Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 114: The Tragedy of the Gui Army
At the 21st Army Group Headquarters, a military deployment meeting is underway, attended by officers above the rank of deputy division commander, and the level is very high.

The senior officers attending the meeting included 48th Army Commander Wei Yunsong, 173rd Division Commander He Weizhen, Deputy Division Commander Zhou Yuan, and Chief of Staff Lü Chucai;

174th Division, Commander Wang Zanbin, Deputy Commander Xia Guozhang, Chief of Staff Long Yanwu;
The 176th Division, with Qu Shounian as the division commander, Ling Yaxi as the deputy division commander, and Wen Kegang as the chief of staff.

The commander of the 171st Division was Yang Junchang, the deputy commander was Wang Jingsong, and the chief of staff was Fang Qin.

When the commander-in-chief, General Liao Lei, saw that everyone had gathered, he nodded to the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Zhang Gan, indicating that they could begin;

Zhang Gan looked around and said:
"Everyone, the main force of the Japanese army has crossed Yunzaobang. The national army suffered heavy casualties. The 20th Army of the Sichuan Army was almost completely killed and wounded. Among them, only more than 26 of the 5000 people in the 600th Division were evacuated.

The 19th Division of the Hunan Army suffered almost all casualties, the Central Army Tax Police Corps suffered nearly half casualties, and the 18th Army also suffered heavy losses. Now it is the turn of my Guangxi Army!
According to the instructions of the Military Commission, our 21st Army Group launched a counterattack against the Japanese troops who had crossed Yunzaobang and were not yet firmly established, striving to drive the devils into the river. The specific deployment is as follows..."

The 21st Group Army also did a lot of homework for this counterattack. The combat plan was very detailed, with specific division of labor for each division's combat tasks.

The Gui army had never planned to defend the battlefield to the death. They were all very enthusiastic. A counterattack was exactly what they wanted. Everyone stood up and expressed their opinions. Their spirits were high.

As early as the Northern Expedition, the Seventh Army had made a name for itself as the Steel Seventh Army, and was as famous as the Iron Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army, so they were not afraid of the Japanese army.

Seeing that the morale was good, Liao Lei nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Everyone, this is a national war, and we, the descendants of the Guangxi clique, have no choice but to shoulder our responsibilities in the face of national justice!

When we left Guangxi, Duke De asked us to rather die forward than live backward, so this time we had to meet the Japanese attack head-on and counter the attack with attack.

I heard that the Ninth Division is known as the Military Division, and our Steel Army has never been afraid of any strong enemy. It's a good opportunity to let them see who is the real strong army! "

Everyone stood up and shouted slogans:
"It is better to die forward than to live backward!"

At 21:2 p.m. on the 3st, with an order from Liao Lei, artillery preparations for the counterattack began. The National Army mobilized almost all the artillery it could concentrate, including the 4nd, 10rd, 16th, th, and th Artillery Regiments, the Artillery Battalion of the Teaching Corps, and the Central Artillery School Training Team. Hundreds of artillery pieces, large and small, launched a fierce bombardment on the positions of the th Division.

Shells rained down on the enemy's positions. For a moment, the sound of artillery roared, shrapnel flew everywhere, trenches were destroyed one after another, and the enemy suffered heavy casualties.

Especially the 150mm heavy howitzer, which could destroy a large area with one blast, and the Japanese also tasted the pain of being bombed.

Yoshika Ryosuke would not let the Nationalist Army have all the glory. They were well prepared for the Nationalist Army's counterattack and immediately ordered the 30th Heavy Artillery Brigade's 240 heavy artillery pieces with a gun diameter of mm or more to open fire.
At the same time, artillery regiments from the 101th Division, 13st Division, and th Division also joined the artillery battle.

The artillery of both sides were not at the same level in terms of quantity or quality. The Kuomintang artillery was quickly suppressed by the Japanese heavy artillery, resulting in heavy losses.

Despite the poor results of the artillery preparation, the main force of the 21st Army still launched a ground offensive an hour later;
Teams of Gui army soldiers wearing steel helmets and khaki uniforms braved the fierce artillery fire of the Japanese army and launched a charge towards the positions of the 9th Division.

A 305mm grenade hit the ground heavily, and after a deafening explosion, a huge pit several meters deep appeared on the ground.
All the soldiers within a hundred meters of the explosion center disappeared. Only a few helmets purchased before the war fell from the sky, creating a shallow pit covered with the blood of the martyrs...

The 1051st Regiment Commander Xie Dingxin's eyes became blurry. He saw with his own eyes that half of his company's brothers were blown to pieces by a shell, and few of their bodies were intact.

He immediately roared:
"Fuck your mother, brothers, charge - kill the devils!"

The remaining officers and soldiers of the 1051st Regiment followed closely behind and charged into the frontline positions of the Japanese. The khaki color instantly overwhelmed the shit-yellow color of the Japanese, and a bloody battle broke out between the two sides.

When Colonel Isa Kazuo of the 7th Regiment saw a group of Gui troops rushing towards their positions, he immediately gave the order for indiscriminate bombardment in a frenzied manner.

Rows of shells fell from the sky, covering the enemy's position. A 75mm mountain artillery shell exploded behind Captain Xie, and dozens of shrapnel hit him. Captain Xie fell to the ground unwillingly.

He sent troops from Guangxi and traveled thousands of miles, but collapsed in the first day of battle, dying before he could fulfill his ambition. His blood soaked the farewell letter he wrote to his wife and daughter in his pocket. He had written the suicide note before going to the battlefield, but unfortunately he never had the chance to send it.

Due to the indiscriminate bombardment of the Japanese, thousands of soldiers who had finally managed to break into the Japanese positions were killed or wounded. The attack on the night of the 21st was repelled by the Japanese, and the blood of the Gui army soldiers dyed the Japanese positions red...

On the 22nd, when the red sun rose again, the 21st Army launched another attack on the enemy positions.

The Japanese 21th Division, which had just crossed the river, also launched a counterattack against the st Army. The two sides responded with attack, and the th Heavy Artillery Brigade's shells pounded the Gui Army's attack camp in rows.

The soldiers suffered heavy casualties, but they did not retreat, and continued to attack, attack, and attack! ! !
At noon, Japanese aircraft also arrived to help, dropping bombs from the sky, each of which could take away a large number of Gui army soldiers.

Entire companies and battalions were sacrificed. The ground was filled with ochre-colored figures lying on the ground and blood flowed like a river. Steel helmets without their owners floated in the blood, telling of their unwillingness.

On the 23rd, the offensive entered its climax. The Japanese mobilized all their planes, heavy artillery, tanks, and poison gas to attack the Gui army's offensive column. Countless people were shot and fell in a pool of blood.

The 21st Army's offensive was also forced to stop. There was no way to fight any further. The firepower of both sides was simply not at the same level. Fighting against the Japanese was like a beggar competing with the Dragon King for treasures.

The Gui army's counterattack was unsustainable, and they could only switch to defense on the spot, but the hastily built fortifications could not withstand the bombardment of aircraft and heavy artillery;

Without fortifications, the soldiers could only use their flesh and blood to bear the enemy. When Major General Xia Guozhang, commander of the 522nd Brigade of the Seventh Army, saw the Japanese troops of the Seventh Regiment rushing up, he raised a rifle with a bayonet, glared angrily, and shouted:
"Brothers, kill the devils!"

The hundreds of soldiers remaining on the battlefield, along with Brigade Commander Xia, rushed forward to meet the Japs, and the two sides engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand combat;
Rows of Gui army soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield. After stabbing down several Japanese soldiers, Brigade Commander Xia was killed by ten Japanese soldiers. He was stabbed dozens of times and died for his country. The soldiers who followed him to fight the Japanese soldiers were almost wiped out. After the war, only a few seriously wounded soldiers were dug out from the pile of dead bodies... The Japanese soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. Many squadrons of the 9th Division that participated in the attack were wiped out, and there were many squadrons with only 20 to 30 people left. The main attacking 7th Regiment was hit hard again.

The 21st Army's counterattack ended in failure and suffered heavy losses. When Bai Jiansheng of the Guangxi clique received the damage report, even a tough man couldn't help but burst into tears. The casualties of the Guangxi army were too great.
A total of 4 troops from four divisions participated in the counterattack, of which the main force, the 35000th Army, suffered losses of nearly 48 people (4199 killed, 3050 injured, and 2638 missing), and the 7th Army suffered 2 casualties, with casualties exceeding %, which was considered to be a complete destruction.

This is just a counterattack. The upcoming defense battle will be even more brutal. Once you go up, it will be impossible to withdraw. This is a national war, and everything is for the country and the nation.

In Dachang Town, the badly damaged 21st Army retreated to the starting point of the battle. It was like a dream. With the heavy troops of three enemy divisions pressing in, they had no time to lick their wounds and immediately moved into the defense of Dachang.

Dachang, an inconspicuous town in the northern suburbs of Shanghai, has only one small street three miles long, but its geographical location is very important;
It is bordered by Zhabei and the Beijing-Shanghai Line to the south, Jiangwan and Songhu Railway to the east, Miaohang, Zhanghuabang, Yunzaobang and Paotai to the northeast, Liuhang, Luodian, Shizilin and Liuhe to the north, and Nanxiang, Chenhang, Guangfu and Jiading to the southwest.

It is like the center of a circle. Starting from here, it can radiate to every stronghold in the Songhu battlefield. It is only a few miles away from the Japanese positions in Jiangwan and Hongkou. It is the last strategic location for the Songhu battlefield to resist the landing enemy and meet up in the urban area.

国军在大场的部署是中路48军、87师261旅，左翼是湘军的18师和中央军36师一部、右翼是88师264旅，江湾还有88师262旅，兵力对于一个小镇来说还算充裕。

The area around Dachang is flat, with only the Zoumatang River flowing like a green ribbon from the southwest corner. The National Army built solid infantry and artillery positions around Dachang.

On the 24th, the main forces of the Japanese Army, the 9th Division, the 13th Division, and the 101st Division, arrived at the north bank of the Zoumatang River one after another, and engaged in fierce battles with the Nationalist troops in the east and west directions of the periphery. The Battle of Dachang officially began.

The Japanese deployment was that the 101st and 13th Divisions blocked the attacks of other National Army units on both wings, and the main force, the 3th Division, stormed Zoumatang River and captured Dachang. The commander-in-chief of the three Japanese divisions was Lieutenant General Yoshika Yoshisuke, commander of the th Division.

At this time, the Ninth Division had received thousands of reinforcements, and the four infantry regiments had recovered their combat effectiveness and morale was high. Yoshika Ryosuke was in high spirits and was eager to capture the Great Field and cut off the retreat of the Ninth Army in the city.
Seeing that Yoshika Ryosuke was in a good mood, Chief of Staff Colonel Nakagawa Hiroshi said in a playful manner:

"Your Excellency, the division commander, it is true that enemies often meet on a narrow road. According to intelligence, the ones defending the right wing of Dachang are our old rivals, the 88th Brigade of the 264th Division, and the ones in the middle are the 48th Army of the Guangxi Clique. They suffered heavy losses in the previous battle with the Imperial Army and their morale is low. The left wing is the 22nd Army of the Hunan Army.
The number sounds like a strong force, but most of the divisions are less than 60% of their strength, with huge consumption of ammunition and supplies, and their combat effectiveness is greatly reduced.

And Dachang has no strategic location to defend. It will surely collapse under the attack of the Imperial Army's aircraft and heavy artillery. It's a good time to settle old and new accounts together!"

Yoshika Ryosuke rubbed the sanitary beard on his lips with a smug look on his face and said arrogantly:
"Yoshi, they are just a bunch of defeated soldiers, not worth mentioning. Zoumatang is not Yunzaobang, let them have a taste of the bitterness of being bombed this time.

If we calculate the time, the air warriors of the Empire will arrive soon. Let's enjoy this rare feast, a feast of slaughtering the Chinese people!"

As soon as Yoshika Ryosuke finished speaking, the roar of a fleet of aircraft was heard in the sky, and Colonel Nakagawa Hiroshi exclaimed:
"Your Excellency the division commander is truly a god! Speak of the devil and he will appear!

There are at least hundreds of them, and their wings are enough to cover the sky and the sun. This is definitely a force from hell, enough to destroy everything in the field."

"Mr. Nakagawa, this is just an appetizer. There are heavy artillery regiments behind us, all of which are heavy artillery of 200 mm or more. This time the Imperial Army wants to wipe out the Great Field from the map. Notify all regiments to prepare to go up and collect the bodies of the Chinese - remember, the Wushi Regiment does not want prisoners!"

As expected, they were the Beast Division that killed the most prisoners in Jinling City. Their brutality was no less than that of the Sixth Division and the Sixteenth Division.

Colonel Nakagawa Hiroshi excitedly took the order and left, while Yoshika Ryosuke picked up the telescope and watched with interest the Japanese aircraft fleet's devastation of the Ohba position.

At the 528th Regiment’s position, the sound of anti-aircraft whistles pierced the sky, and teams of soldiers entered the anti-artillery holes of various sizes in an orderly manner;
These anti-artillery caves were built under the guidance of the backbone members of the Second Battalion of the 527th Regiment. They were extremely strong and would not cause much damage to the defenders in the caves unless they were directly hit by heavy artillery shells.

The biggest threat from artillery is shrapnel damage, followed by shock waves. Anti-gun holes can avoid most of the damage from shrapnel, reduce the damage to the human body caused by shock waves, and effectively reduce casualties from artillery fire. If tunnels can be dug, even the Americans' heavy bombs will be useless.

Although the enemy had many planes, the bombs that could land on the 528th Regiment were limited, but the damage to the entire Dachang defense line was great, and the total casualties of all the troops exceeded 3.

Soon after, the Japanese heavy artillery started firing again. This was a real killer weapon. Each grenade could destroy a large section of the trench, causing huge casualties to the defenders.

The Japanese shells dropped tons upon tons, which lasted for most of the morning, almost flattening the Dachang position. It was unknown how many people did not survive this round of shelling;
Those surviving soldiers simply huddled in the trenches and endured it silently, no one knew whether a shell would fall on their head the next moment.

It was unknown how long it took for the artillery fire to extend, and before the defenders could react, the Japanese infantry launched a fierce attack;

Thousands of Japanese soldiers poured into the Zoumatang River like a swarm of locusts. The defenders' positions were instantly revived. Countless light and heavy firepower poured bullets at the Japanese soldiers, mowing them down in groups. The river water soon turned red, and shit-yellow corpses covered the surface of the river.

Zoumatang, also known as Qianxi, was dug by Qian Liu, the King of Wuyue during the Five Dynasties to reap the benefits of fishery salt. According to legend, Han Shizhong, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, stationed his troops in Jiangwan and Dachang areas and rode his horses back and forth on the river bank, hence the name Zoumatang.

It starts from Fengbang in the west, flows northeast through Nanxiang and Dachang, and connects to Xiaojipu at the Songhu Railway in Jiangwan Town. It is about 20.8 kilometers long and about 6 meters wide at the bottom.

Due to the narrowness of the river, it was not dangerous at all, but it could slow down the speed of the Japanese infantry's attack and block the tanks that posed a great threat.

The Japanese infantry used wooden ladders to build a pontoon bridge, and even waded across the river fiercely. Their heavy machine guns were set up on the high ground on the north bank to suppress the firepower of the defenders and cover the infantry's forced crossing of the river.

As more and more Japanese infantrymen died, the narrow river channel was almost filled with corpses. The frenzied Japanese soldiers crossed Zoumatang on the corpses of their companions and launched a fierce attack on the main position of the defenders.
The Japanese regiment artillery continued to bombard the defenders' positions, destroying one firing point after another. The defenders' casualties increased sharply, and they were once again plunged into a bitter battle.

Yesterday, one chapter was duplicated due to review. I didn’t understand it very well the first time and was worried that it would delay everyone’s reading. Today, 5 chapters were reduced to 3 chapters, with the first two chapters at 4 and the last chapter at 2.

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(End of this chapter)