Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 565: No way to escape

Yamaguchi commanded 90,000 troops and was eager to withdraw from the Taihang Mountains. He ignored the fatigue of the Japanese soldiers marching on a snowy night and did not make any stops along the way. According to Yamaguchi's idea, it would be the greatest victory to successfully withdraw from the Taihang Mountains and reach Handan safely.

The large group of Japanese troops rushed towards Lucheng along the main road from Wuxiang to Xiangyuan and Lucheng like a turbulent current. Except for encounters in Xiangyuan and a small group of ** division troops, they did not encounter any obstruction along the way. This made Yamaguchi feel relieved.

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At around 2 a.m. on January 4, the vanguard of the Japanese army could vaguely see the blurry outline of Lucheng in the dark night. The situation was immediately reported to Yamaguchi, who was in command. He issued an order, and the vanguard immediately occupied Lucheng. The main force

The troops passed through the city without making any stops and continued to advance.

This order caused a commotion among the Japanese soldiers. They set out on the morning of January 3, clearing heavy snow, clearing roads, and marching in the cold wind. They walked for a day and most of the night, and rested for less than two hours in total.

, I only had three meals, and they were all cold meals covered in ice. Marching in the snow is inherently exhausting.

By now, they were exhausted and hungry. The cold wind was biting and their feet seemed to be dragging a thousand kilograms of heavy weight. Lucheng refused to stop and continued walking. These Japanese soldiers complained and complained. However, the absolute obedience of the Japanese soldiers was worth it.

Praise, even though he was unwilling in his heart, he continued to drag his lead-filled legs and move forward mechanically.

There was only the sound of countless pairs of feet stepping on the snow, and suddenly other movements were added. Fires bloomed on the calm road. The Japanese army stepped into the minefield. The mines exploded one after another. In the night, the firelight flickered.

, shrapnel roared and flew across the sky, bringing up clouds of blood and throwing the bodies of Japanese soldiers onto the white snow.

The sudden explosion caused the leading troops of the Japanese army to panic and leave the road one after another to avoid these deadly weapons. There was no safe place and there were mines everywhere. Wherever the Japanese soldiers hid, there would be fire under their feet.

, constantly flashing in the dark night.

Yamaguchi was startled by the sudden explosion and quickly asked the vanguard troops what happened. Was it blocked by the Chinese army? After receiving the report, Yamaguchi broke into a cold sweat. He instinctively realized that the situation was not the same.

Wonderful, if it is the blocking of the Chinese army, they can also use sudden and violent attacks to break through the opponent's defensive positions. Now it is a mine, which can only show that the troops of the ** Division are ready to block the blocking.

Landmines are just to stop yourself from moving forward.

There must be troops of the Army Division waiting for him in front. Yamaguchi was confused. He didn't understand why his clever strategy failed and where the flaw was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come to a conclusion.

Staying here? He immediately rejected this idea, because that would lead to a faster and more miserable death. If he gave it a try, there might still be a way to survive. He hoped that the force of the First Division troops that blocked him would not be very large, and he hoped that it would just be an accidental encounter.

The dispatched engineers began to clear mines in the dark night. The mines produced by Huangyadong Arsenal had the function of preventing removal. The mine detectors used by the Japanese engineers found mostly false targets, and there were also anti-engineer mines that were ready to explode on contact.

, with most of the engineers dead, it took more than two hours to clear a passage on the road. During this period, Yamaguchi's forehead was sweating non-stop. He knew very well that these two hours were harmful to him.

What does it mean?

The signs all over the snow made the Japanese soldiers frightened. They danced and dodged and continued marching. Now it was lively. They clearly indicated that it was a safe zone, but they stepped on the gate of hell. Mines continued to explode. The Japanese soldiers behind them were marching on their comrades in front.

Use the road dug by the corpse to slowly continue to move forward.

Yamaguchi issued a death order. No matter how many landmines there were, he could not stop advancing. To put it bluntly, it was to use the lives of soldiers to create a passage. More than 90,000 people would die, and a few thousand people would die without affecting the overall situation. Yamaguchi was indeed holding a

This idea, in this way, caused hardship to the Japanese vanguard troops. Those who were bombed fell on their backs and screamed repeatedly.

Hiding in the trenches, watching the flashes of fire from time to time and listening to the rumbling explosions, the soldiers of the ** division were delighted. The deputy division commander's mine feast was enough for the little devil to drink a pot. When they got closer, he

After another beating, several soldiers started to argue. The focus was on the area where the explosion was most concentrated. They all said that it was planted by their squad. It was not until the company commander came over and shouted in a low voice that he stuck out his tongue and agreed that after the battle,

Go to the field and find out.

Huangnian, more than ten kilometers north of Lucheng, behind Xiadian and Wuyang, and on the main road from Wuxiang to Lucheng, is the acting commander of the Taihang Mountain Field Corps, and Tang Qiusheng's Lucheng campaign headquarters is located here.

, look at the watch, it’s already four in the morning on January 4th

At 30:00, and in another 30 minutes, the battle to encircle the Japanese troops at Yamaguchi was about to begin. He called again to inquire about the location of the participating units. The troops from the other three directions called back and said that they had already entered the attack position and were conducting attacks.

preparation before.

Tang Qiusheng nodded with satisfaction. The troops of the Army Division were absolutely unambiguous in executing their orders. Tang Qiuli's safe escape also made him feel confident. The frontier reported that the Japanese advance troops had entered the minefield. He couldn't help but smile.

Shaking his head, if Xiaoqiu hadn't called the police in advance, the five brigades under his command would have had a sudden encounter with the Japanese army. Even if the Japanese army was prevented from escaping, the casualties of the troops would have exceeded imagination.

Now it is possible. It does not take several hours to stop the enemy. Mines alone can delay the Japanese army for several hours. Thinking of his brother, his smile became more peaceful and his eyes were full of love.

At 4:50 in the morning, the Japanese army finally used thousands of corpses to wade out of a passage and reached the line from Xiadian to Wuyang. The time wasted for more than two hours. There were no more deadly dangers everywhere in front of them.

Landmines, all the Japanese soldiers seemed to have gone through hell. With faces full of shock, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, Yamaguchi's heart became increasingly heavy. He knew that things were not that simple. What would greet him after the mines passed? Anyway, it would not be the Chinese people with steaming meals.

The answer was soon revealed. Ten minutes later, at 5:00 a.m. on the 4th, a series of colorful signal flares suddenly rose around the Japanese marching column under Yamaguchi. Then, there was a loud roar like rolling thunder, and countless artillery shells, carrying

The dark red tail flame roared in and hit the Japanese army hard on the head. The encirclement of Yamaguchi's Japanese army began on time.

The 230,000 troops of the ** Division surrounded more than 90,000 Japanese troops from all directions like iron barrels. More than a thousand artillery pieces continued to pour out shells. The battle was in full accordance with the consistent principles of the division commander Tang Qiuli, with the most ferocious force.

The firepower effectively killed the Japanese troops and destroyed their will to resist.

All, despite the violent volcanic eruption of artillery fire, the infantry only need to stick to their respective positions to prevent the Japanese army from breaking through. The Japanese army trapped in the wilderness is in danger of disaster. The artillery shells explode into clouds of snow and mist, flying shrapnel, and screams.

It was spinning, with an ominous note, cutting into the bodies of the Japanese soldiers. A rain of blood, along with the fragmented corpses, polluted the white snow.

The artillery fire came from three directions. The initially panicked Japanese soldiers instinctively broke out in the direction of the non-life-threatening shells. That direction happened to be the defensive position of Tang Qiusheng's troops. What he wanted was for the Japanese troops to break out from this direction.

The five artillery regiments were ready, waiting for the panicked Japanese soldiers to rush over. The positions in the other three directions were all built in a hurry and could not bear the Japanese army's desperate breakout. This was also a modern version of "encirclement".

Three are missing.”

The first round of shelling made Yamaguchi's heart feel as cold as falling into an ice cellar. Despite all the calculations, he hurried away and tried his best, but still could not escape the fate of being surrounded. Just listening to the sound of the shelling, at least eight

More than two artillery regiments were firing salvos, which showed how many troops Tang Qiuli had used. However, how did this Chinese devil mobilize so many troops, and how did he ambush him on the road he must pass in advance?

He couldn't figure it out, and he couldn't figure it out until his death. While the command system was not disrupted, he issued a breakout order. As for which direction to break out from, his subordinates gave him the advice to go towards Lucheng. Only in that direction, there were no cannons.

The sound, the encirclement troops of the Japanese Army should have arrived in a hurry. Yamaguchi instinctively felt that the matter was not that simple, and Tang Qiuli was not stupid enough.

He sadly discovered that in the open snowy field, he was subjected to such fierce shelling. As the chief of staff of the North China Expeditionary Army, his fate was the same as that of ordinary soldiers. No one had any safety guarantee. Just as he was hesitating, a shell exploded in front of him.

, several staff officers who were shouting hoarsely into the intercom fell in a pool of blood.

He couldn't help but hesitate again. The Japanese army broke out in the direction of Lucheng like a tide. Strangely, the Chinese Army did not pursue it. They just used up endless artillery shells to chase the Japanese army. In the night, the artillery shells fell like meteors to seize the road.

There were more than 90,000 Japanese troops in the fleeing Japanese brigade, and they were completely in a passive position of being beaten.

Less than three kilometers after the breakout, countless bolides suddenly flew up in the quiet field ahead. The Japanese soldiers, who were running desperately, looked at the bolides flying in the sky in horror. For a moment, they were stunned.

It was Tang Qiusheng's unit and five artillery regiments that carried out blocking fire. The artillery shells exploded, creating walls of fire in front of the Japanese army. Then, deafening explosions rumbled across the field.

A head-on blow suddenly stopped the Japanese soldiers, and achieved Tang Qiusheng's goal of inflicting maximum damage on the Japanese soldiers. The stunned Japanese soldiers turned around and ran back. There were explosion flames and death shrapnel everywhere.

, it cannot be said that the Japanese soldiers did not have combat effectiveness, but the opponents they encountered were too powerful, with firepower several times greater than theirs. They could not even find desperate opponents, only endless shells whizzing down overhead.

Therefore, the fate of more than 90,000 Japanese soldiers was destined to stay in this windy and snowy Taihang Mountains, a flat area with no danger to defend.

(To be continued)