Chapter 188 Only Fight!

A battalion of the 103rd Regiment of the Zhang Army stationed on the earthquake fort could no longer withstand such consumption and had to give up the counterattack. Yamaguchi Suchen has invested a large number of troops again in this direction at all costs. He has seen that the No. 5 bunker is the lever to pry the entire Great East Gate defense line!

In the evening, the Japanese army finally gained a foothold on the No. 5 bunker.

The loss of bunker

5 has sharply worsened the situation of the earthquake fort. While continuing to maintain a strong offensive in the east and southeast directions, the Japanese army launched a close attack from the south with the No. 5 bunker as a springboard.

The earthquake fort is surrounded by the Japanese army on three sides, which is in danger.

In the early morning of October 16, three hours after capturing the No. 5 bunker, the Japanese army sent a 300-person death squad. Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, they set out from the No. 5 bunker and touched the chest wall of the earthquake square fort, but they were unaware of it.

The death squad shouted and rushed to the fort. There was an earth-shaking loud noise, and the solid quake square fort made by the three-earth, just like its name, sounded an earth-shaking thunderbolt, and the town's fort, like its name, disappeared in a thunderbolt.

The shocking explosion of the cannon sent out a flash of lightning, illuminating half of Tainan City, and the roar spread to the division headquarters of the First Division of Dadongmen. The tea bowls in several cases fell to the ground and smashed them, and several staff officers of the headquarters were also staggered.

Wu Peifu, the commander of the first division, stood under the female wall of the city wall and looked at the direction of the earthquake fort, where there was a silence. The thick smoke caused by the explosion covered the stars and moon in the sky, and the night became stronger and stronger.

The deputy battalion commander with bandages stood behind him, crying in his voice: "Teacher, the battalion commander ordered us to break through to the Great East Gate. He left himself on the earthquake fort and ignited explosives..."

Just before night, a Japanese detachment rushed to the west side of the earthquake fort, that is, between the Tainan city wall and the earthquake fort, cutting off the contact between the earthquake fort and the city wall, completely isolating the earthquake fort. Seeing the result of being besieged and annihilated, the battalion commander Shi Bin ordered to pile up all the explosives and shells next to the Krper cannons on the fort. The remaining troops, led by the deputy battalion commander, broke through to the city wall and stayed for themselves.

When the death squad rushed to the fort, Shi Jianbin ignited explosives and blew up the earthquake fort and the 300 Japanese death squads to a flat ground.

Since then, there has been only one Xunfang fort in front of the East Gate of Tainan, and the historical site still exists today.

"Cry!" Wu Peifu shouted.

"Master, if you want to cry, just cry!" The deputy battalion commander not only did not stop crying, but also persuaded Wu Peifu to cry with him.

Shi Jianbin, the battalion commander stationed in the earthquake fort, claimed to be the descendant of Shi Lang. He was originally an ordinary soldier of the Renzi battalion of the Qing army. In the early stage of the First Sino-Japanese War, the Renzi battalion took the Gaosheng to North Korea and was intercepted by the Japanese army in the waters of Fengdao. The Gaosheng was sunk. Shi Jianbin and Wu Peifu fell into the sea and floated well. In a few days, he finally drifted to Incheon Port and was rescued by Zhou Charter. Later, Shi Jianbin joined Zhang Jun with Wu Peifu and fought from North Korea to Taiwan. He was Wu Peifu's hardcore brother.

Shi Jianbin has experienced countless tragic wars and survived, but today he died on the earthquake fort.

Wu Peifu wiped away the tears that were about to flow out: "How many people did you bring back?"

"350 people!" The deputy battalion commander said, "That's all there are for a thousand brothers."

Wu Peifu nodded: "Go down and have a good rest. I will ask the military commander for credit for you."

The deputy battalion commander Li Zheng said, "Master, I don't want to work hard! You ask me to go to the Xunfang battery! I'm going to take back the earthquake fort with my own hands!"

"You dare to pretend to be me in front of me!" Wu Peifu shouted, "You and your people are all integrated into the reserve team!"

The division reserve team is composed of the battalion directly under the division of the first division and a supplementary group composed of young and middle-aged people in Tainan, and is gathering at the Yanping County Temple in the city.

"Master, I'm going to the Xunfang Fort..."

"Get out!"

The deputy battalion commander had to withdraw.

"How's the battle going in other directions?" Wu Peifu asked.

The chief of staff of the division said, "In the direction of the Great East Gate, the Xunfang battery resisted the attack of a Japanese wing, and the position was in our hands. However, because the earthquake fort was lost, the Xunfang battery lost its flank and will besieged by the Japanese army on three sides. The situation is not optimistic. In the direction of the Great South Gate, a regiment of the Japanese Guards Division occupied two peripheral positions at the cost of 500 casualties, but the main position is still firmly in our hands, and I have ordered them to launch a counterattack against the Japanese army. In the direction of Xiaoximen, 2,000 Japanese detachments attacked our army, and the battle was not fierce.

"How is the situation in the north?"

"The front line of Zeng Wenxi in the north is still very calm, and no Japanese army has been found." The chief of staff said, "I judge that the main attack direction of the Japanese army is still the Great East Gate. Now we have lost the earthquake fort and the Xun square fort is isolated. The situation is grim. There is only one regiment for the defense of the Great East Gate, and there are many casualties. Therefore, I suggest that the defenders around Zeng Wenxi be transferred to a battalion to strengthen the Great East Gate.

"No!" Wu Peifu said, "Although Zeng Wenxi is not the gateway to Tainan, our army cannot take it lightly in this direction. Once the Japanese army launches an attack from Zeng Wenxi, although it cannot directly threaten the city wall of Tainan, it can attack the rear of the Great East Gate! Can the Japanese not see this?"

The chief of staff sighed: "Master, with the strength of the first division, the front line is too long. Today's attack is just a beginning. Tomorrow, the Japanese army will definitely invest more troops to attack the East Gate. If you want to stabilize the defense line, you should either give up some peripheral positions and shrink the defense line. Or, please ask the commander to order and transfer the brigade directly under the army to help, otherwise..."

"You can't do either!" Wu Peifu said decisively, "Zhang Xun, a bastard, is not very good, but he can indeed fight. Damn, last time he resisted the attack of a Japanese brigade with a regiment in the fetus. If it were me, I really don't know if I can withstand it. The military commander wants him to lift another peak out. Our mission is to delay the Japanese attack and prepare for the next stage of the battle. The commander gave us the time to stop the Japanese army outside Tainan City for five days. Can't we stand it for five days?

The Chief of Staff sighed: "The Japanese army has two divisions, with a total strength of 50,000. Our first division has only 10,000 people. The enemy can invest superior forces in any direction. We are sure to hold on for three days, and five days..." The Chief of Staff murmured.

A burst of rapid gunfire broke the tranquility of the night.

Under the Xunfang turret, the fire was everywhere, and the sound of gunfire was like fried beans.

At the same time, there were also dense gunshots and chilling shouts in the direction of the Little West Gate and the Great South Gate.

The Japanese army launched a night attack.

And until dawn, Nogi Xidian couldn't sit still.

Wu Peifu said, "From now on, in the next five days, we will have no day or night. We only have to fight!"

......

On October 16, the Japanese attack doubled compared with the 15th.

Wu Peifu's judgment is correct. Zeng Wenxi, who had been calm for a day on the 15th, finally broke out a fierce battle. A regiment of the 5th Brigade under the 2nd Division of the Japanese Army, after a day of rapid march, bypassed the front of Zhang Jun's defense and arrived in the area of Zengwenxi. After a night of deployment, it began to forcibly cross Zengwenxi at 6 a.m. The 102nd Regiment garrisoned around Zeng Wenxi rose up to resist, and the two sides repeatedly charged on the narrow beach. Zeng Wenxi is not a natural danger, just a small stream, and both sides of attack and defense are connected by short soldiers on the open ground.

After a day of fighting, the Japanese army broke through the Zengwenxi defense line, and the 102nd regiment fought and retreated. It stabilized the defense line in the Yongji area south of Zengwenxi and temporarily blocked the Japanese attack.

The Japanese army that attacked Xiaoximen changed its attack tactics. With the cooperation of cavalry, the 2,000 Japanese army launched a fierce attack on Xiaoximen under the artillery fire of Zhangjun. They quickly captured the front-line trenches outside Xiaoximen and captured two large bunkers. The Japanese death squad once assaulted under the city wall, but was attacked by the defenders. The counterattack force was eliminated.

On the basis of yesterday's attack, the Japanese army once again invested 800 people in an attempt to expand the results of the battle, but were stubbornly resisted by the defenders. The Zhang army who held the Great South Gate launched a counterattack against the invading Japanese army. The Zhang army artillery brigade located on Kandou Mountain provided strong firepower support for the counterattack troops. By dusk, Zhang's artillery destroyed an artillery position laid by the Japanese army outside the Great South Gate, and the Japanese firepower suddenly weakened. The defenders took the opportunity to counterattack and regain the position lost yesterday.

The most fierce battle is still at the Great East Gate.

After losing the earthquake fort, the Xunfang fort was completely exposed to the three-sided encirclement of the Japanese army. Although the artillery support from the Dadongmen City Wall was still very fierce, after losing the earthquake fort, the defense front of the Xunfang fort immediately became very wide, and the Japanese army was able to calmly deploy their forces on the front of the wide assault. , launched rounds of attacks on the fort. The Xunfang battery also became the focus of the Japanese artillery bombardment. Throughout the day, the fire on the battery was raging and falling like rain, but the strong Xunfang battery withstood the shelling of the Japanese army and always stood still.

Most of the frontier fortifications under the Xunfang battery have collapsed, and the Zhang army stationed in the fortifications had to shrink back. The Japanese army broke into the Zhang army's position and attacked five peripheral fortresses. Almost all the outer positions of the Xunfang battery were occupied by the Japanese army.

However, the defenders after the shrinking force, like a clenched iron fist, launched a fierce counterattack against the Japanese army. The tactical counterattack in companies and platoons was accurate and powerful. Every counterattack would cause great casualties to the Japanese army. The three 15cm cannons on the Xunfang battery are even more powerful, and each shell can cause great chaos to the Japanese army.

At dusk, under the Xunfang fort was full of Japanese corpses, layer by layer, which was unbearable. The Japanese army, which served as a main attack on the Xunfang Fort, had to withdraw from the battle because it consumed too much, and a regiment of the Guards Division took over the attack mission.

In the next two days, the position of the First Division of Zhangjun was greatly compressed and the strength was too depleted, and the outer defense of Tainan seemed to be overstretched. The Japanese army went further south from Zeng Wenxi and advanced ten miles in two days, while the 102nd Regiment of the Zhang Army became more and more unable to do so because of the excessive loss of troops.