"The Eighth Route Army is running out of ammunition!"
Kuroshima Morita was overjoyed and said, "Order, all squadrons, speed up and pass through!"
Although we were delayed for two hours, we managed to escape without any danger. If we increase our speed, there is still a good hope that we can reach Daxia Bay before dawn at six o'clock.
After all, it is the middle of winter now, and it gets dark early and gets light late.
At the command, the squadrons of the Kuroshima Regiment accelerated.
The 1st Cavalry Squadron, which had originally led the way, fell behind.
Ueno Yuichi urged his horse up to Kuroshima Morita and asked, "Captain, do you want to send an infantry squad up the mountain? We can kill the Eighth Route Army soldiers while they are running out of ammunition?"
Kuroshima Morita said: "Don't worry about them."
Ueno Yuichi said: "They may go to Daxia Bay to report the news."
"Don't worry." Kuroshima Morita said, "From the map, the road we're taking is the shortest one. By the time this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers on the mountain cross the mountains and reach Daxia Bay, our regiment will have already destroyed the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and even their leaders will have become prisoners of the Imperial Army."
"So, don't bother with them anymore."
"Hayi." Ueno Yuichi nodded.
…
On Teapot Ridge.
Wei Dayong asked, "Northwest Wolf, what should we do now?"
Wolf Warriors such as Wang Gensheng and Wang Xikui also looked anxious.
Just as Kuroshima Morita guessed, the Wolf Warriors had indeed run out of ammunition. Not to mention grenades, they didn't even have a single rifle bullet.
Now there are only a few bayonets left.
After all , the amount of ammunition a single soldier can carry is limited.
There was still ammunition at the horse post, but it couldn't be delivered.
Wang Ye said calmly, "Why are you panicking? We have been holding up the Black Island Brigade for two hours, which is enough time for the main force of the regiment to rush to Fengxiangling and set up an ambush."
"Yes, it's been two hours."
Wei Dayong, Wang Xikui and others breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Ye added: "Come here, hurry up and eat some dry food, then rest for half an hour, and then catch up with the main force of the regiment to kill the Japanese when you have enough energy!"
There was a resounding yes.
…
The main force of the independent regiment has indeed arrived at the foot of Fengxiangling.
However, in order to arrive as early as possible, the officers and soldiers of the independent regiment were exhausted, especially Zhao Gang, the handsome scholar, who ran so hard that he was out of breath.
"Old Zhao, you need to strengthen your physical exercise."
Li Yunlong never missed any opportunity to tease Zhao Gang.
The better the relationship between two people, the more they tease each other; if the relationship is not good, they are too lazy to even talk.
This is the same as when a few old comrades meet and squeeze each other to death. The principle is the same.
"You are acting like a little girl now. This is not okay. The soldiers will laugh at you."
Zhao Gang was so angry that his face turned green, but he had no way to refute. He could only swear in his heart and work hard to train his physical fitness. No matter what, he would not let this bastard laugh at him next time.
Li Yunlong said again: "Xiao Zhang, the map."
Xiao Zhang came over and spread out the map.
Li Yunlong turned on the flashlight and shone it on the map, and got a general idea of ​​it.
The Japanese maps are very detailed, with contour lines clearly marked.
Unlike Yan Laoxi’s military maps, some mountains are simply marked with a place name, without any contour lines.
"Damn it, no wonder this place is called Fengxiangling, it's really a big bellows." Li Yunlong turned off the flashlight and said, "Once the Japanese enter here, they will really become mice in the bellows, haha."
Zhao just didn't have time to see it clearly, and asked: "Old Li, what do you say?"
Li Yunlong said: "It's hard to explain right now, you'll know when the fight starts."
Zhao Gang said worriedly, "I'm afraid the Black Island Brigade won't pass through Fengxiangling."
"Impossible." Li Yunlong said decisively, "I didn't expect that the Black Island Brigade would attack Daxiawan instead of Xiaoyi Village. But since the Black Island Brigade has decided to go to Daxiawan, they will definitely rush to take a shortcut, because if they go too late, it will be meaningless, so the Japanese will definitely pass through Fengxiangling."
After a pause, Li Yunlong shouted again: "Brothers, hurry up and get into the ambush position."
"Xiao Wang and more than a dozen members of the Wolf Warrior Squad are desperately trying to stop the Japanese in the front. We can't let Xiao Wang and the Wolf Warrior Squad's efforts go to waste."
In the cover of night, the independent regiment quickly climbed to both sides of Fengxiang Ridge.
Judging from the terrain, Fengxiang Ridge really looks like a big bellows, but the bellows is completely enclosed, while the top of Fengxiang Ridge is open and has no cap.
Except for the entrance and exit, Fengxiang Ridge is surrounded by earthen ridges. Although they are not very high, only about ten to twenty meters, and not very steep, they are more than enough to block cavalry.
There are only a few gaps to get through, so just leave a few to guard them.
What's more advantageous is that the valley below the ridge is covered with lush vegetation, which makes it possible to set fire.
However, Fengxiang Ridge is bare, so there is no need to worry about getting burned when launching a fire attack. This is simply the perfect terrain for launching a fire attack.
Li Yunlong ordered the 2nd Battalion to control the mountains on the left and the 3rd Battalion to control the mountains on the right.
The artillery company was ambushed on the back of Fengxiang Ridge. When the Japanese broke out, they blocked the exit of the canyon with artillery fire, trapping the Heidao Regiment in the canyon under Fengxiang Ridge.
The cavalry company was lying in ambush near the entrance to the canyon.
Just wait for the Black Island Brigade to enter the canyon. After the main force of the regiment launches the first round of fire attack, they will cut off the Black Island Brigade's retreat from behind and cooperate with the main force of the regiment to launch a general attack on the Black Island Brigade.
Everything was arranged in less than half a small area.
The fire went out and the entire Fengxiang Ridge fell silent.
It was as if the more than a thousand people from the independent regiment had never appeared.
…
About half an hour later, a faint sound of horse neighing suddenly came from the front.
Then a few lights appeared on the road below Fengxiang Ridge. Li Yunlong raised his telescope and saw a dozen Japanese cavalrymen with torches coming towards Fengxiang Ridge.
This is obviously the reconnaissance cavalry of the Black Island Regiment.
These Japanese cavalrymen were also very experienced. When they arrived outside Fengxiang Ridge, they did not rush in. Instead, they raised their rifles and fired several rows of shots at the mountains on both sides.
One of the bullets almost passed over Li Yunlong's head.
Li Yunlong quickly lowered his body to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
After a few rows of gunfire, the Japanese cavalry continued to scout forward.
Due to time constraints, it was impossible to conduct a blanket search of the terrain on both sides of the road.
So most of the time, the Japanese scouts would only conduct fire reconnaissance on the mountains and forests on both sides of the road. After the Eighth Route Army became familiar with this, they were not moved at all.
But the Japs still use the same old tricks.
Two years have passed since 1937.
The Japs are still only capable of firepower reconnaissance.
Not long after the Japanese reconnaissance cavalry passed by, the main cavalry force of the Kuroshima Regiment arrived.
Perhaps because time was running out, or in order to save time, the Black Island Squadron had given up their efforts to hide their tracks, and instead were marching forward at full speed with torches and flashlights .
This idea is actually quite correct. As long as the Japanese army moves fast enough, it doesn't matter if their whereabouts are exposed, because the Eighth Route Army headquarters in Daxia Bay cannot be moved whenever they want.
The leaders of the Eighth Route Army might not be captured, and the documents might be burned, but the supplies of the Eighth Route Army headquarters, the field hospitals, and even the facilities of the arsenal could not be moved away.
As long as these are destroyed, the Eighth Route Army headquarters will be destroyed.
So, the Black Island Regiment lit torches and marched forward at full speed.
But this made it convenient for the independent regiment. Li Yunlong could see clearly while lying on Fengxiang Ridge. He was happy to see teams of Japanese cavalry and mules and horses driving into Fengxiang Ridge without any preparation.
"Haha, the Japanese are in trouble." Li Yunlong laughed.
Zhao Gang's heart finally settled down.
In the blink of an eye, the main force of the Black Island Brigade had already entered Fengxiangling.
However, the marching column of the Black Island Brigade stretched out for more than one kilometer, which was longer than the length of Fengxiang Ridge. So when the vanguard of the Black Island Brigade was about to walk out of the valley, the rear team had not yet come in.
However, Li Yunlong had already given orders to several direct teams on both sides of the exit, that as soon as the Japanese reached the valley entrance, they should immediately detonate the minefield and set fire to block the Japanese's way!
So when he saw that the Japanese front team had entered the minefield at the entrance of the valley, communications squad leader Niu Erzhuang did not hesitate at all and immediately pulled the tow rope hard.
The next moment, dozens of mines buried at the entrance of the valley exploded with a bang.
Dozens of Japanese cavalrymen who were lined up in four columns and entered the minefield were blown to pieces in an instant. At least a dozen Japanese were killed and many more were seriously injured.
But the Japanese are really well-educated.
Despite the sudden change, the Japanese cavalry behind still responded quickly.
Especially the grassroots non-commissioned officers such as sergeants, sergeants, and corporals, not only keep their own emotions stable, but also restrain those privates first and second class.
"Don't move!"
"Fire alert!"
"Hold the frightened horse!"
"The engineering team dismounted to conduct mine-clearing operations..."
And then nothing happened, because a fire suddenly broke out at the entrance of the valley.
Anyone who has studied fluid mechanics knows that when a pipe becomes narrower, the flow rate will increase.
The terrain of Fengxiangling is like this. The terrain at the entrance and exit suddenly narrows, forming two wind vents. It will be windy here when there is no wind normally, and it will be windy here when there is only a light wind in other places.
That’s why the local people call this place Fengxiangling, because there is wind blowing all year round.
In addition, the vegetation at the entrance of the valley was lush and covered with dead grass, and the wind fanned the flames, so once the fire started it could not be contained and spread rapidly, blocking the entrance of the valley.
Now, the grassroots non-commissioned officers such as corporals, sergeants, and sergeants were no longer calm.
One sergeant tried to hope for the best and rushed out of the valley, but was soon engulfed by the fire.
The Japanese also discovered that this fire was very strange. It actually had a smell, a pungent and spicy taste.
The remaining Japanese soldiers did not dare to take any more risks and quickly retreated back to the valley, but in doing so they blocked the large group of troops behind them.
…
The chaos ahead soon alarmed Kuroshima Morita.
"Bagayalu, what is that bastard in front doing? Why did he stop?"
Just as Kuroshima Morita was about to urge his horse forward, a second lieutenant came back on horseback at full speed.
"Captain, there is an ambush outside the valley entrance!" said the second lieutenant. "The Eighth Route Army has set a big fire and blocked the valley entrance."
"Baka, a fire can stop you?" Kuroshima Morita said angrily, "These must be the Eighth Route Army guerrillas from the Taihang bandit area. Ignore them and just speed through."
"Captain, we can't get through." The second lieutenant said in panic, "The Eighth Route Army used chemical weapons."
"What? Chemical weapons?" Kuroshima Morita was startled at first, then angrily said, "Impossible, where did the Eighth Route Army get chemical weapons?"
"Really? The Tubalu really do have chemical weapons."
The second lieutenant said: "Many imperial soldiers have already inhaled the poison gas."
"Some had violent coughs, others had runny noses and tears."
" Captain , the terrain here is very unfavorable, let's retreat quickly."
Unfavorable terrain? Kuroshima Morita's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
At that moment, Kuroshima Morita snatched the flashlight from his adjutant and shone it roughly around , and found that the terrain here was like a rectangular box? A box?
Just when he was wondering and uncertain, Ueno Yuichi, who was left behind, also caught up.
"Captain, why did you suddenly stop and stop moving forward?"
Ueno Yuichi asked, "Has the front been attacked by the Tubalu again?"
Kuroshima Morita ignored Ueno Yuichi and suddenly shouted: "Order, all squadrons retreat, quickly, retreat on the spot, quickly..."
However, it was too late.
Before Kuroshima Morita finished his words, a gunshot was heard from the mountain on the left.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of dazzling tongues of fire burst out from the mountains on both sides, lashing down violently at the cavalry column of the Black Island Regiment. The crowded cavalry and mules and horses fell off their horses one after another in an instant.
Then, hundreds of torches were thrown down from the mountains on both sides.
In the blink of an eye, a huge fire broke out in the valley. With the help of the wind, the fire quickly spread.
In the firelight, Kuroshima Morita saw with horror that the Eighth Route Army threw down small cloth bags from the mountains. These cloth bags fell into the flames and soon caught fire.
In just a moment, the choking "poison gas" quickly spread.
Kuroshima Morita just took a breath and then started coughing violently, with tears and snot streaming down his face. His nasal cavity and the gastric tube felt like they were on fire.
"Baga, cough, cough, poison gas, cough, cough..."
"Baggage train, cough, baggage train, cough, gas masks..."
Among the supplies carried by the baggage train were gas masks. Kuroshima Morita wanted the baggage squadron to quickly distribute the gas masks to each squadron. However, the entire Kuroshima Regiment was in chaos at the moment. Even Kuroshima Morita himself was speechless, and the adjutant didn't care what he was saying at all.
Strong winds, fires, poisonous gases,
There was also the Eighth Route Army's sudden fire attack.
In cooperation with the four Type 92 heavy machine guns of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, plus 18 light machine guns of two machine gun companies, they frantically poured firepower on the Kuroshima Regiment crowded in the valley.
Amid the sound of machine guns, Li Yunlong’s angry roar could be heard faintly.
"I won't fight it, I won't fight it, use up all your bullets!"
The Black Island Brigade was in complete chaos and was completely unable to organize any decent resistance.
…
Strong winds, fires, poison gas, and the Eighth Route Army's machine guns raged for half an hour.
Half an hour later, the vegetation in the valley was almost burned out and the fire gradually died down, but the pungent smell in the air did not diminish much.
But Kuroshima Morita finally recovered.
The old Japanese used the water in the kettle to wet a towel, covered his mouth and nose with it, and finally survived.
There were also many quick-witted Japanese soldiers who followed suit, but more Japanese soldiers did not think of this and were eventually embarrassed by this "joint attack" of the Eighth Route Army.
At this point, Kuroshima Morita no longer wanted to launch a surprise attack in Daxia Bay.
We must not stay in this damn place for long. We must rush out before the Eighth Route Army launches a general attack. As long as we rush out of this damn place, the Eighth Route Army will not be able to catch up with us with the mobility of our cavalry.
It is no longer possible to integrate the various squadrons to launch a group charge. The only one that Kuroshima Morita can command now is the guard squad around him, so he can only hope that the guard squad's charge can get a response from the other squadrons, and eventually form a collective charge and rush out from the exit.
At that moment, Kuroshima Morita drew his saber and shouted, "Second Guards Cavalry Regiment, Taoci Gaide..."
Accompanied by roars, Kuroshima Morita took the lead and charged towards the valley entrance. Behind him, more than 20 riders from the guard team followed closely and also charged.
However, it was of no use.
This group of Japanese cavalry had just rushed into the valley entrance.
A row of artillery shells came down like a torrential rain.
The entire stormtrooper was blown to pieces in an instant.
Even Kuroshima Morita himself was thrown off his horse and his life or death was unknown.
In fact, the charge by Kuroshima Morita and the guard squad did have a certain effect. Many Japanese cavalrymen endured the burning sensation in their gastric tubes and charged towards the valley entrance.
But after seeing the guard squad being blown to pieces,
The Japanese cavalry behind immediately changed their minds, turned around and charged back.
Since the exit is blocked by the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire, turn around and rush towards the entrance!
Unfortunately, however, there was no time at all because the Eighth Route Army launched the general offensive.
Accompanied by the sound of the charge horn , thousands of Eighth Route Army soldiers, holding shining bayonets and covered with wet towels, rushed down from a dozen gaps in the earthen embankments on both sides.
…
Li Yunlong rushed to the front wielding a machete.
A Japanese cavalryman fell off his horse and was lying on the ground coughing. Li Yunlong chopped him down with his sword and cut off half of his head.
The brain matter splattered all over Li Yunlong's face, but Li Yunlong didn't even blink.
No, he blinked his eyes again. The wet towel protected his mouth and nose, but could not protect his eyes. The chili powder smoked his eyes, and Li Yunlong burst into tears instantly.
But it's much better than the devils.
He killed two more Japanese cavalrymen in succession, and suddenly there came the sound of horse hooves like a tide from the front.
He raised his head and looked forward, and saw that in the firelight, the soldiers of the cavalry company and the War Wolf Squad had already rushed in, waving their sharp sabers.
Wang Ye and Sun Desheng rushed to the front.
These two guys seemed to be competing, each one was more enthusiastic than the other in killing.
Wang Ye cut off half of a Japanese soldier's head with one knife, and Sun Desheng knocked a Japanese soldier off his horse with his backhand.
Li Yunlong jumped up and down and yelled, "Xiao Wang, Sun Desheng, you two bastards, stop just chopping and protect my gun! Don't let the Japanese artillery blow it up!"