June 24, 1941, 7 p.m.
The sky was covered by dark clouds, and the whole earth was plunged into darkness.
On the outskirts of Muzhou, the defensive positions of the 5th Division were filled with Japanese soldiers.
They were busy with various tasks, such as digging trenches and building pillboxes, carrying entrenching tools.
Moc Chau is the most important barrier in southwestern Hanoi, extending about 10 kilometers in length, with a river to the north that stretches all the way to the sea.
To the south are rolling mountains, and to the west and east are gentle fields.
In other words, if the National League for Democracy's armored divisions wanted to attack Hanoi, they would have to capture Moc Chau.
Nakamura Akito stood in his command post, looking at the topographical map ahead and the intelligence in the hands of his staff, his brows furrowed.
He had just returned from Hanoi, where Yamashita Tomoyuki had given him orders to defend Mokju to the death and inflict heavy losses on the Nationalist army.
The only troops that could be mobilized, besides the 5th Division on the front, were the 34th Brigade and Gao Feng's 4th Tank Division.
According to reliable sources, the National League Army that was facing them consisted of three divisions.
Two infantry divisions and one heavy artillery division.
"Division Commander, the situation is very serious!" Chief of Staff Taro Yoshikawa said worriedly.
"Baka!" Nakamura Akito cursed. "I've heard that kind of talk countless times. Haven't you remembered it yet? I don't want to hear that kind of nonsense again!"
Yoshikawa Taro blushed and lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Commander Yamashita's mission for us is to severely damage the National Alliance Army..." Nakamura Akito said in a deep voice, "If the National Alliance Army launches an attack, then Gao Feng's 4th Tank Division will definitely circle around to the enemy's rear and launch a counterattack. At that time, the National Alliance Army will be attacked from both sides..."
After a pause, Nakamura Akito continued, "Therefore, the key to severely damaging the Nationalist Army lies in whether our 5th Division and 34th Brigade can withstand the enemy's charge."
"This..." Yoshikawa Taro hesitated, "Division Commander, the Nationalist Army has heavy tanks and strong firepower. We might have a hard time with just our own forces..."
“I know.” Nakamura Akito interrupted Yoshikawa Taro and said in a deep voice, “This time I specifically brought back all the anti-tank weapons in order to deal with the enemy’s heavy tanks.”
Upon hearing about the anti-tank weapon, Yoshikawa Taro's expression relaxed slightly.
Nakamura Akito turned to Yoshikawa Taro beside him and gave him a new order: "Order all troops to immediately reinforce their defensive fortifications and try to complete them before the enemy launches an offensive."
"Hai!" Taro Yoshikawa saluted.
...
On a small hill a few kilometers away from the 5th Division's position, the National League Army's temporary command post was located.
Liu Qingshan, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, looked through binoculars at the bustling construction work in the distance, a smile appearing on his lips.
"I never expected the Japanese to move so quickly."
"Not only did they fortify the position, but they also equipped it with a large number of anti-tank weapons. Nakamura Akito is quite cautious."
“This is a good thing,” Political Commissar Shen Chunhua interjected. “In this way, our troubles will be resolved.”
"Yes, it's definitely resolved." Liu Qingshan withdrew his gaze and asked, "Have Old Zhao, Old Tan, and Old Li all arrived?"
"They're here."
Shen Chunhua nodded. "The 5th Infantry Division is deployed opposite the Japanese 34th Brigade, and the four heavy artillery regiments of the 6th Artillery Division are also in position. The 9th Armored Division is on the right flank."
"We're just waiting for the Japanese 4th Tank Division to come around from Gaofeng."
“Very good.” Liu Qingshan said excitedly, “The Commander-in-Chief said that in the face of plenty, all conspiracies and tricks are just paper.”
“That’s right.” Shen Chunhua chuckled. “Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.”
Liu Qingshan turned around, raised his wrist to check the time: 8:11.
On the other side, the 6th Artillery Division's position.
The four heavy artillery regiments possessed a total of 256 Schneider M1913 105mm howitzers, 256 Schneider M29 105mm howitzers, and 126 Schneider M1917/28 155mm howitzers, with a total of over 600 artillery pieces.
Looking at the dense array of artillery pieces, Ma Yunlin, the political commissar of the 6th Artillery Division, couldn't help but grin. "Old Tan, what do you think the Japanese devils on the other side would do if they knew we had so many artillery pieces?"
"You must have peed your pants in fright," Tan Zhihua chuckled. "Not only would you have peed your pants, but you'd have run away crying for your parents."
"Of course! Think about it, if all those heavy artillery pieces bombarded them, would the Japanese even survive?"
Ma Yunlin became more and more excited as he thought about it, and couldn't help but clench his fist and say, "Sigh, we rarely fought battles with abundant resources before. I never expected that after following the Commander-in-Chief, we would have a constant supply of artillery shells. It's so exciting to fight like this."
"Tell me, where did the Commander-in-Chief get all these weapons and ammunition?"
"Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask about."
Tan Zhihua rolled his eyes at Ma Yunlin, "Don't forget, this is classified!"
"Okay, okay, I know, it's confidential, I understand, hehe..."
"You don't understand, you're just stupid."
"Oh dear, how did this get back to me?"
"Because you're stupid, and hopelessly stupid."
“Old Tan, you…” Ma Yunlin was speechless.
Soon, the Army Headquarters issued the order to attack to the 6th Artillery Division.
"Prepare--!!!"
"Target: Enemy position, coordinates XXX-YYY!!"
"Calibrate the artillery parameters to ensure accuracy!"
"Once all artillery units are ready, report: 'Ready!'"
More than 600 heavy artillery pieces raised their muzzles in unison, aiming them at the positions of the 5th Division and the 34th Brigade.
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