Bright Sword: Start with Ding Blast Bridge, Homemade Sweet Potato Cake

The gunfire was extremely intense. Zhong Zhicheng, with five guerrilla battalions, encountered the main force of the Okayama Regiment.

Each side had more than 2,000 troops, spreading along the hillside, shooting and attacking each other.

The flames of war spread over a thousand meters and swept across seven or eight hilltops.

The soldiers who met took the initiative to exchange fire, find the enemy, and take the initiative to attack and stop them.

Several sharpshooters used their sniper rifles to aim at the Japanese light machine gunners and kill them.

After killing several light machine gunners in succession, the Japanese firepower was immediately reduced.

In a battle of this scale, the direct firepower of the Japanese infantry artillery was of limited effectiveness, as the power of the artillery was blocked by the steep rocks.

On the contrary, the soldier holding the sniper rifle was very flexible and raised the gun repeatedly from tricky angles.

Machine gunners and grenadiers were constantly killed.

In complex terrain, he becomes a battlefield killer.

The Japanese Chief of Staff, Major Okaya, quickly discovered something different. There were actually quite a few sharpshooters among this group of Chinese soldiers.

This caused the infantry squad's firepower to be seriously insufficient, and casualties increased rapidly.

The guerrillas' offensive was fierce. They broke through the enemy's firepower network one after another, rushed up and occupied favorable shooting areas.

The infantry regiment with rich combat experience was actually at a disadvantage in the offensive.

Several water-cooled heavy machine guns were stuck in vital areas, firing downwards.

The heavy machine gun has an amazing firing rate, and no grass grows wherever the bullets go.

The Japanese weapons pursued accuracy, and the Type 92 heavy machine gun was heavy and difficult to carry in mountainous areas.

Whether it is sustained shooting capability or overall flexibility, it is slightly inferior to the water-cooled heavy machine gun.

In addition, the sniper rifles hidden on the front line crawled over stealthily and shot the Japanese heavy machine gunner in the head.

Without fire cover, the Japanese infantry quickly collapsed and were continuously broken through by the forces of the Fourth Military Division.

The Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 9 contacted the Okayama Regiment at dawn.

Upon learning that Colonel Okayama had been killed, the Japanese Major General Kenkichi Ikegami immediately contacted the Okayama Regiment and, in his capacity as a major general, ordered the regiment to quickly converge on the Wutai area.

"General, the Okayama Regiment has been harassed by the Eighth Route Army guerrillas. The current commander, Major Okaya, has ordered the guerrillas to be wiped out and then gathered together with our army."

"A mere group of guerrillas can stop the progress of the entire regiment? I don't understand. Major Okaya is short-sighted. Are the three infantry majors also short-sighted?"

"The goal of this search is to destroy the Fourth Military Division Headquarters and disintegrate the Chinese Army headed by Ding Wei. It is not to wipe out a group of inferior guerrillas."

"Baga, Baga, way to go!"

Major General Shang Xianji was quite angry. The battle plan he formulated encountered setbacks from the very beginning.

Gang County, where the Third Brigade was located, was also entangled by the two guerrilla battalions, and local blockhouses and strongholds were blown up one after another.

If left unchecked, local security forces cannot be relied upon.

The troops were dispatched to drive the guerrillas back into the mountains. As soon as the infantry battalion retreated, the guerrilla battalion quickly attacked again.

At least it could distract the energy of three or five infantry squadrons of the Japanese, making the Independent Mixed Brigade 3rd, which had already suffered heavy losses, stretched to its limits in arranging its troops.

A small group of Japanese troops remained behind, and the remaining 2000 troops participated in the mopping-up operation.

The sounds of gunfire and artillery fire continued intermittently. When they encountered a small group of Japanese invaders, they used various means to delay them.

The junction of mountains and plains became the main battlefield of fighting.

The main forces of the New 1st and New 3rd Regiments encountered the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade.

This brigade, which claims to have superior guerrilla warfare experience, is actually the size of an infantry regiment plus an infantry battalion.

The combat personnel were increased and the remaining auxiliary arms were reduced.

The Japanese continued to use the tactic of dividing their forces and attacking simultaneously to advance towards the Wutai Mountain area.

After crossing the Hutuo River, they encountered a strong counterattack.

After three hours of continuous attack, they failed to shake the riverside positions garrisoned by the New 1st Regiment.

Not only that, the artillery behind the New 1st Regiment can also engage in an evenly matched artillery battle with the 9th Brigade.

One 120mm mortar, four mountain guns and four anti-tank guns provide powerful fire support.

Wang Chengzhu's artillery battalion fought against the artillery battalion of the 9th Brigade on the front battlefield.

Neither side gained any advantage and both suffered casualties.

However, in the close-range exchange of fire, the attacking Japanese were weakened by the fierce firepower.

The infantry battalion in charge of the attack continuously attacked the positions, using their usual fighting style, approaching the fortifications and trenches, and providing fire support with infantry guns and grenade launchers.

But what they faced was the mortar barrage from the New 1st Regiment. The continuously falling shells covered the attack battlefield, catching the Japanese off guard.

They were not used to attacking when they did not have an advantage in artillery fire, and their old-fashioned charging method resulted in increased casualties.

After three consecutive attacks and being repelled three times, the Japanese brigade suffered more than half casualties and was replaced by Shang Xianji.

By evening, the New 1st Regiment's position on the Hutuo River was still strong.

"Where are the Okayama Regiment and the 4th Brigade?"

The Japanese major general had a gloomy expression on his face, and was suppressing his anger because of the unfavorable situation in the war.

He needs to rely on firepower from three sides to suppress and defeat this group of arrogant and domineering Eighth Route Army forces.

"General, the latest news is that the Third Brigade and the Okayama Regiment are being entangled by the Eighth Route Army guerrillas and have not yet arrived at the designated location."

Shang Xianji flew into a rage and yelled at the signalman:

"I heard this news half a day ago. Can a small group of Eighth Route Army stop the attack of the regiment for 6 hours?"

"A mere group of inferior guerrillas, are they going to defeat our famous Okayama regiment?"

A prophecy!

What the Japanese Major General Kenkichi Ikegami said to the signalman actually came true.

The fighting in the mountainous area was still fierce, and a scene appeared that Shang Xianji could never have imagined: the guerrilla brigade of the Fourth Military Division was attacking frantically and taking the initiative on the battlefield.

Major Okaya was not in good condition. After all, he was just a chief of staff, not the real Colonel Okayama.

He may be very good at talking about combat theories, but when it comes to actually commanding a squadron, he becomes extremely overwhelmed.

The left front was lost, and all the reserve troops were thrown in at once, and then problems arose on the right front.

He also ordered his troops to support from the left to the right hillside. In the process of running back and forth, hundreds of Japanese invaders were unable to participate in the battle at all.

This means that these hundreds of troops are not working hard and cannot relieve the pressure on the front line.

In the established plan, he only estimated the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness for one or two hours.

According to past experience, the ammunition and supplies carried by the Eighth Route Army could only support short-term combat.

If they drag on for too long and use up all the soldiers' bullets, they will have no choice but to engage in hand-to-hand combat or be forced to evacuate.

But when the real fighting started, which lasted for six hours, not only was there no sign of a shortage of ammunition for the Eighth Route Army, but there was also no sign of a slump in the offensive.

They broke through the Japanese defense lines one after another, occupied high ground, and fired at the flanks of the regiment.

Several guerrilla battalions surrounded the Okayama Regiment.

In addition, militia, district teams, armed work teams, etc. participated in the battle. The Women's Rescue Association and local people acted as transport teams and helped to carry supplies.

The bullets stored in the rear were delivered to the soldiers. There were as many as 6,000 to 7,000 people directly involved.

As evening approached, the Japanese showed signs of fatigue, and Major Okaya's command became full of loopholes. He was only concerned with the front and the back, and the left and the right.

The Okayama Regiment, which had strong combat effectiveness, showed signs of defeat.