are easy to obtain and the repairs are also easy.

It was still very cold inside the house made of ice and snow, but the temperature could be raised from minus 20 degrees to minus 5 degrees, which was completely different. Especially at night, having an igloo could prevent freezing to death. Even though the Japanese army was short of food, many people still fell ill even with the igloo.

Private Urameshi looked at Kuwabara lying on the ground with worry, and reached out to touch his forehead, which was burning hot. "Kuwabara, you are sick."

"Stupid Urameshi," Kuwabara said weakly, "Don't you know that I'm sick? Let's go now!"

Many Japanese soldiers secretly fled to the Chinese side. Urameshi and his men also wanted to flee, but Kuwabara suddenly fell ill. It can't be said to be sudden. Every day, they only had a cold rice ball to fill their stomachs, and they had to march and fight, and do so much work. Everyone had already lost weight. Even if they didn't fall ill, they were in a very bad state. Kuwabara was not feeling well in the past few days, but he had been enduring it until today, when he finally fell in the snow while repairing the barrier.

"No, I won't give up on you. Kuwabara, we have to return home alive together."

"Idiot! Urahime, Urahime, listen to me," Kuwahara's face flushed with a sickly red, "There are only four people left in our village. We can't all die here. It's better to have three people alive than one........."

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, there was a roar from the side. The second lieutenant came over and said angrily: "You are lying on the ground and being lazy! Are you still a soldier of the Empire of Japan?" He kicked Kuwahara, who screamed. In winter, as long as you are not frozen unconscious, being beaten will hurt more than usual.

"Asshole, get up and work!"

The lieutenant was about to kick again, but Urameshi stepped forward and hugged his right leg, "Sir, Kuwabara is sick! He is sick, not lazy!"

"Hmph, I think he needs a spiritual infusion!"

The so-called "spiritual injection" is to beat someone with a big stick. I don't know which genius came up with the term "spiritual injection stick". At first, it was just an ordinary stick that could beat people to pieces. Later, mercury was poured into it, which could really beat people to death.

Hearing the lieutenant say that he was going to give Kuwabara a "spiritual injection", Urameshi could not help but feel scared. How could the "spiritual injection stick" be a joke? Even a strong soldier would be beaten to pieces, not to mention that Kuwabara was so sick that he couldn't even stand up.

"My Lord, my Lord..."

"Go away!"

The lieutenant hit Urameshi's back with a stick, causing him to scream and his hands to loosen immediately. The lieutenant took two steps forward, grinning and holding up the "spirit injection stick" high. With this stick, he was going to smash the lazy guy's brain out. He could already imagine the wonderful scene of red and white spraying out, but his chest suddenly felt cold. When he looked down, he saw a bayonet sticking out of his chest.

"What?" The strength in his body was quickly disappearing. The lieutenant turned his head with difficulty and shouted angrily at Urameshi with red eyes: "Asshole, you non-citizen...you Japanese traitor..."

Private Urahame was very skilled in fighting. Although he was starving, he still performed steadily and his movements were neat and swift. He had already started, so he did not hesitate. He drew out his bayonet, stepped forward, covered the second lieutenant's mouth with one hand, and slashed his neck with the bayonet. A bright red cut suddenly appeared on his throat. Blood spurted out from the wound, spilled on the ground, and quickly solidified.

"Ah, stupid Urameshi..."

Urameshi still covered the second lieutenant's mouth, turned his head and said to the other two companions: "What are you looking at? Why don't you come and help?"

"what?"

"Bury this guy and don't let anyone find him. Let's find a few more planks and make a sled to pull Sangyuan away. We came from the same village, so we have to go back together!"

"Oh!"

Chapter 341: Great

No one noticed that a second lieutenant was missing. There were so many people who died in battle, froze to death, fell ill, or were missing. It was just a second lieutenant. Even the lieutenant didn't know how many were missing. The Japanese army's organization and command chain were incomplete, which made the army full of chaos. No one noticed Urameshi's sneaky actions. Even if they were discovered, it didn't matter. If they could kill a second lieutenant, couldn't they kill another one?

After finding out that those high-ranking people were just like that, and that it was no more difficult to kill them than to kill a chicken, Private Urahame became more murderous, and even looked at people differently. A sergeant passed by them, and looked at Urahame, then subconsciously looked away. But he immediately became angry, "Baka! You don't even salute your superior?"

As he said this, the sergeant was about to give Urahime a slap in the face, but his hand was grabbed by Urahime. Then his mouth was covered as well. Two soldiers who came behind him at some point threw him to the ground. Urahime grabbed a rifle nearby and killed the sergeant with a bayonet. The two companions buried the sergeant quickly. There was ice and snow everywhere, so it was not easy to bury the body.

Kuwahara's voice sounded behind him, "Hey, Urameshi, why did you kill another one?"

Urahame said unhappily, "Why would I kill someone if it wasn't to save you?"

"Oh, you are saving

I, therefore, swung my knife and killed two people!"

"Asshole! Sangyuan, if you keep saying that, we will abandon you."

Kuwabara sighed, "I hope you can keep your word."

"Hmph!" Urameshi stopped arguing with Kuwabara and started checking whether the sled was secure.

One of his companions stamped on the snow and asked, "Urahan, should we bring weapons?"

"Why bring weapons? We're not going to war... Bring a rifle and a bayonet!" Urameshi didn't want to bring weapons at first, but changed his mind at the last minute, "What if we get discovered..."

His tone and eyes darkened. He looked at his two companions and finally landed his gaze on Sangyuan. "If I'm discovered, I'll kill Sangyuan first and then commit suicide!"

The two companions looked at each other and nodded together, "We will solve it ourselves, no need to trouble you."

The sky gradually darkened, and the shouts from the People's Army position gradually became quieter. After shouting for a few days, many people's voices were hoarse. Although they could be replaced, many people were not good at speaking, and there were only a few who were contagious and inspiring. They took turns shouting at the Japanese army, and their throats were sore.

"More and more troops are coming. We can't wait any longer. Kuwabara's illness can't be delayed any longer. I decided to leave tonight. What do you think?"

"We have no objection!"

"Let's go then!"

Urameshi picked up Kuwabara and put him on the sled. When he held Kuwabara, he felt very light in his hands. Kuwabara was a well-known big man in the village, but he became so thin. Urameshi felt sad, grabbed a rope, and whispered, "Kuwabara?"

There was no response. Kuwabara had already fallen into a coma, sometimes even talking nonsense. Urameshi had seen many such cases during this period. After starting to talk nonsense, it would take two or three days before turning into a stiff corpse. "Kuwabara, don't die! Please don't die!"

A companion grabbed another rope, and another pushed from behind. The three of them quietly slipped out with the sled in the dark. They moved very quietly, fearing to alert the surrounding Japanese soldiers. The Japanese army never showed any mercy to deserters. Many deserters' heads were hung outside the gradually formed camp. Those heads were chopped off and hung high up to scare others.

Urameshi looked up at the heads above him. Under the frost, he could still see the painful expressions. He sighed softly and quickened his pace. The moonlight was not very bright today. The dark clouds obscured their figures and the north wind covered their noises. The group left the Japanese camp safely and their tense mood gradually relaxed. However, at this moment, Urameshi suddenly stopped and raised his right hand to ask his companions to stop.

"Who is it?" he called into the darkness.

"........Who are you?" A question in Japanese came from not far away.

"Is it the military police?" A companion took out his bayonet, and there was unconcealed fear in his voice, "If I am injured, Urameshi-kun, please kill me."

"Me too."

Urahime raised his index finger to his lips, "Shut up, it's not time to commit suicide yet!" He listened for a while, but there was only the whistling of the wind. His heartbeat became faster and faster, as if it was going to jump out of his chest. Urahime held his breath and waited for a long time, but there was still no movement from the other side. He thought for a while, put away the bayonet, and said, "Let's go."

"there......."

"Don't worry about them, they are the same as us."

"oh oh!"

The companions put away their bayonets with doubt and continued on the road with the sled. After walking for a distance, they heard a series of noises behind them. Looking back, they saw a group of figures following silently behind them. They seemed to be empty-handed and had no guns. So they put their minds at ease and pulled the sled forward with all their strength.

The temperature at night was lower than that during the day. After trudging for several miles, the group felt their bodies were almost stiff. "Urahan-kun, are we almost there?" This was the nth time he had asked this question. Urahame always answered "almost there", but was it really there? He didn't know, but he could only answer this way.

Looking back again, he saw a dark figure staggering and falling to the ground. Someone immediately helped him up. Urameshi hesitated for a moment and shouted to the back, "We have a sled. Put the person who can't walk on it!"

There was a commotion in the shadows, but it soon quieted down. They quickened their pace, and several soldiers with black lips from the cold placed their companions next to Sangyuan and helped push the cart.

"I'm Urameshi from the 9th Division. These guys are all from the 9th Division. What about you?"

"We are from the 11th Division."

"Eleventh Division, I heard that many of you also lost a lot of people."

".......Yes." The man walking behind Urameshi whispered, "The remaining eleven members of our squadron are all here."

Urameshi sighed, "That's better than us. There are only four of us left in our squadron. Kuwabara...if Kuwabara can survive, we still have four of us left. Where's your sergeant?"

“He was beaten to death by the Chinese.”

"That's really unfortunate."

"No, that's great." His tone was very calm.

Urameshi looked to the side and saw that the man who spoke had no expression on his face. He sighed and said nothing more, but just quickened his pace again.

Chapter 342: Retreat and Fight

There were more and more Japanese troops near Laolong Mountain, but their combat effectiveness did not increase much, and they were often defeated by the People's Army's assault. But this was not the worst. The worst thing was that many soldiers took the initiative to surrender to the Chinese. The Japanese army carried out a purge and chopped off hundreds of heads, but still could not stop the wave of surrender. Some troops were frightened and did not dare to surrender to the Chinese, but they had the courage not to resist. When the Chinese army launched an attack, they did not fire a shot, threw their guns on the ground, and happily followed the Chinese.

If it weren't for Oyama Iwa's desperate efforts to pile up troops at the front line, coupled with the extremely cold weather, the Third Army would have been completely wiped out. Oyama Iwa brought more than 50,000 troops, more than 200 artillery pieces, and even several heavy howitzers. In order to transport the artillery and shells to the front line, the Japanese army paid the price of thousands of non-combat casualties. The logistics troops were almost wiped out, and the remaining few cats were incorporated into the combat troops.

After seven people fell into the water and died, the navy sent a message saying that the combined fleet had destroyed Rajin City, and the army could get a large amount of supplies as long as they rushed over to control the port. So Oyama Iwao put all his money on the line, as long as he broke through the last line of defense of the Chinese and reached Rajin City, he would have a chance to survive.

On the way here, Oyama Iwao had heard that the situation at the front was extremely bad. The situation he saw on the way was already bad enough, and he didn't believe that the situation at the front could be any worse, so he had to go to the front to see how bad the "extremely bad" situation could be. After discovering that some people surrendered to the Chinese, Oyama Iwao was not surprised at all. Even a high-ranking official like Kodama Genta was dying of illness, so the situation of the soldiers below must be even worse.

"We can't wait any longer. Let the soldiers rest for a day and launch the attack tomorrow!"

While inspecting the ice and snow barrier built by the Japanese army, Oyama Iwao said to Nogi Maresuke, Ijichi Yukisuke and others beside him: "Tōgo Heihachirō sent someone..."

"Bang!" Gunshots continued to ring out, mixed with the sound of artillery shells exploding.

The sudden gunshots made the guards nervous. They protected Marshal Oyama Iwao and kept alert to the surroundings. Nogi Maresuke said calmly, "It was an enemy sniper. Marshal, please take off your medals and other things to avoid becoming a target for the Chinese."

Oyama Iwao pushed the guard aside and was about to speak when a soldier ran over and said something to Nogi Maresuke. After listening, the latter turned around and said to Oyama Iwao, "An infantry battalion under the 11th Division surrendered to the enemy, and the pursuing troops are exchanging fire with the enemy."

"An entire army surrendered to the enemy? Nogi, how do you lead troops?"

The report of the Third Army only said that they encountered great difficulties, but did not mention that there were organized troops surrendering to the enemy. That would be too embarrassing. Oyama Iwao only thought that it was a sporadic rebellion of soldiers, but he did not expect that the situation was really worse than he imagined. The Japanese care a lot about face. Running away is not called running away, but "strategic transfer"; if they cannot win and need reinforcements, they say "request for tactical guidance." The Japanese always focus on whitewashing the situation. Other East Asian countries seem to have similar problems. For example, "unemployment" is changed to "laid-off", and then to "flexible employment". As long as you cover your eyes with a leaf, the world will no longer exist.

Nogi Maresuke took off his military cap, revealing his white hair, and said, "I am incompetent in leading the troops. Please punish me, Marshal."

"............." How could Oyama Iwao punish him? Changing the commander before the battle would shake the morale of the army. The current situation was bad enough, and he had to change the commander of the Third Army? And he couldn't ignore the Emperor Meiji's opinion. When he returned to Japan, what would His Majesty the Emperor think of this matter?

"Don't let it happen again!"

"Hai!"

"The general offensive will begin tomorrow!"

The Japanese army was going to attack in one wave the next morning after finishing their last meal. The outcome would depend on this. When the army launched a general offensive, the Combined Fleet would send battleships to the shore and use naval guns to support the army's battle. Although it was too far away to be accurate and might blow their own people up into the sky, it was good even if they could only hear a noise. The army's situation was so bad that many people below the Oyama Rock had a foreboding premonition. In the past, the Japanese army liked to take risks, but now military actions can no longer be called adventures. It would be more accurate to say that they were struggling.

The next day was a good day, with the sun shining from the east. The Japanese soldiers received the most abundant food in two months. In addition to two rice balls, there was even meat soup! The strange aroma made everyone drool. The crowd in line heard a "gurgling" sound, which was the sound of their stomachs.

When the Japanese army was preparing to enjoy their last meal, the People's Army troops had already entered the starting position. Lin Yongchang was in command personally, so it was impossible for him not to notice the Japanese army's actions. The Japanese army was preparing to launch an attack after dawn, while the People's Army prepared to cook at three o'clock in the morning and launch an attack at five o'clock. When the sun tore through the darkness on the sea, and when the Japanese army was queuing up to receive food, thousands of artillery of the People's Army fired fiercely at the Japanese army. The shells fell to the ground and exploded, like a wall of flames. As the shells gradually moved to the east, the "tick-tick-tick" sound of the charge horn rang out on the starting position that was more than ten miles long.

Wang Hu was the first to jump out of the trench, holding high the hammer and sickle flag. He used all his strength to shout loudly:

Said: "Guards, forward!"

The soldiers of the Guards, holding their bayoneted rifles, formed a sparse line of soldiers on the snow and slowly advanced towards the explosion. The infantry-artillery coordination tactics in modern warfare is a very advanced skill. The Japanese army did not master this technology until World War II, and the People's Army could only use it with difficulty. So the Guards took the lead. The Guards had the best equipment and the highest morale. Only they could ignore the shells that might fall on their heads and move forward with the explosion. They even dared to enter within 200 meters of the shell landing point.

The Japanese army suffered unprecedented fierce bombardment, but it was unprecedented for them and could only be regarded as a small scene for the People's Army. When it was in Harbin, it was truly unprecedented. The firepower here in Laolongshan is less than half of that in Harbin, but even so, it caused great casualties and shock to the Japanese army. When the artillery fire was transferred, the Japanese army had not yet recovered from the chaos, and the Guards had already arrived. The Japanese army in some places put up fierce resistance. They used rifles, grenades and heavy machine guns to fight back, but more Japanese troops collapsed at the touch of a button and retreated to the rear in panic. In some places, the Japanese army simply laid down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.

Lin Yongchang's tactic was to "retreat and fight decisively". He built so many fortifications not to hide behind the defense line and get attacked, but to use them as a base for advancement. Oyama Iwao and others thought that they could be rescued by breaking through the Chinese defense line and reaching Rajin City, but Marshal Lin wanted to retreat gradually, consume the Japanese troops and morale, and then kill all the Japanese troops in one wave.

Chapter 343: Courage

On the battlefield in Outer Manchuria, the People's Army had always been defensive, and even when they launched a counterattack, it was only a short assault, and they retreated all the way to the west after the counterattack. This made the Japanese high-level officials form a fixed mindset, thinking that the Chinese would not launch a large-scale attack. Or perhaps they also knew that there was a problem, but they were in an extremely bad situation and had no more choices.

After being bombarded with large-scale artillery and infantry attacks, Nogi Maresuke, Ijichi Yukisuke and others wanted to organize their troops to fight back, but the Japanese command chain had been broken, and many troops were trapped in a situation of fighting on their own. In the eyes of those Japanese troops, they were surrounded by Chinese people, and some Japanese compatriots were shouting the slogan "surrender your guns and you will not be killed". After hesitating for a moment, many Japanese troops laid down their weapons and surrendered. Everyone has heard the rumor that the Chinese army treats prisoners well. Although the people above said that it was a lie, there are so many people who have come forward to tell their stories. It is said that many people who surrendered had steaming hot meals.

Even if the Chinese are truly extremely cruel, could the situation be worse than it is now?

The guards rushed into the headquarters and shouted, "Commander, the enemy has already arrived. Please make a strategic shift immediately!"

Nogi Maresuke said with a stern face: "I will not leave..." His two sons died in the battle, and the Third Army suffered countless casualties. It was defeated in the enemy's attack, and the rest of the Japanese army collapsed. How could he still live in the world with such a shameless war? When he went to the battle, he brought three coffins, saying that they were prepared for the Nogi family, father and son. Two of them had been used, so he would use the third one as well!

Ijichi Yukisuke couldn't let Nogi Maresuke die here, so he ordered the guards to take Nogi Maresuke away by force. But their actions were a little slow, and while they were still struggling, a unit of the Imperial Guards had already rushed to the vicinity of the Japanese headquarters. There were many powerful men in the Imperial Guards, and the platoon leader of this Imperial Guards was one of them. He was seen holding a heavy machine gun in both hands, and his feet were flying. After rushing to the nearby area, he put the machine gun on the snow pile and fired a burst of bullets at the Japanese headquarters.