Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 229 Battle of Wuhu (2)

After Colonel Liangjiao learned that the defenders were at most a battalion, he no longer took them seriously. The Japanese regiments were targeted at China's divisions or even armies.

He immediately ordered to fire at the Second Battalion's position. The firepower of the regiment's artillery was much greater than that of the battalion level. Shi Song's mission of holding off the enemy for an hour had been accomplished, so he had a good reason to rout.
When the Japanese fired row after row of artillery shells at the defenders' crude positions, the defenders were defeated in just a few minutes.

First a small number of them fled, then the entire group fled, and finally the entire line was defeated. The two-horned colonel said triumphantly:
"Oi-kun, this is the true fighting power of the Chinese. Trying to stop the attack of an entire regiment of the Imperial Army with just a few hundred people is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

Although Major Oi felt that something was a little strange, he could figure it out after thinking about it carefully. The defenders' position was just a tiny earthen slope with some simple earthworks. It was impossible for a few hundred people to withstand the attack of a regiment.

Not to mention hundreds of people, thousands of people can't stop it. The defeat of Kitano's team was just an accident. Thinking of this, he took over the conversation and said:

"Sir, the defenders are estimated to have only about a thousand men. Excluding those killed in the bombing, there are at most a few hundred left. Using the regiment's artillery to bomb them is like overkill."

Colonel Two-horn laughed and said:
"This is called a lion fighting a rabbit with all its strength. This should be a frontline position of the Chinese. The big boss is behind. Order the warriors to chase them immediately. Don't give them a chance to breathe. The regiment headquarters will follow up!"

Although Colonel Liangjiao was a wild man, he was still good at fighting. After "defeating" the Second Battalion, he pursued the victory and broke through several defense lines of the defenders within half a day. He had already penetrated deep into the defense zone of the guerrilla column and was only a few kilometers away from Wuhu City.

At the same time, the attacks from both wings were blocked by the two battalions of the 65st and nd detachments. The distance between them and the th Regiment was getting larger and larger, which aroused the vigilance of Major Oi, who immediately warned Colonel Ryokaku:
"Sir, our troops have already advanced too far, and the 58th and 104th Regiments on both wings have not caught up, and the main force of the division has been left behind by dozens of kilometers.
It is too risky to advance alone. Should we stop and wait for the other two armies?"

The consecutive victories have made Colonel Liangjiao a little proud. Wuhu City is right in front of them. As long as they capture Wuhu City, they can not only gain the first credit, but also burn, kill, and loot in Wuhu and reap all the benefits. This is a city with developed industry and commerce.

This was a rare opportunity, so he would not share the spoils with the other two armies. He shook his hand nonchalantly and said:
"Oi-kun, you worry too much!
According to intelligence, the guerrilla column had only three detachments, less than 3 people (the organization of the Military and Political Department), with one detachment tied up on each of the left and right wings, and one detachment tied up in the direction of Xuancheng. Together with the defenders in the middle, Yue Qianli's forces were almost exhausted.

Even if the left and right wings were not a detachment, in order to withstand the attack of a regiment of the Imperial Army, at least two battalions would be needed, which meant that Yue Qianli could only have two battalions at most.

The main force of the division is only 20 kilometers away from us. If something unexpected happens, the 116th Regiment will come to reinforce us within a day.
Can Yue Qianli's troops surround and destroy the 65th Regiment in one day?"

It has to be said that Colonel Liangjiao's calculation of the military force is very accurate. War has its inherent rules. In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks are futile, and Yue Qianli cannot just throw beans and make soldiers.

Major Ooi thought about it and realized that the cards in the hands of both sides were almost all clear. The guerrilla column in Wuhu was an isolated force. Although they were very capable in fighting, their one and a half divisions were not to be trifled with.

Normally, the Chinese would have to gather more than 10 elite troops before they dared to fight. Thinking of this, he bowed to Colonel Liang Jiao and said:

"Sir, I was overthinking it. The strength of the Imperial Army in Wuhu even exceeds that of the guerrilla column. With equal strength, they cannot withstand the attack of the Imperial Army."

Colonel Ryokaku said with satisfaction:
“Oi-kun, you are a top student who graduated from the Army University and a member of the Saber Team. You have vision and knowledge, but what you lack is actual combat experience and the ability to read the battlefield;
Learn more from your predecessors. It is not enough to be cautious, you also need to be enterprising.

China has 200 million standing troops. If they were all good at calculations, the Empire would not be able to go to war with China.
In fact, the Imperial Army relied on only a dozen divisions from the Central and North China Fronts to defeat a million Chinese and occupy millions of lands in North and East China. The enemy's combat power ratio was at least 1 to 7. "Major Oi's blood boiled when he heard this. He now felt that he was too conservative and the gap between him and the commander of the regiment was huge.

After unifying their thoughts, the 65th Regiment continued to launch a fierce attack in the direction of Wuhu City, advancing straight into the city, forcing the defenders to retreat step by step, and they were about to reach the city of Wuhu;

At this time they encountered strong resistance. The troops in front of them had at least 2 people and had the advantage of geographical location.

As the vanguard, Kitano's battalion could only stop again and wait for the main force of the regiment to arrive;

This time, Major Kitano became much more pragmatic. The blocking position chosen by the defenders was located in the mountains and by the water, blocking the entrance to the city. If they wanted to launch an attack on Wuhu City, they had to capture Feiying Ridge, which was heavily guarded by the defenders.

Although Wuhu's terrain is very flat, there are also a lot of hills. Although Feiyingling is not high, it is right in the way leading into the city. On the other side is a hundred-meter-wide river and continuous lakes, which is not suitable for large troops to march.

There is a valley in front of Feiying Ridge, which is more than ten miles deep and several kilometers wide. A wide road passes through the valley with a wide view, making it very suitable for deploying troops.

The main forces of the 65th Regiment arrived one after another. After listening to the report from Major Kitano, Colonel Ryokaku said:
"I noticed Feiying Ridge on the map before. Although it is not a dangerous place, it is a must-go place to enter the city. Yue Qianli wants to defend Wuhu City, so Feiying Ridge must be defended.
It's just a small hill. It can't stop the Imperial Army's attack. Set up the cannons and fire at me!"

Colonel Liang Jiao's response was very simple and crude, that is, to attack with force. He would not wait for the other two armies to arrive before attacking.
The other two routes can avoid Feiying Ridge, but there are also lakes, water networks or hills blocking them. If they want to attack Wuhu, they must attack by force, and the Chinese will not give in.

The 1st Battalion of the 3rd Brigade defended Feiying Ridge. The battalion commander was none other than Li Jie, who was known for his defense. This was Yue Qianli's direct line of defense.
After many twists and turns, he became the battalion commander again. He had no choice due to the organizational restrictions. Fortunately, his battalion had 2 people, so he still lived the life of a regimental commander.

The 65th Regiment was the target chosen by the division to be annihilated. One battalion each from the 13st and nd detachments was used to block the other two armies of the th Division.

The main force of the 65st Detachment penetrated behind the 65th Regiment, cutting off the connection between the 13th Regiment and the main force of the th Division Headquarters, blocking the Japanese reinforcements.

Then the main forces of the Supplementary Detachment, the Second Detachment (lacking one battalion), and the Third Detachment, totaling 1 infantry battalions and 7 artillery battalions, were concentrated to encircle and annihilate the 3th Regiment;

The independent detachment served as a reserve force and also sent out a battalion to guard against the enemy in the direction of Xuancheng.

Of course, the units have not yet moved to their full positions, so the 1st Battalion of the 65rd Detachment is needed to block the th Regiment until dark;
After dark, the various units would use the cover of darkness to infiltrate and move to their positions, and after daybreak it would be the end of the 65th Regiment.

Da Jiao Ye Zuo was unaware of this. His mind was full of Wuhu City. As soon as the artillery troops arrived, they couldn't wait to launch an attack, and the Feiyingling blocking battle began.

(End of this chapter)