The First Part of the National Martyr's Lonely City Blood War Chapter 14: The Crisis of High Ground 131

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  The victory at Kreyang Airport brought a bit of comfort to Dai Anlan. Last night at 20:00, the 600th Regiment, which was defending the east side of the railway, engaged in fierce combat with a unit of Japanese troops. The battle continued until dawn, and the strong firepower and repeated nighttime attacks by the Japanese troops put the defensive position of the 600th Regiment in a precarious situation for a time. The defending troops suffered heavy casualties, and Deputy Regimental Commander Zhang Hong and Political Director Xie Chenghui sacrificed themselves for the country. Chief of Staff Xu Hansheng was seriously injured.

  However, the overall situation was preserved, and a head-on blow was given to the invading Japanese army, which can be considered a draw. The ambush battle at Kengshan Airport unexpectedly achieved astonishing results, severely damaging the Japanese 143rd Regiment.

  At this moment, Dai Anrui was heartbroken and couldn't speak out. At the same time, he was shocked by the strong fighting power of the Japanese army, which had crippled one of his main infantry combat brigades in just one day and night. The brigade's main officers were either dead or wounded, and from the side, it could be seen how fierce last night's all-night battle was.

  Chief of Staff Zhou stared at the defense zone of the 600th Regiment on the sand table with a gloomy face, threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and said: "On the surface, it seems that the Japanese have suffered more casualties, but the Japanese army has control over the air and sea, making it easy to replenish. In contrast, our army is fighting in a distant place, and it's extremely difficult to replenish personnel and supplies. Taking all factors into account, I think yesterday's battle was just a draw."

  Dai Anrui picked up the binoculars and gazed out at the Japanese position, muttering to himself: "The Japanese have suffered heavy losses. With their rapid advance and taking such a big hit, they should be quiet for a few days."

  "As long as you hold out for seven days, I can bring up the new 22nd and 96th Divisions and other troops to not only lift the siege of Songgu but also turn around our current passive situation. You must hold out for seven days, this is not just a request, it's an order!" The words of Du Yuming echoed in Dai Anlan's ears as he departed.

  The telegram had already been drafted, with Song Yuanhang listed as the first. After reading the telegram, Dai Anlan thought for a moment and signed his name at the end of the telegram to indicate that he had reviewed the battle report.

  It is necessary to know that during the War of Resistance, there were frequent occurrences of exaggerated and false reports of battle results within the National Army. These incidents not only disrupted the commanders' thinking, causing them to make incorrect judgments, but also often shook their resolve.

  As the elite troops of the National Army, the 200th Division naturally disdained to do so. As the leader of the elite First Division, Dai Anlan was even more meticulous in verifying the results of each battle, signing his name on the battle report, which was actually a disguised form of recognition.

  In Dai Anrui's eyes, Song Yuanghai was becoming more and more like a professional soldier. He even saw many excellent qualities in Song Yuanghai. After considering how Song Yuanghai treated the Japanese prisoners twice, especially this time's 'barbecue feast', Song Yuanghai's cruel methods towards the Japanese made Dai Anrui feel shocked and suspicious, wondering if the Japanese owed the Song family some deep-seated grudge or a lot of money?

  "Send this telegram to the Garrison Command for General Song to review. If he has no issues, send it directly to the Military Department in Chongqing!" After giving the order, Dai Anla scratched his bald head and awkwardly adjusted his collar, focusing all his energy on the map and the analysis report sent by the Military Department.

  Soon, the news of annihilating the 143rd Division of the Japanese Army spread to all troops on the front line. Many troops temporarily decided to add a meat dish in the evening to reward themselves. Some people were delighted while others were worried!

  The 55th Division Headquarters of the Japanese Army was filled with gloom, but the division commander, Lieutenant General Takeuchi Hiroshi, had changed his usual strict demeanor and was wearing a casual Kyushu-made Kikusui fine-patterned uniform.

  The summoned subordinates were also bewildered, many mid-to-high-ranking military officers already knew about the disastrous defeat of the 143rd regiment last night. Due to the blockade of information, grassroots officers and soldiers were still unclear about the situation. Today, the division commander appeared wearing a kimono with a samurai sword? These abnormal actions made everyone present unsure of what to do.

  Soon, Takeuchi Hiroshi began to continuously arrange combat missions. For the combat missions arranged by the angry Division Commander, several Wing Commanders only had the privilege of listening with their ears down. The heavy casualties of the 143rd Wing not only put the 55th Division in a difficult position but also humiliated the Imperial Army.

  Everyone understands that this is the only chance for Takeuchi Hiro to regain his reputation. Takeuchi Hiro pressed the hilt of his sword and roared: "Within 72 hours, my military boots will enter Songgu City, otherwise all officers below the rank of regimental commander should disembowel themselves to thank the emperor."

  Although the officer below agreed verbally, he had already scolded all of Takeuchi Hiroshi's family, from top to bottom, for generations. The adventurous attack plan was formulated by you, Takeuchi Hiroshi, and executed by your trusted subordinate, Yokota. How can you return in defeat and want us to take the blame together? You are truly a notorious dog who eats shit with the wind.

  On the other hand, Lieutenant General Sai Kuminosuke, who was sitting next to him, didn't give Takeuchi Hiroshi any face. In his opinion, the Takeuchi family wasn't a historically prominent samurai family and couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as the Sai family. They were just opportunists who had taken advantage of the situation during the Meiji Restoration and attached themselves to the winners. By attending this meeting, he was already giving them face, so after letting out a big cough, he ignored Takeuchi Hiroshi's stunned expression, rubbed his nose, stood up, and walked away. As he reached the entrance of the tent, he said without looking back, "Just send the firepower support plan to my command room!"

  Facing the 158cm tall, arrogant dwarf wearing boots, Takeuchi Hiroshi's already not-so-clean face had turned dark red due to congestion. Without considering his own height of less than 160cm, Takeuchi Hiroshi fiercely attacked Nishikujou Mitsuru's family heritage and height, and reluctantly declared the meeting adjourned!

  After the meeting, Takeuchi Hiroshi was still muttering in discontent: "Who let this damn guy be named Nishikujou!"...

  Takeuchi Hiroshi fiercely swung his sleeve, he still had an ace up his sleeve that he hadn't used yet, originally thinking it wouldn't be needed, but unexpectedly it came to the point where he was forced to use it!

  The brigade commanders who were extremely disdainful of Takeuchi Hiroshi did not dare to underestimate him like Nishimura Sanji, and Takeuchi's attack orders and determination were conveyed to every soldier in the 55th Division within an hour.

  As for the combat content named 'Totsugeki' by the Division Commander, not many people know about it! The brigade commanders who were used to the Division Commander's explosive and whimsical ideas didn't ask much either. They knew that asking too many questions wasn't a good thing. If the plan succeeded, then it was fine, but if it failed, they would have to be brave enough to take responsibility for the failure.

  Just as Song Yuanhang was rejoicing over the annihilating blow he had dealt to the 143rd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army, history also brought about an unexpected major turn of events due to the flapping of a butterfly's wings.

  On the morning of March 26, at 5 o'clock, the Japanese 55th Division launched a fierce attack on the Kuyungkuan Airport and the position of the 600th Regiment on the east side of the railway under the cover of heavy artillery. Song Yuanhao resisted slightly before withdrawing his troops to Tongguan City according to plan.

  At noon, the Japanese army concentrated its firepower on the 600th regiment's position for more than two hours. Unfortunately, several heavy artillery shells accurately hit the command post of the 600th regiment, and the regiment commander Wu Jiuming, acting political director, and six staff members were killed simultaneously. Meanwhile, the deputy chief of staff Wei Maichi, who took over the command less than half an hour ago, was seriously injured in a bayonet fight with the Japanese army.

  Song Yuanhang was summoned by Dai Anrui to the headquarters of the 200th Division, and immediately felt an unusual sense of oppression, as if the air was about to condense. After understanding the situation, Song Yuanhang also fell into deep thought!

  Wu Jiuming's martyrdom was extremely unexpected, how could he have died like that? In Song Yuanhang's memory, Wu Jiuming had passed away at the age of 93 in Taiwan. Had history changed because of his own appearance?

  At this moment, Song Yuanhang faced the problem that the Japanese army had abandoned its attack on the 131 high ground east of Xitang River Bridge and instead concentrated its forces to launch a fierce attack on the defense zone of the 600th Regiment east of the railway. Such an abnormal tactical deployment, isn't the Japanese army afraid of being attacked from both sides?

  Suddenly, a bad idea flashed in Song Yuanghai's mind. Unless the Japanese army was not afraid of the pincer attack from 131 high ground, although they had occupied Krong Airport and completed the encirclement of Tonggu City, but breaking through the east side of the railway did not have much practical value for truly breaking through the defense circle of Tonggu City? Was it?

  "How many troops are defending here?" Song Yuanhang pressed his hand on the coordinates of a small town facing east to the railway on the eastern side of Height 131.

  Deputy Chief of Staff Zhou Zhi looked at the position pointed by Song Yuanhang: "That is a transit station for railway freight cars, on the flank of 131 high ground, with flat terrain and completely within the range of fire from 131 high ground. Moreover, there are also a platoon of guards and an anti-tank artillery squad stationed in the station."

  "Does the troop have a radio? How long has it been since we last contacted the division headquarters?" Song Yuanhang's question made Zhou Zhi pause for a moment, as this trivial matter was not something he would normally pay attention to as the chief of staff of the division.

  A lieutenant colonel with the surname Lin added, "There is no radio station, but there are two telephones! Commander Wang reports three times a day, morning, noon and night!"

  Song Yuanhang picked up the phone and asked after a pause: "Where is the battalion commander stationed? What's his name?"

  Lin Shangwei hastily replied: "It's Wang Minggui, a Northeasterner from Heilongjiang Province, and he's my fellow townsman!"

  Song Yuanhang picked up the phone and dialed the station, after waiting for almost a minute, someone finally answered. Song Yuanhang spoke in a familiar tone loudly: "What's going on! Why did you just answer the phone? I'm Ma Dapao from the instructor department guard battalion, a fellow townsman of your Battalion Commander Wang, let him come and answer the phone!"

  On the other end of the phone, there was a moment of hesitation before the person picked up. Song Yuanhang couldn't wait to scold him for not being righteous enough, saying that he had slept with a woman and then ran away, leaving him to foot the bill and so on!

  The other party surprisingly spoke with a Northeastern accent, accompanied by laughter, saying that after finishing off the devils, they would treat them to a meal. After chatting casually for a few sentences, Song Yuanhang hung up the phone, and Dai Anrui's face turned iron-gray. Everyone knew that there was no garrison commander surnamed Ma in the division headquarters, and it was absolutely forbidden for officers of the 200th Division to keep mistresses. The only possibility was that the station had already fallen.

  At the same time Song Yuanhang hung up the phone, in the control room of the station, a tall and fair-skinned National Army captain's smiling face suddenly turned into a sinister one. The National Army captain threw a blood-stained military ID on the table and said in Chinese: "Speed up preparations, we have been discovered!"

  "Ah!" A National Army lieutenant standing beside him stood at attention and replied!

  "Eighty!" Captain slapped Lieutenant's face and said: "You stupid pig, how many times have I told you to speak Mandarin!"

  The lieutenant who was beaten until he saw stars didn't dare to say a word and hastily retreated!

  The army captain adjusted his military cap in front of the small mirror in the room, and the only thing that made him dissatisfied was the too obvious bloodstain on his collar. He was Ryūsei Ichimale, the only member of the Ryūsei family who had attended a military academy and later went to Germany to study highly classified special warfare techniques. After returning home, he combined the ninja techniques passed down by his family with practical combat, achieving unexpectedly good results.

  Yagyu Kazuo and his detachment broke through the command center of the 87th Division during the Battle of Shanghai, creating an effective breakthrough for the main force of the Japanese army. After that, most members were sent separately to various war zones on the Chinese battlefield to guide troops on how to conduct mountain warfare and counter-guerrilla warfare.

  Most of the people who followed Yagyu Ichizoku to Burma this time were new members recruited after 1939, and the headquarters sent them to Burma with a strong desire to make achievements.

  But Song Yuanhang did not expect that he would actually encounter the so-called 1942 special soldier...