Chapter 72: Delivering the Cavalrymen Right to Their Doorstep

  The east is about to dawn, and the thin morning glow breaks through the dark night, and the dawn arrives.

  The intense battle that lasted all night finally subsided, the sound of gunfire and cannons grew sparse, the burning flames had dimmed, leaving only residual smoke lingering in the air, with sporadic shots ringing out from time to time as soldiers cleared out remaining enemies.

  Bodies clad in khaki uniforms littered the valley floor, with limbs and fragments scattered everywhere. The tanks and armored vehicles that had rampaged through the area the previous night were now nothing but burnt-out hulks, emitting a dull, ugly glow in the morning light. The snow that had once covered the valley was gone, replaced by rocks and black earth churned up by explosions, all stained with dark red bloodstains.

  The encircled Ganosaki punitive force and Liu Yanwang's 7th Regiment were thoroughly battered, a night of fierce firepower and saturation bombing, more than 3,000 soldiers will not see today's sun.

  Tang Qiuli noticed that in a corner of the valley, there were several natural hiding places where the enemy's gunfire was most intense, and they still had nearly a thousand troops.

  The battle is already a foregone conclusion, the complete defeat of the devils is only a matter of time, what's left is how to eliminate the remaining devilish remnants with minimal casualties.

  The sun has risen, and the brilliant rays of light illuminate the earth. The warriors who have been through a fierce battle overnight are still full of energy and show no signs of fatigue. The joy of victory fills their hearts.

  Basking in the warm sunshine, taking a deep breath of the sweet air filled with gunpowder, Tang Qiuli reminded the commanders of each battalion not to be careless, after a night of fighting, the ammunition of each unit had been almost consumed. He ordered Zhou Yushan to immediately replenish the ammunition for each unit, and there would be another fierce battle soon.

  The devils are not willing to be annihilated like this, a desperate beast will still fight, and a dying dog will jump over the wall. How can it be that these wolves won't bite back? The commanders of various brigades requested to go down the mountain to eliminate the remaining devils. Tang Qiuli severely criticized these officers, saying that after fighting to this point, using a few cannonballs and bullets to exchange for the lives of soldiers is not a worthwhile deal!

  He strictly ordered Li Honggang, Su Jingfeng and Han Tie that without his order, the troops were absolutely not allowed to launch a surprise attack, and those who violated this would be severely punished!

  It's already past 7 o'clock in the morning, by rights, the devils should have organized a breakout and left this place with complex terrain which is their hiding spot, this is the last chance to eliminate the remaining devils, but why are they still not making any moves?

  Tang Qiu suddenly thought of a problem, the devils were waiting for reinforcements, that was certain, but the reinforcements were too far away, so what was he doing just waiting like this? No, Okazaki must be waiting for planes, to break through under the cover of planes and meet up with the devils' reinforcements! How cunning!

  He immediately ordered Su Jingfeng and Han Tie on the high ground on both sides to organize anti-aircraft firepower, with one heavy machine gun paired with three light machine guns, forming a plum blossom formation at the commanding heights. He also specifically instructed the key points of attacking the enemy planes, which must be opened fire before the enemy plane dives and drops bombs, concentrating all firepower to attack one plane, bringing it down, and then attacking another plane. It is absolutely not allowed to open fire as soon as you see the shadow of an enemy plane!

  Gangzaki, surrounded by the encirclement, was anxious and restless. After a night's effort, his thick beard covered his gold-toothed mouth, and his small eyes gleamed with ferocity. His arm was bandaged, and his face was blackened by gunpowder smoke, making him look like a little devil. The once-majestic Japanese army uniform now looked like a beggar's attire. The dignity of the Imperial Japanese Army had long been blown back to Japan by the Chinese people's artillery fire.

  He had always had a doubt in his mind, where did these armed men come from? They actually have such fierce firepower and excellent equipment. There shouldn't be any Chinese troops in Manchuria, right?

  No matter how he made a fuss, the reality is that last night, when they were first surrounded, Okazaki was not panicked. With his 1,700 brave and fierce Imperial Army soldiers, plus Liu Sang's elite troops, it would be easy to defeat the Chinese ambush. He even personally beheaded the platoon leader who had escaped with his life, responsible for guarding the artillery unit and logistics supplies, shouting "You should die for losing the Imperial Army's supplies!"

  After beheading the little team leader, he held the command knife that was still dripping with blood and directed the soldiers to launch an attack. He himself couldn't remember how many times they attacked, except for being hit by a dense rain of bullets, hand grenades, and cannonballs, nothing else was gained. Instead, on the road of attack, there were pieces of soldier corpses left behind. After tossing and turning for half the night, every attack by the Imperial Army ended in bloodshed, only then did he realize the severity of the situation. These Chinese people were not the Red Beards or the Anti-Japanese League troops, they didn't have such excellent equipment, cannonballs were being thrown down like they were worthless.

  He immediately contacted his superior, the division commander stationed in Tonghua City, to request support. However, he also knew that distant water cannot quench present thirst, and reinforcements would not arrive overnight or within half a day. He gritted his teeth and contacted the Kwantung Army Aviation Headquarters, requesting tactical guidance. This was just a euphemism; in reality, it meant: "Brother, you have quick legs, please help your fellow countryman out of sympathy, or my life will be over!" As everyone knows, the relationship between the Japanese air force and army is not very good, they often quarrel with each other. If there was even a slight disagreement, Okazaki wouldn't dare open his mouth!

  Not bad, the devil's air force commander is quite righteous, on the radio, he scolded Okazaki in a mixed tone, coldly ridiculing and belittling the army's abilities to the extreme. Okazaki didn't dare to retort, could only continuously say "Hai, hai", after getting over his mouth habit, finally agreed to send planes to cover him for a breakout at dawn.

  Gao Zhi's heart was burning with anger, feeling suffocated and on the verge of collapse. Looking around at the remaining 800 or so people, each one looked like a small ghost, hanging their heads in despair, devoid of any fighting spirit. That loyal running dog of the Imperial Army, Liu Sang, had half his ear blown off by shrapnel, and his head was wrapped in bandages, looking like a giant steamed bun, lying there groaning.

  He cast a contemptuous glance at Liu Yanwang, Manchu people, warriors are not! All of them are useless!

  To coordinate with the air force, he hysterically made a pre-war mobilization for the devils and national soldiers. The general idea was that you are all brave warriors of the Emperor and the Emperor Kangde, small setbacks cannot make you lose confidence, the imperial army's planes will arrive soon, now is the time for you to serve the Emperor and the Emperor Kangde, take out your courage, follow me, and defeat the enemy! This guy, Okazaki, was gesticulating wildly, spitting stars, and speaking emotionally, squeezing out a few tears at the moving parts, his expression was as generous as possible.

  This effort, Okazaki has changed his profession to sell dog skin plasters. Don't mention it, after being encouraged by Okazaki, the little devil's confidence was restored again, and even those national soldiers followed suit. These national soldiers themselves knew that they had committed many sins on their compatriots, and if caught, there would be no good outcome, so they might as well fight to the death, perhaps they could escape with their lives, and the heavenly days were not yet over!

  The remaining devils and national soldiers, like they had been injected with chicken blood, were yelling and shouting like mad dogs, throwing away their cotton clothes, tying sanitary napkins around their heads, revealing a fierce glow in their eyes, waiting for Okazaki's order to go out and fight to the death. Okazaki was very satisfied with this effect, he pulled Liu Yanwang aside, and the two of them retreated to the back of the troops. Liu Yanwang immediately understood what was going on, and emotionally bowed to Okazaki several times, looking at him with an expression that seemed like if there was a tail behind his butt, it would have wagged off!

  The weather is fine, with a clear sky and endless miles of sunshine, making it an ideal day for flying.

  The squadron leader, Lieutenant Ichiro Kameyama, flew his bomber in a leisurely manner towards the direction of Hongshiyingzi, chatting incessantly with his wingman, "Kunimi, after we return, you have to treat me to a drink. How was the taste of that Manchurian female student I introduced you to last night?"

  That Miyagi kept thanking him, still babbling away, as if savoring the thrill of last night. Not only did he offer to buy Kameda a drink, but also promised to join him in enjoying that Manchurian girl tonight, for a double flight. The lustful Kameda's thing was itching with desire, and he couldn't wait to fly back immediately.

  A formation of four enemy planes flew quickly to the airspace above Hongshiwa, and the first plane dived down after pressing its nose. The three planes behind it also came down. Kameyama could clearly see the Chinese people and infantry guns on the ground below, which was the target here.

  Kameida licked his lips, grinning wickedly as he aimed at the artillery position, diving down with a loud roar. His wingman followed close behind, while two other enemy planes dived towards the opposite position. To Kameida, this bombing mission was easier than a Sunday stroll. The skies of Manchuria belonged to the Imperial Japanese Air Force, and he took great pleasure in dropping bombs on Chinese heads, watching them scatter like ants under the hail of explosives, their blood flowing like rivers, filling him with a sense of accomplishment!

  He flew the plane very low, almost scraping the treetops, his finger already on the bomb release button. Suddenly, a sheet of flame burst forth in front of him, and the aircraft shook violently. Kameyama quickly lost consciousness. A heavy machine gun bullet pierced his chest, leaving a hole as big as a teacup mouth. In his final moment, he was filled with confusion - when did the Chinese get anti-aircraft weapons? This mystery, he would never know again. He and his plane exploded into fragments in mid-air, and a dark cloud of smoke burst open in the sky.

  Another three enemy planes also suffered the same fate, and the enemy pilots were looking for death, bullying the Chinese army had no anti-aircraft weapons, showing off their might by pressing the plane extremely low, but it was said to be ultra-low altitude. Tang Qiuli's plum blossom array really worked, with one heavy machine gun and three light machine guns forming a petal, shooting the enemy planes into pieces.

  The hidden Okazaki, hearing the sound of planes, jumped up and waved his command knife, "Kill the plane for me!" The remaining 800 or so devils and national soldiers rushed out like a swarm of bees. The Imperial Japanese Air Force's planes had arrived to kill all Chinese people! However, the explosion in the sky shattered their beautiful dream. It wasn't our planes dropping bombs that exploded, but the imperial army's planes were shot down!

  The devils stared at the sky in disbelief, waiting for the rear Ogawa to wake up and loudly order the troops to retreat to their original positions. It turned out that the long-winged guys were also hopeless.

  Now was the opportunity, and the artillery battalion, which had been waiting in array, fired a volley of shells, blowing up the devils' retreat into a wall of fire. Then more shells completely covered the devils, and amidst the rolling smoke, the devils' limbs and broken arms, shattered guns and steel helmets flew through the air. Five minutes later, the artillery stopped firing, and not one devil could stand up; it was even hard to find a complete corpse.

  Tang Qiu finally let the troops go down into the valley to sweep the battlefield.

  In a small cave, Okazaki's body was found. This guy was still lucky, with the rest of his body intact, except for his head which had been blown off by a shell. A golden-hilted command knife lay beside him. Tang Qiuli picked it up and examined the blade, which was still in good condition, and put it away. As for Liu Yanwang, he had long since been blown to pieces, so there was no need to look for him.

  In one night and half a day, the Japanese devils' elite Ogawa punitive detachment and Shao Benliang's old Seventh Regiment, totaling 4,700 people, were completely annihilated. Not a single one escaped, not a single wounded soldier or prisoner was taken. It seems that the warriors remembered their fellow villagers who died in Wei Family Village. Such beasts should be sent to see King Yan with a stab of the bayonet! Li Honggang saw this situation and initially wanted to stop it, but probably recalled the commander's order. Additionally, the two battalion commanders who went on the mission last time came back and said something like that. His lips moved a few times, but he didn't say anything. He felt uncomfortable in his heart, mainly because he was not used to it.

  Sweeping the battlefield is actually just going through the motions. Think about it, with such intense artillery fire, what can be left? Only a few light and heavy machine guns and mortars are considered gains, but they also need to be taken back to the base's arsenal for repairs before they can be used. On the other hand, those six field guns were pulled by frightened horses into a corner, perfectly preserved.

  These six big guys have worried Zhou Yushan to death. They can't be carried, so how are they going to be transported back to the base?

  Later, a stupid trick was finally thought of, and the six field guns were dismantled, loaded onto large trucks, along with the troops to replenish the remaining ammunition and supplies, and a company of soldiers was dispatched to escort them back to base.

  In this battle, the Blood Hand Troop sacrificed 23 soldiers and had 56 wounded. After burying their fallen comrades and sending the wounded back to base on a large truck, the troops retreated from the battlefield for reorganization.

  A huge victory, the sorrow of the sacrifice of comrades-in-arms was diluted, and the soldiers were eating a sweet lunch while excitedly discussing the situation during the battle, everywhere was a joyful laughter.

  Tang Qiuli returned to the command center, just took a sip of water, and the communication officer rushed over to report an important situation. The first detachment of the Special Warfare Brigade received intelligence that in the direction of Tonghua City, the enemy's reinforcements, a reinforced field combat regiment, with an attached armored brigade, set out from their garrison last night.

  The vanguard of the enemy's army, a cavalry regiment, has already entered Guaiyaodian, which is only three hours away from here.

  After seeing this intelligence, Tang Qiuli put down his mind and knew that you had come.

  He immediately convened a combat meeting, reported the enemy situation, and everyone expressed their opinions on the new situation that had arisen. Some advocated withdrawing from the battlefield, while others advocated fighting this battle, but the battlefield should be chosen elsewhere.

  Everyone discussed for a while and found that the conductor had not spoken, smiling at everyone arguing heatedly. They all stopped talking, and the conductor's smile seemed like a cat watching a mouse, with some hidden meaning inside, who knows what new idea he is thinking of?

  Everyone stopped talking, Tang Qiuli said: "This battle must be fought, and the battlefield is still chosen here. We set up an ambush on the spot and grabbed the medicine in a surprise attack!"

  As soon as the commander said this, the room was like a boiling pot, with everyone whispering and discussing. This idea is too bold! Things can't be done twice, can the devils be fooled? Moreover, there is an entire regiment behind us, if we get entangled by the devils, the situation will not be good!

  Seeing everyone's doubts, Tang Qiuli explained the secrets in detail.

  The enemy's cavalry is a mobile force, and in order to lift the siege of Okazaki, they must speed up their march. Moreover, the cavalry is originally fast-moving, so it will inevitably open up a distance with the enemy's main force. According to the different marching speeds of the cavalry and infantry, there is at least a three-hour difference in distance. It is these three hours that create an opportunity for us. Within one hour, we can resolve the battle, and our troops can easily withdraw from the battlefield. Besides, the enemy has sent us several hundred war horses for free - aren't you tempted?

  As soon as the commander-in-chief said this, the commanders at all levels had a plan in mind. Hearing that there were several hundred war horses, their eyes shone brightly, just like wolves seeing prey. Each of them was thinking about how to turn their troops into cavalry. Tang Qiuli felt a chill in his heart, they were all people who only took advantage and didn't want to take risks!

  The next battle deployment is as follows: Li Honggang's cavalry will open the entrance, and after the Japanese cavalry enters the valley, they will immediately set up a large number of obstacles to block the exit and cut off the enemy's retreat route. The rest of the troops are only allowed to use rifles to fire, this time, Zheng Yong, you can take a break, don't let the horse get killed! Cavalry mountain assault, what a joke! That's just a live target, just abuse it vigorously, everyone burst out laughing.

  When the devils could hear the sound of gunfire, each unit sporadically fired their guns, creating the illusion that the Okazaki punitive expedition was still resisting, and luring the devils into the valley.

  After deployment, commanders at all levels went to make arrangements separately.

  In the afternoon, at more than three o'clock, the sentry responsible for monitoring the enemy's ambush returned a signal and discovered the enemy cavalry. A dull thunder-like sound came from afar, which was the sound of several hundred war horses galloping.

  Tang Qi ordered the troops to fire on horseback, and upon hearing the gunfire, the muffled thunder-like sound grew more urgent. The noise grew louder and the ground rumbled. At the mountain pass, a snowstorm erupted, and about 500 Japanese cavalrymen, riding big foreign horses, shouted strange cries, raised their sabers, and formed a charging formation, with a fierce killing aura sweeping into the valley like a whirlwind.

  They were disappointed when they entered the valley, not seeing the brave imperial army soldiers fighting valiantly, but instead saw a field of corpses with missing arms and legs, and heads that had been relocated. The leader of the Japanese cavalry unit immediately reacted and turned his horse around to retreat along the original route. Although the cavalry charge was fast, there was one drawback - they couldn't stop quickly in case of an emergency. The front row of Japanese cavalry understood the commander's intention, but those behind didn't know yet and continued to charge forward with all their might.

  The ones in front retreated, the ones behind charged forward, and the enemy's formation was immediately disrupted. Several hundred horses were crowded together, and the soldiers couldn't let go of such a good opportunity. A burst of uniform gunfire rang out, and the devils on horseback fell like dumplings, crackling and popping as they dropped to the ground. After several rounds of gunfire, only about a hundred or so devils remained mounted, while the rest made zero-distance contact with the earth.

  The remaining Japanese cavalry finally turned their horses' heads and galloped away, but it was too late. The valley entrance had already been blocked by insurmountable obstacles. Another burst of rifle fire greeted them head-on, this time with somewhat poor aim, hitting both men and horses. This wasn't surprising, as a large group of soldiers didn't have the advantage of being in a superior position.

  Thirty minutes later, a cavalry regiment of devils was completely annihilated. In the valley, there were no riders on the war horses that ran wildly in all directions, with some still dragging the bodies of devils behind them. The soldiers rushed down from the mountain and after great effort, they rounded up the horses. Apart from those killed in battle, there were over 400 horses left. A cavalry regiment of devils, along with their complete set of equipment, was considered a gift to Tang Qiuli. The soldiers were overjoyed - not one of them was injured, and they had captured so many war horses! Today's two battles were exhilarating, thrilling, and satisfying!!!

  The troops were gathered, and Tang Qiuli let Zheng Yong leave the mortar behind. The rest of the equipment was moved with the main force, and after agreeing on a rendezvous point, the main force left the battlefield, watching as the troops disappeared into the dense forest.

  Tang Qiuli led Zheng Yong and the mortar squad, plus an infantry company, rushing in the direction of the enemy's main force.

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