Chapter 7: Waltz of Death (Part 2)
At the time when Cheng Jiaji was worried about the reward money to be given to his subordinates, the Japanese army had already rushed to the front of the Chinese army's position. This made Cheng Jiaji realize that he might have thought too far ahead, and even if those guys were able to kill the Japanese, they themselves might not survive the battle. It seemed that there wouldn't be many lucky ones who could receive the reward money. It looked like he wouldn't go bankrupt because of this small matter.
At this time, Cheng Jiaji had already retreated to the third trench under the protection of Ma Sanbao and several others, which was relatively safer compared to the first trench. After all, no one required Cheng Jiaji to lead the charge against the Japanese bayonet attack. As the highest commander on the battlefield, as long as he could stay within the range of the Japanese machine guns, he would be considered a good officer who led by example in everyone's eyes.
In fact, no matter which country's army it was, they wouldn't use the standard of a soldier to measure a lieutenant colonel field commander. No modern military strategist would require a lieutenant colonel to stay on the front line with ordinary soldiers amidst gunfire and bullets.
Within eighty meters of the firing line, Cheng Jiaji could clearly see the face of each little devil who came up without using binoculars.
It must be said that the Japanese have paid a huge price, and more than 300 people in two battalions have not yet reached the front line of the Chinese army, with more than 60 or 70 people falling on the way. Most of them were killed by the Chinese army's electric-controlled landmines and mortars, which means that Japan has already paid a heavy price before formally contacting the Chinese army.
This situation is not common on the current Tianpu Road battlefield. Generally, the Japanese would first use heavy artillery and aircraft to thoroughly destroy the Chinese army's position before launching an attack. The little devils were also afraid of death when they had superior firepower. However, the situation at Dawangzhuang was somewhat different. Because it was nighttime, the Japanese could not call in air support, and since it was a light infantry raid, they couldn't bring heavy artillery. Therefore, the Japanese couldn't gain an absolute advantage in firepower and could only rely on their superior artillery quality to fight a stalemate against the Chinese army, which had the geographical advantage but was slightly outnumbered. However, at this time, the combat power of the Japanese army was indeed strong and somewhat unreasonable. Within 15 minutes, the Chinese army's position was thrown into disarray by the Japanese fierce tactical movements and accurate shooting.
Cheng Jiaji watched the two companies of Chinese troops on the front line, who had been battered by Japanese artillery and landmines, yet still managed to hold their ground against the Japanese troops. As a staunch anti-Japanese nationalist, he couldn't help but admire the fighting strength of the Japanese army. It was worth noting that despite being outnumbered, the two Chinese companies, which were already half-mechanized, had an advantage in firepower over the attacking Japanese forces. Although both sides had similar numbers, the Japanese troops, as the attackers, managed to gain the upper hand against the Chinese troops, who held a defensive position with geographical advantages. The Chinese troops suffered significant losses in the exchange of fire.
It seems that the current situation is unbearable for Cheng Jiaji, and this is only a close-range confrontation. If the little devils get closer and engage in hand-to-hand combat, the Chinese army's line of defense will likely collapse on the spot. Although during the training days in Xuzhou, Cheng Jiaji specially took out three days to teach soldiers how to grasp the timing of shooting while fighting with bayonets, he understands that it is impossible to rely on those few days of emergency training to make up for the difference in close combat skills between the Chinese and Japanese armies. The most that this training can do is to narrow the gap in close combat skills by using methods that the Japanese consider unorthodox. However, once his troops truly engage in bayonet combat with the little devils, not to mention other factors, the length difference between the domestically produced rifles and the Japanese-made Type 38 Arisaka rifle alone would be enough to offset the effectiveness of the Chinese army's tactic of shooting during close combat. Moreover, the training methods used by the Japanese military are notoriously brutal, with new recruits being trained on live targets.
Cheng Jiaji had thought of organizing a team of soldiers skilled in martial arts to fight against the Japanese army, but when he was eager to build such a special forces unit, he found that even in this era where cold weapons had just left the battlefield, it was not easy to find people who knew some real kung fu. Those who were everywhere were mostly useless, and most of the so-called martial arts masters performed worse on the battlefield than the veterans' routines.
It's really the more you worry about something, the more it comes. Just as Cheng Jiaji was worried about the upcoming white blade battle in his heart, the little devils had already started fighting with Cheng Jiaji's subordinates in several sections almost simultaneously. The Japanese bayonet charge made the front line of the Chinese army guarding the village not very stable, although it had not yet reached the point of collapse, but in some places, the little devils had already broken through the Chinese army's defense line and developed to both sides. Cheng Jiaji knew that if he let the Japanese be so arrogant, this front village would probably be finished before Yu Juncai's reinforcements arrived.
After thinking that his own troops had fallen, Japan would inevitably attack the third army corps with only a few soldiers left. The plan to ambush and block the enemy at Zhuangkou was really an empty promise.
Thinking of the consequences of this war's failure, Cheng Jiaji, who had always been extremely concerned about his own safety, felt that he now only had to fight with all his might.
"Brothers and devils are fighting." Although he was very scared in his heart, and his legs were tense with cramps, Cheng Jiaji understood what he was doing. He had to hold on until the reinforcements sent by Yu Juncai arrived, otherwise the Japanese army would break into the village, and the consequences would be unbearable for a small colonel like him. If they lost this battle, even if he didn't die on the battlefield, he would definitely be executed by military law. Now it was just a matter of fighting with all his might. With this thought in mind, Cheng Jiaji took up a 20-round shotgun and charged directly into the area where the Japanese army had gained the upper hand and was about to successfully split the Chinese army's lines, under the protection of Ma Sanbao and several other guards. At this moment, Cheng Jiaji understood that heroes are all forced out.
At the same time, when two regiments of the Chinese army in front of Zhuangzhuangkou were desperately resisting the Japanese army's crazy offensive, those high-ranking generals who had woken up from an unbelievable shock were tense analyzing the battle situation of Dawangzhuang in Cheng Jiaji's temporary brigade headquarters.
