"Oh my God! Look at the sky! Zhong Songlin, the commander of the 1st Company, stabbed Chen Hao's waist and eyes. Chen Hao looked up and saw a plane coming down with black smoke.

That's its own plane!

"Fly this way!" Several soldiers shouted.

"You take a platoon, no, gather your whole company," Chen Hao looked nervously at the struggling plane, "Be ready, if you fall over there, rush in and rescue the pilot!" Chen Hao gave an order to Lieutenant Zhong Songlin.

"Yes! 1 company, set, set. Prepare a stretcher! Lieutenant Chung shouted and ran east.

Fortunately, the plane landed in a forest on the right rear side of the 1st Battalion's position, and there was no explosion, and in Chen Hao's telescope, the officers and men of the company ran towards the woods quickly.

"I hope he lives!" Chen Hao prayed for his unknown comrades-in-arms. Aviation played an increasingly powerful role, correcting artillery, providing intelligence on enemy movements and bombing Japanese firing points at low altitudes. Whenever an aircraft appears over the battlefield, it greatly boosts the morale of the troops. But just yesterday, a plane was shot down by the Japanese and fell behind the positions of the Japanese 46th Wing, unable to be rescued. The brigade commander personally called and asked the 46th Regiment to do all its best to rescue the pilots. But the 46th Regiment had not yet broken through the Japanese positions and could not rescue the pilot at all, perhaps the brave pilot had already died.

Chen Hao ran backwards with the signal soldiers. Because the plane fell on his side, Zhong Songlin only ran over with a few soldiers. When Chen Hao came over, the soldiers of the 1st Company had already put the pilot on a stretcher.

"It doesn't matter, right? Brothers! Chen Hao saluted the pilot.

"Thank you, Major. I injured my right arm. The other parts seem to be complete, and they can still go up to the sky......"

"Thank you to us, you guys are so nice! Quick, send the Air Force brothers to the medical center. ”

Chen Hao watched the stretcher leave. He and Zhong Songlin ran to the plane, and the two soldiers were using small shovels to throw dirt into the smoking plane, "Be careful of explosions, don't be in a hurry to dismantle weapons." You are here to stay. ”

"Battalion commander, regiment commander looking for you." Running a soldier reported.

Back at the battalion headquarters, Chen Hao saw Regiment Commander Li smoking.

"Is the pilot alright?"

"It's fine, it's just an arm injury."

"You've done a meritorious service. Those who fly planes are babes. Li Shaoqian stood up. The brigade headquarters has the latest order. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the whole line launched an attack, the goal was to annihilate the 46th Wing on the opposite side and strike in depth to join up with friendly forces on the northern front. ”

"Yes!" Chen Haoli replied.

"Here's the way." Li Shaoqian relayed the battle situation reported by Brigade Commander Qu to his most important battalion commander. "The 6th Division to the north attacked fiercely. The 2nd Division was a little overwhelmed, and the headquarters asked us to attack in advance and eat the devil in front of us first. ”

"It's long overdue. Please rest assured, the head of the regiment. Our unit will definitely launch an attack on time. ”

"Well, tell me about your attack plan again." Li Shaoqian came to the map spread out on the ammunition box.

The attack of the 16th Brigade on the 46th Wing of the Japanese Army on the Southern Front was launched punctually at 1 p.m. Today is October 14th, the third day of the big counterattack. There was also fierce fighting in the south, and the sound of artillery kept going, which was a fierce battle between the 14th Division and the 29th Brigade of the Japanese Army.

The 16th Brigade Artillery Regiment concentrated fire to support the 48th Regiment of the main attack, and the 46th Regiment was only supported by regimental fire, but the enemy's strength in this direction of the 46th Regiment was not strong, which has been confirmed by reconnaissance. Chen Hao calculated the strength of the Japanese army, felt that he was very sure, and said to the four company commanders under him, "This time, let's be ruthless, directly break into the brigade headquarters of the devil, and strive to fight a heroic battalion!" ”

The scheduled preparation time for artillery fire was 25 minutes, Chen Hao looked at the watch with a broken watch door, yesterday a stone that was blown up by artillery fire hit the watch, fortunately it only broke the watch door, and the watch was still moving.

"Battalion commander, pay attention to your position, don't overdo it." Worried that the battalion commander would lead the team to charge, the assault company commander Guo Songlin reminded Chen Hao, and said to Chen Hao's guard and communications soldier Xiao Zhang, "Watch the battalion commander, don't let him get hurt." ”

Xiao Yanagi, the original signal soldier, had not yet recovered from his injuries and returned to the team, and Xiao Zhang and two other soldiers from three different companies were temporarily transferred to the battalion headquarters as the battalion commander's heralds. After the battle of Qingdao, Chen Hao summed up his experience and must bring a few more signal soldiers, otherwise he would not be able to deliver orders in time.

Communication is a big problem. Wired telephones are very rare, only a few troops are equipped to the battalion level, and the telephone lines are always blown up by artillery fire, telegraph machines are scarce and precious, cumbersome and unstable, such as signal flares, flashlights of different colors are the means of communication of the Wehrmacht, but the most reliable way is people, so the signal corps has become the most dangerous and easy to make meritorious service, they have to brave the enemy's artillery fire to leave the trenches to pass orders.

The attack was launched on time. As soon as the mortar fire of the regiment stopped, the 1st Company that was crawling had already rushed into the enemy position shrouded in gunsmoke, and without waiting for Chen Hao's order, the 2nd Company Commander led the 2nd Company to rush up. Chen Hao watched the attack in the binoculars, and some people kept falling, but none of them retreated or hesitated.

"They're all good soldiers!" Chen Hao is proud of his troops. The Battle of Qingdao killed and wounded a large number of veterans, but the new recruits who were added in were just as good.

"Send a signal, let the 3rd and 4th companies go up." Chen Hao observed for a few minutes and decided to put his last two companies into the breakthrough at one time, leaving no longer reserves. Seeing the officers and soldiers of the 4th Company jumping out of the bunker, Chen Hao held Xiao Zhang's shoulder with his left hand and climbed the trench, "Brothers, rush up and kill all the little devils!" ”

The Shandong soldiers of the 46th Regiment swooped down on the breakthrough with bitter hatred for the invaders. The recent propaganda about the atrocities of the Japanese army has boosted the morale of the 16th Brigade to Cheng Dù, which is not inferior to the Battle of Qingdao, although the Germans occupied Qingdao, but they have not slaughtered the unarmed people. It's so vicious! Grandma's, it's time to avenge the villagers.

The 1st Battalion broke through the enemy line and penetrated into depth. When Chen Hao entered Zhangling Village, the village was basically captured, there were gunshots and explosions everywhere, and several thatched huts were on fire, but now he couldn't care about fighting the fire, "Order the 1st Company and the 2nd Company to continue the attack, and hand over the devils to the 2 companies behind." Fast! ”

The two communications soldiers flew away.

Chen Hao, who was bent on his waist and carrying a pistol in his left hand, took Xiao Zhang and ran to the center of the village behind the 4th Company Brigade and turned a corner. Chen Hao saw several soldiers kill the two wounded Japanese soldiers with bayonets, and the screams of the Japanese soldiers dying were earth-shattering. Without waiting for Chen Hao to ask, the platoon commander with a blackened face from gunpowder smoke shouted, "It's all some brutes!" Battalion commander, just look at it! The platoon leader pointed to the house facing the street.

Chen Hao kicked open the half-closed door, and there were two female corpses lying on the ground without a single wisp of blood. Chen Hao's anger came up, "Kill all the devils, leave no prisoners!" ”

The propaganda of the political department is not bad at all, the Japanese army is not the German army, let alone the Beiyang army, and they cannot be regarded as human beings!

Leave 4 companies to clear out the remnants of the enemy. Chen Hao commanded the remaining three companies to continue to fight to the northeast. The Japanese resistance on the front was extremely weak. With the exception of one machine-gun fire point, which cost the 1st Battalion 2 dead and 3 wounded, the rest of the resistance was not fierce. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the main force of the 1st Battalion waded across the Wei River and turned to the north. Begin the assault on another village entrenched by the Japanese army. This enemy force is not weak. To the southwest of the village, at least three heavy machine guns rattled and crushed the 1st Company to the ground.

"The 3rd Company made a detour to the north. Touch it from the west of the river. Mortars, quickly adjust mortars up. Lying behind a grave bag, the bullets fired sneered into the grave bag, Chen Hao unhurriedly observed the shape and gave the order to attack in a roundabout way. To his east, troops of the 2 battalion also went on the offensive.

A heavy machine gun with a guard plate was erected and began to suppress the enemy's machine gun fire, and a Japanese machine gun in front was quickly dumbed, several shells fell at the entrance of the village, and the mortar group had already come up.

With the support of mortar fire, the 2nd Company on the right launched a charge, and the 1st Company followed and broke through to the entrance of the village.

"Well done!" Chen Hao wiped his sweat with his mud-stained palm and turned himself into a big flower face.

"Battalion commander, battalion commander," the 1st Company Communicator Pony ran back to report, "The company commander wants me to report to you, this is a headquarters of the devils. ”

"Really? That's good. Catch it alive! Capture the commander of the devil. He forgot the order he had just given to the 4th Company not to leave prisoners.

The village where the 1st Battalion broke through was the headquarters of the 23rd Brigade of the Japanese Army. Although the brigade commanders safely withdrew from the village under the desperate resistance of the guard troops, the command system of the 23 brigade was disrupted. When it was dark, the 48th Wing was cut into separate sections by the two infantry regiments of the 16th Brigade that had been put into the attack, and with the 16th Brigade Reserve 47th Regiment being put in, the wing was in complete collapse. At 8:10 p.m., the 46th Wing, which had been encircled, sent a farewell message to the division headquarters with the words "the whole army is shattered", smashed the radio station, burned the military flag, and was completely drowned in the attack wave of the 16th Brigade.

"1st Battalion Commander," Regiment Commander Li Shaoqian caught up with the 1st Battalion at about ten o'clock in the evening, "the brigade commander ordered not to stop, and continued to attack northward. ”

"Of course it won't stop, just now I captured the devil's two cannons in a row 3 times."

"Well played. The 48th Regiment captured the Devil's Wing Headquarters, and this time they were brilliant. ”

The attack of the 16th Brigade on the southern flank of the 18th Division opened the prelude to the battle of annihilation in Jiaodong. After nightfall, the units of the 16th Brigade continued their attack, the 46th Wing was basically destroyed, and the remnants of the 23rd Brigade led by the regimental headquarters fled to the north and joined up with the division headquarters. The counterattack of the 55th Wing, which had suffered heavy casualties under the command of the 18th Division, failed in defeat, and the remnants of the division and the 23rd Brigade led by Lieutenant General Mitsutomi Kamio were compressed in the mountainous area east of the Wei River and west of the Jiaolai Beihe River, and the 17th Regiment of the 6th Brigade bravely interspersed to the north of the eastward retreat was blocked, and the order of General Terauchi was to Lieutenant General Mitsutomi Kamio to break through to the north and join the 6th Division. To the north of the 6th Brigade, Division Commander Han Ziying personally commanded the 5th Brigade and the artillery directly under the division to stubbornly resist the attack of the 6th Division.

Chen Hao's 1st Battalion continued its assault along the right bank of the Wei River, and the troops were exhausted and their formation was disrupted. Chen Hao gathered more than 60 people around him, including 3 companies, 4 companies, and 3 soldiers from 1 company. The contact with the regimental headquarters had been cut off, and Chen Hao was basically attacking in the direction of the gun.

There was a huge cheer from the front, and Chen Hao didn't know why. "Battalion commander, battalion commander," the deputy company commander of the 3rd Company ran back to report, "we have joined the 2nd Division!" ”

"Really?" Chen Hao laughed, "Let's go, let's see the brother troops." ”

"I am Chen Hao, the commander of the 16th Battalion of the 46th Regiment of the 1st Brigade, which part are you?" By the faint light, Chen Hao shouted to the group of people walking opposite.

"Ah, it's the 'Attack Like a Tiger' regiment that shocked the whole army! It's been a long time! I am Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Qinglai, commander of the 6th Brigade and 18th Regiment! The little lieutenant colonel ran over and hugged Chen Hao.

Only officers and men who have participated in the battle understand the feelings of friendly and neighboring troops on the battlefield. Both commanders understood that with the victory of the troops on the northern and southern fronts, victory had already been pinched in their hands!

"Quick, go and report to the head of the regiment. Let's just say that we have joined forces with Big Brother! "Chen Hao is very happy.

"No, brother, we're going to turn around and head north." Chen Hao, who spoke with a southern accent, basically didn't understand what Lieutenant Colonel Zhang said, but he guessed eight or nine without leaving ten, "Don't worry, Captain Zhang, when we eat this devil, we will also go north." Ah, ah," Chen Hao was tightly held by Captain Zhang's right hand just now, and the severe pain came, and Chen Hao couldn't help but shout.

The meeting of the 16th Regiment of the 46th Brigade with the 6th Regiment of the 18th Brigade was of strategic importance. The news was quickly reported to the headquarters, and the Operations Department of the Central Military Region was immediately jubilant! General Feng Guozhu, who had not closed his eyes since the start of the counterattack, dropped the red pencil in his hand and said to Xue Xiaocai, who also had red eyes and unkempt hair, "Now I can squint." In my opinion, first of all, concentrate on annihilating the 18th Division and eat the lump in the middle, and then we will have plenty of mobile forces in our hands. Immediately report our plan to the General Staff for approval. ”

"Yes. Commander, go and sleep for a while, the General Staff will call back and I will report immediately. ”

"Okay, finally come out." Feng Guozhu stretched his waist, "Summons to commend the 2nd Division and the 16th Brigade!" And 18 divisions! Chai Shouye, this kid is really good! ”

"Yes! I will arrange for the Ministry of Political Affairs to draft a commendation order. ”

It was 6:35 a.m. on October 15. Xue Xiaocai glanced at his watch and wrote down the time. (To be continued......)