Regiment Commander Zhang led the 367th Regiment's men through Yexie Town and down the Huangpu River, then north to Beiqiao Town.
On November 7th, 1937, at eight or nine o'clock in the evening, they set up camp outside Beiqiao Town. The weather in November was particularly cold, and the brothers of the 367th Regiment huddled in military tents to keep each other warm.
In the early morning of November 8th, just as the sky was about to brighten, the assembly horn sounded. The sleepy soldiers of the 367th Regiment were woken up by the sound of the horn.
"Are you still going to let me sleep?" Ouyang Ding complained.
"The bugle call is an order. Hurry up and get up!”Xie Kangquan reached out and pulled him up.
"It's okay. Go ahead and sleep. At most, some flowers will bloom on your butt later.”Ouyang Feilong joked.
Ouyang Ding grabbed the clothes and put them on neatly with his eyes still closed. His speed was not slower than others.
"You can wear clothes with your eyes closed. I'm impressed!”Xie Kangquan teased.
Fei Long couldn't help but laugh. Ouyang Ding's face turned red and he didn't defend himself.
After a while, most of the people lined up neatly, and the few who were late stood at the side waiting for punishment. Regiment Commander Zhang stood at the front of the formation with his back straight like a pine tree. Everyone quieted down and waited for the regiment commander's lecture. Regiment Commander Zhang raised his voice with a serious expression,""A bugle call is an order. On the battlefield, a minute of delay is a minute of delay. A minute of delay means that more lives may be lost because of it. Guards Company! The soldiers who were late to assemble earlier were dragged down and each of them was beaten with twenty sticks to warn the others. Today's mission will be repeated. First: Destroy all the roads and other traffic leading to Phoenix Mountain to slow down the speed of the Japanese army approaching here; Second, occupy the high ground of Phoenix Mountain as soon as possible and ensure the safe evacuation of the allies and refugees who retreated from the battlefield in Shanghai. The task is arduous and the mission is noble. Protecting the country is the duty of our soldiers and the sacred mission entrusted to us by the party and the country. Our Xiang army used to be bandits, but we have proved with our actions that we are no longer bandits, but the regular army of the Chinese revolutionary army, the army of the country. Since we are the army of the country, we must protect the interests of the country and the people. Protect the country, resist foreign humiliation, and defeat Japanese imperialism!”
The entire regiment also shouted,"Protect the country, resist foreign humiliation, and defeat Japanese imperialism!”
Regiment Commander Zhang then assigned specific tasks: "The 1st and 2nd Battalions will go straight to the highlands of Phoenix Mountain. The 3rd and 4th Battalions will be responsible for disrupting the traffic along the way.”
After a few hours of trekking, the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions arrived at the foot of Phoenix Mountain first. Unfortunately, they were a step too late. A small group of Japanese soldiers had already occupied several high points on Phoenix Mountain. The Japanese flag was particularly eye-catching on the top of the mountain.
Phoenix Mountain was located in the north of Songjiang County, Shanghai. Although the mountain was not high, it had been a strategic location since ancient times because the Huangpu River flowed by and the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway and highway passed through the foot of the mountain. Now that the Japanese army had occupied this important place, it was almost impossible for refugees from Shanghai to pass through here.
It was already noon on the 8th of November. Regiment Commander Zhang and Deputy Regiment Commander Han had no time to eat lunch and were discussing countermeasures. Regiment Commander Zhang looked up the mountain with binoculars. Every high ground was guarded by Japanese heavy machine guns. This was what he saw from the foot of the mountain. It was the same situation in other directions. In order to confirm the situation, Commander Zhang called Ouyang Feilong to scout.
Regiment Commander Zhang used his binoculars to look at the Shanghai-Hangzhou highway in the east. He saw that there were many people moving around, as if there were many people coming to the market. Regiment Commander Zhang handed the binoculars to Regiment Commander Han and said,""Take a look." Deputy Commander Han looked at it and revealed an uneasy expression. He said,""Regiment Commander, this is troublesome. The friendly soldiers who retreated from Shanghai and the fleeing Shanghai citizens have filled the entire Shanghai-Hangzhou highway and are swarming over here.”
"Xie Kangquan, lead the brothers of the 1st Battalion as the vanguard and attack Phoenix Mountain from the south." Commander Zhang ordered decisively.”Battalion Commander Xie stood at attention and said,"I promise to complete the mission!"”
At this moment, Ouyang Feilong returned from his scouting and reported,"" Except for the flat terrain in the south, the other three sides of Phoenix Mountain are steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Moreover, there are Japanese machine gunners guarding the high ground on all four sides, so it will not be easy to take down Phoenix Mountain quickly.”
After hearing Fei Long's report, Regiment Commander Zhang's expression became even more solemn as he thought of a countermeasure. At this time, the brothers of the 3rd and 4th battalions had also completed their mission of disrupting the traffic. They had arrived at the foot of Phoenix Mountain and were waiting for Regiment Commander Zhang's orders.
The Shanghai-Hangzhou highway to the north of Phoenix Mountain was packed with soldiers and civilians who had evacuated from Shanghai. Some were carrying old and young people, some were carrying heavy suitcases, some were carrying heavy burdens, some were pushing wheelbarrows, some were soldiers of the National People's Party who had not taken off their military uniforms in time, some were Shanghai residents in plain clothes, some were rich ladies in gorgeous clothes, some were big bosses in luxurious clothes, some were beggars in ragged clothes... They pushed forward desperately, not giving way to each other. Some fell down and cried, but no one paid attention to them. They only cared about running for their lives. The noise, the noise, the sound of wheels, the footsteps, and the cries interweaved into an annoying noisy music that pervaded the air above the road for a long time.
The Chinese soldiers and civilians who had evacuated from Shanghai were still pushing forward desperately. When they reached the foot of the northern mountain of Phoenix Mountain, they did not notice that the black muzzles of the Japanese soldiers on Phoenix Mountain were pointing at them. The Japanese captain on the north side of Phoenix Mountain took out his military knife and ordered with a ferocious smile,""Shoot!"
Rows of bullets pierced through the thin air and shot at the fleeing soldiers and civilians at the foot of the mountain. The refugees didn't understand what was going on. They were in a mess. Those who were in front were shot in their vital parts and immediately fell to the ground. Those who weren't shot in their vital parts cried and struggled. Someone looked in the direction of the shooting and saw the Japanese on the mountain. He shouted,"There are Japanese!" At this time, the road was even more chaotic. There were even signs of pushing and trampling each other. Everyone had to retreat.
Regiment Commander Zhang and the entire regiment heard the intense gunshots, and all of them were anxious. Regiment Commander Zhang did not have time to think too much. He decisively made arrangements and ordered,"3rd Battalion Commander Yu Jianqiang, you will lead the entire battalion to the north of Phoenix Mountain and exchange fire with the Japanese army. Stop the Japanese army from shooting the civilians and wait for an opportunity to attack Phoenix Mountain.”Battalion Commander Yu nodded and immediately led the 3rd Battalion to Shanbei.
Commander Zhang looked at Ouyang Feilong mysteriously and said,""I have an important task for you.”" Hurry up!" Fei Long said anxiously." I promise to complete the mission!"”
Regiment Commander Zhang said loudly to the soldiers of the 2nd and 4th battalions," Brothers who are good at climbing, please step forward and form a surprise attack team led by Fei Long. You will climb up from the east or west of the mountain with ropes and catch him off guard. Cooperate with the brothers in the south and north to occupy Phoenix Mountain as soon as possible and cover the allies and civilians to evacuate Shanghai as soon as possible. The rest of the brothers will stay in the south and attack the Japanese positions in the south with the brothers of the 1st Battalion.”
Ouyang Feilong said loudly,"Raid team, follow me!"”The dozen or so members of the surprise attack team that were selected at the last minute followed the flying dragon and quickly disappeared into the green forest in the east.
Xie Kangquan led the brothers of the 1st Battalion and rushed to the Japanese high ground in the south of Phoenix Mountain. Ouyang Ding followed the battalion commander Xie and continued to shoot at the Japanese on the mountain. The Japanese soldiers fired at the soldiers in front of them.
Ouyang Ding felt the bullets whizzing past him, but he was not afraid. When he thought of how many civilians were waiting for rescue, he was full of energy. He did not know the danger and only rushed forward, shooting at the Japanese. A few of the Japanese were shot in the head and died. Another row of bullets came. Battalion Commander Xie, who was at the front, was unfortunately hit by several bullets and fell down. The few brothers beside Ouyang Ding were also shot and fell down.
The Japanese army's firepower was too fierce, and they were condescending. If they only rushed forward, they would become live targets for the Japanese army. Ouyang Ding could only retreat, find cover, and wait for an opportunity to attack again.
Regiment Commander Zhang saw that the 1st Battalion's attack had been blocked and that Battalion Commander Xie had died for his country. He shouted,""Motherf * cker, I'm coming!”He personally commanded the brothers of the 1st Battalion to charge up the mountain."Brothers, split up and attack. When you attack, you must pay attention to protecting yourself and attack the enemy. After charging for a while, you must find cover.”As he spoke, a Japanese artillery shell exploded next to Commander Zhang. After a burst of smoke, Commander Zhang fell into a pool of blood. Deputy Commander Han ran over and helped Commander Zhang up. Commander Zhang looked at him with a firm gaze and said in a weak voice," You must take down Phoenix Mountain and ensure the safety of the soldiers and civilians in Shanghai. I'll leave this mission to you. You must…" Before he could finish his sentence, Commander Zhang passed away. With tears in his eyes, Commander Han said firmly and loudly,"I promise to complete the mission!"
Ouyang Feilong led the raiders to the east of Phoenix Mountain. This was the weakest place for the Japanese defense because it was a cliff. Fei Long threw the rope hook onto the cliff, and the raiders climbed up the rope like apes. The enemy's machine guns rang in their ears. It was the Japanese soldiers from the south and north firing at the brothers of the 367th Regiment.
It was very difficult to attack Phoenix Mountain from the front, and the casualties were relatively heavy. The key to taking Phoenix Mountain as soon as possible was whether the raiding team could climb the cliff as soon as possible and launch a surprise attack from behind.
After Commander Han ordered his men to carry Commander Zhang's body down, he led the brothers of Regiment 367 to continue fighting. Another group of brothers fell under the Japanese's guns.
Battalion Commander Yu led the brothers of the 3rd Battalion to the north of Phoenix Mountain. He first sent a few people to appease the refugees on the road and told them not to pass through here for the time being. They would only pass through after taking down Phoenix Mountain. Battalion Commander Yu led the main force of the 3rd Battalion to the foot of the North Mountain. The terrain here was relatively steep. Even if there were no enemies blocking the way, it would not be easy to climb up.
Battalion Commander Yu ordered the officers and soldiers of each company to find a favorable terrain. Under the premise of protecting themselves, they should try their best to eliminate the devils. Even if they could not hit the devils, they could open fire at them to disperse their firepower, thus creating favorable conditions for our troops to attack from other directions.
The second in command of the Korean regiment held his submachine gun and shouted,""Brothers, avenge Regiment Commander Zhang! Charge!" The brothers of Regiment 367 followed Commander Han up the mountain. Unexpectedly, a row of bullets came, and Commander Han fell down after being shot several times. The brothers 'eyes were red with killing. They risked their lives and continued to charge forward. Finally, they occupied a high point on Phoenix Mountain. However, it was very difficult to occupy the next high point because the higher they went, the more concentrated the enemy's firepower was. The brothers of the 367th Regiment in the south temporarily rested and waited for the next round of charge.
Ouyang Feilong finally led the raiders up the cliff. There were no Japanese guards here, and the Japanese never dreamed that the raiders of the 367th Regiment would climb up from here. After a short rest, the raiders quickly moved to the top of Phoenix Mountain. On the top of Phoenix Mountain, the Japanese troops were firing at our assault troops from the north and south. Ouyang Feilong and the raiders each took a dagger and crept closer to the Japanese on the top of the mountain.
Ouyang Feilong and the raiders jumped onto the top of the mountain. Before the Japanese could react, their throats were slit by the raiders. Fei Long and another member of the raid team picked up the Japanese's crooked machine guns and fired at the lower Japanese from the north and south. The other raiders shot at the Japanese with pistols. The Japanese did not expect to be attacked from behind. They quickly turned their guns to shoot at the top of the mountain, but it was too late. The Japanese were shot dead before they could shoot. The raiders rushed down the mountain from the north and south.
The brothers of Regiment 367 at the foot of the mountain from both the north and south saw that the raiders had successfully reached the top of the mountain. They also launched a charge. The Japanese were attacked from both sides. They couldn't care less about their tail and ran around like headless flies. In the end, they were all wiped out by the brothers of Regiment 367.
Ouyang Feilong planted the military flag on the top of the mountain and let it flutter high above Phoenix Mountain. Ouyang Ding and Fei Long watched as the entire regiment climbed to the top of the mountain to celebrate their victory, but they couldn't be happy. More than 800 soldiers of Regiment 367 had died, and even Regiment Commander Zhang, Deputy Regiment Commander Han, and Battalion Commander Xie had sacrificed themselves.
The fleeing soldiers and civilians of the Celestial Empire on the Shanghai-Hangzhou highway stopped when they heard the gunshots. When they saw the flag of the Celestial Army fluttering on Phoenix Mountain, they rushed to the foot of Phoenix Mountain like a tide, desperately escaping from this dangerous place.
The soldiers of the 367th Regiment watched as the fleeing soldiers and civilians of China safely evacuated, and all of them smiled with relief. After they all evacuated, the brothers of the 367th Regiment went down the mountain to find the main force of the 62nd Division and rushed to the new battlefield. Ouyang Feilong left alone in the soldier uniform of the 62nd Division because he wanted to participate in the fierce Battle of Song Jiang.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]