usatvline Chapter 313 Yamamoto Regrets
Chapter 313 Yamamoto Regrets
As shells fell into the positions like raindrops, the front positions on Dazhai Mountain were instantly shrouded in flames and thick smoke from the explosion.
The earth was shaking and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and death.
The violent explosion was deafening, as if even the sky was shaking.
"Comrades, hurry into the anti-artillery shelter and avoid the bombardment!"
The soldiers responded quickly. They abandoned the positions in front of them and ran towards the anti-artillery holes behind them.
But the Japanese soldiers in front of the position were not so lucky.
They had no shelter to protect them from the blast.
In the flames, their figures were ruthlessly swallowed up. A large number of Japanese soldiers were blown to pieces in the bombing, and their screams were drowned out by the sound of the explosions.
After the shelling ended, the Japanese soldiers in the rear launched another fierce charge like wild beasts released from a cage.
They completely ignored casualties and rushed towards the position in wave after wave, as if they wanted to crush the Eighth Route Army's defense line with their numbers.
The battle continued until dusk, and the front line of Dazhai Mountain was filled with the corpses of Japanese soldiers, with blood and mud mixed together.
The independent brigade also suffered heavy losses, and medical soldiers kept moving back and forth in the trenches, bandaging and stopping the bleeding of the wounded soldiers.
There were also some medical soldiers who carefully carried the seriously injured soldiers onto stretchers and sent them to the field hospital in the rear.
"Hold on, brothers, we can't let this position be lost!" The voice of regiment commander Zhang Dabiao echoed on the position.
He took his guards to the battlefield and engaged in fierce close combat with the Japanese.
The fighting was particularly fierce on the main battlefield where a regiment was stationed.
Yamamoto, who was in the rear, stood in a makeshift command post, watching every move on the battlefield.
His face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it, and his brows were furrowed.
He knew that today's offensive had reached its limit and the defense line of Dazhai Mountain was much stronger than he had expected.
Ito, who was standing aside, also had a solemn expression on his face.
He said softly, "General Yamamoto, the casualties of the attacking troops on the front line are very heavy. It is getting dark. We cannot take Dazhai Mountain today."
Yamamoto was silent for a moment.
He knew that what Ito said was true, but this fact was hard for him to accept.
He nodded, his voice deep and powerful: "Adjutant, pass on my order. The front-line attacking troops stop attacking and withdraw to the rear for rest."
"Hai."
The Japanese adjutant quickly turned around and went down to convey the order.
As the retreat order was issued, the Japanese soldiers of the front-line attacking force began to evacuate the battlefield in an orderly manner.
The soldiers on the front line breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Japanese retreat.
The fighting was fierce throughout the afternoon and everyone was exhausted.
Such high-intensity and long-term fighting put great psychological pressure on the soldiers on both sides.
"Comrades, hurry up and repair the position."
"Check your weapons and ammunition reserves."
The soldiers immediately took action. Some of them picked up engineering shovels and began to repair the trenches destroyed by artillery fire; others checked their guns.
In the command center, Li Yunlong stood in front of the map with a frown on his face.
As the last batch of Japanese soldiers withdrew, he felt relieved, but this relief did not last long.
The tragic conditions on the front battlefield replayed in his mind like pictures. The Japanese soldiers' charge regardless of casualties filled his heart with pain.
These sacrificed soldiers are not only veterans of the Independent Brigade, but also his brothers.
Zhao Gang walked to Li Yunlong, his eyes also heavy.
He said softly, "Commander, in today's battle, the soldiers of the first, second and third regiments suffered heavy casualties. Do you think you should ask the commander for reinforcements? Tomorrow's battle will surely be even more brutal."
Li Yunlong pondered for a moment, his eyes moved away from the map and turned to Zhao Gang.
"Political Commissar, please report our current situation to the rear headquarters.
We need reinforcements, but we also need to let the commander know that our soldiers are doing the best they can."
Zhao Gang nodded heavily, turned and left the command center.
at the same time,
Inside the headquarters of the Japanese commander Yamamoto.
Yamamoto's face was gloomy, and he quickly ordered each unit to count the casualties. He wanted to know how many soldiers had been killed or injured today.
...........
Night falls.
Inside the temporary command post of the 65th Division, the lights were dim and flickering. Yamamoto and Ito sat opposite each other, both with solemn expressions on their faces.
The atmosphere in the headquarters was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating. Only the clock on the wall was ticking, recording the passage of time.
Yamamoto's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, while Ito sat quietly, glancing at the entrance of the headquarters from time to time.
Finally, hurried footsteps were heard outside.
The footsteps came closer and faster, until the door of the headquarters tent was suddenly flung open.
The Japanese chief of staff rushed into the headquarters tent with a statistical table in his hand and a serious expression on his face.
Yamamoto saw the chief of staff come in and stood up quickly: "What's the result? Have you figured it out?"
The Chief of Staff nodded heavily, and then said in a deep voice: "Report to the General, according to statistics, the two divisions suffered more than 15,000 casualties in today's battle, of which 9,000 soldiers died, and the remaining soldiers were seriously injured and lost their combat effectiveness."
After hearing this data, the two people in the command center couldn't help but gasp. They didn't expect there would be such a large number of casualties.
Yamamoto's expression became even gloomier, his hands tightly grasped the edge of the table, his knuckles turned pale from the force.
Ito stood up in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
Yamamoto had never suffered such a serious defeat on the Chinese battlefield, which made him feel an unprecedented sense of frustration.
Feelings of regret began to well up in his heart. If he had known that the independent column's combat effectiveness and firepower were so strong, he would never have adopted such a reckless charge tactic.
The two divisions suffered heavy losses on the first day of fighting, losing nearly one-third of their troops, which was a heavy blow to Yamamoto.
He began to question how to fight the next battle.
"The Independent Column is indeed the strongest main force of the Eighth Route Army." Yamamoto muttered in his heart.
Ito paced anxiously at the side: "General Yamamoto, the current situation is very unfavorable to us. Our two divisions have suffered heavy casualties after only one day of fighting. The enemy's firepower and fighting will are very strong. We must change our offensive strategy."
Yamamoto nodded and said, "General Ito, you are right. If we want to take Dazhai Mountain, we must change our tactics as soon as possible."
Afterwards, the two began to discuss new tactics in the command center.
They gathered around the map, running their fingers over it, discussing every possible tactical change.
Yamamoto picked up a red and blue pencil and marked on the map.
The discussion between the two continued into the night. As the night outside grew darker, the lights in the command center remained on.