Rise From Eight Hundred

 Chapter 1485 Artillery in position

It turned out that the 10th Army Artillery Battalion, which had received 12 American 75mm mountain guns and 4,000 rounds of artillery shells from Liuzhou, had arrived in Guilin for transit as planned, and then returned to Hengyang by special train.

This plan had already been approved by the 9th Theater Command and reported to the Ministry of Military Affairs, but something went wrong in Guilin.

The First Artillery Brigade stationed in Guilin actually detained the artillery battalion and asked them to transfer to the brigade on the spot.

The reason is very strange, saying that Hengyang is a dead place, and the 12 advanced mountain artillery must not be allowed to find their way to death. It is better to join the brigade to prepare for the decisive battle with the Japanese army after the capture of Hengyang in Guangxi Province and contribute their own strength.

This First Artillery Brigade is not an ordinary artillery unit. They were originally under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs. Four years ago, in order to strengthen the firepower of each theater, they were placed under the jurisdiction of the theater. The major general commander of the First Artillery Brigade is the artillery commander of the 9th Theater. official.

In 1942, the 1st Artillery Brigade flew to Langa, Asan Kingdom to participate in the regular training of the expeditionary force. The training assessment results ranked first among the artillery units participating in the training. They were commended by General Stilwell and had outstanding military exploits on the Burmese battlefield. In April 1944, he had just been transferred back to China to rest and recuperate in Guangxi Province.

They dared to stop the 10th Army Artillery Battalion. Behind them, in addition to the support of the military and political bosses, there was also the shadow of Americans.

In fact, even General Stilwell, Chief of Staff of the China Theater, was not optimistic about China's decisive battle with the Japanese army in Hengyang. He believed that the current deployment of Chinese troops was more suitable for dealing with the Japanese army in Guangxi Province and released 20,000 elite troops. In Hengyang, it is very likely to result in the loss of 20,000 elite troops, weakening the power to fight the Japanese army, and the gain outweighs the loss!

In fact, he is not the only one who thinks like this. Even most generals, including perhaps the Commander-in-Chief, in their inner reality, believe that Hengyang can only be kept for 3 or 4 days at most!

For example, at this time, there are several artillery regiments stationed in the Fourth Theater and Seventh Theater along the Hunan-Guangxi Railway and Guangdong-Han Railway. These artillery regiments have many artillery and sufficient ammunition, but no senior general has come forward so far. These elite artillerymen, who could reach Hengyang in a few days, were transferred to Hengyang, but they were allowed to bask in the sun there.

Because, in the eyes of these senior generals, a small place like Hengyang could not be defended for a few days, and there was no need to go to war for it. Not only would it not help the overall situation, but it would be a waste of precious artillery.

You see, everyone is pretending to be sober!

However, he could not convince the commander-in-chief, nor could he convince Tang Dao, who could contact him through Laura.

"Knowing that something is impossible but doing it is called a benevolent person; knowing that something is impossible but not doing it is called a wise man. Tang Dao is not talented, and he who wants to be kind is not wise!" Tang Dao replied to Stilwell's telegram Don't say that Stilwell is not I understand, even Laura, who is well versed in Chinese culture, has been reading books for a long time.

After they understood what Tang Dao meant, the two Westerners, a man, a woman, an old man and a young man, stood in front of the window and stared at the night sky for a long time.

"Tang is the smartest Chinese I have ever seen, but he is also the most stubborn. We have the upper hand in the Pacific battlefield. In two years or even one year at the latest, the war will be won, and we will fall into the darkness before dawn. "Here, is this worth it?" Stilwell spread his hands, his face full of helplessness and incomprehension.

He thought he understood the Chinese very well, but at this moment he still didn't understand them. The commander-in-chief's thoughts are easy to understand. Hengyang is the gateway to the southwest, and he cannot tolerate his companions being threatened by the Japanese army. But why would Tang Dao and his troops still fly into the flames?

It's okay to say that the 10th Army was forced by military orders, but the Si Xing Regiment was an engineering regiment, and it was backed by the Rockefeller Foundation and him, the Chief of General Staff of the China Theater. The Commander-in-Chief, who was ambitious and talented, would not do anything to them. .

Her lover chose to beg for mercy, and he might die in the war. Laura should have been full of sadness, but she leaned on the wall and stared at the night sky with a smile: "General Stilwell, now you know why Laura loves Don alone. Come on! He is China’s William Wallace!”

In ancient Chinese proverbs, there is nothing more moving or tragic than "knowing that something is impossible and doing it", but what touches people's hearts is not the words, but the great masters in the long history of China, who knew that the correct proposition was at a disadvantage and that justice My career is at a disadvantage, my clear mind is at a disadvantage, my strength is far from enough, but I still step forward with the determination to die and the estimation of defeat.

What is a hero? This is a hero!

Looking through the history of Western civilization, perhaps only William Wallace, who fought for freedom, could barely meet this standard.

Stilwell felt sorry for Tang Dao and the Four Elements Regiment, but as the chief of staff of the Chinese theater, Stilwell had to consider the series of operations after the defeat of Hengyang. The 12 new American mountain cannons were all equipment donated by the United States. Naturally, he Not wanting these things to be wasted in Hengyang, the First Brigade, as his former subordinate, after receiving his hint, was naturally happy to include 12 mountain cannons and a well-trained artillery battalion officers and soldiers under their command.

With his support, not to mention the yelling generals of the 10th Army were helpless, even the similarly jumpy General Xue in the 9th Theater was helpless.

Tang Dao could only find Laura again, hoping to persuade Stilwell to order the 1st Artillery Brigade to release, but Laura's call back after 12 o'clock at night only had the word "sorry".

How could a general who was promoted from a brigadier general to a four-star general in three years change his strategic and tactical deployment of a battle involving millions of lives and deaths because of personal affairs?

At this point, all the efforts of the 10th Army, the 9th Theater and Tang Dao failed.

The 1st Artillery Brigade controls the railway traffic with its authority. Even without the authority or force to interfere, it is estimated that it will take 20 days to reach Hengyang just by the officers and soldiers of the 10th Army Artillery Battalion carrying their bags on their shoulders. By then, the day lilies will probably be cold. Well, if not for a miracle, the 10th Army Artillery Battalion could basically just watch helplessly in Guilin as its comrades shed their last drop of blood against the Japanese in Hengyang, but there was nothing they could do.

If they don't go well, they will be the only fully-equipped troops left in the 10th Army.

No, perhaps when the main force of the two main infantry divisions of the 10th Army is lost, the commander surnamed Xue, who has always been resentful of the 10th Army, is very likely to propose to the superiors to withdraw the troops and reduce the division's corps structure.

The artillery battalion was naturally integrated into the First Artillery Brigade, and the 10th Army, an infantry army that won the title of "Taishan Army", disappeared in an instant.

Even Tang Dao frowned deeply and thought that when this artillery battalion with certain strength would not be able to return to Hengyang, the gears of fate turned again.

If a drowning person is not rescued by external forces, he has to rely on himself if he wants to survive.

The 10th Army Artillery Battalion did not just sit back and wait for death. Zhang Zuoxiang, a major battalion commander who graduated from the 13th batch of Huangpu, filed a written complaint to the Military Commission: "It has been nearly three months since I went to Yunnan to change uniforms, and no one in the 10th Army is waiting eagerly. Commander Fang often leaned against the door and looked forward to returning to Hengyang, just like a wanderer looking forward to returning home.

In particular, Hengyang is surrounded by plains on three sides and faces the river on one side. There is no danger to defend it. The artillery in the army is scarce, and Paoze has no fire cover. He can only exchange his flesh and blood for the fierce artillery fire of the bandit. Every time he thinks about this, he and the entire battalion of Paoze shed tears. .

If the position is such as building another brigade, whether it is public or private, it can be used as a loan. "

A telegram from an artillery major is basically destined for the trash can for the highest-level command organization like the Military Commission. But miraculously, this telegram was actually seen by Minister He, the number two figure in the Chinese military. , greatly moved.

Even a blind man knows what is going on in Hengyang now. It is a place to fill a hole for Mr. Xue, who is conceited and proud and has made a big mistake. Where it is, 80% of it is dead.

As a result, a small artillery battalion commander was so kind and righteous, and he was willing to die for the sake of his fellow soldiers in a safe place. It was really commendable for his loyalty and bravery.

Therefore, the dignified Minister of Military and Political Affairs personally came forward to coordinate. On the afternoon of May 25, the 1st Artillery Brigade was finally released, allowing the 10th Army Artillery Battalion to board the vehicle, and it was expected to arrive in Hengyang 2 days later.

Railway traffic is relatively smooth, which may be the only advantage for the Hengyang defenders at this time!

The Japanese 11th Army suffered very little infantry losses in conquering Tanzhou, but suffered huge losses in air power. Although the Chinese Dispatch Force Headquarters is still trying its best to coordinate and supplement, it will not be able to pose a threat to Hengyang airspace in the short term.

In order to ensure Hengyang's air supremacy, China and the United States once again deployed more than 200 fighter planes to patrol around the traffic lines almost around the clock. Otherwise, if Japanese fighter planes had full air superiority a few years ago, the trains that were frantically feeding supplies to Hengyang would only become a living target for Japanese fighter planes, and transporting the 780,000 to 80,000 old, weak, women, and children in Hengyang would be an empty talk. .

Seeing that the artillery battalion was about to return, Tang Dao took stock of all the artillery of the 10th Army. Before the war started, there were 4 field cannons and 16 mountain cannons. As for artillery shells, the artillery battalion brought 4,000 rounds, plus the one who promised to give them. There are 20,000 rounds of various artillery shells, which should be enough.

If you add the 24 artillery pieces of the artillery battalion of the Fourth Row Regiment, the total number of large-caliber artillery pieces is 44, which is barely enough. What is missing now is a qualified artillery commander.

Originally, Tang Dao subconsciously wanted to choose either Pang Pang Hai or Cheng Tieshou as the artillery commander in Hengyang City, but he quickly rejected this idea.

Because the main force defending the city is the 10th Army, and the Four Lines Regiment is only a regiment-level unit. Bai Sheng has already served as the second-in-command of the engineering corps, second only to Zhao Junmai. There is another top commander of the artillery, and the 10th Army Even if you don't want to say it, someone has to say weird things.

He is now not only the commander of a regiment, but also the chief of operations in a theater. He must not make decisions based on his own preferences, but must also consider the acceptance of friendly forces.

Zhang Zuoxiang, the artillery battalion commander of the 10th Army who successfully rescued himself, was a figure and could be a candidate for the artillery commander, but it would only be two or three days before they came back, and it was already too late.

Now the artillery in the city needs to be integrated, and detailed measurements of hills, mountains, intersections and other targets around Hengyang, as well as all buildings that can be called landmarks, are pre-set for shooting targets, and a one-in-20,000 dot map needs to be made. , in this way the efficiency of artillery will be greatly improved, especially the mountains and hills south of the city and southwest of the city, which will surely become the focus of artillery attacks by the Chinese and Japanese armies. The more detailed the markings are, the more accurate the artillery fire will be and the stronger the lethality will be. .

Just when Tang Dao had a headache and wanted to discuss it with Zhao Zili, someone suddenly came to report that an artillery reinforcement force had arrived, led by Cai Rulin, the war supervisor of the 9th theater.

As soon as Tang Dao found out about this person's background, he immediately became happy.

It turns out that this Army lieutenant colonel named Cai Rulin is also a figure. He once served as the artillery battalion commander of the 10th Reserve Division of the 10th Army, and was later promoted to the deputy commander of the artillery regiment directly under the theater. His command of artillery was throughout the entire army. The 9 theaters are all very famous, but somehow they came to Hengyang as war supervisors and brought an artillery unit with them.

Not only is he a war supervisor sent from the war zone, he is also an old member of the 10th Army, and he has extremely high artillery command capabilities. This man is not the best candidate for artillery commander.

Tang Dao immediately went out of the city to greet him!

However, when Tang Dao saw the artillery commander of the Hengyang Theater Zone that he had already determined in his mind, it was slightly different from what he imagined.

There are two artillery officers under him. Cheng Tieshou has a fiery personality, a giant sponge with needles hidden in his body, and completely different personalities. But they all have one thing in common. During the march, their military appearance is neat and tidy, and they attach great importance to military appearance, even if Pang Panghai is in battle. When Shi was high, he would take off his military uniform and load the artillery with the shells himself. His shirt was buttoned tightly, so that his fat body would not be easily exposed.

In his words, a commander must look like a commander. If the commanders are all disheveled and follow the example, then wouldn’t everyone be shirtless and doing it? Bandits are like that too!

Over the past few years, Tang Dao was not the only one who had grown up, his group of old comrades had become more and more like commanders.

The straight waist and solemn and neat military appearance of Chinese soldiers are never just looks. They represent the spirit of an army!

When Tang Dao saw the war supervisor, Cai Rulin was holding three medium-sized rifles diagonally across his chest. A yellow bullet bag hung from left to right on his chest, a blue fried rice bag hung from right to left, and a telescope hung behind his back. There were piles of observation equipment in a mess, he was running around in a hurry, and he was sweating profusely. He looked like a lieutenant colonel war supervisor, and he was exactly like a civilian husband who was temporarily arrested.

When he saw Tang Dao coming over with the rank of colonel, he immediately raised his hand to salute. However, he had too much equipment, and the soldier's salute was terrible.

"I am Tang Dao, the leader of the Four Elements Regiment. Commander Cai, who are you?" Tang Dao returned the salute and smiled gently.

"It turns out to be Captain Tang. Hey, to be honest with you, Captain Tang, my visit to Hengyang this time is really exciting." Cai Rulin almost shed tears at that time.

At the same time, a sound of "gu" sounded, and it was very clear even in the relatively noisy military camp.

"My brothers and I haven't had anything to eat for a whole day and night." Cai Rulin's face turned red, but he told the truth without concealing it.

"Heavy rain, ask the cooking squad to prepare food for the artillery brothers. No, send canned beef and instant military rations over immediately." Tang Dao immediately ordered. "Brother Cai, how many of you are there?"

"We have 433 people! They are all brothers I brought from the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Artillery Brigade." Cai Rulin said quickly.

After Cai Rulin devoured two cans of canned food and a pack of instant military rations, and listened to his detailed explanation, Tang Dao realized how this man became a war supervisor and brought an artillery unit from near Tanzhou to Hengyang. .

It turned out that the deputy commander of the lieutenant colonel was ordered to set up defenses on the flanks of Yuelu Mountain with two mortar battalions. As a result, the Japanese army took a wrong turn and avoided their attack range and directly attacked the Yuelu Mountain field artillery position, plus two infantry divisions. It collapsed unexpectedly when crossing the river. The infantry in Yuelu Mountain was insufficient, which led to a rapid collapse.

Cai Rulin could only take two mortar battalions and quickly move south. Later, Tanzhou fell and Cai Rulin, who had nowhere to go, initially planned to take the mortar battalions back to the theater headquarters. Unexpectedly, he finally contacted the headquarters with great difficulty. Later, the headquarters gave him the title of war supervisor and ordered him to rush to Hengyang at night.

From the perspective of the general named Xue, the two mortar battalions are not of much use on a large battlefield, but they can be regarded as his support to the Hengyang defenders. They can deal with the Military Commission at the top and the Military Commission at the bottom. We can also give some explanation to the 10th Army.

The order was given, but Cai Rulin and the artillerymen were about to lose their legs. More than 400 of them carried a total of 32 mortars and 800 rounds of artillery shells, but only 20 pack horses.

Not counting the nearly 40 kilograms of the cannon body, just the 800 rounds of artillery shells, one shell weighs 6 kilograms, 800 rounds of artillery shells weighs 4,800 kilograms, and a box of 5 cannon shells weighs 30 kilograms. A total of 160 wooden boxes are needed. The horses can carry up to 250 kilograms, which is 8 wooden boxes. The 26 pack horses are too thin. The artillerymen are afraid that the horses will be exhausted, so they can only carry 6 wooden boxes at most. A total of 120 wooden boxes are transported by pack horses. The rest have to rely on manpower. .

A mortar body and gun mount require 4 people to carry. If divided into three squads, that would be 12 people. 32 guns require 360 ​​people to take care of them. The remaining 70 or so people have to carry 60 shell boxes and other supplies.

No wonder Cai Rulin, the deputy commander of the lieutenant colonel, was covered with all kinds of equipment. Fortunately, they took a train for most of the day, which saved them 200 miles. Otherwise, he, the theater supervisor, more than 400 artillery pieces and 32 guns The mortars could not reach Hengyang at all.

Just like this, he only survived on a small amount of fried rice for 24 hours, which was the only food brought from the battlefield.

Putting aside ability, Tang Dao knew that he had chosen the right person just with this attitude and perseverance.

A good artillery commander and the unexpected addition of 32 mortars can already bring the artillery output in Hengyang City to the passing line.