Chapter 11 7. First test edge

Boom, boom, two loud noises woke up the sleeping soldiers.They had just come out of the beautiful dream, and before they recovered, dense shells fell from the sky in rows.Bang bang, bang bang, Dongguan, the city and Xiguan Railway Station in the county were bombarded by Japanese artillery. All the soldiers at the base of the city wall jumped up with a thud. They carried grenade boxes one by one up the ladder, climbed into the bunker of the city wall, and swept out of the city with vigilant eyes.Many houses in the city collapsed, and several places were on fire. People rushed towards the fire with buckets and basins.

Teng County, which was peaceful in the early morning, suddenly became chaotic. The crying of children and the shouting of adults were so noisy that people couldn't tell which was which.A group of citizens poured in from Dongguan. They carried the old and the young, and men and women fled towards Xiguan like water.In less than half an hour, except for the officers and soldiers guarding the city, Teng County was almost turned into an empty city. Wang Mingzhang called from Xiguan Electric Lamp Factory to inquire about the situation in the city.Zhang Xuanwu made a brief report, and before he finished speaking, he heard the phone hang up.Master Wang couldn't stay any longer, he had to go to the city to see for himself.At critical moments, he should show his face more and let his soldiers see him, which can stabilize people's hearts and boost morale.

Wang Mingzhang called Commander Chen Li, Commander Shui Tiqing, and Brigadier Wang Zhiyuan of the 127th Division, and they crossed the street together, nodding and waving to the guarding soldiers before the fortifications along the way.Hold fast, our reinforcements are coming.Master Wang kept encouraging the soldiers.The soldiers were very happy to see their chiefs, and they still said witty words, the Japanese soldiers are not tall, and they are not as tall as the Sichuanese.Some people say that with black hair on his lips, he looks like a turtle from a distance. Several officers laughed happily together with the soldiers.

In Zhang Xuanwu's headquarters, Wang Mingzhang introduced Commander Chen Li, Commander Shui Tiqing, and Brigadier Wang Zhiyuan one by one, and Commander Zhang stood at attention to salute the officers.Then head Zhang reported on the city defense deployment, fortification construction, ammunition and food supply, including field hospitals. Wang Mingzhang asked Zhang Xuanwu, do you think you are sure about defending the city? Zhang Xuanwu raised his chest and asked the teacher, how long will he stay? Wang Mingzhang looked at the city defense map and said, two to three days. Commander Zhang was a little surprised. He said that the existing troops and enemy situation in the city are clear to all the officers. Based on your experience, how long can you defend?

more than one day.Wang Mingzhang said firmly that this is not a matter of bargaining. Head Zhang said very seriously, in my opinion, there are more than 4,000 people in the city, and only 2,000 of them can fight.Coupled with the crude weapons, I dare not promise the officers. Wang Mingzhang looked at Chen Li and the others, and said, our reinforcements will arrive at midnight at the earliest, if we can't stand guard for more than a day, then we might as well fight mobile outside the city.He paused while talking, and asked the teachers and brigade commanders around him, what do you all think?

Commander Chen Li and the chiefs of staff of several divisions agreed to maneuver outside the city.They said that Teng County is an isolated and dead city, and it cannot be defended. It is better to go outside the city and use the terrain to maneuver.Division Commander Wang Mingzhang immediately reported to Sun Zhen, Commander-in-Chief of the Lincheng Group Army, and on the phone he proposed to conduct mobile operations outside the city. Sun Zhen disagreed. He said that the chairman had called to ask them to stick to Teng County and wait for Tang Enbo's army to come to relieve the siege.He told Wang Mingzhang that Tang Enbo's vanguard had arrived in Lincheng yesterday, and I immediately urged Wang Zhonglian's army to go north as soon as possible, and you must ensure that Teng County is waiting for reinforcements.Commander-in-Chief Sun also said on the phone that your headquarters should be moved to the city immediately so that you can personally direct the defense of the city.If there are not enough troops, all the troops of the 41st Army outside the city can be transferred into the city and return to stand by for help!

Commander-in-Chief Sun Zhen didn't know the situation in the outskirts of Teng County, so why didn't he, Wang Mingzhang, want to transfer troops from outside the city into the city?The battle has been fought so far, how can it be adjusted?Even if the troops outside the city want to come back, they won't be able to.Isoya Rensuke, an old and cunning beast, had already blocked the road, and the returning troops were either blocked or dispersed.Wang Mingzhang had thoughts in his heart, but he didn't want to argue, no matter how much he said, it was useless.The order is like a mountain, just execute it.

Division Commander Wang Mingzhang ordered Division Adjutant Luo Jiaxing to move the division command post and all units directly under the division into the city.Luo Jiaxing said yes, and hurried to carry it out.Master Wang re-examined the city defense map, and he firmly said, Commander Zhang, you must immediately send an order to all the officers and soldiers in the city, we will resolutely defend Teng County, and I will join everyone, the city will survive, and the city will die!After he finished speaking, he pointed to the north and south on the map and ordered the south and north gates to be closed.Post notices on the four gates of the city wall, telling all officers and soldiers that no one is allowed to leave the city without the warrant of the commander, and those who violate it will be punished on the spot!

While they were discussing the matter of defending the city, the plane of the Japanese army came. The 12 planes swooped down in batches, strafed, dropped bombs, strafed again, and dropped bombs again.The defenders had no place to hide, they stood close to the base of the wall and stood in rows.Teng County does not have any anti-aircraft weapons, and watching Japanese planes flying over his head like blowflies makes people upset and even more angry. Division Commander Chen Li received an order from Commander-in-Chief Sun Zhen in Lincheng, asking him to rush to Longshan and Puyang Mountains where the 127th Division was stationed to command his troops.So he took the command post out of the city. When he was only three or four miles away from the city, he was attacked by a Japanese armored vehicle.

In fact, Commander-in-Chief Sun Zhen didn't know, nor did Commander Chen Li. At that time, the 45th Army, which was sticking to Longshan and Puyang Mountains, suffered more than half of the casualties after three days of bloody fighting.Due to the interruption of traffic and communication in Tongteng County, the command was in chaos. Just when Division Commander Chen Li left the city, the defense line of the 45th Army had completely collapsed. In the direction of Shenjing on the outskirts of Teng County, the 370th and 372nd brigades were also severely damaged by the Japanese army.The two brigades couldn't resist the crazy attack of the Japanese coalition. Under the bombardment of planes and artillery, they retreated one by one, retreating while defending, and lost more than half.

The artillery attack on Teng County stopped and the planes disappeared.The defenders in the city had no time to wipe off the blood and mud on their faces, and quickly returned to their positions.For a while, there was no harsh sound of guns, cannons, and planes, and the silence was so bewildering that the atmosphere in Teng County was so quiet that people could not breathe.About half an hour later, the enemy's artillery exploded again.They concentrated on one point and violently bombarded, the whole city wall buzzed and trembled, and the wall in the southern half of the East Pass collapsed, leaving a big gap.Collapsing bricks injured some soldiers, and the soldiers quickly dodged to the sides. The Japanese army concentrated more than a dozen light and heavy machine guns, aiming at the blasted gap and firing violently.The enemy's purpose was seen through by the soldiers defending the city. They wanted to use light and heavy machine guns to cover the advance of the infantry and sneak into the city through the gap. There were already guards on both sides of the gap.Under the command of the company commander, sixty or seventy people held grenades in their hands. When fifty or sixty Japanese soldiers walked into the ditch outside the wall, with an order, one or two hundred grenades were thrown at the enemy group at the same time, boom, boom, bombing. The corpses of Japanese soldiers were flying, and fifty or sixty corpses were left in the trench. Seeing that the attack did not work, the Japanese army fired more fiercely at the gap, and then sent a second group of fifty or sixty people, wearing steel helmets and holding bayonet guns, to rush towards the gap from the trench. The defensive soldiers were still the same as last time. The moment the enemy was about to climb up the gap, a hundred and ten grenades rained down on the heads of the Japanese soldiers, and another fifty or sixty fell on the broken bricks.The Japanese army was really a desperado, they launched a third charge, the result was the same, more than 100 people died.They stopped rushing, this trick is no longer effective, and they have to change their tactics. In the strafing bombing of enemy planes and artillery, the most casualties were the special service battalion guarding Dongguan, and one of the three companies suffered casualties.Battalion Commander Yan replaced the casualty company and replaced the third company of the reserve team.When the enemy adjusted their deployment, the defenders also made adjustments, and they would fight to the death with the Japanese army launching a new round of attack. Teng County is facing a more severe test of life and death.