Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 203 Countermeasures

"Damn it, those Japanese devils are never going to stop!" Shen Lei cursed as he patrolled the Fifth Company's position, his head covered in dust.

"Fifth Company Commander, what's the situation at the tunnel entrance?"

"Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, I just checked and found that another 5 have collapsed. I have ordered the soldiers to dig them up as soon as possible."

"Very good. We must keep the tunnel entrance clear, as it is our point of attack."

"Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen. I guarantee there won't be any problems during the attack."

"In addition, you must make sure to assign the attack order of the squads properly. Don't let it get messed up. In yesterday's battle, your company had a chaotic attack formation, and in the end, the Japanese even turned the tables on you. Of course, this problem is not limited to your Fifth Company."

"You must learn from this lesson today, organize your battle formation properly, and avoid repeating yesterday's problems."

"Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, our Fifth Company will definitely learn from this lesson."

"It all depends on how you perform today. Alright, you guys get ready now, I'm going to do another round of inspections."

"Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, please take care."

After saying that, Shen Lei walked towards the 6th Company's defense zone. He wanted to take advantage of the time when the Japanese were shelling him to inspect all the units.

Meanwhile, at the Wolong Mountain military camp command post, Tang Weiguo was closely monitoring the battle situation of the troops on the Wolong Mountain front. Today, the Japanese attack was exceptionally fierce, and the defending troops on the front were fighting extremely hard.

"Commander, urgent telegram! Li Debao from the Third Battalion just reported that the Japanese have sent planes to reinforce them. Their Third Battalion has suffered heavy casualties."

"The Japanese have deployed aircraft so early; it seems they've been pushed to their limits."

"Commander, why don't we order the Third Battalion to retreat to the third line of defense and rendezvous with Zhou Liansheng? Tang Dazhuang's Second Battalion finished its rest yesterday and is now stationed at the third line of defense."

"If I remember correctly, the air defense battalion's air defense positions are located near the third line of defense."

"Yes, they've been hiding near the third line of defense. They've deployed four anti-aircraft machine guns, using up all the resources of the air defense battalion."

"In addition, in order to improve anti-aircraft firepower, Battalion Commander Wu requested more than a dozen light machine guns as a supplement to firepower."

"Battalion Commander Wu, who is in charge of the air defense battalion in Tangjia Town?"

"The air defense battalion here is now under the personal command of Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang Yu."

"Yes, I know Zhang Yu. He's incredibly accurate at shooting birds; I hope he can be just as accurate at shooting down Japanese planes." Tang Weiguo nodded.

"Then we'll do it your way. Immediately notify the Third Battalion to fight and retreat simultaneously, luring the Japanese planes to the third line of defense and creating an opportunity for the anti-aircraft battalion," Tang Weiguo continued to say to Zhang Haoshan.

"Also, inform Zhang Yu that the Japanese don't know we've formed an air defense battalion, so we must seize the opportunity in the first wave of attack, take advantage of the Japanese pilots' underestimation of us, and shoot down as many planes as possible. We won't have such a good opportunity again!"

"Yes, Commander, I'll make the arrangements right away."

"In addition, notify the 5th Battalion to prepare for battle and join the fight at any time. Our third line of defense is located in the most dangerous area, and we must fight the Japanese here."

"It's time to move the three mortar companies of the battalion as well."

"Yes, I will make arrangements now."

"One last thing, inform Tang Xiaohu and the others about the Japanese planes. If Japanese planes have appeared here, then it's not far from them appearing in Tangjia Town. Tell them to be extra careful."

"Yes." After saying that, Zhang Haoshan began to give orders.

.......

Meanwhile, in Tang Xiaohu's command post, Yao Xing hung up the phone call that had just come from the regimental headquarters.

"Staff Officer Yao, what new instructions does the regimental headquarters have?" Tang Xiaohu asked, looking at the tunnel map.

"Battalion Commander, Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang just reported on the situation at Wolong Mountain. Japanese planes have already appeared there. Therefore, the regimental headquarters predicts that enemy aircraft will definitely reinforce Tangjia Town today, so we've been ordered to be extremely cautious."

"Oh, the Japanese have started using airplanes. It seems that the Japanese are not easy to fight over Wolong Mountain either."

"Battalion Commander, the regimental commander is personally overseeing the situation at Wolong Mountain. The Japanese won't be able to attack so easily."

"Battalion Commander, I think the Japanese planes are most likely targeting our artillery. The Japanese suffered a loss at the hands of our artillery yesterday, and they'll probably try to get revenge today."

"Battalion Commander, should we notify the artillery battalion to retreat first?" Yao Xing said.

"The artillery battalion has to retreat. They're our regiment's most valuable asset. If something goes wrong while they're in our hands, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves when we get back."

"Battalion Commander, I will now notify the artillery battalion to move to a new position."

"Wait, I'm thinking, could we use the artillery as bait to lure the Japanese planes here? The anti-aircraft battalion has been hiding in the artillery battalion's position; it's time for them to make their move."

"Battalion Commander, this is a good idea, but isn't it too risky to use the artillery battalion as bait? If the ambush on the Japanese planes fails, we will suffer heavy losses," Yao Xing continued.

After hearing Yao Xing's words, Tang Xiaohu thought for a moment and then said:

"Here's what we'll do: leave two Type 92 infantry guns in the artillery position, and move the rest to a safe area to hide. That way, even if we make a mistake, we can minimize the losses."

"That's a good idea. Now we need to have a good talk with the artillery battalion and the air defense battalion about this."

"I'll come myself." After saying that, Tang Xiaohu went to the phone and dialed the number.

"Hey, Xiaolong, this is Tang Xiaohu. Have you received the intelligence from the regimental headquarters?"

"I just received a call from Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang. The Japanese planes might attack Tangji Town, and he told me to be on alert," Tang Xiaohu replied over the phone.

"I judge that the Japanese planes are most likely targeting your artillery battalion. So, Xiaolong, here's what I think: only two cannons should remain on the artillery positions. The rest of the Type 92 infantry guns should immediately retreat to their positions and hide in the backup artillery positions."

"I'm going to use these two cannons as bait to lure the Japanese planes here, and then create an opportunity for the anti-aircraft battalion," Tang Xiaohu said, revealing his plan.

"Battalion Commander Tang, this is a good idea, let's do it your way. By the way, Battalion Commander Tang, there's something else I need to tell you. Our artillery battalion has been idle lately, so we made six or seven wooden javelins based on the Type 92 infantry gun. I think we can use them this time."

"Xiaolong, this is a huge surprise for me! This makes our bait even more real, a mix of truth and falsehood. The Japanese pilots will have no choice but to believe it."

"Haha, we artillery battalion just did this for fun when we had nothing else to do. We never thought it would actually come in handy."

"This is like God is helping us. Xiaolong, you guys go and get ready. I'll inform Battalion Commander Wu now."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Tang Xiaolong hung up the phone after saying that.

"Company Commander, leave two Type 6 infantry guns on the position, and quickly move the remaining six guns to the backup artillery positions and hide them."

"Second Company Commander, move all the fake Type 92 infantry guns we made before to the position and set them up as if they were real ones for me."

"Yes, battalion commander."

"Alright, get moving!" Tang Xiaolong urged the artillery battalion soldiers to get to work immediately.