novelAbuy Chapter 112 Shocks the Fifth War Zone Command Headquarters, Telegram Orders Issued to Tang Enbo'
Chapter 112 Shocks the Fifth War Zone Command Headquarters, Telegram Orders Issued to Tang Enbo'
Sure enough, the communications soldier smiled and said:
"Chief of staff, there's no need to lead the troops. The Japanese tanks stepped on a landmine and were blown to pieces. They've already turned around and fled."
After saying that, he looked at Li Jianghe and said:
"Thanks to Commander Li's engineers, who laid anti-tank mines in advance, the Japanese tanks realized something was wrong and didn't dare to advance any further. It seems these little devils are afraid of death too."
Wang Mingzhang laughed heartily and said:
"Rise up, Jianghe! Rise up, Independent Third Detachment! The Japanese tanks and planes used to bully us, but this time they'll suffer a crushing defeat!"
Zhao Weibin then proceeded to praise eloquently:
"If only General Li Guang were here, the barbarian cavalry would never dare to cross the Yin Mountains. If all Chinese soldiers were like you, Jiang He, how dare the Japanese invaders humiliate China?"
At the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, Commander Bai, looking worried, said:
"We just received intelligence that Japanese warplanes have taken off and tank units have been transferred to Tengxian."
Seven or eight hours have passed since this morning. I wonder if Wang Mingzhang and Li Jianghe can hold on.
He was well aware of the formidable strength of the Japanese tanks and aircraft.
After all, the Fifth War Zone was mostly composed of ragtag troops, with a severe shortage of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. They could fight to the death against Japanese tanks, but they could only watch helplessly when faced with Japanese aircraft.
"I believe in them. The Sichuan Army is courageous and can fight tough battles. Li Jianghe is also a good fighter. Holding out for three days is difficult, but it is not impossible."
Commander Li stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on Teng County.
This area is currently the focus of the battle, and it is conceivable that the Japanese 10th Division, and even the Japanese North China Area Army Headquarters, are paying close attention to it.
Commander Bai remained deeply worried.
"I don't doubt their fighting spirit, but the gap in weaponry and equipment is quite significant."
As they were talking, a communications soldier stood up and said:
"Report: A telegram has arrived from Tengxian County, stating that two large-scale Japanese attacks were repelled, five aircraft were shot down, eight tanks were destroyed, and at least three hundred Japanese soldiers were killed."
The two turned around almost simultaneously and said in unison:
"What!?"
The communications soldier could only relay the contents of the telegram again.
Commander Li looked at Commander Bai and said with a smile:
"See? I wasn't wrong, was I? Li Jianghe is a capable fighter. In just one morning, he not only defended Teng County, but also inflicted considerable casualties on the Japanese."
Commander Bai, also looking incredulous, took the telegram and checked it repeatedly before his expression relaxed. He then smiled and said:
"It's truly unexpected that Li Jianghe, leading a group of new recruits, could achieve such an impressive record. It's truly astonishing."
At this point, he changed the subject, his tone tinged with doubt.
"However... while tanks can be destroyed with artillery or grenades, the Japanese planes are flying in the sky. They can't exactly blow up planes with grenades."
Commander Li offered a reminder:
"You must have forgotten that Li Jianghe previously used machine gun fire to defeat the Japanese army in Nanjing and Shanghai."
This time it will probably be the same method. The Japanese troops in the North China Area Army probably don't have much intelligence sharing with the Central China Expeditionary Army and don't know that Li Jianghe's troops can also defend against air attacks.
"I see, that explains everything."
After Commander Bai finished speaking, he turned to Commander Li and said:
Even so, the situation is not optimistic.
As he said this, he handed over the telegram.
Actually, the messenger had only reported the good news and hadn't had time to read the second half aloud.
The latter part of the telegram roughly meant that although they had inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese army, the Japanese artillery fire was fierce, many sections of the city wall collapsed, large areas of residential buildings in the city caught fire, and a large number of soldiers and civilians were killed or injured by artillery shells.
Therefore, we still hope that the Fifth War Zone Command can send troops to support Teng County.
"Which other military units are currently available to provide support to Tengxian?"
Commander Li turned his head and asked.
He also knew very well that Wang Mingzhang would not have asked for help unless he was in a really difficult situation.
Commander Bai pondered for a moment and said:
"There's another unit, but we don't know if we can mobilize it."
"Tang Enbo?"
Commander Li immediately understood what he meant.
Compared to the core Guangxi Army, the Northwest Army, Sichuan Army, and parts of the Northeast Army, which were later added to the Fifth War Zone, belonged to different factions, but Commander Li's orders still had some effect.
However, Tang Enbo was the only exception. He was one of Chiang Kai-shek's men. Although his 20th Army Group had a large number of soldiers and generals and was well-equipped, his orders did not carry any weight with this man.
"That's right. His 20th Army Group has nearly 60,000 men, and they are the core troops of the Central Army. They are well-equipped, and they fought a tough battle with the 5th Division at Nankou before. How about we send a regiment, no, a brigade, to provide support?"
Officer Bai inquired.
The reason he changed a regiment into a brigade was because he knew that the order might be compromised when it reached Tang Enbo.
If I had asked him to support a whole regiment from the beginning, he might have ended up sending only a battalion.
Why not just send him to support a brigade? Maybe eventually a regiment will be able to get there.
"We'll try anything, no matter what."
After Commander Li finished speaking, he turned to the telegraph operator and said:
"Electric Tang Enbo Department".
Inside the 20th Army Group headquarters, Chief of Staff Wan Jianfan raised his slender eyebrows as he looked at the telegram sent by the Fifth Theater Command.
"Commander, the Fifth War Zone Command has ordered my unit to dispatch a brigade to immediately reinforce Teng County."
Tang Enbo sat in a chair, wearing a dark green cloak, and said with a flash of his eyes:
"Teng County? Teng County hasn't been taken yet?"
He knew the strength of the Japanese army's Setani Detachment; it had tanks, aircraft, and dozens of artillery pieces, including many heavy artillery pieces.
According to Tang Enbo's previous calculations, the city walls of Tengxian would be breached within an hour, and a large-scale assault would allow the Japanese army to storm into the city.
By noon at the latest, the Sichuan troops in the city would have fled in disarray.
As for the men Li Jianghe brought, they were just a bunch of greenhorns. What good were they?
I'm afraid I'll wet my pants as soon as the cannon fire starts.
"It seems the city hasn't been captured, but the garrison has likely suffered heavy casualties. Should we send in reinforcements?"
Wan Jianfan inquired.
Tang Enbo pondered for a moment and said:
"We still need to give this Commander Li some face."
Having said that, he tapped the table lightly with his index finger:
"One brigade is too much. Send a regiment instead. If we encounter Japanese resistance en route, we will withdraw. If we do not encounter resistance, we will garrison Tengxian, but only as a reserve force."
At this point, Tang Enbo added another sentence.
"Set off after dark. During the day, the Japanese have planes, and we are likely to be bombed."