Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 96: The Domineering Tax Police Corps (2)

The defense line of the Tax Police Corps was 5 kilometers long. Huang Jie, the chief of the Corps, deployed three regiments on the front line, each responsible for more than one kilometer of defense line;

There is a distance of 300 meters between regiments and 100 meters between battalions. The deployment of each regiment is just two battalions on the front line, with another infantry battalion and artillery battalion as reserves.

The front width of Zhao Tianci's defense line was about 700 meters. His three companies were also deployed in an inverted triangle, with two companies in front and one company in the back, forming a line with the other companies, the standard "long snake formation" of the National Army.
Such a long snake formation has no depth at all. Once the reserve troops are exhausted, the whole line will be broken if one point is broken. This is basically the routine of the National Army in positional warfare.

Fortunately, the Tax Police Corps is well-equipped, and Lieutenant General Huang Jie has three reserve regiments and a large number of direct troops. The Japanese army will not be able to break through for a while.

When the heavy firepower of the defenders was exposed, more than a dozen regimental guns of the 35th Infantry Regiment continuously fired at the defenders to suppress their heavy firepower;

The cunning infantry artillery, in particular, constantly attacked the defenders' machine gun positions at a distance of 800 to 1000 meters. Its shooting was very accurate, and a machine gun position could be destroyed with at most three shells.

The 75mm mountain artillery at the defending corps level was not light enough, and only the Type 20 mortar could threaten the Japanese infantry artillery. The two sides fought back and forth, fighting with wits and courage, and the battle was fierce.

The Fujita Battalion that attacked Zhao Tianci's defense zone finally reached the river bank after sacrificing hundreds of lives.
The Japanese commander was delighted and led his fellow Japanese soldiers to rush towards the position of the first battalion. Zhao Tianci had let them come over on purpose. Seeing that the Japanese had entered the killing area of ​​rifle fire, he decisively gave the order to open fire on all fronts.

More than 500 soldiers from the first and second companies suddenly opened fire on the Japanese infantry who had crossed the river. The barrage of more than 40 light machine guns and over 300 long and short guns made it difficult for the Japanese infantry to move. They were knocked to the ground in rows, and casualties increased sharply.

Captain Akiyama also realized that he had fallen into the trap set by the defenders, but he did not intend to retreat. Their current situation was a fight with their backs to the river, and they had no choice but to move forward. If they retreated, they would be driven into the river by the defenders, and not only would their previous efforts be wasted, but they would also be in danger of being wiped out.

Captain Akiyama, who understood this, could only bite the bullet and continue the attack, hoping to scare off the "rabble" of the Tax Police Corps with his fearless spirit.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed. The defenders were not only well-equipped and well-trained, but also as strong in fighting spirit as them. They also had the advantage of geographical location, and they were unable to raise their heads, and it even became a one-sided massacre.

Fighting a battle with one's back to the river has always been a taboo in military strategists. Not everyone has the luck and command ability of Han Xin. The area where they are located has almost no room to move, and the shooting range is good. The officers and soldiers of a battalion hit them like they are training at fixed targets, and it is much more difficult for them to hit the Chinese in the trenches.

The two sides were in a stalemate for about an hour, and nearly half of Fujita's squadron was killed or wounded. Just when Captain Akiyama was hesitating whether to withdraw, Zhao Tianci helped him make up his mind;
The defenders actually launched a counterattack, and the two mortars of the machine gun company continued to fire at them, destroying the enemy's heavy firepower.

The counterattack of the first battalion became the last straw that broke the camel's psychological defense line. The smart-headed Japanese turned around and ran away, which soon caused a chain reaction. The Fujita Battalion collapsed across the board, and the Japanese jumped into the river like headless flies.

The pursuing troops continued to shoot at their backs and throw grenades at them. Rows of Japanese soldiers were thrown into the river and ran to the other side of the river in a panic.
In order to support them, the machine gun squadron left on the other side of the river fired crazily at the pursuers with Type 92 heavy machine guns, and people were shot and fell from time to time.

The enemy's regimental artillery carried out fire interception at all costs, causing heavy casualties to the pursuing troops;
Zhao Tianci did not give in, but ordered the machine gun company's five heavy machine guns (one was lost) and two mortars to frantically suppress the enemy's heavy firepower, destroying an infantry gun from time to time. The Japanese artillery also paid a heavy price.

The officers and soldiers of the first battalion stopped chasing after they reached the river bank, and then turned around and retreated to their positions. Now that the two sides were out of contact, it was time for the Japanese artillery to show its power. If they were slow, they would pay the price in blood. Fortunately, the river bank was not too far from the defenders' positions, so they ran back to their positions in a few breaths, and then quickly got into the anti-artillery cave. Time was life;
Not long after they hid in the anti-artillery cave, the Japanese launched a retaliatory artillery attack. This time it was the most deadly divisional artillery. It seemed that Lieutenant General Yoshika Ryosuke was also paying attention to their battle situation. Fujita sent his men to the division headquarters.

Colonel Fuji's face was livid, and he was in a very bad mood. It was true that the more arrogant he was before, the more cruel the slap in the face he received now;
Losing to the elite 88th Division of the Nationalist Army was one thing, but being driven into the river by a group of "anti-smuggling police" from the Finance Department was really embarrassing for him.

Fortunately, the Kanazawa Regiment suffered an even worse defeat than them, and Isa Kazuo's attack was also defeated by the 88th Regiment of the 527th Division, with hundreds of casualties;

So the eldest brother should not laugh at the second brother. Both of them have brought shame to the Ninth Division. They share the same hardship. The two brothers stood side by side to endure Yoshika Ryosuke's rage:
"Bakayaloo, you are all trash!"

"Bakayarō, the reputation of the Wushu Division has been ruined by you. People who don't know would think it's the Tofu Division. I am too embarrassed to see the Commander!"

"Bakayaro, you have brought shame upon the Imperial Army. Your family will be ashamed of you..."

Isa Kazuo has always been proud of his family. When someone pointed at his nose and cursed his ancestors, he instantly became furious and murderous. He bowed heavily to Yoshika Ryosuke and said:
"Commander, please allow me to clear my family's name. I will not withdraw my troops until the defending position is defeated!"

"Yoshi, Isa-kun, get up from where you fell, shame can only be washed away with blood;
Go ahead and chop off the heads of the defenders with your samurai swords. Only their blood can justify the name of the Wushu Corps!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Colonel Fuji. He was obviously more stubborn than Isa Kazuo, so he did not say anything absolute. Instead, he emphasized that they would continue to launch attacks and would not withdraw until they captured the defenders' positions.

As the saying goes, it is better to provoke an enemy than to please him. He has achieved his goal of humiliating the two squadron commanders. All that remains is to watch the show with binoculars. He is confident that he can get back at them.

In order to hit the target with one blow, he even called for air support from the commander. He attributed the failure to underestimating the enemy. Now that Isa and Colonel Fuji have recognized the situation, he believes that the Kanazawa and Fuji teams will not let him down.

In the defense area of ​​the Second Battalion of the 527th Regiment, Yue Qianli, who had just dealt a heavy blow to the Jinze Regiment, was in a good mood. Practice has proved that as long as the preparations are sufficient, the tactics are appropriate, and the soldiers are willing to fight, positional warfare can also withstand the Japanese;
Seeing that the battalion commander was in a good mood, the machine gun company commander Li Boxi leaned over and said:
"When will we get the rocket launcher platoon to launch a few rounds of coverage on the Japanese? Just watching the infantry brothers eating big chunks of meat, the brothers are drooling with envy."

Yue Qianli immediately frowned and said:

"Li Boxi, you are drooling, right? Are your hands itchy?
Aren't you aware of how many rounds of coverage are left and how many shells are left?

Good steel should be used on the blade, stay here honestly, you will have your time to eat meat!"

(End of this chapter)