The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 195 Roller Tactics

Just when the captain of the 9th Regiment, Katagiri Gurou, was feeling the "little China shock" given to him by He Wei, He Wei had already led the special agent battalion and the 956th Regiment towards the main defense line of the 160th Division. go.

On the road, He Wei was sitting on his Mercedes-Benz military off-road vehicle. The pleasure of eating up an infantry brigade of the Japanese army had not yet dissipated, so the biting cold wind did not bring much chill to his body.

It's just that the little messenger Tao Heiwa didn't have He Wei's physique. Although he was sitting in the passenger seat and leaning against the windshield, he was shivering from the wind. Sitting side by side with He Wei was the 956th Regiment. Cai Rubai, the group leader.

Like the vast majority of the Chinese army today, the entire 66th Army does not even have car tires. An infantry regiment leader like Cai Rubai usually only has a horse to ride on, and a car will never fit on it. , thanks to the blessing of the secret service battalion, the brothers of the 956th Regiment can still ride in the big truck this time. Considering that Cai Rubai is a colonel commander after all, it is really outrageous to be crowded in the truck with those big soldiers, so why Wei specially invited him here and got into a Mercedes-Benz military off-road vehicle.

The convoy stepped on the accelerator and drove all the way, and finally saw the troops of the 160th Division in the rear.

"Batalion Commander, there is someone in front of us."

Tao Heiwa pointed forward, and He Wei raised his binoculars and saw dozens of Cantonese officers and soldiers wearing British helmets on the road. There were about two companies of officers and soldiers on both sides of the road stationed in foxholes. The road It was piled with various sandbags and soil, as well as a mountain of ammunition boxes. Although He Wei couldn't see clearly what was in the ammunition box with a telescope, the appearance and color of the box seemed to be explosives.

The dozens of officers and soldiers on the highway were wielding shovels and pickaxes and smashing the road hard, and there were curses in Cantonese dialect. Cai Rubai also raised his binoculars to observe. As the car drove faster and faster. As he got closer, Cai Rubai said to He Wei, "Battle Commander He is from the engineering barracks of our division."

"Oh? Then you have to go and take a look."

He Wei immediately asked the driver to speed up, drove up and pulled over, pulling more than 200 trucks from the Secret Service Battalion and the 956th Regiment behind him, while the tanks continued to move forward.

After the car stopped, a short black major with the rank of major ran over, saluted He Wei and Cai Rubai respectively, and said breathlessly: "Captain Cai, great, you are finally here."

"Captain Ding, what are you doing?"

Cai Rubai asked.

The major replied: "Sir, Chief of Staff Situ is very happy to hear that you have won the battle. He specially asked me to wait for you here with the engineer battalion. The Japanese troops have many heavy weapons and many cars. I will wait for you as soon as you pass. I have to blow up the road. I brought my people here a long time ago. Seeing that you didn't arrive, I thought you were bitten by the RB carrot head. I can't contact you here, so I can only dig the road with my troops first. , Fortunately, the gap dug out is not big, so it is no problem to pass the car. It’s great to see that you are okay now.”

He Wei looked towards the middle of the road and saw a small gap in the road. Looking at the tired and sweaty engineers and the piled up explosives, He Wei knew that they were going to use explosives to attack the road. Blasting was carried out, but this high-quality combat-ready road that could pass cannons was too strong. With so many soldiers working together to death, they could only open a crack in the road.

The equipment of the engineering troops of the Chinese army is actually quite crude. Except for some extremely elite troops, the equipment of the engineering troops is actually no different from that of the infantry troops. They just have some extra shovels and pickaxes. To blow up such a strong road, there is a lack of equipment. In the case of specialized engineers and explosive equipment, they can only dig open the road first, and then stuff explosives into it and blow it up bit by bit.

He Wei estimated that they would then load explosives into the dug gaps for blasting operations.

"Brother, where is Chief of Staff Situ now?"

He Wei asked.

"Chief of Staff Situ is not far from here, and the division command post is deployed behind the division's first line of defense."

The engineer battalion commander pointed behind him.

He Wei nodded: "Then we won't delay you. You should also be careful and explode as soon as possible. I estimate that the main force of the Japanese army will soon bite."

After briefly talking to the engineer battalion commander, He Wei got back on the road and headed quickly towards the command post of the 160th Division. The convoy drove at full speed for another 20 minutes, and finally saw the 160th Division on the road again. Situ Fei, chief of staff of the Zero Division, sent a waiting adjutant in advance.

Situ Fei was also anxious to see He Wei and Cai Rubai. He Wei handed over the secretive reorganization of the secret service camp to Fu Chen, the deputy battalion commander. Cai Rubai also asked the lieutenant colonel to reorganize the 956th Regiment. Immediately, the Mercedes-Benz SUV directly He drove off the road roughly, bumping and bumping, and galloped wildly and roughly towards the command post of the 160th Division.

The command post of the 160th Division is located behind a small hill. It is more like a hill than a hill. It is similar to the hill where He Wei ambushed him just now. It is an excellent hiding place. The command post is wired Electrical and radio communication networks were also constructed.

He Wei and Cai Rubai arrived at the command post of the 160th Division in a hurry. When they got off the car, they met Situ Fei, the chief of staff of the 160th Division who assumed the actual command responsibilities of the division commander in the name of chief of staff.

Previously, He Wei was eager to lead his troops to fight and had not had much communication with Situ Fei. However, he was quite familiar with his name, He Wei. In the original battle to defend Nanjing, Situ Fei personally led the troops to break through and attack the enemy. The Japanese army launched an attack and eventually fell on the way to the charge. He was shot in the head and died near Purple Mountain. He was mentioned many times in textbooks and historical materials before the crossing. He was considered one of the more famous generals who died in the battle to defend Nanjing. one.

Situ Fei's qualifications are also quite deep. He is forty-four years old and a native of Kaiping, Guangdong. He graduated from the Infantry Department of the Sixth Phase of Baoding Military Academy. He served as a regiment commander in the 19th Route Army. He has rich combat experience and participated in the 19th Route Army. The Songhu Anti-Japanese War in 1932.

When they met, Situ Fei first congratulated He Wei and Cai Rubai on their victory in annihilating a Japanese infantry brigade, but then his face fell down again. It was obvious that something had happened.

In the command post, He Wei took a sip of hot tea. After Cai Rubai asked, Situ Feicai explained the current situation to the two of them.

Situ Fei waved a wooden stick, pointed at the map on the table and said: "In Chunhua, the 74th Army guarding the Fangshan area has engaged in large-scale firefights with the Japanese army. The Japanese army in front of our division should not have deployed yet. They The Japanese army there was coming with great force, and the attack was very fierce. It was a joint attack by tanks, aviation, infantry and artillery. According to the report from Commander Wang Yaowu of the 51st Division, the serial number they learned from the Japanese corpses was already ninth. The 7th Regiment, the 35th Regiment, the 36th Regiment of the Division, the 9th Regiment of the Mountain Artillery, and the 115th Regiment and the 150th Regiment of the 114th Division. "Probably not long after your attack, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the Chunhua and Fangshan lines. The 51st Division failed to resist and lost the main position of Chunhua. The core position of Chunhua was also lost. , there are no troops of the 51st Division within the six kilometers from Chunhua to Shangfang Town."

As Situ Fei spoke, he drew on the map with the wooden stick in his hand. He Wei broke out in cold sweat at that time and said anxiously: "Then the six kilometers above Chunhua will become a vacuum. If the Japanese Not only will the 51st Division and the 74th Army be in danger if we drive straight in, but our side will also be in danger. If the Japanese outflank us from that side, the entire army will be doomed."

Cai Rubai also stood up and hurriedly said to Situ Fei: "Chief of Staff, has the 51st Division sent troops to counterattack? This is not bringing us in."

Situ Fei waved his hand.

"Commander Wang of the 51st Division sent a telegram. He was also extremely anxious. He sent us a telegram immediately after the Chunhua core position was lost. The Nanjing Garrison Headquarters also knew about the matter and sent us a telegram. We were asked to recruit troops for reinforcements. At that time, I had no reserve team on hand, so I could only dig out the flesh and mend the sores. I pulled down the 960th Regiment on the front line nearby. When everything was ready, the troops set off halfway. Commander Wang Yaowu sent another telegram, telling us that there was no need for reinforcements. He had already pulled up the 306th Regiment of the 51st Division in the rear, and joined the three regiments on the front to launch a counterattack against the Japanese troops in Chunhua. At least this big hole has been filled.”

After Situ Fei finished speaking, both He Wei and Cai Rubai let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the reserve team of the 51st Division pulled up. Otherwise, once Chunhua reached the six kilometers above and became a vacuum zone, the 160th Division Even the position of the 66th Army will immediately fall into crisis. At that time, He Wei will not have to think about holding on to the position and launching an attack on the Japanese army. The first priority is to think of how to escape and save his life.

"That's good, that's good, Chief of Staff, but I think you still have concerns?"

Cai Rubai said to Situ Fei, who was still looking sad.

"According to our division's defense plan, the first line of defense is the 960th Regiment and the 959th Regiment of the 480th Brigade. The second line of defense is the 955th Regiment of the 478th Brigade. Your 956th Regiment serves as Reserve team, now that your regiment is back, it's okay to say that, but the 960th Regiment on the front line was sent to reinforce the 51st Division. Although it was not involved, it has not returned yet. They encountered Japanese aircraft along the way. The troops can only move away from the road and march slowly. The first line of defense is equivalent to missing half of the troops. The main force of the Japanese army behind you is probably about to arrive. By then there will only be one regiment at the front, and I am afraid it will not be able to withstand it."

He Wei understood what Situ Fei meant, and it turned out that there was a vacuum in the defense zone of the 51st Division. In order to reinforce the 51st Division, the 160th Division had to pull out a regiment from the front line to reinforce it. As a result, five The 11th Division made up for its own loopholes, but the regiment of the 160th Division was unable to withdraw in a short time due to Japanese air strikes. In the end, the 51st Division's defense line was blocked, and the 160th Division However, there are big holes in the defense line. It can be said that we are focusing on one thing and losing the other.

For a moment, both Situ Fei and Cai Rubai were lost in thought, but He Wei thought about it and came up with a solution out of desperation.

"Sir, why don't we use a roller tactic and directly add Commander Cai's 956th Regiment?"

"Brother, what do you mean?" Situ Fei asked

"Sir, since the regiment you sent out won't be back in a short time, then you might as well not let them drive in here. It just so happens that Commander Cai and I's troops came back, why not take Commander Cai's 95th Army? The Sixth Regiment moved to the front to fill the vacancy, allowing the 960th Regiment to take their time and slowly move to the back to build fortifications, organize defense lines, and use roller tactics with the Japanese."

"Roller tactics?"

Situ Fei asked.

"Oh, sir, this roller tactic is actually a sequential retreat tactic. Based on the specific situation of your division, your division has four regiments: the 955th Regiment, the 956th Regiment, the 959th Regiment and the 960th Regiment. , originally the first line of defense was the 959th and 960th regiments, and the second line of defense was the 955th regiment. Now that the 960th regiment cannot return, there is a vacancy in the position, so we might as well just Replenish the 956th Regiment and let the 959th and 956th Regiments take charge of the first line of defense. The second line of defense will still be guarded by the 955th Regiment. The 960th Regiment will drive directly to the 955th Regiment. Go behind and build a third line of defense.”

"When the Japanese army attacks, the first line of defense will resist desperately. When it is unable to support, we will withdraw the troops. The troops who have been withdrawn from the first line of defense will be withdrawn behind the third line of defense to establish the fourth line of defense. , and then the troops of the second line of defense will attack the Japanese army. When the second line of defense can no longer support it, then the troops of the second line of defense will be withdrawn behind the fourth line of defense to establish a fifth line of defense, and so on. Isn't it better to block attacks one by one than to concentrate on the front line?"

The tactics He Wei mentioned were actually the tactics of alternating cover and gradual retreat. The reason why he said it was the roller tactic was because in its original history, this tactic was actually carried forward by the famous general Liao Yaoxiang of the National Army.

When the expeditionary force entered Burma, Liao Yaoxiang used this alternating cover and retreat tactic. He successfully blocked the Japanese army in the Swa River Blockade on the Burmese battlefield, covered his main force's retreat and assembly, and finally successfully defeated the Japanese army's pursuit. This tactic is actually to alternately cover and retreat one by one. There is nothing unusual about it, but it has become inexplicably popular on the Internet in later generations, and it has been nicknamed the roller tactic.

Speaking of this, He Wei's mind suddenly and inexplicably thought of Liao Yaoxiang. Now this dear friend should also be fighting on the battlefield of the Battle of Nanjing. If he remembers correctly, Liao Yaoxiang should now be the Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Brigade of the Central Military Academy Teaching Corps. Chief of Staff, and the vigorous expeditionary force into Myanmar that took place a few years later, could he participate in it?

He Wei's thoughts suddenly began to scatter randomly.

After He Wei said this, Situ Fei thought about it for a moment, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt that He Wei's tactic was quite feasible. In fact, under the current situation, this is the only way to do it, except for He Wei's tactic. There is no other way.

"This tactic of Battalion Commander He is a good idea and quite insightful. Now that the situation is urgent, let's do it this way."

Situ Fei seemed to have caught a breakthrough, nodded slightly and said. With one sentence, He Wei was pulled out of the meaningless thoughts.

Immediately, Situ Fei called his staff and issued the latest battle order, that is, He Wei's special agent battalion and Cai Rubai's 956th Regiment marched to the first line of defense to take over the position of the original 960th Regiment.

In addition, considering that the 956th Regiment lost more than 300 people in the ambush battle, a company of heavy troops was transferred from the division's supply camp to Cai Rubai to make up for his casualties, while the 960th Regiment marched backwards. It was directly transferred to the rear of the 955th Regiment, which was responsible for the second line of defense, to build fortifications and establish the third line of defense of the 160th Division.

In this way, under He Wei's suggestion, the 160th Division launched roller tactics. What the 160th Division and the 66th Army were about to face next was the main force of the Japanese 16th Division. The troops, this time are not a squadron or a brigade, but at least one or two regiments or even an entire division of enemies. A real face-to-face bloody battle is about to take place outside Tangshan.

ps: Dear book friends, I wish you all a happy new year, happiness in your family, and good health.

(End of this chapter)