Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 240: Destroying the 13th Division
At the Central China Front Army Headquarters, General Hata Shunroku was overwhelmed by Ogisu Riki's farewell telegram. He had not expected to encounter such a sad thing just after taking office.
A division headquarters was about to be annihilated by the Chinese. Even he could not bear the responsibility. He could only place his hopes on the experienced Iinuma Mamoru and asked expectantly:
"Iinuma-kun, is there really no other way?"

Iinuma-no-Mori also had a bitter look on his face. As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. He couldn't conjure up any soldiers, so he had to bite the bullet and said:

"Commander, there is only one 18th Division around Wuhu, and one of their brigades is currently confronting a part of the guerrilla column in the Xuancheng area.
It will take at least one day for the main force to reach the main battlefield. If the guerrilla column sends out troops to block the attack, it may not arrive even after two days.

Now the 65th Regiment of Qingxi Ridge has been annihilated by the Chinese. They have already freed up thousands of troops. If they force the 104th and 58th Regiments to come to the rescue, they may have to sacrifice even more troops. "

Iinuma Mamoru only said half of his words, and General Hata Shunroku had already understood. Now they could only abandon the 13th Division headquarters and save the left and right wing troops. That way, the 13th Division would not be completely wiped out and the 18th Division would not suffer too much loss.

Hata Shunroku fell into deep thought. This decision was not easy to make, but he had to make it.

Hata Shunroku was once one of the three great men in the army, and he had a wide network of contacts in the headquarters. The death of a lieutenant general and a division commander would not affect his future. At most, he would be scolded by Yu Ren. He soon made up his mind and said to Iinuma Mamoru:
"The truth cannot be hidden. Report to the headquarters and win some honor for Ogisu-kun, so that he can serve the emperor with dignity.

The empire can afford to lose a lieutenant general, but it cannot be captured by the Chinese. The headquarters knows what to do.

In the name of the headquarters, a telegram was sent directly to the 58th and 104th Regiments, ordering them to abandon the rescue and quickly move closer to the main force of the 18th Division;

The troops in the Xuancheng direction also quickly broke away from contact with the guerrilla column, not giving them any more chances.

As long as the 58th and 104th Regiments are still there, the 13th Division can be rebuilt. The Empire cannot afford the blow of a division being completely wiped out."

Hata Shunroku returned to normal after giving the order. He was just a discarded pawn, so there was no need to keep him in mind.
Mamoru Iinuma also breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the commander had made the wisest decision and stopped the losses in time. This was already the best result.

A few hours later, Ogisu Rippei received a promotion order from the imperial headquarters. He finally obtained the coveted rank of general, which also blocked his way to surrender. This rank required him to exchange his life.

Ogisu Rikuhei understands politics. At his level, personal life and death are not the most important thing. Every lieutenant general has a huge family behind him, not to mention a general.
All the personal honors that the headquarters should give him were given to him. All he had to do was to be loyal to the emperor and not be captured by the Chinese, otherwise his family would be destroyed. There was no other choice!

Ogisu Ritsuhei's eyes became firm, and he said to Colonel Ishikawa calmly:

"Ishikawa-kun, the division headquarters is now in your hands. After I have fulfilled my loyalty to the Emperor, you will give the order to break out. No matter how many we break out, we will get what we deserve. Please!"

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Ishikawa to reply, he pulled out his Nambu pistol and shot him in the head, spraying red and white gunpowder all over the ground.
Ogisu Rikuhei did not choose to commit seppuku because he was afraid of the pain!

After Ishikawa checked that Ogisu Rikuhei was indeed dead, he bowed deeply to his body and then left with murderous intent.

He first took dozens of guards to kill all the confidential personnel in the division headquarters, smashed the radio station, and destroyed all the documents.

Then he went straight to the field hospital, where there were hundreds of doctors and nurses, and he would definitely not leave them for the Chinese to enjoy;
When Colonel Ishikawa walked into the hospital, his lover, Dr. Ikumi Hirasawa, came to greet him happily.

The two hugged each other and gave a French kiss. Just when Hirasawa Yumi's whole body collapsed in Ishikawa's arms;
Suddenly she felt a pain in her abdomen. Ishikawa's short knife had pierced through her body. Hirasawa Yumi looked at him with resentful eyes and asked in a trembling voice:

"Why?"

"Yumi, don't blame me. I will never leave you to the Chinese to enjoy!" After saying this, Colonel Ishikawa stabbed it a few more centimeters and then pulled out the dagger. Hirasawa Yumi fell down unwillingly.

"Kill them all, leaving no one behind!"

After killing Hirasawa Yumi, Ishikawa seemed to have exhausted all his strength and left the task of slaughtering other medical staff and wounded soldiers to others. He himself quietly held Hirasawa Yumi until his body was completely cold.

After killing everyone in the field hospital, Colonel Ishikawa gathered all the personnel and issued an order to break out;

More than 2 Japanese soldiers screamed and rushed towards the guerrilla column's position. Colonel Ishikawa rushed to the front with a sanitary napkin used by Hirasawa Yumi tied on his head...

The defending army's machine guns rang out, and countless tongues of fire sprayed at the devils. Colonel Ishikawa was hit by more than a dozen bullets and became a hornet's nest, ending his sinful life.
The other Japanese soldiers also failed to escape the machine gun fire. Their bodies were scattered all over the ground, and not a single one of them managed to escape.

Many machine gunners were shocked by the Japs' madness. This was not a breakout at all, but a suicide mission. The Japs' madness left a deep impression on everyone.

Wang Jianfei said coldly:
"See? They are just a bunch of mad dogs. They are cruel to the Chinese people and their own people. Only by killing them all can the world be at peace!

What are you all standing there for? Clean up the battlefield and finish off every dead enemy!"

Wang Jianfei had long trained himself to be as hard as iron, and it was better for the Japs to come and die like this, so that he wouldn't have to launch a general attack.

At the guerrilla column, Yue Qianli had been waiting for news from the front. Although there would be no suspense in this battle, he could not put his heart at ease until the result came out.

Annihilating a Japanese division headquarters was also a great victory for the guerrilla column, and it could at least buy more than half a month of peace on the southern front.

"Old Yue, good news from the front!"

Chen Zhongyuan's voice had arrived before his arrival. He was already the chief of staff of the regiment, but he was still so reckless. Of course, he was ridiculed by the sharp-tongued Yue Qianli:
"Old Chen, can you be more calm? It's just a piece of good news!"

Chen Zhongyuan, who knew Yue Qianli's character, was too lazy to argue with him. He had the nerve to say something to him when his neck was almost stretched to that of a giraffe.
Chen Zhongyuan was a down-to-earth man, so he didn't tease him, but handed him the telegram.

Someone eagerly took it, read it through hastily, and then praised it:
"Well, Wang Jianfei did a great job this time. I'm going to commend him!"

After keeping everyone in suspense, he said in front of everyone's expectant gaze:

"The 7nd and 2rd Detachments of our guerrilla column, 13 infantry battalions and 116 troops directly under our command surrounded and annihilated the 6th Regiment of the 17th Division, the troops directly under the division and the division headquarters, totaling more than 4 people. No one escaped. We seized artillery pieces of various types, more than guns, and countless supplies and ammunition!"

Everyone cheered. If we add the 65th Regiment that was annihilated before and the Japanese soldiers killed in the blocking of the 104th and 58th Regiments, the number is conservatively over 13, which severely damaged the th Division.

Although it cannot be considered annihilation, the standard of crippling the enemy has been achieved, which is definitely a great victory.

(End of this chapter)