Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 292 The Second Huaibei Campaign (5)

The Japanese artillery bombardment caused many casualties to the defenders, but the soldiers of the 1st Battalion still refused to give in and fought the Japanese head-on.
The artillery battalion of the 58st Battalion was also firing deep into the enemy's territory. The two sides were fighting back and forth. The 13th Regiment was indeed the elite of the th Division, and they were basically able to tie with the two battalions of the rd Detachment in positional warfare.

During the confrontation between the two sides, the rebuilt 65th Regiment also completed its landings one after another. The enemy's forces became more and more abundant, and their offensive became more and more fierce.
The pressure on the 1st and 2nd Battalions increased sharply. In order to reduce casualties and lure the enemy deeper, Deputy Captain Liao Jianping ordered the abandonment of the front-line positions.

The troops retreated several hundred meters with cross-covering each other and retreated to the second line of defense. The Japanese finally gained a foothold and had a depth of about one kilometer.

After occupying the front-line position, the Japanese went into defense on the spot. Now that they had enough space to move, they stopped to consolidate their results and cover the subsequent troops and supplies crossing the river.

At the 13th Division headquarters, Tanaka Shizuka was frowning. Crossing the river was much more difficult than he had imagined. Technical arms such as tanks, cavalry, and heavy artillery were unable to cross the river, which was like tying one of their hands and feet, making them fight very passively.

The new Chief of Staff, Colonel Shigenori Kawaguchi, ran in excitedly and reported loudly:
“Your Excellency, the Division Commander, the 58th Regiment has finally defeated the enemy in front of us and occupied the first line of defense of the Chinese;
The defenders suffered heavy casualties and have retreated to the second line, and the 65th Regiment also successfully completed the landing. "

Tanaka Shizuka's frown finally relaxed. The most difficult period was finally over. He excitedly said to Kawaguchi Shigenori:

"Yoshi, Kitamura-kun is indeed a fierce general of the empire. It is indeed very rare that he can defeat Yue Qianli's third direct line of detachment head-on.
The most difficult part of crossing a river is gaining a foothold. Now our 13th Division has taken the initiative on the battlefield.

Tell Beicun Jun not to rush to launch a new attack, but to build a solid fence first. When fighting Yue Qianli, you must not rush to attack rashly, but must proceed steadily and cautiously, and not give Yue Qianli any chance to succeed."

Seeing that the division commander was in a good mood, Colonel Kawaguchi took over the conversation and said:
"Your Excellency the Division Commander is absolutely right. Yue Qianli is a man of many tricks and tactics. He is especially good at luring the enemy deep into our territory and attacking us during our movements. We must be on guard."

Tanaka Shizuka agreed and nodded.

"We must show sufficient respect to Yue Qianli's troops, but we must not underestimate ourselves or be timid;
In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks are futile!

The current first phase of the combat mission is to assist the Third Division in completely occupying Bengbu."

Tanaka Shizuka actually had his own plans. In the attack on Yue Qianli's troops, the Third Division was the main character, and he would not steal the show.
The guerrilla column has 4 elite soldiers. Although he is confident that he will defeat Yue Qianli, there will be a lot of casualties. And the credit goes to Fujita Susumu, so he won't be stupid enough to risk all his own capital.

After gaining a firm foothold on the north bank of the Huai River on the right wing, he began to have the idea of ​​sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight each other. Naturally, he could not explain this to the chief of staff.

After sending Colonel Kawaguchi away, his mood finally returned to normal and he started playing chess alone. This was a way of relaxation that he had developed over a long period of time. No one else was worthy of being his opponent.

Frontal battlefield, 3rd Division Headquarters

Fujita Susumu was in high spirits when he learned that the 13th Division had gained a foothold north of the Huai River;
Tanaka Seiichi did not launch a new attack. The explanation given to him was that he needed to stabilize the defense first and then seek to advance.

He knew Tanaka Shizuka's little tricks very well, but he didn't expose them. After all, the Third Division was the protagonist, and he didn't want the Thirteenth Division to take over the show.

Since he wanted Tanaka Shizuka to know how to advance and retreat, why did he need to point it out? Now the progress of the Third Division is also very smooth. The three main regiments have already controlled the north city. They only need to wipe out the remaining enemies, and the baggage of the Third Division can cross the railway bridge;
With sufficient supplies, the Third Division can launch a new offensive and continue advancing along the Jinpu Road. The next target is Xuzhou!
Thinking of this, he continued to ask the Chief of Staff, Colonel Tajiri:
"Tajiri-kun, how is the progress with Kawanami-kun?"

Colonel Tajiri quickly replied:
“Your Excellency, the division commander, at present our three regiments have basically taken control of the North City and are clearing out the remaining enemies;

Several main detachments of the guerrilla column built a new line of defense among the hills and mountains outside the northern city. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was the last position to guard the southern line of Xuzhou.

Once it is breached, Xuzhou will be under the attack of three divisions of our Southern Front Corps, and General Li may have to consider escaping! "

Lieutenant General Fujita smiled proudly and said:
“As long as the railway line is opened, the heavy artillery brigade can cross the railway bridge. Within the range of the imperial army’s heavy artillery, there will be no fortress that cannot be breached.

Telegraph to Lord Chuan Bing that the few remaining soldiers in the city need not be taken seriously, as they cannot cause any trouble.
Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The most urgent task is to attack Xuzhou before the other armies make decisive progress, forcing the enemy in Xuzhou to suffer a rout like the one in the late stage of the Battle of Songhu. By then, the credit will go to the Third Division!"

Colonel Tajiri's blood boiled after hearing this. This was something to look forward to, so he suggested to Fujita Susumu:

"Mr. Division Commander, before launching a new offensive, would you like to invite the 13th Division to launch a diversionary attack as well? This will greatly reduce the difficulty of the rd Division's attack."

Fujita Susumu thought for a moment and then said:
"Then do as you said. Tell Mr. Tanaka to launch an attack at the same time and tie down Yue Qianli's forces as much as possible. Whoever breaks the guerrilla column's defense line first will get the first credit."

Tajiri-kun wanted to say something but stopped himself. He shouted "hi" and turned away.

Fujita Susumu knew what Colonel Tajiri wanted to say. The 3rd Division was not afraid of any challenge, and the 13th Division did not pose a threat to the 3rd Division. A heavy artillery brigade alone was not something the 13th Division could compare to.

In the North City, the situation was far worse than Fujita Shin had imagined. The scale of the street fighting had become quite large, and the 6th and 34th Regiments had already paid a heavy price.

Even the most optimistic Colonel Kawanami believed that wiping out the enemies in the city would not be an easy task in a day or two. Now they were in a dilemma. Wiping out the remaining soldiers in the city would be like eating chicken ribs, which would be a waste of time and a pity to throw away.

Fortunately, a call from the division headquarters helped him solve the problem. After reaching a consensus with the commander of the 34th Regiment, Hachiro Tagami, he decided to suspend the mopping-up operation, leaving a small number of troops on guard, while the main force continued to attack the Kuomintang positions outside the north city.

Before launching a new attack, artillery preparations were naturally necessary, and Chuan requested air support from the divisional headquarters;
The 3rd Division was equipped with three flying squadrons, and Fujita Susumu had the right to use them. He did not need to apply to the front army, but could just give the order directly. The time for the general attack was set at 3 o'clock the next morning.

The aircraft group will complete the bombing mission before ten o'clock, and the rest will be handed over to their two infantry regiments. At the same time, the 13th Division will also launch a fierce attack on the defenders in front to tie down the defenders' strength.
The two divisions advanced side by side, each relying on their own abilities.

The 6th and 34th Regiments began to gather their forces, but the 1st Battalion did not pursue them persistently. The strength gap between the two sides is still too big, so it is better to dampen their enthusiasm first.

(End of this chapter)