Kiyozaburo Okazaki raised his head and replied triumphantly, "Yo Sai, victory is inevitable. In the face of the Empire's martial arts, any powerful force will be vulnerable! Inform Yoshio Tanaka to move forward immediately, catch up with the Shina army, and destroy them! ”

"Hello!" Several officers hurriedly bowed their heads in response.

Only one staff officer expressed doubt, saying, "Your Excellency, I suggest that a squadron be sent to search and advance in the direction of Yangliuqing Town, and then attack the enemy after occupying this place." He added: "We don't know anything about the enemy in front of us, and we should adopt more prudent tactics." ”

However, this view did not receive any support in the 2nd Wing, with one officer objecting: "Sound tactics? Only the destruction of the Chinese is the safest tactic! Yangliuqing Town has long been bombed into ruins, will there still be an army of Zhina? The enemy is fleeing right under our noses, and if we don't hurry up and send troops to catch up, they will succeed in escaping. This will become a shame that cannot be washed away by the second wing of our garrison! ”

Kiyozaburo Okazaki said more directly: "If you don't dare to pursue even a company of troops in the face of the Shina Army, is it still the army of the empire?" ”

"Hello!" This Kiyozaburo Okazaki is very good at mobilizing the morale of the troops, and a simple sentence made the Japanese officers present feel their blood boiling, as if they had been beaten with chicken blood.

The order was quickly conveyed to the 1st Infantry Brigade, and Yoshio Tanaka, who was eager for meritorious service, immediately ordered a full-scale pursuit. In addition to non-combat units such as the ammunition squad, Tanaka Shaosa put all the combat soldiers in his hands into the front line, and the first squadron pursued at the tail end. The second squadron pursued in parallel, and the third squadron pounced on the town of Yangliuqing. However, the 3rd Squadron did not search for the remnants of the enemy, but tried to outflank the rear of the avant-garde company through Yangliuqing Town, which was tactically called "beyond the pursuit".

"Sister Sisi!" With a three-pronged approach, Tanaka Shaozuo is bound to win!

"Onboard!" The excited Japanese soldiers immediately howled and chased in the direction of the retreat of the Guards Company. Since the avant-garde company was moving flanks and rear of the main position, the flanks were completely exposed by the Japanese entanglement tail pursuit and the troops attempting to pursue in parallel. The 3rd Squadron plunged headlong into the arc-shaped fortifications of the 388th Regiment.

The lurking of large forces has always been a major military problem, and only the volunteer army has successfully used it throughout the ages. The 388th Regiment lurking outside the town was also the temporary intention of Deputy Division Commander Wang Lihuan, so the Japanese army didn't realize that there would be such a thing, and they didn't expect that there was the main force of a regiment lurking under their noses. They pursued with all their might, unaware that the troops were in danger.

Liu Yuanxun is an elder in the ranks. As soon as I saw the movements of the Japanese army, I knew that the road was cheap. Hurriedly ordered: "All battalions and companies prepare - fight me!" ”

With the order of Regiment Commander Liu, a fierce burst of gunfire suddenly broke out on the position of the 388th Regiment. Rifles, light and heavy machine guns, mortars, and grenadiers all opened fire at the same time, killing and wounding at least 100 Japanese soldiers in the first three seconds alone. In an instant, the squadrons were beaten to the back. The formation collapsed.

"Enemy attack!" The Japanese soldiers who had narrowly escaped fell to the ground. They are indeed very well trained. In a very short period of time, the combat structure was restored, and the position was quickly stabilized under the leadership of officers and non-commissioned officers at all levels. As soon as the first round of strikes of the 388th Regiment stopped, some of the quick-reacting detachments had even begun to counterattack.

Head Liu saw that the situation was not good. Hurriedly shouted: "Quick, organize machine gun fire to press the little devil back for me!" Mortars, grenadiers, all open to Lao Tzu! ”

Da Da Da ...... The heavy machine guns of the 388 regiment immediately began to fire. The dense rain of bullets hit the Japanese soldiers so that they could only lie on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads. Some Japanese troops tried to use "crooked handles" and "92 styles" to launch counter-suppression, but the firepower could not be compared with the 388th Regiment at all, and even the first battalion in front could not be compared.

After several minutes of fierce fighting, the Japanese not only failed to regain the upper hand, but suffered heavy casualties under the mortar bombardment of the 388th Regiment. In particular, the light and heavy machine gun positions, under the focused care of the mortar crews, did not survive one in ten.

At the critical moment, several officers roared loudly with flying sabers, trying to maintain morale and defend their positions with their personal bravery. Phew, but such an obvious target is just a live target for a sniper. Although for every officer killed, someone immediately took over the command, this loss still greatly damaged the morale of the Japanese army.

Hearing the dense gunfire coming from the direction of Yangliuqing Town, Okazaki Kiyozaburo Osaku immediately realized that the situation was not good, and hurried to the front line to observe the battle situation. Bang Dang! Rao is Gangqi was mentally prepared, but he was still stunned by the battle situation in front of him, and the command knife in his hand fell off his hand all of a sudden. Several other officers were also awakened by this sound and shouted, "Your Excellency, quickly let the mountain artillery brigade provide artillery support." ”

Without waiting for Okazaki to give the order, the infantry artillery squadron and the wing artillery squadron responsible for covering the infantry attack had been put into battle one after another, but the effect was far from the expectations of the Japanese army. The Type 92 infantry gun was too powerful to be very weak against targets in the fortifications, and it was necessary to beware of mortar counterattacks.

The Type 41 mountain cannon was more powerful, but it was also more problematic and almost impossible to fight. The soldiers of the artillery squad of the wing could only hide behind the artillery shields and watch the infantry being tortured and killed. For what? Because the maximum firing angle of the Type 41 mountain gun is only 40 degrees, it is too low for a howitzer, and even more unimaginable for a mountain artillery.

As we all know, a parabola at an angle of 45 degrees is the farthest, and if you take into account the air resistance, the farthest angle of the shot is about 42 degrees. Deviation from this angle, the larger or smaller the range, will result in a decrease in range. Since the maximum firing angle of the Type 41 mountain gun is only 40 degrees, it is naturally impossible to exceed 42 degrees, so it can only be fired at a small angle. In the face of close-range targets, the only way to shoot flat means that the shells must first pass over the Japanese positions, and the slightest deviation in the angle will hit their own people. This greatly limits the use of artillery fire.

Digging a pit in the ground is one way to do it (placing a cannon in a pit can increase the angle of fire), but thousands of pairs of eyes of the 388th Regiment are staring! You dig a hole in the ground, who doesn't know that you are going to set up a cannon? Now it's okay, as long as the mortars are allowed to calculate the direction first, and as soon as the mountain artillery enters the position, there will be a burst of random bombardment. The Japanese dug two or three pits. Seeing that this trick was really unreliable, I finally didn't dare to dig anymore.

On the contrary, the mortars of the 388th Regiment were all hidden in the fortifications, and they all used a large elevation angle of more than 80 degrees to fire, and they hit quickly and fiercely. Especially for 150 mm heavy mortars, every shell that falls will take away a piece of flesh and blood, even if it is just a little closer, it will be shocked to the ears and nose to bleed.

The captain of the mountain artillery brigade, Ichiro Yuta, looked inside the artillery mirror, his face was colorless in shock, and he stammered: "Your Excellency, this distance is not suitable for artillery dispatch, and I am a mother in private!" He bowed deeply.

Someone might ask. Isn't the mountain artillery equipped with the Type 94 mountain artillery? Problems with the Type 41 mountain gun. The Type 94 mountain gun is no exception (the maximum firing angle is only 45 degrees), or the Japanese mountain gun has the problem that the maximum elevation angle is too small. Due to the order issued by Okazaki Osa, the artillery squads of the mountain artillery brigade have already advanced with the synchronous troops, and they are all currently in the blind spot of firing.

Ichiro Yuda rubbed for a long time. Two solutions were proposed. The first is to simply push the mountain artillery to the front of the position and use howitzers to shoot directly at the 388 arrays; The second is to retreat the infantry. The artillery also retreated, and after opening up the distance, they bombarded the enemy's positions with curved fire.

Okazaki Daisa's face suddenly became as black as the bottom of the pot. Pushing the mountain artillery to the front of the position is undoubtedly an easy way, but the possibility of damage is also very high. Even if the artillerymen dared to put bayonets on the "cannons". Okazaki did not dare to bear the consequences of a large number of artillery damage.

But if you retreat, wouldn't it be a failure of the attack? Where does this make the competitive Okazaki Osa put his face? It is said that the Chinese have a good face, but in fact, the Japanese are the same. To paraphrase a sentence, face has nothing to do with life and death, and face is higher than life and death. After struggling for a while, Gangzaki finally decided to be shameless and win this battle. So he asked the mountain artillery brigade to regroup and retreat one kilometer, and then let the first infantry brigade alternately cover the retreat, intending to reorganize the forces to attack.

The Japanese army made this move, and the 388th Regiment immediately discovered it. The chief of staff immediately reported to the head of the regiment Liu Yuanxun. The deputy head of the regiment said happily: "Okay, the little devil finally can't bear it, urine!" I'll just say, it's all two shoulders and one head, who is afraid of whom? ”

Captain Liu Yuanxun frowned slightly and said, "Not good! The Japanese army wanted to shrink their forces and reorganize the offensive, and our defense line was too thin for them to calmly organize an attack. ”

The 388th Regiment originally planned to deploy defenses in the town, but Division Commander Wang Lihuan quickly withdrew when he noticed that something was wrong. Due to time constraints, they had to build such a long arc of fortifications along the perimeter of the town. The advantage is that it is easy to conceal and has a wide area of contact with the enemy, and it can give full play to the firepower advantage of heavy machine guns, such as the first infantry brigade of the Japanese army caused great casualties as soon as the battle just now. But the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, the position is too thin and lacks depth, once the Japanese army is allowed to cut through one place, it may lead to the collapse of the entire defense line.

The chief of staff nodded and said, "Yes, I think so too. In my opinion, it is better to take advantage of the situation when the Japanese army is retreating to launch a counterattack and disrupt their deployment. ”

Commander Liu Yuanxun thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, the brave wins when we meet on a narrow road, and today Lao Tzu will fight with the little devil this time." Inform the commander of the first battalion and immediately organize the troops and prepare for a counterattack! ”

Sure enough, the Japanese army soon began to organize the withdrawal, and the squadrons and squads took alternate cover and retreated. It's just that some soldiers are not convinced and do not carry out the retreat order resolutely, while others are frightened and just want to leave the battlefield as soon as possible. In this way, it looks a little messy when retreating.

"The time has come, fight back now!" Liu Yuanxun decisively gave the order to counterattack.

The commander of the first battalion hurriedly flew his pistol and shouted: "Brothers, kill me!" ”

The fighters, under the cover of machine guns and mortars, quickly poured out of the trenches and rushed towards the Japanese with loud shouts. The Japanese army was accustomed to seeing the national army fleeing, and it was the first time they encountered such a ferocious counterattack, and they were a little stunned on the spot. Due to the close proximity, that is, the delay of such a short time, the torrent composed of the officers and men of the first battalion had already collided with the first brigade of the Japanese army.

"Nani?" Okazaki saw this scene in the telescope and screamed in surprise, and a violent emotion instantly filled his heart. When was the Imperial Army crushed by the Chinese Army? "Yaga, this is absolutely intolerant! Order the 2nd and 3rd Brigades to immediately plunge into battle and tear them apart! ”

The chief of staff hurriedly stopped Okazaki Osa, who was in a frenzy, and hurriedly persuaded: "Your Excellency, there is at least one regiment in the Chinese army, and there are likely to be reinforcements nearby. Getting into a scuffle is a big disadvantage for me! ”

The chief of staff guessed right, Deputy Division Commander Wang Lihuan had already organized the 389th Regiment and the 390th Regiment to secretly cross the canal behind Yangliuqing Town. As long as the Japanese army dared to put the remaining two brigades on the battlefield, he would personally lead all the officers and men of the 130th Division. Completely crush this enemy army with three times the enemy's combat strength.

It's a pity that Gangzaki finally came back to his senses and ordered the first brigade to resist on the spot, stabilize the defensive line, and never allow a step back; The artillery squadron of the wing was also ordered to carry out indiscriminate shelling of extremely dangerous areas using shrapnel shells. For example, if there is only one detachment left in the Japanese army in a certain area, and the Chinese army has fifty or sixty people, they will simply blow it up together. Under such a brutal and ruthless blow, the offensive of the first battalion of the 388th Regiment was finally contained. Regiment Commander Liu Yuanxun saw that it was difficult to accomplish the expected goal. In order to avoid greater losses. I had to withdraw all the troops.

In less than 10 minutes, the first battalion suffered more than 300 casualties, most of whom were wounded by indiscriminate Japanese artillery fire. In general, of course. The 1st Brigade of the Japanese suffered greater casualties. The 388th Regiment took advantage of the arrogance of the Japanese army and the underestimation of the enemy to take advantage of a little bit.

After a slight adjustment of the Japanese army. The 2nd Infantry Brigade took over from the 1st Brigade and relaunched the attack on the 388th Regiment position. This time the Japanese army came prepared. Mountain artillery, infantry guns, and grenadiers were successively distributed, and light and heavy machine guns also provided good fire cover for riflemen. The pressure on the 388th Regiment increased sharply, especially with heavy machine gun targets. It was destroyed several times by Japanese infantry artillery in succession, and had to take the initiative to remove some heavy machine gun positions. But in this way, the superiority in firepower cannot be maintained.

"Yo Xi!" Okazaki Osa has always been haunted by the defeat just now, and now seeing that the Japanese army is gradually gaining the upper hand, he began to be complacent again, thinking that he was just attacked by the despicable Shina people just now, and strongly argued: "The Shina army will only work secretly, the hairy monkey is not, the samurai are not!" A head-on confrontation is not at all an opponent of the Imperial Army! ”

The other officers were also optimistic, believing that with a little more effort they could take the position and completely wipe out the Chinese army that dared to offend the dignity of the Imperial Army in the pursuit.

In fact, the 388th Regiment did face a lot of difficulties, but it was not as big as the Japanese army imagined. As the main regiment, 70 percent of the combat soldiers of the 388th Regiment are veterans (new recruits mainly supplement non-combat units), and they are elites who have undergone many rounds of training. The armament was not much worse than that of a wing of the Japanese army. The firepower below the squadron was even stronger. This should be felt by Okazaki Osa from the battle just now, but they don't want to admit it.

"Order, the 3rd Infantry Brigade immediately detours to the enemy flank!" The pride of the Japanese Army and Okazaki's personal pride made him unable to tolerate such a stalemate.

There is a TV series that says that the tactics of the Japanese army are: the artillery bombards the infantry and rushes, and the infantry charges the artillery. In fact, this was only a tentative attack by the Japanese army, and once it was determined that the enemy army was false and real, the Japanese army would immediately gather heavy troops (more than half of the total strength of the battlefield) to outflank the enemy flank, even if the enemy's strength exceeded its own.

Okazaki now did just that, and under his orders, the 3rd Brigade quickly made a detour to the left flank in an attempt to attack the positions of the 388th Regiment from the flank. Don't look at this simple tactic, the national army always falls on this trick, and it is still suffering this loss until the Liberation War.

"Don't shoot, get close! Do you understand? Mitehara, the captain of the third brigade, told his subordinates. To put it bluntly, he just wanted the second brigade to attract the attention of the 388th regiment in the front, and quietly went over to beat the stick.

"Hello!" Several squadron leaders replied understandingly.

But Mitehara and his subordinates never expected that at the same time as they were making a detour, the main force of the 389th Regiment was also quietly approaching, and in order to cause the suddenness of the attack, the soldiers were also marching in concealment. Not to mention shooting, I don't even dare to breathe in the atmosphere. It's all quiet, and it turns out to be a head-on collision.

"Devil!"

"Enemy attack!"

……

The 389th Regiment is a large regiment of more than 3,000 people, and its training is not much worse than that of the Japanese army of the Third Brigade (due to cultural quality, the comprehensive ability is definitely much worse, but the pure combat ability is almost the same), the equipment is better, and the strength and firepower are several times stronger. So the third brigade was quickly beaten and dizzy, and had to leave dozens of corpses behind and retreat in disarray.

Commander Guo Xianrong saw it and hurriedly ordered: "The first battalion will all press on me, the second battalion will outflank, the heavy artillery mortar and the flat artillery company will cover, and the third battalion will join the rest of the departments to build fortifications on the spot!" ”

Under the attack of the first battalion, the 3rd Brigade of the Japanese Army had to retreat while fighting. But they did not dare to withdraw too hard. Because as soon as the 3rd Brigade withdrew, the flank of the 2nd Brigade, which was attacking the 388th Regiment, was exposed.

While the 3rd Brigade was struggling to hold on, the 2nd Battalion soon went around its flank to attack. At this time, the third brigade was unable to protect itself when the mud bodhisattva crossed the river, and it could not care about protecting the flank of the second brigade, so it had to leave the friendly troops and evacuate alone. Seeing that the situation was not good, the 2nd Brigade had to withdraw to the rear as well.

Deputy Division Commander Wang Lihuan led the former enemy headquarters to observe closely, and took in the scene of the hasty withdrawal of the Japanese army, and was both happy and a little surprised. To tell the truth, although the strength of the 130th Division on paper is far higher than that of the Second Wing of the Japanese Army, none of the officers and men of the 130th Division said that they could eat a wing of the Japanese Army with one division, mainly because they did not have that confidence. But now it seems that there is some real possibility.

Several officers glanced at each other, and they all saw the flames of excitement in each other's eyes, and the fighting spirit was strong.

Zhao Longtao, chief of staff of the division, suggested: "Deputy seat, one brigade of the Japanese army has suffered heavy losses, and the remaining two brigades are also entangled with our army. Its strength is not to be feared, in my opinion, it is better to take advantage of the situation and press the whole army to defeat the enemy! ”

Several other officers also echoed it, although this was far from the previous combat goal, but judging from the actual situation on the battlefield, it was completely free to give it a go.

Deputy Division Commander Wang Lihuan hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind and said, "Okay! The 388th Regiment and the 389th Regiment were ordered to bite the enemy in front of them, and no matter how great the sacrifice was, they were not allowed to waver. ”

"Order the 390th Regiment to immediately outflank the right flank of Yangliuqing Town, be fast, and resolutely and decisively carry out this order!"

"Order the divisional mountain artillery battalion to immediately shell the enemy's position, and if the enemy artillery counterattacks, hold on to the battle and not evacuate easily!"

"Order the divisional cavalry battalion to immediately bypass the enemy's position, rush behind the enemy's rear, and resolutely destroy the enemy's artillery position if it encounters it!"

"Command Division Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion ......"

……

The orders were conveyed one by one, and the entire 130th Division was running at full strength as if it had been wound up! The battle is finally about to heat up, and a showdown is about to begin, which will decide the fate of the Chinese 130th Division and the 2nd Wing of the Japanese garrison!

"Report! The sub-seat, the military department is in an emergency! Just as Deputy Division Commander Wang was about to give the order for a general attack, an urgent telegram suddenly came. Deputy Division Commander Wang took it and looked at it for a few lines, his face changed slightly, and he hurriedly ordered: "Order all units to attack immediately, but-only attack for ten minutes, and immediately disengage after ten minutes, prepare to evacuate!" After a pause, he added: "When evacuating, pay attention to cooperating with friendly and neighboring troops, treating the wounded, and cleaning up the battlefield!" (To be continued......)