kingnovel Chapter 1173 The Last Word
Chapter 1173 The Last Word
Seeing the situation before him, Captain Takashima knew he couldn't wait any longer. He immediately took out a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote down the following line.
Commander, please launch a second attack immediately. The troops that launched the first attack have lost their offensive capability.
Speaking to the telegraph operator beside him was pointless; the surrounding sounds were completely inaudible, so he had to write it down. Upon seeing this, the operator immediately began sending a telegram, though it was uncertain whether it would even get through, as the surrounding circuits were flickering.
Fortunately, they were lucky; Division Commander Kamio still received the telegram.
In his mind, these 5000 men were the elite of the entire Ninth Division, and they would surely be able to find a way out for the Ninth Division. But unexpectedly, less than an hour after he left, he received such a telegram.
Kamio Jiro wasn't far from the battlefield either. A veteran of the Japanese Army, he could hear the intensity of the distant artillery fire. If he were actually there, he'd probably be dead by now. Therefore, he didn't blame the Takashima Regiment for what happened; it had nothing to do with his soldiers, as it was beyond their capabilities.
"Order all units of the 9th Division to immediately converge on me. In half an hour, I will personally lead the 9th Division toward the 4th Division. Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
At this moment, Kamio Jiro did not abandon his responsibilities, nor did he allow himself to be looked down upon. Instead, he ordered the remaining 10,000 or so men of the 9th Division to quickly converge. Although most of these men were new recruits and second-line personnel, if the 9th Division did not seize the time to charge forward, then the loss would not be just a matter of losing the 9th Division after Zhang Haiguang attacked.
From the start of the war until now, all Japanese troops have been buying time for the Japanese troops in the rear, but they never expected that the price they would pay this time would be so high, nor did they expect that Zhang Haiguang's attack capabilities would be so strong.
After Kamio Jiro issued the order, the troops of the 9th Division abandoned all sorts of supplies and began to advance rapidly towards the division headquarters. The mobilization of other divisions also accelerated considerably; they understood very well that the time they had gained was bought for them by the men of the 9th Division with their lives.
Following Zhang Haiguang's plan, defensive positions were still built on the spot, awaiting the attack of the Takashima Regiment. However, after just one round of artillery fire, these guys couldn't hold out. It was reconnaissance planes overhead that informed him of significant changes in the Japanese rear, making continued defense no longer viable; they needed to quickly eliminate the Takashima Regiment and then attack the 9th Division.
At Zhang Haiguang's command, his three battalions advanced swiftly, wiping out the remaining personnel of the Takashima Regiment. The area was filled with the smell of gunpowder from the shelling, along with the pungent odor of roasted flesh. If you were to take a closer look, you'd probably have lost your meal.
Regimental Commander Takashima was still very brave, brandishing his katana to duel Zhang Haiguang. However, one of Zhang Haiguang's battalion commanders didn't have time for that; he pulled out his M1911 and fired a burst of bullets at the man in response.
What the hell era are we living in? Now that you're clearly useless, you want to duel me one-on-one? Do you even have the time to duel with me?
The remaining Japanese soldiers all gathered on several mounds of earth. Zhang Haiguang's men drove them to the top, where the surrounding soldiers began firing. Not a single member of the Takashima Regiment survived. As for the other reinforcements from the 9th Division, most were also killed in the bombings; a small number withdrew from the surrounding battlefields, but the total number certainly did not exceed 300.
"Can the brothers hold on?"
Just as Zhang Haiguang was about to order his men to continue the attack, he noticed many of them panting heavily. They had transitioned from attack to defense, and back again, which had taken a considerable toll on their stamina. Moreover, since the night before last, most of them had only slept for four or five hours at most.
"Commander, just give the order. The brothers are tired, but they're not stupid. We're already in an encirclement. It's either you die or I live. Only by wiping out their Ninth Division can we get a good night's sleep."
"Brigade Commander Wang is right. Although we brothers are exhausted, we still have no problem taking down the Ninth Division. However, after we take down the Ninth Division, you must give us at least two days to rest."
Listening to the words of his brigade commanders, Zhang Haiguang smiled and nodded. Since they could make such a guarantee, it meant they had spent half a day surveying the troops below and naturally knew the situation. In the next few hours of fighting, our men should be able to hold out.
"How are the military supplies?"
Zhang Haiguang turned to look at the people in the quartermaster department, but unfortunately, the original head of the quartermaster department seemed to be absent.
"Reporting to the division commander, our quartermaster Liao died in battle half an hour ago. I will take over his work. All food, drink and supplies are provided."
The speaker was a fat man weighing nearly 170 pounds. This guy originally started as a cook, but now he's the deputy director of the division's quartermaster department, and he's very reliable. The original quartermaster director was hit by a shell fragment during the war and died in battle. Now that he's taken over, Zhang Haiguang can rest assured.
What battlefield is without casualties? Since Zhang Haiguang launched the attack, more than 1200 brothers have sacrificed their lives to fight the Japanese pirates. More than 700 brothers are seriously wounded and are recuperating in field hospitals in the rear. The nearby field airfields will be completed soon, and once they are completed, our planes will be able to transport these brothers all the way back to the north.
"Don't let our fallen brothers laugh at us. They sacrificed their lives for the country, but this war must continue. Everyone has contributed to this war, so in the end we must achieve victory. I don't care how tired or how hard each unit is working. From now on, we have only one goal: wipe out the Ninth Division!"
Zhang Haiguang adjusted his mindset and immediately issued the order to attack. His men roared like tiger cubs, some even plunging their heads into the icy river to sober up. The battle resumed…