Devil's Army

Chapter 1903 Encirclement and Annihilation of Japanese Troops in Changshan County

Soldiers from the Third and Fourth Companies entered the positions on both sides of the Yanrui hillside and immediately joined the battle.

The sudden increase in firepower drove back the Japanese troops who had rushed to the vicinity of the defensive line.

The battle continued until evening, with three Japanese companies taking turns to fight, but all were repelled by the soldiers of the Third Regiment.

In this battle to attack Yanzui, the Japanese 1st Company Commander was killed in action. The remaining two Company Commanders were not allowed to eat dinner and were punished by being forced to stand in an open area watching their soldiers eat and planning the next day's attack.

Although the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment hid in the anti-artillery fortifications on the reverse slope and escaped the Japanese artillery fire, it still suffered considerable casualties in the face of the frenzied attack of the Japanese army.

The Second Brigade Commander received the battle report from the Third Regiment Commander and decided to first annihilate the Japanese force in Changshan County.

He transferred a regiment that had been clearing out Japanese strongholds in the surrounding towns and villages of Yushan and Guangfeng counties, ordering them to cross the Xianxia Ridge overnight to block the retreat route of the Japanese troops in Changshan County. The three regiments would launch a frontal attack from Yanrui, while the other two regiments would attack from both sides. Even if they couldn't annihilate the entire Japanese force, they were determined to inflict heavy losses on them.

(Several other regiments of the Second Brigade are currently fighting Japanese troops in Jiangshan County on the border of Guangfeng County, and Japanese troops in Kaihua County on the border of Yushan County.)

Since the Japanese army had abandoned its advance from Xianxia Ridge to Yushan County, the Fourth Regiment Commander left the First and Second Battalions to guard Xianxia Ridge, while the Third and Fourth Battalions followed the First Regiment Commander to encircle and annihilate the Japanese force in Changshan County.

At 6:00 a.m. the next morning, the Japanese artillery launched a fierce bombardment of the Iwazui position.

The Japanese infantry launched an attack on the right flank of the enemy positions while the artillery bombardment continued.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion had to crawl out of their artillery shelters and brave Japanese artillery fire to repel the Japanese attack.

Although Japanese artillery shells would occasionally accidentally hit charging Japanese soldiers, the soldiers of the Third Battalion who crawled out of the artillery shelter suffered greater casualties.

The commander of the Third Regiment kept a close eye on the situation at the front. As soon as he noticed that the defensive firepower at the front was weakening, he immediately ordered the Fourth Battalion, which was on standby, to reinforce the front.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion and the Japanese soldiers fought each other amidst the whistling of artillery shells and explosions.

Both sides were like bloodthirsty beasts, wanting only to kill each other, with no intention of retreating.

Seeing that his soldiers' attack had been repelled again, the Japanese 2nd Company Commander decided to personally lead a second wave of attack.

He had been starving all night and hadn't eaten breakfast this morning, so his stomach was growling loudly. He'd rather die fighting than starve.

Before the Second Company Commander could launch a second wave of attack on the Yanrui position, the First Regiment Commander led soldiers from the First and Fourth Regiments to arrive overnight and encircled the Japanese troops in Changshan County.

With a command from the regimental commander, the soldiers of the First and Fourth Regiments, disregarding their exhaustion from working through the night, launched an attack on the Japanese troops in Changshan County.

Seeing the intense gunfire and explosions coming from behind the Japanese troops in Changshan County, the Third Regiment Commander personally led the soldiers of the Third and Fourth Battalions out from the front of Yanrui to launch a counterattack against the Japanese troops in Changshan County.

The Japanese major was startled to hear intense gunfire erupting from his rear and flank.

His main force was attacking the Yanrui position on the front. The defenses on the flanks and rear were relatively weak.

Judging from the intensity of the gunfire, the number of devilish troops attacking them from the rear and flanks was not small.

To avoid total annihilation, the major concentrated his weapons and avoided the most intense fighting in the rear, choosing instead to break through from the right flank.

After the major completed his brief deployment, the Japanese army immediately launched a fierce attack on the right flank.