Chapter 163: A Rout Along the Way

At Xishan Village, Yamashita Tomoyuki received a report from a Communications Soldier.

The Matsushima Battalion has suffered over fifty percent casualties and is now in danger of being completely annihilated by the enemy.

However, Matsushima is currently organizing his troops, continuously resisting the enemy, and striving for the arrival of Imperial Army reinforcements.

"Baka!"

Yamashita Tomoyuki cursed loudly.

The combat effectiveness of this Republic of China Army force tonight is truly strong.

Once Matsushima's family finds out, he will inevitably be investigated.

Ever since he began leading the Garrison Independent Mixed Brigade, he has fought all the way from Tianjin to Hebei Province.

Even Watanabe Taro himself was blown into the sky.

Yamashita Tomoyuki is already clear on the enemy's intention: it is to Lure the Enemy to Reinforce.

An overwhelming barrage of artillery fire arrived.

This was the Republic of China Army's artillery test-firing; he knew a large-scale bombardment was about to begin.

Just then, at this very moment.

The Landmine the Sichuan Army set this time was a Front-stepping Rear-exploding Mine!

Now, one battalion and one regiment under his command have been pinned down by the enemy.

They stepped right into the Explosive and Minefield buried by the Sichuan Army.

The Watanabe Regiment is currently unable to establish contact with Yamashita Tomoyuki at Xishan Village.

This has also resulted in Yamashita Tomoyuki currently being unaware that the Watanabe Regiment has already fallen into a crisis.

Every time they attack the Republic of China Army's positions, it's artillery bombardment, infantry charge, and then artillery bombardment again.

After all, there are still several members of the Matsushima family serving in high-ranking positions within the Pingjin Area Army.

Only when the Japanese artillery takes the initiative to fire and exposes their coordinates is it the moment for the Sichuan Army Mountain Artillery Regiment to counterattack.

"Xiu xiu xiu!! ——"

After drawing the Japanese infantry out of Xishan Village, the goal is to lure out the Japanese artillery units and obtain their coordinates.

A shell was seen landing five meters from where Yamashita Tomoyuki was standing.

The Sichuan Army 122nd Division began to beat the drowning dog.

After all, the entire Japanese camp at Xishan Village is very large.

"24 shells, ten hits."

He sneered with a grin: "Little Japanese, you're in for it now."

Watanabe Jiro waved the Command Sword in his hand, ordering his regiment to attack.

He is currently talking to the forward observation post of the artillery.

After Yamashita Tomoyuki finished issuing orders, the Japanese at Xishan Village moved quickly.

When the Japanese artillery unit at Xishan Village first bombarded the Sichuan Army positions.

After all, visibility at night is very poor; even with moonlight, they are currently in the midst of battle.

At the same time!

Without artillery superiority, the combat effectiveness of these little Japanese is greatly reduced.

After getting up, Yamashita Tomoyuki saw no shells falling and began looking for a place to hide.

"Reinforce the Watanabe Regiment and the Matsushima Battalion."

An excited Yu Dazhu immediately gave the order to use long-range firepower to blockade the Japanese's path of escape.

Inside the camp, Yamashita Tomoyuki was urging the artillery unit to feel like providing fire support to the Matsushima Battalion.

The Yamashita Tomoyuki Brigade is just a tiger without teeth, along with parts of the Sichuan Army 122nd Division and 124th Division.

In Yu Hua's plan.

The Japanese soldiers inside the camp felt the arrival of the Grim Reaper for the first time.

Watanabe Taro quickly organized his troops to launch an attack on the first-line positions of the Republic of China Army.

The forward observation post called Yu Dazhu to report that the Xishan Village camp was in chaos and the Yamashita Tomoyuki Brigade was fleeing in defeat.

But!

Just at this moment.

Yamashita Tomoyuki also boarded a Tank and began to dash toward Ceyu Town.

The vanguard company was fine, but the thousand-plus Japanese behind them were miserable.

"Immediately send a telegram to the Brigade Commander; my regiment has successfully occupied the enemy's first-line position."

The chances of success in encircling and annihilating them would be even greater.

After the Landmine and Explosive detonated, this group of Japanese was sent flying in all directions.

His guard called over a Tank, and Yamashita Tomoyuki immediately scrambled inside.

"Dazhu, shift the target by ten meters."

Yu Dazhu's artillery position.

Because the Sichuan Army abandoned the first-line position, the Watanabe Regiment did not encounter any resistance.

This sound, which tore through the sky, came from far to near!

Yamashita Tomoyuki widened his eyes, panic rising in his heart.

"Baka!!"

The Sichuan Army's 75mm Mountain Gun and two Type 92 105mm Howitzer once again smashed down toward the Xishan Village camp.

The Japanese soldiers probably wouldn't check very carefully, and the Landmine and Explosive buried by the Sichuan Army were still very easy for the Japanese to overlook.

However, this time, the vanguard of the Imperial Army had not marched very far.

At the first line of defense, after the Imperial Army's shelling ended, the Sichuan Army quickly buried Landmines and Explosives.

"Continue forward!"

One must first find a good hiding spot to save one's own neck.

To take out the Imperial Army's artillery unit first is like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

Watanabe Taro waved the Command Sword in his hand, "Yoshi!"

The entire camp was thrown into instant chaos; over a thousand Imperial soldiers were killed by the explosions, and countless others were wounded.

A sharp whistling sound of air currents came from the sky.

After receiving the results of the test fire, Yu Dazhu immediately ordered the coordinates to be adjusted.

The Watanabe Regiment suffered heavy losses, and seeing this, Shen Yunhua shouted happily, "The whole Regiment, counterattack!"

Yu Dazhu immediately began calculating the coordinates of the Imperial Army's artillery position.

Furthermore, the ammunition at the Imperial Army's artillery position triggered secondary explosions.

After the Watanabe Regiment lost its Regiment Commander, the remaining Battalion Commanders were all of equal rank.

"At the same time, artillery unit, concentrate all artillery for me and conduct non-stop shelling."

More than twenty pieces of artillery quickly adjusted their firing data.

The twenty-plus pieces of artillery roared once more, firing at the fleeing Yamashita Tomoyuki Brigade.

He shouted, and then Yamashita Tomoyuki's Adjutant tackled him to the ground.

They occupied the first line of defense very easily.

At the same time!

Wherever they passed, they swept away everything... unstoppable.

Yamashita Tomoyuki was safe, but his Adjutant was severely wounded by the explosion.

"Ten-round rapid fire!"

"Currently, the pursuit is continuing."

Yu Dazhu's ten-round rapid fire was completed, and all two hundred-plus shells hit the Imperial Army's artillery position.

No one was willing to submit to anyone else, and they each led their own troops to resist.

The Sichuan Army really couldn't figure out where the Imperial Army's artillery position was set up, especially with the sky so dim.

"Charge!"

Otherwise, if the Matsushima Battalion were wiped out after his Brigade repelled the enemy, and he hadn't sent anyone to rescue them.

The Imperial soldiers wailed and fled in a panic, losing their way.

Because the communications unit had already been blown away by the Sichuan Army's Landmines and Explosives.

Xishan Village!

Yamashita Tomoyuki had just hidden inside a Tank.

"Your Excellency Brigade Commander... danger!!"

Yu Dazhu issued the order to shell again.

They began to look for hiding places one by one, but how could the mud-brick houses of Xishan Village withstand 75mm Mountain Guns and 105mm Howitzers?

The Imperial artillerymen in the camp, seeing so many shells falling, all abandoned their efforts to relocate the artillery.

Sitting in the Tank, Yamashita Tomoyuki felt a chill in his heart as he watched the Imperial Warriors fleeing in Xishan Village.

At the place where the Watanabe Regiment encountered the ambush.

Shen Yunhua, on the second line of defense, saw an Imperial Regiment enter the Sichuan Army's first line of defense.

So this is what it feels like to be covered by enemy artillery fire.

This was quite enough to give the Watanabe Regiment a hard time.

After all, the Imperial Army is so hard to fight only because they occupy a firepower advantage, possessing Tanks, aircraft, and artillery.

The Communications Soldier nodded and bowed: "Hai!"

However, Lieutenant Colonel Matsushima was an aristocrat, so he had to send troops to rescue him.

"Order Fujita Heiro to lead two Battalions to rescue the Matsushima Battalion."

Regarding the Matsushima Battalion, Yamashita Tomoyuki was somewhat inclined to give up.

Waiting for himself to dispatch reinforcements to rescue them.

Now, having just entered Jin Province, they encountered an enemy Night Raid, and what's more, it was a crushing defeat.

This is a disgrace!

Coupled with his status in the Imperial Way Faction, this defeat would likely result in him being sent to a Military Tribunal.

(End of this chapter)