Beginning on the morning of 11 August, General Terauchi Toshiichi, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Army's southern China Army, commanded his main force, nearly 400,000 troops, and launched a fierce attack on Loushan Pass, the last and only line of defense of the Central Army south of Chongqing.

In the morning, the Japanese army carried out the first fierce artillery bombardment of the Loushanguan defense line with the artillery fire of four heavy artillery brigades, and large-caliber heavy artillery shells roared down on the positions of the Central Army.

Xue Yue was in the forward command headquarters, looking at the main position that was on fire everywhere and shrouded in gunsmoke with a stern face, he didn't speak, he didn't have anything to say, the pre-war mobilization that should be done had been done a few days ago, only one thing he didn't expect was that the first attack of the Japanese army would put on such a fierce posture.

There was not even a tentative attack, it was a ferocious attack that came up, and the fortifications and concealment departments on the main peak could withstand the Japanese only fierce and intensive shelling, which was what he was most worried about, and a few large-caliber shells fell near the headquarters with a whistling fire.

The hidden part covered with four or five meters of mud on the roof, there was a violent shaking, it seemed that it could collapse at any time, the roof "boomed" and fell a pile of dirt, and more than a dozen shells, falling closer to the place, the ground shook the mountain, the smoke of gunpowder mixed with mud and gravel, suddenly rushed in from the lookout hole, and several guards around Xue Yue threw him to the ground suddenly.

After two or three minutes, the smoke cleared, Xue Yue got up angrily, and roared with an unkind face: "What are you doing? A few shells from the Japanese scared you like this. The cannonball that killed me hasn't been made yet! "Finished. Again began to observe the position. He didn't care, but scared his captain half to death.

Several pieces of irregular, hideous shrapnel penetrated through the lookout hole and shattered the lantern hanging on the pillar of the concealment department. Two staff officers were hit by shrapnel and were seriously wounded, and if it weren't for the alertness of the guards, the supreme commander of the front, who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, would have had his head crushed by shrapnel.

A piece of shrapnel is still stuck in the side wall of the lookout hole, so it hangs. It can be seen that the density of the Japanese artillery bombardment reached an astonishing distance, under the fire of a volcanic eruption. The life of a general and an ordinary soldier is no different.

In fact, Xue Yue was also afraid for a while, I don't know if he was lucky or unlucky, a small lookout hole can drill into shrapnel, such a probability is very small. Thankfully, it's okay to get in, on the ground. What will happen to the soldiers crouching in the improvised concealment department? This is what Xue Yue is most worried about.

An hour and a half later. The Japanese artillery fire began to extend, and Xue Yue did not return to order the communications director, "Immediately contact all forward positions, report casualties, and prepare to meet the first attack of the Japanese army." ”

The communications staff officers shook the phone and shouted violently, and the communications director came over with an ugly face, "Report to the commander-in-chief, the wired contact with the front line is all interrupted," Xue Yue turned his head suddenly, his eyes breathed fire, stared at him deadly, and asked in a low voice: "What?" All interrupted? The battle has just begun, and you make me, the commander-in-chief, deaf? Well? ”

The communications director trembled, he saw the murderous intent in the commander-in-chief's eyes, but he also wanted to explain, "Commander-in-chief, the telephone lines we have laid are strictly in accordance with the requirements of wartime, but I didn't expect the Japanese artillery fire to be so fierce, so ......" Xue Yue's face softened, yes, he didn't expect that as soon as Terauchi Shouichi came up, he took out all the heavy artillery and carried out saturation shelling.

The wired communication with the forward positions was all cut off, and the Japanese artillery bombardment was unprecedentedly large and dense, and he waved his hand weakly and ordered: "Immediately reply to the call, I want to understand the specific situation of the front line, and first use the radio to communicate," the communications officer, as if he had been granted amnesty, hurriedly went down to make arrangements.

The situation of the forward position is unknown, Xue Yue was in the command headquarters, saw the Japanese soldiers all over the mountains, launched a fierce charge, he gasped, the Japanese are crazy, at least two divisions of troops, thrown into the first wave of attacks, everywhere there are Japanese soldiers fanatical and rude shouts.

"Why don't you fire back at such a forward position? Could it be that in the Japanese shelling, all of them were killed? Xue Yue thought anxiously, and became worried, suddenly, dense gunfire, rainstorm-like, this Loushanguan position, if just resurrected, shot a dense number of bullets, the charging Japanese soldiers, under the dense rain of bullets like flying locusts, fell down one after another, rolling down to the foot of the mountain.

Xue Yue breathed a sigh of relief and felt soft all over, no wonder Xue Yue was worried, the soldiers of the Japanese charge were only a few dozen meters away from the forward position, which was enough to say, strange, ** troops, when did they have such a way of fighting? Putting the Japanese troops closest and firing suddenly can inflict maximum damage on the enemy.

Xue Yue overestimated the combat effectiveness of the Central Army, the Japanese army's overwhelming artillery fire, covering all the positions of Loushan Pass, the soldiers of the Central Army were shocked and dizzy in the fierce artillery bombardment, and there were many hidden parts, which were blown up by shells, and after the Japanese artillery fire began to extend, the soldiers of the Central Army came out of the soil, and the Japanese soldiers had rushed to the front.

Strictly speaking, the soldiers of the Central Army opened fire in a hurry, and the results achieved were very good, so close to the distance, there was almost no need to aim, and the light and heavy machine guns and grenades that split the heads and heads beat the Japanese soldiers to the back.

An hour later, the first round of Japanese charges was repulsed, leaving behind thousands of corpses, and had to retreat, followed by fierce artillery bombardment, then charge, from morning to dusk, in one day on the 11th, the Japanese launched eight division-sized charges against the Loushan Pass position.

When night fell, the evening breeze blew into the battlefield filled with gunpowder smoke and soaked in the smell of blood, the Central Army's Loushanguan position, not an inch of land was lost, Xue Yue looked at the casualty figures reported by the troops, and was frightened, in just one day, the casualties reached more than 16,000 people, however, the Japanese army did not take advantage, and at least more than 10,000 corpses were left in front of the position.

The Central Army was the main defender, the Japanese army was the main attack, and it was basically a draw, which benefited from the favorable terrain conditions of Loushan Pass, Xue Yue shook his head a little dazed, and said: "Order the logistics department to immediately transfer the wounded to the rear, and the troops in the front line will replenish troops and ammunition and supplies overnight, repair fortifications, and deepen and strengthen the concealment department and anti-artillery holes." ”

The first day passed, as long as he could hold on for three days, it was not a big problem to hold on to Loushan Pass, it was to drag, and he could also drag the Japanese army down here, Xue Yue was secretly glad that he was sober-minded, and he used Loushan Pass as a hole card, and did not fight to the death with the Japanese army in Zunyi, after thinking about it, he said to the chief of staff: "Send a report to the committee and report on today's battle situation, well, make the difficulties bigger." ”

In the night, the forward troops of the Central Army were nervously supplying and building fortifications, and at the same time, Terauchi Shouichi was also holding a military meeting, looking at the senior generals who were sitting in danger, his face was not very good-looking, and the day's attack, casualties and results made Terauchi Shouichi very angry.

At the cost of the lives of more than 10,000 Imperial soldiers, he failed to occupy even a single position of the Shina government army, even if he gained a few footholds in the middle of the mountain, for Terauchi Shouichi, who demanded a quick victory, it was difficult to accept such a result, and glanced at the generals.

"Gentlemen, today's battle is obvious to all, what is the result? It's not ideal, is it because the government army in China has become stronger, or has our Imperial Japanese Army become weaker? Who can sue me? Terauchi Shouichi asked with anger in his tone.

When His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief was angry, who dared to answer this question, it was self-inflicted, and these senior Japanese generals did not quite understand how the government troops of China, who had been defeated all the way from Qiannan to Guiyang, could suddenly fight, as if they had fought chicken blood, and even created a style of melee combat, in the memory of these senior Japanese officers, the Central Army had never been so strong, incredible.

Terauchi Shouichi couldn't think of reprimanding the commander, he had witnessed the whole battle with his own eyes, every unit that participated in the attack, fought very bravely, and the density and time of artillery fire were enough, but why did he not break through the positions of the government forces in China? Or the terrain is unfavorable.

The topographical conditions of Loushan Pass not only limited the deployment of the imperial troops, but also weakened the role of artillery fire, otherwise, with the density and intensity of today's artillery bombardment, the casualties of the government troops in China would be staggering, and the density of gunfire that could be counterattacked from them; To judge, he was not killed by Yan zhòng, damn Loushan Pass, and Shouyi in the temple suddenly had a headache.

This kind of situation, Terauchi Shouichi will not let these commanders perceive, he said fiercely: "Gentlemen, we don't have time to waste in front of Loushan Pass, tomorrow's attack intensity will be more than doubled, the artillery of all armies and divisions will be concentrated together and unified under the command of the General Headquarters, I will use steel to flood Loushan Pass, and prepare to go." ”

Chairman Chiang in Chongqing, since the beginning of the battle at Loushan Pass, has not been at peace, Loushan Pass is the last line of defense blocking the Japanese army going north, and it is bound to be attacked most fiercely, until about eight o'clock in the evening, after receiving Xue Yue's telegram, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"General Boling, it's not easy or simple to get a draw with hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops," Chairman Jiang praised again and again, and when he saw the telegram behind, his brows furrowed again, he completely believed in Xue Yue's words, he was able to repel eight Japanese attacks, can the casualties be small? And his worries.

"Call General Liu Xiang, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Government, and say, I'm going to visit him," Chairman Chiang instructed his attendants to let the No. 1 person in the Nationalist Government, deign to visit Liu Xiang, the king of Sichuan, in person.

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