lovenovelstory Chapter 154 has a backup plan to block the 1st Division.
Chapter 154 has a backup plan to block the 1st Division.
All the soldiers were roused to their feet at that moment.
They had long been prepared for battle and were just waiting for Li Jianghe's order.
Now that the order has been given, the soldiers, like bloodthirsty wolves, stepped on the gas and drove their vehicles into the darkness.
The 10th Division, with two tank companies, is locked in fierce fighting with the main force of the guard battalion.
In terms of tank performance and firepower, the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles were not much worse than those of the guard battalion.
Its armor protection is even slightly superior.
After all, Li Jianghe's armored tracked vehicles didn't even have a roof; they relied entirely on the armor around them for protection.
But they couldn't withstand the sheer number of tanks.
Three tanks against one, and their artillery and machine guns were sufficient to destroy the defenses of Japanese tanks and armored vehicles from the front.
The Japanese tank unit responsible for the rearguard was truly brave; it did not choose to flee despite the overwhelming numerical superiority of the opposing Third Detachment's tanks.
Unfortunately, they can only be considered a speed bump at best.
The guard battalion destroyed all the Japanese tanks in less than twenty minutes.
As for the Japanese infantry who were fighting alongside them, they died under the flying shells, bullets, and the tracks that kept crushing them.
For the 10th Division, these twenty minutes were also extremely precious time.
Because Taierzhuang and Yixian are not too far apart.
If nothing unexpected happens, their advance force should be able to enter Yixian County in a little over an hour.
Atsuro Umemura reported the final telegram from the tank squadron.
"My entire force is utterly destroyed!"
Looking at the telegram, Rensuke Isogai clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, and remained silent.
"Keep moving forward, for victory, for survival, and for the day when we can avenge these fallen warriors."
Finally, after a long silence, Isoya Rensuke almost let out a low growl.
But just as his fighting spirit was burning, a loud noise suddenly came.
"Boom!!!!!"
The vanguard of the Japanese army, which was marching rapidly on the highway, was suddenly bombarded by artillery.
It was the artillery battalion dedicated to the tank brigade. Their dozen or so field guns were bombarding the road, already overturning and destroying several trucks that were rushing ahead.
"Reporting to the division commander, the troops at the front are under enemy artillery fire!"
"I saw it!"
Rensuke Isogai spoke with a cold gaze, picking up his binoculars and looking into the darkness ahead.
One after another, flares were launched into the air, and he immediately felt the ground beneath his feet tremble.
"This... is it an enemy tank unit? How could they have caught up so quickly?"
Isogai Rensuke thought it was impossible; the enemy's tank units were just fighting their tank units.
How much time has passed? Unless these chariots have grown wings, it's impossible for them to catch up with them.
From the front, Bai Chengshan sat in Tank No. 1, his gaze coldly fixed on the front.
Under the light of the flares, one could clearly see Japanese trucks and horse-drawn carriages parked on the road, as well as Japanese soldiers fleeing and searching for cover under the bombardment.
"Hahaha, well done! Well done, brothers! Once the shelling is over, let's charge in together and wipe them out completely!!!"
Baicheng Mountain was full of vigor and exhilaration, a feeling unlike anything I'd ever experienced.
Finally, the shelling ended. The Japanese vanguard had not yet recovered from the bombardment.
I also felt the vibrations coming from the ground.
Looking further ahead, at the end of the flare's beam, something dark seemed to be surging forward.
It's like a rolling mudslide, or a roaring tsunami.
"That's...that's an enemy tank formation!!!"
Some Japanese soldiers shouted in terror.
If they had a strong defensive position, they wouldn't be so panicked, uneasy, or fearful.
But the situation is different now.
They didn't even have a foxhole, let alone a defensive position.
If I had to name one, it would be the shell craters left by the enemy earlier.
At that very moment, the cannons, anti-tank guns, machine guns, and other weapons mounted on the tanks unleashed a barrage of fire on the Japanese vanguard on the road.
"Da da da!!!!"
This kind of skirmish is what tank units like to encounter the most.
Especially since the Japanese troops were all infantry, they didn't even have time to set up their anti-tank guns before the roaring tanks had already crushed them.
The Japanese army's so-called defense didn't even last ten minutes before being crushed by the tank formation.
Once the soldiers begin to flee, it becomes virtually impossible to organize an effective defense.
No matter how much the Japanese commander shouted at this moment, it was useless.
The only response he received was the roar of the Bofors twin-barreled machine guns, the boom of the 75mm short-barreled cannons, and the deafening crash of the shells hitting the surrounding area.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!"
Until the deafening roar engulfed everything, until the tank tracks rolled over and tore apart the Japanese army's rudimentary, almost non-existent defensive line.
A one-sided massacre has officially begun.
At the rear, Rensuke Isogai was listening to a report on the battle situation from the troops at the front.
Atsuro Umemura spoke very quickly, and his expression betrayed his nervousness.
"The enemy's armored forces suddenly attacked and routed our vanguard."
There were at least two or three hundred tanks, and most of them were equipped with weapons.
This includes anti-tank guns, short-barreled guns, machine guns, and vehicle-mounted machine guns, among others.
In terms of firepower, it's not even a contest on the same level.
After hearing Umemura Atsuro's words, Isogai Rensuke felt an unprecedented sense of despair.
"Where are the reinforcements? Weren't reinforcements already sent to support them?"
Isogai Renji asked.
However, Atsuro Umemura handed over another telegram, saying:
"The reinforcements were also attacked by enemy tank units en route."
The third detachment also included a tank unit, which remained hidden on the battlefield and never showed itself.
He spoke his own guess, because only in this way could everything be explained.
"Yes, there is no sign of the enemy's tank units in Teng County being moved, so there is only one possibility."
Rensuke Isogai acknowledged this speculation.
He felt a chill run down his spine, because it wasn't just Li Zongren of the Fifth War Zone who was holding back his trump cards until the very end; Li Jianghe was doing the same.
He always had a trump card up his sleeve, which he never revealed on the battlefield.
When this trump card is revealed, it will be time to engage in the final battle with them.
"That's terrifying."
He couldn't help but sigh.
"So what should we do now? The enemy forces pursuing us are closing in."
Atsuro Umemura asked.
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