Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 403: Victory in the first battle on July 7th

Tang Qiuli was awakened from his sleep by Mei Ting. Chief of Staff Yu Guanghan looked anxiously holding a telegram, which was sent by the commander of the First Regiment of the Fourth Brigade. At the Marco Polo Bridge on the bank of the Yongding River, the Japanese army sent a field coalition

The regiment, equipped with large-caliber artillery, launched a fierce attack on our position. The ninth company of our regiment was cut off by enemy artillery fire from its retreat path, and is now fighting alone.

Our troops tried many times to reinforce, but all failed, causing casualties instead. We requested the division commander to mobilize troops from other directions and attack the Japanese army from the flanks to relieve our Ninth Company from the danger.

Tang Qiuli suddenly woke up. It was already past two o'clock in the morning. Where did the Japanese army group that appeared near Marco Polo Bridge come from? There was something wrong with the direction of the attack. He immediately rejected his judgment.

It was an unexpected emergency. The Japanese troops of this regiment should have moved in the direction of Marco Polo Bridge before the encirclement.

The current situation is that all the troops of the ** Division are in a fierce battle with the Japanese army and cannot escape. He does not have a reserve force in his hands. The Jixing Wen Regiment guarding Wanping City can provide nearby support.

However, as a result, Wanping City became an empty city.

If the Japanese army takes advantage of the situation and moves in, the ** Division and the 29th Army troops in that direction will be in a dangerous position where they are attacked from both sides and the Ji Xing Wen Group cannot move.

The atmosphere in the headquarters became tense. Even if a large number of Japanese troops were wiped out in this battle, it was a great pity that the two regiments of the ** Division suffered losses due to this unexpected situation. It was not the combat effectiveness or strength of the troops.

In comparison, the Japanese army had heavy artillery.

Moreover, if Marco Polo Bridge is lost, the southward retreat route of the 29th Army, which is fighting fiercely with the Japanese army, will be cut off. As a last resort, the troops will retreat into Peiping City and continue to resist. In this case, Tang Qiuli's plan will also come to nothing.

Tang Qiuli observed carefully in front of the military map. He ordered his staff to call the troops of the 29th Army and ask which troop was closest to Marco Polo Bridge. The result soon came out that it was the troops of the 39th Division of the 29th Army.

Following the army commander's orders, we are gradually evacuating various defensive areas and gathering in the direction of Shitou Camp in the western suburbs of Peiping. Two regiments of troops have already arrived at the gathering place.

The person who responded to the telegram was the deputy commander of the 39th Division. Tang Qiuli immediately ordered that the two regiments that had been assembled, led by the deputy commander, immediately rushed to the direction of Marco Polo Bridge and bypassed the fighting area. They were not allowed to entangle with small groups of Japanese troops along the way.

Launch an attack from the rear of the Japanese Ono Regiment, and together with the troops of the Japanese Division, annihilate the Ono Regiment in the Marco Polo Bridge area.

After receiving the order, the two regiments set off immediately. They knew that the troops of the ** Division were fighting to the death to protect the southward retreat of the 29th Army. The army commander had no other troops to use.

These two regiments had basically no losses and were well organized. After the exchange of fire with the Japanese army, they caused a large number of casualties to the Japanese army. They immediately gave up the battlefield to the troops of the Japanese division who arrived and assembled in the direction of Stone Camp according to the prior plan.

, prepare to retreat south.

The soldiers of the 29th Army were very moved by the division commander's painstaking efforts and caring feelings. The troops who are going to reinforce are the troops of the ** Division who are supporting their brothers. Can we still watch the fun?

As we ran all the way, we could see the Marco Polo Bridge area in the distance, with bright fires, countless gunshots, and the booming sound of shells exploding.

At this time, the Ninth Company had less than eighty soldiers capable of fighting. They faced the crazy attack of thousands of Japanese troops, and their positions had been razed to the ground. The soldiers used various terrains to shoot desperately. Thanks to Tang Qiuli,

The troops were equipped with a large number of Somi submachine guns to form a dense fire net. Due to terrain restrictions, the Japanese offensive troops could only deploy more than two squadrons at a time. The Ninth Company has only been able to support it until now. Otherwise, thousands of Japanese troops would be like a tidal wave.

Like, drown them.

After repelling another fierce attack by the Japanese army, Hao Lifeng looked at the soldiers around him. Only twenty-three people could stand up. Behind them, the Japanese army's large-caliber artillery completely blocked the retreat road. Can they withstand it?

Once? Hao Lifeng was not sure, he could only fight to the last man.

Suddenly, fierce gunfire rang out from behind the Japanese position, and the damn Japanese artillery finally became mute. A group of reinforcements took the opportunity to cross the fire net and rushed to the position of the 9th Company. It was the 39th Division of the 29th Army.

The troops fought in the rear of the Ono Regiment, and in one fell swoop they destroyed the Japanese heavy artillery position that was the greatest threat to the Ninth Company and the First Regiment.

Hao Lifeng felt unbearable fatigue, and then he commanded the remaining soldiers of the Ninth Company to follow the main force and launch an attack on the retreating Japanese troops in Queen Cang. A burst of machine gun bullets came at Hao Lifeng. Hao Lifeng was shocked and fell down on his back.

On the ground, several thick bullet holes appeared on the chest.

His eyes refused to close, and he stared at the night sky of North China for a long time. Around him, a tide of warriors rushed towards him bravely.

The situation immediately changed. Ono's regiment lost its heavy artillery and was attacked from behind. It was completely wiped out on the banks of the Yongding River and in front of the Marco Polo Bridge.

After the war, an inventory of the battlefield revealed that there were 9 companies in the 1st Regiment of the 4th Infantry Brigade of the **Division. There were 246 soldiers, and only 16 survived. Almost the entire company was wiped out. Company Commander Hao Lifeng died in battle, and everyone below the deputy company commander

Grade officers, only one second lieutenant platoon leader survived.

The first regiment and the mortar regiment had a total of 863 killed soldiers and 38 mortars. At the cost of this, the Ono Regiment was completely annihilated. The commander of the Regiment, Colonel Ono, was responsible for more than 5,300 Japanese troops.

, no one was spared.

After the division commander Tang Qiuli learned the news, he was silent for a long time, with a sad look on his face, and the pencil in his hand suddenly broke. He immediately issued an order to reorganize the ninth company, and awarded the ninth company of the 1st Regiment of the **4th Brigade "Lugouqiao Steel".

This is the honorary title of "Company". This is the first company among the nearly 10,000 grassroots companies in the ** Division to receive the honorary title.

From then on, the Ninth Company, under this banner, became one of the most capable companies in the Army Division, and also one of the ordinary companies of the Chinese Army that the Japanese army most wanted to eliminate. From the Ninth Company, a large number of battalions emerged.

Regiment-level commander, the blood of the Yongding River is injected into the blood vessels of every soldier of the Ninth Company, and always inspires their courage to kill the enemy.

The battle lasted until about six o'clock in the morning, and the sound of gunfire on the battlefield gradually subsided. The only troops that Nishimura Masahashi could contact were only 50,000 to 60,000 people from the north and east directions of Peiping. They were all exhausted after a long battle.

The remnant army has incomplete structures, and its military strength has been depleted to varying degrees.

The Chinese *** team fighting with them evaporated and disappeared on the battlefield. The Japanese troops who boarded the Chinese *** team's position stared blankly at the bullet casings everywhere and the corpses of their companions behind them. They didn't know in their hearts.

What does it feel like?

They only knew that they had been fighting for nearly a night without taking any advantage. The Chinese *** team evacuated on its own initiative. Not even a corpse or a wounded soldier was left behind, let alone where they evacuated. The opponent was so cool and unrestrained.

They left, leaving behind Japanese soldiers whose noses were bruised and swollen, and whose orifices were bleeding.

Subsequently, the Japanese army entered the deserted and cemetery-like Beiping City from two directions: the north and the east. A few sun flags, withered heads rising under the rising sun, listlessly and occasionally followed

The wind swayed, like a man suffering from impotence, looking helpless in the face of a beautiful woman.

Does this explain the outcome of this battle? The Japanese army planned for several years, prepared carefully, struck with one blow, and fought in a night of melee. The 29th Army retreated completely, got an empty city, lost 140,000 troops, and occupied Peiping.

This is the ardent wish of the Japanese people, and they are shouted in their sleep.

However, does such a result deviate too far from the original intention of the Japanese? Sometimes, wishful thinking is really funny.

After completing the expected combat objectives, the three attack corps of the ** Division were divided into three groups and retreated to the directions of Zhangjiakou, Laiyuan, and Baoding. The Japanese army did not dare to pursue them.

In this battle, a total of more than 140,000 Japanese main force troops were annihilated. The Japanese division also lost more than 9,000 soldiers and injured more than 13,000 people, of which more than 7,000 were seriously injured. A total of more than 23,000 soldiers were killed.

, lost combat effectiveness, reached a complete establishment of one and a half brigades, and the casualty ratio with the Japanese army was one to eight.

On July 7, a night of fierce fighting, Tang Qiuli's attacks were fierce and thunderous. In the first battle in North China, he killed nearly one-half of the Japanese troops in North China, making the Japanese unable to launch the next offensive in the short term.

This messed up the overall plan of the Japanese base camp before the war, forcing it to adjust its strategic deployment and focus its main attention on North China.

On July 8, the sun rose as usual. Tianjin and the headquarters of the Japanese North China Garrison Army were filled with gloom and mist. Lieutenant General Nishimura Masahashi, commander-in-chief of the Peking Campaign and chief of staff of the North China Garrison Army, had several wounds on his face and head.

Wrapped in a thick gauze, holding a sword in his hand, he sat expressionlessly on the sofa.

The Supreme Commander of the North China Garrison, Anichiro Tashiro, had a livid face and a fierce look in his eyes. He put his hands on his desk and glared fiercely at the dozen senior officers standing on both sides. On the ground were a few pieces of a smashed teacup.

The tea leaves that had not yet been brewed were stuck to the polished riding boots of a Japanese major general standing in front of him with a blank look in his eyes, making them particularly eye-catching.

Commander Tashiro had just lost his temper. Last night, gunshots were fired at Wanping City. He was in the office, waiting for good news from Nishimura. Even the victory message sent to the base camp had been drafted in advance.

During the waiting process, he and several senior staff officers laid out the Go chess and asked the maid to bring them sake and several plates of delicious Japanese side dishes, and spent their time comfortably.

The good news from Nishimura has been delayed, and Tashiro's inner uneasiness is slowly growing. Several senior staff officers accompanying him to play Go are also a little restless. It seems that the delicious sake and delicious side dishes have lost their original flavor.

smell.

At three o'clock in the morning on July 8, Amiichiro Tashiro sent a telegram to Nishimura to ask if the war was going smoothly. However, Nishimura did not reply to the telegram. Then, he sent a telegram to the 3rd Division, the 9th Division and the 10th Division.

The Third Division sent a telegram, but there was no reply.

Tashiro opened the window irritably and listened to the faint, solid sound of artillery coming from the direction of Peiping. At 4:53 in the morning, Nishimura Masahashi, the commander-in-chief of the Peking Campaign, finally sent a telegram, and the staff hurriedly sent the telegram.

.

Tashiro snatched the telegram. The content on it made him feel dizzy, his heart tightened, his body shook several times, and he almost fell down.

(To be continued)