Thanks to reader 13421.. for the reward!
“Baka! How could this be?”
The commander of the Imperial Japanese Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Sakuma Sama-ta, watched helplessly as his artillery suffered heavy casualties under the bombardment of the Beiyang Army. His teeth were about to be crushed.
He never imagined such a scene would unfold at the start of the battle.
The Beiyang Army, which he completely disregarded, actually possessed so many artillery pieces.
Furthermore, they could fire so far and so accurately.
This was completely beyond his expectations!
“Division Commander, we have completely underestimated the Beiyang Army. They have so many advanced artillery pieces! Not only are they far more numerous than ours, but they are also more advanced in performance!” Colonel Sakamoto Jun-ki, the chief of staff of the 2nd Infantry Division, was pale.
“How are the losses of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment?” Lieutenant General Sakuma Sama-ta asked through gritted teeth.
“Division Commander, the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment has suffered heavy losses. More than one-third of the artillery pieces have been destroyed, and the artillerymen have also suffered heavy casualties.
In order to preserve their strength, the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment has withdrawn from the battle.”
Colonel Sakamoto Jun-ki replied.
Lieutenant General Sakuma Sama-ta nodded.
If the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment continued fighting.
It wouldn't be long before the entire artillery regiment would be wiped out.
Although the artillery pieces equipped by the Imperial Japanese Army weren't very advanced in performance.
But for them, they were precious.
“Order the 5th Infantry Regiment to launch an attack without artillery cover. Hopefully, they can fully embody the spirit of Bushido and let those damned Beiyang Army know that having advanced weapons and equipment doesn't make you a first-rate army, it doesn't mean you can defeat us!” Lieutenant General Sakuma Sama-ta commanded.
Losing the artillery battle and suffering heavy casualties made Lieutenant General Sakuma Sama-ta feel very embarrassed. He was determined to regain face in the infantry attack.
“Hai, Division Commander!” Lieutenant Colonel Naka Magoyuu, commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment, responded.
The 2nd Infantry Division of the Imperial Japanese Army was composed of two infantry brigades. Each infantry brigade had two infantry regiments.
As the elite infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army, the four infantry regiments under the 2nd Infantry Division were naturally elite.
They were the 4th Infantry Regiment, the 5th Infantry Regiment, the 16th Regiment, and the 17th Regiment.
Each infantry regiment, at full strength, had a total force of more than 3,800 men.
Subsequently, the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army launched an attack on the defense line of the 13th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army.
In the first wave of the attack, Lieutenant Colonel Naka Magoyuu deployed two infantry battalions, leaving one infantry battalion as reserve.
More than two thousand Japanese soldiers, carrying Murata rifles and with white cloth strips tied around their heads, charged towards the Beiyang Army’s defense line under the leadership of officers waving their swords.
“Charge! Kill those Beiyang Army!”
“Imperial Japanese Empire Banzai! His Majesty the Emperor Banzai!”
Although these Japanese soldiers were short in stature and most of them had bow legs.
But their running speed was not slow at all.
Coupled with their roar and ferocious faces, they looked extremely ferocious.
This naturally made the officers and soldiers of the 13th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army feel uneasy.
Many soldiers were on the battlefield for the first time, and even their palms were sweating.
“Hold steady! Keep steady!”
“Those Japanese dwarfs are just like us, two shoulders carrying one head. They get shot, they bleed, and they die too. Don’t be afraid!”
“Follow my orders, hold your fire until they get closer. Don’t shoot without permission!”
On the position of the 1st Battalion of the 37th Infantry Regiment of the 13th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army, the company commanders and platoon commanders were shouting loudly.
Under the scolding of their officers, the soldiers gradually stabilized their positions and were not scared by the Japanese.
“Fire!”
When the Japanese charged to within a hundred meters of the front line, the battalion commander immediately gave the order.
“Da-da-da!”
Dozens of Maxim heavy machine guns on the position opened fire first.
The entire 1st Battalion had a total of twenty Maxim heavy machine guns.
When these heavy machine guns fired wildly, they immediately showed their powerful firepower.
Dense bullets poured down on the Japanese like a violent storm.
Those ferocious-looking Japanese soldiers were immediately riddled with holes, falling to the ground row by row.
“Boom! Boom!”
The mortars on the position also opened fire.
The 1st Battalion had 12 mortars.
Although these mortars were not very powerful, they had a faster rate of fire!
Dense shells fell, exploding among the Japanese ranks, blowing many of them to pieces.
Under such terrifying firepower, the attacking Japanese soldiers were stunned as if they were suddenly struck dumb.
However, these Japanese soldiers were extremely tenacious. They did not collapse. Instead, they charged forward through the hail of bullets and shrapnel as if they were aroused by the beastly nature deep within them, until they were riddled with holes or blown to pieces.
This fearless charge shocked the Beiyang Army soldiers.