Chapter 1493: The Killing Trench (Part 1)

On the afternoon of June 3, a fierce battle broke out in the south of Hengyang City.

"In this battle, the general's flag must be planted on the Chinese position before sunset!" Colonel Kurose Ippei, then captain of the 133rd Infantry Regiment of the 116th Division of Japan, ordered to the three infantry captains standing in front of him.

206 corpses of the Kurokawa Squadron of the 120th Infantry Regiment have been recovered. Although they are not from an infantry regiment, the so-called rabbit dies and the fox is sad. Seeing more than 200 corpses of the Imperial Army thrown into the carriage like firewood and being transported away, the 133rd Infantry The officers and soldiers of the regiment from Colonel Kurose Ippei on down couldn't help but feel a little inexplicable sadness.

Only by quickly defeating the enemy in Hengyang can such tragedies be avoided. After the commander of the 116th Division, Lieutenant General Yokoyama Isamu, issued the offensive order, he also issued an appeal to the 16,000 division officers and soldiers who arrived on the battlefield: "Three days Capture Hengyang!"

However, Kurose Ippei was not a reckless man with a brain full of muscles. He first sent out a large number of reconnaissance troops to conduct reconnaissance on the terrain, and then combined with the results of reconnaissance aircraft in the sky, he roughly understood the defensive deployment of the Chinese army.

Several mountains not far from Hengyang City should be the main positions of the Chinese in the southern suburbs of the city, just like Yuelu Mountain in Tanzhou. The Chinese not only want to defend here with danger, but they are also afraid of losing the commanding heights here. The Imperial Artillery Will bombard the city from a high position.

However, what Ippei Kurose couldn't figure out was why the Chinese had a position in front of this large mountain position. Was this clearly meant to be eaten by the Imperial Army?

Of course, Kurose Ippei still knows the Chinese people's thoughts to some extent. This low hill named Huangcha Ridge on the map can echo with the mountainous position one kilometer away. Any vehicle that wants to pass between the two positions can and personnel will be within the range of the heavy machine guns of both sides and will face attacks from both sides. This is regarded as a barrier in front of the main position, making it difficult for the Imperial Army to gather heavy troops to attack the main position facing them directly. They can only attack from both wings.

However, given the low terrain here, how much troops will the Chinese invest in defending this place? Don't they have any idea of ​​the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army?

Anyway, from Kurose Ippei's perspective, no matter how many troops the Chinese invest here, based on the terrain and position distribution, it is almost the same as delivering food to the Imperial Army.

However, Kurose Ippei was still cautious. He followed the military order of the division commander Lieutenant General Iwa Eiwang to "defeat Hengyang in three days." It was not until the arrival of the 122nd Artillery Regiment and a chemical warfare unit that he called in his three infantry corps. The captain gave the order to attack.

At this time, the 133 Infantry Regiment had a total of 10 70mm infantry guns, 16 mountain guns, 16 field guns and 8 105 howitzers, which could launch explosive grenades and 'special ammunition'. Kurose Ippei confidently believed that there was no Humans can survive under such intensity of artillery fire.

It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and there were still 3 hours until dusk and sunset, which was completely enough.

Kurose Ippei's confidence was not in vain. In order to attack Huangcha Ridge, the Japanese army prepared artillery fire for 40 minutes, and more than 40 artillery pieces bombarded the surface positions of Huangcha Ridge.

The ground on the position was densely covered with craters. When the round of shelling ended and the smoke cleared, looking from a distance from the main position, it looked like the surface of the moon that had been hit by meteorites.

"Can the First Battalion of the Fourth Army Regiment resist until this afternoon?" This may be the only thought in the minds of the officers and soldiers of the 10th Preliminary Division behind them.

With such intensity of artillery fire, no one expects them to be able to hold on for a few more days. It was enough just this afternoon.

Even Ge Youcai, the commander of the 10th Division who was as brave as Yuyu, had a serious face at this moment. He had imagined that the Japanese artillery fire would be fierce, but he did not expect that the Japanese army would use so many artillery pieces in the Huangcha Ridge position alone.

"No, Commander, the stupid Japanese have used poison gas again." Zeng Jing, the commander of the 28th Regiment next to Ge Youcai, turned pale and pointed into the distance.

In the field of view of the telescope, more than twenty clouds of smoke rose continuously from Huangcha Ridge, but this time there was no loud noise from before. The color of the smoke was also very different from the previous one. It seemed to be yellow and a little green.

"Eighteen generations of the Japanese ancestors of Cao Teliang, I will one day go to their Kyoto and strip off all their Japanese women's clothes and drive them to dance in the street." Ge Youcai put down his telescope and cursed. "Go and inform all the brothers. Prepare towels soaked in water for me and tie them on my face. I have tied all the cuffs tightly, and wrapped my hands and neck with cloth."

Ge Youcai was no stranger to poisonous gas of this color. The Japanese had used it in the Battle of Changde. At least thousands of people in the 10th Division died from this poisonous gas attack.

This poisonous gas has an almost devastating impact on the human body. It can not only cause damage to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, but can also spread to the entire human body through the respiratory tract, causing systemic poisoning and causing systemic organ failure within an hour. .

And even if you wear a gas mask, you can't completely isolate the poisonous gas. It can also enter the human body through the skin. If it gets on it, the area will soon fester, and the wound will never heal. As the deputy commander of the 10th Preliminary Division at the time, he watched hundreds of wounded people lying on their beds in the field hospital. The patient wailed and died, while the medical staff burst into tears but could do nothing. Only later did he learn that this poisonous gas was called mustard gas.

Now, the Japanese took out this thing again, and Ge Youcai's heart tightened. After giving the order, he said: "Get through to Commander Leng, I want to talk to him."

"Captain Leng, the Japanese have released poison gas. In the name of the highest commander of the southern defense line of the city, I would like to inform you that if your officers and soldiers suffer heavy casualties and cannot resist the Japanese attack, you can retreat. My 10th Division will cover your retreat with heavy machine guns and artillery!" Ge Youcai said solemnly on the phone.

Ge Youcai said this at the risk of being scolded by Fang Xianjue. As an old subordinate who has followed Fang Xianjue for 4 years, how could he not know the temper of his army commander? Not to mention retreating without a fight, even if he retreated after a battle, he would have to look at the losses.

"Soldiers should fight to the death first!" This is Fang Xianjue's battlefield command trait. Otherwise, how did the Taishan Army gain its reputation?

However, Ge Youcai felt that he owed Tang Dao a favor. If it weren't for Tang Dao, it would be his 30th Regiment that was staying on Huangcha Ridge. He couldn't just watch the most elite infantry battalion under the Four Lines Regiment die in the Japanese poison gas.

Withdraw to the main position, take advantage of the characteristics of the main position with high mountains and dense forests, the lethality of the Japanese poison gas is not that great, and fight to the death.

Ge Youcai believes that he is not afraid of fighting, but there is no need to consume the elite forces in this way, otherwise he would not dare to say this to Leng Feng.

"Leng Feng and the brothers appreciate the kindness of Division Commander Ge, but we are not scared away by the little Japanese poison gas. Let's kill a few thousand Japanese first." Leng Feng replied on the phone.

"This" Ge Youcai could only hang up the phone helplessly.

It is said that the Four Lines Regiment, from the regiment commander Tang Dao and below, are all hard-headed guys. Unexpectedly, the rumor is still not accurate enough. This is obviously a steel head!

"Just for this point, this battalion commander Leng is this." The colonel commander of the 28th Regiment Zeng Jing gave a thumbs up.

Zeng Jingke, the head of the 28th Regiment, was not a coward. In the internal document "Bloody Battle of Hengyang" compiled by Yao Shaoyi, the chief of the Operations Section of the 10th Army Staff Office, two months after the Battle of Hengyang, it was recorded that Tianma Mountain and Fengshuling were under the defense of Headquarters Chief Zeng Jing for 44 days of enemy attack, and they were still in the hands of our army until the enemy broke through the city.

One day, a hilltop was lost, and the enemy planted the Rising Sun Flag on the hill. Headquarters Chief Zeng did not report the matter to the army commander, but immediately led the only 18 soldiers of the regiment to rush up the hill to kill the enemy, pulled out the Rising Sun Flag, and planted the Blue Sky and White Sun Flag. He reported to the army commander only after the position was stabilized.

It can only be said that the temperament of an army can be inherited. From the teacher Fang Xianjue to the dead division commander Sun Mingjin, the current division commander Ge Youcai, including Headquarters Chief Zeng, they all have a tenacious temperament of "going all out and doing it".

There are not many people who can make Headquarters Chief Zeng give a thumbs up before seeing the battlefield.

On the Huangchaling position, which the lieutenant general and the colonel could not see clearly, the first battalion had already hidden in the tunnel under the leadership of Leng Feng.

The tunnel design of the Sihang Regiment was notoriously complicated. Even if they were given only seven days, the several tunnels in the main position of Huangchaling were constructed strictly in accordance with Tang Dao's requirements.

That was the valuable war experience that Tang Dao gained from the Wusheng Mountain Battle in the ice field war in the past time and space.

In that war, the Wusheng Mountain Battle can be said to be unprecedented. The U.S. cowboy army relied on advanced military weapons to carpet bomb our army, dropping a total of 1.9 million shells during the period, almost flattening the entire Wusheng Mountain.

How did Chinese soldiers survive when the enemy and our forces were so different? The tunnels with the "seven defense" effect played an indispensable role.

The seven defenses refer to air defense, artillery defense, poison (epidemic) defense, rain defense, moisture defense, fire defense and cold defense. The seven standards for building tunnels proposed by Brigade Commander Cheng were very effective in actual combat.

Air defense and artillery defense are easy to understand. As long as the tunnel is dug deep enough, no artillery fire can threaten the soldiers inside the tunnel. The tunnels on Wusheng Mountain are almost all 30 meters below the surface. In Huangchaling, the Japanese army's largest caliber artillery is only a 155 howitzer, which is incomparable to the large number of heavy bombs of the Americans, so the depth is basically about 10 meters. It's just that the tunnel is covered with solid sleepers and thick loess, which reduces the violent vibration caused by artillery bombardment.

In terms of anti-gas, the horizontal tunnels dug are not straight, but have many curved passages. If the enemy wants to drop poison gas bombs on the tunnels, it is difficult for the poison gas to spread through the curved tunnels. The soldiers also have enough reaction time to block the passages containing poison gas.

In addition, there are at least two ventilation tunnels in each tunnel, which can also evacuate the poison gas to a certain extent.

The 105 howitzer and mustard gas bomb that Kurose Ippei pinned his hopes on are destined to be in vain.

As the yellow-green smoke of mustard gas bombs gradually dissipated on the relatively flat Huangcha Ridge, the Japanese army issued an order to attack at all levels. More than 800 Japanese infantrymen from more than 4 infantry squadrons held rifles and trotted towards the Huangcha Ridge position.

They had to get as close to the Chinese position as possible before the Chinese got out of the anti-artillery hole.

The Japanese infantrymen generally felt very lucky. It was probably because of the huge effect of 40 minutes of fierce artillery fire and poison gas bombs. They were less than 150 meters away from the Chinese position. They had long passed the stage of fire suppression by the defenders and had not been attacked yet.

This is what Private Shioya Cangkong of the 116th Division thought!

As an 18-year-old student who had just graduated from high school, under the crazy propaganda of radio and newspapers, with the dream of serving the empire and the emperor, he signed up to join the army in the salt barn. After three months of recruit training, he sat on the huge The transport ship and his fellow young recruits came to China and were assigned to the 116th Division.

This was not the first battle Yangang Kong had experienced. In the battle outside Tanzhou, the infantry squadron and brigade he belonged to were almost unstoppable. They conquered the Chinese position with only two rounds of attacks. Although the Japanese second-class soldiers did not He knew exactly how many Chinese soldiers he had killed, but the victory came so quickly, so fast that he was still shocked by the burning heat of the bullets passing by his ears. He and his comrades won the victory.

Standing on the Chinese position, he followed the example of his predecessors, raised his gun high and cheered "onboard". I don't know if the cameras of the reporters accompanying the army captured him.

This time, there should be no exception! The salt barn followed the veterans in the team, jumped up, and charged towards the Chinese position.

"Hit!" First Company Commander Qian Dazhu roared, and the 'assault rifle' in his hand began to pour firepower forward.

This roar actually reached the ears of Shiotani Karakura through a space of 150 meters. It seemed that he was frightened by this roar from a foreign country. The Japanese second-class soldier suddenly stepped on the air and jumped forward, almost falling to his death.

But he may have to thank the fall.

Because the next moment, bullets came like raindrops, and a snowflake splashed in the first wave of Japanese infantry troops running wildly, including the veteran who was only six or seven meters away from the Japanese private.

This Japanese veteran is a ruthless man who participated in the Battle of Jianghan. It has been six years since he came to China in 1938. He was promoted from the initial rank of a private to the current sergeant. Although he has not become a squad leader, he is also very capable in speaking in the squad. Portion size.

After all, he is one of the few guys in the infantry squadron who can survive on the battlefield for 6 years and still serve in the division. Among other things, his life-saving skills are first-rate.

"Boy, remember to follow me, I will keep you alive!" This was the promise made by the sergeant who had collected two packs of cigarettes and a pack of toffee from the empty salt barn before the war.

However, the Japanese sergeant who had lived on the battlefield for 6 years was in trouble this time. No one expected that the Chinese firepower would be so fierce.

Eighty percent of the people who stood up were felled like trees in the face of this firepower!

That was a firepower network composed of at least 6 MG42 machine guns, 40 'assault rifles', and more than 20 MP38 submachine guns. The bolt-fire rifles equipped for precision shooters were not even able to show off their shooting skills.

Thousands of rounds of bullets poured out in 10 seconds killed and injured more than 130 Japanese infantry who were caught off guard. Even the Japanese heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, infantry artillery and other firepower points in the rear had not reacted. Our infantry were caught by this. A fierce and extreme firepower output sprayed blood all over his face.

The Japanese private escaped this disaster because of an accidental fall. When he crawled forward and touched the veteran, the blood flowing out from under his body had almost turned into a small pond. He didn't even need to shout. He knew that the salt barn was empty. The veteran It's over.

Six years of battlefield survival experience and superb individual soldier skills are not as effective as standing in the air on this battlefield filled with bullets.

At least, he is still alive!

The firepower points placed on the flanks of the Japanese army still fired desperately to cover the infantry in front, and bursts of smoke rose from the Chinese position. This was the masterpiece of 26 grenade groups placed by the 133rd Infantry Regiment in an area of ​​500 meters on the battlefield.

The Chinese firepower was obviously much weaker, and it should have been suppressed by nearly a hundred rounds of grenades.

The Japanese infantry continued to advance in a crawling manner. Relying on the firepower of heavy machine guns and grenade launchers behind them, they could only barely run a few steps with their backs hunched over. The salt granary Kong Kong who was lucky enough to survive could only move forward with them.

The imperial military orders are strict. Those who evacuate without receiving the order to retreat will be subject to wartime military laws. Rather than die in the hands of their own people, it is better to be killed by Chinese bullets. This is the common thinking of Japanese infantry.

That's why they often win! It’s not that you’re not afraid of death, it’s that you have to see how to die in order to be valuable.

This should be the most terrifying battlefield that a Japanese private has ever experienced. Bullets seemed to fly right against his scalp, grenade launchers were fired behind him, and shells from the 70mm infantry cannon were fired from seven to eight meters above the head. It screamed past and then exploded a hundred meters ahead.

Although they were still far away, the sharp shock wave still hit his face, like a knife, and it seemed that it could tear the whole person into pieces in the next second.

The Japanese private's little face was pale, his crotch was already wet, and he began to regret his choice in his heart.

But the poor salt barn airman didn't know that this was just an appetizer, and the real bloodshed had not yet begun.

The 1st Company of the Four Troops Regiment he faced has so far only shown less than one-third of its strength, and heavy weapons such as mortars have not yet appeared.

The killing trenches in front of the position have not yet been used, and the Japanese are waiting to fill the trenches with human bodies. How could they let these 300 or 400 Japanese soldiers be blocked from leaving?

"Amaterasu, God bless you!" Kong Kong, who rushed to the nearly 90-degree cliff with more than two hundred colleagues and finally escaped the rain of bullets, breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the cliff is nearly ten meters high, it is nothing. The trained Japanese infantrymen skillfully set up human ladders.

"The imperial army is mighty!" Salt Barn's empty admiration was still swirling in his mind.

A row of black things with blue smoke fell from the sky!

"Boom boom boom!" The continuous explosions made the Japanese private hold his head and curl up under the cliff.

That was one of the battlefield experiences passed on to him by the veteran, to minimize the bullet-receiving surface of his body.

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PS: I have to ask for leave from everyone tomorrow, and I have to take my parents back to my hometown. I will continue to update when I return home the day after tomorrow. I can keep updating in July because I have a holiday. Fengyue has never slacked off, please understand!