Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 200: Tang Enbo's judgment is completely correct? Chu Yunfei's troops attacked Yi County at night. (Subscribe)
"Damn it! How on earth is this battle being fought?"

Chiang Kai-shek was angry!

He really couldn't understand why all the troops in the Fifth War Zone, including himself and a group of senior generals, were giving their all.

How did the battle end up like this?

Putting aside the fact that the Second Army suffered heavy casualties and was almost wiped out, Taierzhuang was at least still in their hands.

The 22nd Army's attack on Lincheng was not successful, but it still managed to capture several villages.

The 59th Army and the 3rd Corps, with more than four times the strength of the Guoqi Detachment, were so weak.

"Send a telegram to Zhang Zizhong immediately."

"The enemy in Linyi can be freely transferred to Xiangcheng and Lanling Town. This is a shame for the army. We should send powerful troops to pursue the enemy in Xiangcheng fiercely. We should prevent the enemy in Tai and Yi from escaping when they are almost wiped out. This is of great importance to the future of the war of resistance. We must make every effort."

"Yes!"

Great victory in Linyi.

General Zhang Zizhong, whose punishment had just been revoked, was once again mercilessly reprimanded by Chiang Kai-shek.

This matter actually has little to do with him.

It was Li Zongren's command mistake, but Li Zongren had already entered Taierzhuang to supervise the battle in person.

It was impossible for Chiang Kai-shek to call Li Zongren out and scold him again.

Zhang Zizhong had previously received a telegram from Li Zongren, requiring the main force of his troops to move towards Feixian County.

Pang Bingxun's troops in Linyi suffered reduced losses in the Linyi counterattack led by Chu Yunfei.

It is not as bad as in the war history where there are less than two thousand combat troops left.

But the casualties of the Third Corps were still very serious. Four thousand people wanted to stop the attack of two Japanese infantry battalions...
To be honest, in the plain terrain.

Needless to say, it was the early days of the War of Resistance.

Even during the confrontation period when the quality of Japanese troops had dropped significantly, this was an almost impossible task.

Not only was the 52nd Army in danger, but the morale of the 3rd Corps and the 59th Army was also extremely low.

The 59th Army suffered 3,000 casualties in the Huai River and 4,500 casualties in the Linyi counterattack.

Three regiments were added, with a force of less than 3,000 people.

Plus the loss of weapons, equipment, and consumption of ammunition and artillery shells.

The combat effectiveness of the 59th Army was actually less than half of what it was when General Zhang Zizhong took office.

On the one hand, there were intelligence errors and poor command.

A group of senior generals from the Fifth War Zone, including Li Zongren and Xu Yanmou, judged that after the Japanese army captured Linyi, they would gather their forces and advance to Taierzhuang.

Little did they know that the Guoqi Detachment was directly using two infantry battalions to contain the Linyi defenders, while the main force was heading west to support the Seya Detachment.

The bigger reason is that the National Army, the National Government, and even the Republic of China itself are not strong enough.

The quality of the recruits is poor, their weapons and equipment cannot keep up, and the situation where the more they are recruited, the worse their combat effectiveness becomes is a constant.

By the first day of the encirclement and annihilation campaign, the combined combat strength of the 59th Army and the 3rd Corps was less than 6,000 men.

It is simply an impossible task for such a force to carry out the so-called offensive containment!
Chiang Kai-shek turned his gaze towards the southern end of the Jinpu Road and slowly issued a new order: "Telegram to Liao Lei and Li Pinxian to take over the defense line of the original 52nd Army that night, and Yu Xuezhong's troops to go north to reinforce the Xuzhou area in two days."

"Also, what is the current situation of the 60th Army?"

"At present, the number of troops in the area around Xuzhou is less than 3,000... General Lu Han is still in Wuhan and has not yet set out."

"Why is it so slow?"

When Chiang Kai-shek frowned, Lin Wei knew he was going to curse.

"Damn it, what's wrong with the railway department? Don't they know that the war in Xuzhou is getting serious?"

Liu Fei on the side said: "Commissioner, let me supervise this matter."

"Ah."

Chiang Kai-shek adjusted his mood.

The current dire situation perfectly confirms Tang Enbo’s previous judgment.

This made Chiang Kai-shek feel a little suspicious for a moment.

Could it be that Enbo's judgment was correct and he had fallen into Li Zongren's trap?
In Chiang Kai-shek's view, the Guangxi clique had an army of 200,000 (the two armies of Liao Lei and Li Pinxian nominally had 160,000 to 180,000 troops, but in reality there were about 120,000). They sat on the Jinpu South Road and watched the Northeast Army and the Northwest Army bleed and sacrifice.

And now.

In the name of monitoring the enemy, they confronted the Japanese invaders on both sides of the Huai River and engaged in a tug of war.

This made Chiang Kai-shek quite dissatisfied, but he had no place to vent.

"How is the battle situation of the 85th Army commanded by Enbo?"

“No news has been received yet.”

Just as Chiang Kai-shek frowned.

Bai Jiansheng walked quickly to Chiang Kai-shek with the telegram in his hand and said, "Chairman...good news."

"Ok?"

Chiang Kai-shek turned around and quickly took the telegram handed over by Bai Jiansheng, and glanced at it carefully.

This is the only news that can be considered good news in the entire Xuzhou battlefield.

Chu Yunfei called to report on today's battle situation.

It was confirmed that the Japanese frontline commander Major Mizutani Shoichi was killed.

The Japanese defensive positions outside Yi County have been cleared, and more than a thousand enemies have been killed.

Three hundred rifles, six Taisho Type 11 rifles, and eighteen grenade launchers were seized.

According to the original combat plan, a mopping-up operation will be launched tomorrow to annihilate the main Japanese forces in Yi County.

Chang Kaishen thought for a moment with an expressionless face, then turned around and asked, "Which main force of Chu Yunfei's troops has not yet participated in the attack?"

He clearly remembered that Chu Yunfei did not deploy all his troops into the battle in Yi County.

Instead, he sent out more than 5,000 main forces to guard against a counterattack by the Japanese troops from the direction of Taierzhuang.

"It should be the 197th Brigade. The commander of this unit is Li Zhenxi."

Chiang Kai-shek not only had an impression of him, but had a very deep impression of him.

He was the one who separated this troop from the 38th Army and gave it to Chu Yunfei.

Now Li Zhenxi, the chief guard of General Yang Huchen, is serving as the commander of Chu Yunfei's troops.

After a moment, Chiang Kai-shek came up with a plan: "Telegram order Chu Yunfei to lead a powerful main force to advance towards Taierzhuang to support the Second Army in its operations."

"Commissioner," Lin Wei reminded in a low voice, "The enemy in Yi County has not been completely eliminated. If we divide our forces and march south at this time, it is very likely to lead to failure in the subsequent offensive operations."

Chiang Kai-shek did not speak, and Liu Fei beside him added: "Chairman, Chu Yunfei's original battle plan was to annihilate the enemy in Yi County and then go south to support Taierzhuang."

"Or you can order them to send some of their infantry to search and advance in the direction of Nigou to threaten the Japanese invaders from both sides, so that the enemy in Taierzhuang may slow down their offensive."

Even though Chu Yunfei has such a brilliant record.

But it includes senior generals such as Liu Fei and Lin Wei.

Nor did he believe that Chu Yunfei's troops, after the division, would be able to annihilate the Japanese "Taierzhuang Detachment".

The previous Qin County encirclement and annihilation campaign was famous throughout the country.

But after that battle, the Eighth Route Army troops in southeastern Shanxi only carried out two raids along the Zhengtai Railway in March.

It seemed to be completely plunged into silence.

Not only has the frequency of so-called guerrilla warfare decreased a lot, but the number of regular battles has not even reached a single one.

Chiang Kai-shek and others all knew about it.

The main forces of the Eighth Route Army, the 115th and 120th Divisions, must have suffered heavy casualties.

Chu Yunfei's troops had experienced the Qin County encirclement and annihilation campaign, the Huaihe River annihilation campaign, and even the Linyi counterattack campaign.

How many troops are left?

At this time, the troops are divided..
It's a bit fanciful actually.

After receiving the telegram, Chu Yunfei was extremely surprised for a moment.

The telegram was sent in the name of Lin Wei.

But this kind of micromanagement
It goes without saying that this was Chiang Kai-shek's work.

Sending troops south at this time would only cause trouble for ourselves.

Chu Yunfei knew in his heart that he had to fight against more than just the thousands of Japanese devils in Yi County.

Instead, it is possible that the main force of the Seya Detachment and the main force of the 10th Division are heading south.

The task of rushing to Taierzhuang's rescue should not have been assigned to him.

But other friendly forces.

"Under such circumstances, our opponents are still thinking about taking Taierzhuang"

Fang Ligong pushed his glasses up, looking puzzled: "Master, could it be that the main force of the 10th Division has already arrived in Ziyang (Yanzhou) and Zouxian area, so these Japanese invaders are fearless?"

The situation in Xuzhou area is now in chaos.

Chu Yunfei's advantage of foresight has actually become completely useless.

In addition to having a slight intelligence advantage in the raid on Dawenkou Airport.

The Japanese invaders' deployment was very different from what was recorded in war history.

Not to mention that the 10th Division strengthened its forces by two regiments and moved southward, the Seya Detachment has grown from an ordinary detachment of 6,000 troops to the behemoth it is today.

The Seya Detachment's strength has reached half of the 10th Division, and its artillery strength has even exceeded that of the 10th Division.

The Japanese invaders' 16th Division, which was resting, was able to dispatch a regiment to reinforce the 5th Division because of the Linyi counterattack.

In other words.

The Japanese's troops and firepower were stronger than Chu Yunfei remembered. But at the same time, this strength was also gained by overdrawing the war potential.

But no matter what, Japan at least has the qualifications and ability to overdraw its war potential.

The Nationalist government is doing its best, but it is still difficult to maintain the war situation.
It's a bit hard to accept.

Chu Yunfei thought carefully for a moment, then made his own judgment and ordered: "Brother Ligong, no matter how the Japanese army deploys, what we have to do is to respond to changes with the same strategy and take the initiative to destroy his Yixian troops.

Even if the Japanese invaders wanted to launch a counter-encirclement, they did not have enough troops.

In addition, call the Fifth War Zone Commander Headquarters early tomorrow morning."

"That order?"

Fang Ligong was stunned. Chu Yunfei had already crumpled the telegram into a ball.

It is clear.

When the general is out, military orders are not obeyed.

Chu Yunfei trusted his own judgment more than Chiang Kai-shek’s military orders.

"I see..I'll arrange it later."

Chiang Kai-shek was anxious.

This is because the 52nd Army is at risk of being attacked together.

The Japanese army was also extremely anxious at this time.

The main force of the 10th Division and the three infantry battalions of the 14th Division moved southward and were constantly harassed by the three armies of the Third Army.

Although the Jining counterattack caused the Third Army to suffer heavy losses.

However, the important task of raiding Dawenkou Airport had already been completed by the team led by Bian Fucheng.

They lost fewer soldiers, and the Third Army currently has a strength of around 20,000 men.

However, Gu Liangmin's troops suffered heavy casualties.

In the eyes of the Japanese army, the Third Army was like psoriasis.

Use your main force to attack him. He won't fight you. He will just run away. He would rather lose the city and land than give you the chance to annihilate him.

If you ignore him.

Then he would attack you unexpectedly, sneak attack a small stronghold, blow up a supply truck, and force the Japanese army to pay attention to them.

Very annoying.

The Third Army's fighting style is actually related to the desire of Sun Tongxuan and others to preserve their strength.

When talking about the Third Army, the Jining counterattack is an unavoidable topic.

According to the battle plan drawn up by Sun Tongxuan (a counterattack after Han Fuju was executed.)
Cao Fulin's 55th Army launched an attack from Jinxiang to the north of Jining City South Gate.

The 22nd Division under Gu Liangmin's command went from Dingtao via Juye and Jiaxiang to the north of Jining, attacked the north gate of Jining, and cooperated with the 55th Army to recapture Jining.

At the same time, Sun Tongxuan also ordered the 81st Division under his command to harass the Japanese troops in Wenshang to prevent them from going south to reinforce Jining.

The battle plan is relatively rough, but it is clear at a glance.

The main attack was led by Cao Fulin's 55th Army.

The 22nd Division of the 56th Army and the 81st Division commanded by Sun Tongxuan were responsible for the feint attack and coordinated operations.

But what is it like when the fight really starts?

Cao Fulin only sent part of the troops from the other two regiments, about less than two battalions, to carry out harassing operations against Jining Railway Station and other places.

After the Japanese counterattack was repelled, Cao Fulin's main force never moved again.

The 22nd Division, which was responsible for assisting and coordinating operations, firmly carried out the combat tasks assigned by Gu Liangmin and Sun Tongxuan.

After the troops arrived, the 64th Brigade took the main attack and the 66th Brigade served as the reserve.

After the disguised infiltration failed, the main forces of the two regiments launched a strong attack.

At that time, there were less than 3,000 Japanese troops defending Jining City (nominally, but actually more than 2,000).
According to Sun Tongxuan's battle plan, Jining City could be recaptured at the cost of certain casualties and sacrifices.

But because of Cao Fulin's outrageous behavior.

As a result, most of the soldiers who entered Jining City were killed. One day and one night after the attack started, the Japanese support force of 1,500 people arrived.

Judging from the results, Sun Tongxuan's diversionary tactics were also a failure.

The 81st Division that attacked Wenshang was attacked from three sides by the Japanese troops defending the city and the Japanese reinforcements. They held out for a day before retreating.

In this battle, half of the 64th Brigade was wiped out. The commander of the rear guard battalion was killed, and the commander of the 66th Brigade, Xue Mingliang, was shot and wounded. Even Gu Liangmin himself felt that his future was uncertain, and Cao Fulin's exclusion was even more blatant.

This is a matter of holding each other back.

In the entire Anti-Japanese battlefield, only basic operations can be performed...and this is an old colleague of the Northwest Army.

Not to mention the other warlord troops who already have old grudges against each other.

After the Jining counterattack, the Japanese Army's 8th Brigade of the 10th Division alone overwhelmed them and captured Jiaxiang, an important place on the south bank of the canal.

And now, the commander of the North China Expeditionary Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, has made his decision.

Completely eliminate the threat in the rear and ensure victory in the Battle of Xuzhou.

The main force of the 16th Division and two infantry battalions of the 114th Division formed the Jinxiang Detachment and launched a fierce attack in the direction where the main force of the Third Army was stationed. (Six infantry battalions + two mountain artillery squadrons attacked southward.)
The fall of Yi County made Terauchi Hisaichi deeply anxious.

It is believed that the speed at which the main force of the 10th Division moves south should be further accelerated.

It just so happened that the 85th Army, the main force of Tang Enbo's troops, appeared in the area between Zaozhuang, Teng County and Fei County.

The enemy and us situation on both sides became:

Encirclement (Taierzhuang) → Counter-encirclement (Zaolin Japanese main forces, Guoqi Detachment encircled the 52nd Army) → Counter-encirclement (Tang Enbo's 85th Army, Chu Yunfei's troops, and the 41st Army of the 22nd Division Army surrounded the main Japanese forces in Zao, Lin, and Yi.)
According to Terauchi Hisaichi's idea, after the main force of the 10th Division joined forces with the main forces of Zao and Lin, they would not only be able to defeat Tang Enbo's 89th Army, but would even have a chance to annihilate Chu Yunfei's ace force under the National Government.

Commander of the North China Expeditionary Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, has decided to move his headquarters to Ziyang (Yanzhou).

This was also the previous headquarters location of the 10th Division.

Supervise the battle and boost the morale of one's own soldiers, just like the previous Battle of Xinkou.

In the view of senior Chinese and Japanese officials, the Battle of Xuzhou has now reached its most critical juncture.

No matter which side makes progress first, it will inevitably have a decisive impact on the overall situation of the entire battlefield.

Chu Yunfei thought so too.

The next day at dawn

The 2nd Infantry Regiment, led by Liu Wang, launched an attack on the county seat of Yi County.

The 3rd Infantry Regiment, under the command of Luo Weiguo, launched a diversionary attack on three Japanese squadrons between Zao and Yi.

Before the battle started, the mountain artillery regiment was under the command of Chu Yunfei.

Rounds of fire coverage were carried out on the designated coordinate points in the city.

The field mountain artillery regiment has a small reserve of artillery shells and because of its longer range.

Chu Yunfei generally does not use this force easily.

After all, 75mm mountain artillery shells are easy to find and can even be seized.

The 88mm field gun was only produced by Yan Laoxi, and its production had been discontinued long ago.

It is natural that we should use this small amount of money frugally.

As the artillery preparation ended, the commandos quickly charged forward.

"Bang~!"

"Da da da~!"

Following the sounds of rifles and heavy machine guns.

Several searchlights in Yi County were quickly extinguished.

Mortar shells hit the walls of Yicheng again.

These bombardments would provide cover for the attacking forces.

As the explosions subsided.

The Japanese light and heavy machine guns also quickly opened fire in response, attempting to suppress the attacking forces.

Flares from both sides continued to rise into the sky.

The entire battlefield seemed as bright as day.

In just a few minutes, both sides fired tens of thousands of bullets.

The sound of gunfire was endless.
Under the cover of their own artillery fire.

The commandos have already rushed to the city gate and even the city wall.

"Da da da da~!"

The sound of gunfire was right next to my ears.

Bullets kept flying by.
Commando soldier He Xiaoxiao and others paid the price with their lives.

He detonated the explosive pack in his arms, and there was a loud bang.

The city gate reinforced by the Japanese invaders was destroyed by the huge power of the explosion.

Such explosions continued to sound at the East Gate and the South Gate.
The Japanese invaders were in a panic for a while.

They kept firing at the gap, with bullets flying everywhere.

When the Japanese commander in the city heard the sound of gunfire coming from the direction of Zaozhuang.

Subconsciously, I thought that Chu Yunfei's general attack had already begun.

At one point, several 90mm mortars and four Type 92 infantry guns in the city were also firing at the direction of Chu Yunfei's main attack, which was likely to appear.
The Japanese were fighting fiercely.

The Third Artillery Battalion occasionally fired a few mortar shells to add to the intense situation.

The fierce "battle" lasted for more than ten minutes before the Japanese soldiers came to their senses.
358D did not launch a general attack as they had previously judged.

As for this night attack, it was just a preparation for the daytime attack.
(End of this chapter)