Devil's Army

Chapter 2035 Occupying the Outskirts of Haizhou

The 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the 12th Brigade then entered Xinpu, flanking the Japanese troops who had retreated into Xinpu town.

The severe shortage of manpower caused the Japanese army to suffer repeated defeats in street fighting.

At this time, the 15th Brigade had broken through the Japanese army's defense line on the Longhai Railway and was attacking Haizhou from the south.

After defeating the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 12 in Xinpu Town, the 12th Brigade joined forces with the 15th Brigade and launched a fierce attack on the south of Haizhou.

The remnants of the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 12 in Xinpu Town retreated to the outskirts of Haizhou, where they joined forces with a part of the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 17 to block the attacks of the 12th and 15th Brigades.

The Japanese army dug two trenches south of Haizhou, placed wooden triangular stakes in front of the trenches, and connected them with barbed wire to block the attack of the devil troops.

However, the current 15th Brigade of the First Army is far from being the guerrilla force it was at the beginning.

The vanguard of the 15th Brigade was blocked by barbed wire and wooden stakes, and was also subjected to heavy fire from the Japanese army.

The regimental commander immediately ordered the artillery to destroy the wooden stakes and barbed wire in front of Haizhou.

The barbed wire and wooden stakes carefully laid out by the Japanese army were destroyed in the blink of an eye by a barrage of artillery fire.

Then, a regiment of infantrymen, amidst the smoke of gunpowder, launched a fierce attack on the Japanese positions surrounding Haizhou City.

Upon hearing the footsteps and shouts of the charging Devil Troops, the Japanese soldiers on the outer perimeter of Haizhou quickly scrambled to their feet from the collapsed positions and fiercely resisted the attack of a regiment of soldiers.

The Japanese artillery inside Haizhou City also bombarded the First Regiment fiercely. However, it was quickly met with a counterattack from the First Regiment's artillery.

Although the Japanese artillery was not afraid of the 1st Regiment's artillery, the 1st Army Air Force quickly flew over to reinforce them.

The Japanese artillery was forced to cease fire and quickly relocate.

Without artillery support, the Japanese defenses outside Haizhou City were quickly breached.

As soldiers from the 2nd Regiment of the 15th Brigade continued to pour into the battlefield, the Japanese forces outside Haizhou City faced increasing pressure.

Meanwhile, the air force of the First Air Force was still bombing the Japanese army, and the Japanese artillery dared not fire on the reinforcements of the devil troops.

After a fierce battle, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 15th Brigade completely occupied the Japanese defense line outside the south gate of Haizhou City, pushing the flames of war into the city.

The Japanese army, relying on the high walls and thick fortifications of Haizhou City, stubbornly resisted the attack of the 15th Brigade.

The Japanese firing positions on the city wall had just been destroyed by the First Army Air Force, and new Japanese troops quickly came to reinforce them.

Commander Xiong of the Datian Brigade kept sending reinforcements to the south gate of Haizhou City.

The 15th Brigade attacked for a day but failed to capture the south gate of Haizhou City.

Although the Japanese army temporarily withstood the attack of the devilish troops, Haizhou City had become an isolated city, lacking external support. If this continued, it would surely fall.

After careful consideration, the Japanese Army Ministry decided to accept Commander-in-Chief Hata Shunroku's proposal to transport supplies and reinforce Haizhou, in order to secure their last two important port cities in China and make them bridgeheads for their future comeback.

The fastest and most convenient way to transport light supplies is by air. What's troubling the Japanese army is that their elite air force units have now completely seized air superiority over the area.

If we risk airlifting them, the supplies will likely be shot down in the Yellow Sea by the devilish air force before they even reach Haizhou.

Although sea freight is slow, it can transport large quantities of goods, making it the best choice for large-scale transportation.

Therefore, the Japanese Army Ministry requested assistance from the Navy Ministry through the Cabinet.

Soon after, the Japanese Cabinet forwarded the Navy's reply to the Army Ministry, but the situation greatly disappointed the Army Ministry.