Chapter 43: Bloody Battle at Liu Jipao 2 Merry Christmas to everyone

  Lieutenant Colonel Miyano received the order from Lieutenant General Higuchi, ordering the entire regiment to fix bayonets and fight to the death without retreating from the lost positions. The Miyano Regiment was a reinforced regiment with over 1,600 men. Except for the casualties of the past two days, there were nearly 1,300 men left in the Miyano Regiment. Under Lieutenant Colonel Miyano's leadership, 1,300 men launched an attack on the Chinese defensive position.

  At this time, more than three hours had passed, and Lai San had already received Zhang Mingyu's order to bring the second team to arrive, and Wang Mingchang, the commander of the 122nd Division, also sent a reinforcement battalion. With the arrival of these two battalions, the Independent Regiment has surpassed the Miyano detachment in terms of troops, and the strength of both sides has changed.

  With more than 3,000 troops in his hands, Zhang Mingyu even had the confidence to compete with Liujipu and Xigou Branch in a high-profile manner. As long as the Liujipu position is not lost, the Japanese army will not be able to attack Tong County. Tong County is worry-free, General Li Zongren can have more sufficient time to deploy troops to annihilate the devils on a larger scale in Taierzhuang.

  The Liujipao position was divided into two slopes, front and back. Zhang Mingyu deployed the two battalions brought by Lai San in the first line of troops on the front slope, while Liu Zhihui and the newly added Sichuan army battalion were deployed in the second line of defense on the back slope. The cavalry regiment was stationed at the outermost alert perimeter, serving as a reserve force.

  Zhang Mingyu was deploying light and heavy machine gun firepower, directing soldiers to build fortifications, deploy troops and firepower. Liu Zhihui and another Sichuan army regimental commander named Liu Tianjie came to find Zhang Mingyu. They were old acquaintances from the same village. Liu Zhihui spoke first: "Commander Zhang, I know our Sichuan army is poorly equipped and has low firepower, but everyone knows that the enemy's attack will be even more fierce next time. You are willing to put your own troops in the front line, but you don't want us to be cannon fodder. Just for this, I Liu Zhihui admire you very much. However, our Sichuan army has never been ambiguous when fighting against the devils. The brothers under my command have requested to be transferred to the front line to fight a decisive battle with the little devils. Please fulfill their wish, Commander Zhang."

  "Yes, General Zhang has a broad mind and a kind heart. I, Liu Tianjie, admire him from the bottom of my heart. If it were other Central Army generals, they would have let us become cannon fodder for the enemy long ago. General Zhang is magnanimous and righteous, we Sichuan troops are eternally grateful. However, please allow me to lead my brothers to guard the front, while you, General Zhang, lead your troops to guard the rear, and after we've finished fighting, you can come up." Liu Tianjie also said excitedly.

  Zhang Mingyu burst out laughing and said, "I understand the intentions of both brothers. Just because I let you two stay in the back doesn't mean I won't let you kill the devils. You should rest well, the real fierce battle is yet to come, and everyone will have to go up! You two are my reserve team, waiting for my command at any time!"

  Liu Zhihui and Liu Tianjie stood at attention: "Yes!"

  Looking at the back of Liu Tianjie and Liu Zhihui, Zhang Mingyu said softly: "Ah! Think about it, more than 100,000 Sichuan troops marched out of Sichuan with great fanfare, originally intending to kill enemies and serve the country. However, after leaving Sichuan, they suffered a miserable fate. The death of General Liu Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Sichuan Army, left the army without a leader, and they were oppressed and excluded everywhere. The large army of over 100,000 was disbanded, used as cannon fodder, and looked down upon by friendly forces, and so on, receiving unfair treatment. However, these did not extinguish the passion of these Sichuan soldiers to kill enemies and serve the country. With simple equipment, they relied on their enthusiasm and fought a desperate battle with the Japanese invaders on the battlefield, sacrificing their lives and shedding blood.

  The Battle of Songhu Yang Sen led the 43rd Army's 26th Division, with a total of 12,000 men, rushed to join the battle and replaced the heavily damaged Central Army's 36th Division. After seven days and nights of bloody battles with the Japanese army, the 26th Division suffered heavy casualties, with more than half of its men lost. The division was left with less than 5,000 men. In the seven-day-and-night battle against the Japanese invaders, the brave Sichuan soldiers fought fiercely with their simple equipment against the heavily armed Japanese army.

  General Liu Xiang once said a sentence that touched the autumn wind deeply. "Resist to the end, never give up, as long as the enemy does not withdraw from the country, the Sichuan army will not return home!" During the eight years of resistance, the people of Sichuan continuously transported more than 3 million strong men to the front line to supplement the troops. Among them, more than 600,000 were injured or killed. How many parents in Shu relied on standing at the door and looking into the distance, waiting for their sons or husbands to return home triumphantly? But what they waited for was disappointment and loneliness...

  At this time, the 5th Division of Lieutenant General Hiroshi Takeuchi encountered strong resistance from Chinese troops in Linfen and was repulsed.

  Zhang Mingyu deployed a sentinel position about 100 meters in front of the position, and there was a communication trench connecting the sentinel position and the main position behind. Soon, the soldiers responsible for sentry duty at the sentinel position discovered the enemy's attacking troops and sent signals to the rear position. The warriors rushed into the position one after another.

  At this time, several crimson fireballs appeared in the sky, and the experienced old soldiers shouted: "Quickly get down, those are the devils' shells!" As soon as the words fell, the devils' shells whizzed towards the position.

  Boom! Boom! The enemy's 92-type infantry cannon shells exploded on the ground, blasting two soldiers who were crouching on the ground into the sky. The enemy's cannon fire continued, and the entire position was deafening with the sound of cannons, smoke filling the air. These old soldiers hugged their heads and lay motionless on the ground, while some new recruits were so scared that their legs were trembling, not knowing what to do. Finally, unable to withstand the enormous psychological pressure, they started running wildly in the communication trench. An old soldier grabbed them and pulled them down to the ground, pressing them down.

  The enemy's artillery fire lasted for over ten minutes before stopping, after all the enemy was short of resources and couldn't afford a big fight, limited shells had to be used sparingly, if they were all fired at once, how would the subsequent battles be fought?

  A veteran pulled up a new recruit who was still trembling with fear, looked at his pale and trembling mouth, and said with a smile: "New recruits are afraid of guns, old recruits are afraid of trumpets. The devil's shells have no eyes, as long as you don't run around, they won't explode on you! Look at you, scared like a turtle bastard!"

  The new recruit asked: "Big brother, why are old soldiers afraid of trumpets?"

  The old soldier laughed and said, "Because once the bugle sounds, it's time to charge, no matter how fierce the enemy fire is. You have to rush forward, even if you know it's a dead end, you still have to rush up. Alright, as soon as the cannon fire stops, those little devils will be coming up, get ready for battle!"

  The old soldier had just finished speaking, when a company commander ordered: "All equipment ready for battle, the little devils are coming up! Who has hand grenades prepared? Wait until they get close and then throw them! And you, Second Dog, have you prepared the cooling water for the heavy machine gun? Don't make me come over there and pee on it when it gets hot again!"

  "Company Commander, don't worry, the grenade brothers have all removed their pins, and we'll make sure those little devils get a whole potful." said one of the grenadiers.

  "Yes, this time I've prepared plenty of water for the machine gun, no need to use urine anymore." The heavy machine gunner said.

  Lian Chang said: "That's good, don't get burned by the barrel when you're not enough to pull out your stuff and pee."

  Everyone burst out laughing. At this time, a soldier in charge of sentry duty shouted loudly: "Company Commander, the devils are coming!"

  The company commander drew his pistol and said seriously: "Brothers, prepare for battle!"

  The warriors pulled the bolt of their guns one after another, and the muzzles were placed on the fortifications. Hand grenades were placed beside them. The devils held 38 rifles with bayonets, getting closer and closer, and the warriors could almost see the reflection on the devils' bayonets.

  At this time a Japanese sergeant waved the Rising Sun flag and shouted: "Kill! Charge!" The devils suddenly accelerated towards the array, charging over.