Chapter 44: Defending Yuanping Without Fighting Yuanping

Inside the city of Yuanping, broken walls and ruined remnants met the eye everywhere.

The defensive fortifications were constructed using materials readily available on the spot.

Qian Baijun followed Chu Yunfei's instructions strictly.

To defend Yuanping, but not to fight the main battle within Yuanping itself.

Instead, all supplies and materials within the city were transported outward.

The main forces were deployed in echelons, occupying roads, mountain passes, and critical commanding heights.

Fortifications were built to conduct a phased, tiered resistance.

The mountain artillery battalion's position was set up at the Small Temple, fifteen li outside Yuanping city.

Li Guoping was already directing the soldiers to build artillery fortifications, and the heavy machine gun company had also been deployed in a nearby position.

Judging by the 358th Regiment's current combat experience against the Japanese invaders.

The Japanese devils' aircraft were generally light bombers.

They rarely carried high-tonnage aviation bombs.

Under the interference of the anti-aircraft platoon, the Japanese devils' bombing accuracy naturally could not be too high.

As long as there was no direct hit on the artillery pieces, the probability of destroying the artillery positions was extremely low.

Meanwhile, the first battalion's mortar company, totaling thirty-six mortars, had been split into six mortar platoons for deployment.

This was used to reinforce firepower across various sectors.

As for the heavy mortar company, Chu Yunfei had ordered it to be deployed in the sector held defensively by the second battalion.

Previously, the second battalion had only about four hundred men left, and with new recruits entering the ranks and wounded soldiers returning to duty,

its actual effective strength was still fewer than six hundred.

What worried Chu Yunfei the most was Wu Ziqiang.

Wu was decent in every respect, but his personal command ability was relatively poor.

Most of the subordinates under his command were also mediocre; otherwise, they would not have submitted so reluctantly...

Fortunately, Wu Ziqiang now had no lingering distractions, and since Chu Yunfei demanded that he hold his position to the death, Wu naturally would not refuse.

The reinforcement troops dispatched by Itagaki Seijiro arrived swiftly.

They were met with a head-on, punishing blow from the first battalion's seventh and eighth companies at Xiebazi Ridge.

The formation times of these two companies were close, and their firepower configurations were largely identical.

The two companies coordinated with considerable tacit understanding at this moment; the vanguard reconnaissance squad of the Japanese invaders, numbering over thirty men, had more than twenty cut down in a single encounter.

Gunfire echoed continuously, and the supporting Japanese major, Higashino Yoshiyasu, immediately waved his hand.

A Japanese infantry company acting as the vanguard advanced rapidly to provide reinforcement.

They had also brought along two ninety-millimeter infantry mortar pieces...

"Whoosh~!"

"Boom!"

As the explosions rang out, the soldiers were somewhat caught off guard.

Just moments before, both sides had been engaged in an intense exchange of gunfire.

Suddenly, the Japanese devils threw away fair play and brought out a thick, heavy support artillery piece.

This left the soldiers feeling extremely displeased.

"Go, have the mortar platoon provide support and see if we can knock out the Japanese devils' mortars!"

"Yes!"

Even without Xue Jie's request,

the mortar platoon commander gave the order, and they immediately unleashed suppressing fire against the Japanese artillery positions.

"Rumble~!"

Shell after shell exploded in rapid succession.

The Japanese gunners reacted with extreme swiftness.

Upon hearing the commotion, they abandoned their mortars at the very first moment,

prioritizing their own safety above all else.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Once the bombardment began, it naturally would not cease within a short time.

After confirming that the enemy artillery position was reduced to a complete mess,

the soldiers of the mortar platoon then proceeded to pour shells onto the reinforcing Japanese troops.

Whether artillerymen or infantrymen, everyone was treated to a taste of artillery shells!

The guiding principle was simply to share the wealth evenly.

While the 358th Regiment was engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese devils,

the Eighth Route Army had also initiated its planned ambush operation.

Under the command of Regiment Commander Cheng, the 772nd Regiment

occupied four elevated hillslopes, weaving them into a perfectly shaped pocket formation.

This was also the 772nd Regiment's very first battle since crossing the Yellow River eastward.

To ensure absolute safety and secure victory in this ambush,

he had mobilized as many as fifteen hundred troops.

The main forces of two infantry battalions were set in ambush.

However, since this was Regiment Commander Cheng's inaugural clash with the Japanese invaders, his experience could be considered somewhat lacking.

These Japanese devils had fought their way across thousands of miles.

Bearing the lingering scent of battle from both inside and outside the Shanhaiguan Pass, they possessed rich practical combat experience.

Their hands were stained with the blood of Chinese commoners; they were murderous, fierce, and brutally cruel.

Even these so-called transportation and logistics units possessed a combat effectiveness that could not be underestimated.

The Japanese invaders soon entered the ambush zone.

Although they had traversed this transportation route twice before without a single mishap,

they immediately dispatched reconnaissance troops toward the hills on both sides as a precautionary measure.

This placed the ambushing soldiers in a deeply agonizing dilemma.

If they opened fire now, less than a third of the Japanese devils were inside the ambush zone.

If they held their fire, the Japanese devils would discover the soldiers before long.

Regiment Commander Cheng signaled everyone to remain silent while he independently raised his binoculars to observe the Japanese marching formation and the distance between the enemy scouts and the ambush positions.

One hundred meters.

Eighty meters, fifty meters.

Regiment Commander Cheng drew the holster pistol strapped to his waist and pulled the trigger toward the sky.

A single gunshot served as the horn for battle.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat~!"

"Rat-tat~!"

"Bang~!"

"Ping~!"

"Clang-clang~! Clang-clang~!"

The sounds of gunfire and artillery erupted in unison, and the weapons wielded by the soldiers were eclectic and varied.

A portion of the soldiers still held matchlocks, bows and arrows, or even long spears in their hands.

At the very instant the battle commenced, about twenty to thirty out of the three hundred or so Japanese devils were instantly wiped out.

As light and heavy machine guns along with mortars opened fire,

the number of Japanese casualties steadily climbed with passing time.

Yet at the same time, the Japanese devils—possessing superb marksmanship, tacit coordination, and advanced combat discipline—demonstrated their advantages.

At a distance of two or three hundred meters, the Japanese hit rate could reach around thirty percent.

In contrast, the soldiers' hit rate was basically negligible.

With each volley fired, however many fell were counted as so many.

The primary lethality relied upon landmines buried along both sides of the road, mortars, and light and heavy machine guns.

The Eighth Route Army units of this era mostly possessed only these three basic tactics.

Once these three axes had been swung, the next step was to charge into hand-to-hand combat!

Seeing that his initial three-pronged assault had concluded, Regiment Commander Cheng immediately issued the order: "Sound the charge!"

"Yes!"

Toot-toot-toot-toot-toot~!

The resounding, crisp bugle call for the charge rang out, and the soldiers, under the cover of billowing smoke,

raised their broadswords, leveled their red-tasseled spears, and even clutched carrying poles and iron woks,

charging howling down the mountain toward the Japanese troops below.

The cries of battle shook the heavens.

Yet the Japanese devils continued in an orderly fashion to pull their bolts, reload, and fire,

withdrawing step by step while maintaining their fight...

This composed and unhurried demeanor filled Regiment Commander Cheng with profound astonishment.

"They always said the little Japanese had strong combat effectiveness, and now experiencing a clash firsthand, I truly feel it!"

As the soldiers surged forward in a charge, those Japanese devils ceased their retreat, clicked their safeties on,

and in groups of twos and threes, lowered their bayonets and advanced to meet them.

Regiment Commander Cheng raised his binoculars with an expression of eager anticipation: "When it comes to bayonet fighting, China is the ancestor of these little Japanese..."

A moment later,

Regiment Commander Cheng's expression darkened, his brows knitted tightly together.

He sensed that something was fundamentally wrong.

They always said that the Nationalist troops' bayonet techniques were derived from the Japanese devils' rifle-bayonet training...

How could there be such a vast disparity in bayonet techniques between the two sides?