On May 7, 1941, there was still half an hour before the Japanese army officially launched its attack.

Okamura Neji looked at the busy staff in front of him and showed a very satisfied smile. He stared at the strategic situation map with vicious eyes and said to the chief of staff beside him:

"Tanabe-kun, this time the Republic of China troops in Zhongtiao Mountain will definitely be unable to escape. When the time comes, with the power of our great victory, the Eighth Route Army operating in North China will definitely be like chickens and dogs when facing the warriors of our brother country."

"Contact Yan Baichuan and give him a part of the county seat to ease our relationship. Our North China Front Army has limited troops. It is best to let the locals take care of it. As long as he is willing to surrender, everything will be easy."

"Pay attention to the troops to strictly guard against defending the Eighth Route Army. Those people are the final hidden danger."

Tanabe Shengwu, who was beside the map, was recording and nodding. He had been responsible for persuading surrender since resigning from the 41st Division, and he knew Yan Baichuan very well.

He is a typical miser. As long as he is willing to share a lot of profits, the other party will surrender sooner or later.

"You are right. Separating some counties can not only completely stabilize the Shanxi-Sui Army. It can even free up some troops and improve the security of our occupied areas. It really kills two birds with one stone."

"I will tell my men to do it now, leave this matter to me."

"good!"

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese who thought they were sure of victory suddenly attacked together, launching a pincer offensive from the east, west and north, and attacking the Zhongtiao Mountain area with a central breakthrough.

After careful deployment, the eastern section of the defense line was under the direct control of the 21st Division and the 35th Division of the Front Army, together with the Fourth Independent Cavalry Brigade.

They set out from Yu Province and aimed directly at the heart of the Fourteenth Group Army.

In an attempt to make full use of the mobility of the troops and the obstacles of the Yellow River on the side, they completely cut off the retreat route of the preserved fruit defenders.

The First Army attacked from Jin Province and divided the battlefield with four divisions, dividing the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line into two areas that were not connected from end to end.

Once it joins the troops directly under the front who are wedged into the enemy's position from the side, the enemy can be used to make a big dumpling.

Next, only a few internal annihilation battles and repeated raids are needed to encircle and annihilate the 200,000 Republic of China troops on the opposite side.

·····

At Xinxiang Airport, 108 aircraft of various types of the Army Airlines took off in sequence. This was a large formation composed of Type 97 fighter jets, Type 97 heavy explosives and Type 97 single light aircraft.

Considering that the preserved fruit defenders had no air superiority at all, 70% of the formation was bombers.

The few fighter jets were also equipped with aerial bombs, and the possibility of escort and air combat was not considered at all.

After all the planes took off, a flying team's Type 97 fighter jets took the lead and flew toward the Ninth Army's defense area.

In the communication channel, Lieutenant Colonel Reizo Ishida, who was in charge of the command, said in a frivolous tone:

"Everyone, please relax. We came all the way from the northeast specifically to reap the rewards of the war. There won't be any damned Northern Maozi in this battle, let alone Yi-15 and Yi-16."

"Our mission is just to fly over the enemy's position and drop the mounted bombs. Then you can hunt freely and use the aviation machine guns in your wings to shoot at the trembling Republic of China people."

"But be sure to pay attention to those possible anti-aircraft weapons. I don't want any of you to die in a place like this. It will be a shame for the team."

As soon as he said this, there was a brief silence in the channel, and then various cheers broke out.

Obviously the battle had not started yet, but they seemed to have seen the heavy casualties suffered by the Ninth Army under the aerial machine guns and aerial bombs.

Moreover, these Japs were not at all worried about their radio being monitored by preserved fruits.

After all, you can't expect a group of people who don't have enough to eat to have any thoughts on defense. What's more, the other party's conditions are so difficult, and there is no condition to monitor them.

"Commander Ishida, don't worry! I will definitely drop the bomb accurately on the enemy's head and send those poor people on their way!"

"The terrain near Jiyuan is very suitable for combat! As long as we lower the altitude slightly, we can definitely wipe out them all."

Hearing the discussion among his subordinates, Ishida Reisan's lips curved into an evil smile. He said this deliberately, simply to stimulate his men's desire to attack.

Only by quickly defeating the Ninth Army could they join up with the 33rd Division in the direction of Yuanqu and complete the internal encirclement of the 14th Group Army of the Zhongtiao Mountain garrison.

By then, the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line will be divided into two, and this battlefield will be won. And he, Reizo Ishida, is likely to be promoted to colonel due to his outstanding performance.

The same thing happened to the two bomber teams. At this time, both the pilots and the machine gunners had red eyes, and they all wanted to tear off the flesh of the preserved troops.

Soon, 108 aircraft flew over their own army. There are 25,000 infantry, more than 5,000 horses, artillery, armored vehicles and tanks.

Such a luxurious lineup made them feel proud. Coupled with the cheers from the ground, all the Japanese pilots fell into a state of fanaticism.

Fifteen minutes later, three flying squadrons arrived over the Ninth Army's position.

"Target found! No anti-aircraft positions found!"

"Haha, those stupid people of the Republic of China don't know our true intentions at all. They have long been deceived by Commander Neiji Okamura's tactics of suspicion."

"Charge! Charge! Charge! Attack!"

Amidst the cries of ghosts and wolves, the three models made different choices.

The 97 Danqing is the main dive bomber of the Japanese Army Aviation, and it is also their first monoplane bomber. It has a thousand pounds of bomb load.

Under the leadership of the leading lieutenant, the Japanese began to look for their own goals. The mission of their team is to clear out all air defense positions that may threaten heavy bombers.

"First Squadron, attack."

The twelve 97s ended their circling, and the pilots began to lower the altitude of the bombers, then pressed down the control stick and began to dive in preparation for bombing.

These people were just feinting, that is to say, finding the anti-aircraft firepower point would complete the mission, so the dive angle of the aircraft was not large.

Seeing that the altitude of the 1st Squadron was about to enter the range of anti-aircraft machine guns, Commander Haruhiko Minamizu of the dive bomber team issued another order through the communication channel.

"Second Squadron, enter combat position!"

Another twelve 97 Danqings began to lower their altitude and gradually approached the Ninth Army's position.

At the same time, the Ninth Army's anti-aircraft firepower finally couldn't hold it any longer. More than twenty anti-aircraft machine guns fired from different positions, sprinkling a sparse hail of bullets at the swooping enemy.

Some soldiers on the machine gun positions also spontaneously organized and began to fight back with anti-aircraft machine guns.

But the first squadron, which was still in an offensive posture, ended its dive and pulled up its bombers, while the second group behind them launched an attack on the air defense position.

"well!"

"These preserved fruit troops are so cooperative. After four years of fighting, they are still so stupid."

This scene made Haruhiko Minakami laugh out loud. He was very satisfied with the effect of his warrior. With just one feint attack, the enemy's most valuable air defense position was deceived, and the mission was completed perfectly.

Moreover, those anti-aircraft machine gun shooters can basically be regarded as fighting randomly, and there is a lot of overlap in the firepower network.

Originally, combined with light and heavy machine guns, it was possible to pose a threat to the second squadron. But now it's half the result with twice the result, and it can't even force one's side to pull up and give up the attack.

Minakami Haruhiko is very confident in his men. After all, they are pilots transferred from the Kwantung Army. Compared with the intensity in the north, it feels like returning to Novice Village now.

He firmly believed that the second squadron could deal with the anti-aircraft firepower points, so he directly issued the order to attack.

"Third Squadron, prepare to attack!"

"Freely choose high-value targets, regardless of those anti-aircraft positions."

The fact was just as he expected, the 1st and 2nd Squadrons quickly eliminated all the anti-aircraft machine guns with their accurate bomb drops.

Except for one unlucky guy who was shot up on the spot, the remaining twenty-three 97s successfully completed their assigned tasks.

Since the ground forces were no longer able to organize effective air defense forces, this situation made the Japanese of the Third Squadron very arrogant.

They flew the plane even slightly beyond the safe altitude before dropping the bomb.

When the dive ended and the fuselage was pulled up, violent explosions erupted on the outer positions of the Ninth Army.

Unlike the 97 Single Light, which attacks in a dive, the 97 Heavy Explosion is a two-engine bomber, and its attack method is horizontal bombing.

After the dive bombers took care of the few air defense positions, they ended their circling and carried five Type 92 450-pound killer weapons, flying swaggeringly towards the core area of ​​the Ninth Army's position.

Seeing the heavy bombers entering, the Type 97 fighter jets headed by Reizo Ishida immediately stopped their current vigilance work. They began to lower their altitude and prepared to attack the ground.

·····

Time returns to the three minutes before the 97th Danqing attack, on the outer position of the Ninth Army.

All aspects of intelligence in the past few days indicate one thing: the enemy must be attacking the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line. As a ragtag among ragtags, the entire Ninth Army had little confidence in this battle.

Suddenly, there was a strange noise in the distant sky.

As a battalion commander who had been in various war zones and survived four years of fighting, Tian Fujie immediately realized one thing: the Japanese planes were coming.

"The plane is coming! Take cover quickly!! Everyone get into the bomb shelter!!"

After hearing the order, all the soldiers began to take action. Some veterans even roped in new recruits from their hometowns, saving them from unexplained deaths in air raids.

But after waiting for half a minute, the imaginary bombing did not fall on their heads. This unusual situation made everyone confused.

If the soldiers of the motley army want to survive, they must stick together for warmth.

As a relatively conscientious battalion commander, Tian Fujie felt that he was responsible for his brothers. So after struggling in his mind for a moment, he cautiously climbed out of the bomb hole to check the situation.

As soon as veteran Youzi came out, he saw the Jiuqi Danqing of the Japanese Second Squadron diving towards his own air defense position.

"Damn it, these losers! Why are they opening fire now! If you don't know how to use anti-aircraft machine guns, why don't you use anti-aircraft machine guns? Shouldn't we fight back after the Japanese planes have dropped their bombs?"

In fact, what Tian Fujie said makes sense. After all, the dive bomber needs to climb up after dropping the bomb.

That's when the aircraft's maneuverability is at its worst and its lateral area is at its largest. If the shooter's level is high enough, he can definitely win a fight.

After watching for a while, the veteran even cursed in his hometown dialect.

"What the heck is this? I didn't even know how far ahead I was. We fought for a long time, but not a single plane was shot down. What a good anti-aircraft machine gun, but it was all wasted by these earth hammers."

"I missed it again, so I stopped looking."

Strictly speaking, you can't blame those Sagittarius dishes. After all, they had just received the new weapons not long ago and had no time to get familiar with the weapons in their hands.

If the Japanese didn't attack aggressively, they might never be able to touch an anti-aircraft machine gun in their lifetime. This is the treatment of miscellaneous troops.

After the air defense positions were completely destroyed, the Japanese's No. 1 Squadron and No. 3 Squadron began their unscrupulous hunting.

In these small days, we randomly choose attack targets. Tian Fujie and his battalion also became targets because they had a cannon.

A 100-pound aerial bomb landed firmly near his hiding place. The powerful destructive force directly collapsed the hard-dug anti-gun holes.

When the battalion deputy cut him out of the soil, Tian Fujie's ears and nose were full of blood. My mind was also buzzing, and I couldn't say anything for a while.

At this time, the position was in chaos, with soldiers running around everywhere.

"Medic! The second platoon commander is dying! Medic!"

"Squad leader! Hold it down yourself first! Clean cloth! Who has a clean cloth!"

"Stop the bleeding first! There's too much blood, I can't see the wound clearly! Pull back!"

"Company commander! Open your eyes! Look at me! Don't sleep!"

Tian Fujie, who had regained his composure a little, stood up with support on the shoulders of the battalion adjutant. Looking at the chaotic position, he anxiously said to his adjutant:

"Quick! Organize all the brothers who can still move, the Japanese infantry will attack soon!"

"If this chaos continues, everyone will die!"

But at this moment, shells fell on their position one after another.

A large number of Japanese mountain artillery, field artillery and large-caliber howitzers tilted their firepower towards the Ninth Army's positions. Many soldiers who had not returned to the anti-aircraft holes immediately died tragically on the spot.

First bombing and then artillery shelling, this kind of high-intensity attack has never been seen even by Tian Fujie, a veteran.

What's more, the heavy explosion of 97 is about to enter the sky above the Ninth Army's position. No one wants this heavy bomber to slip overhead. Everyone knows what will happen to Yamashiro.

A young man who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old was hiding in the shell-proof hole. His eyes were glassy and he was shivering. The powerful artillery shells and aerial bombs made him forget what the veteran said.

"Where's our Chinese air force! Don't we have planes? Who can help me?"

This scene made the veteran in the cave a little intolerable. He pulled the young man to his side and said helplessly:

"Chinese air force? It was finished in 1937."

I sent an easter egg stamp, which contains the troop deployment map of Zhongtiao Mountain.

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