As the artillery began to fire, the artillery battalions of the Iron Blood Army also began to roar. In an instant, the sound of artillery rumbled within a 10-kilometer radius.
Telegrams came like snowflakes from the 9th division. Yoshizumi Ryosuke was dumbfounded. What was going on? Where did the artillery fire come from?
"Men, quickly find out the direction of the cannon fire.”
There was no need to check at all. The light carried by the shells at night was easy to identify, so the staff officer reported immediately,"Major General, the artillery is coming from the rear.”
"Nani?"
How was it possible that the cannon fire came from behind?
"How did the Chinese army get to our rear?" Yoshizumi asked in disbelief. Moreover, the bombardment was so dense that at least several groups of cannons fired at the same time! As far as I know, the 83rd and 66th Chinese troops don't have such a large amount of artillery. Could it be that they are reinforcements?”
Shaking his head, Yoshizumi quickly denied his guess. Even if the Chinese army reinforcements arrived, they would not appear behind them. What was going on?
"Report,"
The signalman was holding a telegram." Major General, the 6th regiment is calling. A large number of Chinese infantry has suddenly appeared in the east of Huangmei Town. The enemy's firepower is strong, and the regiment headquarters is in danger. They are requesting the 7th regiment to be called back for support.”
"Agreed."
Yoshizumi Ryosuke didn't hesitate. Although the 7th regiment had already taken down the first line of defense of the 66th division, they had no choice. Facing the sudden appearance of the Chinese infantry, the 7th regiment had to return to protect the safety of the 6th regiment.
Looking at the map, Yoshizumi Ryosuke frowned deeply. Where did the enemy behind him come from? It was so sudden that the imperial army was caught off guard!
In the direction of Huangmei, the Sixth Brigade had already retreated to the outskirts of the town. At this moment, they were being attacked by the Iron Blood Army's 3rd Regiment.
"Baka, stop…"
The 6th Brigade only had one squadron of guards, so how could they stop the 3rd Regiment's attack?
After a while, the battered staff officer ran over and reported,""Brigade Commander, the enemy has a large number of people and their firepower is extremely fierce. Our guards have suffered a serious loss, and the enemy will soon break through the defense line to this point.”
Akiyama Yoshino was unmoved by the staff officer's pleas. Instead, he ordered,""Send the flag protection squadron up for a while. The 7th regiment will immediately return to support.”
"Hey!"
The 3rd Regiment of the Iron Blood Army, Commander Zhu Youxiao, former deputy of the 87th Division of the National Army, Huangpu 8th Division, disciple of Old Jiang. After being incorporated into the Iron Blood Army, he became the commander of the 3rd Regiment.
To be honest, Zhu Youxiao had initially disdained to join the Iron Blood Army. As the Son of Heaven's disciple, he had his own pride. However, after seeing the Iron Blood Army's weapons and equipment, supplies, and a deep conversation with Liu Zhiguo, his arrogance was gone!
Although he had only been promoted by half a rank, Zhu Youxiao was not dissatisfied. On the contrary, he was very relieved. After all, he had transferred from the national army and had been put in an important position as soon as he joined. What else was there to be dissatisfied about?
Similarly, after half a month of getting used to it, he had already deeply integrated into the Iron Blood Army. Even if Old Jiang called back now, he would not go back because the Iron Blood Army was very harmonious internally. The equipment was good, advanced, and comprehensive, and the supplies were sufficient. It was not as rotten as the national army. He saw hope here.
"Regiment Commander, the Japanese have sent more troops, but there aren't many of them. Should we let our brothers work hard?"
Zhu Youxiao waved his hand to stop her,""Just follow the steps, there's no need to make unnecessary sacrifices. Order the artillery battalion to blow up the Japanese's civil works, then push the entire group up.”
"Oh right, tell the artillery battalion to be careful and not to be targeted by the Japanese artillery. If they encounter a counterattack from the Japanese artillery, remember to evacuate first and ignore the artillery.”
"Yes."
After the staff officer left, Zhu Youxiao clicked his tongue and said,""The commander is so generous. Such an expensive heavy cannon was abandoned just like that! If this was the 87th Division, they would have to protect the cannon no matter how many people died.”
The Iron Blood Army had a solid foundation. Although Zhu Youxiao did not know the source of their supply, he guessed that their commander must have a big background, or even a foreign background. Otherwise, the source of all the weapons and equipment could not be explained.
The attack continued, and even if Akiyama Yoshizuki filled up the defensive line with the flag protection squadron, they were still unable to resist the powerful 3rd Iron Blood Army Regiment.
The situation was in danger. The firepower of the 3rd Regiment was too fierce. The artillery battalion, the heavy firepower companies of the various battalions, and their light and heavy machine guns were completely in a crushing state.
The defense line of the 6th Infantry Regiment was built hastily and could not withstand the heavy artillery bombardment at all. Therefore, the fortification was basically flattened in a short period of time. There were many casualties, and there were very few Japanese left in the two squadrons.
Faced with this situation, Akiyama Yoshino was a little flustered. At the same time, he could not understand which army had attacked him. How could their firepower be so fierce? It far surpassed the Empire's and was not inferior to the British and French!
How could such a force appear in China without any prior information? They were simply bastards!
"Boom boom…"
The artillery fire began to extend, and the 3rd regiment took advantage of the situation to push forward. The resistance they encountered was very weak, and they were basically drowned in an instant.
"Brigade Leader, the enemy is attacking. If we don't retreat now, it will be too late!”
Alright, he couldn't force himself anymore. Akiyama Yoshino's eyes, which were filled with humiliation, emitted a cold light as he said,"All the Exploration Team Department members, move closer to the Seventh Regiment. At the same time, inform the Seventh Regiment to immediately build fortifications.”
"Hey,"
The staff officer immediately arranged for the remaining personnel to protect Akiyama Yoshino as he retreated.
After the 3rd regiment of the Iron Blood Army eliminated the two Japanese squadrons, the troops quickly rushed to the place where the 6th Brigade had left.
"Regiment commander, we have seized the radio and a large number of documents. After confirmation, we can basically conclude that they are left behind by the Japanese command center above the regiment.”
"Above the regiment?" Zhu Youxiao felt a little regretful.
"Dammit, order the entire team to pursue immediately, but be careful to prevent the Japanese from counterattacking.”
"Yes, sir!"
The vigorous pursuit began.
In the direction of Hu Shu, the 4th regiment of the Iron Blood Army was also doing well. Although they were supporting, they had the momentum of the main attack.
The 18th division of the Japanese army was crippled by the Iron Blood Army in Hu and was still in a state of disarray.
When facing the attack of the 4th Iron Blood Army Regiment, he felt like he had seen it before. The impression was too deep!
"Order the 56th Regiment to retreat and the 114th Regiment to counterattack. Send a signal to the 9th Regiment to ask about the situation.”
Not long after, the 9th division reported that they were being bombarded by heavy artillery. The enemy's number was unknown, and the details of their strength were unknown. In short, they did not know anything!
Holding the message, Yoshishima Sadao muttered to himself,""Strange, where did this enemy come from?”
"Messenger, send a message to the Central China Army and the 10th Army, requesting to check if the enemy behind our troops is the Iron Blood Army of Golden Bull Peak.”
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