Chapter 653 Forward, Forward, Forward (1)

Experienced hunters know that hunting at night is more fruitful than hunting during the day. The reason is that at night, as long as the miner's lamp above the hunter's head shines on the rabbits and pheasants hiding in the grass nest, the rabbits and pheasants will be dizzy in a short period of time, and even the shotgun pokes the tail It can't reflect, and the hunter will naturally hit every shot.

The 12 artillery regiments of the Eighth Route Army and two artillery groups fired a salvo of nearly 600 cannons, which was much more powerful than the miner's lamps and shotguns above the heads of hunters in later generations.

The cannon was roaring, and the earth was shaking

At this time, the German army had not yet blitzed Poland, and the largest artillery battle in human history was still recorded in the First World War, whether it was Takamasa Sekii, the commander of the 14th Division, or Osamu Maeda, the commander of the 35th Division, who was known as an artillery expert, there was no concept of nearly 600 artillery salvos in their minds. The shelling of the artillery group of the Eighth Route Army made their shocked hearts jump to their throats.

When it was almost dark, the commander of the 35th Division, Osamu Maeda, and the commander of the 13th Independent Mixed Brigade and Brigade Morita Masatomi got together, and the two old devils were very dissatisfied with the attack during the day, but they were puzzled, and they discussed and discussed, and decided to discuss with Lieutenant General Takamasa Sekii, commander of the 14th Division, whether to bring the troops closer together, build positions, camp overnight, and fight again tomorrow. However, before they could find Guanjing Longchang, the order of the North China Front Army and the Twelfth Army Headquarters arrived, asking them to attack overnight, contain the blocking troops of the Eighth Route Army, cover and support the 14th Division to advance north overnight, and seize Jinan.

As soon as he saw the orders of the North China Front Headquarters and the Twelfth Army Headquarters, he immediately shouted Yo Xi, forgetting the casualties of his troops, and instigated Maeda to concentrate the main force of the 35th Division, capture Tai'an in one go, and cover and support the 14th Division to attack and occupy Jinan.

Maeda Osamu didn't have Morita Masaho's mood, he always felt that something was wrong, and in the last battle of Anjiazhuang, the 35th Division was also against the troops of the Taixi Group of the Eighth Route Army, including the Taixi Garrison Brigade. At that time, as soon as the artillery wing of the 35th Division opened fire, and then used combat vehicles to cover the infantry attack, supplemented by aviation bombardment, the Taixi group could not resist at all, and could only hurriedly move to the mountains to the north. Today's situation is not like this, it is still the troops of the original Taixi Garrison Brigade, which have fought to block the attack, and have an orderly attack and defense, and have a sharp weapon to deal with the chariots, relying on villages and towns, fighting to the death. What do they want to do, is it really to desperately block the attack, buy time for Liu Yimin to carry out the Luzhong ambush or return to Jinan?

No wonder Maeda was suspicious: The blocking troops of the Eighth Route Army fought too well in one day today, and the 35th Division's attack on all fronts did not achieve the expected goal, and the troops suffered heavy casualties. Osamu Maeda has already replenished the two supplementary brigades to combat units, and if the battle continues, the 35th Division will not have any additional troops. Before dark, it was also attacked by the Eighth Route Army group, and the casualties were even greater.

Maeda thought about it and felt that among the three armies of the Eastern Front, the Northern Front, and the Southern Front, the troops on the Southern Front where he belonged had the least troops, with only two divisions, the 14th Division and the 35th Division, plus an independent mixed 13th Brigade. A brigade of the puppet Manchurian Defense Army under the command has been basically exhausted, and their combat effectiveness is not weak, but it was bombed by the fighters of the Eighth Route Army early in the morning, disrupting the structure and being reduced to a regiment. This regiment was also used as cannon fodder by Morita Masaho, and there were few people who could walk at the end of the day. In this case, if Liu Yimin wants to fight, he will definitely choose the imperial army on the southern front first. This is common sense in soldiers, and there is nothing to be mysterious.

As soon as this thought came up, Maeda Osamu was frightened into a cold sweat, you must know that his 35th Division had just arrived in North China not long ago, and it was defeated by the Eighth Route Army on the Jilu side. At that time, in order to escape for their lives, those recruits not only threw away their guns and bullets, but also took off their military uniforms, and most of them took off only a piece of crotch cloth, creating a miracle in the history of war. Although the combat effectiveness of the 35th Division has been greatly improved after battlefield training, the combat skills of the soldiers have improved significantly, and the morale is also very high, Maeda Zhi knows in his heart that the last battle of Anjiazhuang was met by the Taixi Group of the Eighth Route Army and the two garrison brigades of Liu Yimin's department. If Liu Yimin's forces were to destroy the 10th and 8th Divisions, the 35th Division would probably not be an opponent. Not to mention anything else, the 35th Division could not afford the artillery firepower of Liu Yimin's troops when they defeated the 35th Division.

Maeda Osamu told Morita Masahomi what he thought, but Morita Masaho grinned and said nonchalantly: "The order of the Front Army Headquarters made it clear that Liu Yimin was originally going to ambush the Fifth Division, but his intelligence was not accurate, and he didn't know that there were four elite divisions and 100,000 troops concentrated on the Eastern Front, so it was possible to abandon Luzhong and return to Jinan." At present, the troops of the northern front have fled in embarrassment on the blocked Eighth Route Army, and the main force of the Eighth Route Army has not been found on the eastern front, and only the Eighth Route Army on the southern front is desperately blocking the attack, which shows that the judgment of the front army headquarters is correct. I judged that in another two hours, the Tuba Road on the northern front might be completely wiped out. The divisions and regiments on the northern front could completely cross the river overnight and attack Jinan with the 14th Division before dawn. By the time Liu Yimin's forces were withdrawn from Luzhong, the city of Jinan had already been included in the pocket of the Imperial Japanese Army. ”

When Maeda heard this, he felt that what Morita Masaho said was not entirely unreasonable, and no matter what he said, the Dohachi Road, which was blocking the attack on the northern front, could not be the opponent of the First Division and the Second Division. Even if you look at the whole world, there are few troops that will be the opponents of the first and second divisions. The same is true on the Eastern Front, there are steel arrows such as armored brigades, as well as two mechanized divisions such as the Guards Division and the Fifth Division, plus the Sixth Division and the Sixteenth Division. The four elite divisions of the Japanese Empire, not to mention dealing with Liu Yimin's department, are also invincible against the Soviet Army and the US Army

"Morita-kun, there is some truth in what you said. But I always feel a little worried, what if Liu Yimin's forces are not in Luzhong, but hidden around Jinan, ready to deal with us? Osamu Maeda was still a little hesitant.

Morita Masahomi had suffered a big loss from the Eighth Route Army, but he was blinded by the results of the last Battle of Anjiazhuang, thinking that as long as the main force of the Eighth Route Army instructor was not in Jinan, the garrison of the Eighth Route Army that was blocking the attack was not their opponent, and he was bent on seizing the opportunity of the main force of the Eighth Route Army in Luzhong to defeat the Eighth Route Army troops blocked on the southern front and establish meritorious service.

Seeing that Maeda was still hesitating, Morita Masatsu thought about it for a while and proposed a plan, that is, to concentrate all the forces of the 35th Division and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade to launch a large-scale night attack and capture Taean. If the attack on Tai'an is successful, it means that the main force of the Eighth Route Army is not in this area, and it can be assured to boldly go north. If the attack on Tai'an still does not work, it means that the Eighth Route Army's strength in Tai'an is very large, and it is necessary to immediately telegraph to Commander Iida Sadagu of the 12th Army and Commander Shanshanyuan of the Front Army to stop the attack, quickly move closer to the 14th Division, and build a position to defend, as long as it can hold out until dawn and receive the support of the air force, it will be safe.

Maeda felt that this method was worth trying, but he revised Morita Masafumi's opinion, that is, if the attack on Taian did not go well, the 35th Division and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade should immediately withdraw from the battle and build a strong defense line to cover the 14th Division. As long as the heavy artillery brigade of the 14th Division is kept, with those heavy artillery, it can repel the attack of the main force of the Tuba Road.

After making up his mind, Maeda ordered all troops to have a meal, and after the meal, a powerful attack began.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the attack, Maeda ordered the artillery wing to beat all the special smoke to Tai'an Castle after the artillery preparation before the attack began, and poisoned all the Tubalu defending the city.

The little devils fight wars and are accustomed to burning, killing and looting to satisfy their baggage needs. But now the situation is different, and the little devils know that the Eighth Route Army is good at fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness, so that they can't find food. Therefore, for the first time, the soldiers were also allowed to bring enough dry food for three days. Before leaving, Maeda believed that three days would be enough time for them to occupy Jinan, and then the Chinese would be able to dig out the grain even if they buried it in the ground, and the logistical problem could be solved.

After a day of fighting, the little devil suffered heavy casualties, and there was no longer the arrogance that he had when he first started attacking in the morning. The soldiers finished their meals and were reprimanded by the officers before they began to prepare for the attack. By the time the artillery wing concentrated all its efforts on shelling, all the wings of the 35th Division were still nesting in their starting positions.

At this time, the artillery group of the Eighth Route Army spoke.

Maeda Osamu is an artillery expert, and as soon as he saw the firing formation of the Eighth Route Army's artillery group, he knew that it was over, and he was unfortunately right, and the idiots such as Shanshan Yuan, Yamashita Fengfumi, and Iida Sadagu fell into Liu Yimin's hands again, and the fate of the 21st Division, the 8th Division, and the 10th Division fell to his 35th Division and Sekii Takamasa's 14th Division. Needless to say, Liu Yimin has already laid a net here, and now he has begun to close the net.

Maeda Osamu was stunned, and he didn't know what to do anymore, and muttered to himself: "It turns out that artillery can also be used intensively like this, isn't it crazy to have eight roads, don't you know that shells are precious?" ”

Morita Masahomi was also stupid, but he had seen the might of the artillery of the Eighth Route Army, and several of his original infantry brigades were buried under the artillery group of the Eighth Route Army.

Seeing that Maeda Osamu was stunned, Morita Masahomi hurriedly slapped him in the face. Not to mention, this slap worked, and Osamu Maeda woke up from his stunned.

The sober Maeda knew that the opportunity was fleeting, and immediately ordered the troops to stop the attack and quickly evacuate to avoid the shelling. After the artillery bombardment of the Eighth Route Army was over, the troops set up positions on the spot and prepared to counter the attack of the Eighth Route Army.

Morita Masahomi reminded Maeda that he had to report to the Twelfth Army Headquarters and the North China Front Army Headquarters immediately, otherwise, it would be too late to report when the Eighth Route Army blew up the radio.

Maeda Osamu hated the blind command of Sugi Sugimoto and Iida Sadagu at this time, and he wanted to kill them, so where would he be willing to send them a telegram? But the situation was urgent, and he could not be allowed to make a fuss, and he had to report the enemy's situation. Thus, one of the strangest war reports in the history of the Japanese army was born: "His Excellency Shanshan Moto, General of the Army and Commander of the North China Front, and His Excellency Sadagu Iida, Commander of the Twelfth Army:

Under the command of the two, the 35th Army Division, the 13th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 14th Army Division were attacked by the powerful artillery group of the Eighth Route Army on the front line of Tai'an and Feicheng. Facts have proved that the main force of the Eighth Route Army instructor is not in Luzhong at all, and the operational plans of the Front Army Headquarters and the Twelfth Army Headquarters are all formulated to cooperate with Liu Yimin. Congratulations, you can capture Jiaoji Road and Jinan at the expense of more than 50,000 elite soldiers of the Japanese Empire. But I have to remind both of you to act quickly. Otherwise, after Liu Yimin has eliminated the 14th Division, the 35th Division, and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Army, it will be difficult to predict whether you will be able to occupy Jinan. ”

The insignee was Osamu Maeda, a lieutenant general of the Japanese Army and commander of the 35th Division.

This guy Maeda Osamu didn't change his bull temper when he died, and he regarded Sugi Sugimoto, who was extremely powerful in the Japanese army, as the brave general Otaka Kamezo, and directly ridiculed it. Of course, Maeda is not stupid, knowing that as soon as this telegram is sent, it can be regarded as completely offending Sugi Sugi and Iida Sadagu, even if he dies, he will be framed by them, and his family is afraid that he will be unlucky. Therefore, this telegram was sent to Prince Zaihito of Kanin Palace, the new General Shunroku Hatahata, and General Toshiichi Terauchi, the former commander of the North China Front. It is equivalent to biting Sugi Sugi Yuan and Iida Sadagu fiercely before he died.

Maeda's order was good, but it was a little late. The two artillery groups of the Eighth Route Army dealt with the 35th and 14th Divisions respectively, and what fell on the head of the 35th Division was 300 shells at a time, what is the concept? If the 35th Division could still withstand this kind of high-intensity attack, it would not be the 35th Division.

Sure enough, by the time Maeda's order was issued to the wings, the 35th Division and the 13th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade were already in disarray. Cars, carriages, tanks, armored vehicles, motorcycles, artillery, including soldiers are all dancing under the fire of the Eighth Route Army, who will pay attention to the orders of His Excellency the division commander?

The blow is just beginning.

Osamu Maeda and Masanori Morita suddenly found that many torches suddenly lit up on the north side of Jinpu Road, which stretches for dozens of miles from Jieshou Station in the north to Dawenkou in the south. Groups of the Eighth Route Army poured out from the north side of Jinpu Road, shouting and roaring and attacking from east to west.

The East Group of the Eighth Route Army struck

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