Chapter 234 Broken Northeastern Defense Line

Time goes back to four days ago, in the town of Yanqu County, Zhongtiao Mountain.

Looking at the dilapidated city gate, Major General Sakamoto Jinpachi, the chief of staff of the 41st Division, showed a satisfied smile. He stuck his family's samurai sword on the ground and said proudly:

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General, it seems that we are very lucky."

"Not only did we not encounter any enemy planes during the march, but even the siege was so smooth."

"The only pity is that we didn't catch those annoying bugs, but they will never have a chance to harass us again."

It is obvious that Qingshui Guigui is in a good mood. He nodded and signaled the other party to go into the city with him.

When the 41st Division and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade broke through the front line of Hengling Pass, Gangcun Ningci immediately issued a new phase of orders.

This old devil asked the troops on the northern line to drive straight along the Boqing River Avenue and occupy the main villages and towns along the way and Yanqu County.

Relying on heavy artillery and armored forces, the devils completed the task in just one day.

Of course, such a smooth process was also attributed to the Guojian defenders who retreated without fighting. They clearly had tens of thousands of people and could rely on favorable terrain to block the enemy layer by layer.

However, due to the lack of trust between the troops, they were afraid that the friendly forces would retreat first and sell themselves out, which led to the 41st Division completing the task assigned by Okamura Yasuji almost without bloodshed.

"Even if everything goes well, there is no need to relax your vigilance. Major General Ikegami Kenkichi used his life to remind us."

"Next, no matter what, we cannot split our troops. We must act as a whole division. As long as we have a flaw, those bugs will definitely not miss any opportunity."

"Is there any news from the front army? Did Commander Okamura Yasuji give any instructions?"

After hearing the instructions from his commander, Sakamoto Jinpachi nodded in agreement with a serious face.

Due to the previous experience of the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade, the 41st Division did not dare to split its troops, but the mysterious Eighth Route Army never gave up attacking them from beginning to end.

Although the actual damage was not great, it really made everyone sick.

The other side is proficient in guerrilla warfare, and is everywhere like a wild dog. As long as conditions permit, they will pounce on you and bite you. They will even use the terrain to ambush and buy time for the people of the Republic of China to evacuate.

"Hey! I will always arrange special alert forces, please rest assured, Lieutenant General!"

"There is no news from the front army, but I guess..."

Before he finished speaking, a signalman came to the two with a telegram. Qingshui Guizhi took the telegram and read it carefully, followed by a classic island country curse.

"Baga! Okamura Ningji, this man! He is not a son of man!"

"He clearly knew that the mysterious Eighth Route Army had the ability to destroy the brigade level, but he still asked me to split up and attack! He must be avenging my previous behavior!"

Seeing that his lieutenant general was about to enter the familiar violent state, Sakamoto Jinpachi carefully took the telegram from the other side, and it would be torn up if he was a step later.

The content of the telegram was simple and clear. The front army command required the 41st Division to split into two routes.

One part went east along Yuanji Avenue and joined the friendly forces in Jiyuan and Yangcheng.

Then, the combined forces of the four divisions were combined to occupy the highway and major ferry crossings, encircle and quickly annihilate the remnants of the 14th Army that had fled inside Zhongtiao Mountain.

Another division advanced westward along the north bank of the Yellow River, cooperating with the 36th and 37th divisions to encircle the 5th Army, striving to end the entire Central Plains Campaign by the end of May.

Originally, this task was to be completed by the 41st Division and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade, but unfortunately the latter had been jointly eliminated by the 1st Air Division and the 1st Marine Regiment.

It was not without reason that Qingshui Guigui was so nervous. After all, it was a force of 4,500 people, but it was completely annihilated by the enemy with thunder.

After a major battle, only 14,000 combat personnel of the 41st Division were left.

If the troops were divided into two routes, the enemy might seize the opportunity to launch a successful sneak attack.

"Your Excellency Lieutenant General, should we obey the order issued by Commander Gangcun?"

"Or let me come forward and explain the pros and cons to the front army command, and try to get them to withdraw their orders."

Although his own chief of staff was very perceptive, he could always help him solve problems at critical moments. But he had already offended his immediate superior, and refusing him again would most likely affect his career.

After thinking for a moment, Qingshui Guigui gritted his teeth and said:

"Follow the order! Let the troops prepare to set off, you and I will lead each other."

"Sakamoto-kun, you must be careful! I have an ominous premonition that I will encounter some obstacles."

"Hey! Take care of yourself!"

······

The 98th Army and the 15th Army of Guofu are stationed on the northeastern defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain. There was originally the 93rd Army, but due to the tense war on the eastern front, Commander Wei sent it to reinforce the 9th Army.

Among them, the 15th Army is the Zhensong Army, which can be called the standard template of Guofu's miscellaneous troops.

The original foundation of this unit is composed of hooligans and ruffians in western Henan. It can be said to be a semi-bandit armed force.

In the battle sequence of Guofu, it has a very bad reputation and its combat effectiveness has always been at the bottom. Their paper strength is comparable to that of the 17th Army, and they also face problems such as low quality of soldiers and poor weapons and equipment.

The only thing worth mentioning is that the troops have participated in many major battles, but unfortunately their performance is average and there is no outstanding record.

The current commander is a general who is determined to resist the Japanese, but his ability is very average, and he doesn't even fully understand the most basic way to control people.

The situation of the 98th Army was not very good either. They were originally just a division of the Shaanxi Army. It was expanded into an army-level unit only after the previous army commander defected to the bald man. It was also a miscellaneous unit.

However, compared with their colleagues, this army has a very obvious advantage.

They have been active in Zhongtiao Mountain since the failure of the Taiyuan Battle. They have been stationed for a much longer time than friendly forces and are quite familiar with the surrounding situation.

There is a reason why these two miscellaneous armies can hold the defense line for so long. The troops deployed by Okamura Ningji here are the 33rd Division and the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade.

Neither of them is fully staffed. Together, they are less than 10,000 people. Most of the main forces have been sent to the cruel Western Front battlefield. Their mission is not to attack at all, but to contain.

On the evening of May 11, 1941, the 98th Army Field Hospital.

At this time, the two division commanders and the chief of staff were gathered together, and three pairs of eyes stared at the middle-aged man lying on the hospital bed, looking panic-stricken.

Ten minutes later, Commander Wu struggled to open his eyes. He sat up with the help of the nurse, and just as he was about to speak, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Commander! You finally woke up! You have been in a coma for four and a half days, and the brothers were worried for a while."

"Your jaw is injured, and you can't speak loudly now. If you have any questions or arrangements, please tell us briefly, and leave the troops to us."

Four days ago, the North China Front launched an all-out offensive.

As the main force of the Northeast Defense Line, the 98th Army's command naturally received special care from the small group of elite Japanese.

Although the guards fought desperately and successfully bought time for the reinforcements. But Commander Wu was seriously injured in the battle, with a bullet hitting his jaw and a bullet piercing his thigh.

Fortunately, the 33rd Division and the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade were mainly tasked with containment, and did not launch an all-out offensive, otherwise the defenders without overall command would definitely encounter big trouble.

Commander Wu moved his stiff neck and then began to ask about the details of the war.

"What are the casualties of the troops in the past four days? Have we lost our positions? Is there any news from the 15th Army and the 93rd Army next door?"

"What is the situation of the battle along the entire line? Has any position been broken through by the enemy?"

The three looked at each other. These questions were not difficult for them. Finally, the chief of staff stepped forward and began to report.

"The casualties are still within the controllable range. Only 3,000 people were lost in four days, but the enemy was not doing well either. Our 42nd Division made a good start on the first day, annihilating 700 enemies in Wangcun and killing a colonel."

"We haven't lost an inch of our position. The situation of the 15th Army is similar to ours. The 93rd Army has been transferred to the eastern line. At present, only the northern line has been lost and penetrated by the enemy. The rest of the positions are in our hands."

After hearing the words "the northern line was lost", General Wu was stunned.

This means that the two major armies are completely separated, and the devils may even occupy the crossing of the Yellow River. Once they are wrapped in the pocket, the troops will face the problem of supply cuts.

Even if the front line has not been lost now, defeat is a matter of time.

As if he could see the nervousness of his own army commander, the chief of staff walked over and signaled him not to get excited.

"Commander, it's not my first day in the army, I can understand the situation on the battlefield."

"In addition to the 15th Army, we also have a very powerful friendly army. Just three days ago, the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army took the initiative to contact us, and they are rushing to support us as quickly as possible."

"And they now have an air force. They have been fighting with the Japanese army since the first day of the war. The air supremacy of the entire Zhongtiao Mountain is in our hands."

This news shocked Commander Wu, especially when he heard that the other side actually had an air force and had control of the air supremacy on the battlefield.

After the surprise, there was a full sense of security. After all, it was not the first time for the two sides to cooperate.

When their 98th Army crossed the Yellow River and rushed to the Niangziguan front to block the Japanese army's westward invasion, they cooperated with the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army to severely damage the Japanese army along the Zhengtai Road.

In 1938, he fought side by side with the deputy commander-in-chief. They smashed the enemy's nine-way siege and eight encirclements, and even opened up the Nanyue Anti-Japanese Base.

For the ally of the 129th Division, Commander Wu's evaluation is simple. That is reliable! Very reliable! Much more reliable than any preserved fruit unit!

"Okay, try to keep in touch with the other party!"

"We must cooperate with them. As long as our two divisions attack at the same time, we will definitely be able to eat up the enemy invading the northeast line."

But at this moment, bursts of explosions came from the west.

Boom boom boom!

The three people in the ward immediately looked out the window. The originally dark sky had been illuminated by the fire, and shells fell on Dong Feng's western position.

Judging from the power of the explosion, it must be the 105mm heavy howitzer equipped by the division.

"Guards! Take the commander and move! It's not safe here!"

"Damn it, it must be the Japanese coming from the north! The firepower is no less than that of a brigade! Retreat quickly!"

"Commander, leave the front line to the three of us. You rest and recover, we'll see you later!"

As soon as the words fell, several soldiers carrying stretchers rushed into the ward. They carried Commander Wu and ran without saying a word, and all the actions seemed to have been rehearsed countless times.

Under the commander's uneasy eyes, the two division commanders and the chief of staff returned to their posts.

······

Six hours later, at three o'clock in the morning, all the officers above the regimental level of the 98th Army gathered in the temporary command post.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely solemn. The dim kerosene lamp seemed to reflect everyone's mood. The previous optimism disappeared without a trace.

Commander Wu sighed. One-third of the reserved seats were vacant, which meant that several old friends stayed on the battlefield forever.

"Just now, I received a telegram from the commander of the First War Zone."

"Yuanqu County has fallen, and some ferry crossings have also been lost. Our army's supply line is gone."

"Now we have two choices. One is to hold the position and wait for the support of the Eighth Route Army. The second is to follow the orders of the superiors and move to the north of Qinyi Highway. Use the tactics of rotating and drilling gaps to attack the enemy's flanks."

The entire meeting room was silent, and no one answered the question of their own army commander.

At this moment, the commander of the 42nd Division, Wang, slammed the table and stood up. His eyes were red, and he looked like he was going to eat someone.

"Commander! Damn 15th Army! I will never let them go in my life!"

"These bastards retreated without even saying hello! Just after the fire! One of my regiments was trapped by the devils! 1,500 people, all fucking died on the battlefield!"

"I swear I will not be a human being if I don't avenge this!"

These words immediately resonated with everyone, and the situation gradually showed signs of getting out of control.

In the battle tonight, the 33rd Division divided its troops into three groups and launched an attack on the 98th Army positions guarding Xuequanling and the 15th Army positions in Donghonghong Village.

As a result, the 15th Army did not put up any resistance, retreated at the speed of light under the enemy's artillery shells, and fled directly to the deep mountains of Henghe Town.

Such an irresponsible move directly pitted the friendly forces that were still holding on.

The 33rd Division cooperated with the 41st Division to launch a general attack from three directions. In just six hours, one-third of the soldiers of the 98th Army were sacrificed.

"Commander, let's retreat too! It's still in time to leave now, and we can still join up with the 9th Army on the eastern front."

"The devils have at least 20,000 people, and we can't fight them with our limited resources. If we keep holding on like this, we'll all be finished at dawn!"

Looking at his wounded subordinates, Commander Wu was a little speechless for a while. He originally wanted to persuade everyone to hold on for a while, as long as the Eighth Route Army arrived at the battlefield, they could counterattack.

But the morale of the troops is extremely low now, and there will definitely be deserters if they continue to fight.

The order issued by the commander of the First War Zone is also unreliable. The enemy of two divisions is blocking the north, and the idea of ​​attacking the enemy's flank is like a joke.

After thinking for a while, he announced his decision.

"Retreat, troops at all levels break up into small groups and join up with the 9th Army in the south!"

Today's writing is so bad...

Two chapters tomorrow, 7~8k, some refreshing writing, so comfortable!