Chapter 368: Laying mines in front of the position!  Meng Fanglia naturally understood what Cun Yunsheng said. He was no longer the same Meng Fanliao as before. Whether it is vision or everything, it has been greatly improved. “Sir, I understand what you are saying, but I still recommend playing it safe and steady.” Meng Fangliao advised again. "Well, the enemy won't give us much time. We have to speed up the progress. To be honest, I can't wait to launch the aircraft carrier immediately. The pressure on us from the Japanese navy is really too great." Cun Yunsheng said with a bitter smile. Hearing this, Meng Fan didn’t know what to say. "Even if they have suffered heavy losses now, they are still huge to us. It is still very difficult for us to deal with them." Cun Yunsheng said in a depressed mood as he lit a cigarette. “But fortunately, if you hold on for a while, you can go into the water.” Fortunately, the carrier-based aircraft at this time are all propeller-type fighters. If it were replaced by a jet fighter, it would probably be difficult to go to sea within a month or two. "How is the battle situation in the ninth theater?" Cun Yunsheng also knew that he was a little embarrassed, so he immediately changed the subject and asked.

"The Kwantung Army's combat effectiveness is indeed very strong. At present, the situation is not good. If it weren't for our fighter planes, I'm afraid there would be no advantage at all." Meng Fan shook his head. It was obvious that he was not optimistic about this battle. "Then increase the support and ensure absolute air superiority. As long as these elite divisions are eaten, we can then enter the strategic counterattack stage." Cun Yunsheng said.  After eating these five elite divisions, the Japanese army may not be able to mobilize more elites.  At that time, we can indeed consider a strategic counterattack.  Unless the Japanese army is willing to abandon other areas.  Otherwise, the decline of the Japanese army has already appeared.  So what we have to do now is to persist. As long as we hold on, there is still hope.  “I understand.” Meng Fanxiao nodded.  … Jiangcheng, after the five Japanese divisions arrived, took a short rest and then began to attack. The Ninth Division took the lead in going south, taking over Yueyang and other places as quickly as possible and opening up the passage to Changsha.  At the same time, troops began to be sent to Yueyang, Leiluo, and Pingjiang.  In addition, the 14th Division attacked Yiyang westward.  Attempt to outflank Changsha in two ways. I have to say that the Japanese army was really cruel.  Once Yiyang is lost.   Meaning that the northern defense of Changsha City will be extremely passive.  Therefore, Xue Yue had no choice but to urgently mobilize the First Group Army for reinforcements.   The main components of the First Group Army are the 58th Army of the Yunnan Army and the New Third Army.

The original assembly area of ​​this unit was in northern Jiangxi, but during the previous battle in Changsha, they participated in flank attacks on the Japanese army on the main battlefield. The Yunnan Army has a tenacious fighting style and performed well in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War because it was equipped with French weapons (the Yuwangshan Blockade in the Battle of Xuzhou).  However, due to the loss of advanced equipment, combat effectiveness began to decline.  At this time, the main task in the ninth theater was to harass and flank the Japanese army. Originally, they would not be transferred to the main battlefield, but there is no way. Now Xue Yue does not have many available troops.  So it must be attended. Sun Du, commander of the 58th Army of the Yunnan Army, was taking Xue Yue's call at the moment. “According to relevant intelligence, the Japanese 14th Division is rushing towards Yiyang, so what your department has to do is to block the Japanese troops outside Yiyang City and not allow a single Japanese soldier to enter Yiyang City,” Xue Yue said. “Sir, please don’t worry. Unless the Japanese soldiers step over my body, they will never let a Japanese soldier pass.” Sun Du promised. "Okay, I believe you. We must hold on for seven days. Don't be afraid of casualties. No matter how much you lose, I will replenish it for you after the war." Xue Yue warned again. “Also, you can ask me for air support at any time.” “Sir, please don’t worry. If you stay in the position, you will die in the position.” Sun Du said again. “Send the order and prepare to fight.” Sun Du ordered his troops to prepare to face the enemy without fear. “Tell the brothers to carry forward the glorious tradition of our Yunnan Army, not be afraid of sacrifice, and vow to fight the Japanese army to the end.” “Yes, military seat.” Liu Zhengfu, commander of the newly formed 10th Division of the 58th Army, responded immediately. “Damn it, the Japs are finally here, and they just brought the sacrificial flag. My hands are itching.” Lu Daoyuan, commander of the new 11th Division, heard this order and burst into laughter. Sun Du was still very confident in stopping the Japanese. Although the 58th Army suffered heavy losses in the previous battle, Xue Yue gave him a group of soldiers and a regiment of American equipment, so the combat effectiveness of the army was restored. soon. More importantly, it can also call for air support, which was something that was unimaginable before.  So it is definitely not that easy for the Japanese army to cross his defense line. "Reporting to the military base, a group of Japanese soldiers came from the north of Yiyang City and are marching rapidly towards our position." At this time, the communications staff came in and reported loudly. “Finally here, my hands are cold. Order the troops and prepare for battle.” Sun Du rubbed his hands and said with a sigh.  It has already entered winter, so the weather is very cold. The Japanese who came to attack were the 14th Division, which was considered one of the permanent divisions of the Japanese army. It was a proper Category A division with very strong combat effectiveness.  The division commander is Lieutenant General Kawami Mi, and the chief of staff is Colonel Nakagawa Shu. Originally, it had four infantry regiments, namely the 2nd, 15th, 50th and 59th Infantry Regiments. At the end of 1939, the 50th Infantry Regiment was incorporated into the 29th Division, the brigade headquarters was abolished, and it became a three-unit division. Even though it is only a three-unit division headquarters, since most of them are veterans, their combat effectiveness is definitely not weak. It's just that they have always been placed on the Kwantung Army's territory and have no chance to play. At this moment, the position of the newly formed 10th Division ushered in the Japanese 15th Regiment. The regiment launched a fierce attack as soon as it came up. Grenades, mortars, and Type 92 infantry guns all rushed towards the Second Brigade. The ground bombarded the position.

 The entire newly formed 10th Division was stunned for a while. It was impossible for the normal Japanese to expose all their firepower and would release it slowly. It was indeed the first time that they exposed their firepower all at once like this.  Division commander Liu Zhengfu knew something was wrong as soon as he saw this situation.  Especially the Japanese attack was very ferocious, causing slight chaos in the forward positions.  The main reason is that most of his troops are new recruits. After all, they have always been engaged in high-intensity combat, and the veterans are used up too quickly.  Otherwise, the 58th Army would not have been used as a auxiliary attack.  It is because the veterans have been consumed too much, their combat effectiveness has declined, and they are no longer able to serve as an attacking force. What's more, it is the first time for many recruits to encounter such a vicious battle. This would be a mistake in command. I'm afraid it will collapse soon. Thinking of this, Liu Zhengfu immediately ordered the troops to increase their firepower output.  At the same time, request artillery reinforcements. Unfortunately, the Japanese artillery fire was obviously stronger than theirs. Moreover, the Japanese army received a death order and must capture Yiyang as soon as possible.  Complete the siege of Changsha City.  So the Japanese artillery fire attacked the forward positions of the newly formed 10th Division very fiercely. At the same time, the infantry began to swarm and attack quickly with the help of barrages. The Japanese 14th Division is indeed an elite unit. The attack speed is very fast, and the formation is not chaotic at all. It is obviously an elite division.  In groups of three, they fire mortars, grenade launchers, and light and heavy machine guns at the same time. They quickly move positions within a minute at most, preventing the defenders' firepower advantage from doing much damage. "As expected of the Japanese Army's Class A division, its tactical coordination is really sophisticated, and its attacks are really one-on-one. It is not comparable to those second-line divisions." Seeing how sharp the Japanese attack was, Liu Zhengfu was very excited. surprise.  He has fought against the Japanese army several times, so he naturally knows the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. Especially during the Battle of Wuhan, the elite Japanese army opened his eyes to how powerful they were.  Especially the veteran Class A divisions have very strong combat effectiveness and the quality of their individual soldiers is also very high.  Completely crush them on several levels.   More importantly, the Japanese army's marksmanship was very accurate.  The original veterans, except those who were killed by Japanese artillery, were all killed by Japanese rifles. He naturally knows the information about the 14th Division.  His attacks are sharp, ferocious and sophisticated, both tactical and shooting movements are accurate and fast. 　　San Ba ​​Da Gai was fully utilized in their hands. At one point, his frontline troops almost collapsed.  Especially the casualties, which are not small.  Many recruits were shot in the head by the Japanese army.

“Go and call the regiment commander.” Liu Zhengfu shouted to the soldiers next to him. After a while, a group leader came running out of breath: "Master, what do you want from me?" "Let me ask you, have you laid any landmines in front of your position?" Liu Zhengfu said, glaring at the regimental commander with sharp eyes. “They are buried. They are all mines. There are three hundred mines buried.” Liu Zhengfu glared at the first regiment leader and said slowly, feeling guilty.  “It would be nice if there were more, then we can surround the position.” "Yeah, that way you can be a tortoise. That's great, and the Japanese army won't dare to come." Liu Zhengfu said sarcastically. 　　If it were before, this would definitely be a compliment.  But looking at Liu Fugui's expression, it didn't take much to think about it. He must be dissatisfied with his performance just now. So the leader of the first regiment could only lower his head and dare not say a word. He knew that the fight just now was not good. He had strong firepower, but he was beaten by the Japanese. Instead, he lost a lot of men here. It is not the fault of the master. If you give him a good look, you would be willing to shoot him instead.  Fortunately, Liu Fugui was considerate of the fact that there were many new recruits in the army and didn't say much. Otherwise, it would definitely not be a painless sentence, and he would be ashamed to scold him. “I transferred most of the light and heavy machine guns in the division to you, and you ended up firing me like this?” "We were ordered to hold our position for seven days. How long has it been now?" Liu Zhengfu picked up his telescope and cursed angrily. He said seriously again: "Go, order the troops, weaken the firepower, create an illusion for the Japanese army that the firepower is weakened, put the little devils in front of them, and then detonate the mines, let these stupid little devils have a good drink."  “Yes!” A group of elders went down to carry out the order honestly. The forward troops quickly implemented Liu Zhengfu's order, and the firepower on the position gradually became much weaker. The attacking Japanese reacted quickly. Judging from the sound of gunfire, the defenders should have run out of ammunition. Immediately took the opportunity to press forward, and soon arrived near the barbed wire fence. "Take a good look. These little devils are well-trained and have strong combat effectiveness. It's a good thing that you laid mines in advance. Otherwise, we might not be able to hold on for a day this time, and your and my head will definitely be in danger." Liu Zhengfu looked at it. At this scene, I also had a cold sweat. When I originally set up the defense line, I thought about placing some mines on the forward position, which would also delay the Japanese army's actions. 　　Unexpectedly, it would actually be used now. This was indeed beyond his expectation.  Had it not been an unintentional move at the beginning, I am afraid that I would be in trouble now. “Master, this Kwantung Army is indeed extraordinary. It is well-trained and has a good grasp of fighter aircraft.” A regimental commander sighed with emotion.  Liu Zhengfu rolled his eyes, said nothing, and just continued to observe the front.  Only now do I realize that there is a big gap between the previous little devils and them. I don’t know what this guy is thinking.  This is the Kwantung Army. Absolutely elite, the troops' mental outlook is maintained very well, and their combat effectiveness is very strong. In addition, some of them are originally veterans. With a little training, their combat effectiveness will not be affected much.  “First regiment commander!” Liu Zhengfu shouted loudly as he watched the little Japs slowly approach the forward position.  “Yes!” The regiment leader who had been waiting for a long time took the detonator himself and pressed it hard. Suddenly a series of explosions sounded in front of the position, and the violent explosions directly sent the charging Japanese troops into the sky.

 Smoke and dust engulfed the entire position. When the smoke dissipated, the original figure of the Japanese completely disappeared in front of the position. There were broken limbs and broken arms everywhere, countless bloodstains stained the gravel, and some disgusting internal organs hanging on the barbed wire.  Many recruits couldn't help but vomited when they saw this scene. Liu Zhengfu, on the other hand, frowned slightly. He was indeed a new recruit, and his ability to accept it was still a bit poor. On the other hand, the Japanese army did not expect that someone would lay mines in front of the position. This was a situation where they clearly wanted to defend to the end. And more importantly, the other side actually deliberately weakened the firepower.  Let them think that the firepower was insufficient, so they increased the intensity of the attack. Who knew that the moment the two squadrons stepped onto the battlefield, it meant that they were already going to see Amaterasu. “Baga, these cunning Chinese troops.” Lieutenant General Kawaamimi, the division commander, looked at the explosion in the distance, and the anger on his face could not be concealed. He did not expect that mines would be placed in front of the position. This was really insidious. When did these Chinese troops learn such cunning tactics? “Your Excellency, division commander, do you want to suspend the attack?” Chief of Staff Nakagawa Shu asked with some distress.   It was a big blow to lose two squadrons at once. "No, continue the attack. We must capture Yiyang as soon as possible and surround Changsha City." Lieutenant General Chuanming shook his head. There was not much time left for them. At this time, they must speed up the attack and must not stop. “However, losing two squadrons at once will have a great impact on morale.” Chief of Staff Colonel Nakagawa Shu hesitated for a moment. They are not a four-unit division now, but only a three-unit division. The loss of two squadrons is already a huge loss.  (End of this chapter)