Therefore, the north bank of the Wei River west of the city is controlled by the Third Army of the People's Army, and the section west of Lintong on the south bank is controlled by the Second Army. The 3rd Japanese Division previously had the materials to cross the river and was destroyed in the People's Army airstrike, and the remaining troops hurriedly retreated to the river beach. There were neither ships to cross the river to escape, nor foreign aid. Takahashi Taga and others could not escape even if they wanted to escape!

It is this reality that prompted Tagaji Takahashi to launch a desperate attack. The reason why Gong Qingbin decided to wipe out the battlefield early the next morning after he killed firepower and wiped out the battlefield.

As the commander of the Japanese permanent division, Tagaji Takahashi's grasp of the battlefield situation and fighter jets is indeed worthy. However, under the general trend of the People's Army's heavy troops entering Guanzhong, especially when the Second and Third Army of the People's Army have launched along the banks of the Wei River and completed the annihilation deployment of the 3rd Division, the ending of Tagaji Takahashi's troops is already doomed. The decisive attack launched by the 3rd Division also made the unit embark on the road to destruction in advance!

As soon as the battle started, the Japanese artillery fired at the 34th Division of the People's Army on the river beach, trying to kill the live power of the People's Army in a preemptive manner, and provide fire cover for nearly 10,000 Japanese devils' decisive assault!

The Japanese army's first fire caused two or three hundred casualties to the front-line officers and soldiers of the 34th Division, but the Japanese artillery bombardment only took two or three minutes, and the artillery positions of the People's Army on both sides of the Wei River began to counter them!

The 3rd Division retreated to the river beach. Although they did some hidden work when setting up positions, the Second and Third Army of the People's Army reported the situation and battlefield observations. The Japanese artillery position was basically determined. The reason why they did not knock it out early was that Gong Qingbin and others took into account that the river beach was in a soft period after it thawed and did not want to consume too much ammunition when the artillery effect was weakened.

The momentary negligence caused the troops to suffer avoidable casualties. This made Gong Qingbin extremely upset. After issuing the shelling order to the Japanese army, he still said hatefully: "Chief of General Staff Zhou used to say 'Only the dead ghosts are good ghosts'. Now, this is true at all! It's all my fault for being careless!"

"We have all the responsibility!" Xiao Songshi also smiled bitterly and sighed, "We have all the ammunition carried by our army eastward. We always want to save as much as possible to meet the needs of the eastward combat in the future. Who would have expected that the 3rd Division, which has become a dog, would jump up first and bite it? We must learn this lesson! After this battle, we will ask for punishment together!"

When Dong Bicheng issued an order before, he only said that he would launch an encirclement and annihilation operation on the 3rd Division at three or four o'clock in the afternoon when the earth began to freeze, but did not prohibit the 34th Division and other units from knocking out the heavy firepower of the Japanese army in advance. In fact, the encirclement and annihilation time that Dong Bicheng mentioned was determined only when the Japanese army was unable to carry out a counterattack.

As a front-line commander, the tasks from superiors should be completed creatively based on actual conditions. Therefore, if you look closely, the losses caused to the People's Army by the 34th Division were indeed more responsible for Gong Qingbin, Xiao Songshi and others in the 34th Division.

With the current military foundation in the northwest, the People's Army did not lack ammunition in combat. However, Hu Zongnan and other troops in the Eighth War Zone destroyed railways and road traffic when they evacuated from Guanzhong. In addition, with the People's Army's advance eastward, food, clothing and other disaster relief materials were also transported eastward, which put a considerable pressure on logistics transportation. According to pre-war regulations, the second and third armies of the two armies advanced to Tongguan and even before opening the Longhai Line, all the operations needed to be carried by the army. This is also a major factor that led to Gong Qingbin and others' "stingy".

When the 3rd Division took the lead in launching an attack, in order to attack the Japanese army, Gong Qingbin and other troops did not care about ammunition. They even used more than 70 vehicle-mounted artillery pieces together with the 25th Artillery Division of the South Bank Second Army, plus half of the rocket launcher vehicles of the 35th Division of the Third Army Artillery, and carried out cross-fire coverage on the Japanese positions!

The river beaches are wet and soft, and the land will indeed reduce the killing effect of artillery fire, but when the People's Army's heavy firepower is strong enough, the weakening caused by the environment will not be enough to save the Japanese. Especially the 27 forty-tube 122mm rocket launchers of the Rocket Array regiment, whose warheads used timed fumes and steel ball loading exploded in the air, causing casualties to the Japanese in the 3rd Division! Even some Japanese troops hiding in the corners failed to avoid the favor of sputtering steel balls!

Listening to the special scream of rocket launchers passing by and watching the numerous injuries caused by the explosion of the Japanese position, Tang Zhence was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim: "What weapon is this?"

"If you don't admit your mistake, this should be a rocket launcher!" Takahashi Tagaji had more knowledge after all, suppressed the shock in his heart, and said with a pale face, "I heard that this kind of thing appeared on the Soviet-German battlefield last year. However, the power used by the People's Party armed forces is even greater!"

"Your Excellency, you should report this situation as soon as possible so that the elites of other empires will be prepared to deal with the armed war against the People's Party!" Tang Zhence reminded anxiously.

"Tangma Jun, it's too late..." Tagaji Takahashi looked at his left arm that was still bleeding after being hit by the scattered steel balls, and sighed dejectedly, "The radio station of the division headquarters has been destroyed during the shelling and cannot contact the front army, the dispatching army! Be prepared for the shattered!"

The radio station of the 3rd Infantry Regiment Command of the Tangzhence was destroyed in previous air raids. After hearing that the radio station of the division headquarters was destroyed, he still did not give up and reminded: "Perhaps, available radio stations can be found in several regiments."

"Under the enemy's dense artillery fire..." Tagaji Takahashi shook his head and did not continue to say it, but he understood the meaning.

Tang Zhence looked at the depressions of the river beach where he and Tagaji Takahashi lived, and then looked at the shrapnel, steel balls, and the Japanese who were constantly blown up, and sighed and stopped talking. He knew very well that even if the depression could temporarily avoid shrapnel and steel balls, as long as a heavy shell or rocket hit it, the entire 3rd Division command would be reimbursed! This is the case with relatively hidden division commands, let alone the situation of the remnants of the various corps below!

Under the continuous artillery of the People's Army's artillery on both sides of the Wei River for more than an hour, the 3rd Division, which originally wanted to assault to the death, was almost wiped out! Even the Japanese who were hiding in some hidden places and escaped by chance, were almost injured!

"Tang Zhenjun. I'm afraid I can't do it..." Seeing that the People's Army did not launch an infantry charge after the shelling. Tagaji Takahashi, who had originally wanted to lead the remaining troops to kill the enemy together, was disappointed and lost his energy. He said dyingly, "After I go, here... is your command, everything... I'll ask..."

After the shelling just now, after being hit by a steel ball with the left arm, Tagaji Takahashi, who was lying on the ground, was "lucky" hit by four sputtered steel balls. Among them, one penetrated from the right back and stayed in his chest cavity, one penetrated from the right back into his waist, and the other two hit his legs. The two steel balls hitting Tagaji Takahashi's legs were not very important, but hitting the back, waist and two steel balls trapped in his body caused continuous bleeding in his internal organs. It was obvious that he would not live long.

In the shelling just now, Tang Shinse cut his left abdomen by shrapnel falling from the air. Although he was bandaged, he still bleed. After hearing Tagaji Takahashi's instructions, he endured the severe pain and said with a yellow face: "Your Excellency, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long..."

"Then let it go..." Tagaji Takahashi looked at Tang Zhence who was lying on the side with a godless look, and then glanced at the Japanese who were bandaged in different parts around him. A bitter smile appeared on his pale face. Then, the old Japanese actually endured the severe pain and hummed softly: "My emperor is prosperous... for thousands of years. Long-term peace and stability... the country is prosperous and the people are prosperous..."

Infected by it, a group of injured Japanese men also started humming. However, because of enduring the pain after being injured and despair of the future, Japanese men hummed weakly, and felt that they were singing an elegy to themselves before the end of the world!

After the shelling, the 34th Division of the People's Army and other departments implemented Gong Qingbin's order to clean the battlefield early the next morning, the Japanese wounded soldiers had hidden grenades and wanted to pull the people's army soldiers to take the back completely.

Finally, after several hours of bleeding, Tagaji Takahashi died after nightfall. His death became the first Japanese lieutenant general killed by the People's Party armed forces since the War of Resistance. In the early morning of the next day, Takahashi died in a curled up due to excessive bleeding and severe winter cold. Most of the other injured Japanese troops were frozen in the cold northwest of winter.

Early the next morning, when the 34th Division of the People's Army took the armored regiment as the guide to clean the frozen battlefield, the only things that were within sight were the Japanese who were shot dead were the Japanese who were frozen to death. The entire 3rd Division had less than a thousand men who survived the long night with clothes taken from other dead Japanese troops. But these Japanese who tried to fight to the death were completely wiped out under the firepower of the armored regiment. The 3rd Division was also wiped out as a result!

Because Tagaji Takahashi sent a "Yaosha" telegram to the rear command center before the launch on the afternoon of the 9th, this allowed the two old Japanese devils Yoshiki and Tobashi to experience the destruction of the 3rd Division at a time, they could also infer the outcome of the unit.

"Tuqiaojun, the 3rd Division has lost contact for more than two hours, and the result is probably not good." At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Shinichi Yoshimu sighed worriedly in the command center, "The troops on the south bank of the Wei River can still fight again by relying on the large and small rivers of north and south, while the troops on the north bank of the Wei River are worrying. Although the 35th Division led by Ishidajun has been in contact, as the People's Army's armored forces advance eastward, there is a danger of the rear end being cut off!"

The 35th Division under Ishida Tokumatsu was under the jurisdiction of the 12th Army, which was once Tuqiao. During the process of advancing westward along the north bank of the Wei River, the 3rd Division advanced rapidly to the west with its combat power, while the 35th Division advanced to the north of Shaanxi while advancing westward. When the People's Army advanced eastward in the early morning of the 9th, the vanguard of the 35th Division had even advanced to Chengcheng, Baishui, Tongguan, Hancheng and other places.

Although after learning about the People's Army's eastward advance to Guanzhong, Tuqiao sent Shitian Desong to the southeast to Dali and to shrink towards Yi counties in order to cross the Wei River as early as possible when the war situation was unfavorable and concentrated in Tongguan, from the perspective of distance and time, the division may be cut off by the armored forces attacking eastward by the Third Army of the People's Army. At least, with a battalion of the 35th Tank Squadron and the 221st Infantry Regiment in Sanyuan and Fuping, the 35th Division would definitely not be able to escape unscathed!

"Ishida Junmasato led the main force of the division to retreat to Toyu, hoping that there was time..." Tohashi's tone was full of helplessness. He obviously lost confidence in the current situation.

Around noon, the 31st Armored Division of the People's Army, the 32nd Mofang Division, and the 106th Vehicle-mounted Artillery Regiment of the 35th Artillery Division led by Song Wei had already advanced to Gushi less than 60 kilometers away from Chaoyi. However, the main force of the Japanese 35th Division was still in Chengcheng area more than 60 kilometers away from Chaoyi. Compared with the armored forces of the Third Army of the People's Army, which had been fully advanced eastward, the 35th Division was obviously at a disadvantage in the race between distance and time.

Jimu and Tuqiao two old Japanese devils could only place their hopes on the Luo River, hoping to use this natural barrier to delay the pace of the People's Army's advancement in the east and gain time for the 35th Division to retreat. Of course, the Luo River here did not pass through the Yellow River tributary in Luoyang, but originated from the northern bank of the lower reaches of the Wei River in northern Shaanxi.

The situation of the war on the north bank of the Wei River is already like this. Although the Japanese army has a large number of troops on the south bank of the Wei River and many north-south rivers can be used as a means of relying on it, under the promotion of Xu Mingyi's troops of the Second Army of the People's Army, they could only retreat eastward and then retreat.

It is said that "thirty years, Hedong and thirty years, Hexi". The Japanese army was chasing the retreating troops of Hu Zongnan and other troops from the Eighth War Zone two days ago from both sides of the Wei River to chase and fight, but after one night, the two armies of the People's Army entered Guanzhong eastward, relying on their powerful air and ground forces, they actually made the offensive and defensive situations. They were chased and beaten and turned into Japanese!

The victory that is about to be won and the honor that can bring to capture Xi'an are gone. The Japanese army that had won one after another has now lost their troops and generals. This strong contrast and contrast have completely lost their spirits. Jimu and Tuqiao, who were fighting for the arm wrestling day ago, have completely lost their spirits! Of course, it was not only the battle situation in Guanzhong that caused a heavy blow to the two old Japanese, but also the battle situation in Henan that deteriorated rapidly.

By around 3 pm, the Third Army of the Guards had basically controlled the areas south of the Qi River and north of the Yellow River. The Jiang Bin army of the First Army had gone south to Zhengzhou, and the confrontation with the 4th Japanese cavalry brigade had entered the most intense street fighting stage; Ye Sheng's army advanced westward to the east bank of the Yiluo River.

Although the commander of the 59th Division, Yanagawa Ti, ordered the troops to destroy the floating bridge on the Yiluo River in advance, blocking Ye Sheng's troops from advancing westward, both Yoshimu and Tobashi knew that a 59th Division and the Yiluo River could not stop the guards for a long time. The two old Japanese were ready to withdraw from Guanzhong and called Okamura to make an emergency.

Due to the troubles of many battles, Okamura Yasuji, who was in Peiping and commanding the battle in Xi'an, was no longer as energetic as ever. He looked haggard in less than a day and was aged in more than ten years!

In addition to the fact that the People's Army advanced eastward due to the strong advance of the People's Army, and the escort army advanced westward to lead the Pinghan Line and Henan to take a sharp turn for the worse, in the early morning of the 9th, the People's Army's sixth, eleventh and thirteenth armies, with the cooperation of the Air Force, dispatched 300,000 troops to launch a large-scale attack on northern Shanxi, which was stationed in Mongolia and other units, and Chanan!

The war situation in Guanzhong and Henan was fierce. Although the Japanese army had already become defeated, it was still able to support it because it had a large number of troops involved in the Xi'an operation. Moreover, because it was far away from Pingjin, the impact on the core area controlled by the North China Front Army had not yet appeared. However, the People's Army attacked Hebei and Cha in the east with more than 300,000 troops. Coupled with the bombing of Nankou and other places by the Air Force, as well as the large number of anti-Japanese leaflets sprinkled in the Pingjin area, they directly shook the foundation of the North China Front Army's control over the Pingjin area!

Early in the morning of the 9th, after receiving the war reports from Yoshimu, Tobashi and the commander of the Mongolian Army, Shita-Rang, from Guanzhong and Zhangjiakou, respectively, and learned that the situation in Guanzhong, northern Shanxi, and Chanan were extremely dangerous! When Okamura Yanaowang, the commander of the 9th Brigade of the ** Mixed 9th Brigade who was originally directly under the North China Front Army and was previously stationed in northern Henan, also sent a telegram saying that the "guards are moving westward in a large-scale manner", Okamura was already in a state of coldness!

In order to ensure the results achieved in the Xi'an operation and strengthen the troops in North China to overcome difficulties, while Okamura was holding on to the Ringjiki and Tobashi, he also urgently called the commander of the Kanto Army, Mijiro Umezu, to plead with him to draw five divisions to join the North China operation as proposed by the headquarters. However, Umezu's reply made Okamura feel like he was hit by a scoundrel, which made him feel confused!

In his reply, Mei Jin said that the guards dispatched three or four hundred fighter jets early on the 9th to carry out large-scale bombings on the Japanese military base in western Liaoning and the railway and highway traffic lines on the Shanhaiguan line. In order to prevent the possible airborne operations by the People's Party armed forces, it was difficult for the five divisions of the Kwantung Army to enter the pass to complete the journey. Affected by the destruction of traffic, the 10th, 14th and 71st major divisions previously deployed in western Liaoning could not enter the pass in time!

Okamura once placed hopes on shipping, but the People's Party armed forces seemed to be not ready to leave this little hope for him! After 10 o'clock in the morning, the guards gathered more than 400 fighter jets and set off from the Jiaodong Peninsula Airport to bomb the Liaodong Peninsula and the relevant ports of the Korean Peninsula, and even expanded the bombing to ports in Qinhuangdao, Tianjin and other places. The actions of the People's Party Air Force clearly meant to block the Bohai Bay and prevent the Kwantung Army from entering the pass to reinforce!

This series of changes made Okamura Yasuji, who had always been scheming, fall into deep anxiety. After receiving the battle report in the morning, he sat in front of the map and thought about countermeasures.

However, after thinking about Okamura, the ending of the difficult situation in North China cannot be found for the moment. However, the emergency telegrams ahead followed one after another, which made Okamura Nishi's brows frown more and more tightly since the morning!


Chapter completed!