At midnight, ferries shuttled back and forth on the Tangjia River, and the Japanese troops retreated to the north bank of the Tangjia River in wooden boats. The artillery fire in the south was continuous, and the sound of gunfire and explosions came and went, indicating that the Eighth Route Army's attack was still sharp. The Japanese army could not resist the ferocious offensive of the Eighth Route Army, and after a fierce battle for half a month, the Japanese 7th Division suffered heavy casualties and lost more than half of it, and was forced to retreat to the north bank of the Tangjia River, and used the natural barrier of the Tangjia River to continue to stubbornly resist. The Eighth Route Army adopted a 24-hour uninterrupted attack in rotational operations, and always maintained strong combat effectiveness, which was difficult for the Japanese army to parry.

During this period, the Japanese reserve 47th Division reinforced a wing, but the result was an oil filling tactic, and this reinforced wing only played a role in covering the safe retreat of the 7th Division to the north bank of the Tangjia River. The Tangjia River is about 80 meters wide and can be crossed by ordinary people. Nowadays, the river swells during the rainy season, and the width of the river increases to more than 100 meters, and the water depth can reach 2 meters.

A wooden boat ran aground on the shore, and Japanese soldiers disembarked one after another to enter the shore fortifications. Squadron Leader Goro Sugimoto dragged his tired body ashore, and he looked back at the flash to the south, presumably in a very depressed mood. As the last troops to withdraw to the north shore, the mood of each soldier was very gloomy.

The light of the fire, which appears from time to time, briefly reflects the dirty faces of his subordinates. Sugimoto Goro looked at his subordinates, and his heart became even heavier. The squadron of 250 people now has only 130 people left. After half a month of fierce fighting, 45 people were killed and 75 were wounded. "Squadron Leader Sugimoto, the captain ordered, your unit is responsible for the 2nd line defense, and the position is in the 121st area." The herald raised his hand and saluted and left. Goro Sugimoto led his subordinates into the communication trenches, and soon reached the 2nd line position and entered the defensive pit to stand by. When the soldiers entered the tunnel, they leaned against the wall and fell asleep.

Goro Yamamoto has a habit of keeping a diary, he sat in front of the lantern and took out a notebook from his cowhide satchel and wrote after a little thought: The order to retreat was given, and our troops crossed the Tangjia River at midnight. The soldiers were tired, but the battle continued. As an Imperial soldier, I was ready to die for the Emperor at every moment. It stands to reason that the bloody battlefield should abandon the love of children and daughters, but in this battlefield full of artillery fire, I can't help but think of you again. Yingzi! If I die heroically for my country, do not grieve and remember that your husband is a fearless warrior??????。

After writing his diary, Goro Sugimoto seems to have completed a task. Maybe every day's diary is a masterpiece, and dying on the battlefield as a soldier is the best destination, but he is reluctant in his heart. Goro Sugimoto didn't seem sleepy. I got up and walked out of the tunnel, breathing in the hot and humid air, and my depressed mood was not relieved. The fire of gunfire and explosions ceased on the south side, indicating that the troops had completely withdrawn to the north bank. The silence was somewhat terrifying, heralding an even more brutal battle. Suddenly, there was a sobbing sound at the bend in the trench ahead, and Goro Sugimoto pulled out his flashlight and walked over.

Under the light of the flashlight, a frightened baby face was revealed. "Bastard, what are you crying about?" "Sir, I'm homesick!" "As an Imperial Warrior, you must have a strong will. It is your duty to fight bravely and sacrifice your life for your country. Go back and rest, don't get cranky. "The soldier who secretly cried was called Jiro Oda, who was only 16 years old, and was a recruit who had been replenished from Japan a month ago. Looking at the small, thin Oda Jiro disappearing into the pit, Sugimoto Goro felt sour in his heart, this is clearly still a child.

At about one o'clock in the morning, Zhang Yusheng led his subordinates to the south bank of the Tangjia River. Looking north across the river, nothing could be seen clearly, and the troops rested in place, recuperating and preparing to launch a river-crossing operation at dawn. "Company Commander Zhang, the battalion commander asked your company to get the rubber boat." The battalion headquarters correspondent came to report. After his subordinates went down to collect the rubber boat, he leaned against the trench, then pulled out his flashlight and took notes with the faint light of the flashlight. It seems like one thing to do every day, otherwise it's like missing something.

At night, the Tangjia River roars and flows to the sea, and it is silent. The troops reached the south bank of the river one after another, and in the second half of the night, rain fell from the sky again. Zhang Yusheng put on a raincoat and took off his steel helmet, deliberately letting the rain fall on his head and face, which felt particularly comfortable. In the dark, the instructor came over and sat beside him and said, "Yusheng, you are getting closer and closer to your hometown, aren't you excited?" "Yes! I'm very excited to see the grass and trees in my hometown, and I've been away from my hometown for 5 years, and I don't know what happened to my parents and younger siblings! ”

"Has there been no news of your family?" "After graduating from high school that year, I went to Jiangxi without telling my parents. For fear that his family would be involved, for their safety, he never wrote to his family. My father was a middle school teacher, so I don't know what happened. Zhang Yusheng's words revealed a trace of sadness. Break through the Tangjia River, and soon the troops will be under the city of Tianjin, if your parents know that you are the company commander of the Eighth Route Army, they will definitely be proud of you! ”

"Report! The 4th row brought back the rubber boat! "The correspondent reported that Zhang Yusheng and the instructor immediately got up when they heard this, and saw the soldiers returning in the dark carrying more than a dozen rubber boats." Instructor, the above is really thoughtful, I heard that the rubber boat is made in the United States, and the big American boss is really generous. Zhang Yusheng looked around a rubber boat and admired. Soon silence returned to the position, and the soldiers fell asleep. In the east, the belly of the fish is white, and in the haze, you can clearly see that the river is rising again.

At 4 o'clock in the morning, the atmosphere of the battle in the headquarters of the 2nd Corps was tense and orderly. After half a month of fierce battles, everyone has become accustomed to the tense atmosphere. Su Yu walked into the headquarters, looking full of energy. "Commander Su, I can see that I slept well last night! The 1st Artillery Division was already in position, and the Tangjiahe front line launched an attack on time at 5 o'clock. "Chief of Staff Peng Xuelan reports." The offensive on the Western Front encountered difficulties, and the pre-war estimates were underestimated. Whether or not we can break through the Tangjiahe River today is very crucial. ”

"Commander Su, the political commissar asked me to tell you that he went to the headquarters of the 1st Army to personally sit in charge." Su Yu nodded and continued: "Send a report to the 2nd Army and the 4th Army on the Western Front to expand the attack area and strive to attract more Japanese troops." If we destroy a large number of Japanese forces on the outer defensive line, the next siege will reduce the pressure. The headquarters reported that Chen Cheng's division of the 4th Corps of the Central Army had no improvement in the attack on Tangshan. The 8th Corps launched an attack from the front line of Chengde to Shanhaiguan, and the attack was blocked! ”

"Now the focus is on us, whether we can take Tianjin City as scheduled, everyone's eyes are on us. Nowadays, the Tangjia River is the key, as long as the Tangjia River is crossed, the battle situation will be clear. "Yes! As long as the Tangjia River is crossed, the large army can be quickly deployed, seize Tanggu and outflank Tianjin from the east, forming a situation of siege in the southwest and east. However, the 4th Corps could not take Tangshan as soon as possible, and the Japanese army could choose to flee north! "Our goal is to seize the strategic point of Tianjin, and if the Japanese army chooses to escape, it will not be able to stop it."

In the headquarters of the 1st Army on the south bank of the Tangjia River, army commander Zhao Liang gave a detailed report on the preparation of the troops to Luo Ronghuan, who came to sit in the town. Luo Ronghuan glanced at his watch and said, "I don't interfere with your command, what I need is the result!" As the minutes passed, the black muzzle of the artillery position adjacent to the military headquarters shook and pointed to the north bank of the Tangjia River.

When the time came for the attack, at the sound of an order, the earth began to shake, the roar was deafening, and the shells flew out of the muzzles and smashed into the Japanese positions. The Japanese positions on the north bank were shrouded in the smoke of the explosion, and the scene of shelling was spectacular.

Half an hour after the shelling, the forward assault units began to attack, forcibly crossing the Tangjia River. The soldiers jumped out of the trenches, braved the rain of bullets fired by the Japanese and carried rubber boats into the river. Each rubber boat can carry a squad of soldiers, and suddenly dense rubber boats appeared on the river. The rubber boat moved slowly, and Zhang Yusheng lay next to the machine gunner, holding a bazooka in his hand, looking for the Japanese machine-gun fire point. Suddenly, tongues of fire erupted from a hidden firing point on the opposite bank, and the machine gunners next to him were loaded.

Zhang Yusheng quickly aimed and pulled the trigger, and the action was done in one go, and a rocket accurately hit the Japanese bunker. Accompanied by a violent explosion, the Japanese heavy machine guns were silent. The soldiers paddled hard, and the light machine guns on the rubber boats formed crossfire, suppressing the Japanese soldiers in the trenches without raising their heads. Suddenly the Japanese began shelling, the shells fell on the surface of the river to form a huge column of water, the rubber boat was hit, and the corpses of soldiers appeared on the river. The soldiers who fell into the water struggled to swim to the opposite shore.

About half an hour later, the Sharp Knife Company took the lead in setting foot on the opposite bank, and before it could gain a foothold, the Japanese began to counterattack. The battle was fierce, and the soldiers on both sides began to engage in hand-to-hand combat, testing the iron will of the soldiers on both sides. In the headquarters of the 1st Army, an operational staff officer put down the phone and reported: "Report, the 1st Brigade successfully forced the crossing, but the Japanese counterattack was very fierce!" "Tell the commander of the 1st Brigade that it is necessary to stand firm on the shore before noon, resolutely resist the enemy's counterattack, and ensure that the follow-up troops quickly cross the river."

Goro Sugimoto received an order to lead his subordinates to launch a counterattack. The enemy soldiers who came ashore were very tenacious, and Sugimoto Goro led his subordinates to launch three unsuccessful attacks on a position. More and more enemy troops came ashore, and Goro Sugimoto was red-eyed and took the lead with a crooked light machine gun. Suddenly, a grenade exploded beside him, and Goro Sugimoto fell to the ground in front of his eyes.