Volume 1 Deserter's Bloodbath Chapter 37 Night Attack (Part 1)!
Feng E was not in a hurry. As soon as he took his first bite of the multi-grain cake, he understood that the Japanese grenades had not hit him for such a long time, which proved that he had not been discovered.
What he didn't know was that there were a bunch of people in the trenches and fortifications behind him watching him eat.
"Look at this guy, he ate a few bites and started drinking water? He won't have another cigarette after dinner! How long do we have to wait for him to shoot again?" Yu Ziwen asked with a smile,
"Who knows? But the Japanese didn't attack, which is good. At least the brothers can take a breath."
The battalion commander was very satisfied with the current situation. It was every officer's natural wish not to have to face brothers who had suffered heavy casualties. As for their task of clearing out the Japanese troops at the Chuansha landing site, that was an issue that the division commander should consider.
In the end, Feng E disappointed the officers who were waiting to watch the fun in the rear. After eating, Feng E had no intention of shooting except occasionally using the scope to observe the movements of the Japanese on the opposite side.
"It's been two hours, the devils should leave now!"
The sun finally slowly set behind the mountain. Feng E looked at the sky, which was already very blurry. It was time to go back!
“Huff…”
A grunt rolled out of the bomb crater. Feng E bent over and started running, then dived into the protective bomb crater he had set up long ago. He took a breath and continued to roll into the trench.
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
Half lying in the trench, Feng E felt that he was finally alive again. He drank all the water in the kettle, then lay on the edge of the trench to catch his breath.
"gather!"
Lin Yuan's voice rang out, calling on the remaining brothers of the Death Squad to assemble;
The order from the 11th Division Headquarters was finally conveyed to the frontline troops. The 33rd Brigade was the first to retreat, and the division's mountain artillery battalion, heavy mortar company, 8th Company of the 16th Artillery Regiment, and the division's engineer battalion were the main forces to attack Luodian. The 65th Regiment was the left wing, and it captured the outer areas in the north of Luodian along the line of Gongjiazhai and Lijiazhai. After the success, it continued to attack and advance towards Baifangzi and Luodian.
The 66th Regiment was the right wing, attacking along the line of Xima Zhai and Zhoujia Zhai, and attacking towards Pan Zhai and Tanshiqiao in Luodian Town.
The 31st Brigade was a feint attack force. After the 62nd Regiment handed over the Xinzhen position to the 292nd Brigade of the 98th Division, it was responsible for covering the entire 11th Division's retreat from the Luodian area. After nightfall, it joined the 61st Regiment and launched a feint attack from the southeast of Luodian, capturing Lujia Village and cutting off the connection between the Japanese troops in Luodian and the main force of the Japanese troops at the Chuansha landing site.
Luo Zhuoying and the commanders of the theater command have not given up the strategy of driving the enemy into the sea, so Xinzhen cannot be lost. They let the 292nd Brigade take over the Xinzhen position and block the Japanese offensive.
The dark night sky fell, and the moonlight had not yet shone on the Songhu area. The early autumn night was not so painful for the marching national army, because there was a cool breeze blowing on them, making these brothers who had been stuck in the trenches and fortifications for a whole day feel refreshed.
The 33rd Brigade is the main force of the attack, and the remaining death squad is the vanguard of the entire 33rd Brigade. They walk in front of the team and are responsible for clearing the way for the 33rd Brigade. Of course, if they encounter the Japanese, they will attack first!
Behind the Death Squadron was Hu Lian's 66th Regiment. Their target was Xima Zhai in the north of Luodian. They didn't know how many Japanese soldiers were there in Xima Zhai, and their mission was to stop only when they encountered the enemy.
When sneaking in the dark night, even the sound of kettles clinking was not allowed. All the brothers filled their kettles with cold water, for fear that the noise of half-filled water would alert the enemy. The only sounds on the dark road were breathing and chaotic footsteps. Lin Yuan did not ask all the brothers to march in step, as such orderly footsteps would expose their positions more quickly.
“Plop!”
From time to time, someone tripped over grass and stones and let out a muffled groan. As the spearhead of the entire army, they did not travel on the main road. Instead, they all dispersed and entered the fields. The dense crops would provide them with natural cover.
“Get down!”
The brothers in front shouted and kept pressing their palms down, which was a signal that they had encountered an enemy.
"what's the situation?"
Lin Yuan bent down from behind and walked up to ask,
"Over there! Look, that should be the Japanese sentry!"
Lin Yuan looked out through the gaps in the crops and saw a flickering fire in the dense forest in front of them, which was so obvious in the pale moonlight.
"It should be the Japanese who are smoking. It's still more than 800 meters away from Xima's house. Is the Japanese sentry so far away?"
Lin Yuan was hesitating whether to send his brothers to deal with the sentry.
"Go back and report to Captain Hu that we encountered a Japanese sentry 800 meters east of Xima's residence."
Lin Yuan finally gave up. There must be more than one Japanese sentry. If the brothers who went up were discovered, it would alert the enemy and the surprise attack would turn into a forced attack.
"Everyone take cover and wait for orders!"
The brothers of the Death Squad climbed down from the fields and made final preparations before the attack.
“Rustle…”
The rustling sound of crops and branches scraping against objects continued to be heard from the rear, and the main force of the 66th Regiment finally caught up with the advancing death squadron.
"what's the situation?"
An officer who looked like a major squatted on the ground and confirmed the situation with Lin Yuan.
"Captain Wang, we spotted a Japanese sentry ahead. We didn't want to alert the enemy, so we didn't launch an attack without authorization!"
Lin Yuan reported in a low voice,
The troops that came were the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Regiment, whose commander was Wang Zhongbin. It was impossible for the division's mountain artillery battalion and heavy mortar company to waste ammunition for the small Xima residence. The artillery troops were prepared for the fortifications within the town of Xinzhen.
"Surround them from all sides. Find out the sentries first. When they are exposed, rush in immediately and eliminate the devils inside as quickly as possible! Captain Lin, your Death Squadron will be responsible for one direction, and our Third Battalion will be responsible for the other three directions. You can pick one!"
Wang Zhongbin made a decision quickly. Xima’s residence was not big. It was just one of Luodian’s outer strongholds. As officers and soldiers of the 11th Division who had defended here before, they were very familiar with the terrain here.
Japanese sentries had appeared 800 meters outside, and the rest of the people did not dare to get any closer. Right here, the officers and soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Regiment dispersed under the command of Battalion Commander Wang Zhongbin. Under the dark night sky, the rustling sound continued.
The rustling sound finally faded away. Lin Yuan waited anxiously. According to the speed of the national army's actions, in order to conceal the movement, Wang Zhongbin's order before leaving was to launch an attack in an hour.
Watches and pocket watches were still considered high-end items in this era, at least ordinary people could not afford them. As for the army, the Nationalist government was not luxurious enough to equip every company commander with these things, so Lin Yuan could only estimate the time, and he could only estimate when to launch the attack.
"Those who can use a knife should go in front and try to kill the Japanese sentries. The rest of you should follow behind. If you are exposed, attack violently!"
There is nothing fancy about the night raid. The purpose is to catch the Japanese off guard. They only have one direction to attack. The best way is to quickly cross the field in front of them and engage in close hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese.
