Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 294: Head-on Confrontation (2)

The Japanese skirmish line finally advanced to the front of the defenders. Both sides entered into close combat mode, and casualties increased sharply. However, the two main attack regiments of the 3rd Division showed no signs of retreating. The offensive continued wave after wave, and the main force of the independent detachment was under tremendous pressure.

On the other hand, on the right wing, although the 13th Division's offensive was also very strong, it was far inferior to the desperate posture of the 3rd Division and could only be described as mediocre.

They needed to face a much stronger defender. The Third Detachment in the front alone was enough to give them a hard time. The side firepower of the independent detachment made the Japanese suffer enough. After all, it was not a pleasant feeling to have a knife at your waist.

They had no choice but to split one wing to attack the flank and another wing to attack the front. Such an attack force would not be able to break through the defenses of the two detachments of the defenders.
Yukiichi Tanaka also understood this logic, but he no longer sent troops to Huaibei. Instead, he launched a diversionary attack and placed all his hopes on the front line.

The 3rd Division was the protagonist. Colonel Kawanami and Tagami Hachiro both understood this, so they attacked with all their strength, and naturally suffered the greatest casualties.
Soon, the 6th Regiment and the 34th Regiment put almost all their chips on the table, and the 1st Battalion, which had been dormant in the city, began to become active again.

During this period, the battalion commander Sun Gang sent a messenger to find the three battalion commanders and conveyed the battalion's new combat instructions, which were to secretly assemble in Area 3, where the 6th Regiment was located;

Following Sun Gang's order, the 1st Battalion, which was the first to gather more than 800 people, launched a fierce attack on the 6th Regiment Headquarters in three directions, as if they were going to destroy the Japanese regiment headquarters.

A fierce battle soon broke out between the two sides, which frightened Colonel Kawanami so much that he quickly said to Major Dobashi:
"Gather all the warriors in the wing who can fight and stop the Chinese attack.

This is not harassment, it is a purposeful attack on the headquarters. This is what Yue Qianli's troops are best at. They can only steal and do tricks, which is not the work of a warrior!"

Lieutenant Colonel Tsuchiya could see that the commander was getting angry, and he even blurted out that Yue Qianli was not a samurai, because he was not one anyway;
Moreover, attacking the enemy's headquarters is a very clever tactic. The 13th Division Headquarters was destroyed in this way by Yue Qianli's troops.

When Major Tsuchiya thought of this, he began to get scared and tried to persuade him:
"Sir, the wing commander can't hold out for long with the number of people in the wing. I suggest you withdraw the troops from the front or ask the 18th wing for tactical guidance."

The 18th Regiment has not participated in the battle since crossing the bridge. It is strong in manpower and not far away from them, and reinforcements can arrive in 2 hours at most. This will disrupt Fujita Susumu's overall deployment, which requires at least the approval of the division.

Colonel Kawanami waved his hand and said:
"Reinforcements from the 18th Regiment are not enough to quench thirst. Since the front line has been unable to be attacked, let them retreat quickly to reinforce the regiment headquarters.
This bunch of rubbish has brought shame upon the Emperor!"

Major Tsuchiya also strongly agreed to stop the attack. Since he couldn't capture the Chinese position, he should retreat and resolve the crisis in the regiment headquarters first.

After making up his mind, Colonel Kawanami Tsuchiya turned around and left, as reinforcements were like putting out a fire and could not be delayed.

After Major Tsuchiya left, he slumped in his chair, as if his soul had been taken away.

On the right side of the railway bridge, the commander of the 34th Regiment, Tagami Hachiro, was also startled by the sudden "fried beans" order from the left wing;

The 6th Regiment was under attack, and his first reaction was to gather all the personnel in the regiment to reinforce Kawanami-kun. However, he was stopped by Major Ryosuke Mihashi, who persuaded him:
"Sir, the enemy situation is unclear now, so we must not act rashly, lest we fall into the Chinese's plan of surrounding a point and attacking its reinforcements.
If Lord Kawanami can no longer hold on, he will definitely stop the attack and send frontline troops to reinforce the regiment headquarters. This is the safest way."

Tagami Hachiro thought about it and realized that there was no need for him to sacrifice himself. He also judged that Colonel Kawanami would most likely stop the attack, so he said to Major Mitsuhashi:
"Mr. Mihashi, be prepared to withdraw at any time. Once the 6th Regiment stops the attack, our 34th Regiment must also withdraw in time to avoid becoming an isolated force." Major Mihashi took the order and left. After Mihashi left, Tagami Hachiro's expression became extremely serious. The scattered soldiers in the city gave him a headache, and his heart was covered with an indelible shadow.

Colonel Tagami really understood Colonel Kawanami. Not long after, the Sixth Regiment stopped attacking and retreated like a tide without even saying hello to him. This made Colonel Tagami so angry that he cursed:
"Bakayalu, you have such a bad conscience! You're asking the 34th Regiment to cover their retreat!"

Fortunately, he made preparations in advance and ordered his troops to withdraw in an orderly manner. The defenders did not pursue them, and the first general offensive ended in a whimper.

It is easy to understand if you think about it. They themselves are already unable to attack and are useless.
The attack on the Sixth Regiment Headquarters gave them an excuse to withdraw their troops, ending the attack hastily and giving an explanation to Fujita Susumu.

"Bakayaro, is this still the invincible Sixth Regiment?
Why don’t they fight when they encounter Yue Qianli’s troops?
You have lost your trust in the Emperor!"

When Colonel Kawanami received the casualty report of the first general offensive, he finally found an outlet for his anger and he scolded several battalion commanders.

The captain, who had suffered heavy losses, knew he was in the wrong, so he could only stiffen his neck and endure the insults until the wing commander had calmed down.

Colonel Kawanami cursed for half an hour, but he kept repeating the same words over and over again, without any new ideas. He got tired of cursing and changed his tone and said:
"The remaining Chinese troops in the north city are not few in number. You guys should go ahead and disperse these defeated soldiers, and then go on the defensive on the spot.
I will make a decision after I consult with the division commander!"

The Japs obeyed the order and left, and did not breathe a sigh of relief until they were out of the commander's sight. They could finally rest for a while, as they had been hurt.

The message from Colonel Kawanami of the Third Division naturally made Fujita Susumu furious, and he cursed:
"Bakayaro, that bastard Kawanami is getting more and more powerful. He gave up the attack of two regiments just because of the harassment of a few fleeing soldiers. Does he really think I'm blind?"

"Bakayaloo, you are all trash!"

"The glory of the Third Division was completely ruined in their hands. The bastard Kawanami must take responsibility for it..."

Chief of Staff Colonel Tajiri could understand his feelings very well. If the battle continued like this, the division commander's wisdom would be ruined in Bengbu City.
There was even a saying circulating in the army:

"It is easy to shake a mountain, but it is difficult to shake Bengbu!"

It's all Chinese news. This was naturally spread by Chinese spies to disrupt the morale of the army.
But one thing is true, the reputation of the 3rd Division has been greatly damaged and it is about to become a laughing stock of the Central China Front Army!
"Tajiri-kun, the attack on the Tsukuba Line must not be delayed!

Call Kawanami-kun back and tell the 18th Regiment to wipe out the remaining soldiers in the city. The two regiments will continue the attack and must open up the Jinpu Road!"

"Also send a telegram to Mr. Tanaka of the 13th Division, asking them to continue their offensive operations, and order the 18th Regiment to wipe out the remaining enemies as soon as possible..."

(End of this chapter)