Chapter 1440: Eating Dumplings and Fighting the Japanese

"Order the besieged Japanese troops not to attack violently, and to use cold guns and cold artillery to attack and cut off the connection between them as the main means of combat. Anyone who sniped the Japanese troops with cold guns and had battlefield records to prove it, whether it was the officers and soldiers of our Four-Line Regiment or the 11th Division or the 18th Division, could apply to the logistics department of the Four-Line Regiment for two cans of beef, 2 catties of refined rice, 10 candies, a box of cigarettes and 3 dollars!"

Commander Hu of the 11th Division still gave face to Tang Dao. In view of the fact that the tactics of besieging the two Japanese troops were completely initiated and led by the Four-Line Regiment, he made a report to his army commander and Commander Chen who was far away in Enshi, and appointed Tang Dao as the first commander of Beidoushan and Sifangwan areas in the name of the highest commander of Shipai Fortress, responsible for commanding the four infantry regiments participating in the encirclement and annihilation of the Japanese army.

As the first commander, Tang Dao had never considered a strong attack. Although the Japanese were surrounded, they had a strong ability to build field fortifications. In the face of deep despair, they performed at an extraordinary level. In just one afternoon and one night, they built trenches and anti-artillery holes based on the terrain of the mountainous area.

If they were to attack, thousands of Japanese soldiers would definitely die, but at least half of the Chinese soldiers present would have to be buried with the Japanese army. Tang Tuanzuo would not do such a loss-making business.

As for whether there would be more troubles, according to the current strength of the Japanese 11th Army after the loss, unless Yokoyama Yong had the courage to rush all his remaining 70,000 troops into the mountains, there would be a possibility of breaking the encirclement.

But now the 10th Army of the 3rd Theater and the 74th Army of the 9th Theater have arrived at the outskirts of Shipai. The Chinese side has a force of 180,000 troops within a radius of 100 kilometers. It is a question of whether Yokoyama Yong, who has lost his edge, has the courage.

Anyway, even if he is as brave as Tang Dao, he will think twice before acting in such a situation.

The tactic of encircling but not attacking has been approved by the commanders of the two war zones.

But not attacking does not mean not attacking by force, which does not mean that the Japanese cannot be killed. Tang Dao, who was calculated by the two big guys, was angry and could only kill the Japanese to vent his anger.

As soon as Tang Dao, the supreme commander, gave the order, except for the officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment, the other three infantry regiments were all eager to fight and excited. The lives of the Japanese soldiers were no longer related to the national hatred and the anger of revenge. It was all about delicious food and money.

The reward given by Tang Tuanzuo was really too generous. Three dollars was fine, but the key was that canned beef, milk candy, refined rice, and cigarettes were the most scarce supplies on the front line. These things could not be bought even if you had money.

Even in the elite infantry army of the 18th Army, not many people have eaten Japanese canned beef, let alone smoking. Some heavy smokers just roll up some dry leaves and smoke them. Sometimes, they don't even have paper, so they just light a dry branch and put it in their mouth to satisfy their craving.

This Tang Tuanzuo gave a box of cigarettes as a reward, who can bear it?

As the saying goes: when you are poor, you think of change! In order to get rewards without violating military regulations and discipline, officers at all levels who were eager to take down the Japanese positions and chop off the Japanese heads to get credit came up with various tricks.

Some, like the officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment, sent a large number of three-person teams to sneak into the mountains under the cover of night and bushes. At the closest time, they were less than 300 meters away from the Japanese positions, and then in the daytime, they took the opportunity to shoot and kill one and ran away quickly.

This is the most common one. The main point is to see whether the lurking level and shooting skills are superb enough. Shooting the Japanese soldiers in the trenches at a naked eye of 300 to 400 meters is not an ordinary shooting level. It is a well-known accurate shooter in any infantry company.

The reason for such a long distance is the old saying: trapped beasts still fight! The Japanese devils are not good men and women. Although the 231st Infantry Regiment is already a turtle in a jar, it is still in a jar and not on the chopping block. The shooting skills of the Japanese infantry and the grenade launcher with a range of up to 500 meters are not vegetarian. If you are bitten, you will be injured at the least or die at the worst.

Seeing that the final victory is about to be won, the Chinese soldiers are not stupid. It cannot be said that they have lost the right to raise their guns and cheer before the victory.

There are not many such accurate shooters in China, but you can't resist the participation of many infantry companies! There were as many as 30 infantry companies besieging the 231st Infantry Regiment alone. Even if each company had one or two awesome accurate shooters, each round of attack could kill 20 to 30 Japanese infantrymen.

The Japanese army was so nervous that they either huddled in the cold trenches and dared not even show their heads, or observed the surrounding mountains and forests as if they were facing a great enemy, and dared not relax at all.

This is the purpose of the Tang sword. When a person's spirit is constantly tense, adrenaline will be secreted vigorously and the reaction will be relatively quick in the early stage, but nothing is infinite, and the same is true for adrenaline. In the middle and late stages, people will become dull and extremely tired. This is why after a large-scale exam, many energetic young people still have to sleep for more than ten hours to recover.

The Tang sword is to use continuous death to tease the Japanese army, making them continue to be nervous and excited, until their spiritual core is gradually exhausted, and even the iron body can't stand the internal consumption.

Tang Dao had no intention of spending more than half a month here with them. It would be fine to let the officers and soldiers spend New Year's Eve on the battlefield, but the Lantern Festival must be celebrated in a lively manner.

As for whether there will be someone who pretends to be the leader of the army, maybe it is possible if it is replaced by other troops, but in the Four Lines Regiment or the 11th Division and the 18th Division, which have strict military management, this phenomenon is extremely rare, especially after experiencing such a bloody battle, it is extremely rare to survive. If the soldiers still came to cheat and use this trick, then they would be too disappointing. Tang Dao chose to believe them.

In addition to the conventional ones, there are naturally also the unconventional ones.

An infantry battalion of the 33rd Regiment of the 11th Division came up with a strange move. Didn't Tang Tuanzuo try his best to divide and surround the Japanese army? After two full days of observation, this infantry battalion took advantage of the night of New Year's Eve, January 27. The Japanese army was paralyzed by the thought that this day was China's New Year's Eve and the Chinese military would not attack. Three elite infantry squads Ambush in front of the position, and then use personal connections to persuade the regiment leader to contact his artillery battalion to bombard the high ground stationed by a Japanese infantry squad.

This kind of shelling from time to time on the hilltops became almost a daily routine during the two or three days of siege. The Japanese infantry had long been accustomed to it. When encountering shelling, they would hide in trenches or shell-proof caves and endure it silently.

The 231st Infantry Regiment still has more than a dozen mountain guns available, but with the constant consumption and the discarding of a lot of baggage during the evacuation, the artillery shells have been fired one by one. The Chinese shelled ten times, and they were able to fight back. Once is enough.

There is no way, for the Japanese army at this time, it is also a disaster. What the Chinese have suffered before, it is now their turn to bear it.

But the Japanese did not expect that the Chinese would be so bold. More than 40 elite infantrymen carrying submachine guns had been lurking under their noses for a long time, only 100 meters away from the position where the cannons were rumbling.

Therefore, when the sound of artillery gradually became sparse, and the Japanese army had just emerged from the simple anti-gun hole, they heard the soldiers who were still on the guard position shouting heartbreakingly about the enemy attack, and then heard something that made them even more frightened. Chinese: 'Vote for me! ’

Dozens of black objects were thrown into the Japanese trenches from 30 meters below the hillside. At that moment, the Japanese infantry were so frightened that the blood in their bodies almost froze.

The Chinese artillery is not terrible, because there are no large-caliber heavy artillery, and the destructive power of the 75mm mountain cannon is average. As long as there are anti-gun holes and trenches, unless you are very unlucky, generally speaking, you will not die.

But what the 39th Division, which has been fighting on the Chinese battlefield for more than a year, is most afraid of is the Chinese long wooden handle grenade imitating the German Empire. According to statistics, this thing caused the highest casualty rate to the Imperial Army.

Even though the destructive power of a single missile is not high, you can't resist many of them! There are dozens of this guy, which is equivalent to mortar shells hitting the trenches with precision and exploding. So who can withstand it?

But obviously, fear cannot stop people from flying grenade shrapnel, only death can.

When a person is dead, any amount of shrapnel will only make the body tremble one more time.

Under the white light of the flares, the Chinese elites who rushed into the trenches through the smoke of two rounds of bombs shot at everything they could see with submachine guns and pistols.

It took less than 10 minutes to annihilate all the Japanese troops in this position, while only suffering less than 5 casualties.

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That is to say, a lot of ammunition was consumed. The 40 elites who concentrated almost the entire infantry battalion's submachine guns and pistols fired more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition in just ten minutes, with an average of more than 100 rounds per person.

The distressed colonel commander of the 33rd Regiment, who was over 50 years old, scolded his only remaining battalion commander for ten minutes on the phone. However, he heard that the director of the Logistics Department of the Si Xing Regiment had promised to deliver the goods before dawn. After receiving the reward for killing 46 Japanese soldiers and adding a special reward of a pig's hind leg, he turned his anger into joy and directly praised the infantry battalion commander for his proper tactics.

Several communications soldiers at the headquarters of the 33rd Regiment were stunned for a moment. The regiment leader changed his face in Sichuan Opera faster than a professional, without even a transition.

The surprise attack on this small hilltop to kill 46 Japanese soldiers was only secondary. More importantly, this hilltop was like a knife, completely cutting off the two highlands defended by an infantry squadron of the Japanese army and its main force.

By the time the Japanese army reacted, an infantry company from the infantry battalion had already entered the position, took over the defense of the high ground, and placed two of the four heavy machine guns available for the entire battalion on the high ground. At the same time, 33 The regiment's 6 82nd guns provide fire support at any time.

On the first day of the 41st Lunar New Year in China, the military flag was planted on a corner of the high ground where the Japanese army belonged in the encirclement. For the Japanese army, it was a small thing to be extremely dazzling. It meant that with the erosion of the Chinese army, their position gradually became smaller. The tactical activity space is further compressed.

Early in the morning before it was completely light, the Japanese army used two infantry squadrons to try to retake the position. Before they reached 300 meters in front of the position, they were directly bombarded by 24 mountain artillery fire.

It was a masterpiece of cooperation between the 11th Division Artillery Battalion and the Mountain Artillery Company of the Sixings Regiment. How could the Japanese in the shelling trenches be as happy as the shelling of the exposed Japanese? Being bombed to death in a trench, you can't even see the blood, but outside you can see your arms and legs flying around, it's a completely different feeling.

Only then did the Japanese completely accept the reality. The offensive and defensive sides had already changed positions. They were now turtles huddled in their shells. The Chinese just hoped to use this method to get them out of the trenches so that they could be exhausted little by little.

The 231st Infantry Regiment wisely gave up on the 200 comrades who were cut off, just as the 11th Army gave up on them.

Give up on this! If you do it a lot, it can easily become a habit.

A Japanese infantry squadron could only watch the Chinese forcibly separate from their own positions and trap them again.

Originally, they could get supplies from the brigade through this high ground, but now they are hanging outside the isolated island, let alone supplies, even looking at each other has become a luxury.

Speaking of New Year's Eve, the Japanese are naturally miserable and have nothing, because the Chinese constantly organize cold guns and cold artillery attacks. They dare not even light a fire in the cold winter night. The rice balls eaten by all the Japanese in the encirclement, including Colonel Masayoshi Yamada, are cold. Even if they eat for a long time, they can still feel the winter temperature.

On the Chinese side, Tang Dao ordered each company to draw enough people in the afternoon to roll out dough and make dumplings in the reverse slope tunnel. Although there is a ban on open fire, the places where the cooking squads cook are all outside the range of the Japanese mountain artillery.

Moreover, the Japanese artillery in the encirclement generally would not fire easily, because the area they occupied was extremely limited, and once they fired, it was very easy to discover the position. Now the Chinese side has more than 30 mountain artillery and dozens of mortars staring at them, and they may launch a saturation attack at any time.

If the last defensive weapon was gone, Yamada Masayoshi would probably not cry, but cut his belly directly.

There were more than 10,000 people in the four infantry regiments who participated in the battle. Except for those who were on the attack mission, all of them ate hot dumplings on the night of New Year's Eve.

Just this meal of dumplings consumed 5,000 kilograms of bacon purchased by the Four-Line Regiment when it set out from the mountain city. The Chinese officers and soldiers who had just survived the meat grinder-like battlefield were full of oil in their mouths, and many of them were full of tears.

For example, Shi Dakuan, who insisted on coming with him, was already the acting company commander of the 9th Company of the 31st Regiment, but the 9th Company was just a number. Apart from him, a sergeant company commander who was still quite lively and had just been promoted to the third level, there was no one else.

The commander of the 31st Regiment simply let Shi Dakuan follow him. Letting this brave soldier be his infantry company commander was to inspire the officers and soldiers of the entire division to fight bravely, but he must not be a guy who didn't know any tactics!

An incompetent general killed the whole army. Although a company commander was only a grassroots officer, he had 150 people under his command. If a new recruit who rose like a rocket led 150 people to death, not to mention that the excitement of the division commander surnamed Hu would make him lose face, he, as the regiment commander, would become a joke of the entire army.

This experienced army colonel wanted Shi Dakuan to follow him and teach him how to be a good commander, which was fundamentally different from a soldier who only relied on risking his life.

Shi Dakuan worked hard. He had been following his regiment commander for the past two days, watching how he issued military orders to the battalion commanders and the various opinions he raised when inspecting the positions of the various battalions.

This pleased the army colonel, who felt that this 17-year-old boy was a good candidate. If he was trained and studied by his side for half a year or a year, he might be a qualified company commander.

But when it came time to eat dumplings, the army colonel found that the boy started crying while eating.

"What's wrong with you kid? How come you have cat urine when you have dumplings to eat?" The army colonel, who came from a humble background, glared.

"Commander, I think of the squad leader and the others. Before the battle that day, the squad leader told me that after the battle, he would use his military pay to treat our whole class to dumplings and drinks. The platoon leader also said that he would join in. As a result, they all left and didn't get to eat a single dumpling." Shi Dakuan's eyes were filled with tears, without any of the vicious look of him on the battlefield, holding the Japanese trachea in his mouth, with red eyes and carrying a gun to fight the Japanese army everywhere.

"You kid, it's inevitable that a clay pot will break at the wellhead, and it's inevitable that a general will die in battle." The army colonel was choked by the young soldier's words. He wanted to comfort himself, but he couldn't even comfort himself.

In the battle on the 23rd, his 31st Regiment was actually crippled, and there were less than 700 people in the whole regiment who could still fight. This time, he was able to come here to participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the Japanese army. In fact, it was the selfishness of the division commander surnamed Hu. He wanted to get more military merits for the 31st Regiment. When the report was submitted, he could get more bonuses for the officers and soldiers who died in the battle.

Tang Dao probably knew the thoughts of the division commander surnamed Hu, and he was very considerate of this former main infantry regiment, which was actually only an infantry battalion. The entire 31st Regiment guarded three high grounds, which were the most difficult terrain for the Japanese army to break through, so as to prevent them from suffering further losses.

"Don't be too sad. I specially approve you a bowl of dumplings, a bottle of wine, and a pack of cigarettes. After we finish this last battle, you can go to the graves of your brothers in the 9th Company to offer them." The army colonel said.

"Thank you, sir. I thank you on behalf of our brothers in the 9th Company." Shi Dakuan's eyes were full of gratitude.

He knew how precious the supplies on the battlefield were. For his wish, a great commander was so generous. That was really a deep friendship.

"You kid, you are a good company commander!" The army colonel patted Shi Dakuan's shoulder fiercely.

Shi Dakuan was slightly stunned. This was not the first time the commander praised him, but it was the first time he said he could be a company commander.

It was not because he was the only soldier in the company who came down alive from the battlefield, nor was it his impressive military exploits of killing 6 enemies, but it was actually a remembrance of his sacrificed comrades.

The young soldier did not understand, it was because of purity and heart!

Maybe he will have many changes in the future, but not forgetting his comrades who shared life and death will give him a unique cohesion, which is the first condition for being a good grassroots officer.

Many things that you don't know can be learned, but this alone cannot be learned, that is the nature of man!

The army colonel liked this soldier very much. He saw his former self in Shi Dakuan.

But the army colonel didn't know that this soldier did something incredible after eating dumplings on New Year's Eve.

In order to repay the captain for promising to give his brothers a bowl of dumplings, he decided to earn the canned beef reward from Tang Tuanzuo.