usatvline Chapter 296: Luzigou Encounter
Chapter 296: Luzigou Encounter
3 pm.
After more than two hours of marching, the soldiers of the 358th Regiment had already covered more than half of the distance.
There was sweat on their faces, but their eyes were still determined and their steps were still powerful.
Chu Yunfei rode on a horse and walked in the middle of the team.
He checked his pocket watch from time to time, then looked around, noticing the fatigue on the soldiers' faces.
He knew that even though the soldiers were well-trained, the long march would still be a great test of their physical strength and will.
Chu Yunfei said to an officer beside him: "Pass the order down, rest for 10 minutes before moving forward."
"Yes, Commander."
The officer turned quickly and conveyed this order to the front and back of the team.
As the order to rest was issued, the soldiers took off their weapons and equipment and found a cool place to sit under the shade of trees or next to rocks.
Some of them drank water, some took the time to eat some dry food, and some gently massaged their legs to relieve muscle soreness.
Chu Yunfei took several officers to a small hill. They spread the map on the ground and examined it carefully.
Chu Yunfei ran his finger over the map. After checking it for a while, he said to the Chief of Staff Fang Ligong beside him, "Chief of Staff, look at the map. The valley in the middle of Luzigou is very wide. Only the valley in the second half is relatively narrow.
I decided to set up a blocking position in the second half of Luzigou.
With the weapons and equipment of the 358th Regiment, it should be no problem to delay the Japanese attack.
After waiting for the arrival of other brother troops, I will eat up this Japanese regiment."
After Fang Ligong heard Chu Yunfei's words, he squatted down, carefully observed the map, and then raised his head: "Commander, no problem, I agree.
This plan is feasible. We can take advantage of the terrain and deal a heavy blow to the enemy."
"Okay, then we'll set up a position in the second half of Luzigou." Chu Yunfei said.
The 10-minute rest time passed quickly, and the soldiers of the 358th Regiment put their equipment on their backs and continued their march.
They walked quickly in the mountains, and the rugged mountain roads were extremely physically demanding on the soldiers.
Fortunately, before setting off, the logistics department had distributed excess rations to each soldier so that they could replenish food during the march.
Chu Yunfei was riding on his horse, his eyes scanning every soldier from time to time. He knew that these soldiers were not only his subordinates, but also his brothers.
............
Two hours later.
As the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the rugged mountain road, the vanguard of the 358th Regiment finally arrived at Luzigou.
After an afternoon of arduous march, they finally reached their destination.
At the same time, the vanguard of the 116th Regiment also entered Luzigou.
They did not stay in Songta Town for long, but headed directly to Luzigou, intending to pass through the area quickly.
After learning that there were no Chinese troops around, the Japanese regiment commander Nishimura quickly ordered his troops to continue advancing to find out the situation and clear obstacles for the large force in the rear.
In the second half of Luzigou, a squadron of Japanese soldiers were walking in the front. They did not expect to encounter the vanguard of the 358th Regiment at this time.
When the two armies met head-on in the narrow valley, both sides were stunned, and time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Suddenly, a company commander of the 358th Regiment broke the silence: "Brothers, we found the Japanese ahead, beat them hard!"
Almost at the same time, the Japanese squadron leader also came to his senses and shouted loudly: "Soldiers, there are enemies ahead, shoot immediately!"
The Japanese soldiers quickly came to their senses, began to look for cover and prepared to shoot.
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
The Japanese squadron leader drew out his command sword, held it high, and commanded the soldiers to launch an attack.
The soldiers of the 358th Regiment responded quickly, using the rocks and trees in the valley as cover and began to fight back.
The machine gunner quickly set up the machine gun and fired bullets at the Japs like raindrops.
The sound of gunfire echoed in the valley of Luzigou.
A fierce battle broke out between the soldiers of both sides in this narrow area. Bullets whizzed through the air and artillery fire exploded in the valley. Each explosion was accompanied by flying earth and rocks and the screams of soldiers.
Soldiers from both sides were shot and fell to the ground continuously, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood.
The sudden gunfire shocked the 116th Regiment and the large forces of the 358th Regiment.
Chu Yunfei's face darkened, and he immediately realized that an unexpected situation had occurred ahead.
He quickly ordered the guards around him: "Hurry up and go to the front to check what's going on and report to me immediately."
After receiving the order, the guard immediately jumped on his horse without any hesitation and galloped towards the direction of the gunshot.
Chu Yunfei shouted loudly: "Soldiers, speed up the march and rush to Luzigou. The brothers in front have already exchanged fire with the Japanese."
After hearing the order, the soldiers immediately quickened their pace. They knew that every second they reached the battlefield faster would give their comrades on the front line a better chance of survival.
On the other side, the face of the commander of the 116th Regiment, Nishimura, was gloomy. After hearing the gunshots coming from the direction of Luzigou, he was filled with anger and confusion.
He questioned the adjutant beside him: "Adjutant, what's the situation in Luzigou? Why are there enemies in the valley? How did the scouts do their reconnaissance? They are a bunch of rubbish!"
The Japanese adjutant looked nervous and quickly replied: "Captain, the scouts did not find any enemies during their reconnaissance. The enemy should have just arrived not long ago."
Nishimura had no time to investigate responsibility, he quickly gave an order: "Pass my order, the main force will speed up the march and rush to Luzigou to destroy the enemy."
"Hai."
The Japanese adjutant quickly turned around and went down to convey the order.
After hearing the order, the Japanese soldiers immediately quickened their pace.
Both sides were rushing to Luzigou as fast as possible.
.............
The fighting in the valley intensified.
The vanguard of the 358th Regiment fought a desperate battle with the Japanese squadron in the narrow valley.
The Japs' firepower was extremely fierce. Their machine guns and mortars continuously poured fire on the positions of the 358th Regiment, causing a company of the 358th Regiment to retreat step by step and be forced to retreat to the hillside, where they engaged in a difficult battle with the Japs.
"Company commander, the enemy's firepower is too fierce. Our brothers can't hold on any longer!" A platoon leader, his face covered in dust, anxiously reported to the company commander.
The company commander yelled, "Damn it! How come the damn Japs came so quickly?
Even if you can't stop it, I'll stop it! Tell the brothers that the large force behind us is coming, we have to hold on!"
"Yes, company commander!"
The platoon leader quickly returned to the team and loudly mobilized the soldiers to boost their morale.
On the hillside, hundreds of Japanese soldiers, led by the squadron leader, launched a fierce attack on the positions of the 358th Regiment like a tide.
For a time, the soldiers of the 358th Regiment were hit one after another, suffering heavy casualties.
The Japanese grenade launchers and 60 mortars caused great casualties to the soldiers of the 358th Regiment, and the position was in danger.
At this critical moment, the follow-up troops of the 358th Regiment arrived at Luzigou one after another, and they launched a fierce counterattack against the attacking Japanese squadron.
Faced with the large and highly motivated 358th Regiment, the Japanese squadron was defeated and began to retreat in panic, desperately trying to escape.
When they fled to the entrance of Luzigou, there were less than 30 people left in the squadron that originally had hundreds of people.
After Chu Yunfei arrived at Luzigou, he immediately ordered the organization of positions and sent out reconnaissance teams to investigate the Japanese regiment in order to find out the Japanese army's firepower configuration and number of troops.
at the same time.
Japanese Army Commander Nishimura was also busy organizing the offensive.
He was determined to completely defeat the 358th Regiment before dark and pass through Luzigou smoothly.
Nishimura was full of confidence in the 116th Regiment. He believed that the Chinese army in front of him was also vulnerable and that the 116th Regiment could quickly defeat the Luzigou troops.
However, Chu Yunfei and his 358th Regiment were not so easy to defeat.
They quickly established a solid position on the hillside, with machine guns and artillery in place, ready to meet the Japanese attack.