Chapter 219: Solitaire Master

Although the dead man Yamamoto Ikki was killed by Kong Jie, his combat concept has successfully taken root in the North China Front Army.

With the intelligence provided by the Special High Technology Department, the command system and large targets of the northern defenders suffered a devastating blow.

From a military perspective, this decapitation operation was very beautiful. The devil only paid the price of more than 200 people, leaving the two armies on the northern front without command.

This kind of play was also used by San Dezi in the future Ardennes counterattack, which was regarded as an unspoken tacit understanding between the Axis powers.

The rear has achieved many results, and the front is naturally unwilling to be outdone.

After receiving the tactical guidance request from Shimizu Guizhi and Ikegami Kenkichi, Okamura Neiji flew to the headquarters of the 41st Division without saying a word.

"Shimizu, your performance disappoints me. I heard that because the front-line attack was not going well, you said a lot of bad things about me in front of your subordinates."

Without giving the other party a chance to refute, the old devil waved his hand to signal everyone to stay calm and continue his personal show.

"Okay, I know you have a lot of complaints. I didn't think carefully about this operation and didn't take the Eighth Route Army into account."

"I have transferred all the land aviation forces on the western, eastern and northeastern lines. With the strength of your division and brigade, it is definitely enough to take down Yuanqu County."

"Follow the order! Don't let me down!"

Tactical guidance means that the current battle situation is deadlocked and has exceeded the ability of the highest commander of the on-site troops. It can be understood as a polite way of passing the buck.

Although he is skeptical about the next arrangement, Qingshui Guigui still decided to execute the order. After all, it is not his responsibility if anything goes wrong.

"Hi!"

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It is well known that both the navy and the army like to command in a solitary manner.

This is because Japan has a small territory and few resources. Once a foreign war is launched, the domestic economic pressure is very high and it will collapse if you are not careful.

So their generals always like to gamble everything and strive for a quick victory.

If you win, you will get promoted and make a fortune. If you lose, you will commit suicide. It's no big deal.

The terrain of the northern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain is relatively flat.

Okamura Yasuji decided to take advantage of the preparation time of the 1st Air Division of the Eighth Route Army to gather all the remaining aircraft of the 3rd Flight Group, the 32nd Flight Squadron and the 83rd Flight Squadron.

This was a poker game. He was betting that the enemy air force would not frequently bomb an area in a short period of time, and that there was no connection between the defenders and the Eighth Route Army.

Facts have proved that the old devils bet right.

The 1st Air Division dispatched nearly a thousand sorties within 24 hours. All pilots were exhausted and needed to rest. They would not launch another air strike for a while.

After the defenders lost the command of their superiors, the Japanese army on the northern line launched an unprecedented fierce attack.

The direction of advancement chosen by Okamura Yasuji was naturally the position of Zhao Shiling's 43rd Army.

As an expert on the Republic of China, the old devils knew that the Shanxi Suiyuan Army did not listen to the command of the Central Army at all, but only followed the orders of Yan Laoxi. Once the pressure on the front battlefield was too great, the other side was very likely to abandon the front line.

20,000 infantrymen, coupled with heavy artillery and dozens of tanks, beat the two divisions of the 43rd Army in one fell swoop.

Previously, with air support, the Jin troops were able to hold their positions with the help of the tiger. Now facing the 41st Division's all-in attack, they were exposed all at once.

Under heavy pressure, the defenders also had problems, and the first to break out were water shortages and food shortages.

Zhongtiao Mountain is located in the Luliang Mountain area, which is the poorest area in the province. The local area is vast and sparsely populated, and it is simply a pipe dream to rely on local food supplies.

Under normal circumstances, the transport troops need to use rafts and wooden boats to transport military rations across the Yellow River, and then the soldiers carry them up the mountain by manpower.

Before the war, the Guosu defenders had to allocate up to one-third of their soldiers to collect firewood, carry water, and carry food, and a round trip would take 2 to 4 days.

Now the front line is tight, and no food has been transported for more than a day.

Even if each unit desperately stores food, there is only three days of inventory at most. If the battle continues like this, the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain will collapse without the Japanese attack.

The problem of drinking water is similar to that of food. Areas with slightly higher altitudes generally have no springs and can only rely on wells.

The water level of the water source in Zhongtiao Mountain is very low. The wells are often tens of meters deep, and at most half a bucket of water can be drawn at a time.

Although the defenders dug a lot of wells, they are obviously unreliable. When there is no war, each unit needs to arrange a large number of soldiers to go to the Yellow River to fetch water every day.

The inventory has been getting less and less since the war.

The grassroots soldiers complained, and their morale was falling every minute and every second. After a long time, they naturally collapsed.

What's more, the 43rd Army's attrition phenomenon was also very serious. Due to long-term combat, death from illness and desertion, most of the front-line troops in Zhongtiao Mountain were understaffed.

A company had as many as 70 to 80 soldiers, as few as 50 to 60, and even 30 to 40.

Facing the Japanese's desperate attack, the defeat on the northern front was inevitable.

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Several 105mm heavy howitzer high-explosive shells fell on the poor simple positions of the 47th Temporary Division of the 43rd Army with a scream of death.

Under the ravages of heavy artillery, the defense line was bombarded with piles of rubble everywhere. Some soldiers' bodies that had not been collected in time were also blown to pieces.

Then, the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, which was preparing to fight back on the artillery position, was horrified to find that more than a dozen shells were flying towards them.

Six 75mm mountain guns were overturned to the ground, and the precious artillery could not escape the fate of being wiped out. After just one round of shelling, an artillery company lost its combat effectiveness.

The soldier who was lucky enough to escape the disaster huddled in the anti-artillery fortifications in a daze. Facing such a large-scale artillery group of the devils, he did not even have the ability to resist.

The smoke and dust caused by the first round of shells had not yet dissipated, and the second round fell again, followed by the third and fourth rounds.

In just a few minutes, the devils used heavy artillery of various calibers to plow the positions of the Temporary 47th Division over and over again.

The opponent seemed to be determined to go all in, without considering the loss at all.

The entire 43rd Army had been stunned. After losing air superiority, many commanders were briefly confused.

In the absence of effective air defense means and tunnel-type shelter systems, the strong air strikes of the North China Front Army brought huge casualties to the officers and soldiers of the Shanxi Army.

Since the beginning of the war, ten officers above the battalion level have been killed in bombing, and the defense strength of the grassroots has become increasingly weak.

In the command post on the front line, a regimental commander's eyes were red. He only took a glance at the intensity of the enemy's artillery fire and knew that the soldiers on the position must be in danger.

In order to request support from his superiors, he kept urging his staff.

"Why haven't you contacted the division commander yet! What on earth are you doing!"

"If you keep fighting like this! We will have to fight all our resources! This is simply asking me to fill the line with human lives!"

"Send all the signal soldiers to me! Even if you have to crawl, you have to crawl to the division headquarters command post! If there is no support, wait for me to collect the bodies!"

Faced with such an angry commander, the staff shook his head helplessly. In just half an hour, more than half of a regiment was killed or wounded, and everyone was under great pressure.

The most fatal thing is that they have completely lost contact with their superiors. Neither the temporary 47th Division nor the 43rd Army, which was directly under them, gave any instructions.

"Commander, all the telephone lines have been blown up by the devils. With such fierce artillery fire, the signalmen can do nothing!"

"Why don't we withdraw? Anyway, there is more than one regiment on the defense line. Even if the superiors investigate, it is not the war's fault!"

The commander found that his own staff officer had the idea of ​​escaping, and the angry commander took out the pistol from his waist and pointed it at the other's head without saying a word!

"Are you a soldier or a Shanxi man? You spineless soft egg!"

"Don't you know how to fight without the support of the Eighth Route Army? Isn't that how we fought the Battle of Taiyuan!"

"Pass my order! Before receiving instructions from the superiors! No one can retreat a step! Even if you die, you must die on the battlefield!"

"Yes!"

Originally, Henglingguan had three solid stone dams, which stretched for more than ten miles. According to the terrain and defense needs, the defenders built more than 200 bunkers with stone strips and stones.

This kind of fortification still has a certain defense capability against the devil's light infantry.

But now they are facing the heavy artillery of the 41st Division, and all the fortresses are shattered at the touch of a button. The defenders who lost their fortifications were beaten back step by step by the enemy.

In order to stabilize the front line, the soldiers could only rescue some temporary fortifications under the moonlight on the night of the 7th. After all, they were suppressed by the enemy's artillery during the day and could not work at all.

But even building such inferior things would cost a lot.

As one side gained and the other side lost, the Japanese army almost stepped on the bodies of the defenders to advance.

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In a broken position, a young soldier dug his battalion commander out of the soil.

"Battalion commander! Wake up! The devil's artillery fire is over!"

Hearing the call, Jiang Dagui barely opened his eyes. He supported his comrade's shoulders and slowly stood up, and then patted his head in great pain.

An hour ago, this veteran was still a platoon leader.

Just ten minutes after the start of the war, the battalion commander who was holding on to the position died for his country, and a company commander hurriedly took over as the acting battalion commander.

After an hour of fierce fighting, all three company commanders were killed, and he, the oldest platoon leader, had to act as the battalion commander.

In fact, the remaining soldiers were barely enough for one platoon. Facing the Japanese armored forces, the soldiers tried their best to hold the position.

The smoke on the battlefield slowly dissipated, and the survivors had seen the tanks. Even dozens of Japanese soldiers who were crouching, they could see clearly.

"Quick! Let the brothers take their positions! Get ready for battle!"

"Bring me a pack of explosives! Let me deal with that tank!"

"This should be the last wave. It's an honor to fight side by side with you. See you in the next life!"

After giving the order, Jiang Dagui walked towards the heavy machine gun without hesitation.

This is the position with the highest casualties in the entire battalion. Several machine gunners and ammunition handlers have fallen on a position of less than three square meters.

After simply cleaning up the piles of shells nearby, he installed the last 250-round canvas belt on the Maxim.

Facing the vicious Japanese, Jiang Dagui fired all his remaining bullets and waited quietly in the crater.

The vibration of the ground let him know that the tank was getting closer and closer, and then he pulled the fuse and launched the last charge of his life against the Japanese tank.

Boom!

The explosive pack that was almost close to the body easily destroyed the Type 95 light tank.

At the same time, the remaining soldiers in the battalion also chose to follow their superiors.

Although the soldiers had just been bombarded fiercely, many of them could not stand steadily. But after seeing the battalion commander attack, they instinctively pulled out their bayonets and inserted them into the slots.

More than 30 soldiers held their shining bayonets and used all their strength to quickly approach the devils.

Unlike the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, which had just been bombarded, the Japanese infantry were all energetic. As long as they did not face the air raid of the Eighth Route Army, they regained their confidence.

Close combat, tragic hand-to-hand combat was staged again.

The sacrifice of a battalion only delayed the enemy's advance for an hour.

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The command post of the 47th Division of the 43rd Army on the north line of Zhongtiao Mountain.

"There are only 4,000 people left in our division, and there are few artillery pieces left. It is not a solution to continue fighting like this."

"The devil's offensive is too fierce. I can't bear this responsibility without the order of the superior. If it doesn't work, let's retreat in turns!"

Hearing the proposal of his old friend, the commander of the 70th Division trembled and lit a cigarette. After taking a big puff, he angrily threw the cigarette butt on the ground.

"Okay! Then let's retreat!"

"Without the help of the Eighth Route Army, this battle can't be fought at all. It's only been two hours, and I have only 3,000 people left, not counting the seriously injured who can't move!"

"Retreat is also considered to obey the president's order! I'll arrange it now!"

To be fair, the grassroots officers of the two divisions of the 43rd Army are very good. Without orders from their superiors, the soldiers went forward one after another and defended their positions for two hours.

Although the positions changed hands many times, they were generally able to fight well. After all, fighting will cannot make up for the gap in strength.

It's a pity that the two division commanders were not good people. Seeing the fierce offensive of the 41st Division, they wanted to retreat.

In fact, if they hold on for another half an hour, the Air Force 1st Division will be able to reach the battlefield. With the 17th Army on the flank, there is a high probability that the front line can be pushed back.

In the final analysis, this is still due to a certain miser.

After all, the Egg Dancer had ordered his subordinates not to fight the Japanese army head-on. For him, the soldiers in his hands were everything. If they were all killed, they would completely lose the qualification to compete for Shanxi.

After a brief discussion, the two immediately abandoned their positions and retreated to the north. They decided to advance westward between Fushan and Yicheng and cross the Fen River to break out.

After taking the position of the 43rd Army, Okamura Yasuji did not order a pursuit.

For the potential ally of the Shanxi Suiyuan Army, the old devils still wanted to fight for it. The other side not only gave up the position, but also accepted the bait they threw.

After the end of this battle, even if Yan Laoxi did not want to surrender, his reputation in the Republic of China was ruined.

As for the 17th Army, which was still resisting stubbornly, Okamura Yasuji also made arrangements.

Although there were tens of thousands of defenders there using favorable terrain and solid fortifications, they were resisting step by step. But because of the desertion of friendly forces, they were in a state of fighting alone and being attacked from all sides.

With superior manpower and firepower, if the enemy does not give up the position, it will be eaten by the 41st Division sooner or later.

Okamura Ningji used the strategy of all-in to successfully separate the 5th Army and the 14th Army, and even cut off the supply and transportation lines of the Guosu defenders.

Soon, the news spread to the southwestern capital and Luoyang.

The news of the defeat made the bald man extremely angry. While cursing his mother, he asked the commander of the First War Zone to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

I will update two more chapters during the day