Chapter 1487 It’s Time to Show Your Strength!

The officers of the 10th Reserve Division were stunned, but Leng Feng's eyes were stern.

He quickly realized that this was Tang Dao telling him in disguise that the suggestion he had just put forward still had a big loophole.

As he said, the fist that was retracted was powerful only when it was thrown out, but after shrinking the position of the entire southern city of Hengyang, the overall defense depth was undoubtedly reduced.

If the Japanese artillery was in advance, it would be easy to cover Hengyang City with artillery fire. It is no wonder that Zhao Zili, from the perspective of the overall situation, insisted on relying on the original national defense fortifications to the south of the Hunan-Guangxi Railway.

Tang Dao found a delicate balance between shrinking and insufficient manpower. Huangchaling, which had been half excavated, was not lost, but the main position was all shrunk to Zhangjiashan and Tianmashan, 2 miles away.

The depth of the position originally designed by Chief of Staff Zhao Zili was still retained, and the main position of the 10th Reserve Division was more compact.

However, it is not easy to firmly nail Huangchaling, a forward-type nail position in front of the main position of the 10th Reserve Division, in front of the main position with a width of 5 kilometers.

This battle must be fought by the First Battalion! Leng Feng's mind flashed and he understood Tang Dao's meaning. He showed a firm look in his eyes and stepped forward to salute: "Sir, the First Battalion will not let you down!"

"Absolutely not! Director Tang, this is related to the life and death of hundreds of brothers in your regiment. Don't act on impulse. At worst, Huangchaling will still be guarded by the 30th Regiment of the 10th Reserve Division." Ge Youcai reacted and hurried forward to stop it.

His face was also apologetic. He also understood Tang Dao's meaning, but in order to find a balance between the overall situation and his 10th Reserve Division, he had to give away an infantry battalion for nothing. This was something he could not do anyway.

"Haha! Speaking of it, you may not believe it, Division Commander Ge, this Huangcha Ridge! Counting all the troops in Hengyang, only one battalion of our Four-line Regiment can defend it. Any other troops may not be able to do it." Tang Dao said with a smile.

Oh my god! What the commander said is too offensive! Leng Feng felt a pain in his cheek.

And the officers and soldiers of the 10th Division, including Ge Youcai, were stunned for a while, and many officers were angry.

Just now, their division commander was kind, but he was not only rejected, but also pretended to be so arrogant by the director in front of him.

You are the Four-line Regiment, and our 10th Army is also the Taishan Army, okay? Your Four-line Regiment is famous all over the world, and our 10th Army is also a first-class strong army in the 9th War Zone.

"Director Tang is so confident, so all the brothers of my 10th Reserve Division are a little unconvinced. Come on, Commander Feng, let's not talk about the previous achievements. Just briefly introduce how many brothers, guns and cannons your 30th Regiment has, so that Director Tang can see if we are qualified to defend this Huangcha Ridge." Ge Youcai narrowed his eyes and suddenly said.

This lieutenant general of the army has a round face, a beard, and murderous eyes. He is also very burly. It is difficult for people not to think of him as a brave general, so that many people ignore his very useful brain.

Of course, he knows that Tang Dao will never pretend to be so for no reason. Maybe he is taking this opportunity to show the strength of his Four-Line Regiment here, so that the First Battalion of the Four-Line Regiment will cooperate with the regiments of his 10th Reserve Division in the future.

People in the army all admire the strong. The stronger you are, the more the soldiers will look up to you, and the weaker you are, the more they will look down on you.

Huangchaling, a position that must be isolated from the main position, needs to be defended. In addition to having sufficient defense, it also needs support from the main position in the rear. Otherwise, if the Japanese army surrounds it, not to mention a battalion of hundreds of people, even a division will die in that position with a radius of only 0.3 kilometers.

I am afraid that Tang Dao wants to let the commanders of the 10th Division know that my people are capable of defending the front and left and right wings, but I will leave the rear to you.

However, Ge Youcai is also a little curious about the current combat organization and firearms of the Four-Line Regiment. How sophisticated is it?

It is said that the Four-Line Regiment can withstand a Japanese division, but seeing is believing, right?

"Report to the division commander, in the third Tanzhou battle, 1,200 officers and soldiers of our 30th Regiment died, 383 retired due to injuries, and only 467 returned to the team after recovering from the wounds, and only 800 soldiers were able to fight again." The colonel commander named Feng Zishi stood up and couldn't help but brag about his past achievements.

In the third Tanzhou battle, if the 30th Regiment had not led by Ge Youcai to fight back the Japanese army several times in a row, it is estimated that the South Gate of Tanzhou would have been lost long ago, and there would be no amazing record of the 10th Division and the title of the 10th Army's "Taishan Army".

However, the 30th Regiment paid an extremely painful price, with a war loss of up to 80%.

"I asked you to talk about personnel and equipment, why did you talk about the past?" Ge Youcai glared and said sternly.

As the former commander of the 30th Regiment, this battle was truly a pain in his heart. Others were proud of their achievements in this battle, but commander Ge Youcai took the remaining 300 soldiers and spent a week personally burying more than 1,200 brothers after the war. Ge Youcai never wanted to experience that feeling again in his life.

"Yes!" Feng Zishi stood at attention and continued: "Under the care of the army commander and the division commander, our regiment was the first to replenish personnel and equipment. To date, our 30th Regiment has 2,209 combat personnel, 438 civilian laborers, 1,097 Zhongzheng rifles, 46 submachine guns of various types, 45 pistols, 73 light machine guns, 22 heavy machine guns of various types, 2 anti-tank guns, and 12 Type 82 mortars. The current ammunition reserves are due to the division commander's promise to gradually replenish them, so there is no specific amount at present."

"Feng Zishi, you still don't forget to trick me at this time. Put your heart in my stomach. I will keep my word this time. I will put my division headquarters in the headquarters of your 30th Regiment if there is one less bullet." Ge Youcai laughed and scolded.

Although it was a scolding, it must be said that Master Ge was in a very good mood at the moment. As the main force of his 10th Reserve Division, the 30th Regiment not only had a foundation of 800 veterans, but also had nearly full strength. More than 400 civilians said they were helping to move supplies and wounded soldiers, but in fact they could be added to the troops at any time. The ability of the entire infantry regiment to fight continuously was even stronger than during the third Tanzhou Battle.

Moreover, the 30th Regiment had many firearms, basically reaching the standard of one medium-sized rifle for each infantryman, 8 light machine guns for a company, 6 heavy machine guns and 3 mortars for a battalion, which was the standard of the German-equipped division a few years ago! The 4-regiment B division like the 10th Reserve Division dared not even think about it.

Not to mention that the 30th Regiment also had two anti-tank guns, which were good treasures. The Japanese small bean tanks basically penetrated one by one, and even the Type 89 tanks could penetrate them if they got close.

Thanks to the continuous replacement of the new American equipment by the direct troops of the Central Army of the 9th War Zone in the past two years, the 10th Reserve Division was able to get these good equipment. Although it is not as good as the ace troops of the 74th Army, think about it. The 10th Reserve Division used to have Hanyang-made equipment. There were even soldiers in an infantry squad who had no guns but only grenades. Only when their comrades died, they were qualified to pick up their comrades' guns to fight. From Ge Youcai to Colonel Feng Zishi of the 30th Regiment, they were extremely satisfied.

With a well-equipped infantry regiment like the 30th Regiment, Ge Youcai was confident that he could resist the attack of two or three Japanese infantry battalions in a defensive battle.

"No, I will take care of as many regiments as you give me. If you put the division headquarters in my regiment headquarters, wouldn't it be like driving me to the front line to be a battalion commander? This loss-making business cannot be done." Feng Zishi waved his hands repeatedly.

It was rare to see the calm and steady commander Feng make a joke, and the officers and soldiers of the 10th Reserve Division burst into laughter.

The atmosphere that was a little heavy just now was also eased a lot.

"The personnel and equipment of your 30th Regiment are good, and it is definitely enough to fight the Japanese. I even believe that the brothers of the 30th Regiment can rely on the Zhangjiashan position to resist the fierce attack of an infantry regiment of the Japanese." Tang Dao smiled and gave a thumbs up, and then changed the subject: "However, the continuous firepower is still a little insufficient, and it is impossible to defend the Huangchaling position that is more than 2 kilometers. It is still a little difficult for you to defend this position."

"Then I Feng Zishi wants to hear what kind of personnel and equipment your first battalion has, Director Tang, and how you can defend Huangchaling." The calm and honest army colonel was a little unhappy when he heard what Tang Dao said.

His 30th Regiment not only has a brilliant record and veterans who have been tempered by war, but also has good equipment. Why is it not good in this person's eyes?

No matter who it is, no one can bear this breath!

"Then let Chief of Staff Leng introduce the personnel and equipment of my first battalion. Oh! I forgot to tell you that Chief of Staff Leng is also the battalion commander of the first battalion of my Sihang Regiment." Tang Dao smiled slightly.

"My first battalion currently has 965 combat personnel and 356 reserve officers and soldiers. The reserve officers and soldiers were recruited from the local aspiring young people in Hengyang since May last year. The training time is about one year.

My battalion has a total of 3 infantry companies and 1 artillery company. In addition, in wartime, there is 1 special tank platoon and 1 heavy mortar platoon. It is equipped with 326 Czech semi-automatic rifles, 160 assault rifles, 28 various bolt-action rifles, 120 MP38 submachine guns, and pistols. 236 guns, 530 guns of various types stored in reserve.

16 light machine guns, 4 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 16 60-caliber mortars, 4 82-caliber mortars, 3 80mm howitzers, 4 150-caliber mortars, and 4 assault jeeps equipped with 12.7mm heavy machine guns and 9 20mm machine gun light tanks.

Ammunition reserves, currently about 20 base numbers! "Leng Feng talked about the personnel and equipment of his first battalion, and naturally he knew them all.

What does it mean to have a buzzing head? The officers and soldiers of the 10th Division of the Reserve Division collectively opened their mouths in disbelief.

I thought Director Tang was pretentious enough, but I didn't expect that the cold-faced lieutenant colonel with a look of "keep away from strangers" could brag so much.

They have heard of semi-automatic rifles. The eight-grain rifles brought over by the Americans are very powerful. They can fire eight times in a row with one pull of the bolt. The firepower is fierce and enviable.

But what the hell is an assault rifle?

There are more than 200 pistols. How can your Four-Line Regiment be so awesome as to equip the army corporals with pistols? The 10th Reserve Division even needs the approval of the regiment headquarters to equip the second lieutenants with pistols, even if the guns are captured from the Japanese.

Of course, these are fine. It is said that Tang Dao has a daughter of an American consortium. It should be no problem to get some US dollars to buy some guns.

How can you, an infantry battalion, have both 80mm and 150mm guns? The most outrageous thing is that you even have a light tank equipped with a 20mm machine gun.

What a good guy, he brags without thinking.

"Do you think you don't believe me, Division Commander Ge?" Tang Dao grinned when he saw the reaction of the officers and soldiers of the 10th Reserve Division.

"Brother Tang! Don't blame me, Old Ge, for being ignorant. The key is that Chief of Staff Leng is exaggerating. Not to mention that our 10th Reserve Division doesn't have a 150mm heavy mortar, even the 10th Army doesn't have one! And what about the light tank? All the tanks of the 9th War Zone are only about 30 or 40! Commander Xue hid it like a treasure. He was reluctant to take it out during the last Tanzhou Battle, for fear that it would be destroyed in one go." Ge Youcai didn't use his official title to address Tang Dao at this moment, and directly called him brother.

This title conversion is very particular. The two are brothers, so bragging between brothers is a private act, not in the army. Even if Tang Dao's bragging is finally exposed, it is no big deal.

For this reason, Ge Youcai's 800 thoughts really did not wrong him.

"So, Leng Feng's artillery and tanks are still in the garrison. You can go and visit them when you are free, so as not to think that Leng Feng is bragging. The assault rifle and the pistols equipped by the officers and soldiers of my regiment can let you guys feel the performance first." Tang Dao said while waving to the cavalry squad leader who was on guard 50 meters away and calling him over.

"Bring all the brothers over!"

Led by the cavalry squad leader, 10 cavalrymen stood neatly in front of the officers and officers of the 10th Reserve Division.

"Unload the guns!" Leng Feng roared.

The commander gave the order, and the 11 cavalrymen all put their precious assault rifles gently on the grass in front of them, and then pulled out the pistols from the gun bags tied to their thighs, placed them next to the rifles, and then collectively stepped back and continued to stand at attention.

The movements were clean, neat and uniform, and just for this, the reputation of the elite of the Four Lines Regiment was not in vain.

Of course, what made the officers look at each other in bewilderment was that some of these cavalrymen were non-commissioned officers, and some were privates, but everyone was equipped with a pistol, which was not false.

Before coming, I'm afraid that this cold chief of staff would not equip the escorting cavalry with pistols just to show off himself!

Perhaps there is only one explanation, this is a guard squad specially equipped for the commanders of the Four Lines Regiment. They are the most elite soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment, and their equipment is naturally the best. Two years ago, Tang Dao was calculated by the Japanese and traitors, and 13 guards were killed in the battle, right?

Feng Zishi was the first to step forward. Instead of taking the less than 1-meter-long "cavalry rifle", he picked up the Black Star pistol.

He just grasped it, reached out and fumbled for a few times, took out the magazine and looked at it, pulled the bolt, held it with both hands and aimed at the open space, and growled, "Good gun."

That was the intuition from the veteran. Before he fired the gun, the weight and grip of the gun made him feel the advantages and disadvantages of this pistol he had seen for the first time.

"Where is the big tree? Why don't you try it, Captain Feng?" Tang Dao smiled slightly and pointed to a big tree 40 meters away that was as thick as an adult's thigh.

Ge Youcai waved his hand lightly, and the few guards who stayed with him immediately ran to the distance to inform the soldiers and civilians who were still working to leave temporarily. One soldier stayed behind a rock 20 meters to the side of the tree and waited for orders.

He was responsible for telling his superiors about the power of the bullets.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Feng Zishi emptied the pistol magazine in one breath, but his face was slightly red.

The recoil of this gun obviously exceeded his estimation. He didn't feel it until the next two shots. He didn't know whether he hit the tree or not.

"Report, hit by a bullet, the bullet went through the tree trunk and disappeared!" The guard ran over to report.

The army colonel's face turned redder.

But Ge Youcai and the other officers were surprised.

They, the veterans, knew how powerful the pistol was. It was only an effective range of 50 meters. It could penetrate the trunk of a tree at a distance of 40 meters, which meant that the effective range of this pistol was definitely more than 100 meters.

"Captain Feng was able to hit a bullet with this gun for the first time. This shooting skill is amazing. When I used it for the first time, I was not as good as you!" Leng Feng said.

"It is indeed a good gun, with a long range and great power, but the recoil is a bit too large, and the gun body is a bit heavy. It can't be used by non-elite soldiers." Feng Zishi, who was rescued, gave a very fair evaluation.

"This is the submachine gun that our regiment introduced from the Bear Country, but because of its long range, it is also called an assault rifle by our officers and soldiers." Tang Dao took the initiative to pick up a "Type 56 submachine gun" that appeared on the ground in advance and aimed at an unfinished fortification 300 meters away.

There is also a row of hard sleepers on the fortification. These things are all used to withstand the pressure on the ground when the train passes. They are both tough and hard. If a rifle wants to penetrate them, it must be within a distance of more than 200 meters.

"Bang bang bang!" Tang Dao fired continuously with a rifle that was only one meter long, and emptied the 30-round magazine in less than 15 seconds.

The fierce and continuous firepower made the officers headed by Ge Youcai drool with envy.

Don't say that the range can be as high as hundreds of meters, one or two hundred meters will do! If each infantryman has such a gun, no matter how many Japanese come, they can just pick up the gun and shoot.

"Report, the number of bullet holes hitting the sleepers exceeds 20, and most of the bullets have penetrated the sleepers and hit the sand." After a while, the guard ran over from 300 meters away to report breathlessly.

Damn, with this gun, what else do you need a cannon! No wonder Director Tang dared to say that his infantry battalion could defend a position 4 miles wide, their continuous firepower is enough!

The officers and soldiers of the 10th Reserve Division were really petrified at this moment.

In any case, during the war, the key point that Feng Zishi told his battalion commander was: "Keep an eye on the back of Huangchaling. If any devils dare to come around, use heavy machine guns to kill them. The brothers of the Four-Line Regiment will handle the rest."

The immense trust in friendly forces led to the 30th Regiment and the Japanese army not retreating even when they were killing each other.

Commander Tang was really good at pretending.