The Japanese flying group that rushed to cooperate with the operation again seemed to be a little smaller than the previous aircraft. www.biquge.info In fact, with the start of the Battle of Wuhan, the army aviation units deployed by the Japanese army in the south were also the busiest troops.

These air force pilots, as long as the weather conditions are good, need to be ready to board the plane at any time. When they need their support there, they have to fly their warplanes to the battlefield to participate in the battle.

In addition, with the formation of the Soviet Union's air force to aid China, the air force units of the Central Army also appeared from time to time in the sky of the Battle of Wuhan. This also led to the fact that the Japanese air force had to pay attention to the movements of the Central Army Air Force at all times.

When they received a telegram from the 16th Division again, and learned that the Eighth Route Army, which they had bombed, did not seem to have suffered much loss. The Japanese pilots in charge of reconnaissance and bombing missions undoubtedly felt that they had been slapped in the face.

It's just that today's aircraft are simply unable to communicate with the ground forces in real time. This means that when they cooperate with a combat mission, they must know the combat mission before they get on the plane and carry out the mission before they arrive.

And ground guidance is sometimes a very critical part. Previously, they only knew the 16th Division, and they wanted them to focus on bombing the troops in the southern positions. As for those troops hiding there, the little devils in the town also have no way to guide them.

Although the bomber formation is also equipped with reconnaissance planes, reconnaissance planes can be used to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance first. However, reconnaissance planes, after all, have limited observations, and it is normal for reconnaissance mistakes to occur.

Most importantly, through the previous bombing and reconnaissance, combined with the intelligence fed back by the 16th Division, the Japanese pilots who carried out the bombing mission could already guess that the Eighth Route Army in the south had made targeted air defense preparations.

In the absence of ground guidance, is it not easy to accurately bomb the hidden Eighth Route Army?

Listening to the roar of the plane not far away, Song Xilian, who had already failed to make three charges, could only reluctantly order: "Order the front-line attacking troops to withdraw, and all units to carry out air defense evasion, and fight again after the little devil's plane leaves!" ”

'Yes, Throne! ’

With the order to retreat, the first offensive of the 71st Army was declared a failure. Looking at the corpses left at the front of the Japanese blocking position, every surviving Central Army soldier felt a little heavy and lost in their hearts.

But they all know that surviving now doesn't mean that they can still die like this later. This time, they were given a death order. If they can't take the Japanese troops in the town in front, their commanders will have a hard time explaining to the upper peak.

Looking at the attacking Central Army, it receded like a tide. The Japanese officer who was in charge of guarding the blocking position in the north also seemed relieved, but he still smiled and said: "The empire will win!" Long live His Majesty the Emperor! ”

A few slogans were shouted, and many soldiers who were nervous before also seemed a little excited. After all, the previous offensive intensity of the 71st Army also put the defenders on the position under great psychological pressure.

Now seeing that the Central Army has retreated, it also means that they have won. As victors, they are naturally entitled to cheer. And this kind of cheering made many retreating central officers and soldiers feel even more demoralized.

Not long after, the Japanese planes that flew over the town again seemed to plunge the whole town into a brief calm. As soon as this kind of plane appeared, the battle ended immediately, and Keisuke Fujie also breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still said quickly: "Order the infantry brigade, you can attack!" ”

With the order of Keisuke Fujie, the Japanese infantry brigade, which had been lurking three miles away, began to attack the blocking position of the Eighth Route Army. Before they attacked, the Japanese gave artillery support.

Taking advantage of the arrival of the little devil's plane, the 51st Army and other troops, who rarely had a chance to breathe, were somewhat surprised when they heard the sound of artillery coming from the south. In their opinion, the Eighth Route Army should not attack at this time!

'Go and see what's going on up to the south!' ’

After a while, the participating units began to receive information about the southern side. When they learned that the Japanese army, under the cover of artillery fire and aircraft, launched a counterattack on the southern position recaptured by the Eighth Route Army, the three army commanders were a little surprised.

As the closest unit to He Zhengdao, Xu Youchang, the commander of the 51st Army, immediately said: "Send a telegram to the 67th Army to ask if they need support." If I need support, I can send a main regiment over to help. ”

Also sending this kind of inquiry telegram was Feng Zhi'an of the 77th Army. This made He Zhengdao, who received the telegram, also very relieved: "Not bad! It seems that the favors we sold before have already had an effect, and they all regard us as allies.

When I answered the two commanders, I said that the Japanese planes were currently raging, and in order to avoid unnecessary casualties, I thanked them for their kindness. We have the ability and strength to withstand the counterattack of the Japanese army, so that they should not be ashamed for a while, and must not fall for the Japanese army's plan to lure the snake out of the hole. ”

After replying to this telegram, Xu Youchang breathed a sigh of relief with Sheriff Feng, but also realized that the little devil suddenly took the initiative to attack, and it turned out that there was such an intention, that is, to lure their hidden troops to appear.

In fact, there are little devils' planes staring overhead, and as soon as the reinforcements they send appear, they are bound to be slaughtered by the little devils' planes. Previously, they were worried about the safety of the 67th Army, but now they seem to be a little concerned and confused.

At this moment, the Japanese infantry brigade, which was responsible for the offensive mission, originally planned to take advantage of the time of the artillery bombardment to rush to the bottom of the blocking position built by the Eighth Route Army. What they didn't expect was that they had to stop before they could get close to their positions.

Looking at the troops rushing in front, they stepped on the mines buried on the road one after another. The captain of the Japanese army who led the team also gritted his teeth and said: "Baga, how could they lay mines in front of their blocking position, aren't they afraid of self-injury?" ”

In the eyes of the Japanese captain, the Eighth Route Army seized their southern position and surrounded them, and it was thought that there was a plan to attack them. And this highway is also the passage for the Eighth Route Army to attack the town.

Isn't it asking for trouble to lay mines on the way of the troops' attack?

But the Eighth Route Army did just that, and the worst thing was that they fell for the trick and became the free minesweepers of the Eighth Route Army. This kind of surprise undoubtedly made the attacking little devil feel a kind of frustration that wanted to cry without tears.

'Quick, sappers come forward and give me the fastest way to mine mine!' ’

'Hey! ’

The sapper team, which had been staying behind, quickly ran to the front to prepare for mine clearance. Before the attack, they already knew that the Eighth Route Army had planted mines on the road. But after the Eighth Route Army built the blocking fortifications, those mines were taken out by the Eighth Route Army again.

It's just that they don't know that the mines taken by the Eighth Route Army were buried in front of the little devils' blocking positions. Since the little devils did not come out, the Eighth Route Army took out these mines in advance, undoubtedly to clear the obstacles for the attack.

But no one would have thought that those mines that were taken away would in turn be buried at the front of the blocking position of the Eighth Route Army. This made the little devils who came from Xingshi to taste the power of these mines again.

Japanese planes, which were also conducting reconnaissance from the air, were constantly patrolling the ground situation in the south and other directions. Of course, the focus is on the southern position that they need to focus on.

To the dismay of the reconnaissance pilots, the situation in the south was similar to that of the previous reconnaissance. Even the woods they had bombarded earlier could see smoke drifting away at this time.

Except for the positions of the Eighth Route Army, which were bearing the artillery at the moment, it was difficult for Japanese scouts to see any traces of the activities of the Eighth Route Army in the south. This made the pilot feel that the 16th Division had mistaken intelligence and overestimated the Eighth Route Army.

Many Japanese pilots who have an understanding of ancient Chinese culture have heard the story of the empty city plan. No matter how you look for it now, you can't find any traces of the Eighth Route Army on the ground, could this be the same as the empty city plan?

Air Force pilots, who were also concerned about the ground offensive forces, kept hovering overhead, and they also saw the infantry charging earlier, blocked by the sound of explosions coming from the road.

Just as the sappers were going out to clear the mines, several gunshots suddenly rang out from the blocking position of the Eighth Route Army, which was shrouded in artillery fire. The gunfire was accompanied by the fall of several Japanese minesweepers.

'Baga, enemy attack! ’

Hearing the sound of gunfire and seeing someone fall to the ground, the sapper who was not hit quickly fell down. During this time, the sappers of the 16th Division were already familiar with this situation. Every time they cleared mines, they were on their guard.

Because, when they clear mines, they are often taken care of by the snipers of the Eighth Route Army. For these life-seeking snipers, as long as the sappers still want to live, there is almost nothing to be afraid of.

A few gunshots rang out, causing the minesweeping of the Japanese infantry brigade to come to a halt in an instant. Seeing that time passed little by little, the captain of the Japanese infantry group in charge of the attack also knew that it was impossible for the plane above his head to stay all the time!

Thinking of this, the captain of the infantry brigade gritted his teeth and said: "Grenadiers, mortar squadrons, carry out artillery shelling on the road ahead, detonate those mines buried in the ground." We have to buy time and take the positions ahead. ”

In cases where demining is not possible by manpower, demining can only be carried out by force. Although this kind of demining is a bit extravagant, the infantry captain thinks it is worth trying compared to continuing to waste time.

The used shells can be replenished by sending people back to the town later. Anyway, this time, their 16th Division has a lot of weapons and ammunition in stock. It's okay to waste some shells.

The observation post that had been staring at the movements of the Japanese infantry, and the grenadiers and artillery of the Japanese army, began to carry out sectional covering bombardment on the road, detonating the mines buried under the road one by one, and I also felt that the little devil was quite smart.

But even so, it is almost impossible for a single infantry brigade to take the blocking position where there are already two main battalions. And as it turned out, the observation post was right.

As soon as the shelling stopped, the Japanese infantry brigade went on the attack. The Eighth Route Army, which was guarding the position, resolutely counterattacked, and the Japanese infantry attacking the position could not move an inch. The little devil's plan to win the position in a short period of time is afraid that it will fail again! (To be continued.) )