coobybook Chapter 454: For the Glory of the Emperor
Chapter 454: For the Glory of the Emperor
"Da da da..." The light machine gun was spitting out flames crazily on the position, and bullets were pouring down like a rainstorm, causing the bridge railings to fly into pieces.
Grenade launchers continuously fired grenades at the Chinese defenders' positions, sending up clouds of green smoke mixed with fragments.
The high-explosive grenades thrown by the mortars passed over the heads of the charging Japanese troops, making a whistling sound, and then exploded in the opposite position, with the flames illuminating the night sky red.
"Bang! Bang!" The sound of gunfire mixed with shouts of killing echoed on both sides of the Lugou Bridge.
But the Japanese army relied on their large numbers. As one wave fell, another wave rushed up, with no signs of stopping.
On the Chinese position, the soldiers were also not vague. Since the fighting had already begun, the Chinese soldiers would not be afraid and would rely on simple fortifications to fight back tenaciously.
The young soldiers had firm eyes and steady aim of their guns, responding to the invaders with accurate shooting.
Seeing that the frontal attack was blocked, Ikki Kiyonao, who was watching the battle from the rear, also became red-eyed. He drew his sword and shouted wildly: "Don't retreat, charge! Charge forward and kill them all!"
As the bodies of Japanese soldiers piled up on the bridge, they had a human shelter.
Some Japanese soldiers even pushed their comrades' bodies forward, further narrowing the distance between the two sides.
Eventually, the Japanese army broke into the Chinese defenders' positions.
The Chinese soldiers did not retreat either. They raised their bayonets and shouted as they charged forward to meet the enemy.
For a moment, the sound of metal colliding, tragic shouts and painful screams were intertwined together. Blood flowed and quickly dyed the stone slabs of Lugou Bridge red. Under the illumination of several flares hanging under the black night sky, the bloody light was reflected.
The fighting continued until the next morning.
Itai Yudai watched helplessly as batches of Japanese troops were sent forward and were beaten back by the Chinese defenders across the Lugou Bridge.
Inside the dim tent, the first rays of dawn shining through the tent illuminated the gloomy faces of the Japanese officers.
The pungent smell of gunpowder seeped in through the gaps in the canvas, mixing with the stench of sweat from everyone's bodies, making the air even more stuffy.
The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating. Several Japanese officers sat around a table covered with a battle map. The messy markings on the map seemed to tell the brutality of the attack just now.
Mutaguchi Renya's face was filled with rage. He slammed his saber heavily on the table, making a clang sound, and roared, "Baka! This attack is a complete mess. Can anyone explain this to me?"
Morita Toru hurried forward, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, "Major General, we received intelligence that the enemy suddenly changed their defenses before the battle, and the second-rate troops that were originally expected were replaced by an elite force at some point.
They are experienced in combat and have high tactical literacy. We were caught in a tough fight as soon as we came into contact with them. The Chinese people's resistance was far beyond our expectations, their firepower was also extremely fierce, and although their fortifications were simple, they were very cleverly arranged. Our soldiers fell down as soon as they rushed forward. . . "
A corps operations officer added: "Captain, the Chinese army's position layout is extremely sophisticated. The bunkers and trenches echo each other, forming a multi-layered firepower network. When our army charged, it was completely exposed to the hail of bullets. Every step forward has to pay a heavy price."
"Humph!" Mutaguchi Renya interrupted him, "Excuses! Are we, the samurai of the Great Japanese Empire, afraid of such a small difficulty? What does Shimizu Seiro do for a living? His tactical execution is so poor!"
Major Ichiki Kiyonao, with red eyes, looked at the map and frowned, "Sir, our intelligence seemed to be wrong from the beginning. The enemy's troop deployment was far different from what we knew, which made us passive during the attack.
Also, our artillery support did not achieve the expected effect. Many shells missed the target and failed to effectively suppress the enemy's firepower points." While speaking, Ikki Kiyonao secretly glanced at Itai Yudai who was sitting on the side with his eyes closed.
Mutaguchi Renya's eyes widened, bloodshot as if they were about to ooze out: "Are you all idiots? How can you react on the battlefield? You only know how to follow the rules? Why don't you adjust your tactics in time when you find problems?"
He also saw Ikki Kiyonao secretly looking at Itai Yudai, and he knew that Ikki Kiyonao wanted the artillery brought by Itai Yudai to provide support, but Mutaguchi Ren couldn't bring himself to say that!
I am in the army. Do I really need to ask the military police for help?
Mutaguchi Renya gritted his teeth and paced back and forth in the tent. After a while, he stopped and said viciously: "Humph, even if there are many difficulties, this is not a reason to fail!
Immediately reorganize the troops and redeploy them. The next time we attack, we must let them see how powerful the soldiers of the Empire of Japan are!"
The officers responded in unison, but could not hide their uneasiness, and hurriedly retreated to prepare for the follow-up matters.
After everyone left, Mutaguchi Renya looked at Morita Toru and asked, "When will the reinforcements arrive?"
"The First Battalion in Peking has sent out two squadrons, and they are almost arriving. The Second Battalion in Tianjin is also on the way and will arrive before noon." Toru Morita replied quickly.
"Yoshi, as long as the reinforcements arrive, the Marco Polo Bridge can be easily flattened!" Mutaguchi Renya said bitterly, and at the same time, he unconsciously glanced at Itai Yudai who was sitting on the side as steady as a rock. As if he was deliberately saying this for Itai Yudai to hear, he shouted again: "We must take Wanping City before dark today!"
"Don't worry, Captain. Even if the Chinese resist stubbornly, they will not be our match once the reinforcements arrive," Toru Morita echoed.
When Itai Yudai heard this declaration-like conversation, a sarcastic smile flashed across his face.
The Japanese attack became more and more frenzied. They mobilized mortars and bombarded the Lugou Bridge.
Rubble flew everywhere and part of the bridge was blown out, but the Chinese defenders did not retreat at all. They fought tenaciously in the ruins and lived and died with the Lugou Bridge.
The attack whistle sounded again, and the Japanese soldiers, holding their rifles with bayonets on, crouched and rushed forward, howling.
The commanding officer waved his saber and encouraged the soldiers around him: "Charge! The first one to reach the Lugou Bridge will be rewarded!"
The ground beneath their feet was pitted by artillery shells, but this did not slow down their frantic pace at all.
The Chinese defenders, relying on the stone railings and stone lions of Lugou Bridge, used old but accurate rifles to weave a tight firepower network.
"Brothers, fight hard and never let the enemy step over the Lugou Bridge!" Bullets whizzed towards the Japanese army with anger. Japanese soldiers kept falling down, leaving a string of corpses on the road of charge.
The Japanese army continued to advance regardless of casualties.
As they were about to reach the bridgehead, rows of grenades were thrown out, flames burst out in the Japanese ranks, shrapnel flew everywhere, and the Japanese soldiers were immediately thrown to the ground, with cries and curses mixed together.
Shimizu Seishiro was still shouting at the top of his lungs: "Warriors of the Great Japanese Empire, the Marco Polo Bridge is right before our eyes. Charge for the glory of the Emperor!"
Unfortunately, no matter how inspiring his words were, they could not stop the Japanese army from retreating, and the Japanese army wavered again. . .