Chapter 1524: Sunset Glow

Afternoon of September 18, 1944!

The autumn sun was not warm at all, but rather scorching, almost white, and the temperature that day was as high as 35 degrees.

But the atmosphere in the Hengyang Command Headquarters located in the underground tunnel was extremely gloomy.

Even the experienced commanders thought about the annihilation of the entire army and the death on the battlefield, but they never thought that this battle would last for 108 days.

But they were proud enough. It has been nearly 50 days since the position in the south of Hengyang City was breached. Every day seemed to be in danger. The Japanese army continued to break through the blocks and advance into the city, but in just one night, most of the positions would be recaptured again.

More than 30 blocks were repeatedly lost and recovered, and the two sides changed hands more than 20 times!

The Japanese army not only used a large number of infantry, but also used large-caliber artillery and tanks to bombard the blocks. The Chinese side also used mortars, grenades and even explosive packs to fight back, so that in the end the blocks were no longer ruins but were bombed into graveyards.

Because those blocks were full of corpses of Japanese and Chinese, and the ground was full of bloodstains, some red, some brown, and more black after drying. Even the living people had blood red in their eyes.

However, the generals knew that they could not defend it after all.

Because Hengyang had already fought everything.

There were less than 3,000 officers and soldiers who could still fight, and what was more terrible was that Hengyang had run out of food ten days ago.

The field radio had already used up the last reserve battery and was out of power. They had completely lost contact with the Military Commission.

Every day, there were transport planes arriving over Hengyang, dropping no more than 5 tons of supplies and the handwritten order that had been repeated for almost 2 months, which was still the same old tune of "reinforcements will arrive tomorrow."

The ammunition, food, and medicines were just a drop in the bucket for Hengyang at that time. The few food supplies were basically sent to the field hospital for the wounded soldiers who still numbered 15,000.

Starting from September 10, the food supply of the front-line armies mainly depended on the Japanese soldiers who were killed, so that in the end, the battle was not just to defend the position, but to survive.

Without the supplies carried by the Japanese, the Chinese officers and soldiers in the ruins would starve to death.

Even many infantrymen had given up submachine guns and Mauser pistols and turned to the Japanese Type 38 rifles. It was not that the Japanese weapons were more advanced, but that the ammunition was easier to obtain.

At the end of the road, it was said that Hengyang was at the end of the road.

This was also the third time in a week that Fang Xianjue had called several commanders placed around Hengyang City for a meeting.

However, compared with the military meeting two months ago, the people present were more or less different, and it could almost be called a disabled people's meeting.

The commander of the 10th Division, Ge Youcai, was seriously injured and had not recovered yet, but he was also carried to the headquarters on a stretcher;

The 190th Division Rong Youlue lost an arm. It was 20 days ago when the major general was shot by the Japanese army when he led the counterattack. As a result, the major general still went to the battlefield with the injury and did not go to the field hospital for treatment for two consecutive days.

Fang Xianjue went to the front line to "escort" the major general to the field hospital for treatment, but it was too late. The hot weather caused the wound to become infected and gangrene. If he was not amputated immediately, his life would be in danger.

The lieutenant general commander of the 3rd Division, Zhou Qingxiang, was not in good condition either. A shrapnel cut off 3 taels of flesh on his buttocks, and you could see the white bones. Until now, he can only lie on the soft bag, and he and Ge Youcai, who was lying on the stretcher, have formed a pair.

The three division commanders under the 10th Army were all injured like this, not to mention the officers and soldiers of the 10th Army. It is said that the regiment commander and battalion commander have been replaced, and the company and platoon leaders have been replaced several times. Many people don’t even recognize the regiment and battalion commanders.

Several generals are disabled, and the handsome chiefs of staff are not much better.

Zhao Junmai, who has always been particular, is now shirtless and wearing shorts, with a big bald head, and no eyebrows or beards. He looks like a big boiled egg. He has no demeanor of the fourth commander of Hengyang, but looks like a tramp, and a tramp who is about to die.

There are shocking scars on his arms and chest and back. Several pieces of skin have been lost, and tissue fluid is still oozing slightly. It is not an ordinary injury, but a burn.

Three days ago, he was organizing people to move supplies and wounded soldiers when he was attacked by Japanese artillery fire. In order to rescue those precious supplies, the HY mayor went back and forth in the sea of ​​fire several times, and he almost turned into a fire man.

Sun Mingyu, the chief of staff of the 10th Army, who once had clear eyes and a resolute face, was now covered with bandages below his eyes. A bullet shot into his right face and passed out from his left face, not only taking away his six big teeth, but also leaving a pigeon egg-sized hole on one side of his face. That was the result of him replacing Ge Youcai to command the remnants of the 10th Division.

Of course, if it weren't for this injury that almost took his life, the straightforward Ge Youcai would probably not have a good face when he saw him.

After all, the 10th Division, which had a strength of more than 7,700 before the war, only has 500 people left who can still fight. It's just bragging to say that only one out of ten survives.

It's estimated that anyone who is the division commander will feel heartbroken!

Perhaps the most complete one is the Tang Tuanzuo. The parts on his head are complete, and his hands and feet are also complete. Nothing is missing. There is only an 8-centimeter scar on his cheek, extending from under the ear to the chin. Until now, the scar has not been removed. The crooked stitches and scars look like a hideous centipede from a distance.

It is said that after the war, due to the shortage of medical staff, Mrs. Tang Tan Tai Mingyue sewed it herself. In order to save anesthetics for the seriously injured, she didn't even use anesthetics. From those crooked stitches, we can fully see the mood of the usually calm and wise Dean Tan Tai at that time.

These two are indeed the most ruthless of the ruthless.

Compared with the generals who will basically receive the third-level disability certificate in the future, this injury is naturally nothing, but no one dares to question the role played by Director Tang in this battle.

Needless to say, the battle outside Hengyang City, if it weren't for the deployment of Tang Dao and the hard fighting of the Four-line Regiment, the 10th Army could only hold out for a month at most, and there was no chance to start street fighting with the Japanese army in August.

In the battle inside the city, Director Tang was even more fierce. Not only did he have to deploy battles for hundreds of blocks, but he also led his troops to fight more than 15 times.

The scar on his face was caused by him personally leading a mountain infantry company to counterattack a block.

In that battle, he led 6 infantry squads and 200 reserve soldiers to fight a bloody battle with a Japanese infantry battalion for a night, killing more than 600 Japanese soldiers and successfully driving the Japanese soldiers with a large amount of artillery support out of the block.

Even the blood-thirsty Tang Tuanzuo personally led Longyan and 8 soldiers to wear Japanese military uniforms and follow the Japanese defeated soldiers into the Japanese-controlled area to kill them.

Taking advantage of the Japanese army's surprise attack, they killed several Japanese lieutenants, lieutenants and dozens of Japanese soldiers, and then rushed into a Japanese-controlled block to fight with the Japanese army.

The most amazing thing is that the 10 of them actually blocked the crazy attack of hundreds of Japanese soldiers and persisted until nightfall, and then escaped through a secret tunnel entrance that the Japanese army had not discovered.

Before leaving, they did not forget to put an oversized booby trap at the entrance of the tunnel, killing seven or eight Japanese soldiers who were chasing them and successfully destroying the entrance to the tunnel.

In fact, even if the Japanese army found the entrance to the underground tunnel, they rarely dared to drill in to track them. There were even mines buried in it. If people who were not familiar with the underground tunnel dared to come in, they would basically die.

During these forty days, the Japanese army found at least seven or eight entrances to the tunnels, and hundreds of elite soldiers were sent in, but they were basically swallowed up silently. The Japanese army simply destroyed them with explosives, and no longer wanted to send soldiers into those dark tunnels deep underground like the mouth of a giant beast.

The defenders of Hengyang did not know that the raid by Tang Da Tuanzuo infiltrated the rear of the Japanese army, and killed not an ordinary lieutenant, but the new commander of the 68th Division, Tsutsumi Mitsuko.

Otherwise, the Japanese army would not have gathered at least 2,000 infantrymen like crazy, and used 6 tanks and 18 artillery pieces to bombard the block where Tang Dao and others were hiding. Fortunately, the artillery battalion of the Sihang Regiment knew that their commander was there, and used the last 300 shells to provide fire support, otherwise even if Tang Dao had three heads and six arms, and Long Yan was a machine gun god, he would not be able to escape this disaster.

After Tang Dao returned, the supreme commander Fang Xianjue was furious. It was too much for you, the director of the combat department, to fight in the front line. You even went to the rear of the Japanese army with your head. Even if you want to give away your head, you can't do it this way!

Especially now, the Sixing Regiment, which still has more than a thousand people, has become the main force of resistance in the city. If Tang Dao, the head of the regiment, is chopped off by the Japanese army, it is conceivable how much the morale of the armies in the city will be hit. It is no less than the death of any division commander under his command.

Fortunately, there was a deep wound on Tang Dao's face that could be seen to the bone. Fang Xianjue scolded Tang Dao for a minute and sent him to treat the wound, which saved the blood-thirsty Tang Tuanzuo from death.

However, this battle made the 10th Army know why this guy could offend that person and still live well until now. This guy is really a lunatic, and he is also the kind of lunatic with explosive combat power.

Of course, the most important thing is that the entire Four-Line Group dared to go crazy with their leader.

However, without this madman and that group of madmen, everyone knows that they may be able to hold out for 30 days, 40 days or even 50 days, but don't even think about holding out for 100 days.

However, now that they have reached the end of their rope, Fang Xianjue decided to give his subordinates a chance to speak. The battle has already reached this point, and all the Chinese in Hengyang have tried their best. They can't even be given a chance to speak their minds!

"You and your subordinates have done your best. If you have anything to say, just say it. Even if you want to negotiate with the Japanese, everyone here knows that there will never be any written records." Fang Xianjue set the tone before the meeting.

It means that everyone can speak freely today, regardless of whether he wants to hear it or not.

"We will be unable to hold on sooner or later! The Japanese troops closest to our Hengyang headquarters and field hospital are less than 500 meters away." Zhao Zili, the chief of staff of the Hengyang defenders, spoke first in a heavy tone.

"Yes! Even if we don't consider us, we still have to consider the more than 10,000 wounded soldiers and half of the remaining reserve forces. We have more than 10,000 people died in Hengyang City. We have done our best for the country and the nation. If we have to say sorry, it is that person who is sorry for us, and the hundreds of thousands of troops outside who are sorry for us. Even if they come with one person and one gun, we will recognize the kindness of coming to help. But it has been almost 4 months since Teliang, and we haven't seen a single hair of them." Zhou Qingxiang, the commander of the 3rd Division, who was still lying in the soft pocket, was no longer angry, but almost desperate.

Seeing Fang Xianjue pursed his lips and frowned deeply, the lieutenant general of the army did not retreat: "General, I am not a soft egg, nor am I a coward, but..."

A week ago, he was still a staunch advocate of war, but with the exhaustion of supplies in Hengyang City, the veteran knew that if the battle continued, with the 3,000 people who were still capable of fighting all died in battle, the remaining wounded and reserve forces would all be slaughtered by the Japanese.

"My Taishan Army has fought the Japanese army for more than a hundred days here, killing tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers. Who dares to say that we are softies? I understand your thoughts." Fang Xianjue waved his hand.

"I have nothing to say. I will listen to the commander in chief in everything." Ge Youcai said weakly.

In normal times, this fierce general who can be regarded as Fang Xianjue's first confidant would definitely fight to the end, but at this moment, thinking of his 10th Division with only 500 people left, he was unusually weak. He should also want to keep the last spark of his 10th Division.

Fang Xianjue turned his eyes directly to Rong Youlue, who was missing an arm.

Although Fang Xianjue was displeased by the fact that the commander of the 190th Division turned to the commander surnamed Xue, the 190th Division's top leaders were unhappy, but the regiment from the 190th Division, led by Rong Youlue, proved with facts that they were also heroes.

"Commander, of the 2,100 brothers I brought here, only 200 can still fight. The regiment, battalion, and company commanders were all killed or wounded, and I, as the division commander, have become a useless person. Having fewer people also has its advantages. I asked their opinions one by one before coming here. The last infantry company of my 190th Division is determined to live and die with Hengyang City!" Rong You shook his head slightly bitterly, but his eyes burst out with an extremely firm will.

Everyone was silent for a while, and even Fang Xianjue was slightly surprised. He did not expect that among the three division commanders under him, the major general who was least favored by him would have the strongest fighting spirit in the end.

"Okay! I understand what you mean." Fang Xianjue nodded slightly, and finally cast his eyes on Tang Dao who was sitting on the side.

"I will show you something." Tang Dao did not express his opinion directly, but took out a rice ball from his pocket, a rice ball stained with blood and exuding a strong smell.

"This was brought to me by a platoon leader of my reconnaissance company in the afternoon. This is the trophy that the soldiers of their platoon found from a Japanese soldier who had just been killed."

Sun Mingyu took the rice ball from Tang Dao and looked at it carefully, then sniffed it with his nose wrapped in bandages, frowning slightly: "It's hot in summer, this rice ball has been there for at least two days, otherwise it wouldn't be so rotten."

"The food treatment of the little devils is too bad now. They actually carry a rotten rice ball with them as a treasure. What's the matter? Are they afraid that they will give it to my army for supplies?" Zhao Junmai also frowned.

Suddenly, a light flashed in his mind!

The tunnel suddenly became quiet!

Zhao Junmai, holding the rotten rice ball, suddenly looked at Tang Dao with surprise in his eyes: "No, Captain Tang, you mean."

"That's right, Mayor Zhao, that's what I want to say." Tang Dao smiled slightly. "Not only are we at our wits' end, but the Japanese are too. This week I have asked all units to report on the search for spoils from the Japanese. Not only are their food getting less and less, but even the bullets in the Japanese bullet boxes are far less than before, with the least being only 10 rounds, which was almost impossible in the past."

"Is it possible that the Japanese are using this strategy to confuse us? Let us mistakenly believe that they are short of logistics," the young Sun Mingyu answered instinctively.

"My Chief of Staff Sun! The battle has come to this point, and we are fighting them face to face. Whoever has a little more strength can kill the opponent, so who has the leisure to think about any other plans?" Ge Youcai, who was lying on the stretcher, was annoyed and confronted the young major general.

Thinking that the remnants of the 10th Division were almost turned into an infantry battalion under the command of this person, Old Ge was still a little resentful.

Sun Mingyu, who was confronted, should also know in his heart, and what Ge Youcai said was also the truth, so he really thought too much.

At this time, the Chinese and Japanese armies in Hengyang City were like two beasts fighting each other, using all their claws and teeth, not caring how much blood they shed, just wanting to kill the other side first, and all the strategies were nonsense.

"So." Fang Xianjue's eyes lit up slightly.

"So I think what Chief of Staff Zhao said just now is right. We can't hold on any longer, but we have to fight back, gather our last strength, and fight back against the enemy in the city, and use our actual combat power to tell them that we can not only fight again, but also fight for another 58 days." Tang Dao stood up with a firm look.

"Or, we will fight with them as long as they want! And we will shed our last drop of blood.

I'm afraid that he, Hengshan Yong, doesn't have the courage!"

All the generals in the tunnel looked at Tang Dao as if he were a madman, even Rong Youlue who had decided to live and die with the city.

"I can be sure that the Japanese have a big problem with their logistics. Although the hundreds of thousands of reinforcements on our periphery have not yet attacked, they are not hundreds of thousands of pigs. They are more or less useful. Besides, I have all the air supremacy." Tang Dao said.

"As long as we show our strength and will, we will completely crush the last bit of luck of the Japanese!"

"So." Fang Xianjue's hand suddenly clenched the back of the chair, and his veins were exposed.

"So in this battle, all the soldiers of my Hengyang garrison who can fight will participate in the battle, and all the wounded who can walk and follow the troops will participate in the battle. 15,000 reserve troops will be mobilized, and all of them will be issued guns to participate in the battle. All 16 tanks of my Fourth Regiment will participate in the battle, and my Fourth Regiment's artillery battalion will clear the last 800 rounds of artillery shells! Artillery, cavalry, baggage soldiers, communication soldiers, etc. will all participate in the battle with guns.

This battle is code-named "Sunset Glory"!"

Everyone, including Fang Xianjue, was shocked!

The so-called sunset glow is nothing more than either bursting out with the brightest light and sweeping everything away, or falling into darkness forever after the glory!

Regardless of the outcome, this will be the last battle of Hengyang City!

Put it on the gambling table, this is called all-in!

But the chips are the lives of more than 40,000 people still alive in Hengyang City!

Tang Dao is definitely the craziest gambler they have ever seen in their lives!

But, they were actually moved because of the rotten rice ball that Tang Dao took out!