Rise From Eight Hundred

"That battle was really bloody!" This sentence is often used in novels to describe the brutality of the battlefield in ancient times, and it is not an exaggeration to use this sentence to describe the battle of Gaojialing.

There is no need to describe the brutal details. Just look at the piles of Japanese corpses on the battlefield like pyramids, and there are such piles of corpses all over the mountains and plains.

In order to make room for maneuvering in the bloody battle, Chinese soldiers often rolled the enemy's corpses down the mountain and landed on a flat place. The corpses naturally piled up together to form a small pyramid pile of corpses.

And this battle lasted for a full three hours!

Neither the Chinese nor the Japanese could count how many troops they had invested and how many people died in the battle. Whether it was the division commander surnamed Hu or Murakami Qisaku, they kept putting all their reserves into this battlefield.

What engineers and baggage soldiers had long been thrown into this terrible meat grinder, and the communication soldiers, cooks and even the clerks of the division headquarters, all went to the battlefield with their handy tools at the last moment.

When the battle was the most intense, there was only one medical soldier on guard beside the lieutenant general division commander, and even the major general chief of staff walked up to Gaojialing with a pistol in one hand and a Zhongzheng sword in the other.

Finally, as the sun set, a shrill hand-cranked alarm sounded from the Japanese side, and the exhausted Japanese infantry retreated from the hillside in sparse numbers.

The Chinese soldiers who had just roared and fought hard looked at the retreating Japanese army, but they were unable to catch up. Their legs softened and they lay among the corpses of both sides, gasping for breath.

No one cheered for the victory, not because they didn't want to, nor because the battlefield was too tragic, but because they had no strength at all.

Even if the Japanese came to bombard at this time, they didn't want to move a finger.

"Is this the elite force of the Chinese? They are really strong." In the twilight, Murakami looked at the remains of Chinese and Japanese officers and soldiers who fell to the ground on the hillside, his eyes full of loneliness.

He knew that this battle had exhausted the spirit of more than 9,000 imperial officers and soldiers under his command, and the remaining officers and soldiers were no longer able to fight.

What was even more terrifying was that he could clearly see the remnants of the 104th Infantry Regiment of the 13th Division evacuating from the front line looking at his headquarters with fierce eyes.

It was incredible that the low-level soldiers did not hide their hatred for an army lieutenant general in the Japanese army, which was known for its strict hierarchy, but after this bloody battle, it actually appeared in front of him.

Murakami knew clearly that if he ordered this group of remnants to replicate the Gaojialing battle again, there would probably be no less than ten people shooting him in the dark.

"The entire army retreats and temporarily breaks contact with the Chinese army!" In the deep twilight, no one could see the face of this Japanese army lieutenant general, and no one knew what kind of mood he was in when he issued this military order.

But undoubtedly, when this military order was passed to various departments, it was already a disguised admission that the strong attack on the 23rd was an extremely failed battle.

This is before the statistics of the casualties in the hand-to-hand combat in the afternoon were counted.

When the losses of various units were reported to Murakami Kisaku in the evening, even though the Japanese Army Lieutenant General had made sufficient psychological preparations based on the on-site battle situation, when he saw the long string of numbers, his eyes still twitched fiercely, and the veins on his forehead jumped.

During the whole day, in front of the last line of defense of the Chinese side, the number of Japanese troops killed in battle reached 3,700, and 3,053 died in the hand-to-hand combat in the afternoon, and there were as many as 500 seriously injured soldiers. Because all of them were injured by cold weapons, the wounds were seriously contaminated. If there were no antibiotics developed by the United States, death would basically be a foregone conclusion.

This means that on this day, half of the more than 9,000 infantrymen commanded by Murakami Kisaku died. This terrible death rate was not as high as the 17th Division in the Battle of Niangzi Pass, which suffered heavy casualties and made Division Commander Zhao cry.

"The enemy, who has reached a desperate situation, fought back to the river. Our troops suffered heavy casualties and are no longer able to fight. In order to avoid losing all the previous results, our troops request to retreat!" After thinking for a long time, Murakami Kisaku finally sent a telegram to Yokoyama Isamu with a serious face.

"Approved!" Yokoyama Isamu's telegram was not sent to Murakami Kisaku until 4 hours later.

It can be seen that the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army was also difficult to choose between retreating and not retreating.

If he did not retreat, Murakami Kisaku had only more than 4,000 troops under his command. If he attacked again for another day, he might be in danger of being annihilated. There was no guarantee that he could capture the Chinese position. This was a typical case of greater risks than benefits.

Moreover, on the right wing battlefield, the 18th Division of the 18th Army of China also fought back hard. It seemed to be shaky, but no one knew when these people would fall.

Even a proud man like Yokoyama Isamu had to have an inexplicable awe of the 18th Army. This was the first army he had met on the Chinese battlefield.

This Japanese lieutenant general who was destined to fail several times on the Chinese battlefield may not know that such an idea will appear in the next few years at a level not less than ‘5’.

And the Battle of Shipai was not his worst defeat on the Chinese battlefield.

If he retreated, it would mean that the Battle of Shipai, which had been planned for more than half a year, would end in failure. What was even more tragic was that the Hariya Detachment, which was surrounded in the mountains of China, would completely lose its vitality.

Except for the Japanese troops on the front battlefield and the right wing battlefield who could break through the Chinese defense line, no other Japanese troops could rescue them.

After receiving his military order, the Nogou Detachment and the 231st Infantry Regiment of the 39th Division on the left wing battlefield, which once had a strength of 60,000, only managed to gather 4 infantry squadrons and an infantry artillery squad. The reason given was that they had suffered heavy casualties and were unable to attack, and they also had to guard against Chinese night attacks.

The Chinese launched a small-scale night attack on the night of the 21st, especially the 231st Infantry Regiment, which was attacked the most. It was attacked 14 times throughout the night, making thousands of people in the 231st Regiment unable to sleep at night and could only stare until dawn.

It was unrealistic to expect the two closest units to rescue the Hariya Detachment. If they retreated again on the front battlefield, the lives of 2,000 imperial officers and soldiers would be almost given away in vain.

No matter who it was, I am afraid they could not bear this infamy.

However, all of Yokoyama Isamu's hesitations turned into determination after a battle report came at 2 a.m. on the 24th.

At 12:00 on the 23rd, the 10th Chinese Army defeated the Japanese defenders at Yuyang Pass and recaptured Yuyang Pass. Its main force of five divisions had advanced to the Tianzhu Mountain line. The 74th Army and the 79th Army had also arrived at the designated positions, and the time for the Chinese army to counterattack was ripe.

At this time, Yokoyama Isamu knew that his carefully planned battle in western Hubei had failed. If he did not retreat, not to mention that the Jingu Detachment would not be saved, the Japanese army attacking the Shipai front battlefield would also be closed and beaten.

Murakami Kisaku, who received the order from Yokoyama Isamu to retreat, was more relaxed than ever. He sat in his field command post for most of the night, not just to wait for Yokoyama Isamu's order, but because the Chinese on the opposite side had gone crazy.

Yes, the division commander surnamed Hu was really going crazy.

The battle on the 23rd almost made Murakami Kisaku cry, but the young division commander surnamed Hu of the 11th Division really cried.

Because this battle was really too miserable.

In the battles a few days ago, the 11th Division, which relied on fortifications to continuously resist, lost 10 infantry companies. When we say loss, it means that it completely lost its combat effectiveness.

At the Tiantai position, all members of an infantry company died in battle;

On the main road on the south side of Shipai Fortress, the battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 33rd Regiment, You Guozhen, led the entire battalion to defend. Under the fierce attack of Japanese artillery fire, most of the 600 people in the battalion were killed, and Battalion Commander You himself was seriously injured. A bomb dropped by a Japanese plane exploded next to him.

The deputy battalion commander asked him to go to the rear for treatment as soon as possible, but Battalion Commander You Guozhen not only refused to retreat, but also grabbed a Czech light machine gun and shot at the Japanese personally. The whole battalion finally defeated the Japanese attack. After the Japanese retreated, the officers and soldiers found that Battalion Commander You Guozhen had shed his last drop of blood. When he died, he still maintained the posture of shooting with a machine gun.

And the battalion was able to return alive in the end, less than 100 people, 4 full-strength infantry companies, could not make up two infantry platoons.

On the 23rd, casualties reached their peak. A total of 2 infantry regiments were deployed in Gaojialing, and only 800 people were able to stand up and walk back to the position. 3,700 soldiers were lying on the hillside.

If the corpses of the Japanese army were piled up into nearly 100 "pyramids", the remains of the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division could cover the entire hillside.

It took 3 hours for the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division to carry the corpses to the battlefield after sunset. Originally, he, the division commander, personally ordered that the sacrificed officers and soldiers be temporarily placed in the valley behind his headquarters, but in the end, there was no place.

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Even if the remains were shoulder to shoulder, they were placed in rows, and the valley was hundreds of meters long, there was still no place.

Division Commander Hu was walking in the valley full of remains. He could still pretend to be strong and hold back his sadness until he saw the body of a young soldier who was too young and had no hair on his lips. His head and face were covered with blood and had not been washed. He was furious: "Damn it, no one cares about my soldiers who died? Where is his platoon leader? Where is his company commander? No matter who it is, the 9th company of the 31st regiment, get an official here."

An equally young soldier heard the roar and hurried over from the other side of the valley. He stood at attention and reported to Division Commander Hu: "Report to the division commander, Shi Dakuan is here to report."

"What are you doing here, a new recruit? Let your squad leader come." Division Commander Hu looked at the obviously young recruit in front of him and tried his best to suppress his anger.

"The squad leader is dead!" Shi Dakuan lowered his head.

"Then let your platoon leader and company commander come!" Division Commander Hu's heart trembled fiercely.

"The platoon leader is dead too, the first platoon leader, the third platoon leader, the company commander, the deputy company commander, all dead!" Shi Dakuan's tears rolled down, washing away the dried blood on his face again. Under the dim lantern, he looked ugly and terrifying.

There was silence all around!

"Then your company..." The division commander surnamed Hu stood there with a choked throat.

"There are still 22 living brothers in my 9th company, but they are all injured and are being treated in the field hospital. I am the only one here. Don't blame me, division commander. I will go and wipe Yumi's face clean." Shi Dakuan tried his best to look mature and raised his head to say.

He was able to find the bodies of all the brothers in his infantry company within 3 hours. His luck as the only intact soldier in the 9th company was much better than that of other companies.

But it was too difficult to wash a brother's face clean. The blood on his face seemed to be impossible to wipe clean no matter how hard he tried. He had tried very hard, but he could only clean the brothers in the squad.

"I don't blame you. I can't blame you. I only blame myself as the division commander." Division Commander Hu suddenly looked up at the sky. Otherwise, the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes would not be able to return to his eye sockets.

Everyone can cry, but he, the supreme commander, cannot cry.

Unfortunately, Shi Dakuan, who was very close to him, still saw a series of rolling tears wet the woolen military coat of the lieutenant general and division commander.

When he wrote a farewell letter to his father and wife, Commander Hu had no tears. When he received the casualty figures, Commander Hu suppressed his grief, but he faced the only soldier in this infantry company who could report to him and promise to clean the faces of all the brothers in the company. At that time, the teacher surnamed Hu finally couldn't bear it anymore.

a long time!

"May I have your name!"

"Shi Dakuan!"

"Okay, Shi Dakuan, let me ask you, if you were asked to fight the stubborn Japanese again now, would you dare?"

"There is nothing to be afraid of. The leader said that there is a mountain city behind us. My mother and sister are there. I am willing to trade my life for their safety." Shi Dakuan finished speaking without hesitation, then showed a slight hesitation. .

"That's it, you tell me! As long as it's reasonable, I'll satisfy you."

"I think I'm dead. Can I still get my military pay for this month? The Chinese New Year is coming soon. I want my two sisters to have a meal."

There was another moment of silence.

Everyone had thought about what this soldier would expect, but never imagined that his wish was as simple as paying his military salary and giving his sister a meal of meat.

"I will cover all your sister's living expenses in the future!" Commander Hu looked seriously at the soldier with the lowest rank under him.

Then, he turned his attention to the major general brigade commander and several colonel commanders who were following him, with his face full of pride: "You all saw and heard it just now, how about it, are you proud of your soldiers? "

He pointed his finger at the rows of soldiers who were lying quietly, and said in a deafening voice: "I am the 11th Division, so good at fighting. If the little devils want my country, then I will fight them to the end.

I will stand here and ask you again on behalf of these good brothers, do you still dare to fight with the Japanese? "

"Dare! Please give me the order!" The major general brigade commander touched his heel hard and stood up straight.

"Dare! Please give the order, Master!" The other officers all stood straight.

"Okay! There are not many people in this world who can make me cry so hard today. The Japanese commander opposite should be deeply honored. I have always been a vengeful person. If he makes me shed tears, then I will let his blood be shed." .

During the Three Kingdoms period, Gan Ning of Soochow used a hundred cavalry to rob Cao Cao's million-strong camp. Today, on the side of the river, I want to imitate him!

The troops of our division on the front line were ordered to use the infantry squad as a unit to continuously harass the Japanese army. One Japanese head was priced at 10 yuan. I will bear this reward with the furniture of Mr. Hu. "The teacher surnamed Hu roared in a low voice.

"Yes!" All the officers accepted the military order with murderous intent.

"Teacher, I want to participate too!" Shi Dakuan suddenly requested when the teacher surnamed Hu turned around to leave.

The reward of 10 yuan for a Japanese head is really too exciting, especially for a private whose military pay is only 6 yuan.

"Okay!" Teacher Hu's eyes flashed with appreciation.

"If you can come back alive tonight, you will be the acting company commander of the 9th Company. You are the only one in the 9th Company now, but after this battle, you will support me and build up the 9th Company for me."

. . . . . . . . .

That night, the remnants of the five regiments of the 11th Division sent out more than a thousand soldiers for night raids, firing at the Japanese troops non-stop. They even used the terrain to lurk less than 20 meters in front of the Japanese positions, threw grenades into simple trenches, and blew up the Japanese troops. The ghosts cry and the wolves howl.

What's even more outrageous is that Chinese soldiers often took huge risks, crawled into the position under the cover of night, and cut off the heads of dead Japanese infantrymen with bayonets and took them away.

This crazy move of killing people without even risking their lives scared the Japanese infantry to the point of peeing. During the long night, the Japanese soldiers did not dare to close their eyes at all. In their hearts, they even scolded a certain Japanese army lieutenant general who commanded yesterday's hand-to-hand battle. Bloody nozzle.

If it weren't for that guy who was crazy and kept investing troops to play with the Chinese with a white knife in and a red knife out, could the Chinese be so crazy?

If possible, the 104th Infantry Regiment of the 13th Division, which lost more than 2,000 people in the First World War, would most like to kill this bastard with a black gun.

Forced by threats from China and Japan, Murakami even moved his command to a destroyer on the river.

But the sound of gunshots and explosions in the dark night never stopped, and the suffering was truly unparalleled.

Until I received a telegram from Yokoyama Isamu at about 4 o'clock in the morning.

"The entire army will evacuate in batches and the transport ships will dock!" Murakami immediately issued a military order.

Finally able to leave this damn place, the Japanese army, like their commanders, collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

The Chinese sneak attacks were not completely stopped until 5 am.

The efficiency of the Japanese army, who had not slept a wink all night, was astonishingly high. After the sun jumped over the hilltop, the scouts of the 11th Division who were responsible for watching the Japanese positions were surprised to find that there was not even a ghost on the Japanese position opposite.

Fearing that it was a Japanese army setting up a suspicious formation, the scouts spent nearly an hour observing closely before confirming that there was no one on the position.

The Japanese army actually completely abandoned the Chinese position that they had conquered just a few days ago after spending a lot of troops. There was only one possibility.

The devil escaped!

"We won this battle!" Shi Dakuan, who was watching the military flag being re-planted on the mountain ridge in the distance and hearing the continuous cheers in his ears, could no longer hold on. He lay down on his back in the bushes and fell asleep.

More than two hours later, the new recruit with two Japanese heads hanging on his waist was shaken awake.

"Damn it, you, the acting company commander, are sleeping soundly, but you almost scared me to death!"

The major battalion commander, with a smile on his face, wanted to kick the new recruit's ass. The division commander was angry and said that he wanted to see Shi Dakuan alive or dead. He, the battalion commander, had to go out and look for him in person. He was worried and tired, but this guy snored while sleeping. How could he not be angry? But looking at the two stinking heads beside him, he finally endured it.

What the army lacks most is this kind of ruthless people! And the luck is against the sky.