freenovelworld Chapter 371: Melancholy
Chapter 371: Melancholy
On the side of the new 100th Division, Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng also asked the 812th Regiment on the position to reinforce the position at night, especially the anti-artillery holes, which were reinforced as a whole. You know, the Japanese attack this time was supported by heavy artillery, so they had to find anti-artillery support, otherwise the garrison on the position would be wiped out after a barrage of Japanese artillery fire.
"Division Commander, the Japanese army is really fighting hard today. If they continue fighting like this, aren't they afraid that their own troops will be wiped out first?" Ouyang Heng handed Zhang Wenwu a cigarette, and then said while looking at the defensive position in the distance that could not be seen clearly.
Zhang Wenwu lit a cigarette with a match and took two deep puffs before saying nonchalantly, "The Japanese army is clearly trying to consume us quickly. I guess the reinforcements they have mobilized are still coming in continuously. So, if this Japanese army unit is destroyed, it won't be a problem for the overall tactics of the Japanese army. However, we don't have any reinforcements. If we continue to consume like this, it won't be long before our new 100th Division is consumed."
Ouyang Heng also took a puff of his cigarette and said, "The battle report sent by the theater headquarters said that our new 22nd Army has cut off the surrounding Japanese troops and is now fighting fiercely with them. As long as they can fight faster, we can retreat earlier. This damn place is not easy to defend."
It's no wonder that Ouyang Heng complained. In less than a day, a main infantry regiment of the new 100th Division was crippled. Thinking about how long they would have to hold on here, Ouyang Heng felt a little uneasy.
"Well, I think it won't be a big problem to destroy the 104th Regiment of the Japanese Army that has been divided and surrounded. This Japanese army has now been divided into several groups by our troops that cannot communicate with each other. It is relatively certain to destroy these Japanese troops. The key point lies in the remaining large group of Japanese troops from the th Division. Now they have shrunk their defense line, which is also a disguised way of concentrating all their forces together. This is very unfavorable for our troops' subsequent attack." Zhang Wenwu also expressed his thoughts.
Zhang Wenwu knew that these were very obvious things. With Ouyang Heng's ability and experience, he must have seen them a long time ago. He said them now just to find a topic for them to chat and relax.
"Division Commander, how long do you think it will take our attacking force to eliminate those Japanese troops in the encirclement?" Ouyang Heng casually asked Zhang Wenwu about his estimate of the combat time.
Zhang Wenwu was still looking at the distant position, smoking the cigarette in his hand. He pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, the destruction of the divided and surrounded 104th Regiment can be completed within one or two days, but the subsequent destruction of the remaining troops of the th Division, I personally do not think it will be completed in a short time. As for when we can complete the combat goal of destroying these Japanese troops, I estimate that it will take at least five days, and that is if everything goes well."
When Ouyang Heng heard Zhang Wenwu say that they would have to hold out for at least five days, he took a few deep puffs of his cigarette. Five days of defense would be basically impossible to accomplish given the desperate battle that the new 100th Division was currently fighting.
There was no room for movement, and they could not take a single step back. This was a big frame that trapped all the officers and men of the New 100th Division in this position. They could only defend their positions under the heavy bombardment of the Japanese army, and each time they could only use charges and hand-to-hand combat to drive back the Japanese attacking forces. Even if they used their lives to buy time, the more than 100 men of the New th Division would still not be enough to hold out for five days.
"Commander, do you have any good ideas? If we still need to hold out for five days, then we must come up with a good way to deal with the Japanese army's tactics. Otherwise, we won't be able to hold out for five days under this kind of tactics." Ouyang Heng threw the cigarette in his hand to the ground, then looked at Zhang Wenwu and said.
Ouyang Heng had no good way to solve the Japanese army's combat method. He felt that Zhang Wenwu had many clever ideas and did not fight according to the routine, which often produced unexpected results. If Zhang Wenwu had any good solution, it would be a blessing for the entire New 100th Division.
However, to Ouyang Heng's disappointment, Zhang Wenwu took a puff of his cigarette, then shook his head and said, "Brother Ouyang, I can't think of a good solution. The Japanese are very close to their rear, and our death squad has no room to move behind the Japanese. Now we can only defend and fight while we wait and see."
Zhang Wenwu really didn't have any good solution now. This kind of life-and-death battle was the most painful. He felt that if it didn't work out in the end, he would ask the 31st Army for reinforcements, otherwise he would not be able to hold this position for five days.
Major Ikutame Shin, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 18th Regiment of the Japanese Army, is now standing at the starting position looking at the blocking position of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese Government in the distance. In the attack this afternoon, his 2nd Battalion suffered more than 500 casualties, which directly reduced the strength of his troops by almost half.
Facing the attack that will be launched tomorrow morning, the battalion commander, Major Ikutame Shin, is completely unsure. His battalion only has so many people. If there is another attack tomorrow, the Second Battalion will almost be wiped out. He actually does not agree with the tactics of the regiment commander, Colonel Takano Naomitsu.
According to the crazy fighting style of the regiment commander, Colonel Naomitsu Takano, his Second Battalion will lose all its troops in the attack tomorrow morning, and then the Third Battalion will take over the attack of his troops. By dark, the Third Battalion should have been wiped out. It can be said that even if the entire 18th Regiment is basically wiped out, the troops can directly withdraw from the battlefield and return to the rear for replenishment and rest for half a year. Only then will it be possible to restore the vitality of the troops.
Therefore, this tactic is too extreme. We should give full play to the excellent tactical qualities of the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and slowly consume the Chinese army's resistance spirit and the manpower on the positions. At the same time, this will greatly reduce the casualties of our own troops, and all the shells fired by the artillery will fall on the Chinese army, instead of being killed by their own shells as is the case now.
But there was nothing the battalion commander, Major Ikutame Arata, could do. The regiment commander had already made up his mind to use the casualties of the entire 18th Regiment to pave the way for the subsequent reinforcements of the 34th Regiment.