~.-~   Chapter 8: Unprecedented (Three)

During the previous ten days of attack, the Japanese army had broken through the 92nd and 96th Army deployed in Sishui and Hulao Pass through firepower strikes on the ground and air. Now the last line of defense that was defended by the dangerous side was broken by the enemy again at the junction of the two armies. The Hulao Pass, known as "one man is the pass, ten thousand men cannot open", also fell into the hands of the Japanese army. In this way, there is no danger in the Luohe River and east of the Heishi Pass that can stop the rapid advancement of Japanese combat vehicles!

The Japanese army was able to break through so quickly, although there were loopholes in combat cooperation between the defenders, the most fundamental thing was that Tobashi used Okamura Yasuji's chariot cluster to which he operated.

Influenced by the effects of lightning assault warfare by the German allies armored forces and the lessons learned by Yamashita Fengfu's troops in the use of tank troops in Malaya operations, the Japanese base camp also felt deeply that it was necessary to centrally organize the tank troops that had been scattered in the past to exert the assault power of the tank troops in combat. Therefore, on June 24, the Japanese base camp issued an order to form a mecha army, and the troops belonging to the army were the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chariot divisions, as well as the chariot teaching brigade. Among them, the 1st and 2nd chariot divisions and the chariot teaching brigade were under the jurisdiction of the Kwantung Army, while the 3rd chariot divisions were under the jurisdiction of the dispatched troops stationed in Mongolia.

Although the 3rd Chariot Division of the Japanese army had not completed the marshalling work when launching the Xi'an operation, in order to strengthen the assault combat capabilities of the North China troops participating in the war, in order to end the battle as soon as possible and allow relevant troops to return to North China in a timely manner, Okamura Yasuji still transferred the troops from Japan to the North China Front Army's 13th Chariot Regiment, the 17th Chariot Regiment, the 3rd Motor Infantry Regiment, and the 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment, the 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment to the Longhai Line.

Among them, each chariot corps consists of a Type 95 light chariot squadron, three 97 reorganized chariot squadrons, a Type 97 chariot squadron and a preparation squadron. There are 73 chariots of various types and 27 other auxiliary vehicles.

The 3rd Mobile Infantry Regiment has three brigades, as well as one corps directly under the artillery squadron and the preparation squadron. Each brigade has three squadrons and one machine gun squadron. Although the entire corps has only more than 900 troops, it is equipped with twenty-two combat vehicles and 280 other motor vehicles.

The 3rd Regiment of the Mobile Artillery consists of a motorized field artillery brigade, a motorized howitzer brigade, and a preparation squadron. It is equipped with twelve 75mm, 100mm field artillery or howitzer each.

Overall, these four corps are equipped with more than 500 types of combat vehicles and motor vehicles. Although they have not been integrated and lack the experience of concentrated combat, they are mostly adapted and expanded by troops left behind in Japan, and their combat capabilities at the corps level are not poor.

Whether it is Okamura Yanji or Tobashi Yi, we hope that these four regiments can exert their strong mobility and fierce firepower, and win a key victory for the Japanese army's assault operations!

In order to achieve tactical suddenness, the Japanese army has been tightly blocking the news that the 3rd Chariot Division headed south, and even at the meeting of commanders of the participating divisions held before the 12th Army, there was no public announcement that chariot troops would participate in the war.

Because the Japanese divisions were still equipped with a small number of chariots, three division commanders, including Yasui Ishii, Tokumatsu Ishida, Ti Yanagawa, and other three division commanders did not care about the Japanese chariot cluster going south. The Chongqing authorities sent combat troops in North China and the front-line combat zone in War I, and due to the previous fixed thinking, they did not notice that the Japanese chariot cluster went south in advance.

On the evening of September 17, the Japanese chariot troops who had already gathered in Xinxiang in advance took a train to Zhengzhou through the Yellow River Iron Bridge and then transferred to the Sishui and Xingyang combat frontlines. After completing the deployment, they launched an armored assault on the 92nd Army and the 96th Army's weak protective power in the early morning of the 18th.

After breaking through the junction of the defenders with absolute advantage and occupying the dangerous pass of Hulao Pass, the Japanese armored troops did not stop there, but continued to advance west along the Longhai Line!

Although Li Xingzhong and Li Xianzhou tried to gather the retreating troops in the front and blocked the Japanese army's rapid advance along the way, the hundreds of combat vehicles and armored vehicles that the Japanese rush forward, and the fierce firepower they exerted with the cooperation of the Japanese aviation force, made the actions of the 92nd and 96th Army futile!

Whether it is the 92nd Army, the 96th Army, and the 78th Army near the defense zone, they lack experience in facing the enemy's armored cluster assault operations, nor have effective anti-armor weapons, and there was no targeted preparation for the position setting. Faced with the unprecedented armored assault by the Japanese army, some officers and soldiers rushed towards the Japanese chariot with their bags and cluster grenades, hoping to die with them, but under the firepower of the Japanese army, they could only hate the battlefield...

Armored cluster combat is significantly different from single or small number of combat vehicles. Not only can the machine guns and artillery on each chariot form a cross-fire network to cover each other, the 3rd mobile infantry revolver that the Japanese army advanced along with the two chariot corpses also exerted its firepower and maneuverability advantages, causing a large amount of damage to the defenders. The defenders who wanted to die with the Japanese tank were basically intercepted by the Japanese machine gun fire before approaching the enemy, and suffered heavy casualties!

"The Japanese have too many chariots and too strong firepower, so the brothers cannot move forward at all! Order Hou Jingru, Fu Liping, and Chai Jichuan to let the three divisions cover alternately, and take the brothers as much as possible, then retreat south to Songshan, and deal with the Japanese with the advantage of territoriality!" On a hillside on the south side of the Longhai Line, Li Xianzhou, who was observing the battle in front through a telescope, gritted his teeth, and after he finished the order, he said,

"Send a report to the two commanders of Jiang and Tang, the war zone headquarters, that the Japanese army used more than hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles to launch a surprise attack on our Longhai Line defense zone. More than 300 vehicles broke into our defense zone alone! Sishui and Hulao Pass have now been lost, and our army has suffered heavy losses. We are resisting and evacuating to Songshan. We suggest that the headquarters order our Heishi Pass defenders to blow up the Luohe iron bridge on the Longhai Line as soon as possible, and use the Luohe River to prevent the Japanese armored troops from advancing quickly!"

"What? Sishui and Hulao Pass are lost?!" After receiving the telegram from Li Xianzhou, Tang Enbo, who was at the Luoyang War Zone Command and commanded the 31st Army nearby in Nanyang, jumped up like a fire on his butt.

"So many troops were easily broken through by the Japanese? What did they do for? Damn! They should be shot one by one!" Jiang Dingwen was shocked and angry, and shouted loudly, "Order Sun Weiru to organize the troops in Heishi Pass and blow up the Luohe Iron Bridge immediately! Never let the Japanese chariot troops run to the city of Luoyang!"

It is only more than 40 kilometers from Hulao Pass to Heishi Pass, and less than 100 kilometers from Luoyang. If the front-line defenders are not able to block the attack, the Japanese armored assault troops will be able to advance to the city of Luoyang in less than a day!

Although Jiang Dingwen was responsible for the defense of the Longhai Line and the Yellow River River, Tang Enbo, who was responsible for the battle west of the southern section of the Pinghan Line, was also extremely nervous after receiving a telegram from Li Xianzhou.

"The Japanese dispatched hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and there were planes on their heads. No wonder they couldn't defend the front! It seems that my war zone is indeed the main attack direction of the Japanese army!" Tang Enbo paced back and forth in the command center for a few times, suppressing his shock, and ordered Shi Jue, who was then the acting commander of the 13th Army in the command center ahead, "To drive, you take the 13th Army to set up positions in Baisha Town, Yiyang to prevent the Japanese armored troops from attacking our side and back!"

"Commander, can the Japanese run so far?" Shi Jue scratched his head and reminded him with some concern, "If our army leaves, the troops here will be a little thin!"

"After the Japanese army was blocked at Heishi Pass, in addition to building bridges and forcing a crossing, they could only follow the Luo River and continue westward on the southwest of the highway from Yiyang to Luoyang. However, the Japanese army in this unit is also likely to go south along the highway from Yiyang through Lushan and attack our side and back!" Tang Enbo pointed to the map and analyzed to Shi Jue, "In this way, our generals are under the attack on the enemy's east and north sides! In order to avoid this unfavorable situation, it is necessary to delay the attack speed of the Japanese armored troops! I will give you this important task!"

Although the troops lacked effective anti-armor weapons, Shi Jue thought that there was a natural barrier of Ruhe that could be used, so he agreed and hurried to the 13th Army headquarters.

The Japanese armored cluster suddenly appeared on the Longhai line battlefield, which not only made Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo in the First World War Zone busy, but also greatly shocked the Chongqing authorities. Although Okamura Yasuji had used armored assault tactics with chariots and artillery and infantry in the 39-year battle to attack Nanchang, the Japanese army only used more than 130 combat vehicles that year, and its scale was less than half of the current Japanese armored forces!

"The Japanese army invested hundreds of chariots in the direction of the Longhai Line, which is completely certain that the direction of the Japanese army's main attack is the First War Zone! Judging from the current situation, the Japanese army's purpose of this battle should be two: one is to annihilate the main force of our First War Zone and control the entire western Henan; the other is to take over western Henan, prepare for the subsequent attack on the Second War Zone, the Eighth War Zone, the Fifth War Zone, and even the march into central Sichuan!" In the combat room of the General Staff, Bai Chongxi suggested to He Yingqin, "General, we can now mobilize troops from all aspects to invest in the First War Zone!"

If the Japanese army occupy western Henan, not only will the First War Zone no longer exist, but the second, fifth and eighth third war zones will also be cut off by the Japanese army. Not to mention that Chongqing can no longer call military supplies from Yan Xishan's troops, the Japanese army can also use the situation of isolating each other in the three war zones to concentrate their forces to annihilate them. Once these three war zones and nearly half of the Chongqing authorities are gone, if Lao Jiang and others do not surrender, they will have to run away again!

"Now the Sixth War Zone, the Ninth War Zone is too far away, and the Fifth War Zone is fighting fiercely with the Japanese army again, so I can only continue to mobilize troops from the Eighth War Zone!" He Yingqin understood the pros and consciences, sighed in shock, and then frowned and asked, "Jiansheng, if there is really a mistake in the First War Zone, will there really be no way to recover from it?"

"If the first battle zone is just a lost position and the main forces of each unit are still there, a few troops can be retained in Songshan to restrain the Japanese army. At the same time, Jiang Mingsan and Tang Enbo were ordered to concentrate on Funiu Mountain, Xionger Mountain and Wushan in southwest Henan to continue to fight against the Japanese army." Bai Chongxi stared at the enemy-to-me situation chart for a while before saying with a serious expression, "In this way, the flank protection force will be added to the neighboring Eighth and Fifth War Zones, and can cross the Japanese blockade line and maintain a certain degree of connection with the Second World War Zone on the north bank of the Yellow River. However, if the First Battle Zone loses most of its troops in this battle, it is probably difficult to achieve this, and the situation will be really impossible to optimistic..."

Later, after He Yingqin formulated a plan to dispatch troops and sent it to Zhu Shaoliang and Hu Zongnan in the Eighth War Zone, he pulled Bai Chongxi to Lao Chiang to discuss the follow-up response to the War Zone.

After learning that the Japanese armored cluster appeared on the Longhai Line, Lao Jiang had no good expression. After listening to He and Bai and the others' analysis, Lao Jiang's face became even more ugly.

"Let's do the plan to mobilize troops according to Jingzhi!" After a moment of silence, Chiang Kai-shek sighed, "The Japanese invaders are raging, and the country is unstable. How difficult is it to realize the Three Principles of the People first!"

"Can you use the power of public opinion to encourage the ** and the People's Party armed forces to take action against Japan in North China?" Lin Wei, who was transferred to the First Department of the Chiang Kai-shek Office again, tentatively suggested, "The war zones under the central government may be fighting fiercely with the Japanese army, or it may be too far away to reinforce. However, the People's Party armed forces and the ** have considerable strength in North China. If you can use public opinion to accuse the People's Party of armed forces of sitting on the spot and watching the Japanese army harm the people, and with the actions of the party in the past few years, the party may send troops."

"How could Zhao Zhenzhong be trapped by a mere accusation? This is impossible!" Bai Chongxi shook his head disapprovingly and said.

"Even if the People's Party does not send troops, it will make the people in the country recognize their appearance and suppress the reputation of the party. This will be beneficial to the central government!" Lin Wei retorted, "Besides, publishing some articles and reports through newspapers and radio stations will not cause any loss to us."

"You can try this." Lao Jiang nodded and decided to say, "This matter will be handled by Mo Wen and Mr. Bulei, and other departments will cooperate!"

Chiang nodded, and the propaganda machine under the control of the Chongqing authorities started to move, publishing articles or editorials in newspapers and radio stations, accusing "The People's Party of China said that it was the people first, but it had millions of soldiers. It was regarded as the Japanese invaders who killed millions of people in central Henan, western Henan, and central China. If millions of people in central China were not seen, would they really be the country and the people? But judging from the current war in the Central Plains, the party is actually taking advantage of the invasion of foreign enemies to steal the country's huge thieves!..."

"It's really damn good! Chiang Kai-shek didn't make much effort to fight the Japanese, but he still accused us of inaction. He gave up the territory and let us go?" Zhou Mingyuan, who was running to Zhao Zhenzhong to discuss the enemy situation, couldn't help but swear after hearing the soft accusations of the female announcer of the Central News Agency through the radio.

"This shows that Chiang Kai-shek has no more tricks! Even this kind of despicable trick has been used! We are just fighting verbal battles with Chongqing!" Zhao Zhenzhong smiled indifferently and said, "However, the Japanese armored clusters appearing in the Longhai Line should be paid attention to. Although they are not enough to fight against our existing forces, they can slow down our advancement speed and increase our troubles."

"The General Staff has considered the negative impact of the Japanese armored cluster on our army's subsequent operations and revised the "Blizzard" combat plan again in light of the relevant situation. I came here to tell you about this." Zhou Mingyuan briefly explained the relevant situation and promised, "Haichuan, Hailan, and I were both angry, and both war zones have also made targeted adjustments. We will never let the Japanese 'bean' chariots affect our army's operations!"

After exchanging some opinions with Zhou Mingyuan on the subsequent military operations of the two major strategic groups of the People's Party, Zhao Zhenzhong wrote an article titled "Comparison between the Northwest and Chongqing Governments since the War of Resistance", criticizing Jiang Ji's National Government for its unfavorable actions in the War of Resistance and cruelty to the people. In the article, Zhao Zhenzhong not only listed the achievements of the two parties in recent years in combat against Japan, as well as many examples of the recovery or loss of territory, rescue or exploitation of the people, but also pointed out that

"...These many facts fully demonstrate that the Jiang National Government has become a stumbling block on our party's and our army's road to war of resistance. If there were no such a corrupt and reactionary government, if the troops under Chongqing were willing to put down their weapons and actually hand over the relevant defense zones to our party's armed forces, our party government will fully dominate the domestic war of resistance. With the achievements of our party's armed forces in anti-aggression, we can be completely sure that not only domestic but even international combat against Japan will be completely renewed!..."

Lao Jiang and others hoped to use the power of public opinion to force the People's Party to send troops to restrain the Japanese army, but Zhao Zhenzhong counterattacked and raised the issue of Chongqing's weapons and the People's Party's overall dominance of the domestic war of resistance. The essence of it involves the issue of the power change of the Chinese central government.

The people of the domestic people have doubts and even follow the trend about the various accusations posted by the Chongqing authorities in newspapers and radio stations. However, under the counterattack of the public opinion of the People's Party, especially the party's speech through past facts, it has cleared the fog in the hearts of the people and further improved the prestige of the People's Party in the hearts of the people.

The Chiang-ji National Government used violent means to overthrow the Beiyang government and seize power. With its own precedent, the Chongqing authorities accused the People's Party of China of stealing the country and it was not reasonable! In particular, the People's Party armed forces have regained large tracts of territory through their efforts over the years, but throughout history, there has never been a witness to stealing the country by regaining lost land!

When public opinion began to turn, the People's Party linked the improvement of the domestic and foreign combat situation against Japan with the relinquishment of power by the Chongqing authorities, which was even more unfavorable to the Chongqing authorities! Not only did some people who dared to speak out in the country and nation to demand that Chongqing "be responsible for the country and nation, peace should be given priority", but even the international community began to question the Chongqing authorities.

Lan Fang is obviously a slander in China that opposes the Chongqing authorities and supports the People's Party government. Influenced by Althorp's long-term writing of articles and the influence of Hopkins and others' contact with the People's Party, two completely different feelings about Chongqing and Northwest, voices have begun to question Roosevelt's support for the Chongqing authorities. In particular, the reports of disappointment from the Chongqing authorities submitted by US Ambassador to China Gao Si and military officers in Chongqing have caused Roosevelt to have deep doubts about continuing to increase support for the Chongqing government.

After receiving the relevant telegram sent back by the personnel stationed in the United States, Chiang Kai-shek realized that he had raised a stone but shot himself in the foot. In anger, he hurriedly ordered Lin Wei and Chen Bule to stop the so-called public opinion offensive. In this way, before the war against Japan in several major war zones had a real result, Chongqing lost a while in the public opinion battle with the People's Party!

By the end of September, the criticism between the People's Party and the Chongqing authorities gradually subsided, but the enemy-to-wealth situation on the battlefield in western Henan had undergone new changes. The entire situation was even more unfavorable to the First War Zone and even Chongqing, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

~.-~
Chapter completed!