Under the first wave of artillery fire from the 108th Division, the vanguard of the 217th Brigade suffered heavy losses. Their combat strength was reduced by one-third because nearly one-third of their soldiers were killed by the artillery fire.
"Baka, how did this happen?"
The Japanese lieutenant commander got up from the ground and looked around in horror.
In his field of vision, there were charred tanks, huge craters, wounded soldiers who were wailing, and endless corpses everywhere. These scenes formed a hellish scene.
"Lieutenant General, we have encountered the artillery fire of the 108th Division. According to our initial estimates, this is the result of at least a hundred cannons firing at the same time!”A major of the Japanese army covered in blood ran over and reported the situation.
"Impossible, the 108th Division can't possibly have over a hundred cannons!”The lieutenant commander roared. He could not accept such a loss.
The vanguard of the 217th Brigade consisted of 24 tanks and two infantry brigades.
But now, after a wave of artillery fire, not only were eight tanks destroyed, but the casualties of the entire vanguard had already reached one-third.
All of a sudden, the sound of air being torn apart was heard again. In less than a few seconds, hundreds of cannons fired at the same time. This was the second salvo from the 108th Artillery Regiment.
Rumble!
Deafening explosions sounded one after another, and the entire battlefield was once again enveloped by artillery shells.
Unfortunately, the lieutenant commander of the vanguard of the 217th Brigade was blown up into pieces by a 105 medium howitzer shell.
In other directions, Japanese soldiers were constantly swallowed by the explosions of the artillery shells.
In the blink of an eye, at least hundreds of Japanese soldiers died under the second round of artillery fire.
"D * mn it, Elder Zheng's artillery regiment is too fierce. This Japanese died a tragic death!”In the outer perimeter of the 108th Division, Li Yong was holding a pair of binoculars. His eyes were wide open. He was really frightened by the firepower of the artillery regiment.
Heavens, there were two large groups of Japanese soldiers in front of them, nearly 2,500 people, and 24 tanks.
However, in less than two minutes, one-third of the vanguard of the 217th Brigade was killed.
Facing such a barrage of artillery, how could the Japanese play?
"Regiment Commander, the Japanese's vanguard is retreating!”The vice commander of the First Regiment quickly accepted the situation.
"Damn it, the Japanese are not fools. Master is right. We should fight closer!”Li Yong cursed loudly. He looked at the time and ordered,"Give chase after five minutes. Don't let any of the Japanese soldiers escape!”
"Yes, regiment commander!" The vice commander of the first regiment replied loudly.
As the artillery fire had not ended, Li Yong naturally could not give the order to pursue. If they caught up to the artillery attack range, it would be bad!
Rumble!
Up in the sky, artillery shells kept falling on the vanguard of the 217th Brigade Commander. Almost every shell could kill several Japanese soldiers.
In less than seven minutes, nearly half of the two vanguard teams sent by the 217th Brigade had died.
In addition, on the battlefield, there were hundreds of wounded soldiers of the Japanese army who could not move because of their injuries. They could only wail on the spot.
Da! Da! Da!
At this moment, the sound of rifles and machine guns rang out. The 1800 soldiers of the 108th Division rushed out of their positions and chased after the retreating Japanese vanguard.
In the command post of the 108th Division, Li Yan listened to the report of the battlefield situation from the signal soldier. He looked at the map behind him and said,"Inform Zheng Sanlin to use all 155 heavy artillery to their maximum range. Destroy the road behind the 217th Brigade. I don't want the 217th Brigade to escape on a truck!”
"Also, inform Ma Kui and Zhao Sihai immediately that the second and third regiments don't have to defend their positions anymore. Tell them to follow the first regiment and chase after the entire 217th Brigade!”
"Yes, Master!" The signalman ran to the telegram and immediately relayed the order to the artillery regiment.
Following this order, the 12 155 heavy cannons of the 108th Artillery Regiment stopped firing. Then, they raised the firing angle and used the maximum range to fire shells at the road 17 kilometers away.
The 217th Brigade was a mechanized infantry brigade. As long as they destroyed the road behind them, they would have no choice but to use their legs to escape.
If the 217th Brigade retreated on foot, the 108th Division would naturally be able to catch up.
…………………
On the other side, in the main force of the 217th Brigade, Yamamoto Yoshiki looked at the situation on the battlefield. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared,"Baka, what does the Special Higher Police do? The 108th Division has an artillery division. Why didn't we know about such important information?”
In Yamamoto Yoshiki's opinion, to be able to fire nearly 120 shells in a single volley, what else could he be if not an artillery division?
In less than ten minutes, the two vanguard teams of the 217th Brigade had already lost nearly 1500 people. The 108th Division had also rushed out of their positions and was in pursuit.
" Your Excellency, the Kumamoto Unit and the Kameda Unit have suffered heavy losses. The 108th Division is in pursuit. We need to immediately provide support to the Kumamoto Unit and the Kameda Unit!”Oban Yoshio was also shocked by the artillery fire of the 108th Division, but he still made the next decision in time.
All of a sudden, the sound of something breaking through the air came from above the 217th Brigade's headquarters.
"Heavy artillery, it's heavy artillery!" Yamamoto Yoshiki reacted quickly and immediately lay on the ground.
Immediately after, 12 earth-shaking explosions came from several miles behind.
Not long after, a scout ran into the command center and reported,""Brigade Commander, Li Yan's heavy artillery unit is bombarding the road several miles behind us!”
"Nani!" Yamamoto Yoshiki's expression darkened. He instantly understood.
If the road behind them was destroyed by the heavy artillery, causing the trucks to be unable to pass through, the 217th Brigade would have to rely on their legs if they wanted to retreat.
This way, if Li Yan's troops wanted to chase after them, they might be able to!
"Brigade Leader, the 108th Division is chasing after the Kumamoto Battalion and the Kameda Battalion. We need to provide support!”A Japanese army officer said anxiously because these two teams belonged to him.
Immediately after, another lieutenant spoke,""Brigade Commander, since the 108th Division has begun their pursuit, their artillery must have stopped firing. I think our main force should immediately advance and launch a counterattack against the 108th Division!”
" The 217th Brigade cannot be defeated by the Chinese army…" Yamamoto Yoshiki took a deep breath and ordered,""Inform all troops to advance at full speed and immediately launch a counterattack against Li Yan's troops!”
With this order, the remaining four teams of the 217th Brigade, with a total of more than 4800 people, immediately launched a counterattack.
In Yamamoto Yoshiki's opinion, even if the vanguard troops were completely wiped out by the artillery, the four battalions under him could still defeat Li Yan's 108th Division.
Because the 108th Division only had 5520 people, Yamamoto Yoshiki did not believe that his entire B-grade exploration team could not defeat the 108th Division, which only had 5520 people, in a head-on battle!
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