A squadron of imperial troops only had one encounter with their opponent, and more than half of them were killed or wounded. Almost a squadron was ruined like this. This made Soushiro Ikeda very angry.

Their unit can now be said to be the elite main force in North China. The famous Okazaki Brigade has its main force coming from this division. One can imagine the combat power of this division.

However, this division has been stationed in southern Shanxi and has not had much contact with Zhang Yunfei's New Ninth Regiment. This time when they went north, they were more focused on blocking the south escape route in Taiyue District.

It is only responsible for mopping up secondary areas. The combat mission is relatively easy and it should not be subject to too many fierce battles.

However, in this small town, nearly two-thirds of a squadron was lost right away. Such losses are likely to account for most of the casualties of the entire division.

How could Ikeda Soushiro bear such a result? Adhering to the Japanese's consistent offensive philosophy and suffering a big loss, he naturally had to come back with revenge.

The Japs dispersed their formation and attacked along the streets of the town. The remaining Japs were frightened and had no fighting spirit in their hearts. Their morale was low. From officers to non-commissioned officers to soldiers, they all suffered such heavy casualties.

I wish I could get out as soon as possible, it's so scary.

Unfortunately, the troops coming in from behind ordered them to continue the attack, so they had no choice but to carry out the order and continue to attack.

The hastily organized attack by the Japanese was attacked by a large amount of crossfire from the New Ninth Regiment. Moreover, the scattered Japanese were faced with attacks from the ground, roofs, and behind walls at the same time, and could hardly move forward.

Ikeda Soushiro was furious at the obstruction of the offensive. They claimed that they were elites and could defeat the elites of the Eighth Route Army, but they did not expect that they would stumble in such a small town.

Soushiro Ikeda was very angry. He was so proud that he was unwilling to face such a loss, but as a professional soldier, he could only feel angry in his heart. He quickly calmed down and quickly readjusted his attack plan.

and readjust the deployment of troops.

The artillery squad was mobilized to cover the Eighth Route's front with firepower, clear the so-called obstacles set up by the Eighth Route, and let the heavy machine gun squadron conduct fire suppression on the Eighth Route.

For him, in this kind of defensive battle, the imperial army really has no one to fear. The Eighth Route Army only has the upper hand. They have basically exhausted their tricks and can no longer pull off any tricks. Now it is time for the imperial army to exert its strength.

Already.

Zhang Yunfei also felt helpless that the Japanese had calmed down and slowed down to engage in street offensive and defensive battles with him.

Although they got off to a good start and severely damaged the Japanese vanguard, the situation was not optimistic.

This Japanese army has been fighting in North China since its formation, and has not suffered serious losses. They are all veterans with rich combat experience. Their real combat effectiveness is not much inferior to that of the Japanese permanent divisions.

This kind of urban street fighting is one of the fighting methods that the Japanese are good at. The Japanese's record in the city battle is quite frightening.

But there is no way. Zhang Yunfei is currently riding a tiger and is unable to get off. The Japanese's field combat ability is also very good. Fighting with them in the field has no advantage at all.

Given the lesser of two evils, he had to choose to fight the enemy here. Only by hurting his opponent would he have a chance to evacuate.

Fighting such a battle is also very uncomfortable and aggrieved for Zhang Yunfei.

Fortunately, they had gained a lot from their attack on Tongshan, so they would not be short of guns and ammunition to fight the Japanese. This is the only good news.

A Japanese battalion only had two 92 infantry guns and six heavy machine guns, but it was still enough to deal with a small town like Tongshan.

Under the order of Soushiro Ikeda, artillery shells fell one by one in the defense area of ​​the New Ninth Regiment in the town. After the Japanese simple artillery fire extended, the large Japanese army was covered by light and heavy machine guns and grenadiers behind them.

Next, launch an attack on the New Ninth Regiment's front.

With the enemy's full offensive, the war is about to break out.

Looking at the troops advancing in an orderly manner, Soushiro Ikeda vowed not to let any of the Eighth Route Army members escape.

The casualties in this battle were so huge, it was a shame for him. It would be difficult to relieve the hatred in his heart without cutting the opponent into pieces.

Under the command of Soushiro Ikeda, the Japanese fortifications were in full swing this time, deploying all their troops at once.

In this small town, nearly two thousand troops from both sides of the enemy and ours were squeezed in at once. The density of personnel was a bit high, and people were hiding behind almost every house and obstacle.

In order to avoid the enemy's artillery fire, Zhang Yunfei also ordered the troops on the front line to retreat and give up the front line positions.

Taking the lead with artillery fire, the Japanese rushed directly to the deserted forward position without encountering any resistance.

That is to say, the Japanese who launched the attack used all their strength and punched the target, and did not wait until the Japanese who came forward could breathe a sigh of relief.

Along with this dense burst of mortar ammunition, a violent explosion occurred in the position occupied by the Japanese.

The narrow terrain of the town added power to the explosion. The Japanese artillery fire was a threat to the Eighth Route Army, and similarly, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire was also a threat to the Japanese.

The enemy's advancing infantry, as well as the heavy machine guns and grenadier soldiers behind them, were all covered by firepower.

Almost no one of the grenadiers and heavy machine gunners covering the Japanese infantry was spared!

The bombed tiles flew everywhere and even flew hundreds of meters away. The shock wave generated by the explosion made even the soldiers of the New Ninth Regiment feel the pressure.

Just before the Japanese woke up from the explosion and climbed up from the rubble, the sound of gunfire rang out again, making them afraid to move and had no choice but to lie down in the rubble.

However, this time the artillery shells did not hit the Japanese infantry position, but the artillery position behind them. Calling it an artillery position is a bit exaggerated, but it was actually a place where two cannons were placed.

The Japanese artillery did not react at all, and was blown into a sea of ​​flames by the artillery fired by the New Ninth Regiment.

The New Ninth Regiment did not consider the service life of its artillery, and fired almost at a speed that passed the highest mark.

This artillery was Zhang Yunfei's unexpected acquisition in Tongshan Town. I really didn't expect where the puppet troops here got such a thing.

Such artillery should be a preventive product for the Krupp Mountain Cannon. This thing may be an old item from the New Army era. Although it is seriously backward, it is a current industrial product after all.

Although the weapons were backward, if used properly, they could produce unexpected effects. The Japanese had no idea that the Eighth Route Army would have countermeasures.
Chapter completed!