sjar Chapter 1013: Stand Firm! Never Retreat
Chapter 1013: Stand Firm! Never Retreat
"The armored vehicles and other convoys detach from the armored vehicles and quickly gather at the head, advancing at full speed towards the 35th Army's position."
After receiving the telegram, Zhao Dagang immediately ordered his convoy to pull over, and all the armored vehicles moved forward quickly along the main road. They could drive at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour on such a muddy road, which was already a life-threatening speed.
"What's going on, Commander? Can't the 35th Army hold out for even half an hour?"
The transport truck on the lead vehicle moved its front end to the side of the road somewhat unhappily. It was moving well, but now it had to wait until all the armored vehicles had passed before it could move on, which invisibly delayed their time.
"You know shit! Something must have changed, otherwise the former captain wouldn't have sent me such a telegram. The 35th Army is a ragtag group of troops, and they've already suffered over 5,000 casualties. Expecting them to stop the Japs is asking too much of them. They've already exceeded their targets in the past few days. They're fine when the Japs are testing the waters, but if the main force comes, the 35th Army won't be able to hold on."
Zhao Dagang scolded his men, then grabbed the handrail of a passing armored vehicle, jumped quickly, sat directly on the top of the armored vehicle, and followed the first group of people back.
"We've all been paying attention. After the armored vehicles pass, we'll try to drive faster and keep a good distance between us. Don't let one car brake and everyone else brake, which would waste time."
Although Zhao Dagang had left, the orders were still being transmitted through the radio. The vehicles behind him also responded, and everyone began to take it seriously.
When I first received the mission, I thought I was just holding off the 103rd Regiment for a while, and they would soon be able to break through the blockade of the Japanese army. However, I didn't expect that the Japanese army had already planned it out. The various support troops sent by Li Shaoyi were basically blocked on the way, and the place they chose was very suitable, just right for positional warfare.
Fortunately, we still have a number of second-line troops stationed throughout Pujiang. Although they suffered heavy losses in previous battles, on the other hand, these survivors are veterans of the Pujiang battlefield and have their own unique experience in facing the Japanese. If the original garrison troops do not retreat, with the addition of our second-line troops, we may not be able to stop the Japanese.
At this moment, on the position of the 35th Army, everyone was lying on the ground and holding their breath. This could be said to be the most tragic day the 35th Army had ever seen since arriving at the Pujiang battlefield. There were more than a dozen Japanese bombers in the sky, taking turns dropping bombs on the position. We sent more than a dozen fighter planes, but they were all stopped by the Japanese naval aviation.
There were no anti-aircraft guns on the ground, and although there were some anti-aircraft machine guns, they did not play a big role.
Captain Qian simply asked everyone to hide and conserve their strength. Now those anti-aircraft machine guns were of little use.
Fortunately, the Japanese bombers' bomb load was not very large, and our position was very large, so we didn't suffer much loss even if they dropped all of it.
Next came the 31st Division. All the artillery of the entire division was concentrated and they bombarded our positions again.
In the past ten minutes or so, the 35th Army suffered casualties of more than a thousand people, and the captain's men also suffered casualties of more than a hundred people.
Many people don’t understand why there is such a huge disparity in casualties between us and the Japanese army. If you were at the 35th Army’s position at this moment, you would know what was going on.
The gap lies in these heavy artillery. We don’t have any artillery to cover us, and the Japanese army can throw shells at our positions with impunity.
Many brothers were full of energy, but without seeing the Japanese army, their lives were taken away by artillery shells.
Everyone who is hiding understands that the more intense the Japanese artillery fire, the more powerful the attack will be. We are now lying on the position and praying that the Japanese artillery fire will stop soon.
"Finally, it's here..."
Qian Chunqiang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the roar of planes behind him. Our fighter planes finally broke through the blockade of the Japanese Naval Aviation Force, and five fighter planes flew quickly over everyone's heads.
In the distance, two Japanese bombers that were about to turn and carry out a bombing mission were shot down because they could not dodge in time. The remaining bombers had to climb quickly, hoping to disappear from the sight of our fighter planes.
Unfortunately, our fighter pilots were all veterans. Before the enemy began to climb, they had already fired a string of bullets. Those bullets were waiting for the Japanese bombers on the road, and two more bombers were shot down.
The most frightening thing on the battlefield is that the enemy predicts my move, and I have to execute it, which means at least an 80% chance of death. The Japanese bomber formation that was so aggressive just now. Now that half of the remaining planes have lost six or seven planes, they are not so arrogant anymore and are hurrying to return.
"Can the guys in the fighter formation help me take a look? What's the scale of the enemy's attack this time?"
Qian Chunqiang didn't care about that anymore. He knew that the fighter plane would have to return soon. Air support was needed everywhere on the Pujiang battlefield, so he didn't bother to ask the headquarters about these codes and called directly in clear codes.
"Half a division."
A fighter jet in the sky rose several hundred meters higher, then dived down and finally uttered these four words.
When Captain Qian heard these words, his face froze. Over 10,000 devils were going to participate in this attack. If this happened at the Luodian position, the brothers would probably jump for joy. But now they were at the Jinshanwei position of the 35th Army. How could they be happy?
There are more than 16,000 brothers left in the 35th Army. Together with the former captain and Captain Zhao's men, there are only more than 18,000 people at most. Although our weapons and equipment have been partially strengthened, we have to fight to the death facing more than 10,000 devils.
Zhao Dagang's men arrived on time. The Japanese attack had not yet arrived, but there was no smile on the former captain's face. When the entire position saw this batch of armored vehicles, everyone began to cheer. Zhao Dagang also breathed a sigh of relief that he was not late.
But when he saw the expression on Captain Qian's face, Zhao Dagang knew that there must be a bigger crisis.
After the two of them talked for a few words in the dark, Zhao Dagang also felt a headache.
"At worst, we brothers will die here today. We must not retreat a single step before the arrival of the 103rd Regiment..."