novelAbuy Chapter 252 Tani Hisao's Decision to Break Through
Chapter 252 Tani Hisao's Decision to Break Through
Author Wuyun's Twilight Years Personally Recommends: I hope you enjoy the story of "You Were Asked to Guard the Sihang Warehouse, and You Developed a German-Style Division".
The sound shook the souls of every Japanese soldier, leaving them frozen in place for almost a second.
They even forgot to pull the trigger, just standing there dumbfounded, eyes wide open.
In the eyes of these Japanese soldiers, these Northwest Army soldiers could no longer be considered human.
They are demons that burst forth from hell, ghosts that have been slain by fire.
Now, they are carrying the flames of hell, intending to burn their enemies to ashes.
Horror and fear swept over the Japanese soldiers like an icy tide.
Their eyes widened, their bodies stiffened, and their hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Pfft!!! Pfft!!!"
That was the sound of a bayonet piercing a chest.
The Northwest Army, emerging from the flames, charged into the ranks of the Japanese troops and engaged in a brutal and bloody hand-to-hand battle.
Collapse, disintegration.
The Japanese troops' formation was collapsing amidst the burning flames of revenge, scattering like a pile of fallen leaves swept by a gale.
"Ghosts!!! They're all ghosts!!!!"
Japanese soldiers screamed in terror, threw down their rifles, and ran back like madmen.
Fear is spreading, it's contagious, and it's as unstoppable as a plague.
More and more Japanese soldiers joined the fleeing ranks.
In the distance, Mitarai Okamoto saw this scene through his binoculars, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The Northwest Army soldiers, their bodies ablaze, were still waving their weapons and chasing after his men.
Are they even human?
Don't they feel pain?
Why are they so strong?
A series of questions flashed through Mitarai Okamoto's mind, each one like a slap in the face to his past understanding.
Staff officer Hisashiro Taiga, standing nearby, reminded him:
"This time... I'm afraid we won't be able to take the enemy's position. Perhaps..."
"Withdraw."
Mitarai Okamoto put down his binoculars, his voice low and slow.
He gazed at the still-burning battlefield in the distance, remained silent for a few seconds, and then uttered these words:
"The courage of these enemies is unprecedented."
This is his assessment, and also his heartfelt reverence.
The smoke of battle still rises, the flames still burn, but the Northwest Army's flag is still planted on that battlefield baptized by blood and fire.
It rustled and swayed, yet it never fell.
From the direction of Fenshuiting Township, the sound of gunfire never stopped.
The soldiers of the Northwest Army defended their position with their blood and lives, like a wall that was repeatedly struck but never collapsed.
The Japanese troops launched wave after wave of attacks, each time thinking they were about to succeed, only to be driven back each time.
The battlefield was riddled with shell craters and scorched earth, and the air was thick with the smells of blood and gunpowder.
Those who survived are still gritting their teeth and persevering, because they know that the lifeline of the entire defense line lies behind them.
In the headquarters of the Third Column, Li Jianghe held a telegram in his hand, sent by the Fifth War Zone Command.
The telegram stated that Zhang Zizhong and Chi Fengcheng were leading their troops to defend the Gushi and Fenshuiting townships line, hoping that the Third Column would quickly defeat the Sixth and Tenth Divisions.
The wording wasn't urgent, but a heavy sense of pressure permeated the text.
After reading it, Li Jianghe remained silent for a moment.
He knew very well that the Northwest Army wouldn't be able to hold out there for long. The Japanese had deployed their main air force forces to bomb Gushi and Fenshuiting Township, and the positions there were being plowed over by incendiary bombs every day.
Those who are still alive are risking their lives to fill the void.
However, this also means something else.
The Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions had completely lost the possibility of air support.
The bombers and fighters were all busy bombing the Northwest Army, and no one had time to spare for them.
Li Jianghe knew that this was an opportunity.
A gap period that must be seized at all costs.
He raised his head, his gaze falling on the map on the table, his voice steady and powerful:
"Send a telegram to Wang Chengzhu and tell him to use the artillery's 88mm guns as support firepower—bomb them hard for me."
When the order reached the artillery position, Wang Chengzhu was inspecting the ammunition.
After reading the contents of the telegram, his eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted:
"Hurry! The 88mm guns should temporarily withdraw from their artillery positions and advance to cover the main force's attack!"
The artillerymen immediately got to work.
The 88mm gun was originally used to shoot down airplanes, and its tall shape cast a long shadow in the morning light.
But the advantage of this cannon is that it can defend against air attacks and also fire horizontally.
Once advanced to the front lines, it can serve as support firepower for infantry and mechanized units, and can even be used to destroy Japanese tanks.
A single cannon can serve multiple purposes, which is exactly what we need right now.
The dilapidated city walls of Huoqiu County.
Ogisu Ritsubei stood there, his gaze piercing through the smoke of battle, looking towards the distant horizon.
The air was thick with smoke and dust, as if a sandstorm was approaching.
That was the Third Column's advance on the eastern front—hundreds of tanks lined up in formation, stretching across the front like a giant iron curtain, slowly pressing forward.
An unprecedented sense of oppression swept over him, making it almost impossible for Ogisu Ritsuhei to breathe.
He clenched his fists instinctively, his palms sweating profusely.
Tani Hisao also stood on the city wall, his face ashen.
He watched the approaching plume of smoke and dust, took a deep breath, and asked Ogisu Ritsuhei beside him:
"Can we withstand this offensive?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of hesitation that even he himself didn't realize.
Ogisu Rippei shook his head, his tone devoid of much hope:
"It's difficult. We've already expended too much manpower and firepower on the periphery."
He looked up at the rising sun; the sunlight was dazzling, but it couldn't penetrate the gloom in his heart.
"Breaking through after dark is no longer an option."
He paused, then turned to look at Tani Hisao:
"If we can't hold out this time, my 10th Division will be ordered to break out to the south. What about you?"
Ogisu Ritsuhei knew Tani Hisao's temperament.
This person is extremely arrogant; letting him break through is more painful than letting him admit defeat.
The 6th Division was so powerful under the walls of Nanjing. Now it has to run away like a stray dog. Where does Tani Hisao put his face?
To Ogisu Rippei's surprise, Tani Hisao remained silent for a few seconds before nodding.
"The Sixth Division will also break through."
His voice was low, as if he were trying to convince himself:
"Staying here will only lead to death."
At this point, he suddenly gritted his teeth and added fiercely:
"Those useless Guards Division and 13th Division—even with the air force supporting them, they still haven't broken through the Northwest Army's lines!"
In Tani Hisao’s view, if the 13th Division and the Imperial Guard Division could capture Gushi or Fenshuiting Township, or even just one of them, the situation on the entire battlefield would be completely reversed.