The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 125: Japanese troops conquered from above
The night passed quickly, and in the early morning, the sun rose. The Japanese troops in front of the Sixth Company's position stayed up all night. After the Sixth Company performed a great rout for them, the Japanese troops also stopped feinting and shooting, and lay down on their knees. There was no advancement or retreat in front of the Sixth Company's position. They were just in a stalemate in front of the Sixth Company's position until the sun rose.

In a simple foxhole for lying down, Captain Asahi Kentaki, the captain of the [-]nd Infantry Squadron of the Tsukei Detachment, looked through the telescope at the Chinese army position in front of him with vigilance. Through the telescope, no one could be seen on the enemy's position. , quiet, so quiet that it was really terrifying. The violent explosions and chaotic retreat scenes on the Chinese army's position last night still repeated themselves in Asai Charter's mind from time to time. Seeing that the Chinese army's position was now empty, Asakai Charter couldn't help but have a thought. Thoughts - Chinese troops withdrawn?
"Have the people who sent out the attack still not returned?"

Asakai asked the squad leader of the squadron headquarters next to him. The command squad leader replied with certainty: "I'm not back."

"what is the problem?"

Asakai Kentaki murmured, sporadic gunshots and explosions first sounded in the Chinese army's position, which lasted for 10 minutes before stopping, and then there was a long period of silence. Then, the Chinese army's position inexplicably happened again. A violent explosion produced a sky-high flame, followed by fierce gunfire and explosions. Among the gunfire were Type [-] rifles and Czech light machine guns of the Chinese army. Could they be the assault troops sent by their own squadron? Did it?

But the troops sent for a sneak attack have yet to be seen, and there is no return. It is confusing.

Asakai put down his telescope and said to the command squad leader beside him: "Go and send a detachment to have a look and see what is going on in the Chinese army's position. There are also those soldiers who were sent out for sneak attacks. Contact them as soon as possible. Yes. Now, let the grenade cover and fire smoke grenades at the enemy positions."

"Yes, Your Excellency, Squadron Leader!"

Under the command of Asai Charter, a fully-equipped Japanese infantry unit quickly crawled forward, and the six Type [-] [-]mm grenade launchers of Asai Squadron also gathered together and fired a round at the Sixth Company's position. After a volley of smoke bombs and several violent explosions, the Sixth Company's position was quickly shrouded in white smoke, and the raiding Japanese detachment also took the opportunity to arrive in front of the Sixth Company's trench.

The squad leader leading the team was lying on the ground. Behind him, a dozen Japanese soldiers looked nervously at the Chinese army position in front. No one knew what was hidden behind the white smoke. When the smoke dissipated slightly, the Japanese squad leader waved his tactics. The commander commanded the sword and whispered: "Attack!"

Thirteen Japanese soldiers jumped into the trenches of the Chinese army one after another. The Japanese soldiers who entered the trenches quickly squatted down and leaned against the walls of the trenches. They were on guard with their guns. Several smoke grenades fired from grenades fell just in time. Once inside the trench, white smoke was also floating everywhere in the trench.

When the last soldier entered the trench, there was a scream. The Japanese soldier was pale and stood up straight without daring to move. His lips were trembling. There were no Chinese soldiers around. There was no fire attack. He seemed to be irritated by the soldier's performance. The team leader beside him walked over and whispered to the soldier: "Baga, what are you yelling about?"

The soldier was still very panicked. His upper body was shaking uncontrollably, but his legs were very stable and motionless. The soldier stammered: "Commander, mine, I seem to have stepped on a mine. There is a mine under my feet."

These words were like thunder, exploding in the Japanese infantry unit. The faces of other Japanese soldiers turned the color of pig liver at that time. The corps commander looked frightened, waved his hands, and shouted: "There may be landmines." , be careful, lean against the wall of the trench and don’t move. The person who walked just now looks for his own footprints and goes back along the original path. Don’t move.”

Having said that, the corps commander himself carefully retreated and squatted down along the route he had just walked, leaving the Japanese soldier who had stepped on the mine standing alone in the trench. At this time, the Japanese soldier His face was covered with beads of sweat, and his uniform was soaked with sweat. When he learned that someone had guessed the landmine, the Japanese squad leader also walked slowly along the trench wall and asked the Japanese corps commander: " What’s going on, where are the landmines?”

The corps commander pointed to the standing Japanese soldier and said: "Squad leader, Yokoi said he stepped on a landmine."

The Japanese squad leader looked at the pale Yokoi, changed his previous dignity, and said softly to the Japanese soldier who stepped on the mine: "Yokoi, don't be nervous, it's okay, relax, relax, give me your rifle."

The Japanese soldier named Yokoi had been standing motionless, and his arms holding the rifle were already sore. Hearing the squad leader's encouragement, Yokoi slowly turned the rifle sideways and handed it to the direction of the Japanese squad leader, but every time he If you move, the hearts of the Japanese soldiers in the trench will pound, as if the mine at Yokoi's feet will explode in the next second. The squad leader took the rifle, handed it to the corps leader, and then slowly squatted down and looked at The footprints on the ground slowly approached Yokoi.

"Squad leader, leave me alone."

"It's okay, relax, I'll take a look."

Leaning to Yokoi's feet, the Japanese squad leader took out the bayonet from his waist, estimated the size of the landmines he had seen, and then carefully dug at Yokoi's feet according to this measurement. The digging took only a few seconds, and the tip of the bayonet When he encountered a hard object, the Japanese captain put down his bayonet and gently used his hands to remove the floating soil near the mine. The landmine that came into view made him smile bitterly. It was not a landmine at all, but a can. Brightly packaged tin cans.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the Japanese squad leader sat down on the ground with a plop, and then pushed Yokoi away fiercely, startling the Japanese soldiers behind him.

"Baga, this is not a landmine. See for yourself what is under your feet!"

After confirming that it was not a landmine, the Japanese captain did not have the good temper just now. He pointed at Yokoi and cursed. When Yokoi saw that there was no explosion, he immediately picked up the thing at his feet. It turned out that the landmine that scared him half to death was actually just a can. Beautifully packaged Chinese fruit cans, the embarrassed Yokoi immediately took back his rifle, followed the corps commander, and returned to the battle formation.

It was a false alarm. At this moment, the smoke in the trenches also dispersed. The Japanese squad leader quickly organized a search. Three Japanese soldiers in the trenches were swimming around in the trenches on the front line of the Sixth Company. .

The results of the search surprised them. After searching for a long time, not even a single person could be seen in the camp. Instead, they picked up a lot of things on the ground. First, someone picked up the canned fruit that had just been used as a landmine, then someone picked up biscuits, and someone else. I picked up long-handled grenades equipped by the Chinese army and a canvas bullet belt filled with [-]mm bullets.

In addition to the trenches, the Japanese troops did not miss the bunkers everywhere. After a careful search, they found nothing in the bunkers except a few boxes of long-handled grenades, bullets, and dry rations left behind by the Chinese army.

There were a lot of items left behind, but there were no people. This Japanese detachment was very vigilant. After searching once to no avail, they started the second and third rounds of searches, until the first line of the Sixth Company was searched. We searched the trenches and bunkers four or five times, but found nothing new except for a few burnt, blackened and carbonized corpses with no visible human form.

These corpses are naturally the Japanese soldiers who were killed by He Wei after a failed sneak attack in the middle of the night. However, after being burned by incendiary bombs all night, it was no longer possible to tell whether the corpses were Japanese soldiers or national soldiers from their appearance. All that was left was a disgusting, charred body.

After several rounds of searches, the vigilance of the Japanese detachment also dropped. Many soldiers had already acquiesced in their hearts that the Chinese defenders in the position had indeed fled during their operations, and they had become much more relaxed in the trenches.

Yokoi, the soldier who just mistakenly thought he had stepped on a landmine, seemed to feel that he had lost face and was extremely active in the search. He rushed to the front and searched all the bunkers in the first line of the Sixth Company. , and finally sat down in the bunker, sitting on the grenade box of the Chinese army. The two soldiers who entered the bunker to search together laughed and leaned next to Yokoi. One of them said: "Yokoi-kun is so awesome. He stepped on the Chinese army." None of the mines will explode."

Yokoi's face turned red, thinking of his embarrassment just now, he glanced at the entrance of the bunker again, and took out the beautifully packaged can of fruit from his bag. Several people looked at each other and couldn't help but swallow their saliva, why? The cans Wei left behind were all canned fruits purchased from Shanghai. Not only did they taste good, but the packaging was also highly praised. Looking at the red, tender and tender peaches on the cans made people's throats tremble.Suddenly, the team leader of several people walked into the bunker, looked around, saw the can in Yokoi's hand, looked at several people coldly, and said viciously: "Don't eat this thing, be careful it's poisonous, go quickly Alert outside."

When the corps commander walked out of the bunker, a soldier couldn't bear it any longer and snatched the can from Yokoi's hand and said: "I was about to starve to death after crawling in the front all night. This must have been lost when the Chinese army fled." You can't poison the canned food, so eat it quickly, otherwise you may not be able to eat it if others see it soon."

Before he finished speaking, Yokoi took off his bayonet, pried open the can, and divided the peaches in the can into three. The three of them devoured the peaches, and then finished the soup in the can. It was so satisfying, and the same The scene was still happening in other places in the trenches. All these Japanese soldiers lay down in front of the Sixth Company's position all night without water. Some ate canned food from the Chinese army, some gnawed biscuits and dry food, and some soldiers sat down. Rest in the trenches or bunkers, or curiously play with the large wooden lifting doors on the top of the trenches.

"Squad leader, come here quickly, there are heavy machine guns here."

The Japanese squad leader was inspecting the trenches. When he heard someone calling him, the Japanese squad leader hurried over. At the corner of the trench, he saw several Japanese soldiers surrounding a heavy machine gun. It was the machine gun that He Wei deliberately fired. The Jin imitation Type [-] heavy machine gun was left behind, and two Japanese soldiers were curiously playing with the heavy machine gun and a box of heavy machine gun bullets.

"Squad leader, what kind of gun is this? I've never seen it before."

A soldier asked. These soldiers are all active duty conscripts who have joined the army in recent years, and this squad leader is a volunteer noncommissioned officer who has served in the army during the Taisho period. The equipment that young conscripts have access to are relatively advanced. In terms of current equipment, the only heavy machine guns that I knew were Type [-] and Taisho Type [-] heavy machine guns. I didn't know anything about weapons like the Type [-] heavy machine gun that had long since been withdrawn.

The Japanese squad leader took out a bullet-protecting plate from the ammunition box and saw the classic thick radiator and triangular machine gun frame on the heavy machine gun. He recognized it at first glance as a Type [-] heavy machine gun, but this gun There are also Chinese characters engraved on the body.

"You have never used it. This is the Empire's Type [-] heavy machine gun. It is old equipment. The Imperial Army has long dismantled it. This should be a weapon copied by the Chinese from the Imperial Army. Okay, stop looking at it and go get it. Put away the heavy machine gun and ammunition, and send a person to the front of the position to pass the order and tell the squadron leader that there are no Chinese troops in the position, the enemy must have retreated, and the squadron leader is asked to make the next decision as soon as possible."

"One more person will inform other people in the unit to immediately be on the spot and collect the bullet belts and grenades left by the Chinese army in the trenches. After collecting them, they will all be gathered together, and then look for any Chinese weapons left by the Chinese army. Make rifles and light machine guns, be on the spot and be ready to respond to the Chinese army’s counterattack.”

There are various signs that the Chinese army has indeed retreated. The first reaction of the Japanese unit leader was to send someone to inform the squadron leader Asai Kensaku who was waiting in front of the position. The Japanese infantry unit remaining in the position was not idle either. , cleaned up the trenches of the Sixth Company, began to carefully collect the weapons and ammunition left by the Sixth Company, and began to look for a national army rifle machine gun capable of firing seventy-nine caliber bullets.

And the Jin-made [-]-type heavy machine gun was also carried to the position, and the black muzzle was pointed directly at the possible counterattack direction of the Sixth Company (it is very common for the Japanese army to use the equipment left behind by the national army on the battlefield. Read the war history. It is often seen that the Japanese army used hand grenades left by the Chinese army to attack the Chinese army, and even retained captured Czech light machine guns)

This infantry unit made a stand in the sixth company's position, but no one noticed that there were thin and invisible gaps one after another on the cliff of the trench. Behind the gap, there were more than a dozen fierce glances.

Soon, squadron leader Asakai Kensho learned a shocking news from the soldiers who came back to report - all the Chinese troops in the position had been withdrawn, and there was no one in the position. The six soldiers who sent out the surprise attack were nowhere to be seen, and they were probably gone. The jade was in pieces, but the position had been firmly occupied by the infantry detachment that went out for reconnaissance.

After getting the news, Asai first sent someone to report to Jiro Harada who was behind him. On the other hand, he suddenly had a bold idea in his mind.

The mission of my squadron this time is a feint attack. A feint attack is testing and reconnaissance, which means that occupying the enemy's position is not the first priority. But now, an empty position is placed in front of me, and one of my infantrymen The detachment has occupied the enemy's position. If we charge forward now, it will be a supreme feat and honor. Asakai Tensaku has heard that the guys from the Infantry No. 16 Regiment have been defeated in front of this position many times. I heard that After the first attack, four infantry squadrons were lost at once!

Such a hard-to-gnaw bone was now placed in front of him, and he could break in easily. Just like the meat in the bowl or the woman who had taken off her clothes, she could easily get it by charging forward.

The positions that the No. 16 Regiment could not capture were easily captured by our own squadron. This was not only a huge achievement, but also gave a bad breath to all the officers and soldiers of the Di Detachment. After the No. 16 Regiment arrived, the entire Di Detachment was overwhelmed. The No. 16 Wing was often looked down upon and looked down upon. If this position was captured, it would mean that the No. 16 Wing used a position that even two infantry brigades could not take down. It only used one position that had not been strengthened by firepower. The squadron was captured in one fell swoop, and the Di detachment really turned around.

But if you launch an attack on your own initiative, you will be disobeying military orders and will be punished by military law. This is to put it mildly, but to put it more seriously, it is an act of subjugation, that is, you are going alone regardless of your superiors!

On the one hand, the military exploits in front of him, and on the other hand, the consequences of possible punishment. Asakai Kensho's heart was full of entanglements. When Asakai Kensho was fighting between heaven and man, Lieutenant Colonel Harada Jiro who was behind him also got the sixth company. As for the specific situation of the position, when he learned that an infantry detachment from Asai Squadron had easily occupied the Chinese army position, and that there were discarded grenades and bullets everywhere in the position, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

In fact, after Jiro Harada saw the large-scale defeat of the Chinese army last night, he felt something was wrong. First, how could an army that had won consecutive victories retreat so quickly? This was very unreasonable. Second, in the position, Why such violent explosions and burnings occurred? This is a very strange phenomenon. If the explosions and burnings are caused by sneak attack officers and soldiers sent by our own side to successfully detonate the ammunition of the Chinese army, this does make some sense. However, such violent explosions and burnings are very strange. Burning, Jiro Harada can be [-]% sure that it is definitely not infantry ammunition, but the explosion effect of standard mountain artillery shells.

As an outstanding staff officer trained by the Army University, the most basic skill is to be familiar with the performance parameters and usage effects of various Army firearms and ammunition. Why does an infantry unit of the Chinese Army store mountain artillery shells in the position?

Jiro Harada felt that he could not think of a reason why the infantry troops stored heavy mountain cannon incendiary bombs even if they gave him a hundred more brains. The only explanation was that the commander of the Chinese army was using mountain cannon shells to create a violent explosion effect.

Now, an infantry unit has easily occupied the Chinese army's position. All kinds of strange phenomena are superimposed. Harada Jiro can be sure that the commander of the Chinese army on the opposite side is engaging in tactical deception. The enemy wants to trick his own feint attack troops into turning it into a feint attack. Actual attack, introduce the position and then carry out the annihilation battle!

He Wei didn't know that his arrangement had been seen through. This time, he encountered a Japanese mid-level staff officer with long-term experience in grass-roots military teams and a military academy degree. This was a difficult opponent to deal with.

Harada Jiro suddenly grabbed the collar of the soldier who was sent to deliver the order and said loudly: "Tell your squadron commander to withdraw the people who were sent out, and the entire squadron to retreat immediately. This is a strange behavior of the Chinese army. Do not act without authorization. , otherwise it would be to defeat the superior, and to walk alone, hurry up and call your squadron back!"

Before Harada Jiro finished speaking, a soldier from the regiment's artillery unit not far away suddenly pointed forward and shouted: "The infantry is moving."

Harada Jiro looked up and saw that the thing he least wanted to see happened. The Asai Squadron in front had already moved and launched an attack.

(End of this chapter)