Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 115: Chiang Kai-shek micro-manages the front line, Tang Enbo is ordered to attack, and Chu Yunfei arrives at the battlefield! (Subscribe)

"Is this Fourth Brigade so cowardly?"

Chu Yunfei received a telegram forwarded from the Second War Zone.

One brigade, two infantry regiments.

He actually turned around and went back to fight the Eighth Route Army.

This situation really surprised Chu Yunfei for a moment.

The situation on the battlefield is really changing rapidly, and every step is beyond the scope of plan.

The battlefield situation on the Niangzi Pass front line.

Every day is changing. Every moment is changing.

"The higher-ups want us to turn back and support the 122nd Division's breakout."

Chu Yunfei frowned slightly, as he had already learned that Tang Enbo's troops had lost contact.

"I'm afraid it's too late...Brother Ligong, please contact the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army first."

"Yes!"

"Sun Ming, go call Qian Bojun over. I have an important task for him!"

"Yes!"

At this moment.

In Yangquan City, the soldiers of the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army had retreated back into the city.

After two days and two nights of fierce fighting with the 20th Division.

At this time, more than half of the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army had suffered casualties.

Maintaining the existing line of defense is already a great support.

The telephone lines to the outside world had already been blown off during the war.
Inside the confidential room.

Chief of Staff Zhao was quite anxious as he was waiting for the latest news.

According to the original plan, there would be an opportunity for counterattack early tomorrow morning.

And now, there is no news from the reinforcements, and there is no movement at all.

This made Chief of Staff Zhao and Division Commander Wang Mingzhang worried for a moment.

This is not a good sign.
"Chief of Staff Zhao, the 358th Brigade called... to inquire about our current situation in the city. In addition, the main force under Brigade Commander Chu is rushing over."

"358nd Brigade?"

Chief of Staff Zhao raised his eyebrows.

Is he sending his ace over?
Horsepower can be seen from a distance, and people's hearts can be seen from time to time!
After picking up the telegram, he quickly found Wang Mingzhang who was urgently adjusting the deployment at the command center.

"Commander, the latest news is that the 358th Brigade, the ace main force of the Second War Zone, is coming to support us."

"358th Brigade? Didn't they just wipe out a Japanese cavalry regiment in Meng County? It's only been a short time."

Wang Mingzhang took the telegram and glanced at it carefully: "It seems that Commander Yan is unlikely to be able to contact Tang Enbo's troops. Otherwise, this situation would not have occurred."

"Commander, most of our regiment has been killed or wounded. It's time to consider a retreat."

"Yes, Commander. The Japanese are firing thousands of rounds a day, causing heavy casualties among our soldiers. They are also using poison gas bombs on a large scale. Many of our soldiers have basically lost their combat effectiveness and can barely even lift their guns!"

"It's only the second day and there are still three days left until the mission Commander Yan asked us to complete."

Wang Mingzhang glanced at everyone, and all the brigade commanders and regiment commanders fell silent.

Old Man Yan gave them clothes to wear, food to eat, and guns and ammunition.

"You treat me like a national hero, and I will repay you like a national hero. Commander, there is nothing to say. Commander Yan has ordered us to hold out for five days... to buy time for the defense of Taiyuan, so let's hold out for five days."

"Besides, we are not without reinforcements." Chief of Staff Zhao looked at everyone and then emphasized again: "The 358th Brigade is the ace elite of the Second War Zone. Its equipment is better than Tang Enbo's Thirteenth Army!"

Tang Enbo's troops had previously been placed with high hopes by the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army.

In fact, the equipment of his Thirteenth Army was not that good.

In the entire 13th Army, only the 89th Division had nine large formal mountain cannons in terms of artillery.

The performance is also relatively backward, with a range of only four to five thousand meters.

The situation of other artillery units is even more difficult to describe.

The 4th Division now had only a few small guns.

Before the bloody battle of Nankou, there were two Soviet-made anti-tank guns.

These two anti-tank guns were trial products and obsolete goods from Soviet military factories. They were destroyed by the Japanese army during the Battle of Nankou.

This is what the Central Army’s equipment looks like.

Not to mention other warlord troops.

Mortars have become an unattainable weapon for them.

Before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.

The arsenals in various places were actually controlled by warlords.

Especially after the fall of Northeast China.

The Nationalist Government, or Chiang Kai-shek, had control over only a few arsenals.

They are Shanghai, Jinling, Hanyang and Gongxian.

The number of 75mm caliber artillery produced per month is only eight!
Shanghai Arsenal: produces six 75mm mountain cannons per month.

Hanyang Arsenal: produces two 105mm mountain guns per month. PS: The arsenal tried to produce mm howitzers and mm anti-aircraft guns, but did not mass produce them.

Neither Gongxian Arsenal nor Jinling Arsenal produces mountain cannons or other artillery.

China and Japan are at total war.

The national army is huge in number.

There are even factions within the central army.

Not to mention the various miscellaneous military units under the Central Army.

Old Yan has been here for so many years.

Only more than 200 artillery pieces were collected.

Half of them were lost in the Battle of Xinkou.

After hearing what Chief of Staff Zhao said, some regiment commanders who didn't know the details immediately asked, "That's the Central Army, they are well-equipped."

Division Commander Wang smiled and said, "This 358th Brigade is different from other troops. It is directly under the theater of operations and is Commander Yan's trump card. They not only have a mountain artillery battalion but also a field artillery regiment."

"Commander, could it be that this is the 30th Artillery Regiment that Commander Yan originally intended to give us to command?"

Wang Mingzhang nodded: "Yes, Commander Yan later handed over the command to Chu Yunfei of the 358th Brigade... At that time, there was a fierce battle at Niangzi Pass... It is normal to deploy in the place where the battle is most intense."

Chu Yunfei controlled eight mountain cannons of the Mountain Artillery Battalion and twelve 88mm field guns of the th Artillery Regiment.

In the entire North China region, it has become a very important force.

On the strength and level of artillery.

It may be inferior to the elite group army of the Central Army.

But compared with Sun Lianzhong's Second Army and Fu Zuoyi's Seventh Army, it is much stronger.

What's more, the 358th Brigade is also equipped with twelve 82mm mortars and eight mm mortars.

Wang Mingzhang and others are naturally looking forward to the upcoming support and assistance.

After going through a lot of twists and turns, Yan Laoxi finally received a call back from Tang Enbo at noon the next day.

"It is not the right time to attack now"

His tone was extremely blunt, and he didn't take Yan Laoxi seriously at all.

Yan Laoxi naturally didn't care about Tang Enbo's move.

Instead, he told Wang Mingzhang about this matter immediately.

That damn dog Tang Enbo is less than eighty kilometers south of you.

I have given the order for them to attack.

But Tang Enbo did not obey my orders, and I have reported this to the Chairman.

The Chairman will personally command this encirclement and annihilation campaign!
That afternoon, Feng Jingye's troops, who had been dragging their feet, attacked the Japanese transport team from the flank.

More than 100 Japanese soldiers were killed and a number of military supplies were burned.
This slightly alleviated the defense pressure in the Yangquan area.

After receiving Yan Laoxi's telegram that afternoon, Wang Mingzhang immediately sent an urgent telegram to the Chairman.

That night.

Tang Enbo received a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek urging him to launch an offensive.

The wording of the telegram was very harsh.

Tang Enbo replied that he hoped to use the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army to consume the Japanese offensive.

Wait until the Japanese army is exhausted before attacking.

At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was not the same Chiang Kai-shek who had experienced the Battle of Shanghai, the Nanjing Massacre, and the fall of Taiyuan.

He still has a lot of his own troops.

Naturally, there was no need for a force like Tang Enbo to maintain the so-called anti-Japanese war situation.

Chiang Kai-shek had an extremely paranoid personality.

Even when the Battle of Songhu was in such a mess, they still made bold statements from time to time about driving the Japanese out of the Huangpu River.

Naturally, there would be no chance for Tang Enbo to avoid the battle.

Call back immediately.

Tang Enbo was ordered to attack decisively.

At this time, Tang Enbo was no longer the old fox who disobeyed orders at Taierzhuang and disobeyed military orders at the Battle of Wuhan.

not to mention.

The order was issued by Chiang Kai-shek himself.

He dares not to obey anyone's orders.

But Chang Kai-shen is different..
Tang Enbo immediately made corresponding offensive deployment.

"Order, Wang Zhonglian's main force of the 89th Division, to attack the flank of the main Japanese forces along the highway to Pingding and Yangquan areas..."

"Wang Wanling's 109th Division advanced to Xiyang and, together with Zeng Wanzhong's rd Army, launched a counterattack against the Japanese th Division."

"Yes!"

The battle began early the next morning.

Fumisaburo Kawagishi was suddenly counterattacked by three armies.

The pressure doubled in an instant.

Fortunately, Terauchi Shou had made arrangements early on.

On the day when Kawagishi Fumisaburo reported the situation.

Fighter planes stationed in Shanxi and Pingjin took off one after another to provide support.
Repeatedly bomb the attacking forces.

As the main force of the Central Army, if Tang Enbo's troops fought a defensive battle, it would be difficult for the Japanese to gain much advantage.

They can only rely on artillery and fighter planes to consume their resources.

But at this time they were playing the role of attack, while the Japanese were on the defensive.

The combat effectiveness they displayed was far beyond that during the attack, which lasted only one morning.

The 89th Division suffered nearly 1,500 casualties, most of whom were caused by bombing and artillery fire from Japanese aircraft.

Previously.

Liu Jiaqi's unit of the 54th Division of the elite 9th Army of the 14th Group Army.

The Japanese suffered more than twice as much casualties in besieging the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade of less than 3,000 men, and it took a full four and a half days to annihilate this isolated force.

The 89th Division, the most elite division under Tang Enbo.

The hope of defeating the 40th Infantry Brigade, the main force of the Japanese army in the Yangquan area, is naturally very slim.

Southwest of Yangquan.

Chu Yunfei and his troops were less than 30 kilometers away from the Yangquan area.

He not only contacted Wang Mingzhang.

We also contacted Corps Commander Tang Enbo.

"Commander, at this point in time, it will be difficult for us to achieve our expected combat objectives."

Fang Ligong pushed his glasses and then continued to analyze: "Zeng Wanzhong's troops originally planned to retreat to Xiyang... However, according to intelligence, they have now been defeated by the enemy and the various troops have lost contact..."

Corps Commander Tang will command the troops of the Fourth Division.

It was deployed on the Xiyang front line to flank the main force of the 109th Division and tie down the enemy's forces.

Zeng Wanzhong's Third Army will gather its troops and it will take at least some time to counterattack again..."

Fang Ligong’s implication is actually very clear.

Tang Enbo now needs to allocate a division of troops to guard his flanks. It is difficult for a division of troops to play a decisive role on such a battlefield.

It is still uncertain whether the Third Army can be deployed in the counterattack. There is a high probability that there is no chance.

If the Third Army can rise up, it can free up the main force of the Fourth Division.

Then if both divisions under the Thirteenth Army could be deployed to the battlefield, the offensive effect would naturally be immediate.

Chu Yunfei thought for a moment and said, "It is not their fault that the Third Army is in such a situation. After more than 20 days of fierce fighting on the front line, most of the troops have been consumed. Under the strong pursuit of the Japanese army, it is normal for the troops to be defeated."

The Third Army did not receive much material supplies from Yan Laoxi...it was already a great effort that it could hold out for such a long time.

"But the brigade commander... Commander Sun of the Second Army has already retreated according to the original plan. According to the latest news, they only have less than 6,000 troops left and are completely unable to participate in this encirclement and annihilation battle."

Fang Ligong was obviously not optimistic about this encirclement and annihilation battle. He emphasized: "The 45th Sichuan Army, which was originally planned, cannot participate in this battle plan. In the Yangquan area, our army has less than 30,000 combat troops. Under such circumstances, it is very difficult to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Japanese army of more than 10,000, or even to defeat it."

Chu Yunfei nodded: "Brother Ligong, you are right."

"Based on the current combat effectiveness of our various units, we would need at least five times more troops to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army.

But everyone, the so-called encirclement and annihilation war, in essence, was just to buy time for the evacuation of Taiyuan.

If the expected results cannot be achieved.

Supporting the 122nd Division's breakout was considered as completing the planned combat mission.

I think that at this stage our army should not focus on achieving so-called results but rather on

Hearing footsteps, Chu Yunfei turned around and looked over.

The confidential clerk came over quickly and said, "Sir, the chairman has an urgent message."

Chu Yunfei glanced at the contents of the telegram and frowned slightly.

Pinch with your right hand and coordinate with your left hand.

In no time, it was rolled into a ball and thrown aside.

"We continue to say that the so-called results are secondary. The most important thing at this stage is to buy time."

"Time is the most precious thing for us. The evacuation of people in Shouyang is still ongoing and it will take another two days.

As for Taiyuan, the Second War Zone Command Headquarters estimated that it would take at least ten days... It was slower than we expected... The removal and transportation of large equipment consumed too much of our time."

Seeing everyone's eyes looking at the paper ball, Chu Yunfei sighed slightly and explained: "There's nothing to see. The chairman ordered our 358th Brigade to leave Meng County and defend Shouyang."

Everyone was slightly stunned.

Why would the Chairman give such a strange order?

Mengxian, didn’t that happen three days ago?

Now they are almost in Yangquan
No wonder the brigade commander threw the telegram away. What a bullshit order.

"Sun Ming, go tell the confidential office that there is no need to send telegrams from Nanjing to me, except for commendations."

"Yes!"

Fang Ligong looked at Chu Yunfei and said, "Captain...what should we do now?"

The data on the annual output of the arsenal in this chapter is taken from: The Battle Records of the Front Lines of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, edited by Guo Rugui and Huang Yuzhang, Jiangsu People's Publishing House, P301)

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(End of this chapter)