Chapter 1445: Too Bullying!

"Please let Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama know that our supply has been cut off. If the Empire does not support us, we will launch a final charge against the enemy in two days before we run out of strength!" Major General Isamu Hariya sent a farewell telegram to the 11th Army Headquarters in despair on the night of the food shortage.

Isamu Hariya had never given up the hope of getting out of the mountains alive. He believed that Isamu Yokoyama would not give up the 231st Infantry Regiment and his Hariya Detachment, whether for himself or the Imperial Army.

But as time went by, the hope turned into despair, until the chief officer of the baggage unit reported to him that the last rations carried by the baggage unit were gone.

But support was still far away, and Isamu Yokoyama always replied to his telegram with "Wait a little longer, support will arrive in a few days!".

Isamu Hariya did not get angry as expected, but accepted it all very calmly.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the weather was a bit gloomy, and there were some rare snowflakes in the sky. Looking at the snowflakes flying all over the sky, Yiyuan Jingu seemed to have seen his own end.

He would be starving to the point of being skin and bones, like a mummy crawling in the mountains of China in winter. Perhaps the snow would freeze his body and gradually rot in the spring breeze of March, or perhaps it would not take that long before the hungry wild wolves in the mountains would dig out his corpse, which had little meat at all, and feast on it.

He couldn't help but shudder. For Yiyuan Jingu, he didn't want to choose either of these two endings.

So, Yiyuan Jingu sent a telegram to Yong Hengshan to force him to abdicate.

If he couldn't get supplies, the last 2,000 officers and soldiers of the Jingu Detachment would launch a final charge against the Chinese defense line in two days until all of them died in battle.

Between starving to death and dying in battle, Yiyuan Jingu chose the latter!

And such a telegram, Yiyuan Yiyuan of Hariya not only sent one, but also sent one to the 34th Division Headquarters.

This is actually the real purpose of Yiyuan Yiyuan of Hariya. He wants more people to know that the main reason why he chose to push 2,000 people to the final dead end is that the commander of the 11th Army of the Empire did not rescue them.

And he also believes that many people are happy to see this, including Yokoyama Isamu himself.

In order not to be affected by this, Yokoyama Isamu has only one way, to supply materials to the Hariya Detachment with all his strength.

As for whether to offend Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, how can this be considered by a dying man?

Although Yokoyama Isamu's reply was still the same few words: "Wait a little longer", only the Japanese China Expeditionary Army Headquarters knew that Yokoyama Isamu even put aside his dignity as a lieutenant general commander and personally called Lieutenant General Itagaki Shiro, Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army, and asked him in an almost pleading tone to negotiate with Hasegawa Ao, Commander of the Third Fleet of the Imperial Navy, and ask the Navy to send a transport aircraft formation to airdrop the two trapped Japanese troops.

It's not that Yokoyama Isamu didn't have enough face, but after the Battle of Shipai, the Japanese Navy lost more than 30 fighters of various types stationed in Jiangxia, and their strength was only half of that before the war. They had lost the ability to fight the Chinese Air Force again.

Faced with the desperate pleas of several senior generals on the Army side, Hasegawa Ao, the highest naval general of the Japanese Navy on the Chinese side, finally decided to help these unlucky guys.

30 Zero fighters and 12 Type 97 bombers departed from Songhu and arrived in Jiangxia at noon on the second day of the Chinese New Year. All kinds of supplies with parachute bags that had been prepared were transported on board. Together with the bombers from Jiangxia before, a total of 24 bombers carrying nearly 24 tons of supplies flew to Shipai under the escort of 46 Zero fighters.

This is probably the first time that the Japanese Navy has used so many Zero fighters to escort a purely "transport" aircraft formation.

It also fully demonstrates the importance that the Japanese Navy attaches to the Chinese Air Force. Not to mention contempt and underestimation, it even regards it as an extremely terrible opponent.

All the importance was fought on the battlefield.

In the Battle of Shipai, the Chinese Air Force participated in a total of 13 battles, dispatched nearly 400 sorties, shot down and damaged 47 Japanese planes at the cost of 26 losses, and still had the upper hand.

Of course, this does not mean that the Chinese Air Force has surpassed the Japanese Navy in terms of aircraft performance and pilot level, but it is caused by several factors.

First of all, the main target of the Japanese Navy was the Chinese Army. The aircraft formations were basically escorted by Zero fighters to escort bomber formations, while the Chinese Air Force did not focus on dealing with the Japanese troops on the ground. They dispatched wildcat fighters that were mainly engaged in air combat.

Secondly, the wildcat fighters of the Chinese Air Force were tough and thick-skinned. They could often continue to fight vigorously after being hit by dozens of bullets. Even if they were severely damaged, they could make emergency landings in open fields in the mountains with a success rate of more than 60%.

The Japanese were not so good. Needless to say, the Type 97 bomber, which was large and thin, was basically finished once it was bitten by the latest wildcat fighter equipped with a 20mm machine gun. The Zero fighters often had flames, but they had to grit their teeth and fly to the nearest airport. They did not dare to make an emergency landing on the spot.

It has been proved in practice that pilots who made an emergency landing in the Japanese-occupied area were in great danger, not to mention making an emergency landing in the territory controlled by the Chinese army. Once those Chinese mountain people with hoes and hatchets surrounded them, it would not work even if they were only wearing a Type 14 Nanbu pistol or holding a light machine gun.

Dead people were dragged away like wild boars, and the Chinese could tear planes apart completely!

Forcing a burning fighter plane to run for dozens of kilometers in the air, wouldn't that be hard on the plane! This is also one of the main reasons for the high damage rate of Japanese planes.

Therefore, under the threat of 2,000 lives of the Imperial Army by Yiyuan Hariya and the coordination of the senior generals of the Japanese China Expeditionary Army, the Japanese Navy dispatched the largest fighter formation since the Battle of Shipai, just to drop 24 tons of rations and the equally urgently needed medicines to the thousands of Japanese soldiers in the two encirclements.

On average, each Japanese soldier actually did not get much food, and even if they got all of it, they could only last for another week.

As the Chinese say: It really took a lot of effort, but it only ended up like a monk buying a comb - there is a tyrant to use.

The 46 Zero fighters were also murderous. On the one hand, they were to escort the 24 transport planes, and on the other hand, they were to avenge their dead colleagues and seek a decisive battle with the Chinese Air Force.

The Japanese are not stupid. They know that the Chinese have imported a batch of new American fighters, but China lacks the ability to produce aircraft. If these new fighters are lost, it will be difficult to replenish them. Through the six-month battle with the Chinese Air Force, it can be basically inferred that the Chinese Air Force has lost about 50 aircraft.

The combat effectiveness of 46 Zero fighters, the Chinese Air Force must at least dispatch an equal number of fighters to compete with them, which may be the last strength of the Chinese Air Force.

In the hangars of Yiling Airport and Jingmen Airport, where the runways have just been repaired, there are still 24 Zero fighters hidden. They are waiting for the news of the appearance of Chinese fighters. In 30 minutes, they can all arrive at the battlefield and deal a fatal blow to the Chinese Air Force after the fierce battle.

On the surface, it is a full escort, but secretly, it is actually an air ambush.

If the Chinese Air Force's new fighter fleet can be severely damaged, so that it has little combat effectiveness within three to six months, it can be regarded as a compensation for the defeat in the Battle of Shipai.

It can only be said that the generals of the Japanese Navy and Army are not completely dog-brained, and they still have some things.

It's just a pity that the Chinese Air Force did not go out, not because they can't afford it, but because it is not cost-effective.

The current Chinese Air Force is much stronger than the Japanese inferred. The latest modified Wildcat fighters with 20mm machine guns were put into service as early as January. Although 40 to 50 Wildcat fighters have been lost in the past six months, after replenishment, 8 squadrons of Wildcat fighters distributed in 6 airports in Sichuan Province have approached 100 again.

If there is really a decisive battle with the 70 Zero fighters dispatched by the Japanese Navy, it is really hard to say who will win or lose.

But in the later stage of such a battle, it is really a bit too much to risk your life for the 20 tons of supplies and dozens of Zero fighters that the Japanese army is about to drop by air.

Do you think that the Japanese army in the encirclement can comfortably get the supply packages that fall from the sky?

Take the Hariya Detachment, which is surrounded in a mountainous area of ​​only 3 square kilometers, as an example. If it is a bomb, the hit rate of dropping it into this small range of Japanese positions is estimated to be higher than 70%.

??????????.??????

But the supply package is not a bomb, right? In order to prevent damage, parachutes must be hung on the material bags. If it is a parachute, it must float, and that depends on the wind direction.

Wushan, located on the side of the river, has a strong wind.

And it's the first time for the Jingu Detachment to accept the "pie in the sky", but for the officers and soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Four-line Regiment, it is already a piece of cake.

Last year, when the more than 1,000 devils of the 1st Division were surrounded by Zishan, the Japanese used this trick. They have been fighting with the Japanese for things and have enough experience.

So, when the Jingu Detachment received the order from Yokoyama Yong: air support will arrive at around 4 pm! They immediately lit bonfires on the sides of the high ground or on the top of the mountain, and instructed the aircraft formation with flames and thick smoke.

Leng Feng, who received the unusual behavior of the devils in the encirclement, thought for a while and judged that the Japanese army might get airdrops. He immediately ordered the high ground to play the same routine as the Japanese army.

Looking down from the sky, there are dots of flames and columns of smoke everywhere, and there is no way to tell which is the Chinese high ground and which is the Imperial Army high ground.

Want to descend to a lower altitude and drop more accurately? Sorry, there are 40mm anti-aircraft guns of the Fourth Regiment Anti-aircraft Battalion and 7mm heavy machine guns on the ground that can form a fire net at medium and low altitudes.

All 40mm anti-aircraft gun positions have received military orders. If the Japanese fighter planes drop at an altitude of 4,000 meters, it's fine. If they drop, they will be killed.

"Damn Chinese! All squadrons are ready to receive supplies!"

Seeing that the transport plane formation circled in the air for several circles but did not dare to descend, it could only drop a bunch of white "mushrooms" at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Jingu Yiyuan, who was eager for supplies, almost broke his back teeth.

When the Chinese followed the detachment and lit a bonfire, the real Li Kui who met the fake Li Kui naturally knew what the Chinese were up to, but he really had no way to fight back. Even if he could connect with the fighter formation on the spot, he couldn't provide manual navigation for the pilots at an altitude of 4,000 meters.

If the transport formation could lower its altitude, such as to about 1,000 meters, he could still use military flags to guide it, but the small white mushrooms that kept appearing in the sky destroyed his ambitions.

The Chinese used anti-aircraft guns to constantly remind the fleet in the sky: Don't lower your altitude, if you dare, I'll beat you up!

Dropping parachute packs at an altitude of 4,000 meters, how can Jiba be accurate? It can only rely on luck.

Looking at the hundreds of parachute bags floating in the sky, Yiyuan Jingu's eyes were full of hope. As long as one-third of them could land on his position, it would be fine!

No, with the blessing of Amaterasu, one-fifth is also acceptable.

Looking at most of the parachute bags swaying and drifting away under the influence of the mountain wind above his head, the painful Major General Yiyuan Jingu quickly modified his wish.

Unfortunately, Amaterasu may bless, but it is definitely not free shipping.

When the hundreds of parachute bags descended to an altitude of 800 meters, seven or eight out of ten had already flown over the heads of the Japanese and landed on the Chinese position.

One-tenth would be fine! That would at least allow 2,000 people to have a full meal.

Only those who have experienced hunger know how terrible hunger is.

Even though they were out of food for less than two days, they still had a small amount of wild vegetable soup to fill their stomachs, but the human body responded quickly to the lack of energy.

For example, when blood sugar supply decreases, the brain will often feel dizzy; for another example, the human body increases its metabolic rate in order to maintain normal physiological activities. At this time, the sympathetic nervous system will help dissipate heat by regulating the secretion of sweat glands. Sweating can lower body temperature and is a self-protection response of the body to deal with hunger.

Even because the vagus nerve is stimulated, the diaphragm spasms and hiccups occur.

In short, the whole person is in an extremely abnormal state, including the Japanese Army Major General who secretly ate stale rice balls to fill his stomach. He didn't sleep much last night, and the gurgling sound from his empty abdomen was so clear in the dark that it was creepy.

Being able to have a full meal is the biggest wish of the 2,000 people in the besieged Hariya Detachment.

But even such a wish was shattered by the Chinese.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The Chinese anti-aircraft guns actually fired at this time.

They were not shooting at the fleet that had already completed the airdrop and returned, but at the parachute packs that were only a few hundred meters away from the ground.

After judging the wind direction and landing point, the Chinese side launched an air strike on the parachute packs that were stubbornly falling towards the Japanese positions.

The main point is that if you can't get it, you can't get it either!

Yes! The Chinese side lost precious shells, which are far more valuable than the rice and canned meat tied under the parachute.

But for Leng Feng and Cheng Tieshou, the shells can be remade and bought, and the Japanese can kill people with a full stomach.

Let them continue to starve!

The wooden box containing supplies is only 1 cubic meter, and the target is small and difficult to hit, but the parachute pack is large enough, and the descent speed is a turtle flow compared to the speeding fighter plane.

Not only the 40mm anti-aircraft guns are constantly bombarding, but at an altitude of about 500 meters, the 20mm anti-aircraft guns with a range of 2,500 meters and the 7mm anti-aircraft machine guns deployed on the front line also participate.

"Baga! Order the infantry artillery and mountain artillery to fire back at the Chinese anti-aircraft artillery firing area!" Yiyuan Yigu watched a wooden box being blown up by a shell in the air, and the supplies inside were scattered in front of him, and he was completely furious.

"Your Excellency the Captain" Lieutenant Colonel Chief of Staff swallowed his saliva, but he didn't dare to remind the Imperial Army Major General who was almost crazy.

Given the depth of their current position, once the mountain artillery opened fire, the rising gunpowder smoke would be immediately observed by the Chinese, and the Chinese mortars that had been waiting for a long time would definitely use a rain of bullets to wash the artillery position area.

Unfortunately, the Japanese Army Lieutenant Colonel guessed right.

The remaining artillery of the Japanese army has always been a thorn in the Chinese side. Without killing the remaining artillery of the Japanese army, Leng Feng, who was unwilling to lose his own troops, would never attack.

Shelling the Japanese airdropped supplies is not only to prevent the Japanese army from easily obtaining supplies, but also to hope that the Japanese artillery can't help but fight back.

A full 8 150mm heavy mortars and 6 80mm howitzers were waiting for them with their gun covers removed. In addition, the 82mm mortars equipped by each company were also required to carry out a basic number of projections.

No one expected that an airdrop of supplies that was originally a relief would eventually become the fuse for the complete destruction of the last 8 75mm mountain guns of the Hariya Detachment.

The Japanese artillery positions with no depth at all were hidden, but once they opened fire, the smoke rising from them could be seen for miles.

Nearly 500 shells were projected in half an hour, plowing back and forth five or six times on the three Japanese artillery positions. No creature could survive this level of artillery fire, not even steel.

Looking at the total harvest of less than 600 kilograms of supplies, listening to the report that 8 mountain guns of the artillery battalion were destroyed and 148 artillerymen died, Major General Hariya Itsuhara cried.

A major general of the Imperial Japanese Army squatted in front of a pile of supplies that was pitifully small for the entire detachment, crying like a child who had suffered enough grievances.

Really, I've seen bullies, but I've never seen bullies like this!

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

ps: My daughter finished her last exam at 6:15 yesterday. I wanted to go home and write, but my classmates said that they wanted to celebrate my daughter's escape from the sea of ​​suffering, and I didn't have to worry about her every day, so they asked me to buy some wine and they would take care of the food. Because of this, there was no update yesterday.

2 bottles of Wuliangye vintage wine, I only drank 2 taels, but those people drank happily. I was responsible for buying the wine, but I always felt something was wrong