Compared with the Japanese army on the south bank of the river, the Japanese puppet army on the north bank under the command of Yohei Kono, the commander of the second brigade of the 17th Wing, resisted much fiercely. Although Liu Changshun divided the Japanese puppet army at the first time, and cleanly disarmed the puppet Manchurian army of two companies and the puppet Manchurian Luobei County Forest Police Brigade. But the dying throes of the Japanese army brought him a lot of trouble.

Fortunately, Yang Zhen left him an artillery battalion, and even gave him seven of the remaining shells. Although the number of shells was limited by the number of shells he had, the total number of shells that Yang Zhen left for him was only fifty or sixty rounds. But these fifty or sixty rounds of mountain shells solved a huge problem for him.

After all, people can't compete with steel. In particular, when the Japanese troops who encountered the ambush had not even had time to build field fortifications, these fifty or sixty mountain artillery shells, together with the mortar shells that had been turned around, brought great casualties to the Japanese troops trapped in a small valley. Although when it was surrounded, it was already prepared. But after the shelling, only half of the Japanese infantry squadron was still able to stand up.

Although Yohei Kono commanded the remnants of the Japanese army to resist with all their might, the Japanese army, which was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers and firepower, did not be able to stir up much wind although it brought some trouble to Liu Changshun. If it weren't for Liu Changshun's lack of wanting to bring too many casualties, and the blocking troops had already freed up, I am afraid that before Kawada Yi Daisa's breakthrough began, the Japanese army trapped on the north bank of the river would have been completely wiped out.

Although a small number of Japanese troops were still resisting, as the gunfire on the south bank of the river gradually subsided, the resistance of the Japanese troops on the north bank became weaker and weaker. An hour after the gunfire on the south bank of the river had subsided, the last resistance of the enemy on the north bank had completely collapsed.

Seeing that there was no hope of breaking through, Yohei Kono, who had been seriously wounded in the previous battle, and the last dozen wounded gathered together to pull a few grenades and commit suicide.

Yang Zhen, who saw this scene from the telescope, shook his head, but did not make any comments on the Japanese army's move. Whether Yohei Kono's move is crazy or what he shows to himself can only be evaluated by the Japanese themselves.

With the suicide of Yohei Kono, and the end of the battle on the front line of Miaolingzi Mountain half an hour ago, the two infantry brigades of the 17th Wing of the 8th Division of the Japanese Army, which participated in the attack on Yang Zhen's headquarters, have been erased from the Japanese battle sequence in a structured manner.

ended the battle on the northern front, but Yang Zhen failed to get excited. Although the battle completely annihilated the two integrated brigades of the Japanese army and captured some of the puppet Manchu military police, the Japanese army that advanced on the three routes was only left in the middle route. And under the condition that the supplies from Qunce Mountain have arrived on the front line of Miaolingzi Mountain, in order to encircle and annihilate the 24th Wing in the next step, it will completely break the Japanese army's attack and create a fighter plane.

But at the end of the war on both sides of the Fasi River, the contents of the two telegrams sent by Wang Guangyu and Dong Ping at almost the same time let Yang Zhen know that it was time for him to retreat.

After quickly reading the telegram sent by the two, Yang Zhen handed the telegram to Guo Bingxun and said, "Old Guo, what do you think we should do next?" Isn't it time to withdraw? ”

After reading the telegram sent by the two, Guo Bingxun pondered for a long time and said, "Commander, I think we should retreat." Before the troops could recover from the heavy training, they were engaged in continuous combat and were now quite tired. And ammunition is also extremely expensive, especially artillery shells. ”

"To be honest, the fact that we were able to annihilate four Japanese brigades in a row this time, plus the strength of the five brigades on the front line of Taipingchuan and against the 24th Wing, is not that the tactical level of our troops and the ability of our commanders have really caught up with or surpassed the Japanese army."

"The reason why we were able to achieve such a great victory was, first, by relying on correct tactics, and second, by relying on local concentration to surpass the firepower of the Japanese army in front of us several times, or even dozens of times, and relying on superior firepower to destroy the enemy as much as possible. It is with these two prerequisites that we will be able to achieve the victory we have in front of us. ”

"The few victories we have achieved this time are true, but the consumption of ammunition is also extremely staggering. When we set out from the Liangzihe training ground this time, the 2,000 rounds of mountain artillery shells we carried as much as we could, plus the more than 100 rounds of artillery shells you captured on the Taipingchuan line, were almost exhausted. ”

"Even if there are a slightly larger number of mortar shells, except for Wang Guangyu, who has never had a hard fight with the Japanese army, there are still a few left. Heavy machine gun ammunition is also extremely expensive. Commander, apart from rifle ammunition, we can now say that we have basically run out of ammunition for the carry. ”

"This time, the fourth division of the Japanese army stationed in Jiamusi has dispatched one wing of cavalry and two artillery brigades to reinforce the Japanese army that has entered the mountains to sweep away. The 24th Wing of the Japanese Army on the Jianshanzi Line also retreated rapidly to the Taipingchuan Line under the cover of a large number of aviation troops dispatched by the Japanese Army. ”

"The line of Jianshanzi River is not far away. Judging from the speed of the Japanese army's retreat as stated in Wang Guangyu's telegram, even if Wang Guangyu concentrates all his forces to intercept it, according to the real combat strength of both sides at present, the two Japanese forces will join forces before 5 p.m. at the latest. And that's not even counting the Japanese air support. If the Japanese air force had fully supported it, I think the time for the two Japanese forces to converge would have been shortened. ”

"It's already one o'clock in the afternoon, which means that the latest time for the Japanese to join forces is only four hours. Not to mention that we are short of ammunition now, even if we are still abundant, according to the current situation of the troops, it is difficult for us to rush from the Fasi River to Taipingchuan within four hours. Once the Japanese air forces were dispatched to bomb our marching brigade, we would need even more time. ”

"If the two Japanese forces converge and are covered by a large number of air forces, at least we have lost the possibility of continuing to destroy the enemy after losing our firepower superiority. The Japanese army from Jiamusi also had a cavalry wing, which was extremely mobile, and even the infantry wing was all in trucks. This mobility is far from being comparable to us. It can be said that the chance of the Japanese army dispatched by Jiamusi to join us before we can be said to be 100 percent. ”

"If we ignore the current situation of our troops and attack rashly, not only will we not be able to continue to expand the results of the battle, but we will be extremely easily entangled by the Japanese army. When the time comes, you can't run if you want to, and you can't fight. Once the Japanese army quickly mobilizes heavy troops, we are even in danger of being surrounded by the Japanese army. Commander, you can't chew too much. I think it's better to stop in moderation. ”

Regarding Guo Bingxun's analysis, Yang Zhen nodded approvingly and said, "That's exactly what I mean." Since the opportunity to expand the results of the battle has been lost, it is better to retreat immediately. In this way, you immediately draw up a telegram to Wang Guangyu, telling them to immediately disengage from the Japanese army, alternate cover, and retreat north. ”

"Send a report to the remaining troops in Liangzihe, so that they don't have to replenish supplies for the main force in the east, and directly withdraw to the Qunce Mountain base. So that Dong Ping did not have to rush to withdraw to the front line of Qunce Mountain, and let him monitor the movements of the Japanese army on the spot. If the Japanese army retreats directly to Jiamusi after converging, it will return. If the two Japanese armies converge and do not return to Jiamusi, let him find out the movements of the Japanese army to me. ”

After listening to Yang Zhen's thoughts, Guo Bingxun groaned and said, "Do you want Liu Changshun to lead his second regiment to respond?" Wang Guangyu had only one battalion and a reconnaissance company, and he was a little alone in front of the Japanese army. The reinforcements of the 4th Division moved quickly, and they were easily glued in the event of a counterattack after the Japanese converged. ”

"I think so. But don't bring a group. The Jianshanzi line is now full of Japanese aircraft. There are too many troops, and it is easy to be exposed, not to mention, once they encounter a Japanese air attack, this loss will be great. With the exception of a few commanders, as well as reconnaissance battalions, the troops were not trained in air defense after all. I think it would be enough for him to bring a light battalion plus the rest of the reconnaissance battalion. ”

After talking about his plan, Yang Zhen rubbed his eyes that looked red after not closing his eyes for a few days, and then stretched his waist again and said, "Withdraw, go back and summarize the lessons of this sortie." In view of the problems exposed in actual combat, we will try our best to come up with a rectification plan. The little devil suffered such a big loss this time, and he must take revenge. We must take precautions. ”

Now that he had decided to retreat, Yang Zhen did not delay in the slightest. After hastily cleaning up the battlefield, the puppet Manchu military police with the captured prisoners and the captured materials quickly retreated to Qunce Mountain.

At this time, the retreat of the main forces that had been assembled on the front line of the Fasi River was carried out very smoothly. However, a battalion led by Wang Guangyu in Jianzi Mountain was indiscriminately bombed by Japanese planes on the way to retreat, and suffered great losses.

Wang Guangyu was also unlucky, because Takeda Shou Daisa, who received the order to retreat, was in a hurry to retreat, and it didn't take much effort to disengage with the Japanese army. However, on the way to retreat to the front line of Qunce Mountain, it was used to cover the Japanese aviation of the 24th Wing.

Before he had set off for a long time, he was bombed and strafed by dozens of planes, almost all the way after Wang Guangyu's subordinates. It didn't stop until dusk.

Although Wang Guangyu walked in the mountainous areas with good vegetation, he was never able to escape the siege of Japanese planes. Although an entire battalion of troops was not blown down by the Japanese planes, it suffered a full company of casualties. Weapons and baggage were almost lost all the way.

It cannot but be said that the Japanese army, which practiced the policy of elite troops, was extremely tactically competent in all branches of the armed forces. The Japanese planes that pursued Wang Guangyu's retreat actually dared to drop bombs and strafe across the hills. Even dare to fly through a very narrow valley without any taboos. Its dive-throwing and strafing accuracy is extremely high.

If it weren't for the good vegetation cover in the mountainous areas, I am afraid that during the half-day bombing, the troops lacking experience in air combat would really be brutally defeated by these dozens of Japanese planes.

The experience of this day is almost unforgettable for Wang Guangyu. Although it was not the first time he had seen Japanese planes, it was the first time he had experienced what a three-dimensional war was, and it was the first time he had experienced what it meant to be bombed indiscriminately.

The Japanese army had dealt with the Anti-Japanese Union before, and although it had also used planes, most of them were reconnaissance planes. Even if tactical aircraft are occasionally dispatched to provide support, they are only one or two at most. It is the first time that such a large batch and multiple aircraft have repeatedly bombed and strafed like today.

In order not to be tracked by Japanese planes, he traced down the secret base of Qunce Mountain, in order to direct the attention of the Japanese army to other directions. Wang Guangyu risked his troops being blown up by Japanese planes, and first went west to Xiangshan on the east bank of the Liangzi River. It was not until dark that the Japanese air force completely retreated, and on the way back to the Qunce Mountain base, they joined Liu Changshun, who had come to meet them, on the first line of the Gejin River. By the time we withdrew to Qunce Mountain, it was already noon the next day.

At this time, in the midst of the indiscriminate bombardment of the Japanese army for most of the afternoon, coupled with the casualties in the battle, a battalion led by Wang Guangyu could barely make up a reinforced company. Although the wounded were brought back, almost all the heavy weapons such as mortars and heavy machine guns were lost.

If it weren't for the field artillery battalion sent by Yang Zhen to support Wang Guangyu's battle, it didn't take long after arriving to retreat early because the few remaining shells were exhausted. This afternoon, Wang Guangyu's losses will be even greater. At least some of the relatively bulky field artillery, under such a high-intensity bombardment, I am afraid that none of them can be saved.

Seeing Wang Guangyu's tragic scene, Liu Changshun was also startled. I thought they had encountered the Japanese army's initiative to intercept them. After asking the truth of the matter, Liu Changshun couldn't help but smack his tongue. However, dozens of planes can actually inflict greater casualties on the troops than they have experienced in a day and a night of combat.

However, in this grim situation, although he lost all his heavy weapons, Wang Guangyu was able to maintain the troops without collapsing. After making such a long detour, he basically brought back the wounded, which also made Liu Changshun re-examine the ability of the former deputy commander of the Anti-Japanese Alliance.

After Wang Guangyu, who had withdrawn to the secret base in Qunce Mountain, saw the commander-in-chief and Yang Zhen and his party who had come to greet him, he could hardly raise his head for the fact that his troops had suffered such heavy casualties in the air raid by enemy planes.

He was a person with a strong sense of self-esteem, and his troops did not suffer much loss on the battlefield, but on the way to retreat, they were bombed by Japanese planes and lost their combat effectiveness, and almost half of the casualties were lost, but he was helpless. This is almost a shame for Wang Guangyu. He has led the army for so many years, except for the defeat of the Western Expedition, he has never lost so much.

Looking at Wang Guangyu, whose eyes were red and silent, Yang Zhen, who had already learned the cause and effect of the incident from the telegram sent by Liu Changshun, did not blame him in a word, but patted him on the shoulder comfortingly and said: "Don't be too sad, this is modern warfare." The disparity in equipment between us and the Japanese army is too great, and it is inevitable to pay such a price. We have to learn war in the midst of war, and it is impossible not to pay this price. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen let out a long sigh and said, "Compared to the loss of the troops, I am more worried about your safety. Now that I see that you are not, my heart has been relaxed. Okay, let's go and settle the wounded first. Then wash your face, eat something, and have a good night's rest, rest. ”

Hearing Yang Zhen's comfort, Wang Guangyu, who was much sadder in his heart, didn't say anything more, just nodded solemnly and saluted Yang Zhen with a standard military salute. According to Yang Zhen's instructions, he went to settle the wounded.

After returning to the war room, Yang Zhen was silent for a while before raising his head and looking at the commander-in-chief, Li Yanping, and Guo Bingxun and said: "Although we have achieved a lot of victories in this sortie, there are also many problems. A large part of these problems have accumulated before, and it is only because of this battle that they have not had time to solve. These problems have caused us to pay a lot of extra costs in the battle that should have been avoided. ”

"Before the troops had time to conduct air defense training and night combat training, they were pulled onto the battlefield, although it was a helpless move under the persecution of the form, but the price paid was bloody and distressing. An entire battalion did not lose much in the battle, but it lost all its heavy weapons in the bombing of Japanese planes, not to mention paying the price of more than half of the casualties. This is a lesson in blood for all of us. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen looked at the commander-in-chief who was trying to defend his old subordinates and said, "Commander-in-chief, I am not simply accusing Wang Guangyu. In fact, although Wang Guangyu suffered huge losses due to the Japanese air raids on the way to retreat, to be honest, he did quite well. Even if I were replaced, I wouldn't necessarily be better. ”

"When he was able to keep an eye on him by the Japanese planes, he immediately considered that he could not let the Japanese planes chase after him and expose the secret base we are currently experiencing, and deliberately directed the attention of the Japanese air forces to the primeval jungles in the west, which shows that he has an extremely serious view of the overall situation. For that alone, it's quite rare. ”

"After making such a long detour, the troops have not had time to carry out air defense training, and even the vast majority of cadres and soldiers have not even seen planes, and they have encountered the wanton and indiscriminate bombing of large Japanese aircraft groups, and they can still hold the troops steady without discarding a single wounded, which shows that his ability to control the overall situation is still very strong."

"However, from the bombing of Wang Guangyu, I feel that it is not only those ordinary soldiers who need to strengthen air defense training, but also our senior commanders should also strengthen training in this area to avoid similar situations in the future. Although the price must be paid, we must learn and sum up the lessons at the cost of blood so that we can not make the same mistakes again. ”

"Now the war has changed from a single land war to a war mode of air-ground integration. We have to adapt to this development so that we don't get left out on the battlefield. When guerrilla warfare was carried out again, the Japanese planes and heavy artillery were unable to exert their strength because of the activities of small units. There is little threat to us. ”

"But for the sake of future development, we can't always hide in the deep mountains and old forests. And once we got out of the deep mountains and old forests, we fought a conventional field battle with the Japanese army. Even positional warfare is inevitable. Therefore, when formulating training and combat plans, it is necessary to keep up with the development of the form. ”

"Learning about war in the midst of war is not for recruits who have not yet had time to complete their training, but it is also applicable to those of us who are senior commanders. Wang Guangyu paid such a big price this time, although it was related to the fact that the Japanese army occupied absolute air superiority, but the most fundamental thing was that he lacked air defense experience and did not have the ability to deal with the enemy's air attack. This was originally a lesson for all of us in command. ”

"But the responsibility for this is me. It's me, the commander, who still doesn't think it through. I only thought that if there were too many receiving troops, it would attract the attention of the Japanese army. However, he did not expect that Wang Guangyu lacked the experience of dealing with the disengagement of the enemy under the Japanese air attack, and lacked some necessary knowledge of air defense......"

Regarding Yang Zhen's words, Guo Bingxun on the side said with deep understanding: "In the current war, the strength of air support will even change the course of the battle in many cases. The side that does not have air superiority often has to pay a considerable price in order to win. ”

"At the time of the Battle of Songhu, there was an example. A division of the miscellaneous units of the Nationalist Army, reinforcing Shanghai from the interior. As a result, as soon as he got out of the car, before he had time to go to the battlefield, he suffered heavy casualties under the Japanese air raid and lost his combat effectiveness because he had no experience in air defense operations. Before a shot could be fired, it had to be withdrawn and repaired. ”

"What the commander said is not wrong, we must keep up with the pace of the development of the war when formulating training and combat plans in the future. In particular, our commanders at all levels must have in their minds the awareness of modern warfare. Otherwise, the price we pay now will be repeated over and over again. ”