Chapter 260 A Message to the Old Man in the Southwest Capital

After arriving at the top floor of the detective team, the artillerymen began to assemble the M18 cannon with great fury.

Captain Jia's death deeply stimulated every soldier.

They didn't know the specific identity of the other person, and they were not interested in the traitor uniform they were wearing. They only knew that they were comrades who sacrificed their lives to liberate Taiyuan.

"Set up the cannon!"

"Let the Japanese see what it means to attach a bayonet to a cannon!"

"Aim directly at me and blast that son of a bitch! Avenge your dead comrades!"

The field of view on the roof is wide and the shooting range is extremely good. Not only can you have a bird's-eye view of the entire scene to find the enemy's firepower points, but you can also beat the enemy from a high position.

In a sense, the firepower effect of the Miss 75 mounted on the commanding heights to support the infantry is no worse than that of the Shire B1.

"Load!"

Following Wang Chengzhu's order, the ammunition hand immediately took out a 75mm high-explosive bomb from the ammunition box.

"put!"

The gunner pulled the match rope, and the enemy's defensive position was instantly reduced to ruins. Dust and gravel even splashed on the heads of the artillerymen.

Mere civil fortifications alone could not block the close range direct fire of the barrel cannon.

Appreciating the tragic situation of the Japanese, the comrades all smiled from the bottom of their hearts.

As an artilleryman, no one can resist the temptation to become a bomb.

"Battal Commander, this shot is okay!"

"Should we take advantage of the victory and send the little devils to see the bullshit locusts?"

Because his physical fitness was not up to standard, Wang Chengzhu was unable to join the artillery support company of the 1st Marine Regiment as he wished, and was forced to separate from his old regimental commander.

But gold shines wherever it goes. With his excellent artillery skills and training capabilities, Zhu Zhu is now the battalion commander of the artillery unit directly under the 386th Brigade.

If he has enough equipment and further improves his command ability, he will definitely be more than enough to be an artillery regiment commander.

After roughly observing the situation on the battlefield, Wang Chengzhu did not choose to attack the same point. He directed the soldiers to move the M18 cannon and said towards another fire point a few hundred meters away:

"Don't waste the shells, we only have sixty rounds left."

"Just leave the position just now to the infantry. You must trust your comrades!"

"At the eleven o'clock position, continue loading. The enemies within a two-kilometer radius are all our targets. Knock them one by one!"

"yes!"

Facts have proved that the infantrymen will not live up to the expectations of their brother troops.

When seeing the Japanese's defensive position being severely damaged, the platoon leader of the assault platoon made the most correct choice at the first time based on the Japanese's existing firepower, number of people, bunkers, etc.

"Class 1! Class 2! Follow me!"

"Fire team! Suppress the enemy and help us attack smoothly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the platoon leader did not hesitate at all and directly led two squads of soldiers to conduct a flanking maneuver towards the enemy position.

The route is extremely reliable, with some houses serving as shelters along the way. The assault team quickly approached the enemy using bunkers and alternating firepower.

After receiving the order, the fire team immediately used two light machine guns and several rifles to suppress it.

There was even a comrade who was not afraid of danger, carried 40 pieces of fire despite sparse counterattacks, and gave the Japanese a rocket armor-piercing bomb without saying a word.

Relying on the terrifying suppression power of the fire team, the commando team has successfully circled back to the enemy's flank.

At a distance of fifty meters, there is no need to mention the value of a dozen submachine guns.

"Grenade! First class uses grenades to clear the way!"

"Hit the officers first! Don't let the Japanese launch an organized counterattack!"

With the command knife on the enemy's waist, the soldiers gave priority to killing the highest-ranking commander in the position.

After entering the effective firing range of MAS38, amidst a burst of shooting like fried beans, the remaining Japanese soldiers on the position suffered heavy casualties.

The entire assault platoon is a group of soldiers who have known each other for many years, and they are already on the same page regarding tactics.

Even if there is no communication between the two parties, the squad leader of the fire team knows what support his platoon leader needs. When the two squads were close to the enemy's flank, he turned the muzzle of the gun in the opposite direction.

Now we just need to wait for the Japanese to be driven out like ducks, and then we can win this small battle in one go.

After the battle, the comrades handed over the wounded to the health workers coming from the rear, and then continued the attack due north.

The tactics arranged by the brigade commander for this battle were not complicated. The main attack was launched from the east and south. With the detailed city defense map, the entire Taiyuan City was cut into a field shape with two swords.

As long as the first step is successful, Yoshio Iwamatsu can be sentenced to death.

The next step is to take advantage of the number of people, first divide and then encircle and annihilate, first eat the meat and then gnaw the bones.

The specific method is that unless they encounter enemy positions stuck in strategic transportation areas, when the vanguard encounters strong houses and strongholds, they do not need to confront the Japanese soldiers head-on.

Just leave more troops than the Japanese troops to monitor and keep an eye on the enemy to prevent them from running around.

The main force went through the wall and over the top, continued to move forward, and occupied most of the city first.

To be as pervasive as mercury, first disrupt the enemy's defense formation, making it isolated and chaotic, and then capture strongholds one by one.

······

First Army Headquarters, basement.

Looking at the battle reports coming back from the front line one after another, Yoshio Iwamatsu closed his eyes in pain.

Without him, the main reason was that the defense line collapsed too quickly. It could even be said that it collapsed at the first touch and could not stop the advancement of the Eighth Route Army.

Although street fighting can narrow the gap in hard power between the two sides to a certain extent. But as more and more Eighth Route Army soldiers poured into Taiyuan City, the ratio of enemy and our forces has become 5:1.

In addition, the artillery that can do everything in the world is like a ghost.

The street fighting fortress on which the warriors rely for survival is no different from an urn, it's just a matter of time to see when it will be cremated.

"How is the preparation for what I ordered?"

After hearing the words of his commander, Hanaya stepped forward and came to the other side.

Compared with an hour ago, the old devil had a few more bandages on his body, and there was an obvious gunshot wound on his arm. After looking at the watch on his hand, he opened the folder and began to report:

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General, don't worry."

"I personally led people to arrange the bombs in the arsenal and granary, and there will be no problems."

"Calculate the time, it will explode almost soon."

As soon as the voice fell, a deafening explosion sounded in Taiyuan City, followed by a huge fireball rising into the sky.

The shock wave caused by the explosion shattered the remaining glass in the headquarters. The whole building was shaking, and the beams and columns were creaking, as if they were about to collapse at any time.

Even Iwamatsu Yoshio, who was in the basement, could feel the strong shock.

Looking at the billowing smoke rising into the sky, both the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese army were temporarily stunned.

For the devils, blowing up the ammunition depot meant that their commander had lost confidence, and the mission of defending the city could basically be declared a failure.

For the Eighth Route Army, the soldiers did not feel sorry for the munitions, but were concerned about the safety of the people.

After all, the army had been rich for a long time, and unless it was a heavy howitzer of more than 105 mm, it would not be a pity if ordinary Japanese weapons were destroyed.

Fortunately, there were not many munitions in the ammunition depot. In order to firmly defend Taiyuan City, Iwamatsu Yoshio distributed a month's worth of ammunition to each stronghold and fortress.

Moreover, the ammunition depot was a military stronghold, and there were no civilians around.

A few seconds later, huge smoke and dust rose from another place. The munitions were blown up, and the granary would definitely not be spared.

This really made the soldiers feel distressed. Now the three major bases, especially in northwest Shanxi, are very short of food.

The First Army's granary stores military rations prepared for the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, which is enough for three independent mixed brigades and four Type B divisions to eat for a month.

Listening to the sound of gunfire coming from far to near and getting more and more dense, Iwamatsu Yoshio in the basement clenched his fists in despair.

As an ambitious senior officer, he felt that he had been extremely frustrated as the commander of the First Army for the past six months, and he could even say that he died before he could achieve his goal.

If he had the opportunity to choose again, he would definitely stay at the head of the 15th Division and would never clean up for Yoshio Shinozuka.

What made Iwamatsu Yoshio even more uncomfortable was that Taiyuan would become the first major city lost by his brother since 1937, and it was a city garrisoned by the First Army.

As a lieutenant general commander, he might be included in history books and be despised by future generations.

Moreover, the commander on the opposite side was so steady in fighting.

There were only 10,000 people left in the First Army, but they used five times the force to attack, leaving no chance for themselves to break out.

"Report to the general, according to your order, the arsenal and granary have been destroyed."

"It's a pity that the factories in the city were captured in advance by an unknown enemy, and we only destroyed 20% of them."

"If there is no order, I hope to take the last guard to defend the gate of the headquarters and buy the last bit of time for you, Lieutenant General."

After these words, Iwamatsu Yoshio was slightly moved.

Hanaya Masa, who was originally despised by others, actually looked a little pleasing to the eye.

Although the other party was a brainless reckless man, he remained loyal to Tianhuang even at the last moment, and he was also a good senior general.

After thinking for a while, the old devil issued the last order of his life.

"Send a farewell telegram to General Okamura Yasuji, the commander of the North China Front Army!"

Hanaya Masa's face flashed with relief, and then he picked up the folder on the table and posed as if recording.

"Our First Army fought fiercely with the Eighth Route Army for a day and a night. The enemy deployed ten times the force and launched a human wave assault tactic. But our army persisted in resistance from beginning to end and did not surrender, and did not do anything to let down our brother country."

"However, the reinforcements have not arrived yet, and the First Army is no match for the enemy. Our army decided to fight to the last man to repay the locust's kindness! Long live His Majesty the Heavenly Locust, and long live the brother country of Japan!"

"That's all. Send the telegram. I agree that you go to the front line and defend the gate of the headquarters. But you need to destroy all the important information of the communication equipment first."

The First Army has a lot of shameful things, such as the hospital that was attacked by Zheng Yingqi and Li Yunlong.

That hospital not only used living people as materials, but also conducted many experiments that are expressly prohibited by international regulations. If those reports were obtained by the Eighth Route Army, many unfavorable factors would definitely arise.

"Hi!"

"Take care, Lieutenant General!"

Hanatani stood at attention and then bowed his head heavily, turning to walk to the communication room next door.

······

After thirteen hours of fierce fighting, the eastern and southern groups had successfully divided the enemy into four independent areas.

The northern group, which was responsible for the feint attack, also crossed the moat under the leadership of the 10th Brigade Commander Fan, and entered the city from Zhenyuan Gate and Gongji Gate.

The soldiers of the nine brigades, under the guidance of the workers' pickets and some ordinary people, began to orderly clear out the remnants of the First Army.

At present, Iwamatsu Yoshio's headquarters has been surrounded by the 772nd Regiment. However, Cheng Xiazi did not rush to launch an attack, but waited for the order of the brigade commander.

Half an hour later, the commander-in-chief of this operation came to the scene in person.

"Commander-in-chief, the headquarters of the First Army is in front. Do you think we should break in and try to capture some senior Japanese generals alive, or just open fire?"

After hearing Cheng Xiazi's question, the brigade commander raised his telescope and looked at the situation by the light of the fire.

At present, the devils have built some civil engineering works with the headquarters building to fight a desperate battle. If they rely solely on infantry to charge, the casualties of the soldiers will definitely be considerable.

Although it is the dream of every commander in the army to break into the First Army headquarters and capture Iwamatsu Yoshio alive. But if the price to be paid is too high, it is completely unnecessary.

What's more, there is already a prisoner at the level of lieutenant general in the border area.

Coupled with Ando Twenty-three's performance in the anti-war alliance, the brigade commander made a decision quickly.

"Just fire, the Japanese lieutenant general is not that easy to catch. Iwamatsu Yoshio has probably committed suicide, there is no need to let the soldiers make meaningless sacrifices."

"Do we have enough shells? If not, just wait a while. The battle has been going on for so long, one or two hours is not a big deal."

As the main force of the 386th Brigade, the 772nd Regiment has a very strong foundation.

In addition to three infantry battalions that were considered overstaffed in the European battlefield, Cheng Xiazi also spent half a year to piece together an artillery battalion.

After hearing the commander-in-chief's order, he waved back. The battalion commander of the artillery battalion immediately entered the position with a Type 92 infantry gun, three Type 75 guns and twelve mortars of different calibers.

"Comrades! Have you heard the commander-in-chief's order?"

"Next, fire all the remaining shells, and let's give this old devil Iwamatsu Yoshio a grand ceremony."

The brigade commander was still very confident in Cheng Xiazi's strength. Moreover, the First Army is just a candle in the wind, and it is only a matter of time before it wins.

As if thinking of something interesting, he called the communicator who had been following him.

"Send a message to the deputy commander-in-chief, and ask him to help me pass a message to the old man in the southwest capital."

"Just say that wherever my troops go, the people welcome them wholeheartedly, which can be said to be the best time! Do you envy that state of vitality and everything competing for development?"