diymy Chapter 285 The Counterattack Begins, Xu Jin's Tank Charges Amidst the Barrage of Comments
Chapter 285 The Counterattack Begins, Xu Jin's Tank Charges Amidst the Barrage of Comments
Even so, Watanabe no Tsuna and Matsuura Junrokuro remained fully confident.
In terms of troop strength, the 11th Army has suffered more than a quarter of its casualties in the past two days.
In contrast, the morale of ordinary Nationalist troops tends to collapse after suffering more than one-third casualties.
Once more than half of them are defeated, they basically lose their fighting ability and become like a pile of loose sand.
Therefore, they felt that if they held on for a few more days, the 11th Army would not be able to hold out.
Minshan Township, the main battlefield, has become the focus of attention for both sides, like a magnet.
That evening, Li Jianghe's Third Column launched another counterattack, with gunfire deafening.
But as expected, it failed, like waves crashing against rocks and shattering into powder.
At the same time, the Japanese army also transferred the tank company of the 106th Division.
Joining this defensive counterattack, the armored torrent surged forward in the darkness.
Along the way, one can see a large number of "corpses" left behind on the front lines by the Third Column.
They were lying haphazardly, some face down, some face up; the scene was horrific.
In fact, most of those corpses were Japanese soldiers transported there overnight by the 11th Army.
Others were Japanese corpses recovered by the Third Column and reused.
After two days of fierce fighting, the northern defense line of Minshan Township completely collapsed, like a river dam bursting.
The main force of the Japanese Third Division gradually concentrated in this area, forming a dense, dark mass.
They launched a general attack on Minshan Township, which had been bombed into ruins, with artillery fire raging everywhere.
This fierce street battle lasted from night to day, and then from day to night again.
It wasn't until noon on the third day that the last batch of soldiers from the Third Column who were guarding the town fled in panic.
Compared to the previous battles in Huangkan Village, the fighting in the Minshan Township area lasted much longer.
The intensity was even greater, with shells raining down almost non-stop.
The Japanese army used more than two hundred artillery pieces over three days.
At least 20,000 shells were fired, and the cannon barrels were glowing red-hot.
They also dropped more than three thousand aerial bombs, turning the entire Minshan Township into a lunar landscape.
Two infantry regiments of the 3rd Division were decimated, with the camps filled with wounded and their cries of agony echoing throughout.
If it weren't for the urgent reinforcements from the rear, these two regiments would have had to temporarily withdraw from the battle.
In order to enable the strongholds and defensive positions built by the 3rd Division on the flanks to play a role.
Li Jianghe even thoughtfully dispatched small groups of troops to launch some surprise attacks from the flanks.
These attacks, though seemingly fierce, were all "repelled" by Japanese firepower.
Inside Okamura Yasuji's command post, upon seeing the news that Minayama Township had been completely captured, a completely relaxed smile finally appeared on his face.
That smile was like a blooming flower that could never close.
"Although this lasted longer, our army also suffered considerable losses," he said slowly.
"We've finally cornered the Third Column; victory is in sight."
As he spoke, he pointed to Ma Huiling Town on the map, his eyes sharp.
"Currently, the armored units of the Third Column have been basically forced into this area."
"Our main force is now ready to annihilate them all; everything is in place."
Kawabe Torashiro added cautiously, his brow furrowed slightly.
"The only drawback is that the 7th and 106th Divisions have not yet broken through the enemy's defenses at Wutai Ridge."
Okamura Neiji chuckled and waved his hand, appearing confident.
"It's not a big problem. With the supplies airdropped, our troops in the Wutai Ridge area can hold out for another four or five days."
"The remaining four or five days are enough for us to completely wipe out the remnants of the Third Column in the vicinity of Ma Huiling Town."
As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the setting sun outside.
The setting sun, like a red-hot iron, slowly sank below the horizon, and night was about to fall.
"Send a telegram to the front-line troops: launch a general offensive against the enemy at 8:00 AM tomorrow."
"We must completely annihilate this enemy force in the shortest possible time, leaving no one alive."
As Okamura Neiji said this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Inside the headquarters of Li Jianghe's Third Column, Zhang Kewei, the commander of the 521st Regiment, the support force dispatched by Xue Yue, stood in front of Li Jianghe.
He stood ramrod straight, saluted, and said in a loud voice, "My unit has been ordered to come and support your unit!"
As he said this, he subconsciously glanced at the map hanging on the wall.
The above shows that even Minshan Township has fallen into the hands of the Japanese army, and Li Jianghe's Third Column has been driven into a desperate situation.
Zhang Kewei was secretly surprised, because when he set off, a large area in the northern part of Minshan Township was still under the control of the Third Column.
In just three short days, the entire Minshan Township was lost; the speed was simply too fast.
No wonder Commander Xue ordered him to rush to the rescue; it was extremely urgent.
Li Jianghe was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xue Yue to send people to his aid.
"Hmm, not bad," he nodded to himself, which showed that the Third Column's performance was quite impressive.
They not only fooled the Japanese army, but also the Wuhan headquarters, Xue Yue, and even Chen Cheng.
Even their own people were completely fooled, let alone the Japanese devils.
Another point is that although Commander Xue was deceived, he is a good person. He was already short of troops, but he still managed to scrape together a regiment to support him.
In this respect, it is far superior to the electric shock king, Tang Enbo.
Li Jianghe smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of mystery.
"Perfect timing, our army is about to launch a general offensive against the Japanese army tonight."
"Your esteemed entourage has come from afar, which is perfect for enjoying a good show. Your trip will not be in vain."
These words left Zhang Kewei completely bewildered, as if he had fallen into a fog.
He looked at the map, then at Li Jianghe, his face filled with confusion.
"Sir, if the map markings are correct, the Japanese army should be launching a general offensive..."
His voice grew softer and softer, as if he were talking to himself.
Long Wenzhang said with a smile, his tone somewhat teasing.
"Commander Zhang, our corps commander said we're going to launch a general offensive, and that's definitely going to happen. Don't worry."
"We are very grateful that you came; we appreciate your kind gesture."
"But your department certainly can't be of much help with a counterattack of this scale."
Li Jianghe then stepped forward and patted Zhang Kewei on the shoulder, as if patting an old friend.
"Commander Zhang, if you don't mind, how about we wait in the operations room tonight for our good news from the front?"
He didn't mind passing on the news of the victory to Xue Yue and Chen Cheng through Zhang Kewei.
Let those who are anxious and worried in the rear be happy too, so they don't have to send telegrams to urge them every day.
Zhang Kewei was still completely baffled, his mind a complete mess. Welcome to a vast collection of novels for you to explore!
I wondered if Commander Li had suffered some kind of shock and couldn't accept his defeat, and was starting to talk nonsense.
Or was everything before just a lie, an act?
Li Jianghe was constantly luring the enemy deep into his trap, leading the Japanese army step by step into it.
A counter-offensive? Wipe out an entire Japanese division, plus two heavy artillery regiments? This…
Zhang Kewei found it unbelievable; it was beyond his comprehension.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.
Li Jianghe turned around, walked back to the map, and his gaze fell on the densely marked area.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a dull sound.
"Notify all units to launch the general offensive at 12:00 AM sharp, as originally planned."
Long Wenzhang, Yang Ruifu, Wang Chengzhu, and the others responded in unison, "Yes!"
The sound echoed in the command center, carrying a long-suppressed excitement.
Standing to the side, Zhang Kewei looked at the expressions of these people and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
Perhaps what Commander Li said is true?
Perhaps, tonight there really will be a good show to watch?
In Minshan Township, the Japanese 3rd Division's frontal position, as in the previous days, they deployed anti-tank artillery at the front line.
The barrels of those 37mm anti-tank guns gleamed coldly in the moonlight, like rows of slender needles waiting to pierce the armor.
The Japanese soldiers had become accustomed to this rhythm—bombarding during the day, defending at night, and fighting back when the enemy came.
But how could they know that this time the situation was very different, like the calm before the storm?
South of Minshan Township, the dark night was like a huge curtain, completely obscuring the tank formation of the Third Column.
The engine's roar was deliberately suppressed, and the exhaust pipe was covered with sheet metal. Only the tracks made a faint rustling sound as they rolled over gravel.
This time, they gathered more than a hundred tracked armored vehicles of various models, which were densely arranged on the departure position.
From the air, they look like a group of steel behemoths lying in the grass, their eyes gleaming with a dark light.
Meanwhile, in the mountains and forests on both sides of Huangkan Village, a large number of tanks were ready to charge.
Amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, the outline of the armored vehicle was faintly visible, with its cannon barrel protruding from the branches like a cheetah's whiskers.
This unit, led by Long Wenzhang, is the core of the guard detachment and also the sharpest knife in Li Jianghe's hands.
On the artillery positions behind, various types of cannons were neatly arranged, their barrels pointing towards the night sky, like a steel forest.
From 75mm field guns to 105mm howitzers, the calibers differed, but the target was the same—the Japanese positions in Minshan Township.
Wang Chengzhu, the commander of the artillery detachment, stood on a high ground, holding a pocket watch in his hand and staring intently at the dial.
The second hand ticked away, each tick feeling like a hammer blow to his heart.
When the minute hand finally reached exactly twelve o'clock, Wang Chengzhu suddenly raised his arm high, took a deep breath, and then roared.
"Fire!!!"
These three words exploded in the night sky like thunder, spreading throughout the entire artillery position.
The moment the words fell, hundreds of cannons of various types roared simultaneously, flames shooting out from their muzzles.
Even the 88mm anti-aircraft guns used for air defense were laid flat and joined the ranks of ground bombardment.
In that instant, the entire artillery position resembled an erupting volcano, with the ground trembling violently.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! Rumble!!!"
The shells ripped through the night sky with a piercing whistle, like a flock of angry crows swooping down on their prey.
Seconds later, the first batch of shells hit the Japanese positions with a deafening roar.
The explosions burst into flames one after another in the darkness, turning half the sky a dark red.
The Japanese soldiers on the position were no strangers to the artillery fire from the Third Column, after all, the enemy had been doing the same thing for the past few days.
But this time, they almost immediately sensed something completely different from before.
The shelling density was wrong—it was too intense, like a downpour, with almost no gaps.
The shells were hitting the wrong spots—they seemed to have eyes, deliberately aiming at the places where they were hiding.
Those anti-tank gun positions deployed in front of the positions were the main targets of "care".
Without any sturdy fortifications built in advance, those 37mm guns were simply placed on the flat ground, like paper umbrellas exposed to a downpour.
With each shelling, several anti-tank guns were blown off their crews, with parts and pieces of flesh flying into the air.
The enemy had bombarded their artillery positions before, but the attack was not very effective, usually only clearing out about a third of them.
But this time it was completely different. Not only was the density of artillery fire higher, but the accuracy was also improved by more than one level.
Some veterans even felt that it wasn't like being shelled, but rather like being precisely cut by a giant scalpel.
As the artillery roared, hundreds of armored vehicles started their engines, baring their sharp fangs.
The roar of the engines merged into one, like a group of ancient beasts awakening from their slumber and rushing towards the Japanese positions.
These armored vehicles varied in model and firepower configuration. Some were equipped with 20mm autocannons with a high rate of fire and low trajectory, specifically designed to deal with Japanese infantry and light bunkers.
Some were equipped with 37mm direct-fire cannons, which had strong armor-piercing capabilities.
Others are equipped with 75mm short-barreled cannons with curved trajectories, suitable for striking firing positions hidden behind reverse slopes.
Not to mention the Puma armored vehicles equipped with 50mm long-barreled cannons, whose shells are fast and accurate.
Both the Type 251 armored tracked vehicle and the M3 armored tracked vehicle played their respective roles in this offensive.
The larger, more heavily armed, and thicker armored Puma armored vehicle charged ahead, like the alpha wolf in a pack.
They carried suffocating dust and sluggish smoke, with mud and gravel kicked up by their tracks flying into the air like a moving wall of earth.
The Japanese soldiers on the position were huddled in the artillery shelters, waiting for the shelling to end.
They knew that, based on past experience, once the shelling stopped, the enemy's tank formations would rush to the position within three minutes.
This is an extremely powerful artillery coordination, with timing accurate to the second, as precise as a clock.
This time, however, they waited a long time for the shelling to end.
The sounds of cannons outside were like endless waves, one after another, each higher than the last.
"Xu Jin's barrage!!!!" Wang Chengzhu shouted from the artillery position, his voice hoarse but full of power.
All the cannons immediately began adjusting their firing parameters, and the gunners quickly turned the azimuth and elevation wheels.
The shells began to land forward, hitting the advancing troops precisely 300 meters ahead.
Three hundred meters might take infantrymen a while to run, giving the Japanese some time to react and organize.
But for armored forces, it's just a short distance, a matter of a dozen seconds.