Rise From Eight Hundred

Wei Donglai, who was in the reverse slope tunnel on the back of the mountain, had a very ugly face.

He was originally confident that he could hold out for two days, but seeing the Japanese artillery attack, he knew that he really thought too much.

With such an attack intensity, it would be a miracle if he could survive this day.

The Japanese artillery may not be able to attack the tunnel behind the ridge, but the Japanese artillery has found an angle to bombard the passage behind the mountain.

Wei Donglai knew that although the Japanese troops in the right wing forest were blocked by friendly forces and could not attack the flank of the high ground where they were, the coordinates behind the mountain had been recorded by Japanese scouts. Their mountain artillery and howitzers could completely cross the ridge to attack the passage behind the high ground. Once there was a sign of reinforcement, they would bombard it with artillery, which would be a disaster for the infantry without any cover.

In the extreme case that Highland No. 3 was not lost, the rear would not easily send reinforcements. Tang Dao had mentioned this in the previous combat meeting.

At least during this day, all he could rely on was the fire support of the soldiers on the high ground and more than ten mortars on the rear artillery positions.

This may not be the most difficult battle situation encountered by this veteran who has been in the army for five or six years in his military career.

Compared with two days ago when he desperately watched more than a thousand comrades flee under the leadership of the cowardly regiment commander, leaving only his infantry platoon to face more than 2,000 enemies, the current situation was much better.

He now has not one infantry platoon of more than 30 people, but two infantry companies of nearly 300 people.

Yes, before going to Hill No. 3, he, the new company commander, was designated by Tang Dao as the supreme commander of Hill No. 3, with full authority to command Hill No. 3's defense against Japan.

This is a force that he has never commanded in his years of military service, but Wei Donglai is not happy at all, but more of a heavy responsibility.

From the moment he went to the high ground, he knew that what he shouldered was not only 300 lives, but also the honor of the remaining more than a thousand people in the revenge regiment.

They have already lost the earnest entrustment of their hometown elders once, but this time, they must not lose it again.

Otherwise, the parents, wives and children of more than a thousand people will not be able to raise their heads in front of their hometown elders because of them.

In other words, whether it is responsibility, honor or life, it is no longer so important in the current battle situation.

The formation set by Tang Dao is to fight the Japanese army to the death!

If you don’t retreat, you will die!

If you retreat, you will also die!

For the highest commanders on the high ground like Wei Donglai, life and death are no longer among the top three, but they consider how to kill more Japanese invaders before they die.

Before Tang Dao said goodbye to the three high ground commanders, he said that the soldiers of the country are not forbidden to die, but they must die with value. If everyone on the position can kill three or more Japanese soldiers before they die, then this battle, even if the whole army is annihilated, is a win.

It is not that the 23rd Army needs such a loss ratio to show the prestige of the Sichuan Army, but that China needs it at present.

In this invasion, the Japanese invaders have occupied North China and Songhu. Wherever they point, no matter how barren or lush, they turn everything into scorched earth.

In the impression of many people, the Japanese are very strong. They only need 10,000 or 20,000 people to scare the Northeast Army with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and lose the entire Northeast without firing a shot. They are so strong that more than 100,000 people can conquer Songhu with hundreds of thousands of heavily invested troops.

Ordinary people have not read much and do not understand that high-level strategic mistakes will harm the country. They are very practical. They just see who wins and who loses, and who loses more people in the battle.

Now, the Chinese army is constantly losing battles, and the number of casualties is also shocking.

The two Japanese invaders have already pointed to the front and back of Nanjing, which is one of the reasons why Nanjing cannot be defended but must be defended.

Then, in this mountain a hundred miles behind Nanjing, the more than 4,000 combat-capable soldiers under the command of the 23rd Army will fight with the more than 10,000 vanguards of the Japanese invaders' westward corps to see who is tougher and who has more deaths.

Let's see who has more casualties!

Wei Donglai may never forget Tang Dao's seemingly calm but murderous eyes, and the cold words that made his hair tremble: I, you, and everyone standing here, even if we are all killed, we must make his Diguoqi Detachment or the 18th Division lose its combat effectiveness forever.

Our independent battalion, the revenge regiment, and the remnants of the 145th Division have a total of 4,000 people. If we can rely on the position to exchange one for three, that is nearly 12,000 people. If the ancestors of China show us that we are a little luckier, how many soldiers can be left in his division?

All the old soldiers are dead. Even if we use new soldiers to fill the establishment, can we still have a fraction of the previous combat effectiveness?

At last, Tang Dao smiled, pointing to the green mountain whose branches and leaves swayed gently in the mountain breeze, and said: "The ancients said: Green mountains are lucky to bury loyal bones! The Feng Shui treasure land I chose for you guys is not bad! It's just that the Japanese are lucky, and they also got some benefits. However, don't forget to chase the bastards away when you go to the underworld, and don't follow them and look annoying."

In the past, the officers had to laugh, but at that moment, no one laughed, even Li Jiujin's wrinkled face was tense.

To be honest, Wei Donglai had never seen such a commander, who was cruel to the enemy and himself.

The originally unknown Mouse Mountain turned out to be the cemetery he prepared for more than 4,000 Chinese and more Japanese.

However, thinking about his past, Wei Donglai understood him a little.

This shouldn’t be his first time fighting in a desperate situation.

The last time in Sihang Warehouse was a grave in a grave. Didn’t he lead more than a hundred people to fight against a Japanese infantry regiment for several days and nights?

“A China that wakes up from its slumber will become one of the most powerful countries on the planet. If it doesn’t wake up, we have to kick it, bite it, or even use our lives to wake it up.”

This is what Tang Dao said when he was smoking and chatting with several Sichuan Army officers in the trenches of Jiepai Village.

Wei Donglai didn’t quite understand it at the time, but now he has gradually understood it.

This should be the time when Commander Tang said ‘wake up China with his life’!

Wei Donglai’s ugly face gradually became calm.

“Fuck him, since the two devils want to fight, then come! Anyway, I picked up these hundred pounds of meat for nothing.” Wei Donglai fiercely set a flag for himself in his heart.

The Japanese artillery fire was very dense, especially the four 105mm howitzers that bombed at all costs. Even in the tunnel more than 30 meters away from the main position, the vibration of the shell explosion could be felt. The soil kept falling down, and everyone's head and face were covered with dust like a groundhog.

However, the reverse slope trench protected the soldiers very well, and Wei Donglai was a little worried about the four people who stayed in the trench position as observation posts.

I hope their luck is good enough.

After all, the trench was built in just more than 30 hours. Even the heavy machine gun bunker that can defend against 75-caliber mountain artillery is not enough under the power of the 105mm howitzer.

If it was hit by one shot, the bunker would naturally be destroyed and people would die. Therefore, when evacuating the trench, the four precious heavy machine guns were also carried away by the soldiers at their own expense, and the machine gun was hidden in the tunnel by the soldiers of the fire support company. Unless it was absolutely necessary, such heavy weapons would never be easily taken out.

Most of the soldiers in the 2nd Company led by Wei Donglai had experienced the test of brutal fighting in Jiepai Village. Except for a few who turned pale and kept chanting "Buddha bless you" to give themselves courage, most of the others were either smoking or silently wiping their guns.

But the performance of the other infantry company was much worse. They hid in the tunnel with their heads in their hands and shivered. The energy that Tang Dao had when he mobilized them for battle in the early morning had long disappeared.

Wei Donglai watched and could only sigh in his heart. He was powerless. The so-called bravery must have experienced the test of war.

If they want to become fearless, they can only experience life and death. The blood of their comrades who live together day and night will make those who survive strong.

There are no natural cowards and warriors in this world.

Times make heroes!

The environment will change a person. A coward will become a warrior if he follows a warrior. That's it!

The telephone line leading to the front of the mountain had been blown off long ago, so the only way to make calls was to the command post in the rear. Wei Donglai, who was squatting at the entrance of the tunnel, finally heard the sharp sound of the iron whistle used to report the signal. Wei Donglai felt relieved, as the observation post was still alive.

"Go to the position!" Wei Donglai ordered immediately, and the two infantry platoons under his command quickly followed the order and raised their guns and walked towards the exit of the tunnel.

The other infantry company was much slower, and it was the company commander who raised his Mauser pistol and roared loudly before he raised his gun with a pale face.

There will be a total of three infantry platoons on the front line of the two infantry companies, and the other three infantry platoons will serve as reserves and guard the flanks.

If they also go to the front line, it means that the high ground has reached the last moment and there is no chance to breathe.

The second commander on the high ground is naturally the company commander of another Sichuan Army infantry company, named Cai Yongguan.

It is estimated that the parents of this guy with a face full of flesh, who was born in a family of "green forest heroes", had high expectations for his fighting ability, so they gave him such a domineering name of "the bravest among the three armies".

This lieutenant did not disappoint his parents' expectations. Other Sichuan Army officers all carried a pipe, but this one carried a thick-backed machete wherever he went. In other words, few people had seen his sword skills. In his words, once my sword is out, blood will be seen. I don't know if it is bragging.

But no matter what, he was quite active in asking for a fight. Tang Dao took a fancy to his active request for a fight and let him take his infantry company to Hill No. 3.

Seeing the performance of his soldiers under the Japanese artillery bombardment, although Wei Donglai had doubts, he could only trust his unfamiliar deputy.

After all, their positions were equal, but his lieutenant rank was verbally promoted by the division headquarters before the war, and the triangular star had not been added yet!

The two lieutenants led the soldiers to the position after the artillery fire. Although they were mentally prepared, they still gasped at the same time...

The trenches that were originally two meters deep were no longer connected.

There were many places that collapsed due to the bombardment of shells. It would be an understatement to describe it as a scene of desolation.

"Everyone, enter the position, quickly. Also, find someone for me, I want to see the person alive or the body dead!" Wei Donglai gave a short order and ran to the hiding place where the observation post was located.

Three of the four observation posts staying in two heavy machine gun bunkers and two individual anti-artillery holes were veterans in his original platoon. Of course, he was worried.

But, after running only a few steps, Wei Donglai stopped.

A machine gun bunker piled up with logs and sandbags was right in front of him, and it became a bomb crater that was still emitting a little heat.

The machine gun bunker that could defend against 75mm mountain artillery was unfortunately hit by the 105mm howitzer.

What would happen to the people inside? Wei Donglai hardly had to think about the consequences.

No body left!

The muscles on his face twitched fiercely, and his heart trembled with pain.

He had been in the army for five years. He was promoted to platoon leader because of his bravery in combat. He had lived and ate with this infantry platoon for three years, and naturally had a deep relationship with the brothers in the platoon. Otherwise, when they knew that he decided to stay in the battle of Jiepai Village, more than 30 people would not follow him even though they knew they would die.

In the battle two days ago, only about ten of his old brothers could still go to the battlefield.

And everyone knew that it was dangerous to be an observation post. They were afraid that he, the first commander of the high ground, would be embarrassed, so his old brothers actively volunteered.

Now, are there going to be a few less?

The battle has just begun!

As a leader, he felt so distressed! So distressed.

Potato, who followed Weidong, couldn't stop crying.

He was the first one to rush out to serve as an observation post, but was driven back by a group of elder brothers who glared at him and slapped him on the back of his head.

"What are you trying to do, little kid? It's your turn after all the big pots are dead!" This was the last sentence that the pockmarked elder brother who kicked him away threw to him.

He knew that the pockmarked elder brother didn't want to die either. Before leaving, he secretly stuffed him with a silver dollar and said that if he died, remember to take this back to his cousin and buy her a red dress. He liked her best when she wore a wedding dress and married him.

If she wanted to remarry, she would do whatever she wanted, but she didn't want to leave the two children behind for the sake of their relationship. The old man and his wife were already old and were afraid that they couldn't raise the children.

He cared about a lot of people, including his cousin, the children, and his parents. He really didn't want to die.

However, he still kicked the little soldier away and walked onto the battlefield with his head held high.

This heavy machine gun bunker was where he stayed. Potato, who was lying on the top of the mountain, saw him get in with his own eyes.

The machine gun bunker on the other side of the position was not so lucky. Although it was not hit directly by the 105mm howitzer, it was hit directly by a 70mm infantry gun.

The logs and three layers of sandbags could not stop this cannon-like frontal impact. The bunker was blown into a hole the size of a water tank. The soldiers inside twisted their necks strangely, and the air waves of the shell explosion shattered their bones.

Another soldier was also found. The simple anti-artillery hole built in less than two days and nights was proved to be seriously insufficient in defense against heavy artillery.

The 105 howitzer did not directly hit the anti-artillery hole, but exploded five or six meters away from it, but the anti-artillery hole still collapsed.

Soldiers alone could not save themselves. When more than a dozen soldiers dug open the anti-artillery hole with their hands, the young soldier had stopped breathing and was suffocated to death in the soil.

Wei Donglai's face was ashen.

All three of his soldiers died in the fierce bombardment by the Japanese army.

Potato knelt in front of the two bodies he could find, tears and gunpowder mixed with dirt, so dirty that it was unbearable to look at.

However, at this moment, no one would laugh at him, a rookie, for looking like a harlequin cat.

Those who are qualified to laugh will never laugh again, forever! ...

PS: My daughter is on holiday today, so I went to pick her up and took her to play at the big player for a while. The two chapters are not long, only more than 4,000 words, so I simply did not divide them into chapters and published them in one chapter. I wish you all a happy New Year's Eve tomorrow in advance! By the way, I have to remind you that it is the end of the month, so please vote if you have monthly tickets!