In the dark of night, the night sky was lit up by firelight. In a certain forward position in Lin'an, the offensive of the Eighth Route Army was like a tide. A pillbox was cleared in front of it, and the smoke had not yet cleared. The soldiers quickly launched a charge, and suddenly two hidden bunkers spewed out fire snakes, and a dense rain of bullets swept through, and the charging Eighth Route Army soldiers fell in a pool of blood. The troops charging behind were suppressed and had to be forced to retreat, and the offensive failed.

On the battlefield of Shaoxing, a certain unit had just occupied a piece of Japanese occupation, and before it could gain a foothold, the Japanese army launched a counterattack in the dark. The Japanese counterattack was very orderly, they were familiar with the terrain and made full use of it, and the attack was very sharp. The Japanese counterattack troops were also equipped with submachine guns, and a dense rain of bullets rushed in. The soldiers of the Eighth Route Army could not resist it, so they had to retreat. The Japanese army learned from the experience of the Eighth Route Army in trench defense and formulated thorough defensive measures. Especially in the core fortifications, the permanent fortifications built by the Japanese army were more efficient.

In early July, according to the order of the Corps Headquarters, the 3rd Army and the 4th Army launched simultaneous attacks on Lin'an on the west side of Hangzhou's outer defense line, Fuyang on the southwest side, and Shaoxing on the south side of the Hangzhou Outer Defense Line. In order to prevent the Japanese army from exerting air superiority and preventing the Japanese army from carrying out air strikes on the attacking troops, the Corps Headquarters asked the troops to rest during the day and launch an attack at night. However, after 10 days of continuous attack, it was greatly unexpected, and the battle situation entered a state of anxiety after only capturing the surface positions of the Japanese army.

Yuichi Honda, chief of staff of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, after taking office as the commander-in-chief of the front line in Hangzhou. Immediately deploy the 65th Division of the Japanese Army, which was secretly transferred, to the outer defense lines of Lin'an, Fuyang, and Shaoxing, and withdraw the 17th and 20th mixed brigades of this line to Hangzhou City as a general reserve. Yuichi Honda was ordered to take the order in the face of danger, and he carefully studied the experience of the Eighth Route Army in trench defense, and took targeted measures, especially the formation of a deep defense system between the outer defense line and the city of Hangzhou, so as to consume a large number of troops of the Eighth Route Army.

Yuichi Honda's pragmatic style played a key role in the stability of the Japanese defense line. Since the vast majority of the soldiers of the 65th Division of the Japanese Army were veterans of combat experience, they did not have any problems in defensive operations despite their age. Originally, the 65th Division was going to be transferred to the northeast to take on local security tasks, so as to continue to put the elite divisions of the Kwantung Army into operations in the Guannai. According to the shift of the center of gravity of the Japanese base camp to the north, the westward strategic plan formulated this time was to transfer four more divisions from the Kwantung Army to participate in the battle.

The sudden attack of the Eighth Route Army on the northern and southern fronts strongly shook the Japanese government. In order to strengthen the security of the front line in Hangzhou, the Japanese base camp ordered the 65th Division on the way to divert to Shanghai. In order to cover up people's eyes, the 65th Division did not land at the Shanghai wharf, but landed at the Jinshan wharf in Hangzhou Bay, and secretly went to the front line of Hangzhou to deploy defenses. The headquarters of the Eighth Route Army knew nothing about the increase in the number of Japanese troops on the front line in Hangzhou.

Although the attack was in a state of scorching, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army believed that as long as the Japanese perimeter defense line was taken, the Japanese army would abandon Hangzhou. That night, on an offensive position in Fuyang, a Japanese pillbox was captured. The bunker was blown open by an explosives pack, and none of the defending Japanese troops inside survived. The soldier went in to search, "Company commander, damn the little devil, is there no one left, look at this devil who is in his 50s and still on the battlefield!" ”

A soldier with a bandage on his arm wields a flashlight, the beam of which shines on the corpse of a Japanese soldier. The Japanese soldier had gray sideburns and wrinkles on his face covered in dust, but he still recognized that he was a veteran. "Company commander, look at this Japanese soldier is also an old guy!" From the side, another soldier shouted: "It's the old guy lying here!" "There's a veteran here, too!" Several soldiers reported one after another, and it turned out that the Japanese soldiers killed in this fort were all veterans.

This situation was quickly reported to the military headquarters of the 3rd Army in Quzhou, and the army commander Xiao Feng received the report of the 8th Division and couldn't help but be a little confused. Chief of Staff Zhou Kun said: "It seems that there is a problem with the Japanese soldiers, and the retired veterans have been drafted, which is definitely great news for us!" Xiao Feng said thoughtfully: "Immediately inquire about the various divisions of the 8th Division, what is the proportion of veterans of the Japanese soldiers who have died?" In addition, the 7th Division was also informed and asked to report the results of the inquiry as soon as possible. ”

Political Commissar Zhu Liangcai said: "Since the start of the war, the Japanese army has not suffered many battle losses, and judging by the Japanese population, this situation should not occur. Xiao Feng said: "I have heard Chief of General Staff Ouyang talk about how many troops the Japanese army can form at most, and Chief of General Staff Ouyang analyzed: According to the preliminary judgment of the Japanese population, the Japanese army can mobilize 7 million people to the battlefield at its limit. Analysis of the political commissar of Fang Cai: Since the beginning of the war, the Japanese army has not suffered many battle losses, and this phenomenon should not occur. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou Kun changed the topic: "Army commander, we have only taken the surface position of the Japanese army after attacking for half a month, I didn't expect the Japanese army to be so tenacious, and now we have to pay a heavy price for every meter we advance." The Japanese army stubbornly defended the outer defense line, and if it hit the city of Hangzhou, I am afraid that it will not be possible to do it in two months. In particular, the Japanese bunker was very hidden, and it was difficult to find it by fire reconnaissance, and the key was that the troops entered the enemy position, and the Japanese bunker suddenly fired, increasing the casualties of our troops. ”

Visibility was very poor at night and it was raining outside. At the military headquarters of the 4th Army in Jinhua, the faces of the generals were as gloomy as the stormy weather outside. The attack was blocked, and everyone was in a bad mood, especially Song Renqiang, who was the front-line commander, was under great pressure. Due to the rain, the night offensive had to be canceled. Political Commissar Yang Shangkun said: "Commander, after more than 20 days of attack, we only broke through the surface positions on the periphery of the Japanese army. The Japanese stubbornly stubbornly fought in a very orderly manner, our casualties increased day by day, and the morale of the troops was seriously frustrated! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou Shidi said: "Army commander, according to the feedback from the 3rd Army, Lin'an, Fuyang, including Shaoxing on the front, the attacking troops found dead Japanese soldiers, and veterans accounted for a large proportion. In particular, the wounded soldiers of the Japanese army were strapped to explosives and died at the last moment. We pay a price for every fortress we take. In addition, the Japanese counterattack adopted our style of play, and I really did not expect that the proud Japanese army also had a pragmatic side. ”

Song Renqiang did not squeak, and Chief of Staff Zhou Shidi continued: "Army commander, the situation has been reported to the Corps Headquarters, and the situation of the 3rd Army is similar to ours, but the Corps Headquarters has not heard back. "I estimate that the Corps Headquarters has reported to the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, maybe the headquarters is analyzing the battle situation, and I estimate that the headquarters is taking countermeasures." In fact, Song Renqiang and Xiao Feng communicated with each other, believing that the Japanese army's defense force on the outer defense line was very likely to be a new force.

The reason is that, according to the information we have, it is extremely abnormal for a large number of veterans to appear on the Lin'an, Fuyang, and Shaoxing lines, and the Japanese troops who originally served on this line were mixed into the 17th and 20th brigades, and the defensive strength of the cavalry units increased instead of decreasing. Since the military intelligence came from the General Headquarters, the two did not dare to be arrogant and suspicious, and they were so suspected of shirking their responsibilities for the ineffective attack, so they could only report the situation truthfully and hoped that the Corps Headquarters would attach great importance to it.

On this stormy night, the headquarters of the Shangrao Corps was still rotating at high speed. The fighters were busy and the ticking of telegrams was endless. At this time, Commander He Long, Political Commissar Teng Daiyuan, and Chief of Staff Zuo Quan were silent looking at the front-line military map. Everyone knew in their hearts that the front-line attack had been frustrated, and with such an unfavorable situation, everyone was under heavy pressure, especially the chief officer, He Long. As soon as he became the commander of the 2nd Corps, he was unfavorable, and there was a way that the new officer took office with three fires, and the first fire did not burn.

Everyone knows how much pressure He Long has in his heart. "Order all front-line units to stop attacking, and I'll take the blame on the headquarters!" He Long seemed to have made up his mind and said decisively. Political Commissar Teng Dai said from afar: "Mr. He, the responsibility cannot be borne by you alone. "The political commissar is right, we have to take responsibility, and the three of us will bear it together!" I'll draft the message! After Zuo Quan finished speaking, he couldn't help but say and went straight to the telecommunications room. Seeing the resolute face of the political commissar, a warm current surged into He Long's heart.

"Political commissar, it seems that the intelligence of the headquarters is wrong, according to the situation of the 3rd Army and the 4th Army, it is very likely that the Japanese army will increase its troops on the front line in Hangzhou. According to the analysis of the Japanese army's defensive situation, the Japanese army was going to defend Hangzhou. In particular, we have suffered setbacks on the perimeter and we have been able to prove that. "Our analysis has been reported to Headquarters, but there have been no new instructions from Headquarters. The political significance of fighting Hangzhou is greater than the military significance, and it is estimated that the headquarters is also in difficulty! Political Commissar Teng Daiyuan considered it from another angle.

"Your analysis is reasonable, and it is estimated that the headquarters is also difficult to ride a tiger. We ate the 106th Division of the Japanese Army on the Southern Front, and the guerrilla operations of various units in the Central Plains were also fought vigorously, and the Japanese army's railway lines and communication lines in the Central Plains were almost paralyzed. In particular, the Japanese puppet army in remote counties has shrunk to big cities, and our base areas have been expanding. Under such a good situation, if we return from the city of Hangzhou without success, we will not be able to explain to the people of the whole country. ”

The political commissar continued: "Mr. He, I heard that Chief of Staff Ouyang was temporarily transferred by the Central Committee, if he participated in the command of the operation at the headquarters, what would he do if he encountered such an unfavorable situation?" He Long wanted to speak and stopped, this question was difficult for him to answer. The sound of the rain outside was still rustling, and the melodies that used to be pleasant seemed to have turned into disturbing noises. The battle was not fought well, and all the generals were very depressed.