On the Shandong Peninsula across the sea, the Second Army drew up an operational plan for encircling and annihilating the Japanese First Army, and the Second Army's operational plan was not radical when the numbers were basically equal. As a mechanized force, and in the relatively flat Lubei Plain, combat effectiveness can be brought into full play.

What appeared in front of Liu Fugui was an earthen bridge, and with the load-bearing weight of this bridge, he suspected that the tanks of the armored troops would fall directly into the small river below after going up, and it was better to build a new bridge again, anyway, the engineering battalion was equipped with bridge construction vehicles, and it would not take much effort.

However, an order is an order, and there are still soldiers of a small squad of Japanese troops stationed on both sides of the earthen bridge about thirty meters long, and since it has been delivered to the mouth, there is no reason not to eat it.

After a brief set-up, the offensive began. After entering the battle, Liu Fugui, who was originally a little wooden, immediately turned into a calm and sophisticated killing machine, and after more than a dozen mortar shells fell on the Japanese position, Liu Fugui immediately followed the squad to charge, and the machine gunner Wu Shaogeng set up a simple machine gun position at about 150 meters to provide fire cover for the charging comrades.

At about 100 meters, Liu Fugui half-squatted to shoot out the bullets in his rifle, replaced it with a magazine, and then bent down to charge, under the suppression of the Chinese army's firepower, the Japanese army had no chance to raise its head to counterattack, and the improvised defensive positions were scattered.

As the first soldier to rush into the Japanese position, Liu Fugui took out the pistol at his waist, aimed it at a Japanese soldier trying to fight back, pulled the trigger, and then quickly turned the muzzle of the gun, looking for other threats. Sure enough, a Japanese soldier stabbed with a rifle equipped with a bayonet, and after the muzzle of the pistol jumped, a bullet passed through the center of the enemy's eyebrows, and the movement at close range could cause the bullet to penetrate the skull, bringing out a large area of blood and brains from the back of the head.

The soldiers who were equipped with one pistol per soldier were very happy with this, and the munitions factories made a lot of money as a result. However, the logistics department was full of criticism, and although the ammunition of the improved pistol could be used in common with heavy machine guns, the burden was still very large. And it is not without disadvantages, that is, the weight of carrying pistols and ammunition increases, and the corresponding soldiers carry other supplies will be reduced, and the military industry is working on a new generation of military pistols. Moreover, a new generation of rifles and machine guns is also being developed, and a small number of troops are equipped for testing.

Liu Fugui, who is tall and strong, does not feel that the pistol is heavy, he will carry more ammunition than the target, and can persist in completing a fifty-kilometer field march, which is a good advantage in battle.

After one side of the earth bridge was captured, Liu Fugui immediately rushed to the other side, and the Japanese squad set up a heavy machine gun on the position on the other side, the charge was suppressed, and a comrade-in-arms fell to the ground, Liu Fugui saw that it was not a comrade-in-arms of the team. The nervousness relaxed slightly, and then he lay on the ground and shot back.

The mortars in the rear immediately opened fire on this heavy fire point, and after three shells, the threat was eliminated and the earthen bridge was captured. The comrade-in-arms who was hit by the bullet was seriously injured and was immediately carried on a stretcher by the medical staff and transported to the rear for treatment, hoping that the battle damage in this battle would not turn into a single death.

After capturing the earthen bridge, the armored reconnaissance battalion rested for ten minutes and then left for a new battlefield, where they were tasked with conducting fire reconnaissance of the Japanese troops near Gaomi. Lay the groundwork for the offensive of armored forces.

The south of Anqiu is mountainous terrain, although the Yimeng mountain area is not a high mountain river. It is also not something that armored forces can easily pass through, and for the Second Army, attacking Weixian along the Gaomi line is the most effective route. According to reconnaissance, the Japanese army had an infantry brigade in Gaomi, but the intelligence department of Qingzhou reported that the Japanese First Army showed signs of abandoning Qingzhou and retreating in the direction of Jinan. The terrain of the plains near Qingzhou was not conducive to encirclement and annihilation. It is only possible to break the interception of the high-density Japanese army as soon as possible, and with the marching speed of the mechanized troops, it should be possible to catch up with the fleeing Japanese army.

In fact, when the armored reconnaissance battalion arrived at the perimeter of Gaomi, it was found that the Japanese army's defense strength exceeded the strength of a brigade, and the Japanese army set up a defensive line with a depth of five kilometers around Gaomi. This is at least a defensive circle that can be filled by troops at the level of a division and regiment.

I grabbed three tongues in the periphery and didn't ask about the establishment of the Japanese army, which made Gao Cheng, the commander of the armored reconnaissance battalion of the division, very dissatisfied, the Japanese defense density was very high, and it was not easy to find three squad soldiers patrolling outside, but unfortunately these people would rather die than give in, and the hardness of the bones made Gao Cheng feel that he was a villain, and he could only give him a good time.

The operations of the divisional reconnaissance battalion were unrefutable, and the Japanese increased the number of soldiers patrolling the perimeter - the size of a small squadron, but this was not a big problem for the divisional reconnaissance battalion. After discovering a patrol squad, Gao Cheng sent a platoon of soldiers to ambush, Liu Fugui's squad was lucky to be selected, and the battle ended quickly, and the intelligence analysis of the prisoners made Liu Fugui very curious, and took the initiative to learn from the butchers of the intelligence department of the division reconnaissance battalion.

At about nine o'clock in the morning, the main force of the Second Army arrived at the periphery of Gaomi, and after summing up the intelligence of the divisional reconnaissance battalion, the Second Army quickly formulated an attack plan, and the attack began at ten o'clock. The Japanese army deployed a division and an independent brigade in Gaomi, with a strength of 24,000 troops, and if this nail was not removed, the Second Army's plan to attack Qingzhou would be frustrated.

Reconnaissance planes taking off from the Jiaozhou field airfield guided the artillery of the Second Army, and after two hours of shelling, the 1st Armored Brigade forced a breakthrough from the front, followed by two mechanized infantry regiments from the breach.

The new mode of warfare was a huge challenge for the Japanese army, whose tactical thinking was still in the early stage of World War I, and although they had seen the armored forces of the Chinese army in the Battle of Kyushu, how to deal with it was still an unsolved problem. With Japan's industrial level, it has not been able to produce effective anti-tank weapons in a short period of time, and even the British, who attach the most importance to it, have not put much effort into the army's anti-tank weapons, and other countries have not yet crossed the threshold of building tanks.

During the two-hour bombardment by the Chinese artillery, the Japanese First Army, which was the main force, also took out 300 large and small caliber guns to bombard the Chinese army, but it was soon drowned in the sea of fire made by the Chinese artillery. A large number of soldiers armed with cluster grenades rushed out of the trenches and rushed to the tanks and armored vehicles of the Chinese army, most of which were destroyed by tank coaxial machine guns and armored vehicle fire, and more than a dozen armored vehicles were successfully attacked by the Japanese army, but they did not block the breakthrough of the armored brigade.

After the mechanized infantry who followed the battle broke through the defense line, they cleaned up the Japanese army along the trenches, and Liu Fugui's team accompanied the battle. In front of the trench was a soldier armed with a "trench sweeper" -- a shotgun, Liu Fugui followed behind him to reload his ammunition, and another soldier armed with a submachine gun fought in tandem, forming a firepower that made the Japanese soldiers very helpless.

Within 35 minutes, the Chinese army broke through the three lines of defense of the Japanese army one after another, and a gap of more than 1,000 meters appeared on the battle line, and the Chinese army poured in from this gap and attacked both flanks. However, under the attack of mechanized troops, only more than 5,000 people successfully withdrew into the county seat, and the rest contributed to the land near the fertile Gaomi.

After more than six hours of high-intensity fighting, the soldiers needed to rest and recuperate, tanks and other armored vehicles also needed to be overhauled and refueled, a large number of wounded people needed to be treated, and the number of dead and ammunition consumed needed to be counted. The large army also had to wait for supplies from the rear to make final preparations for the siege.

Liu Fugui and Wu Shaogeng were half-lying in a foxhole of the former Japanese army, and the afternoon sun was still scorching, but after a big battle, they enjoyed the sunshine and tobacco leaves, which made people feel refreshed.

"We were injured nine times in a row, and three died, which is the largest casualty, so we are really lucky to survive." Wu Shaogeng was well-informed, and squinted his eyes and said to Liu Fugui.

Liu Fugui wiped the firearm, lowered his head and said "um", today he killed thirteen devils, and he heard the squad leader say that he wanted to report his combat merits, and it is estimated that a third-class merit is indispensable. However, after studying the interrogation with the people of the intelligence department, I became more and more numb to killing, and now I recall that the head of the little devil was cut off with a sapper shovel in the trench battle, and the temple was still protruding.

"Brothers, come to afternoon tea, replenish your strength, and make pork head stewed pork ribs for us in the cooking class!" Someone shouted like this, Liu Fugui immediately felt hungry, he hadn't eaten anything from morning to now, and pulled the lazy Wu Shaogeng to eat something, but after the bloody battle, many recruits couldn't bear it, and when they saw the ribs in the pot, they lay on the ground and vomited, and the veterans ate the ribs and watched the play.

After eating and receiving another ammunition, after Liu Fugui returned to the trenches, Wu Shaogeng lay there again, Dong Jian also joined the ranks of sleeping, went up and kicked it, Wu Shaogeng turned around and said: "Don't wander around, hurry up and rest, let us eat before the meal, it means that there is no chance to eat dinner, maybe we will receive the order for a general attack immediately." ”

Wu Shaogeng is smarter than himself, what he says is usually verified, and sure enough, he received the assembly and alert order at five o'clock in the afternoon, followed by the sound of cannonballs whistling behind him. (To be continued.) )