"Ordered the artillery brigade to carry out indiscriminate shelling of the forward positions of the Eighth Route Army for half an hour. Today, I'm going to blow up the whole mountain. I don't believe that no matter how strong the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army is, it can be stronger than the artillery shells of the empire and start shelling..."Looking at the departing chief of staff, the wing captain roared loudly at the artillery captain beside him, venting the anger in his heart.

"Hi, Your Excellency Wing Commander..."Facing the Wing Captain who was about to explode at any time in front of him, the Captain of the Artillery Brigade quickly bowed his head and replied, turning around and leaving this powder keg that could explode at any time.

And at this moment, in the regimental command post behind the forward position, the regiment commander Lin Wei was pacing back and forth at his regiment headquarters, anxiously waiting for something: "Political commissar, doesn't the commander have an order yet... The first battalion in front has been holding out for an hour, and I'm afraid they won't be able to withstand it...."

Looking at the regiment commander with an anxious face, the political commissar could only bite his head speechlessly. He didn't know what was going on today. It had been almost an hour since the telegrams were sent, and there was no reply from the commanders of the military divisions. What's more, the constant sound of gunfire on the forward position a few miles away further intensified the anxiety in the hearts of the two.

"Alas... Chief of Staff, how is the forward position now, if it really can't be done, send out the third battalion of the reserve to reinforce the commander of the first battalion. Before we get the commander's order, we will be completely wiped out, and we will not be able to lose the forward position. The regiment commander Lin Wei raised his head and looked at the forward position that had become a sea of fire under the artillery bombardment of the Yue army and said.

"Regiment commander, because of the continuous artillery bombardment of the army, our communication with the forward positions has been cut off. However, judging from the sound of gunfire just now, the first battalion must have launched a counterattack against the little devils in the battle just now. If nothing else, there should be no more men left in the first battalion at this time...."The chief of staff quickly replied... And at this time, the regimental correspondent took a telegram and hurriedly rushed into the headquarters: "Telegram from the regiment commander, political commissar, commander." Seeing the regiment commander and political commissar in front of him, the correspondent said excitedly.

"Read...."Hearing the words of the commander's telegram, the regiment commander and the political commissar breathed a sigh of relief almost at the same time, and replied in unison.

"Yes, regimental commander, commissar. The commander telegraphed and ordered the 1st Regiment to immediately abandon the forward positions and retreat at the second line of positions, after making a slight resistance to the army... At the same time, while retreating, it is necessary to give the Syrian army the false impression that our troops are retreating because of the unstable morale of the army, and lead the Syrian army to the second line of blocking positions we have arranged, so as to continue to kill and injure the living forces of the Syrian army. The regimental correspondent read aloud.

"Okay, great, the commander's plan has finally begun to be implemented....Chief of Staff, order the regimental headquarters guard company to assemble immediately, I will personally go to pick up the first battalion and prepare for the retreat....Hurry up, it's too late, the first battalion will really be wiped out." Hearing the contents of the telegram, the regiment commander, who had long known the entire battle plan, slammed the table in front of him and ordered loudly.

"Yes, regimental commander...", although the chief of staff did not know why the troops retreated for no reason. But when he saw the regiment commander with excitement on his face, he knew that he must have some battle plan that he didn't know yet. Thinking of this, without any hesitation, he replied loudly, turned around and left the regimental command post and began to assemble the regimental headquarters guard company.

"Political commissar, the regimental headquarters will be handed over to you, you immediately organize the regimental headquarters to retreat, and you can let the third battalion of the reserve come over to help. In addition, tell the 2nd Battalion to prepare for the army. In addition, order the commander of the second battalion to immediately take cover and retreat as long as there is a slight resistance to the attack of the Yue army, at most ten minutes...."Looking at the chief of staff who was leaving quickly, the regiment commander Lin Wei ordered to the political commissar in the headquarters.

"Commander, you can go with confidence... Also, in the forward position, you must also pay attention to safety, the artillery fire of the little devil does not have long eyes." The political commissar nodded and said with concern.

As the regimental headquarters began to be relocated under the command of the commissar. The remaining two combat platoons of the guard company, with a strength of nearly 100 people, also quickly assembled in front of the regiment commander under the order of the chief of staff.

"Comrades, you are the elite of our entire regiment. And now, our battalion, in the forward positions, has been holding out for an hour. More importantly, under the fierce artillery bombardment of the enemy, they had repelled the Japanese army several times in a row, and the squadron-sized group charge of the Japanese army, and the troops suffered very heavy casualties. Now I'm going to take you with you to bring these heroes back safely, do you have any confidence..."Looking at the energetic and well-equipped guard company in front of him, the regiment commander Lin Dawei ordered loudly.

"Yes, yes," nearly a hundred fighters shouted as they raised their fists at the same time.

"Okay, the guard company set off....target, forward position, run forward..."At the sound of an order, nearly a hundred soldiers followed closely behind the regiment commander and quickly rushed towards the forward position that was already in danger... In the dense artillery fire of the army, more than 100 soldiers, under the leadership of the regiment commander Lin Wei, walked along the traffic trench. Dodging left and right, while dodging the shells that exploded from time to time around him, he quickly ran towards the forward position. Finally, after almost twenty minutes of arduous marching, the entire forward position finally came into view.

After almost half an hour of intensive artillery bombardment, the length of the several hundred meters of trenches in the entire forward position was less than 100 meters long that could be used for continued operations. What's more, in this trench more than 100 meters long, half of the corpses of the sacrificed soldiers have been buried by the floating soil blown up by the shells. If you step down, the floating soil on the surface will be at least half a foot deep.

Just when the regiment commander Lin Wei and all the soldiers brought with him were shocked by the tragic scene of the forward position in front of them, the artillery bombardment of the Yue army also stopped. Then, a huge roar came from an anti-artillery hole not far from Lin Wei. Immediately afterwards, I saw a battalion commander with more than a dozen soldiers, holding rifles and broadswords in their hands, walking crookedly, one after another, drilling out of the anti-artillery holes, and walking towards the trench... Seeing the scene in front of him, Lin Wei stopped the guard company commander who was about to call the first battalion commander, but took the guard company and quickly ran towards the first battalion commander dozens of meters away... Of course, at the same time in the past, the commander of the first battalion and the remaining 12 commanders and fighters also discovered the regiment commander Lin Wei and the soldiers of the guard company behind him.

"Ahh The regiment commander, report to the regiment commander, the first battalion successfully completed the task, and the forward positions are still in our hands. In an hour's battle, we have repelled four squadron-sized attacks. Four of the squadrons were almost wiped out by us... It's just the casualties of the fighters..."Looking at the corpses of the fighters who were almost covered in the trenches. Seeing the regiment commander who was running towards him quickly, the battalion commander who had been holding back tears, finally left tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Well, fight well, the soldiers of the first battalion are all good, and the first battalion is good. Battalion Commander Wang, don't worry, the soldiers will not sacrifice in vain, and we will definitely let the little devil return it at a tenfold and hundredfold price. Rest assured... Although, at this time, there are only thirteen of you left in the battalion. However, I believe that as long as there is one person alive, the spirit of the first battalion is still alive. Looking at the only 13 remaining soldiers in front of him, the regiment commander Lin Wei couldn't help but be moved. In front of the warriors, he held back the tears that he wanted to shed, and said loudly to the 13 warriors in front of him.

"Regiment Commander, don't worry, as long as there is still one person alive in our first battalion, the spirit of the first battalion will not be wiped out..."

"Well, that's right, you're all heroes of our Eighth Route Army. When this battle is over, I will personally ask the commander for credit for you, and for all the soldiers of the first battalion. Comrades, we have just received an order from the commander to immediately abandon the forward positions and continue to consume the living forces of the army on the second line of blocking positions. So, now I'm going to pick you up with the soldiers of the guard company and retreat immediately..."Lin Wei continued to the 13 cadres and soldiers in front of him.

"Retreat? Head... We resolutely do not retreat, the soldiers have fallen in the forward position, we want to avenge the sacrifice of our comrades-in-arms, even if we die in battle, we will not withdraw from the forward position? When they heard the word retreat, the 13 people looked at each other in disbelief. However, in just a moment, the eyes of the 13 people turned into a resolute expression, and they said affirmatively to the head of the regiment in front of them.

"Comrades... I understand your feelings very well, and I know that you want to avenge your fallen comrades. However, the sacrificed soldiers are your comrades-in-arms, aren't they our comrades-in-arms, and I want revenge even more and let the little devils pay for their blood debts. More importantly, we must not disrupt the entire operational plan drawn up by the command for the sake of our own desire for revenge. Here, I assure you that in the battle in which the main force launches the 14th Division of the Annihilation Army, I will definitely apply to the commander to let you participate in the battle and avenge the sacrificed comrades..." Because of such a scene, for Lin Wei, who has experienced the Long March and lost countless comrades-in-arms and relatives, he has seen too much.

"Regiment commander, what you said is true, the commander wants to annihilate the entire division of the army?" Listening to Lin Wei's words, the first battalion commander immediately reacted from the frustration just now, raised his head, and asked with a glow in his eyes.

"Well, Battalion Commander Wang, at present, only cadres at and above the regimental level in the military region know about this battle plan, and you are the first cadres and soldiers below the regimental level to know about this battle plan. Therefore, for the sake of this decisive battle, for the sake of revenge, you will immediately retreat with me now, and give me a good rest in the rear. When the final battle comes, I will give you permission to fight. In addition, this matter is still a military secret for others, so I hope you can keep it a secret. Looking at the 13 fighters in front of him, Lin Wei nodded without any hesitation.

"Yes, Commander, I see, we will immediately retreat and go to the rear to rest. Comrades, the regiment commander promised us that when the time came, he would definitely let us participate in the final general offensive. So, now I order, all the people of the first battalion, to retreat at once, and prepare for the final decisive battle. You see, the sacrificed brethren are watching us from underground. The commander of the first battalion shouted an order to the 12 fighters behind him.

With the order of the commander of the first battalion, the remaining 13 fighters of the first battalion did not hesitate any longer, and under the escort of a guard squad soldier, they quickly retreated in the direction of the regimental command post along the communication trench....and at this time, with the cessation of the artillery bombardment of the army, another wave of squadron-sized attacks of the little devils began....

"Commander, the little devil has begun to attack. There is a squadron of the army, and there is only less than three hundred meters left from the forward position...."Just when the regiment commander Lin Wei was about to retreat with the remaining soldiers of the guard company, a squad leader who served as a guard on the forward position ran in front of Lin Wei out of breath.

"Damn, it seems that the little devil doesn't want us to retreat properly, and even when we leave, they have to send someone to see us off. The correspondent immediately ordered the artillery company behind the position to carry out indiscriminate shelling of the 250-300 meter area of the forward position, and told the artillery company commander to at least give me a base number of shells. Let these arrogant little devils also taste the power of our Eighth Route Army artillery, and remind the artillery company to retreat immediately after the shelling, don't let the little devils' artillery fire stick. Hearing that the army was attacking again, he couldn't stop for a while, and the regiment commander Lin Wei scolded fiercely.

"Yes, regimental commander...."Soon, in less than ten seconds, a sharp whistling sound was heard in the sky above the forward position. The nine mortars of the artillery company, under the command of the company commander, began to pour shells one after another at the target area at their fastest speed, according to the pre-measured firing elements.

Suddenly, just now, it was actually Hong Hong, a little devil who shouted slogans and charged forward. Under the blow of the shells that kept falling overhead, he was immediately beaten and scurried around, and the ghost cried wolf. The offensive formation, which was still neat just now, was suddenly beaten into a mess. At this moment, the attack of the Japanese army was blocked by the dense artillery fire of the artillery company at the front of the position, and it could not move.

And just when the little devils of a squadron were struggling in the dense artillery fire, the regiment commander Zhang Hua had already taken the remaining strength of the guard company and quickly withdrew from the forward position that had been bombed into ruins by the army. In less than five minutes after Lin Wei retreated, in order to prevent the counterattack of the artillery fire, the artillery company that had finished firing the shells also hurriedly joined the retreat with equipment... Finally, the little devil, who had been struggling under artillery fire for almost five minutes, finally stood up from one crater after another as the artillery company retreated. However, at this moment, the little devils of a squadron, under the intensive shelling of more than 200 shells of the artillery company, have less than half of their strength left.

However, the next attack made the squadron leader feel very lucky. Because he had lost more than half of his squadron, he no longer encountered any resistance, and occupied the forward position of the Eighth Route Army, which had become a ruin. What made the squadron leader even happier was that the Eighth Route Army on the forward position seemed to have retreated in a hurry, and a large number of soldiers' corpses and weapons had not had time to be taken away, and they had become trophies of his squadron..."Report to Your Excellency Wing Commander, the First Squadron of the Second Brigade sent a telegram that the First Squadron had successfully occupied the forward position of the Eighth Route Army after paying more than half of the casualties. And a large number of corpses and weapons that the Eighth Route Army did not have time to bury were found on the position....The commander of the Second Brigade, Nagasaki Shaosa, asked for instructions on whether to order the troops to immediately launch an attack on the second blocking position of the Eighth Route Army." As the army's sun flag was raised on the forward position, a telegram of victory immediately reached the ears of Wing Commander Ishiguro Osa, who was anxiously waiting for news.

"Yo Xi, Nagasaki-kun is indeed the best officer in the Great Empire. According to the contents of the telegram, the Eighth Route Army on the forward position must have fled in the desert under our heavy artillery bombardment. Therefore, now is the best time for us to attack the second line of blocking positions of the Eighth Route Army. Chief of Staff, order Nagasaki-kun to immediately take his brigade and act as the vanguard of the entire wing, and quickly break through the second blocking position of the Eighth Route Army....Also, immediately report to His Excellency the division commander, that our Second Infantry Wing has successfully occupied the forward position of the Eighth Route Army, and is seizing the time to advance in depth and expand the results of the battle...."Hearing the content of the telegram, Wing Commander Ishiguro Daisa's face finally showed a long-lost smile, and he ordered with excitement on his face to the chief of staff in front of him.

"Hey, Your Excellency Wing Commander, I'll do it right away... It's just that the main force of our Second Infantry Wing, whether to follow closely behind the Second Brigade and expand the results..."The chief of staff nodded and suggested.

"Yo Xi, thank you Chief of Staff for the reminder, Chief of Staff, you go and deliver the order... The main force of the wing immediately prepared to march, followed closely behind the second brigade, expanded the results of the battle, and advanced to the depth of the position of the Eighth Route Army..."Wing Commander Ishiguro Osa nodded with satisfaction, and agreed without thinking about it.

"Hi, Your Excellency Wing Commander....", the chief of staff replied loudly, turning to deliver the order... After receiving the Wing Commander's commendation telegram and the order, the captain of the Second Brigade of the Japanese Army, while excited, completely forgot the lesson of the annihilation of the First Brigade just now. After receiving the attack order from the brigade commander, without any thought, he ordered to occupy the forward position, and the first squadron, which was only half of the squadron, continued to attack the second line of blocking positions of the Eighth Route Army with all its might.

(To be continued)