Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 261 Battle of Huaihe River (2)

The 68th Regiment’s position on the north bank of the Huai River
After repelling two consecutive attacks by the Chinese, Ying Xiaosen's self-confidence returned to his face, and the reply from the division commander made him even more ambitious;
After seeing the Chinese being beaten back again, he couldn't help but proudly said to Senior Staff Officer Shinji Akimoto:
"Mr. Qiu Ben, it's true that they are strong at the first blow, weak at the second, and exhausted at the third. After the Imperial Army withstood the three attacks of the Chinese, their offensive became weaker and weaker. It seems that I overestimated them."

Seeing that the regiment commander was very interested in talking, Major Akimoto took over the conversation and said:
"Your Excellency, the commander of the brigade, is indeed an expert on China. His assessment of the defenders' combat power is spot-on. The Chinese are good at defense but not at attack. If you want to break through the Imperial Army's position, you need at least seven times the force.

The guerrilla column's previous outstanding achievements were all achieved in defense. Since the breakout from Nanjing, they have lost too many veterans and their combat effectiveness has obviously declined.

They have already missed the opportunity to drive the Imperial Army down the river. As long as the reinforcements and the Sixth Regiment cross the river, it will be time for the Imperial Army to launch a counterattack."

"Yoshi, what Qiu Ben-kun said is absolutely right, the Chinese have no chance;
It is said that the guerrilla column is the most elite force in China. This time, our 68th Regiment will not only seize Bengbu from them, but also annihilate them, so that those Westerners who are watching the fun will know who the real elite is! "

At this time, Captain Yokoyama Yoshiharu came over and reported:
"Sir, the Sixth Squadron has begun crossing the river!"

After hearing this, Ying Xiaosen laughed and said:

"Yoshi, Kawanami-kun is coming, come with me to greet him. It will be the Imperial Army's turn to strike back next!"

No wonder Ying Xiaosen was in such a good mood. This time the division commander appointed him to be in charge of the unified command, which finally made him feel proud.

In the 3rd Division, the 6th Regiment had a higher status than the other regiments. This time the two regiments fought together, and Fujita Shinichi, contrary to his usual practice, appointed Takamori Taka to be in charge. This was both a reward for him and an expression of his dissatisfaction with the 6th Regiment.

Colonel Kawanami was crossing the river with the vanguard brigade. After the two old devils exchanged some false politeness, they got down to business.
Ying Xiaosen said without hesitation:
"Kawabini-kun, the Chinese have lost their ability to attack. I have decided to launch a counterattack against the enemy in front of me immediately.

After defeating them, we will attack the north city from the side, and together with the 34th Regiment, we will attack from the front and back and capture Bengbu City in one fell swoop. What do you think?"

Since the division commander had already designated Takamori Takamori as the overall leader, Colonel Kawanami could only accept the reality;

After this battle, Ying Xiaosen will most likely step on him. The credit for defeating the guerrilla column is enough for him to be promoted to major general first. Although he is unwilling in his heart, he can only say:
"I have no objection. You decide how to beat me."

Ying Xiaosen did not bother to be polite with him and told him his battle plan. It was all based on the 68th Regiment with the cooperation of the 6th Regiment. This was the rhythm of grabbing the first credit. Colonel Kawanami could only accept it.

After the two men agreed on a counterattack plan, they began to prepare. After the 68th Regiment received 1 reinforcements, Ying Xiaosen was more confident.
The counterattack plan he formulated was to have the 68th Regiment take the lead in the attack, with the 6th Regiment assisting. At his command, the rd Field Artillery Regiment on the other side of the river, which was cooperating with them, opened fire first.

Rows of shells flew across the Huai River and smashed into the deep positions of the Second Brigade. The Japanese counterattack began.

The defenders barely held out for a while before they were defeated. The 68th Regiment took the opportunity to launch a charge and defeated the defenders.

The Japanese of the 68th Regiment did not expect that the counterattack would be so smooth. Although no actual results were achieved, it is an indisputable fact that the defenders were defeated all the way.

All kinds of weapons and equipment were scattered everywhere, and in the end they even seized several mountain cannons. The only thing that made them unhappy was that the Chinese ran too fast and they could not catch up at all.

The Japanese couldn't stop once the wind was in their favor. The vanguard chased the Chinese for more than ten kilometers, but was ambushed by the Chinese who were left behind and lost hundreds of people. The squadron leader then became rational, and he finally remembered that this was the depth of the Chinese Huaihe River defense line, and it was not something that his squadron could do recklessly, so he withdrew unwillingly.

Although Ying Xiaosen was arrogant, he also knew that the Chinese had more than 100,000 troops on the southern front, with layers of defense. It was impossible for them to reach Xuzhou with just one regiment.

His campaign objective was very clear, which was to capture Bengbu City and support the main force of the Third Division to cross the river;

Then attack the 51st Army from the east to support the th and th Divisions to cross the river. If the three divisions advance together, there will be hope of opening up the Jinpu Line.

So after defeating the blocking enemy, the 68th Regiment went on the defensive and waited for the th Regiment to catch up;

At the same time, he ordered the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment to cross the river, and after a short rest, turn around and attack Bengbu City from east to west.

It took the Japanese a whole day to complete these deployments. At two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, the well-fed and well-drinking Japanese began to attack the flank of Bengbu City.

Ying Xiaosen's deployment was that the 6th and 68th Regiments lined up in a row and moved forward in unison, preparing to cut the northern city of Bengbu in half from east to west;
Then the 6th Regiment guarded the north, and the 68th Regiment turned its guns and attacked from north to south along the Jinpu Road, advancing from north to south together with the 34th Regiment on the south side of the railway to capture the railway bridge.

The plan was very good. If the battle really turned out like this, the strategic intention of the Third Division to cross the Huai River would be achieved, and the guerrilla column would be in a passive situation. Yue Qianli would not allow this to happen.

His deployment was to use the three detachments in the north city to resist the enemy's attack and consume their strength and morale;
Then the column's direct artillery battalion was used to destroy the enemy's artillery regiment, and the supplementary detachment and the independent detachment launched a counterattack from the north. In this way, the two detachments of the guerrilla column attacked the enemy's waist, and encircling and annihilating them was a piece of cake.

At this time, Ying Xiaosen had no idea that he was in the hands of others, so he ordered the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment to fire at the positions of the northern city defenders;
Artillery shells rained down on the positions of the Third Detachment, while the defending soldiers used tunnel fortifications dug in advance to block the enemy's advance.

The 16rd Field Artillery Regiment was equipped with 75 12mm howitzers, 16 infantry guns, 75 8mm mountain guns, 37 8mm anti-tank guns, and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. The firepower was very fierce. Most of the northern city was covered by artillery fire, and countless houses were destroyed.

The positions deployed on the periphery of the Third Brigade were bombed horribly. The trenches that had been painstakingly built were flattened. Seeing this, Ying Xiaosen's blood boiled, and he said to Colonel Kawanami with great pride:
"Kawabini-kun, this is the confidence of the Imperial Army! What can the Chinese use to stop our attack?"

Although Colonel Kawanami couldn't stand the way Takamori was so successful, he had to admit that the boy was lucky. The Chinese were unlikely to be able to defend Bengbu City, so he took over the conversation and said sourly:
"Mr. Ying Xiao, Yue Qianli is known as China's number one general, but this time he will most likely be defeated. I admire you!"

Ying Xiaosen laughed and said:
"Kawabini-kun, this is the best era for the soldiers of the Empire. The credit for defeating Yue Qianli is not mine alone. It belongs to all the warriors of the Third Division, including Kawabini-kun."

Colonel Kawanami sneered in his heart. Everyone can say polite words. Just when he was thinking about how to get rid of Ying Xiaosen, he accidentally saw someone seemed to be setting off fireworks in the northwest direction;

Then his face turned pale and he exclaimed:

"Enemy attack!"

(End of this chapter)