Chapter 13: Galloping (4)

With the transmission of Imamura's order, the 5th Division, except for the 42nd Regiment, left the People's Army to restrain the People's Army, began to turn eastward towards the Baideng River.

Although it is a bit difficult to move along the bombed road, it is considered a reference in the dark, so there is no risk of falling behind and getting lost. However, once you leave the big road and walk through the wilderness in the dark, you will move from vertical queues to horizontal line. The different speeds of travel caused by personal physical strength have become an important reason for the chaos in the army's marching order.

When the 22nd Division of the People's Army and other units turned east from Wangguanrentun to fire, in order to avoid artillery fire falling from the sky, the 5th Division showed their magical powers, which further disrupted the original system.

The squad and squad have a little control due to the small number of people. If you move up, the squadron cannot find the brigade, the brigade cannot find the brigade, the brigade cannot find the brigade, the brigade cannot find the brigade, and the brigade headquarters cannot contact the division headquarters. The command system of the 5th Division is completely messed up!

If it were just the 5th Division, it would be a little better. The 5th Division was the leader of the Japanese retreat this time. Imamura Tsubasaki's order became the unified action of the 5th, 10th and 27th Divisions through the coordination of the operations of each division. As the chaos caused by the People's Army's artillery intensified, coupled with the amplification effect of the night's panic on the defeated soldiers, the original retreat of the Japanese army completely turned into a sheep-like defeat!

The three divisions of about 60,000 Japanese soldiers shouted and fled in the wilderness of winter night in the mountains of northern Shanxi. Although this movement was unexpected to the 22nd Division of the People's Army and other officers and soldiers of the intercepting troops, it also shocked the Japanese leaders such as Muto Akira and Imamura, which were shocked!

Among the retreating crowd, Muto Aki from Imamura finally found Muto, who wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked anxiously: "Your Excellency, what should I do?"

Although the 5th Division was ordered by Imamura, the current situation of the 10th and 27th Divisions was the result of Muto's "coordination". With him, a major general who had just been promoted, he could never bear the blame for the defeat of the two divisions!

Imamura has recovered from his previous shock and panic. While following the crowds, he said, "Mutou, don't panic, there is still a way.

I have ordered my division cavalry corps to rush to the west bank of the Baideng River to collect the troops. As long as the general direction is good, tens of thousands of soldiers from the three divisions will arrive there and cross the river from there. Of course, in addition to gathering the troops and crossing the river as soon as possible, we have several other things to do:

First, we must report the situation here to the Front Army Headquarters and urge reinforcements to arrive in the Yanggao area in time to deploy defenses to prevent the People's Army from taking the opportunity to raid;

Second, we must notify the 14th Division, which was blocking the People's Army behind the scenes of the Wangguanrentun area, so that after Jing Guanjun completed the task of blocking the enemy, we should advance directly from Zhoushizhuang and Julebao areas to avoid encounters with the People's Army;

Third, after crossing the Baideng River, we must restore the westward defense line as soon as possible and defend against the south, so as to prevent the People's Army from raiding from the down-shen well and the ancient cities to the north."

"Your Excellency, foresight!" Muto Akira didn't expect that Imamura would come up with such a perfect response strategy so quickly. He felt relaxed. After breathing a sigh of relief, he said with regret, "It's a pity that the dark clouds in the sky are too thick, and there is no trace of the crescent moon. Otherwise, our transition will be much smoother."

"I hope that the troops will be able to get heavy snow after they move to the east bank of the Baideng River." Imamura looked up at the night sky that was nearly the end of November of the lunar calendar and was covered with dark clouds and was covered with stars, and whispered, "At that time, the difficulty of transporting troops and materials to the front will increase greatly, and our army will be more confident to stabilize the front line in the Yanggao area."

Nearly 110,000 troops worked hard for a month and a half, but after losing their troops, they returned to the scene. However, whether the front line could be fixed still had to be hoped for the weather, which made Imamura feel extremely bitter.

Muto Akira sighed and said with emotion: "If our army could fight night battles with the People's Army in July and August, and the autumn harvest had not arrived at that time, and the People's Party's air force was fully transporting supplies to the guards, we would definitely not be like what we are now!"

"It would be much better to launch an attack at that time." Imamura Tsubasa nodded, then smiled bitterly, "But July and August are the critical period when the base camp is deploying troops to prepare for the Wuhan operation. The troops and combat materials are tilted towards the dispatched troops, and the front army does not have enough troops and materials to launch an attack on the People's Army."

Muto Akira was speechless when he remembered the combat plan that had to be postponed due to insufficient troops and supplies at the high-level meeting of the Front Army at that time...

These two old Japanese could still comment on the previous battle situation on the way to retreat, but Jing Guan Longchang, the commander of the 14th Division who was responsible for the hijacking of the rear, was worried about the sharp deterioration of the battle situation.

Jingguan Longchang originally deployed the 27th Brigade's headquarters in Yaerya, Xiyangfang and Sishilipu on the west side of Jule Fort, which was responsible for blocking the attacks that the People's Army may have launched from the areas south of Cailiangshan and north of Zhoushizhuang; the 28th Brigade's Takashi was deployed in Mengjiazao, east of Zhoushizhuang, Lujiazhuang, Tangjiabao and other places to prevent the People's Army from attacking eastward through Zhoushizhuang along the highway; the Cavalry Regiment and the Artillery Regiment strengthened by the other three divisions were deployed between Zhoushizhuang and Jule Fort to reinforce at any time. The Engineer's Regiment built fortifications between Jule Fort and Xiashenjing, while the field hospital and baggage units were stationed in Jule Fort with the division headquarters.

Generally speaking, Jing Guan Longchang's troops were well-organized, but what surprised him was that the People's Army did not fight as he had imagined!

After commanding the division's artillery regiment and the reinforced heavy artillery brigade to carry out a cover attack on the Japanese positions, Lu Dongliang commanded four infantry regiments to forcibly wedge between the Japanese 28th Brigade and other Japanese troops, isolating Sakai's Takashi's troops from the main force of the 14th Division.

At the same time, Lu Dongliang ordered two infantry regiments to attack Mengjiazao, east of Zhoushizhuang, Lujiazhuang, Tangjiabao and other places from the front, and firmly bite Sakai Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi from the south of Tangjiabao to cut off the retreat route of Sakai Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi's Takashi from the 28th Brigade.

As for the artillery units, they were divided into two parts, and the heavy artillery brigade continued to bombard the positions of the 27th Brigade and blocked the connection between the Sakai Takashi Brigade and the main force of the 14th Division; the artillery regiment of the 61st Division carried out continuous artillery fire suppression on the depth of the Sakai Takashi Brigade to ensure that the infantry formed an encirclement of the brigade and prevented the unit from escaping.

"Old Lu, this arrangement is really 'no matter how you kill one of them'." Gu Jingming, deputy commander of the 61st Division, exclaimed, and reminded him with some concern, "It is enough to destroy the Sakai Takashi Brigade, but only one infantry regiment and our division's direct reconnaissance battalion are left as the reserve force. Isn't this force a little less?"

The 61st Division originally had three infantry regiments, plus one regiment drawn by the other six divisions, with a total of nine infantry regiments. However, Lu Dongliang's previous deployment was sent out eight at once.

"There are quite a lot. The reserve team is only prevented before dawn, and they will be sent to it after dawn." Lu Dongliang explained, "With artillery helping, and our army's front-line infantry firepower is sufficient. If Jing Guan Longchang comes to support, it will only increase casualties to the 14th Division. He will calculate this account. Besides, after dawn, the Air Force will join in, and the attack troops from the south and north will also be detoured. I am afraid that Jing Guan Longchang will not be able to run away even if he wants to!"

It doesn’t take until dawn. At around 2 a.m. on the 15th, after receiving a telegram from Imamura Akira Muto from the west bank of the Baideng River, I realized very clearly that if the 14th Division does not retreat quickly, it will definitely not be able to leave after dawn!

But listening to the dense sound of gunfire from the direction of the 28th Brigade, the bursts of fire from time to time, and the stack of telegrams sent by Takashi Sakai on the table asking for tactical guidance, Takashi Iguana really couldn't make a decision.

Although the 14th Division had previously accepted the order to cut off the rear, it could evacuate at any time after completing the blocking mission. Now if the 28th Brigade that was surrounded by the People's Army is thrown away, not only will the entire unit be destroyed, but even Jingguan Longchang is also charged with "abandoning the troops".

Of course, if Takashi Sakai knew the tact and took the initiative to call to express that it was the evacuation of the main force of the 14th Division and left to restrain the People's Army, Takashi Iguana would definitely accept his suggestions with the flow. But the problem is that Takashi Sakai was afraid that others would throw him down, and after being besieged by the People's Army, they called one after another to "request tactical guidance". Takashi Iguanaa did send other troops to reinforce Takashi Sakai's brigade, but they were fired back several times in succession by the People's Army artillery fire. One side kept asking for help, but the other side could not get close, which added a lot of trouble to Takashi Iguanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Your Excellency, it's time to make up your mind!" Chief of Staff Cop Tadaoyi Sano reminded, "After dawn, not only will the air force of the People's Army join in, but the enemy who blocks the 5th Division and other units in front of Wangguanrentun will also be suppressed. At that time, it will be too late to turn in!"

"Sano Jun, the 28th Brigade is surrounded by the enemy. If we evacuate now, the fate of Sakai Takashi and others can be imagined." Iguano Takashi glanced at the Chief of Staff and said, "Even if we can successfully move into Yanggao, the front army or base camp will pursue it, we will not be able to escape."

"Your Excellency, the evacuation is now to preserve the main force of the division and avoid greater losses!" Tadao Yoshihide Sano said with a verbal connotation, "The division is not sitting on the sidelines. It has sent troops to reinforce several times before. If this continues, the loss will not be the 28th Brigade, and it is very likely that it will be all of my division! You, it's time to make a decision!"

Iguan Longchang frowned and looked at Tadao Sano, and asked Colonel Miyagawa Kiyoshi, the commander of the 20th Field Artillery Regiment, who arrived at the division headquarters, Colonel Iwakura Makimen, and others: "Do you think so too?"

After Miyagawa Kiyomiya, Iwakura Makimen and others looked at each other, they nodded without saying a word.

With these people as their accomplices, Jing Guan Longchang no longer made up his mind and said, "Since that's the case, then the troops are ready and pass through the north of the Seshenjing in half an hour and move towards the east bank of the Baideng River. The 28th Brigade is responsible for cutting off the rear as the main force of the division!"

First, the People's Army ignored the rest and concentrated attacks on the 28th Brigade. Later, the order of the 28th Brigade to be cut off by Takahashi Iguan, the fate of the destruction of the Takahara Sakai's Takahara was locked in!

However, Jingguan Longchang's retreat was far from smooth sailing.

After Lu Dongliang discovered that the enemy situation had changed, he immediately sent an infantry regiment and a reconnaissance battalion directly under the 61st Division in his hand, and ordered the troops to not aim at killing and injuring the Japanese army, but to create chaos as much as possible in order to create opportunities for other brother troops.

The 22nd, 72nd and 82nd Divisions of the People's Army, after driving the Imamura Junshi's troops to the Baidenghe area, had reoccupied Wangguanrendun and advanced southward. After receiving the news that the 14th Division was about to escape, the three artillery regiments of the divisions that had advanced to the Wangguanrendun area chose to fire their artillery towards the retreating Japanese army, turning Jingguan Longchang's troops from retreating to sheep-like defeat.

In this way, the Japanese troops who arrived at Baidenghe and those who were rushing to Baidenghe had reached more than 70,000, making the two sides of the Baidenghe even more chaotic than the vegetable market!

Although it is a dry season, the Baideng River surface is still more than 200 meters wide, and the depth of the river water can still be blocked. Of course, the river surface has long been frozen and people can travel from the ice surface to the east and west banks. However, because they were crossing the river at night and some defeated soldiers were not sure about the weight of the Japanese army, several ice surfaces could not bear the weight of the Japanese army and broke, causing some Japanese to fall into the ice hole.

After Mutsutsuka, Muto Akira and others arrived by the river, under their organization, the Japanese defeated troops began to cross the river in batches from the ice surface of different river sections. The heavy equipment carried by pack horses had to go around the upper reaches and pass through the narrow river. As for the floating bridge, due to the lack of materials and time, it was too late to build it.

As the remaining troops of the 14th Division arrived at the west bank of the Baideng River, the battle situation in northern Shanxi was clear. When Sugiyama Sora received a telegram from Muto Akira and others in the early morning of the 15th, he simply didn't want to believe his eyes.

The efforts over the past month and a half were futile. When the four divisions fought in northern Shanxi, there were nearly 110,000 troops. At present, there were only more than 70,000 remaining soldiers, including the wounded and sick, and all the Sakura Takashi Brigade was destroyed!

This is true in northern Shanxi, and Suidong is not much better. The Mongolian army retreated to the east bank of the Dongyang River on the border of Suicha also shrank from nearly 60,000 troops when they went to the battle to more than 30,000 defeated soldiers!

Overnight, the People's Army not only recovered all the areas occupied by the Japanese army's hard battle in the previous month and a half, but also took the opportunity to occupy Hunyuan! According to the report of the front troops, the People's Army participating in the war was at least more than 200,000!

After fighting for a month and a half, the People's Army's troops participated in the war increased from the original 130,000 to more than 200,000! How many troops did the People's Party armed forces hide in the northwest?! The more the more chilled Sugiyama felt.

Just as Sugiyama Yuan was racking his brains to deal with the endgame of northern Shanxi and Suidong, the news from the 21st and 114th divisions in northern Shandong seemed to be hit by a blow, almost knocking Sugiyama Yuan, the old devil out!

Early in the morning of the 15th, with the cooperation of nearly 200 fighter jets, the escort army dispatched more than 200,000 troops to cross the Yellow River in the hundreds of kilometers of Shandong section of the Yellow River, and launched a full-scale attack on northern Shandong!

Although it was a forced crossing, the guards actually crossed the river in front of the enemy step by step, and there was not much damage.

After the Yellow River broke the dike at Huayuankou, the water level in many places in the lower reaches of the Yellow River has dropped to a point where it can be traversed. Now it is the dry season in winter. Not only does the water level drop further, but a thick layer of ice has also formed on the river surface. This creates conditions for the guards to march towards northern Shandong.

Under the air strikes of nearly 200 fighter jets of the Guards and the large-scale artillery groups of the second, third and fifth third armies, the river defense positions of the 21st and 114th Divisions of the Japanese Army were not much stronger than those of paper and were completely destroyed.

Under the cover of this fierce firepower, more than 200,000 troops of three armies took a car from several bridge decks laid by the boat bridge troops in shallow water and began a battle journey galloping across the northern Shandong Plain.

The escort army's march into northern Shandong was not a whim by Gu Haichuan and others, but a strategic and significant action after careful consideration and approval from Zhao Zhenzhong.

When the Japanese army in eastern Henan followed the order of Sugiyama Yuan and drove nearly two million people in eastern Henan to the area controlled by the guards in early winter, some guards generals proposed to give the Japanese devils in eastern Henan or northern Shandong. Everyone knew very well that the Japanese army drove so many victims in autumn and winter, and refugees came, it was obvious that they wanted to use this to consume the power of the guards.

However, where to fight and whether it can be fought is determined by the strategic direction of the guards and material reserves. The east direction of Henan involves Lao Chiang's troops south of Zhengzhou and Yan Xishan's troops in southern Shanxi, Gu Haichuan and others rejected the suggestion of taking action against eastern Henan after careful consideration.

As for the battle against northern Shandong, if there is insufficient material reserves, the escort army will recover northern Shandong. Not only will it be difficult to stabilize the newly occupied area in the short term, it is also likely to face a large number of people driven from the Japanese army from Hebei and Pingjin areas. In the severe cold winter, if they do not receive timely assistance, those driven people will die of cold and starvation. If a large number of people are killed and injured due to the occupation of northern Shandong, it will be inconsistent with the original intention of the escort army.

Zhang Gongyuan, Liu Chengshan, and Fang Yunzhong all suggested postponing the combat operation to recover northern Shandong until after the Spring Festival. The reason is that this year's Spring Festival came a little late. The Spring Festival is the rainy day, and the weather will be warm without leaving the first lunar month gate. At that time, if the Japanese army really drives away the surrounding people again, there will be no large number of casualties due to weather reasons. However, this suggestion was also rejected by Gu Haichuan.

"When the winter is over, many difficulties can be reduced in terms of relief and resettlement of people. However, the spring next year will be short, and spring plowing will be busy as soon as the first month of the year begins. If our army sent troops at that time and the Japanese army was defeated, the people in central Hebei will be driven to northern Shandong, and the place will be stable, spring plowing production, refugee rescue and resettlement will all be together, and we will face greater troubles! Considering the time required to register the population and household registration and allocate land, the action to recover northern Shandong can only be mentioned before the Spring Festival!"

At the enlarged meeting of the Shandong Bureau in early December, Gu Haichuan analyzed: "My opinion is that when the Yulin War Zone is in northern Shanxi, once Suidong defeats the Japanese army, our army will immediately cross Hebei. At that time, when the Japanese army in North China is defeated, Sugiyama Yuan is busy mobilizing troops to deploy defenses. Even if we really drive the people of Hebei to northern Shandong, the number will be limited. As long as we can stabilize northern Shandong before the spring next year, and the weather will warmer, Sugiyama Yuan will drive away no matter how many people come, we can deal with it! When the harvest is next summer, the food in the controlled area will be solved, and our development will be beyond what Sugiyama Yuan can stop!"

After the People's Party's Shandong Bureau unified its opinions, Gu Haichuan reported the meeting resolution to Zhao Zhenzhong, and requested that the Shandong Bureau be increased in material transportation and the dispatch of government staff to deal with the emergencies. This led to the situation where the People's Party's air force launched a large-scale transportation of materials to Shandong, northern Jiangsu, and northern Shanxi and northern Suidong were sure to win the game, so the guards marched into northern Shandong.

!#


Chapter completed!