Industry began in 1937

Chapter 47 Bloodbath

The brief respite on the Nanshan position was broken by the increasingly dense whistles, officers' roars, and the clanging of metal from the distant Japanese positions.

The smoke of gunpowder had not yet completely dissipated, and the cold wind carried the pungent smell of gunpowder and blood.

The soldiers silently cleaned their weapons, collected bullets and grenades from the Japanese corpses, carried the bodies of their fallen comrades to the back of the mountain, and quickly transferred the seriously wounded.

Everyone's face showed fatigue, but even more so, a tense vigilance.

Many of these veterans of the Red Army were already very familiar with combat.

They knew that an even more violent storm was coming.

Down the mountain, the Japanese army readjusted its deployment.

The failure of the first attack clearly angered Eiichi Ebina, and also made him put aside some of his underestimation of his opponent.

Through his binoculars, Pan Zhankui saw that the enemy had moved more light and heavy machine guns forward, and that the infantry gun and grenade launcher positions had been reinforced and camouflaged, and their numbers seemed to have increased as well.

A small Japanese squad was moving eastward, attempting to use the folds in the mountain as cover to find a route to climb and maneuver around the enemy.

The Japanese often used this tactic.

On the front, Japanese soldiers, driven by their officers, reorganized their formation, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"Damn it, we have to fight to the death." Pan Zhankui licked his chapped lips and whispered to the communications officer beside him, "Pass down the orders: First, second, and third companies, focus on the front; fourth company, send a platoon to watch the east, don't let the Japanese get close. Tell the comrades to conserve ammunition, especially grenades, wait until the Japanese get close before firing! If the Japanese charge onto the position, take them out with bayonets!"

The order was quickly relayed.

The atmosphere on the front lines became even more tense.

The soldiers placed the few remaining "Gouzi-made" grenades in the most convenient positions, loaded their rifles with bullets, and checked the bayonet catches again to ensure they were secure.

Many people silently placed their broadswords or red-tasseled spears beside them—they were their last resort.

"Thump thump thump thump—!!!"

This time, the Japanese artillery preparations were even more fierce and prolonged!

Infantry guns, grenade launchers, and even a few mortars joined the chorus!

Shells and grenades rained down on the Nanshan position like hail, the explosions creating a continuous burst of light, and mud, snow, gravel, and severed limbs flew everywhere!

The makeshift fortifications were repeatedly flattened and destroyed in the violent explosions, and the scorching blasts and choking smoke were almost suffocating.

Soldiers continued to sacrifice their lives in the artillery fire, their blood staining the scorched earth.

The shelling lasted for nearly twenty minutes.

As the artillery fire began to extend behind the ridge, the skirmish lines of the Japanese troops reappeared on the slope in front. This time, they were no longer in a hurry to charge quickly, but instead used shell craters and terrain to take turns providing cover and slowly push upwards.

Intense fighting broke out on the east side as the Japanese flanking force engaged the platoon of the Fourth Company.

"Hold your ground! Get closer and fire!" The shouts of commanders at all levels were particularly clear amidst the sporadic gunfire.

Having learned their lesson, the Japanese army spread out their ranks further. Although their advance was slow, they pressed forward relentlessly, with machine gun fire suppressing the Eighth Route Army's positions and grenade launchers precisely eliminating any exposed firing positions.

Eighth Route Army soldiers continued to be hit by sniper rifles or grenades. Casualties were rising rapidly.

The Japanese soldiers' individual tactical abilities were still very strong, and their firearms were better than those of the Eighth Route Army, so they were about to suppress the Eighth Route Army.

Eighty meters, seventy meters, sixty meters... The tanned figures of the Japanese soldiers appeared and disappeared among the smoke and rocks, their helmets and bayonets gleaming ever closer.

The狰狞 ​​faces and the howling of "Banzai" could be faintly heard.

"Grenade! Throw it!"

This time, the order was given even later. It wasn't until the Japanese vanguard was about forty meters away and almost rushed up the steep embankment at the front of the position that the surviving Eighth Route Army soldiers suddenly leaned out and threw out the last batch of "Gouzi-made" hand grenades with all their might, accompanied by a hoarse roar!

Because of the extremely close distance, the trajectory of the throw is even straighter and faster!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

More intense explosions, almost hitting the enemy's heads and surroundings, once again swept through the Japanese attack formation!

Pre-fabricated shrapnel is terrifyingly lethal at close range!

There was almost nowhere to hide on the narrow hillside. The Japanese soldiers who charged ahead fell down in droves as if they were being swept by an invisible scythe!

The screams instantly drowned out the gunfire! The Japanese offensive line stalled, and their formation became visibly chaotic and gaps appeared.

"Charge! Kill the Japanese devils!"

Almost instantly, before the smoke from the grenade explosions had even cleared, the loud and resolute bugle call to charge sounded again!

This time, it wasn't a counter-charge, but rather the remaining Eighth Route Army soldiers on the position, bayonets in hand, leaping out of the trenches that had been almost flattened by artillery fire, and launching a desperate counter-attack against the Japanese troops who were stunned by grenades!

Many soldiers didn't even have time to reload their rifles; they charged forward with their bayonets drawn!

"kill--!"

Bayonets clashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere! The extended bayonets of the "Gouzi" rifle once again demonstrated their power in close combat!

Faced with the Japanese army's slender Type 30 bayonets, the Eighth Route Army soldiers took advantage of the bayonets' greater weight and length, either parrying and then thrusting swiftly, or using the momentum to powerfully chop and parry.

A squad leader of the Eighth Route Army, his face covered in gunpowder, parried the thrust of a Japanese sergeant, then lunged forward, plunging his extended bayonet deep into the man's chest, the tip even protruding from his back!

Another soldier was caught in a pincer attack by two Japanese soldiers. He roared and, ignoring the bayonets coming from his left, thrust his bayonet into the abdomen of the Japanese soldier in front of him. At the same time, he suddenly turned his body to the side, causing the bayonet on his left to tear open his cotton-padded coat. He took the opportunity to swing his rifle butt back and smash the other man's face, followed by a final blow!

The battle instantly escalated into the most brutal and primal stage of hand-to-hand combat.

On the hillside, beside the rocks, and in the bomb craters, figures were wrestling everywhere.

The clanging of bayonets clashing, the dull thud of blades piercing flesh, the dying screams, and the angry roars mingled together.

People kept falling, their blood staining the frozen soil on the hillside.

The Japanese soldiers were indeed formidable in individual combat skills and bayonet fighting techniques, but the Eighth Route Army soldiers, relying on their courage, tacit cooperation, and the superior bayonets in their hands, held off the Japanese attack and even forced some of them back dozens of meters.

However, the Japanese army's numerical superiority and sustained fire support began to emerge.

Although the machine guns and grenade launchers behind them dared not fire easily due to the mix of enemy and friendly forces, Japanese infantry were continuously pouring up the hillside.

The Eighth Route Army's casualties were increasing rapidly, the momentum of the counter-offensive was gradually curbed, and they began to fight a bitter battle.

Pan Zhankui had a wound on his left arm, hastily wrapped with leg wraps, and held a rifle with a bayonet fixed in his hand. He personally led the last of the battalion's personnel to the front line.

He saw that a platoon's position on the flank had been breached by several Japanese soldiers, and several soldiers were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy; the situation was critical.

"Three men! Follow me!" Pan Zhankui roared, about to lead his men to charge, when suddenly—

"Battalion Commander! From the east! The Japanese are coming up from the east!"

A frantic shout made his heart sink.

On the eastern hillside, the Japanese platoon, after paying a certain price, finally broke through the blocking force of the 4th Company and was swarming up, about to rush to the flank of the main position!

Once the Japanese army attacks from both sides, the position will surely be lost! Pan Zhankui's eyes were about to burst with rage. He was about to divide his troops when he suddenly heard a sparse but unusually firm volley of gunfire and a noisy but furious roar coming from behind the eastern position on the path leading to the back of the mountain!

"Fire! Aim and fire!"

"Throw stones! Smash those sons of bitches!"

About thirty or forty men, dressed in gray-black cotton-padded jackets and carrying various old and miscellaneous firearms, including spears and broadswords, rushed down the mountain ridge from the side and rear, led by a sturdy man wielding a large hammer that was clearly used by a blacksmith. They ran headfirst into the Japanese squad that had just climbed up!

Their marksmanship varied, but they were exceptionally brave, especially the leader, who wielded an iron knife with such ferocity that he knocked a Japanese soldier's rifle out of his hand!

It was Zhao Dachui, the captain of the Third District Guerrilla Team, and the guerrillas he brought!

They were originally guards of Gouzi Village.

To escort a batch of hand grenades to the gunpowder factory.

The gunpowder factory had just produced 100 hand grenades, which needed to be sent to the 1st Battalion's position.

At this point, the Provisional Government of the Anti-Japanese War had no more people at its disposal, so they had to escort them there.

Upon hearing that fierce fighting had broken out in the direction of Nanshan, they judged that the main force was engaged in combat with the Japanese army and rushed to provide support, only to run into the Japanese army's outflanking force!

"Well done!" Pan Zhankui's spirits lifted. The arrival of this fresh force immediately alleviated the crisis on the east flank! "Second Company, First Platoon, go support the east! The rest of you, follow me and push back the Japanese in front!"

The addition of the guerrillas, despite their small numbers and poor equipment, was fearless and launched a surprise attack from the flank, greatly boosting the morale of the Nanshan defenders and disrupting the Japanese army's flanking maneuver.

The crisis on the east side has been temporarily alleviated.

On the front, the Eighth Route Army soldiers gritted their teeth and fought fiercely with the Japanese army, with every inch of land being fought over repeatedly.

The battle became a fierce stalemate.

The Japanese soldiers were numerous and well-equipped, while the Eighth Route Army had the advantage of terrain and a fierce fighting spirit. The two sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the hillside, with people falling every minute.

At this crucial moment, behind the Nanshan position, on the mountain road leading to Yingtou Village, shadowy figures suddenly appeared and quickly approached!

"Reinforcements! It's our reinforcements!" the lookout shouted hoarsely, his voice trembling with both sobs and ecstasy.

A company of Eighth Route Army soldiers, led by a capable commander, was rushing towards Nanshan at a rapid pace! Although they were also lightly dressed, their formation was disciplined and they exuded a fierce aura! They were troops drawn from the advance team on the northern route, coming to provide support! They even brought two valuable light machine guns and several boxes of hand grenades!

"Comrades! Reinforcements have arrived! Hold on! Strike down those damned Japanese devils!" Pan Zhankui roared with all his might.

"kill--!"

The arrival of reinforcements, especially the addition of two light machine guns, instantly increased the firepower, like adding fuel to a fire that was about to go out!

Exhausted and with nearly half its troops killed or wounded, the Nanshan defenders and guerrillas mustered their last bit of courage and, together with the arriving reinforcements, launched a full-scale counterattack against the Japanese army! Bayonets, broadswords, rifle butts, even stones—every weapon at their disposal was used!

Japanese commander Eiichi Ebina saw all of this through his binoculars.

His face was ashen, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the binoculars tightly.

The tenacity of the Nanshan defenders far exceeded his expectations; their exceptionally powerful grenades and fierce hand-to-hand combat left a deep impression on him.

Now that the enemy reinforcements have arrived and their morale is high, new local armed forces have appeared on the flanks to harass them. Meanwhile, our own troops have suffered heavy casualties after continuous attacks, and the soldiers are exhausted and ammunition consumption is also very high.

Most importantly, night was approaching, and fighting at night would be disadvantageous. Moreover, his supply lines remained fragile, and his main force was tied up here for an extended period of time...

"Baka..." Eiichi Ebina spat out the two words through gritted teeth, filled with resentment and icy rage. He slowly lowered his binoculars and said to the staff officer beside him, whose face was equally grim, "Order the troops to gradually disengage, withdraw to the foot of the mountain, and establish defensive positions. Artillery cover."

The mournful bugle call echoed from the Japanese positions below the mountain.

The Japanese troops, who were fighting fiercely on the hillside, were relieved as if granted a pardon. They retreated like a tide, taking turns to cover each other, leaving behind a hillside full of corpses and wounded soldiers.

Nanshan remained firmly in the hands of the Eighth Route Army.

The setting sun, like blood, painted the interwoven dark red and charred black of the hillside with a stark contrast. A cold wind swept by, bringing with it an intense, almost overwhelming, smell of blood and gunpowder.

Pan Zhankui leaned on his rifle, watching the Japanese troops retreat like a tide, then looked at the soldiers around him who had suffered heavy casualties, almost all of them wounded, and Zhao Dachui and his guerrillas who were slumped on the ground, panting heavily and covered in wounds. He exhaled a long, heavy breath of turbid air mixed with blood and foam.

The position was held, but at a great cost.

He touched the empty grenade pouch, looked at the dulled bayonet in his hand, and then turned his gaze back towards Yingtou Village.

He knew that Nanshan had blocked the enemy, but a more brutal battle might have only just begun.

The Japanese army would never give up easily, and the soldiers had very few of the "Gouzi-made" grenades that had once turned the tide of battle left.