Songhu: Never Give Up

The destruction of the 10th Regiment caused a huge shock among the Japanese, and the first to be affected was Seya Kei, who could hardly believe his ears;

Two wolf-like eyes stared at the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Sato. If he dared to tell a lie, Seya Kei would definitely kill him with one knife.

Lieutenant Colonel Sato also felt the strong murderous aura of the brigade commander, so he could only bite the bullet and say:
"General, according to the report from the warriors who escaped, the Chinese used hundreds of heavy artillery to attack the 10th Regiment Headquarters, and the troops launching the counterattack numbered tens of thousands!"

Seya Kei finally exploded and cursed:
"Bakayaloo, these bastards are not warriors, they are cowards!

There are not even 100 heavy artillery pieces in the whole of China, so where would a guerrilla column get hundreds of heavy artillery pieces?

They are just making excuses for their own defeat!"

"How does this loser Akashiba Yaezō fight? Tell him to get over here and see me!"

"General, there is no news that Chishiba-kun has escaped. It is likely that he has sacrificed himself for the empire."

Seya Kei's anger suddenly had no one to vent on. He still had to give enough respect to those who died in the battle, otherwise he would incur public outrage.

Before he could vent his anger on others, Lieutenant Colonel Sato continued:
"General, the 10th Regiment has suffered heavy losses, and the 63rd Regiment is no longer safe. I suggest that you order the 63rd Regiment to move closer to the th Brigade, and then make a long-term plan."

Sato did not dare to say it too clearly. The so-called long-term strategy meant giving up the flanking tactics and staying away from the guerrilla column.

Although the arrogant Seya Kei was unwilling to accept the result, he still listened to Sato's advice and immediately ordered the 63rd Regiment to move closer to the 8th Brigade.

At the same time, he also informed the 10th Brigade of the heavy losses suffered by the 8th Regiment, which frightened Sei Wuping so much that he took a deep breath and then retreated more than ten kilometers away from Lihuang, thus giving up the flanking operation on the southern front.

Then the Fifth War Zone Command announced loudly that after several days of fierce fighting, the guerrilla column had completely wiped out the 10th Regiment, severely damaged the 39th and 40th Regiments, killed more than 6 enemies, seized the 10th Regiment flag and a number of weapons and equipment, and the guerrilla column also suffered more than 2 casualties, achieving a great victory in Lihuang;

The news of victory soon spread across the country, both inside and outside the Great Wall, greatly boosting the morale of the army and the people. For a time, the celebrations were getting louder and louder.

The morale of hundreds of thousands of national troops on both sides of the Yangtze River was greatly boosted, and various units launched a massive counterattack, beating the Japanese invaders back step by step, and killing a large number of enemies;
The Japanese 2nd Army in the north of the Yangtze River and the 11th Army in the south of the Yangtze River suffered heavy losses and had to suspend their offensive while continuously dispatching troops to the front line in order to launch a more fierce attack.

At the 2nd Army Headquarters, the ambitious Lieutenant General Higashikuni was no longer able to maintain his composure after suffering such a heavy blow. He greeted the entire family of the 10th Division Commander Yoshio Shinozuka and said with a look of dissatisfaction:
"This idiot Shinozuka Yoshio is unworthy of the Emperor's trust. He is only fit to command a regiment!
Damn it, why didn't they destroy the regiment flag? They have completely disgraced the Imperial Army."

Chief of Staff Major General Suzuki Ryomichi took over and said:
“Your Highness, the Chinese are just bragging. The truth or falsehood of the propaganda war is completely denied by the Empire.
Victory and defeat are common in the military. This is a war to annihilate a country. It is difficult for the empire to win every battle, so minor setbacks are not worth mentioning.

The top priority is to launch a strong counterattack, conquer Fujinshan with all our strength, then take over the mall and open up a strategic channel to Wuhan in the south.”

Lieutenant General Higashikuni's expression improved. After listening to Suzuki Ryūdō's words, he made up his mind and said immediately:
"Yoshi, even if the 10th Regiment is severely damaged, the Empire can afford the loss. I will contact the headquarters to replenish the lost troops of the th Division as soon as possible.
He sent a telegram to Yoshio Shinozuka, warning them to be cautious when fighting the guerrilla column and not to underestimate the enemy or advance rashly. They only needed to put enough pressure on the guerrilla column.

Order the 3rd Division to move towards Gushi and prepare to attack Xinyang. Order the 13th and 16th Divisions to intensify the offensive in the direction of Fujin Mountain. They must occupy Fujin Mountain within three days, otherwise they will apologize to His Majesty the Emperor! "

Suzuki Ryumichi took a deep breath. This was equivalent to giving a death order to the 13th and 16th Divisions, using the victory in the central Fujin direction to cover up the impact of the 10th Regiment's disastrous defeat.
He did not dare to say a word about the prince's decision. He just acted as a mouthpiece, bowed deeply to Vice Admiral Higashikuni, and then left.

At the guerrilla column headquarters, Yue Qianli received a commendation from the Military Commission. After reading it, he handed it to Chen Zhongyuan for filing.
The Battle of Wuhan is now in full swing, and it is not yet the time to reward people for their merits. The Japanese offensive is becoming more and more fierce. What he is most worried about is how long the Fujinshan direction can hold out.

Deputy Column Commander Tian Yuanxi came over and said:
"Old Yue, the Japanese have intensified their attacks in the direction of Fujin Mountain. According to the battle report sent by the 71st Army, the 36th Division defending Fujin Mountain has been almost exhausted, and the 88rd Regiment of the 523th Division has also suffered nearly half of its casualties. There is no need to fight any further.

They will abandon the Fujin Mountain defense line in a day or two, reminding us to be prepared for the response, which is quite considerate. "

Yue Qianli nodded and said:

"The 71st Army held out against two divisions in the Fujinshan direction for 11 days, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese. Only about 36 men were left in the main 1th Division, and more than half of the 88th Division was also lost. It was reasonable for them to retreat.

Once Fujin Mountain was lost, Lihuang had no chance to hold on. The Japanese had two directions of attack in the next step;
Attack Xinyang westwards, then move south along the Pinghan Line, heading straight for Wuhan; Xinyang is Commander Hu's defense zone, with more than 100,000 elite Central Army troops, and we can only play supporting roles if we go there.

The other is to capture Shangcheng first, then advance to Dabie Mountain, cross the northern foot of Dabie Mountain, and attack Macheng. "

Tian Yuanxi interrupted and said:
"Shangcheng has the main force of the 2nd Army, which is best at defense. We don't need a guerrilla column. We might as well give up Lihuang and head south to fight the devils in the vast mountainous area of ​​Dabie Mountain.
We will set up defenses in echelons and block the enemy layer by layer. When we have the chance, we will strike them with a hammer. This way, we can always seize the initiative on the battlefield and minimize casualties.”

Tian Yuanxi's suggestion coincided with Yue Qianli's idea. At this point in the Battle of Wuhan, he also had to plan for the next step of development.

In another time and space, Dabie Mountains has always been the defense zone of the Fifth War Zone. With Commander Li and the 21st Army Group there, his guerrilla column had no room to develop.

If they want to develop, they can only go north. The guerrilla detachment has opened up the situation in western Shandong. Shandong is a good place, and the Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan regions are strategic locations that both sides are fighting for.

If they advance, they can threaten Nanjing; if they retreat, they can secure Shandong. Once they have grown stronger, they can rely on the troops of one province to compete with the Japanese for control of the north.

Since ancient times, whoever controls the north controls the world. The guerrilla column must not let the devils control the north comfortably...

Tian Yuanxi did not interrupt Yue Qianli's deep thoughts. Every decision made by Old Yue was related to the future of 3 soldiers of the guerrilla column, so he had to be extremely cautious.

After a long while, Yue Qianli nodded heavily, and Chen Zhongyuan beside him took out a pen and paper in tacit understanding, ready to record the telegram;
Yue Qianli said directly:

"The column headquarters and its subordinate units will move southwards towards Macheng from today onwards. The Third Detachment will leave a part behind to confuse the Japanese, and the main force will follow.

Macheng is defended by the National Army, so we will not seize control of Xuanbin. We can just provide assistance in the defense of the vast mountainous areas to the east and south of Macheng.

The first and second detachments carried out guerrilla warfare in the mountainous area at the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains. They could break up into smaller units and operate in battalion-like units, occupying vast rural areas, mobilizing and arming the masses, and making it impossible for small Japanese troops to go to the countryside.

Tell Commander Li that we are planning to move our main force south to help defend Macheng, so that we can have a legitimate reason to do so. "

After Liu Zhongyuan wrote down all the telegrams, he began to draft the telegram. After he was finished, Lao Yue signed for confirmation before sending it out.

In response to the possible loss of military intelligence at Fujin Mountain, the guerrilla column took the lead in making adjustments. The column headquarters and its subordinate units secretly moved south without even waiting for a reply from the war zone headquarters.
Next came the third team. By the time the order from the headquarters arrived, they had already retreated towards Macheng.

The First and Second Detachments then broke up into small units, moved away from the highways and county towns, and advanced into the vast mountainous areas and rural areas, mobilizing the masses on the spot and establishing anti-Japanese local governments.

Two days later, on the 13th day of the Battle of Fujin Mountain, the 71st Army voluntarily abandoned Fujin Mountain due to heavy casualties;
But their fierce battle with the Japanese was not over yet. They set up layers of blocks along the route leading to the mall and continued to use mountain warfare to consume the Japanese.

The 13th and 16th Divisions only gained an empty mountain after suffering heavy casualties;
Afterwards, the commander of the 2nd Army, Lieutenant General Higashikuni, announced loudly the victory of the Battle of Fujin Mountain, annihilating more than 71 people from China's elite 3st Army, guerrilla columns and other units, and suffering more than 5 casualties, including 975 deaths and 4652 injuries!
At the same time, the Nationalist government also announced that the battle of Fujinshan had achieved its goal, and that it had voluntarily abandoned its position, annihilated nearly 2 enemies, and suffered about 1.3 casualties.
Among them, the 36th Division suffered 8 casualties, the guerrilla column suffered several thousand people, annihilated the 10th Regiment, and severely damaged the 10th Division and the 13th Division.

As in all battles, each side reported its own casualties, and Yue Qianli also reported the casualties of the guerrilla column. He was well aware of this.

Thousands of casualties, severe damage, urgent need for rest, the rest is up to you to understand, only Chen Zhongyuan is still too realistic, said angrily:
"975 people were killed in action. They dare to say that. Does this devil prince Higashikuni still have any shame?"

Tian Yuanxi smiled and said:

"It is because he is a prince of the devils that he refuses to admit that the flag of the 10th Regiment was captured. Now is not the time for the government to argue with the devils. We can only say one thing and the other."

Yue Qianli waved his hand and said:
"Don't take the war reports too seriously, whether they are true or false. They all serve strategic needs. The Japanese need the morale of the people at home and need more cannon fodder to fight in China. So they can only cover up their mistakes.
The Japanese want face, but we just want substance. As long as we continue to consume the Japanese, by the time the Battle of Wuhan comes to an end, no matter what the outcome is, the Japanese will lose their strategic offensive capability. Then it will be time to compete with our internal strength.

Our guerrilla column must also give up the previous high profile and turn to a quiet development stage. This is why I did not hand in the 10th Regiment Flag. We must keep a low profile in the future. "(End of this chapter)