Chapter 44: The Position is Lost
At noon, the sun was scorching in the sky and the weather was hot.
A dull roar of an engine was heard, and dense black spots appeared in the distant sky.
"Look! Japanese planes ."
"Everyone, hurry up and take shelter in the air-raid shelter."
Panicked shouts of soldiers were heard from the peak of Xiaotangshan.
Everyone rushed and swarmed towards the nearby air-raid shelter, fearing that their parents had given birth to fewer feet.
Japanese planes soon flew over the Xiaotangshan position.
"call out……"
"boom……"
The Xiaotangshan position was engulfed in flames in an instant, with balls of red light shooting up into the sky, the earth shaking, and the air filled with smoke.
This time, the bombing and strafing by Japanese planes lasted for more than half an hour, and then they flew away, turning the Xiaotangshan position into ruins.
As soon as the Japanese planes flew away, the Japanese troops in the valley began shelling again, and it lasted for half an hour.
When the artillery fire stopped, the Japanese infantry rushed up again in full force.
The Japanese army launched wave after wave of attacks, showing a determination to win, and did not give the Chinese defenders any chance to breathe.
When the two regiment commanders Ling Guishan and Feng Hui led their troops out of the air-raid shelter, the Japanese army had already approached the position, and the two men hurriedly ordered the soldiers to open fire.
However, the Japanese soldiers were fearless and fought bravely. They continued to charge forward one after another. When those in front fell, those behind continued to rush forward as if they were crazy.
Due to their large numbers and fierce firepower, the Japanese army's suicidal charge soon achieved results and they were getting closer and closer to the Chinese defenders.
"Run! They are crazy..."
Some Chinese defenders were frightened by the crazy actions of the Japanese . They looked at the Japanese soldiers everywhere in the mountains and then someone shouted and some of them ran away.
"Stop, don't run."
"If you run again, I'll kill you..."
When the two commanders Ling Guishan and Feng Hui saw that something was wrong, they immediately shouted loudly. However, it was all in vain. Faced with the fierce artillery fire, fierce offensive, and fearless determination of the Japanese army, some soldiers had already collapsed mentally, their morale was shaken, and the situation was out of control. How could you call them back?
The soldiers from the first and second regiments scrambled to retreat to the left side of the mountain. Seeing that the situation was not good, Ling Guishan and Feng Hui secretly groaned in their hearts and had to retreat to the side with everyone else.
The defenders were defeated and the Japanese soldiers were overjoyed. They took the opportunity to rush forward, but they did not pursue them relentlessly. After occupying the position, they stopped and formed an arc-shaped line to guard against enemy counterattacks.
In this way, the Japanese army opened up the way forward.
When Miura Yukikazu heard that the enemy's position had been captured, he was overjoyed and quickly ordered the troops to pass through Xiaotangshan quickly. The 6th Division was in danger and he dared not delay for a moment.
Once the order was given, the Japanese troops acted quickly and immediately dismantled the heavy artillery and other logistical equipment. The mountain roads were narrow and they could not be taken away without dismantling them.
Liu Zhengfeng, Wu Erdan and Hu Tiande saw all of the above, but facing the large Japanese army, they were helpless and could only worry.
A few people bypassed the marching route of the large Japanese army and rushed forward through the wild mountains and wilderness.
Soon after, they met the soldiers of the first and second regiments who were fleeing in panic.
"Everyone stop and rest where you are."
Ling Guishan gave the order loudly.
There were no pursuers behind them, and the soldiers stopped panting.
Liu Zhengfeng roughly estimated that there were only about 200 people left. After several tough battles, the troops were almost wiped out. It could be said to be extremely tragic and he couldn't help but feel sad.
Ling Guishan and Feng Hui looked at each other. There was suspicion that the troops had just deserted the battlefield, but the two of them tacitly agreed not to mention it. According to the degree of madness of the Japanese, if the troops did not retreat, they would be wiped out within ten minutes.
Besides, the battle had gotten to this point, and the two men couldn't bear to blame anyone anymore.
Liu Zhengfeng saluted Ling Guishan and Feng Hui and said, "Sir, the Japanese haven't gone far yet. Let's go after them."
Still want to chase? Everyone had just escaped death and had not yet recovered. When they heard this, their faces changed color.
Ling Guishan sighed and said, "The Japanese have already broken through our defenses. What's the point in chasing them now?"
Feng Hui looked at Liu Zhengfeng coldly: "Brothers just saved their lives and went through a circle in front of the King of Hell. We are worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth, and we owe no one."
Liu Zhengfeng was startled. They had performed well before, but why did they become war-weary after escaping death?
"My two sirs, I know it's not easy for everyone. The Japanese army has several thousand people. We can't stop them. However, we can continue to harass the enemy and delay their advance."
Ling Guishan and Feng Hui looked at each other, and Feng Hui said, "How about this, we send a telegram to the division commander, and we will do whatever the division commander tells us to do."
Liu Zhengfeng nodded: "No problem, I'll listen to you, Master."
The reason he said this was because he knew that his superiors would not allow Guo Wanlin to let go of the Japanese reinforcements. Guo Wanlin would definitely order a delay in the Japanese advance.
In the afternoon, the sun began to set.
Liu Zhengfeng hid under the shade of a tree, picked up the kettle, gulped down a few gulps, and let out a long breath.
After a while, Guo Wanlin called back and, as expected, he acted according to Liu Zhengfeng's suggestion.
Ling Guishan and Feng Hui had no choice but to follow orders and lead their troops to track and pursue the Japanese army along their advance route. They caught up with the remaining Japanese troops at five o'clock in the afternoon and the attack began immediately.
The Japanese army was in a hurry to travel, so they naturally took the small path at the foot of the mountain. Liu Zhengfeng and others chose to attack from the peaks on both sides, which was a great advantage.
After Liu Zhengfeng sniped and killed two Japanese soldiers, he soon discovered something was wrong.
The Japanese army had several thousand people and their marching column was very long. They cleverly placed their logistical supplies in the middle of the column. The combat effectiveness of the troops left behind was very strong enough to withstand their harassment, while the vanguard troops and logistical supplies were not affected at all.
Liu Zhengfeng thought for a moment and quickly walked to Ling Guishan's side: "Captain, you stay here to contain the enemy. Wu Erdan and I will go to the front to find their baggage train and wait for an opportunity to launch an attack."
"Okay, go ahead."
Ling Guishan agreed without even thinking about it. The Japanese troops down in the valley were simply defending and had no intention of attacking him. He could attack when he advanced or defend when he retreated. It was really easy.
But Liu Zhengfeng was different. He had to infiltrate the Japanese army and might be surrounded by the enemy at any time.
Liu Zhengfeng didn't consider how dangerous he would be. His mind was full of how to cause the greatest possible trouble to the Japanese army.
Ling Guishan looked at the disappearing figures of Liu Zhengfeng and Wu Erdan and said to himself, "This kid is really weird. He is not afraid of anything and dares to do anything."
Feng Hui nodded, with a hint of admiration on his face: "Yes, this kid is indeed a little different. It's not without reason that the master has a new regard for him."
