Behind a col five miles north of Suxian County, the headquarters of the 39th Brigade and Regiment under the 20th Division of the Chinese Army was located here.

In the brigade headquarters, Major General Yoshito Takagi, the current commander of the 39th Brigade, was frowning at the map on the table with his saber in his hands, frowning and pondering, saying that the army said yesterday that the 40th Brigade under the 20th Division was the main attacker, but because the 40th Brigade did not perform well in yesterday's battle, it was now replaced by the 39th Brigade of Yoshito Takagi as the main attacker.

Yoshito Takagi pondered for a moment, pointed to the map in front of him with the saber in his hand, and said to the chief of staff next to him, Kikawa Shigenakasa, "Kikawa-kun, what do you think of the Shina garrison in Suxian?" ”

"Well equipped and with great firepower! It's a fierce rival! Kikawa replied in a solemn tone.

"Hmm." Yoshito Takagi nodded thoughtfully, and then said: "What you said makes sense, otherwise, with the combat power of the 40th Brigade and the command ability of the commander of the Ryoo Brigade last month, how could he have returned five times in a row?" It's really unbelievable to say, I've long heard that the Tiger Ben Army is well-equipped and has strong combat effectiveness, and it's really impossible to believe it if you don't experience it yourself! ”

"What the general said is very true, but there are many reasons for the failure of the 40th Brigade in the attack." Kikawa said thoughtfully.

"Huh? Would you like to hear about it?! Yoshito Takagi waved his hand.

Mu Chuan nodded his head and immediately said: "First of all, our army traveled a long way from Shanxi and attacked Haizhou by sea, then attacked Xuzhou, and then pursued the enemy army to this point. The Chinese Tiger Army, which had been operating here for a long time, had well-established and sturdy fortifications, and was a leisurely company, coupled with its excellent equipment, strong firepower, and high morale, it is not surprising that the 40th Brigade attacked with a tired division. ”

"Hmm." Hearing this, Yoshito Takagi nodded deeply and said, "Kikawa-kun's analysis is very correct! However, with the attack of the 40th Brigade yesterday, it greatly consumed the sharp spirit of the Zhina people, and then it was the moment when my 39th Brigade made contributions. ”

"Your Excellency the General is wise!" Kikawa echoed with a timely compliment.

Kikawa Shige's words fell, and in a burst of hurried footsteps, a signal soldier from the 39th Brigade Brigade Headquarters hurriedly walked in, and saluted to Takagi Yoshiren and Kikawa Shige: "General, the division commander has called to order our department to immediately launch an attack on the Suxian Zhina Army, and we must take Suxian today!" Open up the east gate into northern Anhui! The division is directly subordinate to the 26th Field Artillery Wing, the 20th Howitzer Wing, and the 28th Cavalry Search Wing will assist our attack! ”

"Yo Xi!" Yoshito Takagi nodded happily and said, "Reply to the division commander, our department will definitely go all out to win Suxian before the sun goes down!" ”

"Hay!" The devil messenger suddenly bowed his head again in response, and then quickly turned around and left.

After the signal soldiers left, Yoshito Takagi turned around and walked out of the brigade headquarters, brushed out his general's sword from the county seat of Suxian County, and said awe-inspiringly: "Kikawa-kun, order the 77th and 78th Infantry Wings to attack immediately!" ”

"Hay!" Kikawa Shige, who was following him, hurriedly stepped forward to respond, and immediately turned around with his saber on his shoulder and strode away.

………………………………

"Kill Quack!" On the sortie position of the 77th Infantry Wing under the 39th Brigade, with the order of the wing commander Deng Lixing Dazuo, hundreds of devil soldiers began to attack the outer positions of the Tiger Ben Army outside Suxian County with rifles in a straggler line under the cover of heavy machine guns and Type 92 infantry guns.

Outside Suxian County, the officers and men of the 1st Regiment and 1st Battalion of the 5th Division of the Huben Army and the 182nd Regiment of the 31st Division were ready for battle.

Tian Jin, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 5th Division, was shuttling back and forth in the trenches with a steel helmet and a Mauser pistol: "Pay attention, don't look up, listen to my orders, put the devils in no matter how big they are, so that they have no ...... to come and go!" ”

In the trenches, a group of recruits clenched the steel guns in their hands, and there was a little more expectation in their eyes in addition to nervousness, after all, after yesterday's battle, they were no longer so afraid, and everyone was growing.

On the other hand, the veterans of the 31st Division looked very calm and relaxed, everyone sat indifferently in the trenches, checking their weapons and ammunition with a grim expression, and the bombardiers took out a handle grenade from the ammunition box, unscrewed the back cover to reveal the fuse, and placed it in a row within their reach.

Amid the roaring shelling, the sentries at the forward observation posts would loudly report the distance of the devil soldiers every minute, and on the artillery positions behind the position, the artillery of a regiment was taking the opportunity to mark the firing according to the artillery fire of the army.

"Three hundred meters!" The sentry opened his throat and reported loudly.

A minute later, the sentry shouted again: "Two hundred meters!" ”

"One hundred meters!" With the sentry's briefing, on the machine gun position of a regiment, the machine gunners quietly set up the MG34 general-purpose machine gun, and the infantry also turned around, clenched the steel guns in their hands, lowered their heads, and waited for the order to fire.

Seeing that the devil was already close to a distance of 80 meters, Tian Jin, the commander of a regiment, decisively pulled the trigger, and a "snap" gunshot, a Mauser pistol bullet whistled out from the muzzle, and the gunfire was an order, and the infantry in the trenches got up one after another, and the Garand semi-automatic rifles, MP38 submachine guns and pistols in their hands opened fire one after another.

Dozens of MG34 general-purpose machine guns on the machine gun position also opened fire one after another, and a powerful and dense rain of bullets broke out in an instant, sweeping towards the attacking devil crowd like a storm.

"Puff puff...... Bang bang bang ......" Under the fierce gunfire, the devils who rushed to the front were shot one after another and fell to the ground.

A devil captain who led the charge waved the command knife in his hand vigorously, roaring and urging his subordinates to speed up the charge: "Hurry up, rush up, kill Quack, and fight back!" ”

Hundreds of devil soldiers charged against the dense rain of bullets, while stubbornly firing back, for a while, the entire battlefield gunfire shouts and killings were intertwined, dense like bullets and meteors shuttling back and forth.

Just when the fierce battle between the two sides was in full swing, a series of artillery shelling sounds, in vain, sounded from the artillery positions of a regiment: "Tom tom tom...... Tom Tom ...... "Dozens of 82 mortars and 105mm German howitzers were fired one after another. Dozens of shells smashed down in the direction of the artillery positions of the Japanese army with a sharp and piercing whistling sound.

Soon, the artillery position behind the Japanese army position sounded an earth-shattering explosion, and clusters of flames also rose into the air one after another, rising into the air along with billowing smoke.

In the forward headquarters of the 77th Wing, the commander of the wing, Deng Lixing Dazuo, was holding a telescope to watch the attack of the 1st Brigade, and after hearing the violent explosion from the rear, Dengshi's face changed greatly, and he put down the telescope and turned his head to ask the chief of staff behind him: "What's the matter?" Where did the drops explode? ”

The chief of staff looked outside the command headquarters and replied with a somewhat embarrassed face: "Wing Commander, the explosion seems to have come from the position of the artillery squadron!" ”

"Huh? Artillery positions? "Changden Lixing just wanted someone to call and ask what happened.

Suddenly there was a rush of footsteps outside the headquarters, and then a devil lieutenant stumbled in and ran in, and before he could stand up and salute, he reported to Changden Lixing: "Your Excellency, Wing Commander, we have been shelled by the opposite branch of the Chinese army, and several Type 92 infantry guns have all been destroyed. ”

"Eight Geya Road, the people are really still very cunning, but the 26th Field Artillery Wing and the 28th Howitzer Wing of the artillery directly under the division and regiment should have also locked them, right?" The corners of Changdeng Lixing's mouth suddenly flashed with a smug sneer.

"Artillery units directly under the division? What does His Excellency Osa mean? The devil lieutenant asked in surprise.

"Use our artillery squadron as bait to lure the Chinese artillery to open fire, and then the artillery directly under our division and regiment will take the opportunity to lock on to them and destroy them!" Changdeng Lixing said this and said: "As long as you kill the artillery of the Zhina, then Suxian will be at your fingertips!" ”

As soon as Chang Deng's words fell, an even more deafening sound of shelling sounded behind them.

The corners of Chang Deng's mouth grinned at the chief of staff and lieutenant officers behind him: "Jiu Yongjun, Tian Mujun, you should pick up your binoculars and look at the masterpieces of the artillery units directly under the division and regiment!" ”

Hearing this, the two devils strode forward one after another, raised their binoculars, and through the telescopes, the three of them could vaguely see that the artillery position of the Huben Army deployed under the city of Suxian County had risen a dazzling fire at this moment, and the deafening explosion drowned out the sound of killing and gunfire on the battlefield where the fierce battle was raging.

Changdeng Lixing laughed proudly and said, "Yo Xi, the cunning Dizhi man is all dead this time!" After speaking, he turned his head to the chief of staff beside him and ordered: "Order the first brigade to immediately stop the attack, withdraw it, and wait for the artillery positions directly under the division to be covered by artillery fire!" "Hail!" Chief of Staff Jiu Yong bowed his head abruptly, then turned around and walked away quickly.

……………………………………………………

In Suxian County, the regimental headquarters of the 5th Division and the 1st Regiment have now become the joint headquarters of the 1st Regiment and the 31st Division.

Liang Haoyao, chief of staff of the Fifth Division, was discussing combat matters with Chi Fengcheng, commander of the 31st Division, around the map, when a rapid telephone rang suddenly, and Liang Haoyao waved his hand at an adjutant, who immediately walked over quickly and picked up the phone.

After saying two words, the adjutant hung up the phone with a heavy face, and Liang Haoyao saw that the adjutant's face was wrong, and immediately asked, "What's wrong?" ”

"Attendance, call from the front, the position of our regiment's artillery battalion has been hit by the strong artillery fire of the Chinese army, and the artillery of the whole battalion has been almost wiped out, and the infantry of the Japanese army has stopped attacking, and its artillery is shelling the position of the first battalion of our infantry, and the first battalion has suffered heavy casualties, and the situation is extremely urgent!" The adjutant reported with a pale face.

Liang Haoyao and Chi Fengcheng's faces changed greatly at the same time when they heard this, and after glancing at each other, Chi Fengcheng immediately took the lead in speaking: "Brother Xian, the situation has changed, we must immediately order the second battalion to move to the north gate, and once the artillery bombardment is over, immediately go out of the city to assist the first battalion to hold the position!" ”

"Hmm." Liang Haoyao nodded and said, "I'll send a telegram to the military seat right away and ask him to send the air force to support us!" ”

(To be continued)