Songhu: Never Give Up

The attack on the right wing of the Japanese was far less smooth than that in the center. There was only one heavy machine gun company in the center, while the right wing was a whole detachment equipped with a large number of artillery, with extremely fierce firepower;
The 13th Division's river-crossing troops suffered heavy casualties and made slow progress. When Fujita Susumu learned about this, he did not take it too seriously. Instead, he thought that their combat effectiveness was too poor and urged the th Regiment, which had already successfully crossed the river, to seize the railway bridge.

The 3rd Division learned its lesson this time. They first controlled the railway and then deployed to both wings after the main force crossed the river.

In contrast to the 13th Division's slow progress, the 6rd Division made smooth progress in crossing the river on both wings of the railway bridge. In particular, the th Regiment, as the main force, successfully crossed the river in just half a day and wiped out thousands of enemies.

Fujita Susumu finally showed a long-lost smile on his face and said triumphantly:
"Tajiri-kun, the guerrilla column's combat effectiveness has obviously declined this time. As expected, in the face of absolute strength, Yue Qianli's magic is no longer there!

Although the 13th Division's attack power was somewhat weaker, they still tied down tens of thousands of Chinese. The attack of a division is not so easy to stop."

Colonel Tajiri's confidence also rose, and he nodded and said:

"What the division commander said is absolutely right. It's not just the guerrilla column's combat power that has declined, but the combat power of the entire Chinese Fifth War Zone has dropped off a cliff.
The empire concentrated 13 troops from 30 divisions and attacked in six directions. This was a decisive battle at the strategic level, and the 60 troops of the Chinese were no match for it.

They are used to fighting battles with a difference of more than ten times in troop strength. Now it is 2 to 1, and the disadvantages of the Chinese are obvious, and the guerrilla column is no exception. "

Fujita Susumu habitually touched his moustache and said:
"Tajiri-kun, you hit the nail on the head. War has its own inherent rules, and strength is king!
Yue Qianli was indeed cunning. He had previously hidden a lot of his troops and created a mismatch in information.

Now the empire's intelligence personnel have found out that he not only has three regular detachments, but also one supplementary detachment and one independent detachment, which are like the supplementary regiment of the Imperial Army and are not included in the establishment.

The total number of people exceeds 4. We didn’t know this before and only used one squadron to fight. It would be strange if we didn’t suffer a loss! "

After hearing this, Colonel Tajiri immediately apologized to Fujita Susumu. If they rashly fought without fully understanding the enemy's situation, they would definitely be deceived. Colonel Tajiri consciously took the responsibility.

Fujita Shin waved his hand generously and said:
"This matter can only be blamed on Yue Qianli being too cunning and the intelligence department being too incompetent, which led to the Third Division suffering a great loss;

The Chinese did not fare well either. The guerrilla column also suffered heavy losses. Intelligence showed that General Li had added three Sichuan Army Corps to their forces, but their organizational structure was seriously understaffed, so they only had 3 men at most.

The Imperial Army this time concentrated two divisions of 5 troops, crushing the guerrilla column in both manpower and firepower, so it is understandable that they showed their true colors;
With equal military strength, the Imperial Army is invincible in this world!"

Tajiri thought so too. He was flattered a lot, the war was going smoothly, and everyone was in a good mood. Fujita Susumu was even more proud and said confidently:
"Send a telegram to you all, today's attack ends here, consolidate your position, stand firm, and prevent the Chinese from attacking at night;

If attacked, just defend and don't pursue. You must not fall into the Chinese trap of luring the enemy deep into your territory.

After daybreak, the 6th and 34th Regiments launched an attack from the left and right wings along the railway bridge from south to north, supporting the 18th Regiment to cross the river from the railway bridge;

The 6th and 34th Regiments wiped out the remaining enemies in the city, and the 18th Regiment crossed the river and completely controlled the railway bridge.

First occupy the north city, then attack to the right to support the 13th Division to cross the river. As long as both divisions have crossed the river, it will be a natural progression to capture Xuzhou along the Jinpu Road. "

Colonel Tajiri seemed to have noticed that the mighty Fugui was waving at him, so Major General Jin followed the order and left happily.

It is said that every failure makes one wiser. Although the Japanese were making good progress, they still chose to switch to defense on the spot and not give the guerrilla squadron any chance. There was only one battalion of the Third Detachment with 2 people in the city. More than 200 people were lost in the process of blocking the Japanese landing. There were only more than 1700 people left. Naturally, they had no strength to fight back.

The two sides were at peace that night, but at daybreak the Japanese could not wait to launch another attack;

This time, the two regiments swept the northern city along the railway line and encountered almost no resistance. They fought all the way to the end of the northern city, where they encountered powerful resistance.

The overall terrain of Bengbu City is flat, with only a stretch of mountains and hills on the northwest outer edge, which is very suitable for blocking the Japanese.

The main force of the independent detachment was deployed here, with two battalions placed on the left and right sides of the railway, blocking the enemy's advance.

This is the deep position of the guerrilla column. Behind them are the column headquarters and subordinate battalions. It is also a place that the guerrilla column must defend strictly. The artillery battalion that poses the greatest threat to the Japanese is hidden in the mountains behind them.

The vanguard battalion of the 6th Regiment became obedient after attacking once. They were not something that a single battalion could afford to provoke, so they retreated several hundred meters and set up camp, waiting for the main force of the regiment to arrive.

Two hours later, the main forces of the 34th and 6th Regiments arrived, but they were not in a hurry to launch an attack;

Instead, they switched to defense on the spot in the ruins of the city, dispatched a small number of troops to wipe out the remaining enemies and avoid fighting on two fronts.

At the 6th Regiment Field Command, Colonel Kawanami was discussing joint operations with Colonel Tagami Hachiro, the commander of the 34th Regiment. As the designated person in charge of the two regiments, Colonel Kawanami said:
“Tanagami-kun, the Chinese have apparently changed their fighting style. After the city was reduced to ruins by the powerful firepower of the empire, they chose to fight a positional battle with the imperial army;

Their defense line was built on the high ground outside the north city, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack. They had at least several thousand soldiers, which was just enough to block the imperial army inside the city.

There are two options before us now. One is to attack head-on, break through the Chinese defense line, and continue to attack in the direction of Xuzhou.

Another option is to leave a part to defend the north city, and the main force to attack the right wing to assist the 13th Division to cross the river. What do you think, Mr. Tian? "

Colonel Tagami thought for a moment and said:

"To the north of Bengbu City is the deep position where the Chinese have set up heavy defenses, and further ahead is Xuzhou. It is difficult for us to achieve anything with just our two regiments.

The strategy formulated by the division commander before the war was that the two divisions would advance halfway at the same time, so my opinion was to flank the defenders on the right wing and force them to retreat, so that the 13th Division could successfully cross the Huai River.

With two regiments heading north along the Jinpu Road, aiming at Xuzhou, and with several other large armies surrounding Xuzhou, the Chinese were overwhelmed and it was only a matter of time before our two divisions captured Xuzhou.

"Yoshi, Mr. Tanaka and I think the same thing. Great minds think alike.
Before launching a new offensive, it is still necessary to send out powerful troops to sweep the North City and wipe out the remaining Chinese troops.

This way we can link up with the 18th Regiment, our supplies can be guaranteed, and our division will be invincible."

Tagami Hachiro nodded in agreement, and the two reached a consensus and began to clear out the remaining enemies in the city from the left and the right. (End of this chapter)