novelAbuy Chapter 225 A Shocking Turn of Events: The Principal Who Backed Down at the Last Minute, Qiu Qingqua
Chapter 225 A Shocking Turn of Events: The Principal Who Backed Down at the Last Minute, Qiu Qingqua
He knew all too well that there were two Japanese divisions along the Fujin Mountain line, with a total strength of 80,000 men.
He never expected that Nishio Toshizo would be so ruthless, directly abandoning the gains made in the southern offensive.
All main forces were transferred to the Huainan battlefield to join the operation to encircle and annihilate Li Jianghe's Third Column.
"This Toshizo Nishio is really gambling with his life!"
The principal strode to the map, tapped his finger heavily on the location of Huainan, and his voice trembled slightly.
"He completely abandoned the offensive on the southern front and concentrated all his main forces in the Huainan region."
Commander He nodded immediately, his voice filled with even more worry.
"That's right, that's exactly what I'm most worried about."
"Our original plan was to win a quick battle and wipe out the Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions as quickly as possible."
"But now two divisions on the southern front have also gotten involved, and our forces may not be enough."
In Commander He's mind, even the worst possible outcome had already appeared.
Once Li Jianghe's Third Column was surrounded by the Japanese army, the entire army was wiped out.
The counter-attacking forces on the west bank of the Nashi River would also be routed after the Japanese army annihilated the Third Column.
At that time, there will no longer be enough troops to garrison Gushi, Huangchuan, and Xinyang west of the Shi River.
The western gateway to Wuhan will be fully open.
The principal naturally considered this possibility and even believed that the probability of this happening was extremely high.
"I understand what you mean. It's really a difficult decision to make in situations like this."
The principal's voice carried a lingering weariness.
Commander He leaned forward and whispered a suggestion:
"If the risk is too great, why not have Li Jianghe's troops withdraw temporarily?"
"The main force of the Japanese army on the southern front has not yet arrived at the battlefield, and Li Jianghe's armored units have extremely strong mobility."
"If we retreat now, we still have a chance to escape unscathed."
Upon hearing this, the principal fell silent again, pacing back and forth in the room.
He was caught in a fierce internal struggle and was undecided.
He simply couldn't afford to lose.
In particular, the Japanese army in the Jiujiang area has launched a counter-offensive and achieved considerable results.
If the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains suffer another crushing defeat, the entire city of Wuhan will definitely fall completely in a short period of time.
He couldn't bear the consequences, nor could the entire Nationalist government.
After a long period of contemplation, the principal finally stopped and let out a long sigh.
"Send a telegram to Li Jianghe, truthfully informing him that the main force of the Japanese army in the direction of Fujinshan has advanced towards Huainan."
"Tell him that the balance of power on the battlefield has been reversed, and he must act with extreme caution."
"If the encirclement and annihilation operation cannot be carried out, abandon Huainan immediately and retreat at full speed before the main force of the Japanese army on the southern front arrives."
In Huangchuan, at the Fifth War Zone Command Headquarters, the smell of medicine mixed with the smell of cigarettes filled the room.
Commander Li was suffering from a cough, covering his mouth and coughing one after another until his face turned red.
When the staff officer handed him the telegram from the Wuhan headquarters, he scanned the contents and coughed even more violently.
After finally catching his breath, he slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it clang loudly.
"Indecisive, wavering back and forth! He's hesitant to take risks when it comes to great things! What on earth is the Chairman thinking?!"
The usually composed Commander Li was now trembling with anger, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.
He naturally already knew about the movements of the Japanese troops in the direction of Fujin Mountain.
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But at this critical juncture, where is there any way out?
This was precisely the moment when the arrow was on the bowstring and a hair's breadth was about to fall.
Allowing Li Jianghe's Third Column to retreat now would be tantamount to wasting all previous efforts, and might even push the troops into a fire pit.
Putting everything else aside, just the repeated bombing raids by Japanese aircraft during the retreat would cause the Third Column to suffer huge losses for nothing.
Not to mention, if they retreat, the entire battle situation on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains will collapse instantly.
Officer Bai, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward, handed him a cup of hot water, and gently patted his back.
"Don't get angry; it's not worth hurting your health."
"But our troop strength on the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains is indeed limited."
"If the principal's Central Army remains inactive and only relies on the Northwest Army to launch a counter-offensive on the west bank of the Shi River, it will not attract many Japanese troops at all."
Commander Bai knew all too well that the support of the Central Army was indispensable for this operation.
Although Song Xilian's 71st Army and Hu Zongnan's troops are now classified as operational units of the Fifth War Zone.
But they only obeyed the principal's orders.
To them, Commander Li's telegrams were no different from waste paper; they were even too rough to use for wiping their bottoms.
Commander Li took a sip of hot water to suppress his cough, his gaze fixed intently on the map.
He knew better than anyone that the Third Column absolutely could not be withdrawn, and this encirclement and annihilation battle had to be fought.
Moreover, we must bring in the Central Army's 71st Army and Hu Zongnan's troops to fight together.
Only in this way can we have a chance of winning.
Finally, he slammed his fist on the table again, having made up his mind.
"I'm going to Hu Zongnan's headquarters to talk to him in person!"
"You send a telegram to Song Xilian. He has a close relationship with Li Jianghe and is a hero who is wholeheartedly committed to resisting the Japanese."
"Let him launch a full-scale counterattack in the direction of Fujin Mountain tomorrow, preferably by crossing the Shi River and pinning the Japanese army down in place!"
Commander Li knew very well that Li Jianghe had already done enough.
Now, as the commander-in-chief of the theater, he must also step forward and do what he should do.
These two troops, Hu Zongnan's and Song Xilian's, were crucial.
We must involve them in this offensive for there to be any chance of winning this battle.
Commander Bai frowned deeply as he looked at his pale face.
"Your body... needs rest, I'll go instead."
But after coughing for a while, Commander Li waved his hand firmly, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"No, only I can handle this personally."
"Now is the most critical moment in the battle. My little illness is nothing compared to the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in the Third Column."
As soon as he finished speaking, he loudly gave orders to his adjutant outside the door.
"Prepare the car! Head to Hu Zongnan's command post tonight!"
In the darkness, several military trucks and jeeps drove out of the Fifth War Zone headquarters and sped westward towards Gushi.
The wheels rolled over the potholed road, kicking up clouds of dust, carrying the theater commander to a crucial meeting that would determine the course of the war.
In Hu Zongnan's command post, he did not fall asleep, but was looking at the telegram sent by the principal.
He placed the telegram on the table, his expression not pleasant.
He wanted to participate in the counter-offensive against the Japanese army, but the telegram sent by the principal instructed them to prepare for the deployment of defenses on the west bank of the Shi River.
Qiu Qingquan looked at the contents of the telegram, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted angrily:
"What are they doing? Li Jianghe's Third Column has already formed an encirclement. Are we, the Central Army, going to cower like turtles at this point?"