The headquarters of the 12th Brigade was at least ten kilometers away from the front line, a distance that was unimaginable for the Japanese army in the past. They were accustomed to advancing to a place less than three kilometers away from the front line, and the brigade commanders of major generals and regiments often even went to the front line to direct operations, thus leading to attacks and even injuries to brigade and regimental personnel.

But under the threat of the artillery arranged by Yang Hao, they could only choose such a delaying strategy, and in the valley, find a back of the anticline to ensure that they would not be smashed by shells. Nogi Noshinori's encounter is a strong reminder to the Japanese army to quickly update the battlefield theory.

However, the disadvantages of such an arrangement are obvious, and it becomes very difficult to know the accurate and real-time military situation at the front. It takes longer to get feedback after a command order is given.

In the early hours of this morning, the sudden sound of an explosion woke up the brigade commander Hasegawa Yoshimichi. He had not slept well, and hurriedly got up, climbed to the observation post on the top of the mountain, and found that the explosion came from the headquarters of the 14th Wing, and the front of the position was also heavily bombarded at the same time.

The incessant explosion made the dark skyline glow, and the muddy and empty explosion sound after the long-distance transmission was dense and terrifying, Hasegawa Yoshido immediately judged that this was very likely to be an unprecedented fierce attack!

Thinking of the incessant confrontation and trial over the past month, he had reason to believe that this was a long-planned counteroffensive, otherwise there would not have been such a fierce artillery strike. And the time chosen is too coincidental, more than four o'clock in the morning, which is the most sleepy time for people. Especially, the troops who have been frozen in the ice and snow for a month.

He hurriedly ordered the soldiers of the brigade headquarters to move forward with reinforcements, and specially ordered people to ask for more troop support from the division headquarters, after the previous painful defeat. He no longer counted on a light victory over the enemy army.

Ten minutes of artillery preparation was much more than he expected. Hasegawa's nerves tensed suddenly. A very bad premonition came over me. He immediately ordered the brigade headquarters to be ready for battle.

It didn't take long for his hunch to be fulfilled! The signal soldier of the 14th Wing, who was the first to report the news, sent the bad news: "Many lines of defense of our department have been quickly broken, and the enemy's firepower is unprecedentedly fierce, and it has become an unstoppable trend. ”

In half an hour, the defense line of the forward headquarters of the 14th Wing was breached! The enemy destroyed the makeshift fortifications with extended artillery fire and artillery (recoilless guns) at close range, and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties and began to flee!

"Damn!" Hasegawa slammed the table angrily. "Why is it that the enemy's fortifications can be so strong that what we build cannot be stopped? Just because their shells are more powerful? ”

He admits that the lethality of shells using the new smokeless ammunition is huge, but when bombarding solid targets, how can they be fired without the terrible high muzzle velocity of large-caliber cannons and without specialized warheads?

The 14th Wing's main defensive line was constructed on a layer of frozen earth, covered with thick logs and sandbags. With the power of the infantry barracks, it is impossible to penetrate at all, which they have personally tested.

But that's what it is. It seems that they can't stop the opponent's artillery at all, and they are obviously a group of light soldiers rushing forward. But it can easily destroy the fortifications and kill and injure the soldiers inside. What the hell is going on?

Hasegawa Yoshimichi vaguely guessed that this could be an unprecedented counterattack, the purpose of which was not only to disperse, but also to resolutely kill and even fight a decisive battle against the Second Army! He immediately issued an order: "Sue the 14th Wing, immediately disperse into the villages and valleys according to the predetermined strategy, and rely on the terrain to resist the battle!" Don't let the enemy win lightly! ”

You can't retreat along the main road, what seems to be the most direct back road is actually the most fatal trap!

At this time, Fuzhou Avenue is still Jinzhou Avenue, and there must be snow, which is rugged and difficult to navigate, and the slightest supply will not be found. From the Jinzhou front line to the landing point Huayuankou, there were no solid defenses available along the way, how could the hastily retreating troops get through the hundreds of kilometers of road in Guò?

Even if you get there, is it desperately trapped on the beachhead? I'm afraid that just on the road, people will almost die!

The Second Army was not idle this month, and they worked out this strategy after serious consideration. Take advantage of the surrounding villages and valleys and patiently engage in positional battles with enemy forces. Street fighting, in particular, in villages and towns, will be a powerful weapon that will drain the strength and time of the enemy. As long as they were able to hold out until the First Army won the victory, or a full-fledged political change, they were considered successful.

…… Well, it's better not to mention the previous idea of playing Lushun for the holiday.

The heralds rushed to deliver the news that had just arrived, and the 14th Wing had begun to retreat! The incomplete squadrons of brigades and squadrons rushed backwards along the snow-covered roads in a chaotic manner, leaving behind a part of the men and horses to resolutely block each village.

If it goes according to plan, they might be able to drag out the battle for a whole day.

But the Japanese army would never have thought about what kind of troops they were facing, and the street battles and blocking battles that must have been very difficult in their eyes did not actually play a big role!

The commandos and pioneer companies that charged ahead, the main force of which were soldiers who had undergone rigorous training. They don't have automatic firearms, but they have enough grenades and shotguns!

As a company platoon leader and squad leader, the young officers skillfully interacted with the reinforced artillery during the impact. Whenever they encountered a Japanese bunker, the recoilless guns loaded with jeeps and the turn-tube Goering machine guns carried by heavy two-wheeled carts were immediately pushed up, and the guns and cannons were fired in unison, plus gun grenades, and they were quickly flattened!

Every time he arrived in a village, the company platoon commander before entering quickly told everyone: "Take the squad as a unit, the assault man will open the way with a shotgun, and any target unit must be blown up with a grenade before entering!" Moving forward along the streets and alleys one by one, we have ammunition, don't rush it! ”

Truckloads of ammunition are transported forward from behind, and attacking soldiers can pick them up without looking back.

As a result, the village fortifications, which were used by the Japanese army as a strong rear road, and even specially reinforced, were vulnerable to sharp recoilless guns. In the dense northern houses, any window will become the target of grenades and grenades, and in the explosion, no matter where they are hiding, the result will be the same!

The attacking troops were ruthless, did not hesitate, and never took prisoners.

They had already known that the Japanese army had captured all the people in the village who had not escaped in order to collect food and build fortifications. Those old people and children who had no labor force were brutally killed by them!

These villages, which have long been devoid of people, were destroyed together with the Japanese army inside, with a fast speed and no future troubles!

Not only offensive grenades, but also deflagration bombs, even in heavy snow-covered places, can still ignite fires!

Everywhere the counter-attacking troops passed, it was a scorched earth.

Yang Hao had also considered beforehand, was it appropriate to implement such cruel tactics on his own territory?

Whether it was Xu Bangdao or Shi Jianfei, they scoffed at his hesitation: "When the national war is in the country, human life is like a mustard. Killing the enemy by any means is the best reward for the dead. Besides, the imperial court will not sit idly by, and will always allocate funds to rebuild their homes for them. ”

This is the biggest difference between people in peacetime and people in war, and even an old peasant in the countryside may be more open than him in life and death. It's all wars, and it's a waste of brain cells for you to think so much!

Zhou Dingchen's Second Regiment had nearly a battalion of fire support, and most of the targets at a depth of 10 kilometers were destroyed by artillery fire, and he himself was surprised by the speed of the impact.

The two battalions were attacked like a storm in front, causing the Japanese to drop hundreds of corpses along the road and retreat in panic, and the 14th Wing would most likely have been captured if it had not resisted effectively and was well prepared.

At about six o'clock in the morning, the depth of five kilometers was pierced by a blow! The Japanese army thought that this time they would go back as soon as they touched it again? Hasegawa Yoshido watched for a while, and found that the shells began to press forward, and he realized that he was thinking too much! And the fierce gunshots, explosions, and shouts of killing are getting closer and closer!

The captain of the brigade headquarters rushed over sweating and reported: "Major General, we must retreat immediately, the enemy's attack is too fast to be stopped!" ”

Hasegawa was shocked: "Na mud? What about the multiple village and town blocking positions we set up along the way? ”

The captain shook his head: "Can't stop it!" Their synchronous artillery fire is too sharp, and there are too many shells to count! All the fortress fortifications were directly destroyed, and the soldiers lost the courage to fight...... Major General, please make a decision now! ”

Hasegawa is a good way and cold all over the body!

His unit was in the best condition and most complete in the Second Army. But that's it, a month of hunger and cold, the body has declined, frostbite has lost so many people, and the combat effectiveness is not as good as before.

Now once it becomes a rout, even if you resist to the death, you can't fight the well-fed enemy army.

This battle is going to be lost!

But where do you want to retreat? Going to Fuzhou? Immediately became a two-headed block, I'm afraid that if I don't wait to run there, I will be caught up and slaughtered. Don't look at the Fuzhou defenders who don't dare to come out to fight, that is because they are afraid of the strength of the Japanese army. Once defeated, they will never miss the opportunity to beat the water dogs.

"Evacuate to Golden State Avenue! Use Thirty Mile Fort as a defensive point and strive to hold the position! ”

Hasegawa Yoshimichi immediately led the brigade headquarters to retreat. In his mind, since the enemy attacked the left flank, the pressure on the other two flanks would definitely be reduced, and the time would come to counterattack back.

He didn't expect that at the same time as he was withdrawing, the three regiments that attacked from in front of Shimenzi had successfully broken through the stubborn enemy in front of him, driving the piles of Japanese troops to the direction of his parallel retreat!

Two hours later, the Japanese troops at the Great Monk Mountain position were also defeated and retreated, and the entire Japanese front line retreated as a whole, and the two groups of men and horses were ten kilometers apart, and they rushed wildly towards their predetermined midway positions! The Japanese army who fled from the Liujiadian position was Liangjiadian. But that place simply can't accommodate thousands of soldiers! (To be continued......)