Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 246: Defense of Bengbu (1)

Yue Qianli returned to the division headquarters humming a little tune. Chen Zhongyuan joked:
"Old Yue, judging from your smug expression, you must have received praise from Chief Li. What did he praise you for?

Saying it out loud will make the brothers happy too!"

Yue Qianli rolled his eyes and said:
"Old Chen, who are you slandering? Am I the kind of person who can be easily dismissed with just a yellow mouth and white teeth?
Listen carefully, 200 million bullets, 5 artillery shells, and 3 Sichuan Army Corps!"

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but cheer. They were all so snobbish and gave Old Yue enough face.

Tian Yuanxi also interrupted and said:
"You are really a thief who never leaves empty-handed. You can even get back 200 million rounds of ammunition by holding a meeting.

I think next time Chief Li goes to a meeting, he won’t bring you along. I can’t afford it this time!”

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. 200 million bullets is not a small number. Who wouldn't like such a capable officer?

After receiving the combat mission from the war zone, Yue Qianli immediately convened a meeting. It was said that the National Army would have more troops, but how to deploy combat missions without a meeting?

The meeting was still attended by officers above the rank of battalion commander, four detachment commanders, plus the column's artillery battalion commander He Qizhen, training battalion commander Zhao Tianci, logistics battalion commander Li Daomin, reconnaissance battalion commander Jiang Shaoying, deputy regiment commander Tian Yuanxi, and chief of staff Chen Zhongyuan, all of whom were old brothers. The core team of the guerrilla column had basically been finalized.

Yue Qianli looked around and said directly:
"The military situation is urgent, so I will directly issue an order. Chief of Staff Chen should use this as a blueprint and come up with a defensive combat plan. At the same time, you must keep it confidential and limit the scope of knowledge."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and would actively offer suggestions when their opinions were needed. Now that Lao Yue wanted to have the final say, everyone else would unconditionally support him and just follow his orders.

"Brothers, according to intelligence, the Japanese have already gathered troops and supplies in Nanjing and Wuhu, preparing to launch operations on the southern front;

The Central China Front Army planned to deploy six divisions and cross the river from Nanjing and Wuhu, with troops divided into two routes to attack from south to north along the Jinpu Road and the canal.

其中津浦路南线3个师团，既第3、9、13师团，总兵力约8万人。

The Nationalist Army deployed the 21st Army Group to the south of Bengbu to take charge of peripheral operations. On our left wing, the 51st Army was responsible for the Huaihe River defense line from Bengbu to the Grand Canal.

Our guerrilla column only needs to defend Bengbu, and at the same time, we must be mentally prepared to support the 51st Army's operations.

Bengbu is an important town in northern Anhui and has always been a battleground for military strategists. The Jinpu Road passes through the city from south to north, and the Huai River divides the city into two parts from west to east. The railway bridge is of utmost importance.

The 3rd Division was equipped with a heavy artillery brigade with extremely strong firepower, so if they wanted to defend the city of Bengbu, they could only fight street battles with the Japanese.

In order to minimize casualties among the people in the city, all the people need to be evacuated to the area north of the Huai River, and then tunnels need to be dug!
The 88th Division's defense zone was divided into three parts: South City, North City, and the Huai River line between the city and the 51st Army's defense zone to the east.

The Japanese had three possible routes to attack: attack from the front along the Jinpu Road or force a crossing of the Huai River from the flank and then attack the northern city area in a roundabout way;

My deployment was that the first detachment was responsible for the defense of the southern city, the third detachment was responsible for the defense line of the Huai River, the second detachment was responsible for the defense of the northern city, and the independent detachment, the supplementary detachment and the troops directly under the column were hidden in the mountains and forests north of Bengbu as reserves. All three Sichuan Corps were assigned to the front-line troops, one for each detachment, and they were directly replenished after the troops were lost;
There is no time limit for how long we can hold out. As long as the battle on the northern front has not been decided, we must not allow even a single enemy to come over from the southern front to cause trouble. Is that a problem?"

Everyone said there was no problem, the mission was actually very clear, which was to keep the Japanese south of the Huai River.

When the Huaihe River battle will start depends on when the Japs start the fight and how long they can hold the perimeter;
After all, the 21st Army Group was in charge of peripheral operations. It was the elite of the Guangxi clique and Commander Li's direct line.

After the Battle of Songhu, Li transferred 15 militias from Guangxi to supplement the 21st Army.
After two months of training, the 21st Army has regained its combat effectiveness. In this battle with Commander Li as the protagonist, the 21st Army will definitely go all out, so they still have enough time to prepare for defense.

After the meeting, the guerrilla column began to evacuate the people. The people of northern Anhui have always been tough. When they heard that the national army was going to fight the Japanese in Bengbu, they not only did not worry about their homes being destroyed, but instead took the initiative to help them repair fortifications.

Many Huaibei men also asked to join the army to fight the Japanese, which moved everyone in the guerrilla column. Yue Qianli bowed deeply to the people in the city and said:
"My fellow countrymen, your heroic deeds are touching. The people of Huaidi have never failed to uphold the cause of the nation!

The guerrilla column still has sufficient manpower for the time being, so we will not recruit soldiers in Huaibei for the time being. On behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the regiment, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you for your willingness to stay and help the army repair fortifications.
During the repair work, we will provide three meals a day and give appropriate wages—"

A Huaibei man interrupted him and said:
"Sir, don't mention the wages. This is just teasing us Huaibei people. You are willing to risk your lives to fight the Japanese. What's the point of us contributing a little?
We all have rations, so leave the rations for the officers to eat, so they can fight the enemy better after they are full."

The people all agreed, saying that as long as the enemy was defeated, they would donate money and manpower. Some wealthy people in the city were willing to donate 100 fat pigs to reward the troops, which moved Yue Qianli and the soldiers of the regiment to tears.

With such support from the people who understand the greater good, it is simply wishful thinking for the Japanese pirates to destroy China!

With the assistance of more than 100,000 civilians, the tunnel fortifications in Bengbu City were built very quickly. Under the guidance of the soldiers, it took several days to dig the tunnels under the city into an underground maze.
There were already several permanent bunkers on both sides of the railway bridge, and this time a few more were added using huge stones and reinforced concrete.

The firing range of 300 meters in front of the bunker was completely cleared, several anti-tank trenches were dug, and a large number of mines and barbed wire were laid;

The bunkers are arranged in an inverted eight-shaped layout, with five on each side and two bunkers on each side of a main bunker.

There were five machine guns in the main fort, three in the secondary fort, and more than thirty machine guns on both sides of the bridge alone;
There is a platoon in the main fort and a squad in the secondary fort. There are tunnels for hiding soldiers outside the bunker, which are built on the reverse slope of the river bank and connected to the bunker by a communication trench.

The top of the bunker has been reinforced and has shock-proof buffers, so it can withstand direct hits from heavy artillery, while the front can withstand direct fire from infantry artillery at 500 meters. It is a true permanent bunker.

In addition to the bunkers on the railway bridge, the defense of the South City was that the detachment headquarters, the direct artillery battalion, and the 3rd Battalion were deployed outside the city on the right wing as a reserve force, and also to prevent the Japanese from making a detour from the flank. The artillery battalion was deployed on the 583 high ground outside the city;
The 1st Battalion and the 2nd Battalion were deployed on the left and right sides of the railway, and they were at the front as the forward position.

Their defensive strategy was also flexible. Once the number of Japanese soldiers became too large, they would give up the main road and move to both sides to allow the Japanese soldiers to attack the railway bridge.

When the situation requires, they will even be allowed to pass through the railway carriage. The defense of the guerrilla column is never a strict defense, and the tactics are flexible and changeable.

Everything is ready, just waiting for the devil to come...

(End of this chapter)