You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you ended up with a German-equipped division

Chapter 296 The 3rd Division, divided and surrounded, the appetizer being the 29th Brigade.

The night was as still as water, and occasionally one could hear the chirping of summer insects. A cool evening breeze would occasionally blow through the valley, washing away the humid heat of the day.

But for the Third Division, this was the first time they had ever been so terrified of the coming of night.

The chirping of those summer insects, which usually sounds peaceful and serene, now sounded like a dirge for someone who was about to die.

In the darkness, the roar of the chariots continued, like the panting of a giant beast, each sound closer than the last.

The sound grew closer and louder, shaking the ground slightly, like a heartbeat.

However, many of the Japanese artillery pieces had already been destroyed in the daytime fighting, and new artillery could not be supplied.

They could only huddle in the trenches, clutching their guns, their palms sweaty, awaiting the inevitable assault from the Third Column.

"Boom!!!"

Finally, the shelling began!

Hundreds of artillery pieces of various calibers opened fire on the Japanese army at the same time, flames soared into the sky, and the entire position was instantly engulfed by shockwaves and smoke.

The shells were so dense, like raindrops, that they almost formed a continuous mass, making it impossible to distinguish between individual shots.

Li Jianghe looked through binoculars at the night illuminated by artillery fire, his face expressionless, as calm as a stone.

"The progress is a bit faster than I expected," he said slowly, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

"We should be able to annihilate the main force of the 29th Brigade of the 3rd Division tonight, and deal with the rest tomorrow."

If Li Jianghe had said this before, Zhang Kewei would have thought he was talking in his sleep or bragging.

But now it has a very high degree of credibility, like a prophecy that will definitely come true, with certainty and composure.

The battle line map in the command post did not lie; Li Jianghe's Third Column divided and surrounded the Third Division in just one day.

Now the goal is to completely annihilate the Japanese troops in the northern part of Minshan Township, devouring them piece by piece.

With such fierce firepower, wiping out a Japanese brigade in one night doesn't seem like a difficult task.

Inside the 3rd Division headquarters, the 26th Brigade called, and the brigade commander's voice changed.

"Commander! The enemy's firepower is too intense! Requesting reinforcements! We can't hold out much longer!"

That was the hoarse cry for help from the commander of the 26th Brigade, filled with fear and despair.

Yu Chuan Xiangtai said with a gloomy look in his eyes, his voice as cold as the winter wind: "Hold on tight, reinforcements are on their way."

After hanging up the phone, he looked out the window, which was also covered by artillery fire, and saw the flames dancing on the glass.

In fact, Yu Chuanxiang was unable to send reinforcements because they themselves were also suffering from heavy artillery fire.

As for the initial reinforcements, they were attacked by enemy armored forces along the way not long after leaving the camp.

More than thirty tanks, along with a large number of artillery pieces and machine guns to support the attack, quickly tore apart the formation of two Japanese infantry companies.

Before the soldiers could even see where the enemy had come from, they were annihilated, their bodies strewn across the field.

The result of continuing to send reinforcements was predictable: it would only add more corpses along the way.

Yu Chuan Xiangtai slowly sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a blank and desperate look in his eyes.

He knew that the annihilation of the Third Division was imminent.

If reinforcements still cannot arrive.

Inside Okamura Neiji's command post, the atmosphere was like a frozen block of ice, so cold it was hard to breathe.

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The expression on Kawabe Torashiro's face had become increasingly gloomy over time, like the sky before a storm.

Before him lay a series of distress telegrams, all from the Third Division, each one carrying an air of despair.

Telegrams were scattered on the table, some stained with blood, sent back from the front lines.

"The 29th Brigade may not be able to be saved," Kawabe Torashiro said in a low voice, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"The enemy's offensive was too fierce. The three reinforcements sent by the 3rd Division were defeated before they even arrived, without even a chance to fight back."

As he spoke, his broad chest rose and fell with his emotions, like a bellows being pulled.

"What on earth is Tasaka Hachijuchi doing? Why hasn't he broken through the enemy's defenses at Huangkan Village yet? He has tens of thousands of men under his command!"

Okamura Neiji stood by the window with his hands behind his back, his gaze equally somber, looking at the sky in the distance, which was reddened by the gunfire.

His fingers were crossed behind his back, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"Who would have thought," he said slowly, his voice tinged with bitterness and helplessness.

"Li Jianghe's third column suddenly unleashed such ferocious fighting power, like a beast that had suddenly awakened."

"Moreover, their armored vehicles seem to be constantly replenished; one batch is wiped out and another batch comes in, endlessly."

This information was just reported by Yu Chuan Xiangtai, and every word felt like a knife stabbing into Okamura Neiji's heart.

The armored vehicles of the third column opposite had in fact been largely destroyed by their anti-tank artillery.

Those 37mm and 47mm anti-tank guns did indeed penetrate the armor plates of many armored vehicles, leaving their wreckage scattered across the battlefield.

Including those destroyed by air force bombing and those destroyed by ground forces, the total number should be around two hundred.

This figure, applied to any military unit, means that its armored forces have been crippled and have lost their offensive capabilities.

Even so, the Third Column still had a large number of tanks that could be deployed to the front, as if they could never be completely destroyed.

Like a magic trick, ten are destroyed, and twenty more appear, endlessly.

Kawabe Torashiro said with a cold look in his eyes, his voice filled with a hint of gritted teeth and hatred.

"The key point is that the 3rd Division's anti-tank weapons have been almost completely depleted by the 3rd Column in the past few days."

"Those artillery pieces and the machine guns on the armored vehicles are specifically targeting our anti-tank guns; every one they take down is one less to take down."

"Now, the 29th Brigade can only use its flesh and blood to hold off the enemy's tanks and armored vehicles."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, as if he were describing a scene of hell on earth.

Without a doubt, trying to stop steel with flesh and blood is unrealistic, like trying to break a rock with an egg.

The Japanese soldiers, carrying rifles and grenades, rushed toward the armored vehicles, but were often mowed down by machine guns before they even got close.

But for the 29th Brigade now, it's an unavoidable option; whether they charge or not, they'll die.

"The Ninth Division," Okamura Neiji said with a somber look in his eyes, his voice carrying the last glimmer of hope.

"Now we can only hope that the Ninth Division can launch an offensive as soon as possible and make a breakthrough in the direction of Huangkan Village."

"Once the defenses of Huangkan Village are breached, the Third Division can withdraw from Minshan Township and preserve its main force."