Chapter 1526 Victory, Silent!

Although the military commission's order said that the main force of the Japanese army had all begun to retreat, the commanders in Hengyang City dared not believe it.

After all, they were all adults who had been fooled by that person for more than a hundred days. If they didn't learn a lesson, they would be stupid.

Tang Dao, the reconnaissance company commander Lu Sanjiang and the mountain infantry company commander Gu Xishui each led a reconnaissance team to conduct reconnaissance 10 kilometers from the south, west and north of the city. The three parties verified that the main force of the Japanese army was indeed retreating in great strides.

In order to increase the marching speed, many heavy equipment damaged during the war were directly abandoned, including trucks, heavy machine guns, and even mountain artillery and 105 howitzers, which would never have happened before.

It can be seen how much pressure the main force of China advancing towards Hengyang gave to the Japanese 11th Army.

In fact, compared with the 80,000 Chinese troops marching towards Hengyang, what Yokoyama Yong was most concerned about was the remnant army in Hengyang City.

During these three days, China deployed nearly 20,000 troops to counterattack. Whether it was the firepower intensity, manpower or fighting will, it was still a terrifying existence for the Japanese army. Once they were stuck by this remnant army, the more than 30,000 Japanese troops still around Hengyang City would be surrounded.

Although Yokoyama Yong also judged that this was the last fight for the Hengyang defenders, he did not dare to gamble after all. What if this crazy Chinese still had the last bit of strength left? Even if they were only entangled with them for 24 hours, the 80,000 Chinese troops, which were only 40 kilometers away from Hengyang, would be able to completely surround them, and not even a dog could escape.

In fact, Yokoyama Yong's judgment was correct. The Hengyang defenders were already exhausted, let alone entangled with more than 30,000 Japanese troops for 24 hours. At this time, the Japanese army only needed two more rounds, and most of the Chinese troops on the positions would be out of ammunition and food.

And this is not the most important thing. After 58 days of street fighting and the three days of counterattack, the Japanese army relied on the fact that their troops were four or five times that of the Chinese army and could be rotated, while the Chinese defenders were purely relying on a breath of air. Both physically and mentally, they had reached the limit of the limit.

It was like a taut wire rope, and it would break at any time.

"The Japanese are really retreating, and their main force is already 10 kilometers away from Hengyang. You can inform the entire Hengyang army that the Hengyang defense war is over!" After Tang Dao sent a message to the headquarters of the Four Lines Regiment with a walkie-talkie, he leaned against the charred mountain and searched in his pocket.

At this time, he didn't want to do anything else, just wanted to light a cigarette and calm down!

However, there was no stock left. In the early morning, he had smoked the last cigarette on his body.

"Sir, here!"

Cao Yingchong, who came with Tang Dao, took out a wrinkled cigarette from somewhere and handed it to Tang Dao. The cigarette was soaked in sweat and dried by body temperature, showing a light yellow color. It should be the second lieutenant of the reconnaissance company who had kept it for several days and was reluctant to smoke it.

"Haha! Yingchong, you are giving me a timely help. It's time to celebrate the victory. If I don't have it, I really can't laugh." Tang Dao laughed.

He broke the cigarette into three pieces with his hand, handed one piece to Cao Yingchong and one piece to another scout. Tang Dao himself put the short cigarette under his nose and smelled it for a long time before lighting it with the match Cao Yingchong was striking and taking a deep puff.

After a long time, light blue smoke spewed out of his nostrils, and Tang Dao looked up at the sky.

It was Mid-Autumn Festival at this time. It had rained a little the night before. The heat had gradually faded since two days ago, and the sky was also blue.

If it weren't for the war, the flames of war turned this mountain into black, then sitting in the green mountain, looking at the blue sky, and blowing the refreshing wind, the mood must be extremely happy.

"How many people are left in your platoon?" Tang Dao asked casually.

"There are 17 at the moment, and there are 21 lying in the hospital! I haven't visited them for a while, I wonder if 10 of them can finally return to the team." Cao Yingchong lowered his head and calculated, and replied.

The fine lines at the corners of Tang Dao's eyes became finer again.

The reconnaissance company is the most elite infantry company in the regiment. Each platoon has a full complement of 64 people, and this plus the wounded is less than 40, which means that the casualties are as high as one-third, not to mention the four infantry battalions that have been on the front line, and the casualties can only be more tragic.

"Yingchong, do you think the brothers will blame me for bringing them to this desperate place? If I didn't insist on coming to Hengyang, no one in the 9th War Zone could mobilize my Four-Line Regiment." Tang Dao's low voice suddenly sounded.

Cao Yingchong was stunned, and cast his eyes on his young regiment leader, and his heart suddenly twitched.

In his eyes, his young commander was always decisive and firm. No matter what bad situation he encountered, he would not change his color even if the mountains collapsed in front of him. It seemed that everything was under control. This also created a thinking inertia among the four-line regiment. It seemed that as long as the young regiment leader was there, the four-line regiment would only be greeted by victory.

But when Cao Yingchong stared at his young regiment leader so closely for the first time, he suddenly found that his regiment leader seemed to have also become vicissitudes of life, not because of the hideous scar on his cheek.

To be honest, from a man's perspective, the scar was more like a soldier's medal, which was more fierce and added a bit of mature manliness to the young regiment leader who was already handsome.

It was not that Tang Dao's face was dark and rough. The beard on his lips and jaw should have not been shaved for almost a month, showing roughness.

But, his eyes!

However, a few fine wrinkles had quietly crept up on the corners of the eyes of the 30-year-old Tang Dao, and his eyes looked even deeper as he looked up at the sky.

Perhaps only those who understand him can see that it is full of sadness!

The Four Lines Regiment fought bloody battles in Hengyang for 111 days. From the full strength of 5,499 people before entering Hengyang City, it now has more than 900 people, a reduction of nearly 85%.

I heard that many veterans who had followed the regiment commander since the Four Elements War died in the battle. They did not die on the seven-year battlefield, but died in Hengyang City!

There are also veterans who joined after the Battle of Licheng, veterans who joined after the Battle of Shandong, and veterans who joined after the Battle of Zishan. Many familiar faces will become eternal in the memory in this battle, and they will never meet again. We no longer raise our hands to salute and shake hands. We can no longer raise our steel guns together and cheer for victory in the distance.

As the leader of the group, how can Tang Dao not feel sad?

"Sir, I really can't answer your question because I'm still alive." Cao Yingchong thought for a long time and finally answered.

"However, when I was trapped in that small village with my old enemy Lu Daqiu during the Battle of Zishan, Lu Daqiu, who was about to die, asked me if the regimental commander would come to rescue us. I didn't lie. He, I said, it's not that the regimental commanders and others don't want to rescue him, but that he can't be rescued.

Sir, at that time I thought I was dead, and Lao Lu thought so too, but you know what? I really didn't have any fear at that time. I even thought that the Japanese would come faster so that I could be reunited with my brothers in the class. As for whether I should complain or not, it didn't even enter my mind. inside.

I joined the army after the Battle of Licheng. After our regiment captured Licheng, I helped our regiment transport supplies and then stayed with our regiment. Not for anything else, just because a brother invited me to eat and called my little brother to eat.

Sir, do you know? Ever since the Japanese entered Licheng, we Chinese have become pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep. They can slaughter them at any time. My little boy, Zhang Xiaosan, was stabbed to death by a Japanese with a bayonet when he didn't bow immediately when he met a Japanese on the street. . Although we are alive, we live in fear, even worse than pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep.

But I joined the Fourth Army Corps, and my parents used my military salary to build houses in the town. My younger brothers and sisters also had enough to eat. I saluted the company commander, and the company commander returned the gift. I was walking home during the holidays. On the way home, the people I met all greeted me in a friendly way.

I also met a girl I like in the army. Although I haven’t told her yet, I can still see her red face when she looks at me. Whenever that happens, my heart feels like a flower. , opened, I have never lived like this.

I understand in my heart that these are all given to me by the Four Lines Group, and they are all given to me by my status as a Chinese soldier. It is for this and nothing else. I am willing to give my life to our group. Death is for me, Never been so scared.

Of course, if I can still live, I want to continue living.

My brothers, they are dead, but their parents are still there, and someone has to take care of them in their old age. I have made a promise to my brothers. If they die, they will die, but there must be dozens of people who survive. A son of a father and mother, if he fails to do it, his dead brother will sit on his bedside every day and scold him for being such a bitch.

I also planned that if China won the war that day, I would not be a soldier. I would take the military salary I saved to find those parents and bring them all to the Taihang Mountains. I would farm the land, cut down trees, build houses, and raise food. They are old. "

"Platoon leader, here's me! My family is in southern Hebei. Where can we grow wheat? There are no Japanese left. As long as I work hard, I can definitely feed my parents." Another soldier said quickly .

"The regiment will consider the sacrifice of our brothers' parents for their old age, and will do our best to help. We will never let our brothers bleed and shed tears." Tang Dao, who was comforted, patted the shoulders of two subordinates.

"But! You elite soldiers and generals probably won't be able to farm if they want to. The Japanese have been beaten away, but our big piece of meat in China is still there. There are a lot of jackals, tigers and leopards in the world."

"I don't care where the jackals, tigers and leopards come from. If they dare to throw their claws at me, I will chop them into pieces." The young scout's face was filled with murderous intent.

He has been in Hengyang, which is like hell, and this young scout is really not afraid of any opponent.

"Well said! Whoever stretches out his claws will be chopped into pieces." Tang Dao smiled slightly.

Lying down on his back, he murmured to himself: "You're such an idiot, do you know what I want to do most right now?"

The two scouts were stunned.

"I want to sleep most!" Tang Dao closed his eyes, and when his voice was inaudible, he heard a slight cry.

After sleeping no more than 3 hours a day for several months, even Tetsuo and Tang Dao couldn't hold on any longer. He fell asleep on the charred land where the smoke of gunfire had not completely dissipated and the residual heat of the gunfire was still on the land.

Several scouts who were more than thirty meters away looked at their sleeping commander, slightly surprised, but more respectful.

He was a tough guy who could lead his troops to run 100 miles at night to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese army. He entered Jiangxia City alone and killed two senior Japanese generals. He actually fell asleep like a baby like this. You can know how much he spent in the past few months. of energy and effort.

. . . . . . . . . .

Perhaps Tang Dao was not alone in falling asleep on the battlefield like this.

"We win, I win!"

"You're so good, you're such an idiot! You're so scared!"

"Mad, stop shouting and let me take a nap. I'm so tired!"

After receiving the news from the scouts, the Hengyang Command finally determined that the Japanese army had really retreated, and notified the whole army of the victory.

Many officers and soldiers walked out of the bunkers and celebrated the victory with cheers.

But surprisingly, the cheers were not as earth-shaking as imagined, but more calm.

It was not that the soldiers and civilians had not reacted for a while, but that many officers and soldiers finally reacted after receiving the news of victory and fell asleep.

There were earth-shaking cheers on countless positions!

They were too tired!

They were so tired that they didn't even have the energy to cheer for the victory!

I don't know how many positions were patrolled with guns, and they were all the highest commanders of the unit!

This is a battlefield of victory, and it is also a battlefield of silence!

"Except for the necessary sentinels, the whole army will rest!" Fang Xianjue issued the first military order after the victory in Hengyang after inspecting some positions.

To put it bluntly, everyone was sleeping.

As for the celebration banquet, there really wasn't one. Hengyang was lucky to be able to fill the stomachs of the wounded soldiers. The combat troops had not had any supplies for a week.

Originally, Fang Xianjue wanted to let the second-line soldiers such as the cooks, communications soldiers, and logistics soldiers go to the ponds and rivers to catch some fish, but when he was about to give the order, he remembered that these second-line soldiers had all been deployed to the front line.

The first commander of Hengyang was both sad and helpless. He took the reserve troops in Hengyang City who did not participate in the war to the pond to start the operation of catching fish and shrimp.

The soldiers under his command fell asleep, and when they woke up, they should at least have fish soup to drink!

However, Fang Xianjue ordered the strict use of explosives such as grenades to blow up fish, and they could only catch fish manually to avoid disturbing the officers and soldiers who were already asleep.

Morning of September 22!

The day after the Japanese army withdrew completely, the vanguard of the 74th Army, an infantry battalion, arrived at the outskirts of Hengyang first.

After careful observation, they finally found a position with garrisons. After approaching and observing, they were surprised to find that there was only one lieutenant sentry in front of them, wearing the uniform of the Chinese Army.

After the two sides contacted and confirmed that they were friendly forces, the Army Major led his troops into the position.

There were Chinese people everywhere, all snoring.

Some wore military uniforms, and some wore ragged civilian clothes. They were not regular soldiers at first glance. The only thing in common was that although they were all asleep, they still held a rifle tightly.

When the gunshots rang out, the Army Major had every reason to believe that such a group of guys who did not look like regular soldiers would definitely pick up their guns and re-enter the combat state.

Because they blocked the attack of more than 100,000 Japanese troops for more than 110 days, which created a miracle in military history.

Facing the Army Lieutenant in front of him, who was haggard but still straight-backed, and those soldiers who were still sleeping in the mud and whose uniforms were ragged like beggars, the Army Major Battalion Commander, who was known as the most elite infantry army in China, took the lead in raising his right arm.

"Salute to the defenders of Hengyang!"

"Salute!"

The most elite Chinese Army salutes the more elite Chinese Army.

Each of them deserves this salute!