Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 178: Fighting alongside General Zhang, dividing and encircling the Japanese th Regiment! (Subscribe)

"Boom~!"

“Da da da da?!”

It was not easy to find soldiers who could row in the 358th Brigade. Originally, a company was prepared to cross the river, but in the end only two platoons were arranged.

Even so, it caused considerable trouble to the Japanese.

More than 20 Japanese soldiers at the front line on the south bank had their heads chopped off by the soldiers.

Hanging on a tree branch.

The crisp sound of the Jin-made Thompson submachine guns turned the Japanese soldiers who came to support the two squads into sieves.

The Japanese support was coming faster and faster, and more and more, and even the artillery fire was getting closer and closer.

A red flare was launched on the north bank of the Huai River.

Zhou Daxing immediately shouted loudly: "Brothers, it's almost time, let's retreat!"

"Yes!"

After the attack by the 358th Brigade of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, the Japanese soldiers suddenly became uneasy.

In particular, the 26th Brigade was under attack from three sides at this time.

Chinese troops were conducting small-scale counterattacks in the north, west, and southwest.

The commander of the 58th Regiment, Kunimori Koto, had a frown on his face in the forward command post.

With the dim light of the kerosene lamp, he carefully studied the terrain of the surrounding area.

According to the information transmitted by the 13th Division Command.

This group of newly emerged Chinese troops is most likely the 358th Brigade, the ace main force of the Second War Zone.

Because of this, Kunimori Kototo had to be extremely cautious.

"Captain, in the battle of Qin County, China's three main divisions were able to encircle and annihilate one of our brigades in extreme terrain. Now that the encirclement has been initially formed, if the enemy's three armies and one main brigade launch a counterattack at the same time, our army is likely to suffer heavy losses."

Chief of Staff Koichi Ogasawara gave a reminder.

Kuramori Gongren nodded, he also had the same concerns.

The 58th Infantry Regiment under his command had suffered 1,800 casualties.

The situation of the entire brigade was not very good.

But because the supply line is close, ammunition is sufficient and personnel can be replenished quickly.

Although the attack was blocked.

But all the Japanese commanders knew that it was only a matter of time before they could break through the Huaihe River defense line.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be too many obstacles.

However, this counterattack was actually intended to deploy the 59th Army's defense.

Rather than to annihilate the 26th Brigade.

This strategic situation only appears from the perspective of the Japanese.

It was not clear that the troops on the southern front did not have the capability to launch a general offensive at this time.

The offensive posture was only to buy time and support the deployment of the 59th Army.

Chu Yunfei believed that with the help of the three-dimensional combat map, his combat style was already quite radical.

But I never expected that the Fifty-Nine who just came up would play like this.

The Fifty-Nineth Army, which took over the front line of defense on the battlefield, launched a counterattack at dawn.

General Zhang Zizhong called Chu Yunfei's command post.

He believed that it was better to fight back with all your strength than to defend with all your strength.

This sentence was exactly what Chu Yunfei wanted.

The remaining troops have weak combat effectiveness, poor manpower and weak firepower.

If they are allowed to fight on the front battlefield, they must be prepared to have their assholes fucked by the Japanese.

But Zhang Zizhong’s troops were different, and Zhang Zizhong was also different.

Due to his performance in Tianjin and Beijing during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, General Zhang Zizhong was constantly consumed by condemnation from his countrymen and self-guilt.

After the rapid fall of Peking and Tianjin, the officers and soldiers of the 59th Army also suffered unimaginable pressure.

Public opinion at the time generally believed that General Zhang Zizhong had deserted his post, offered no resistance, and flattered the Japanese for personal gain.

These ordinary people actually did not know that General Zhang Zizhong was actually caught in a vortex of dealing with the Japanese.

As the commander of the 38th Division, he also served as the mayor of Peking.

It's just to take the blame for Song Zheyuan and Chang Kaishen.

Autumn of 1937.

He went to Nanjing specifically to apologize to the Chairman, and on the way he saw that the streets of Nanjing were full of rare slogans cursing him.

Public opinion advocated that he be tried by a military court, and some in his own troops also wanted to divide him up.

It was also at this time that Li Zongren reached out and pulled him.

Li Zongren met with Chiang Kai-shek and stated two points of view, which convinced Chiang Kai-shek.

1. Zhang Zizhong could never be a traitor (the top leaders knew this clearly)

2. If his troops are split up at this time, the officers and soldiers of the Northwest Army will no longer be elite soldiers but rebels! (The officers and soldiers of the th Division are loyal. If you annex them and kill their division commander, it will be troublesome if they mutiny. At present, the th Division is staying in Henan for reorganization. Why not let them fight against Japan?)
After weighing the pros and cons, Chiang Kai-shek agreed to Li Zongren's request.

In August 1937, the Military Commission ordered the merging of the 38th Division of the 29th Army and the Special Service Brigade into the 59th Army, and appointed Song Zheyuan as the commander.

In November, General Zhang Zizhong returned to the army and was appointed as the army commander.

Yes.

It is true that the troops under Song Zheyuan's command had poor combat effectiveness.

Moreover, the speed of his defeat was even worse than that of the fleeing general Liu Zhi.

The general at that time had no intention of fighting to the death, so how could the soldiers not pull him back?
But it's different now.

The entire 59th Corps underwent half a year of training.

They want to know their shame and therefore want to avenge themselves!
We must fight and kill the Japanese invaders!

Supporting troops from the Chinese army arrived.

The main force of the 13th Division also reinforced and headed north on the 15th.

Just as Chu Yunfei was standing at the 59th Command Headquarters discussing with General Zhang Zizhong how to counterattack.

The Japanese used part of their main force to force their way across the Huai River again.

Launch a fierce attack on the front line of defense.

It was just one night and one day.

The Japanese then deployed another brigade along the entire Huaihe River front and reinforced it with an infantry regiment.

According to Chu Yunfei's memory, the Japanese still had at least two infantry regiments of troops that could be mobilized.

With his arrival, this time point is advanced.

The Japanese support forces included seven squadrons of aviation, engineering, artillery, armored troops, and even the assistance of railway troops.

It has everything you need and the lineup is quite luxurious.

"I was originally planning to cross the river and attack, but now it seems that is not necessary."

Chu Yunfei nodded and said, "Commander Zhang, since a piece of fat meat is delivered to our door, let's eat them and teach these beasts a lesson!"

"it is good!"

General Zhang Zizhong nodded and said, "I plan to form a reinforced regiment from each of the two divisions. With a determination to die, we will launch a swift attack on the enemy and kill these Japanese invaders. I also ask the two artillery regiments under the command of Deputy Chief of Staff Chu to help our army."

"It's natural!"

Chu Yunfei nodded and promised: "As long as your troops launch an attack, our artillery support will arrive as scheduled."

"A word is settled!"

Chu Yunfei saluted and said goodbye to General Zhang Zizhong.

Returned to his forward command post.

Fang Ligong came forward to meet him.
On the north bank of the Huai River with Xiaobengbu Town as the center, the Japanese army transported more than 3,000 people in one morning and successfully deployed their formation.

The commander of the unit was none other than Soeda Uki, commander of the 118th Regiment under the th Brigade.

The old devil, Tian Fu, is 48 years old this year and was one of the executioners in the Nanjing Incident.

The old Japanese had just stepped onto the north bank of the Huai River before he had time to say anything.

Then a sharp sound of breaking air was heard from the sky.

Under Chu Yunfei's command, the 30th Artillery Regiment launched rounds of artillery attacks on the Japanese army's river crossing assembly point.

Chu Yunfei just wanted to test his new function with such an obvious skull. After locking the target.

Chu Yunfei silently confirmed it in his heart.

I just felt my strength rapidly draining away...I felt as tired as if I had stayed up for two nights.

The shells seemed to be equipped with a terminal guidance kit, and hit several veteran Japanese soldiers from the 118th Regiment led by Soeda Uki with incredible precision.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Shells exploded one after another, and the area within a 88-meter radius centered on Soeda Uki was subjected to several rounds of artillery fire from mm field infantry guns.

The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, and as for commanders such as Soeda Ukiya who had just successfully crossed the river, they were blown to pieces without leaving any trace.

The officers and soldiers of the two regiments of the 59th Army, who were well prepared, immediately launched an attack from both wings.

The purpose of such an attack is also to reduce casualties.

As for the Japanese, they did not expect that someone would dare to launch an attack after the main force of the regiment crossed the river.

The place where they crossed the river was some distance away from the defense zone of the 358th Brigade.

Numata Tokushige was also shocked when he received the news.

Are there any experts?

The sudden appearance of the reinforcements caught the main force crossing the river off guard.

Especially at the beginning, they were bombarded and the brigade headquarters was destroyed.

This group of Japanese troops could only fight on their own under the command of their respective infantry squadron leaders.

Although considered from the perspective of small-scale combat, it has no effect on the combat effectiveness of the Japanese.

But after all, there was a lack of unified dispatch and command, and many omissions occurred in the deployment of the overall defense line.

In the 59th Army, those who were selected to become members of the suicide squad basically had a solid foundation in martial arts.

Many of these people were previously members of martial arts associations.

It is common to brandish spears and sticks, and when fighting, the swords in their hands are wielded with great force.

They took advantage of the Japanese invaders' confusion to launch a surprise attack and kill them.

A knife is faster than a gun, so naturally what we are comparing is not a pistol, but a rifle.

The Japanese soldiers would die if they were touched, and would be injured if they were touched.

But at the same time, it is easy to chop off the limbs of the Japanese soldiers with a big knife, but once the bayonet sees blood, the person is basically dead.

After dozens of minutes of hand-to-hand combat, the soldiers of the 59th Army's suicide squad were ultimately more skilled.

After paying the price of hundreds of casualties, the Japanese invaders were finally defeated, leaving behind a field of ochre-colored corpses.

A squad leader picked up the Type 99 light machine gun left behind by the Japanese invaders and fired fiercely in the direction of the Japanese invaders' retreat.
The soldiers built defensive fortifications on the spot and found relevant information files from the squadron's headquarters.

I have also figured out the specific number of this unit.

59th Army Headquarters.

General Zhang Zizhong passed the intelligence obtained by the soldiers at the risk of their lives to Chu Yunfei.

"The main force of this river crossing operation is the 118th Regiment under the 26th Brigade of the 13th Division of the enemy army."

Fang Ligong hung up the phone and turned around to say, "Sir, the Japanese army has arrived. We should be more cautious in the next battle."

With the 3th Army taking the initiative in a close-range surprise attack, the casualty ratio was 1:.

Although the attacking side itself needs to bear greater casualties.

But with such a result, Chu Yunfei couldn't help but worry about the Huaihe River defense line.

If we cannot defeat the Japanese offensive in the south.

Xuzhou will once again fall into a strategic situation of being attacked from both the north and the south.

The only thing I can do is to hurt these bastards.

The Japanese army will change its current strategic intention from attacking from the north and the south to defending the south and attacking the north.

Although it is indeed more suitable for the Japanese army at that time.

But it also makes it more convenient for China's defensive operations.

"We should be more cautious and kill these little devils crossing the river first."

"The 59th Army's attack is still going on."

Chu Yunfei nodded: "Order the 197th Regiment and the New Infantry Regiment to wipe out the enemy in front, and then launch an attack from east to west at several key distances on the north bank of the Huai River to cut off their retreat. In other words, we must fight a battle of encirclement and annihilation."

Fang Ligong looked at Chu Yunfei deeply and said without hesitation: "Yes!"

Fang Ligong went to give the order.

Chu Yunfei raised the telescope again and looked towards the front battlefield.

He liked to set up his headquarters less than five kilometers away from the front-line troops.

On the one hand, it is to better overview the battlefield situation, and on the other hand, it is to boost morale.

After all, the Japanese won't break through to too close a distance.

There won't be a situation where he is killed by one shot.

Chu Yunfei was naturally fearless.

In the battle map, the yellow bar (equipment, logistical supply) and green bar (troop strength, organization) belonging to the 26th Brigade dropped from two-thirds to one-half after Chu Yunfei's arrival.

The size of the army crossing the river was about the size of two or three battalions.

In terms of the combat effectiveness of the current 197th Regiment and the newly formed infantry regiment.

Eating them is naturally not a problem.

What's more, the terrain is flat, so the Japanese artillery and fighter planes can be used to the maximum extent.

The artillery force of the 358th Brigade can also maximize its combat effectiveness.

That afternoon.

A small unit of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army launched a tentative attack.

The guard team responsible for flank defense originally thought it was just a small-scale attack.

After a few minutes of exchange of fire, mortar shells hit the trenches one after another.

Their machine gun positions were destroyed very accurately.

Something is wrong. Absolutely wrong.

Although the colors of the uniforms look similar, their fighting styles are very different.
Moreover, such precise supporting firepower could never be from a "normal Chinese army."

The Japanese soldiers did not hesitate and immediately sent people to retreat and inform the situation.

Da da da!
"boom!"

After clearing the firing points.

The attacking force immediately launched a rapid advance under the cover of its own light and heavy machine guns.

"Pay attention to the left. There was a grenade launcher firing on the left. If they dare to show their heads again, kill them."

"Get grenades ready!"

"Right wing firing point, machine gunner, suppress him!"

Some squad leaders shouted orders at the top of their lungs, while others gave orders using hand gestures.

The squad leaders of Chu Yunfei's troops must have learned how to use hand gestures to give commands.

This kind of command style actually depends entirely on personal habits.

The battle started again and the guard team was defeated.

Within a few minutes, the 197th Regiment, under the command of Li Kuishan, launched a full-scale attack.

The front and both wings were attacked fiercely by the 59th Army.

A new force joined from the side and rear.

The disastrous consequences of the command center being destroyed became apparent at this time, as the Japanese soldiers, without coordinated command, fought on their own.

Some advocated staying where they were and waiting for support.

Some advocated an immediate counterattack, defeating the attacking forces and then retreating.

Some captains even believed that they should immediately abandon the frontal position, cross the river and retreat to preserve their manpower.

The main theme is a situation where no one obeys and no one can unify the command.
It was just a dozen minutes of argument and discussion.

Under the cover of the Mountain Artillery Regiment, the 197th Regiment once again broke through the Japanese defense line.

It seemed that the troops crossing the river were already showing signs of being surrounded.

A group of old devils looked at each other and finally reached a consensus.
(End of this chapter)