Chapter 230: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 230 The Desperate Forty-fifth Regiment

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Flares like dozens of pale little suns hung high above Taihu's night sky, illuminating the lake surface and shore, once shrouded in darkness, as bright as day.

Even more, searchlights prepared long ago swept back and forth across the Japanese fleet, leaving the devils nowhere to hide in an instant.

Even more deadly, the Torpedo Battalion, which had not appeared before, now appeared behind the Japanese fleet and attacked the fleet from the rear side.

"Rear! The Chinese army's motorboats have appeared!" a devil shouted loudly.

Only to see more than a dozen slender, swift black shadows cutting into the rear side of the Japanese formation at high speed! They were the fifteen S-type torpedo boats of the Youth Army Yangtze River Torpedo Brigade, previously ordered to retreat but actually patrolling and waiting on standby on the outer perimeter!

These torpedo boats patrolling Taihu carried no torpedoes but were equipped with 20mm autocannons, coordinating with Youth Army infantry on the shore to encircle and annihilate the Japanese fleet.

"Keep your distance, don't get too close! Use machine guns and autocannons to drive them toward the shore!" Wang Hu, Squadron Leader of the Torpedo Battalion, commanded calmly over the radio.

These torpedo boats fully utilized their speed advantage, patrolling, weaving, and attacking at varying distances around the Japanese fleet, like a pack of experienced sheepdogs constantly strafing and driving a flock of panicked sheep.

Tong tong tong tong! Dang dang dang dang!

Shells from 20mm autocannons and 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets swept across Japanese ships; Japanese sailors and soldiers operating the ship's wheel or machine guns screamed as they fell, some ships' rudders were damaged and began spinning on the water surface.

Wolves ahead, tigers behind—truly unable to advance or retreat!

The steamship carrying Forty-fifth Regiment Commander Takeshita Yoshikiyo was hit and capsized in the first round of strikes, his life or death unknown; the Japanese grassroots command system continued by inertia, and Sato, commander of the Infantry First Battalion of the Forty-fifth Regiment, took over command from Colonel Takeshita Yoshikiyo.

Facing the situation of wolves ahead and tigers behind, Sato Battalion Commander, in desperation, directly ordered all to launch an attack toward the beachhead.

Because if they turned now, the fleet's speed would slow, and the change in direction would cause disorder in the fleet; facing the enemy's powerful firepower, when each ship turned, they were very likely to collide with each other, causing a traffic jam of ships on the lake, at which time they would be even more sitting ducks!

Charge forward!

Relying on the powerful strength of armored forces and a regiment's infantry, if they could rush ashore, perhaps they could carve out a path!

"No slowing down! Full speed beach landing! Beach landing!"

Stopping on the lake surface was a dead end; only by rushing ashore, letting soldiers and tanks leave these fragile landing craft, was there a glimmer of hope.

"Kill the chickens!!!" Sato Battalion Commander drew his military sword and shouted loudly at the bow, surrounded by countless Japanese small boats charging forward.

The Japanese fleet desperately accelerated amidst artillery fire and water columns, lurching toward the designated landing beachhead.

The engines of the Type 2 Landing Craft and steamboats emitted overloaded roaring sounds, the bows of the small boats even slightly lifting up.

Machine guns and small cannons on armed gunboats and small boats also crazily strafed and bombarded positions on shore where firepower might be hidden, attempting suppression.

The Youth Army defenders on shore were just waiting for the little devils to charge forward! The constantly falling shells and sweeping searchlight beams proclaimed that the little devils' doom was approaching.

On the artillery position behind, shells from 75mm shan pao and infantry guns howled toward the lake surface, covering the waters the devils were about to pass through.

Water columns kicked up by explosions rose one after another, mixed with wood chips, steel fragments, and the remains of devils; an armed gunboat charging at the very front was directly hit, the entire ship disintegrating in dazzling firelight, with shattered hull pieces carrying flames scattering everywhere.

Some landing craft were directly hit by shells and began taking on water and sinking; the infantry on board screamed and jumped overboard to survive, thrashing in the lake water, but the tanks carried on the landing craft had nowhere to go, only able to sink together with the landing craft into Taihu, becoming a place where fish and shrimp would dwell in the future.

The first few Type 2 Landing Craft, relying on their relatively high speed, recklessly charged onto the pebble-strewn shallow beach.

The moment the heavy bows struck the lake water and ran aground on the shore, the hatches burst open, and Japanese infantry with hideous faces, howling as they disembarked, swarmed out, jumping into knee-deep, icy lake water, struggling to charge toward the shore.

In the bellies of some landing craft came the roar of tank engines; the tracks of Type 89 Medium Tanks and Type 95 Light Tanks began to turn, preparing to wade ashore and provide steel cover for the infantry.

Welcoming them were various anti-tank firepower that the Youth Army had long been waiting for, poised and ready!

"Open fire!!!"

With the angry roars of the company commanders at the front, the entire lakeshore defensive position opened fire with full force, while flares continued to rise unceasingly in the sky, preventing darkness from providing cover for the little devils.

The muzzle flashes of 37mm anti-tank guns and 20mm machine cannons flickered briefly in the night, but the shells leaving the barrels, at astonishing speed, rushed straight at the Japanese tanks that had just exposed half their bodies or were wading forward.

Bang! Hiss—!

The frontal armor of a Type 95 Light Tank was easily penetrated by a 37mm armor-piercing shell; a ball of fire exploded inside the vehicle, and it was immediately completely paralyzed in the shallow water, becoming a burning iron coffin.

Another Type 89 Medium Tank was luckier; the first 20mm shell only drew a streak of sparks on its turret, but immediately the second and third shells hit its vulnerable side and tracks consecutively; after more than ten hits, this medium tank also wailed as it toppled onto the shore, unable to move.

Some paralyzed tanks could only become fixed turrets for the little devils, staying in place to provide fire cover for other devils, but they themselves became sitting ducks for the Youth Army's various artillery; after staying in place for less than ten seconds, they turned into a ball of fire, roaring and burning on the lakeshore.

Tat tat tat tat tat tat——!!!!

M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun positions set up at higher elevations with good fields of fire were shooting; the effect of 12.7mm large-caliber bullets was destructive.

Japanese soldiers charging or wading, if grazed even once, often ended up with bowl-sized blood holes, and severed limbs were commonplace.

The incandescent trajectories drawn by tracer rounds were clearly visible in the darkness, providing fire guidance for the Youth Army's machine gunners; there were also MG34 Machine Guns, directly turning the front edge of the devils' landing zone into a death zone.

"Concealment! Find cover!"

"Machine gun over there! Grenade launcher! Use the grenade launcher quickly!"

"Medic!!!"

The little devils on shore shouted at the top of their lungs; the surviving soldiers used landing craft wreckage, tank corpses, even the remains of their comrades as cover, firing back at the positions spouting flames on shore with their Type 38 rifles, Type 97 Light Machine Guns, and grenade launchers.

Sato, commander of the Infantry First Battalion, was now hiding behind an overturned landing craft, listening to the screams of his own soldiers coming from all directions and the unceasing, heart-rending gunfire of the defenders......

Despair, too much despair!