Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 74: Japanese Army Replacement

After daybreak, the narrow-minded Japanese began to retaliate, sending more than 20 planes to bomb the Lion Grove Fort in turns. Strings of bombs fell from the sky, wishing to wipe the fort off the map.
A large number of bombs fell into the woods behind the river embankment, knocking down dozens of ginkgo trees over a hundred years old, committing a heinous crime against China.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion could only huddle in the narrow cat-ear caves and endure it silently. If they were unlucky and the bomb fell right on top of their heads, a group of soldiers would be shocked to death or buried alive. This was the price that had to be paid for fighting an industrial power.

After finally waiting for the aircraft group to leave, the naval guns began to show their power again. Rows of heavy bombs fell like raindrops, blasting deep pits on the positions. Life was as fragile as paper in front of steel and would shatter at the slightest touch.

Yue Qianli was numb. He didn't know how many of his brothers would be unable to get out of the anti-artillery hole after this round of artillery fire, but he would not retreat.
All sacrifices are insignificant in the face of national suffering. He has been completely integrated into this era. Coming to this era, he must bear the suffering of the era. This generation will fight the battles of several generations. As long as he is alive, he must fight and never give up!
It was unknown how long it took for the Japs' revenge to come to an end. Just when everyone was waiting for the Japs' infantry to charge up, the Japs disappointed them...

At the 11th Division Headquarters, the division commander, Lieutenant General Yamamuro Munetake, had a terribly gloomy face. The Chief of Staff Katamura Jushihachi, who knew him well, knew that the Chinese had completely angered him;
Due to the delay in capturing the Lion Grove Fort, the commander has sent a telegram of reprimand and even questioned his ability.

General Iwane Matsui was the teacher commander of the 11th Division. He had a special feeling for the 11th Division and had high hopes for them, hoping that they could defeat the rd Division, so he gave them the task of the first landing. Now that the fighting has turned out like this, Lieutenant General Yamamuro has failed the commander's trust.

"Bakayaro, this idiot Anda Twenty-three has failed to live up to His Majesty's trust. A field regiment couldn't capture the small Lion Grove, and even wiped out the entire organization. Why doesn't he go and apologize to the Emperor?"

Yamamuro Munetake habitually put the blame on Ando Nijusan and even wanted him to commit seppuku to apologize. This punishment was already extreme. Colonel Katamura was terrified, but he still gritted his teeth and spoke well of his good friend:
"Your Excellency, the intelligence department has figured it out. The 88th Regiment of the 527th Division of the Nationalist Army is guarding the Lion Grove Fort. This is the old rival of the 11th Division. It is one of the most elite divisions of the Chinese Nationalist Army. It has a large number of permanent fortifications as a barrier, which makes it easy to defend but difficult to attack. We should treat them differently."

"Bakayalu, you are just making excuses for your own incompetence, what's wrong with the elite?
Our Jinshituan (internal name) is fighting against the elite troops of China!"

Lieutenant General Sotake Yamamuro was obviously a little arrogant. After several outstanding division commanders emerged, they all unconsciously classified the 11th Division as a first-class division and were very ambitious. But in fact, their fame and combat effectiveness were far lower than those of the 9th Division of the same batch.

Colonel Katamura chose to remain silent. He had to be tactful when speaking well of others and not get himself involved. Yamamuro Munetake calmed down a little and snorted coldly:

"The glory of the 12th Regiment cannot be destroyed in the hands of Anda Twenty-three. All the remaining soldiers of the baggage regiment will be replenished to them, and another reinforcements will be given to them.

Send the 43rd Regiment to replace the 12th Regiment and tell them that the glory of the 11th Division must be achieved on the battlefield! "

Colonel Katamura breathed a sigh of relief. His friend Ando Nijizo's life was saved. It was a wise decision to use the fresh 43rd Regiment to replace the already crippled 12th Regiment. He immediately praised:
"As the Art of War says, the first attack is powerful, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted. The 12th Regiment has lost its edge, so replacing it with the fresh force 43rd Regiment is like a stroke of genius.

The defenders had fought hard for a day, and their manpower and ammunition were severely depleted. It was difficult for them to withstand the all-out attack of the 43rd Regiment, and this was the key to breaking through the Lion Grove Fort.

Although Katamura's flattery was a bit awkward, it was very pleasant to Yamamuro Munetake's ears. He really needed to regain his self-confidence. The beating from the 527th Regiment made him doubt his life.

The 11th Division was one of the main standing divisions of the Japanese Army. It was formed in Zentsuji and was codenamed "Nishiki".
下辖第10（步兵12、22联队）、第22两个旅团（步兵43、44联队），是4单元甲级师团；

In addition, the division directly under the cavalry, mountain artillery, engineers, the 11th baggage regiment, the communications team, the medical team and the 1st to 4th field hospitals, with a total strength of 2.2 people, and 2 to 3 replacement battalions that are not in the establishment. In the previous battles, the 12th regiment was crippled twice, and the 22nd regiment also suffered thousands of casualties. The 11th baggage regiment has been completely withdrawn, and the replacement troops have also consumed a battalion, but the 4 infantry regiments that have been established are almost full;

This was an unspoken routine of the Japanese army. After an infantry regiment was wiped out, they would draw reinforcements from the baggage, engineering, and replenishment battalions (regiments). In this way, they could announce to the outside world that they had suffered dozens or even just a few casualties. If you don't believe me, you can go and count them.

Although the 11th Division had suffered more than 3 casualties, Yamamuro Munetake would not admit it. At most, he would report 300 casualties and 2 enemies killed.

The Japanese army, from top to bottom, all knew this tacitly; even the headquarters and the royal family agreed. They needed brilliant achievements to boost morale among the troops and the people, so all we had to do was listen to the battle reports they announced themselves.

Colonel Kosuke Murata, the commander of the 43rd Regiment, sneered at Anda Nijusan and said with a cold snort:

"Andachi-kun has brought shame to the 11th Division this time. Our 43rd Regiment must not follow in his footsteps. The 88th Division is a unit that deserves the respect of the Imperial Army. We must not underestimate the enemy."

Lieutenant Colonel Qingshan Qingshan, the senior staff officer of the regiment, took over and said:
“Sir, the 12th Regiment suffered heavy losses, and the defenders’ losses will only be greater. There is no doubt that they have consumed a lot of manpower and firepower.

Modern warfare is fought with steel, and the decline in the defenders' firepower has given the 43rd Regiment a perfect opportunity. I suggest that we strike hard and defeat the remaining enemies with a thunderous force."

Colonel Murata nodded mysteriously and said:

"Qingshan Jun, your idea is correct, but before that, we should send a small force to launch a tentative attack to find out the Chinese's firepower configuration, and then strike hard;

The Chinese have heavy artillery, so the time of the general attack is set around dark, and the formation should be spread out a bit."

Colonel Murata had obviously learned the lessons of the 12th Regiment and made targeted adjustments. Starting at ten o'clock in the morning, they launched a tentative attack, deploying around 300 troops each time, exerting continuous pressure on the defenders.

"Damn it, these devils are so slippery. It seems that the enemy has changed their tactics."

After repelling the Japanese's second round of attack, Liao Jianping hurried back to the battalion headquarters to report the enemy situation to Yue Qianli.

Yue Qianli also discovered the clues. He roughly guessed the devil's intentions and said to Liao Jianping:
"The Japanese have learned their lesson and are launching a tentative attack to find out our firepower configuration and then launch a thunderous attack;
In this case, we will use the firepower of several permanent fortifications to attract the attention of the Japanese, withstand their tentative attacks, and conserve our strength to deal with the Japanese general attack. "

The number of readers has dropped a lot. You still cannot buy two chapters at a time. I will continue to publish one chapter after midnight and one chapter in the afternoon. It will be on the shelves in a week or so. I hope readers will support it.

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(End of this chapter)