novelAbuy Chapter 218 The Invasion of Huainan City
Chapter 218 The Invasion of Huainan City
On the city wall, Japanese soldiers huddled behind the crenellations, clutching their guns, their faces pale.
The roar of engines in the distance grew louder and louder, making the bricks and stones underfoot tremble slightly.
How many troops do we have left?
Nobuaki Ohno composed himself and asked in a hoarse voice.
"Including logistics, military police, and engineers, there are about three thousand people."
The staff officer replied with his head down, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"The soldiers at the outer outposts have all perished for the Empire."
"That's enough."
Nobuaki Ohno gritted his teeth, forcing a hint of confidence into his eyes.
"Move all the anti-tank weapons from the warehouse to the city walls for defense!"
"I want to see whether their armored vehicles are tougher, or our anti-tank guns are more powerful!"
He knew all too well that this was the main logistics depot for the Japanese army on the northern front.
The warehouse contained ammunition and fuel for two entire divisions, and nearly fifty anti-tank guns alone.
With these savings, he was confident he could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Just as he was peering over the battlements, observing the movements of the Third Column outside the city.
On a high ground two kilometers outside the city, Li Jianghe was also looking at the city wall of Huainan through binoculars.
Through the telescope's lens, one could clearly see Japanese troops hurriedly setting up cannons on the city wall.
"Commander, the reconnaissance squad just sent a telegram!"
Yang Ruifu strode forward and handed over an encrypted telegram.
"The Japanese troops in the Gushi direction have been fully mobilized, and the first batch of support troops all traveled by truck."
"We should be able to reach the walls of Huainan before dawn at the earliest."
"How many troops are there in total?" Li Jianghe asked casually, putting down his binoculars.
"At least two brigades, with the vanguard being the 45th Regiment of the 36th Brigade of Mitsuru Ushijima."
Yang Ruifu said with certainty, "The division headquarters gave them all the trucks they could."
"Therefore, we don't have much time left to attack Huainan. It would be best to take it within two days."
Upon hearing this, Li Jianghe smiled calmly and lightly tapped the mark of Huainan on the map.
"Two days? That underestimates our ability to overcome difficulties."
"One day is enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to the messenger behind him and gave a solemn order.
"Order the troops to launch a general offensive against Huainan within half an hour!"
"Concentrate howitzer fire on the city walls and blast a breach!"
"Once the breach was opened, the tank units immediately led the charge, relentlessly defeating the Japanese troops inside the city!"
"yes!!!"
The messenger responded loudly, turned around, and ran quickly toward the communications vehicle.
Li Jianghe dared to issue this order not only because he trusted his troops' ability to overcome difficulties.
More importantly, the Japanese troops in Huainan were completely unprepared to deal with a surprise attack by armored forces.
An old brick and stone wall alone is no match for the impact of an armored formation.
These Japanese troops didn't even have time to lay anti-tank mines outside the city walls.
Just before dusk completely set in, Wang Chengzhu's artillery position finally completed all firing preparations.
Hundreds of medium and large caliber cannons were all aimed at the western city wall of Huainan.
As soon as the command "Fire!" was given, the entire artillery position was instantly engulfed in flames.
The cannonballs, trailing sharp whistles, pierced the gloomy sky and crashed down on the Huainan city wall.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!"
The deafening explosion shattered the silence of dusk in an instant.
The 105mm howitzer shells slammed solidly into the old brick and stone city walls.
The bricks and stones were instantly blasted to pieces, and dust and rubble shot into the sky before crashing down.
The Japanese soldiers on the city wall were torn apart by the shockwave of the explosion before they could even scream.
The newly erected anti-tank gun, along with the artillerymen operating it, was blown into the air.
In the office of the Wuhan Headquarters.
Commander He, holding a newly translated telegram, strode to his desk.
"Commander, an urgent telegram has arrived from the Fifth War Zone Headquarters."
"Li Jianghe's troops have advanced to the outskirts of Huainan, and the Japanese army in the Gushi direction has also made large-scale mobilizations."
"Judging from the situation, they should be rushing to Huainan at full speed."
Upon hearing this, the principal's gaze sharpened instantly, and he immediately stood up from his chair.
Leaning on his walking stick, he strode quickly to the huge battle map on the wall.
"There is a Japanese infantry regiment guarding the city walls and fortifications in Huainan City."
His fingertips tapped lightly on the mark of Huainan as he slowly spoke.
"Can Li Jianghe's troops take this place before Japanese reinforcements arrive?"
Commander He stood to the side, a hint of hesitation on his face.
"To be honest, I'm not sure either."
"After all, the combat effectiveness of Li Jianghe's third column can never be judged by common sense."
The principal turned to him and asked another question.
"To put it another way, what if it were four German-equipped divisions at their peak fighting?"
"Can we take Huainan within three days?"
Commander He lowered his head and pondered for a while, before finally shaking his head slowly.
"In my opinion, it's difficult. The Japanese army in the city has a huge amount of ammunition and weaponry, as well as more than 3,000 elite soldiers."
"Even if we fight for a week, we might not be able to win."
Commander He was deeply impressed by the combat effectiveness of the Japanese infantry regiment.
During the Battle of Shanghai, a single Japanese regiment could sometimes overpower two Chinese divisions.
The principal had the same concerns.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking to the adjutant outside the door.
"Send a telegram to Hu Zongnan, ordering his vanguard to immediately advance to the Huangchuan area and await orders."
"The main force will remain in Xinyang and is not to advance an inch without my order."
He knew better than anyone that the key to this battle lay entirely with Li Jianghe.
If the Third Column fails to capture Huainan and destroy the Japanese military supplies before the arrival of Japanese reinforcements,
Then the subsequent encirclement and annihilation plan became nothing more than empty talk.
Night completely enveloped the land of western Anhui.
The western wall of Huainan City has been blasted open by artillery fire, leaving three huge breaches.
These old city walls, built a century ago, could not withstand the repeated bombardment of 105mm howitzers.
The bricks and stones crumbled, revealing the rammed earth core inside, which became entrances leading directly into the city.
Under the cover of night, the armored units of the Third Column launched an attack from the north and west simultaneously.
The roar of tank and armored vehicle engines shook the heavens and the earth as they repeatedly charged toward the breach in the city wall.
On the open ground in front of the city wall, several armored vehicles that had been hit by Japanese anti-tank guns were burning fiercely.
The firelight illuminated the shell casings scattered on the ground, as well as the bodies of fallen soldiers, lying quietly on the scorched earth.
It must be said that the anti-tank guns deployed by the Japanese army on the city walls did play a certain role.
Even so, Ono Nobuaki, standing on the castle tower, still had a furrowed brow and his nerves were stretched to the limit.
Because the Japanese army suffered far greater losses than the Third Column.
Every anti-tank firing point on the city wall would immediately become a key target for the Third Column.
The vehicle-mounted cannons can lock onto targets instantly and suppress or destroy them with overwhelming firepower.
Often, Japanese anti-tank guns would be blown to bits by oncoming shells after firing just two shells.
The artillerymen who were operating the equipment were also blown to pieces.
Moreover, a large number of armored vehicles were covering the infantry as they repeatedly rushed into the streets through the breaches in the city wall.
The two sides engaged in fierce street fighting in the narrow streets, with gunfire and explosions continuing throughout the night.
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