Chapter 1500 Loss and Gain!

Victory on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River!

Although the main force of the landing fleet led by Matsukami Yoshimasa was still there, most of the artillery was lost and the ability to force a crossing of the Xiangjiang River was completely lost.

Although the gunboats and gunboats had strong firepower and caused heavy casualties to the 1st Battalion of the 190th Division, when the Chinese fighter planes arrived during the day, that was when the fleet was destroyed.

With two hours left before dawn, the Japanese Navy's ships fled upstream in disgrace, and the threat to the east bank of the Xiangjiang River was temporarily lifted.

However, Fang Xianjue, who received the victory report of the 190th Division repelling the Japanese fleet in the command center, still frowned and was hard to be happy.

It turned out that at Wuguiling in the south of the city, the 10th Division suffered unprecedented losses, and this loss was caused by human error.

The Japanese army launched an artillery attack on Wuguiling at 3 a.m., especially at the position on the south side of Wuguiling, taking advantage of the favorable wind direction, and fired poison gas bombs for half an hour.

That was the position of the 7th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Reserve Division. Li Ruodong, the battalion commander at the time, called the new company commander, Captain Zhu Zhongping, at the rear command post. As a result, the phone rang for a long time but no one answered. Li Ruodong was naturally a little worried and immediately ordered the signalman to check in the dark.

As a result, the signalman climbed up to the position and was shocked to find that the position was dead silent!

It was not that there was no one, but that all 118 people in the company were there, but no one was alive, including Captain Zhu Zhongping, the former captain and staff officer of the 28th Regiment who had just taken over as the company commander yesterday. All the officers and soldiers of the 7th Company were poisoned and killed by the Japanese gas bombs.

It was the first time since the battle of Hengyang that all the members of an infantry company were killed!

Officers who have had actual combat experience on the battlefield know that poison gas is heavier than air. Any low-lying area is a place where poison gas easily accumulates. Therefore, when the Japanese army releases poison gas, the troops must evacuate to the high ground with crosswinds as soon as possible. If there is a gas mask, wear it. If there is no mask, cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel. The survival rate must be higher than 70% to 80%. Otherwise, there is no need to fight this battle. Once the Japanese release poison gas, everyone will die.

And this Captain Zhu Heping is an alumnus and fellow villager of Zeng Jing, the commander of the 28th Regiment. Since he was assigned to the 10th Division, he has been serving as a staff officer of the regiment. He has never served as a chief officer in a grassroots unit and lacks sufficient actual combat experience. Because the Japanese army's poison gas is fierce, he actually took the entire company of officers and soldiers to hide in the fortifications in the low-lying area, resulting in all 118 people being poisoned, and no one was spared.

"This is what I overlooked! I overlooked the actual combat experience of officers promoted on the battlefield, and the popularization of experience in defending against poison gas." Fang Xianjue was both heartbroken and self-blaming.

If these 118 people died in a bloody battle with the Japanese army, Fang Xianjue, who took it as his mission to destroy the Japanese army, might be able to accept it. But if they died quietly under the Japanese army's poison gas offensive, Fang Xianjue's inner pain would undoubtedly be doubled.

For this tragedy, Ge Youcai, the commander of the 10th Division, and Zeng Jing, the commander of the 28th Regiment, called Fang Xianjue to apologize.

"Of course, you two can't escape responsibility. Come to the military headquarters after the war, each of you will receive 20 whips, and I will accompany you with 10 whips." Fang Xianjue hung up the phone after saying this.

However, tragedy is tragedy. Whether it was caused by the cruelty of the Japanese army or the stupidity of his own people, Fang Xianjue, the supreme commander, could only forget the sadness for the time being and consider the issue of sending reinforcements to Wuguiling.

The 28th Regiment was already the reserve force of the 10th Division. It had just replaced the 30th Regiment to enter the position two days ago. It is impossible to let the 30th Regiment, which had just withdrawn and had not completed the rest, go up again!

As the saying goes, when it rains, it rains. The 28th Regiment hadn't solved the problem yet, and the 29th Regiment's defense of the Tiger Nest position had another problem.

At 4 a.m., a thunderstorm fell in the south of Hengyang City. The rain was heavy, forcing the officers and soldiers in the trenches to hide in the anti-artillery caves.

This hiding, coupled with the poor visibility at night and heavy rain, caused trouble.

The Japanese army sent a death squad of more than 40 people, who took advantage of the night and the thunderstorm to sneak into the outer trench, and climbed up the cliff with ladders, and unexpectedly sneaked into the southwest side of the Tiger Nest position without anyone noticing.

Not to mention, this Japanese army also used cold weapons and hand-to-hand combat skills to occupy 3 bunkers and a 120-meter trench in a lightning speed.

It was not until the fire and rumbling explosions broke out on the position that the Chinese officers and soldiers in the remaining trenches realized that the Japanese army had sneaked into the position.

Fortunately, the 1st Battalion of the 29th Regiment was stationed in the area. Not only was its combat effectiveness the strongest in the 29th Regiment, but its commander was also a veteran with a very clear mind. He immediately mobilized troops, first using the battalion's heavy machine guns to block the rear of the southwest side of the position, blocking the Japanese army's subsequent reinforcements and preventing the Japanese army from continuing to enter. Then, two platoons of troops were mobilized, with 6 people in a group, and 14 light machine guns and 12 submachine guns were assembled to sweep the trenches occupied by the Japanese army.

The Japanese troops who entered the position did not carry any heavy weapons at all, only 3 light machine guns snatched from the Chinese position and their own rifles. When the follow-up troops could not arrive in time, they were at a disadvantage in firepower.

But these more than 40 Japanese soldiers were undoubtedly elite. Although their firepower was completely suppressed, they had superb shooting skills and extremely tenacious fighting will. They resisted until dawn. During this period, the infantry company commander in charge of the position was anxious and personally led the assault team forward and was shot and killed by the Japanese infantry.

If the Japanese army was given another 100 people, it would be possible for them to hold their ground. As Japanese troops continued to arrive, the Tiger's Nest Hill, which had lost a corner of the hill, was almost certain to be lost.

It's a pity that Amaterasu, who favored the Japanese army for half the night, could not last long. It was dawn!

At daybreak, the situation between the enemy and ourselves was extremely clear.

The four heavy machine guns of the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 29th Regiment were really important for the concentrated fire at the rear of the southwest side of the position. There were more than 300 Japanese soldiers lying in the mud less than 200 meters away from the position, unable to advance even an inch.

If all these Japanese soldiers are allowed to rush into the position, even if there are still more than 600 Chinese officers and soldiers in the tiger-shaped nest, the outcome will be difficult to predict.

After all, the Japanese army opposite was as high as an infantry regiment!

A Chinese mortar platoon deployed 1,600 meters away showed its power and blasted the more than 300 Japanese troops until they howled like ghosts. Blood and water mixed with mud flew everywhere. The Japanese troops, unable to withstand the huge casualties, were forced to retreat, leaving about 20 soldiers. The death squad was left alone in the tiger-shaped nest position.

In the end, after paying the price of 7 more deaths and 18 injuries, the 1st Battalion of the 29th Regiment finally wiped out the Japanese troops who entered the position.

Although the counterattack was brave and swift, and more than 30 Japanese soldiers were left on the position, and their own casualties were basically equal. If you count the Japanese soldiers killed by machine guns and mortars in front of the position, the 29th Regiment still had an advantage, but after all, this was not the case. It was a mistake that almost lost the position, and a strong general like Ge Youcai, commander of the 10th Preliminary Division, had to call the headquarters again to apologize.

"Military seat, 40 whips, I will come and receive it personally after the war!" Ge Youcai was originally a loud voice, but now he is like a young daughter-in-law who wants to meet her parents-in-law, not to mention the frustration.

"Ge Youcai, what should I say to you? Just tell me whether you are a talent and whether your subordinates are a group of talents?" Fang Xian was definitely not trying to restrain himself. He probably smashed the phone long ago.

Fang Xianjue himself has a hot temper, not to mention that the 10th Preliminary Division is his old base and Ge Youcai is his old subordinate. Who among those regiment commanders and battalion commanders is not his soldier? Nowadays, the most embarrassing situation is that he, the army commander, is the most embarrassing one?

"Sir Fang, don't be too angry. When two parties are fighting, they will naturally try to kill each other with their own agenda. What we are facing is not a group of pigs, but the fierce Japanese invaders who have defeated the Miluo Defense Line and the Tanzhou Defense Line. Their commander is Isamu Yokoyama, who is famous for his fierceness and cunning in the Japanese army.

We could make them suffer a bloody blow, and it was normal for them to occasionally defeat us. Although the brothers of the Pre-10th Division occasionally suffered defeats, they were able to quickly make up for their mistakes and did not allow the Japanese army to achieve the expected tactical goals.

Moreover, this battle is long, and temporary gains and losses are not enough to judge heroes. I believe that the brothers of the 10th Preliminary Division will eventually tell the whole of China what kind of people they are. "Tang Dao comforted Fang Xianjue, who frowned.

No one knew what Fang Xianjue's mood was at that time, but when Ge Youcai heard that someone from the headquarters had passed Tang Dao's original words to him, he opened his eyes angrily and conveyed Tang Dao's encouragement to him. The four commanders under his command: "You all listen to me. I will bear the blame for your occasional mistakes. I will also bear the riding whip for you. But what Commander Tang said is right, the whole China is watching." Looking at our 10th Preliminary Division, our 10th Army, and all the defenders of Hengyang, I will never allow weaklings and cowards. If the position is lost, I will retake it. If the battalion commander cannot take it back, the regimental commander will come. If the regiment commander can't get it back, I'll go ahead. As long as there are still people in the 10th Division, we can't lose the position south of the city."

On the Chinese side, Ge Youcai, the commander of the 10th Preliminary Division, issued a life-fighting order to his four regiments after two consecutive defeats. However, the Japanese side saw the dawn of victory due to a brief breakthrough in the Tiger Nest position.

The Huangchaling position located in front of the entire Chinese position has proved that the high ground is almost insurmountable with the lives of more than 2,600 Japanese infantrymen. The 116th Division can only bypass the high ground spewing deadly flames and aim at thousands of people. The mountains just meters away.

The tough guy Huangchaling could only wait for the heavy artillery brigade and tank regiment to arrive before attacking.

The commander of the 116th Division, Yan Yongwang, personally visited the front line and assembled 7 complete infantry brigades under his command. He also temporarily transferred personnel from the baggage regiment, engineering regiment and supplementary regiment to temporarily form 8 infantry brigades.

Nearly 14,000 infantrymen gathered in the south of the city. A Chinese reconnaissance plane pilot reported the ground scene from high altitude to the Hengyang City headquarters through the radio station. The original words were: "The enemy situation is urgent, and the Japanese invaders have assembled heavy troops in the south of the city. The quantity is immeasurable.”

It took the Japanese army a day to assemble. The hills were filled with trenches dug by the Japanese infantry. Viewed from a high altitude, they looked like groups of yellow ants building their nests. It was shocking.

Fighters of the Chinese Air Force and Flying Tigers carried out indiscriminate bombing of the area. However, due to the vast area and the positions dug by the Japanese army were close to several highlands on the Chinese side, more importantly, the Japanese army also dispatched fighter planes to intercept and bomb at high altitudes. It didn't work out very well.

June 9th, Zhangjiashan main position!

At noon, it suddenly rained heavily in Zhangjiashan.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese army deployed three infantry brigades to launch a fierce attack on Zhangjiashan in the pouring rain. The two sides rushed back and forth in the mud in the pouring rain.

Among them, Highland 221 was overwhelmed by the Japanese twice, but was recaptured by the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Regiment in a counterattack.

The battle lasted until dusk, when the heavy rain began to subside!

The Japanese offensive continued unabated and even sent out three infantry brigades again. Including the remnants of the previous afternoon's battle, a total of about 4,800 people took turns to attack the main Zhangjiashan position.

Hill 221 and Hill 227 were breached by the Japanese army almost at the same time. More than half of the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Regiment stationed there were killed or wounded. The battalion commander, Major Xu Xiansheng, was shot in the head, but he still shouted loudly, "Fight to the death". Several guards under his command carried him to the rear after he fell into a coma, but he died on the way to the medical team.

The commander of the 30th Regiment, Feng Zishi, ordered the regiment's Lieutenant Colonel Gan Wotu to succeed as the battalion commander and lead the regiment's guard platoon to advance to the hill and fight the Japanese invaders who had entered the two hills.

In just one hour, Lieutenant Colonel Gan Wotu, the regiment's Lieutenant Colonel, was also killed in the battle, and only one of the three company commanders under the 2nd Battalion survived.

"Without reinforcements, our battalion will be killed and wounded!" The army captain who lost two battalion commanders in a row begged the regiment commander Feng Zishi on the only walkie-talkie in the battalion.

The original infantry battalion of 600 people now has less than 150 people, and only one-third of the positions are still in their hands.

Perhaps at this point in the battle, the man who was crying for support had no feelings for life and death, but just didn't want to lose the two positions where more than 400 of his brothers lay dead.

Regimental commander Zeng Jing also shed tears. It was not that he didn't want to rescue, but the crazy Japanese army also invested heavily in the other four high grounds, and he had no reserve troops.

Fortunately, the 223 and 224 high grounds had just repelled a round of Japanese attacks. Perhaps the Japanese army was still planning the next wave of attacks and entered an interval. At the request of the 1st Battalion Commander, the major battalion commander led one and a half infantry companies under his command to the two high grounds where they were still fighting hard.

The reinforcements requested by the 10th Division to the headquarters were still 5 miles away from the position.

The arrival of 200 fresh troops boosted the morale of the remaining Chinese soldiers. With the support of two mortar platoons and four 150-mm heavy mortars in Huangchaling, it took 1.5 hours to finally recapture all the positions on the high ground.

It was already 9 pm. After fighting for 6 hours, the officers and soldiers of both China and Japan were exhausted. According to past practice, it was difficult for the Japanese army to launch any offensive.

The Chinese soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies and threw the "shit-yellow" corpses on the battlefield directly outside the trenches. They carried the remains of their own officers and soldiers to the battlefield and temporarily placed them there, waiting for the stretcher team composed of civilians to carry the remains away and bury them tomorrow.

This is also a wartime regulation. The main reason is that the weather is too hot now. The remains will start to rot and deteriorate within a day.

It has been 6 days since the fierce battle broke out in Huangchaling. There are a lot more flies in Hengyang City. Whenever they eat, the flies don’t fly in groups but come in swarms. The reason is all because of the battlefield in the south of the city.

In the deep trench under Huangcha Ridge alone, there were more than a thousand Japanese corpses rotting, maggots crawling everywhere, and the stench was so strong that even the veterans of the 1st Battalion of the Four-Line Regiment who had experienced the test of war could not stand it. Even in hot weather, they had to tie a towel soaked in medicine on their faces.

In order to prevent epidemics, during the intervals of fierce fighting, officers at all levels required that the remains of their own fallen officers and soldiers be transported to the rear as much as possible and buried as soon as possible.

As for the Japanese, they had no ability to take care of so many, and could only let them rot outside the position. When the Japanese charged here, the stench and maggots crawling all over the ground were also an obstacle.

But this day was different. Yan Yongwang had obviously discovered that the two positions of Zhangjiashan and Huxingchao were the key to the entire south of Hengyang City. If these two positions were not captured, even the edge of Hengyang City could not be touched from the south of the city.

Only one hour later, under the harsh scolding of Yan Yongwang, the then commander of the 120th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Erjilong, had to order his two infantry battalions and two temporary battalions, totaling more than 3,500 people, to attack the two highlands 221 and 227 again.

The Chinese officers and soldiers on the two highlands who had just taken a breath could only fight hard again.

But at this time, the difference in the strength of the two sides was more than ten times, and the Japanese army was wearing "menstrual belts" and started the "pig-rushing tactics".

The so-called pig-rushing means to rush around in Chinese! But in Japanese culture, the meaning is quite different. In Japanese society, "pig" is a commendatory word. Domestic pigs are "dolphins" in Japanese, and wild boars are called "PIG". Their status is like that of tigers in China. Saying someone is a pig is to praise him for his bravery and fearlessness! There is even a word in Japanese called "PIG CURRENTLY".

Therefore, the pig-throwing charge is not a derogatory term, but a tactic that represents bravery and fearlessness in Japan. It first appeared in the Russo-Japanese War and was created by Nogi Maresuke! In fact, in other words, the extreme point of this tactic is to let soldiers charge in a suicide charge, or "human bomb charge"!

American cowboys had seen the power of the Japanese "pig-throwing tactics" in May 1943. That was in the Battle of Attu Island, where 11,000 American troops fought against 2,600 Japanese troops on Attu Island.

At that time, the US military sent 11,000 Marines, many landing ships, a large number of light and heavy weapons, and cut off the Japanese supply lines. They were very well prepared! At this time, there were only 2,600 Japanese troops stationed on the island! However, something speechless happened!

In the late night of May 29, 1943, the Japanese army, which was in a desperate situation, actually launched the "pig-throwing tactics". The US Army encountered this tactic for the first time and was immediately in a panic. This led to two disasters: (1) the wounded soldiers in the camp were massacred by the Japanese Army, and (2) a large amount of supplies were looted by the Japanese Army.

Just when the Japanese Army was about to turn the tide and the US Army was about to be driven into the sea, a turning point appeared. 500 US Army engineers used submachine guns and machine guns to block the Japanese offensive.

Later, the Japanese soldiers surrounded by the US army all pulled the grenade to commit suicide! After this battle, once the US military found traces of the Japanese army, they would frantically pour ammunition and blow up the entire area! The so-called "every tree and grass on Bagong Mountain is an enemy" is just like this!

It can also be seen from this that the extremely terrible fighting will can sometimes really overcome the overwhelming bombs.

After all, more than 300 Chinese officers and soldiers failed to stop the crazy 3,000 Japanese troops, and the position was gradually lost again.

But Feng Zishi waited for his reinforcements, an elite infantry company that came from Taihang Mountain 20 days ago, and the company commander was an army lieutenant named Tu Yunsheng.

Feng Zishi organized his regiment's cooks, communication soldiers and even horse feeders into a platoon, plus 211 elite soldiers led by Tu Yunsheng, plus himself, a total of 253 people, and rushed to Hill 221.

When they arrived, it was already 11 o'clock in the evening. At this time, the hill was pitch black and you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

Because it was dark and they were afraid of hurting their own people, at Tu Yunsheng's suggestion, more than 200 people did not rush to the high ground, but hid on the reverse slope of the high ground and waited for changes.

As the Japanese army gradually advanced, the two sides were close at this time, and the heavy breathing could be heard clearly. Both sides wrapped their bayonets with cloth strips, leaving only the tip of the knife, to avoid the bayonets reflecting light or colliding with rocks and being discovered.

The Chinese and Japanese armies were silent in the dark, for fear of exposing their positions.

"Flash bomb!" Tu Yunsheng gave an order.

More than a dozen flash bombs were thrown out, and the strong white light hurt people's eyes when they were caught off guard, and they could not see anything for at least 20 seconds.

"Flash bomb!"

The bright white light illuminated the figures of both sides on the position, and there was no escape.

"Da Da Da!" The powerful firepower of more than 140 assault rifles formed a firepower network that killed countless people on this position.

In just 20 seconds, the officers and soldiers of the infantry company had emptied their 30-round magazines. The blind Japanese soldiers were shot dead in the first wave of battle alone, with more than 300 people.

What kind of gun is this? It is even more fierce than the American's "Big Eight", and the Japanese were completely stunned.

The morale of the Chinese remnants, led by their regiment commander, continued to advance towards the occupied positions.

It is impossible to fire flares all the time. In fact, the Chinese and Japanese sides spent most of the time groping and fighting each other in the dark.

In the absence of light, Feng Zishi was also very experienced. He asked the soldiers to reach out and touch in the dark. Anyone who touched the cotton military uniform was his own people, and anyone who touched the smooth khaki was the devil. He either shot or stabbed with a bayonet.

In the darkness, the sound of gunfire, the sound of bayonets stabbing into the flesh, and the screams of the Chinese and Japanese sides after being injured, one after another, endless!

At this point in the battle, it was no longer a question of who wanted to retreat and who didn't. Both sides had only one idea, to kill the opponent.

The reinforcements of the 10th Division also arrived. They were the two reserve battalions held by Ge Youcai. They were basically composed of young and strong civilians left in Hengyang City. Many people simply did not have guns in their hands, only bayonets tied to poles.

Although these reserve soldiers had no battlefield experience at all and had not experienced the cruelty of war, the darkness concealed the cruelty that was enough to destroy their psychology. Under the leadership of the veterans, this group of bloody men kept stabbing the Japanese invaders in the chest with bayonets.

As a reserve soldier said after the war: "Just treat it as slaughtering a pig at home, no matter how much blood sprays, I'm not afraid."

This battle lasted until dawn, and it was finally possible to distinguish between the enemy and us. At the command of Feng Zishi on the front line, grenades like raindrops were thrown towards the Japanese army.

The two reserve battalions arrived with 9,000 grenades, all of which were thrown at the Japanese army at dawn.

With this grenade rain, the Japanese army's desperate attack was finally defeated and two high grounds were reoccupied.

There were more than 1,700 corpses on the battlefield!

According to the post-war declassification, the 116th Division deployed a total of 11 infantry battalions to attack the various positions of Zhangjiashan from day to night and from night to dawn. The total force was about 10,000, and the casualties exceeded 3,900!

The 10th Reserve Division avenged the previous shame in one battle!

But that was also the result of more than a thousand casualties, including 2 colonels and 16 lieutenants at all levels!

. . . . . . . .