mtl008 Chapter 121: Defense of Yuhuatai
Chapter 121: Defense of Yuhuatai
The incompetence of one general exhausted the three armies.
Sun Yuanliang wanted to retreat, but the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division did not want to give up. They were still at Zhonghuamen and Yuhuatai.
Yuhuatai and Zhonghuamen in the south of Jinling City were the battlefields where the two armies fought the most fiercely during the Battle of Jinling.
Yuhuatai is located south of Zhonghua Gate in the south of Jinling City.
This is a high ground in the south of Jinling City and a natural fortress.
Barbed wire, trenches, firing points and bunkers were scattered everywhere.
The terrain to the south is flat and open.
Therefore, Yuhuatai has great military value. It is a key location guarding the south of Jinling City and has always been a battleground for military strategists.
Many people know the famous Battle of Sihang Warehouse and the story of the "Eight Hundred Heroes".
The 88th Division, to which the "Eight Hundred Heroes" belonged, appeared on this battlefield.
Their performance in this battle can be said to be more heroic and brave than the Battle of Sihang Warehouse.
Li Chengqian and his companions landed on the Yuhuatai high ground and quickly came to their senses after being shocked by the sound of artillery fire.
But the first person they saw when they opened their eyes was...
Thanks Jinyuan!!
"Xie Jinyuan!" Li Chengqian shouted in shock.
Boom boom boom! !
Another round of bombing by Japanese planes came, and Xie Jinyuan turned his head away from the gunfire.
"Xiao Li!!"
The Japanese bombers kept dropping aerial bombs, and the large-caliber artillery shells in the distance blocked out the sky.
Thousands of artillery shells were fired, destroying the fortifications that the 88th Division had just built beyond recognition.
However, the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division on the position still braved the enemy's intensive artillery fire and fired back at the attacking Japanese troops.
But under the violent and heavy firepower bombardment, the soldiers' lives seemed so cheap and worthless.
But they still continued to fight. When one died in battle, another would immediately rush forward to take his place.
My family is poor, so I won't give up an inch of land. If you enter my house, you must die before me! !
This is their belief, and they vow to live and die with the city of Jinling!
The 88th Division has two brigades, the 262nd Brigade and the 264th Brigade.
The troops under the command of Zhu Chi, commander of the 262nd Brigade, were responsible for defending the right wing position west of Yuhuatai.
The troops under the command of Gao Zhisong, commander of the 264th Brigade, were responsible for defending the left wing position.
However, under the continuous bombing of the Japanese, the two brigade commanders died in battle one after another and became immortal heroic souls.
Brigade Commander Zhu Chi was shot and died for his country, with his wedding photo and an unsent letter from home in his pocket.
The husband has pledged his loyalty to the country, so the wife need not see him off...
Gao Zhisong, the always kind and calm brigade commander of the 264th Brigade, also died for his country at Yuhuatai.
This loyal and brave general, like the simple and knowledgeable Zhu Chi, each left behind a wife, two sons, and more than 2,000 books, and no other personal possessions.
Boom boom boom!
There are less than a thousand people left on Yuhuatai now, but they are still holding on. They hope to hold out until the Japanese bombing ends. Even if they die, they will take a Japanese with them.
Before this, the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division had repelled the Japanese attacks time and time again, and the Japanese attacking forces suffered heavy casualties.
Afterwards, many Japanese soldiers wrote in their diaries: "The enemy in front was the 88th Division, which is the most powerful division in the Chinese army."
When the Japanese soldiers rushed to the Yuhuatai position, they discovered a shocking scene.
The back doors of many machine gun bunkers had already been locked, which meant that the officers and soldiers of the 88th Division who were resisting here had no intention of getting out alive from the moment they entered the bunker!
This scene made the Japanese devils feel admiration and they couldn't help but pray for the soldiers of the 88th Division who died here.
But at this time, Yuhuatai and Zhonghuamen were still in the hands of the 88th Division soldiers...
Boom boom boom!
The bombing continued, and Li Chengqian, Li Shimin and others were pinned down by the guards' war horses.
Although Xie Jinyuan had many doubts in his mind, everyone could only hide behind the bunker under the artillery fire and pray that they could survive.
Finally, after 30 minutes of artillery bombardment, the Yuhuatai position was bombed beyond recognition except for a few bunkers.
The soldiers of the 88th Division immediately climbed up from the pile of earth, picked up their guns, quickly got into combat positions, and aimed their guns.
Because after the bombing, there would be another wave of attack by the Japanese, which was exactly what the soldiers of the 88th Division wanted.
They were powerless against the Japanese artillery fire, but they could kill every Japanese infantryman they came for! !
Li Chengqian pushed away the dead body of the warhorse that was pressing on him.
It can be said that he died before he could accomplish anything. Fifteen guards were killed before he could do anything.
Li Shimin shook his head and covered his ears, with only tinnitus in his mind!
"How is it? Is everything okay?!" Li Chengqian asked quickly.
Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin and others hurried to check and found that the parts of the survivors were all there.
It’s a pity that Di Renjie and Su Dingfang were killed in the explosion.
Boom boom boom~~
The exchange of fire between the two sides officially began, and everyone quickly lowered their heads and crawled into a relatively intact trench.
Cheng Yaojin picked up a machine gun and started firing it skillfully...
The others also picked up their rifles and began to fight back against the Japanese seamlessly.
At this time, Li Chengqian finally had time to come to Xie Jinyuan.
However, Xie Jinyuan was knocked unconscious by the artillery fire. If he had not been crushed by a soldier from the Sihang Warehouse who followed him, he might have been killed in the battle.
Li Chengqian carefully moved the soldier's body away and gently patted Xie Jinyuan's face.
"Thank you, Captain. Wake up!!"
Cough cough cough....
biubiu~~
Boom boom boom!
The Japanese tanks fired again, and Li Chengqian quickly pressed down the head of Xie Jinyuan who had just woken up.
"Xiao Li, didn't you die on the rooftop? I remember I held Lao Cheng's head."
Da da da....
Cheng Yaojin turned his head and said, "Haha, Old Cheng, I am resurrected again, hahahaha, kill~~"
Li Chengqian looked at the number of enemies killed above his head, which had accumulated to 107, and his heart couldn't help but tighten.
Come on, you must take this opportunity to kill as many enemies as possible! !
At this time, Xie Jinyuan finally came to his senses: "Resurrection!!"
Seeing that Xie Jinyuan was not seriously injured, Li Chengqian picked up a grenade from a soldier, pulled the fuse and threw it out, the kind that threw it very far.
boom!
Three Japanese soldiers were killed in the explosion.
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's repel this wave of Japanese attack first."
Xie Jinyuan rubbed his head, wiped off the blood on his head, picked up his rifle and shouted loudly: "Today's battle is a fight to the death. I would rather die one step forward than live half a step back. Kill~~~"
The tenacious resistance of the soldiers of the 88th Division at Yuhuatai made the Japanese very uncomfortable.
But with the coordination of infantry and tanks, they are still advancing steadily.
"Old Hou!!"
When Hou Junji heard the Crown Prince's call, he immediately dropped his gun and crawled over.
"Your Highness..."
"Find a way to destroy the Japanese tanks!"
Hou Junji turned his head and looked at the slowly approaching tank, his eyes fierce: "I obey your orders."
"You guys follow me!!"
Da da da.....