novelAbuy Chapter 224 The main force of the Japanese army assembles, and tens of thousands of troops besiege t
Chapter 224 The main force of the Japanese army assembles, and tens of thousands of troops besiege t
Dozens of tanks, arranged in a wedge formation, roared into the town, their vehicle-mounted machine guns firing wildly, suppressing all the firing positions that tried to resist.
The armored vehicle's hatch opened, and soldiers jumped out, submachine guns in hand, quickly mopping up the remaining enemy forces in the alley.
Gunshots and grenade explosions rang out one after another, but they didn't last long.
The entire battle ended in less than an hour.
Changji Town was completely controlled by the tank detachment, the Japanese garrison was annihilated, and the puppet security regiment surrendered directly with a white flag.
In the Japanese army's temporary command post in the center of the town, Bai Chengshan stood with one foot on the Japanese flag on the ground.
He gave a stern order to the communications soldier beside him: "Send a telegram to the column headquarters: Our unit has successfully taken control of Changji Town!"
At the same time that Baichengshan captured Changji Town.
Wang Dayong's Third Motorized Infantry Detachment also sped along the highway, taking over Sanyuan Town, located between Changji Town and Yeji Town, with overwhelming force.
The attack here was even simpler, because the Japanese troops deployed here consisted of only a small squad of about sixty men.
Upon seeing the large number of tanks charging forward, these men made a decision that defied their superiors—to flee.
Unfortunately, their mule carts, with their short legs, were no match for the high-speed armored units charging forward.
After the brief gunfire subsided, the Japanese squad was completely annihilated. Outside Sanyuan Town, engineers from the motorized infantry detachment began constructing defensive positions.
Naturally, they didn't use shovels, but rather engineering vehicles from the engineering corps.
These engineering vehicles can quickly dig trenches, lay mines, and erect barbed wire, greatly improving their efficiency in constructing defensive fortifications.
Thus, the Third Motorized Infantry Detachment and the Tank Detachment, one in the east and one in the west, formed a mutually supporting defensive position.
This completely blocked the Japanese army's retreat route to the south in Gushi and cut off the supply line in the direction of Lu'an.
They are ready to respond to Japanese counterattacks from the direction of Fujinshan and the direction of Hefei at any time.
According to Li Jianghe's previous prediction, the Japanese forces in Hefei were already weak, and in order to defend this important city, Nishio Juzo did not dare to send out many troops to launch a counterattack.
Inside Huainan City, the atmosphere in the temporary command post of the Third Column was electric.
On the huge battle map on the wall, the attack arrows marked in red are gradually tightening the encirclement of the Japanese army in Gushi.
Li Jianghe couldn't help but smile as he looked at the good news sent by Wang Dayong and Bai Chengshan.
"Those two guys are really fast." He turned to Yang Ruifu beside him, "Where is the main force of the troops now?"
"The main force has already launched an attack on Huoqiu County." Yang Ruifu pointed to the location of Huoqiu on the map, but his tone was somewhat surprised.
"However, something unexpected happened: the main force of the Sixth Division is actually advancing towards Huoqiu."
"The 10th Division's movements are similar; it seems they intend to engage us in a decisive battle in the Huoqiu area."
Yang Ruifu really couldn't understand it.
Given the current battle situation, the most sensible choice for the Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions is to retreat south immediately.
Now they've actually turned around and launched a counterattack, heading towards Huainan?
What else could this be but utter madness?
Li Jianghe was also taken aback for a moment, then quickly walked to the map, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Could it be that Nishio Toshizo is truly determined to launch a counterattack against Huainan?"
He stroked his chin and quickly figured out the key point.
The reason why Nishio Juzo dared to take such a gamble was simply because he had identified three key points.
First, his third column was deep in enemy territory, without reinforcements, and with limited manpower.
Secondly, the Japanese army had absolute air superiority, and the Third Column had no air force and could only passively defend against air attacks.
Third, and most importantly, the Japanese army still had two divisions heavily stationed along the Fujin Mountain line, including an elite Imperial Guard Division.
If these two forces abandon their offensive at Fujinshan and advance northward along the Changjizhen-Sanyuanzhen line to attack Huainan, the Japanese army will have an absolute advantage in troop strength.
"Nishio Toshizo has staked everything on this, planning a high-stakes gamble with us."
Li Jianghe smiled, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a strong fighting spirit.
"That's fine, let's finish this off right here."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Yang Ruifu and gave the order in a deep voice.
"Immediately notify Wang Dayong and Bai Chengshan, and have them closely monitor the movements of the Japanese troops in the direction of Fujinshan and defend it at all costs."
"At the same time, a telegram was sent to the war zone headquarters, requesting that the troops on the west bank of the Shi River launch a counter-offensive against the Japanese army as soon as possible."
"Especially along the Gushi line, the fiercer their counterattack, the fewer troops the Japanese can muster in Huoqiu."
Li Jianghe knew better than anyone that his third column alone was far from enough to win this battle.
His third column had a total strength of only about 40,000 troops.
The Japanese army on the opposite side, consisting of just the two divisions on the northern front, plus attached troops, numbered at least 70,000.
If the Japanese troops at Fujinshan on the southern front abandon their offensive and also gather in Huainan, then another 80,000 troops will be added.
In the late autumn of Wuchang, at the Wuhan Military Headquarters, the mist from the Yangtze River drifted into the headquarters building on the wind.
The lights were on all night in the principal's office, and he had been pacing back and forth all night.
His gaze kept falling on the map of the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains on the wall, his heart filled with anxiety as he waited for news from the front lines.
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Commander He strode in, his face filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Commander-in-Chief! Breaking news! Li Jianghe's tank units have cut off the retreat route of the Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions to the south!"
"They occupied Changji Town and Sanyuan Town respectively, completely cutting off the Japanese army's transportation lines!"
"Li Jianghe has now sent a telegram requesting that the troops on the west bank of the Shi River immediately launch a counter-offensive against the Japanese army and cross the river to carry out the operation!"
Upon hearing that Li Jianghe's troops had actually cut off the Japanese army's retreat route, the principal abruptly stopped in his tracks.
His tone was filled with barely suppressed excitement and disbelief.
"Really? That's incredibly fast! The speed of their attack and flanking maneuvers is simply unprecedented!"
But as he spoke, he noticed that the excitement on Commander He's face faded, replaced by a look of seriousness.
The principal's smile vanished instantly, and he asked in a deep voice, "You don't seem very enthusiastic. What's wrong? Is there some other variable?"
Commander He nodded and handed over another telegram in his hand, his tone heavy.
"There are definitely variables, and huge variables at that."
"This is an urgent telegram from Song Xilian in the direction of Fujinshan."
"The Japanese troops that were originally fighting him in the Fujin Mountain area suddenly began to retreat on a large scale."
"A considerable portion of the main force withdrew to the east bank of the Shi River, leaving only about a brigade in Fujin Mountain to contain Song Xilian's troops."
The principal's heart skipped a beat.
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