Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 230 Chiang Kai-shek: We are determined to win this battle and there is no turning back; Terauchi Hisaichi is worthy of the title of famous general!

Flying Tiger Honor Division Headquarters.

Fang Ligong heard that Chiang Kai-shek agreed to such a fantastic combat plan.

He hesitated to speak and then remained silent.

crazy!

They're all fucking crazy!
Although they were the elite of the Central Army, these elite troops actually suffered losses of more than 85% in the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing.

The 74th Army, which was in slightly better condition, also suffered more than 36% casualties in the 70th Division.

Only the 17th Corps under Hu Zongnan and the 74th Army under Yu Jishi were able to replenish their German equipment stocks because of personal relationships and Chiang Kai-shek's appreciation.

It can only maintain the situation of half German equipment and half Chinese equipment.

A large number of new recruits had basically no combat experience.

As for the miscellaneous units such as the 195th Division, they are even less worthy of mention;
These troops were reorganized from local militias and did not even have Hanyang-made weapons.

On the Lanfeng front, what would it matter even if the soldiers were full of enthusiasm and fought bravely?

Fang Ligong is a combat staff officer, not a hot-blooded young man.

He was also not optimistic about this encirclement and annihilation operation.

There are three reasons why Chu Yunfei made this decision.

First, he has now been able to confirm that Kenji Doihara is in Sanyi Village, and all his remaining troops have gathered together.

Second, the troops under Long Muhan of the 88th Division, Shang Zhen's 20th Army, and Sun Tongxuan's 3rd Army, all suffered heavy casualties in the siege and their commanders were unwilling to continue the attack.

Third, given the current strategic situation, simply annihilating part of the main force will not be able to reverse the Japanese army's strategic intention to advance westward.

The Japanese army will not be severely inflicted and the 14th Division will not be completely wiped out.

The Japanese Army's North China Front will certainly continue to advance rapidly and attack westwards.

Chu Yunfei, who was well-versed in war history, knew clearly what Terauchi Shouichi, the commander of the North China Front Army, was thinking.

He wants to fight all the way to the Pinghan Line!

You must know that they were the first to capture the city of Xuzhou.

It was not the North China Front Army that made great efforts.

It was the Central China Expeditionary Force, the 13th Division.

It was the 13th Division, whose two infantry regiments, together with an entire 26th Brigade, were annihilated by Chu Yunfei in Huaihe and Mengxian respectively.

Ogisu Rippei managed to gain some respect.

But what about their North China Front Army?

They lost all face!

On the issue of whether to pursue the main force in the Xuzhou area and expand the occupied area.

The Japanese military headquarters and the North China Front Army had another dispute.

The Japanese military headquarters clearly instructed that if the operation crossed the "Lanfeng, Guide, Shuicheng, Mengcheng, Zhengyangguan, and Lu'an line, approval must be obtained."

The order from the headquarters made the generals of the North China Front Army led by Terauchi Hisaichi quite angry.

Before the battle of Xuzhou, Terauchi Hisaichi had proposed to the headquarters that they would attack Wuhan in the future.

We hope to assign relevant combat tasks to them.

It was also proposed that the attack on Wuhan should start with the attack on Zhengxian (Zhengzhou).

But
The Japanese North China Front Army soon became popular.

Because when formulating the battle plan for the Battle of Wuhan.

The Japanese headquarters did not include Zhengzhou as part of the Wuhan Battle plan at all.

In other words, until the Battle of Lanfeng broke out, the Japanese headquarters actually had no plan to advance westward.

But the Japanese soldiers and veterans who are good at disobeying orders and trying to overthrow the powerful will not care what your base says.
In the eyes of Terauchi Hisaichi and other generals of the North China Front Army.

If the headquarters really follows their idea, they will still be stuck in the southern part of Shandong Province at least until August.

Now, although there have been certain losses, Xuzhou has been captured and the Jinpu railway line has been opened.

This shows what?
This shows that they were right to go it alone!
Under the guidance of this idea, the North China Front Army intended to gather heavy troops and advance westward.

Don't hurt them.

The First War Zone is responsible for defending Kaifeng?
Are you counting on those national defense fortifications that can be easily penetrated?
Chu Yunfei has already seen the so-called national defense fortifications!

Those so-called national defense fortifications outside Lanfeng City.

Another large part was reinforced by people sent by Song Xilian.

How rotten was it before this?

Chu Yunfei didn't even dare to think about it.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't control his desire to kill!

National defense works were completely non-existent and corruption in funding was so serious that it was out of control.

Such a critical place, for Henan, Lanfeng is like Niangzi Pass in Shanxi.

This kind of place is like this.

Chu Yunfei had a pretty good idea of ​​what the national defense fortifications in Kaifeng and Zhengxian (zhou) looked like!

"Brother Ligong, Lanfeng City is not undefensible."

This is Chu Yunfei's point of view, and he elaborated in detail on the reasons why he thought so.

After all, Chiang Kai-shek adopted his plan.

But what is the specific plan drawn up by the First War Zone?

No one knows.

The Japanese army wanted to join together, and not just in the direction of Lanfeng City.

Compared to the tough Lanfeng City.

The 88th Division in the Hongmiao direction is the easy target!
Lanfeng City, northern suburbs defense position.

The soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment had been fighting fiercely with the Japanese army for three hours.

The frontline positions had been almost completely destroyed by Japanese artillery fire.

Except for a few scattered observation posts, the remaining soldiers retreated to the second-line defense positions.

The soldiers' defensive line was not wide, only about 800 meters.

But it has a depth of about 1.5 kilometers.

On the left and right wings are friendly troops coming in for light support (the 4st, th and th Battalions of the th Infantry Regiment and the regiment's mortar company).
Compared with Chen Ze’s military camp, they are a little more miserable and can only rely on the so-called national defense fortifications.

While fighting with the Japanese army and waiting for the arrival of follow-up equipment, they also had to strengthen their defensive fortifications.

The Japanese army was short of manpower, with only two infantry battalions, about 2,000 men.

The main attack was still on the frontal defensive position in the northern suburbs.

On the contrary, he was not so concerned about the support troops on the left and right wings.

Soon, the Japanese army launched another attack.

Chen Zejun put down the telescope in his hand.

And along the route of the Japanese attack, there were densely packed bomb craters everywhere.

These craters.

There are 82mm mortars and 60mm mortars, and the artillery support is very strong.

The smoke from the battlefield has not yet dissipated.

The broken arms and limbs of the Japanese devils were everywhere.

The ground was soaked with blood, and a faint smell of blood wafted in the wind, which was somewhat nauseating.

The Second Battalion of the Mountain Artillery Regiment has not yet been deployed and is temporarily unable to provide strong reinforcements.

Not to mention the 30th Artillery Regiment.

They are maneuvering more slowly and are still on the road.

Chu Yunfei was observing the battle line on the three-dimensional combat map.

It was unexpectedly discovered that the troops led by Chen Zejun were in better condition than expected.

This is a little strange.

Just after Chu Yunfei observed carefully.

The crux of the problem was quickly found.

The 4th Battalion was in good shape, having been fully supported by the Heavy Mortar Battalion.

The battle in the northern suburbs of Lanfeng City had lasted less than four hours.

Song Ming's heavy mortar battalion's artillery shells had already blown him back by one third.

I don't know what kind of magic potion Chen Zejun gave to this little fox Song Ming to make him support us so wholeheartedly.

Although Chu Yunfei didn't mind using artillery fire to deal with this group of crazy Japanese devils.

But if they continue at this pace, the heavy mortar battalion will definitely be clamoring for more ammunition.

Less than three hours had passed.

Chu Yunfei was resting with his eyes closed.

Quietly waiting for further developments and changes in the battle situation.

A phone call came into the headquarters of the Flying Tiger Honor Division.

"Hello, I'm Fang Ligong."

"Commander-in-Chief, according to Chen Zejun's report, the Japanese troops in the direction of the Fourth Battalion retreated and joined the main force. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. They didn't even leave any guard troops behind."

"Whereabouts unknown?" Fang Ligong frowned upon hearing this report. He immediately asked, "How did this happen? Can't they even figure out the Japanese army's retreat and attack directions?"

Wu Ziqiang replied: "Report to the commander, according to the report from Chen Zejun's scouts, they seem to have returned to the encirclement. I think this is unlikely..."

Fang Ligong was stunned: "What kind of fighting style is this?"

Hearing the noise, Chu Yunfei's consciousness quickly immersed in the three-dimensional combat map.

This group of Japanese troops.

Under the command of Major General Takashi Sakai, commander of the 28th Brigade.

After the failed attempt to attack Lanfeng.

After joining the main force that broke through the encirclement, they attacked towards the Red Temple.

From Chen Zejun's perspective, this means getting back into the encirclement.

It's so fucking weird!

It was the 88th Division that was responsible for guarding the 71st Army's rear.

At this time, the 36th, 8th Reserve, and 87th Divisions were still participating in the siege of Sanyizhai.

Apart from the 88th Division, there were only two main regiments left in the rear, which were also reserve forces.

The Japanese army's attack caused chaos.
Before Chu Yunfei could figure out how to adjust the battle plan.

New bad news has come.

"Sir, Sir, the latest news from the headquarters, Yucheng has been lost!"

Chu Yunfei's brows were instantly furrowed, and he quickly stood up and walked to the battle map.

"The situation is not good!"

"Muroza?"

Fang Ligong pushed up his glasses, apparently not realizing the problem yet.

The cruelty of Terauchi Shouichi was beyond Chu Yunfei's expectations.

Using a permanent division as bait, the main force of the westward advancing group was used to eliminate the main force of the National Army near Kaifeng and Lanfeng.

These troops are basically the main force of Chiang Kai-shek's Whampoa clique.

They are all central troops.

The ruthlessness of Terauchi Hisaichi's move was that he targeted Chiang Kai-shek's troops.

Chu Yunfei had already reacted by now.

This group of Japanese devils did not encircle and annihilate the Third Army and the Twentieth Army which were within their grasp.

Because in their opinion, what really needed to be destroyed was Hu Zongnan’s 17th Corps.

The 74th Army, the 71st Army, and even the 27th Army are the elite troops of the National Army.

Its fundamental purpose was to crush the anti-Japanese will of the National Government’s military and political leaders headed by Chiang Kai-shek!

I originally thought that I could deal a heavy blow to the Japanese by virtue of my familiarity with war history.

Nowadays.

This old devil Terauchi Juichi is worthy of the title of a famous Japanese general.

It’s really not that easy!

Not only did he have the courage to use a reinforced division as bait, but he also had the determination to disobey orders from the foreign troops.

No wonder Xue Yue, Cheng Qian, and even Li Zongren were no match for this old devil.

It's so damn difficult to deal with.

"Brother Ligong, the Japanese army did this for..."

Chu Yunfei's voice was steady and powerful, so calm that there was not a trace of ripples, no tension, no excitement.

Everything seemed to have been expected.

Fang Ligong's originally anxious heart gradually calmed down.

No matter how smart you little Japs are, everything is within Commander Chu's expectations.

"If that's the case, then Guide, Lanfeng, and Minquan will bear the brunt of the consequences!"

Chu Yunfei nodded: "Yes, I underestimated the determination of these little devils."

"What about the 14th Division?"

"If you don't eat the bait that's been delivered to your door, you'll be letting down Terauchi Juichi's efforts. Not only must you eat it, you must eat it all!"

Chu Yunfei used the pencil in his hand to heavily mark the location of the main force of the 14th Division on the map.

"Kill these little devils!"

The 16th Division and the Japanese Army's 3rd Mixed Brigade (a part of the Japanese Kwantung Army, transferred to reinforce the North China Front Army, as mentioned in the previous article)

An assault was launched westward from Dangshan, and an advance detachment of only 3,000 people captured Yucheng.

Such a defeat made a number of senior generals in the war zone quite angry.

Huang Jie was also feeling very sad at this moment.

He really tried his best at this time.

He also did not order the troops to retreat or escape.

But the Japanese bombing was too fierce and severe.

He also didn't know why the Japanese army was specifically targeting him.

He simply asked for help urgently from the war zone commander's headquarters.

A telegram.

This caused a group of senior generals in the headquarters of the First War Zone to once again engage in discussion.

Soon.

Xue Boling called the headquarters of the commander of the First War Zone and explained Chu Yunfei's analysis to Chiang Kai-shek.

And bring some of your own judgments and opinions.

Xue Yue believed that the time was no longer ripe to annihilate the 14th Division.

He suggested to carry out the original battle plan.

But at the same time, Chu Yunfei's proposal was also informed to Chiang Kai-shek.

When everyone discussed again.

Liu Fei was the first to speak up and remind: "Chairman, if we continue to implement the new combat plan, then our army will not have the follow-up forces to fight against the Japanese army's westward advance group. By then, even if..."

"We must win this battle, there is no turning back!"

Chiang Kai-shek's tone was sonorous and powerful.

For an instant.

Chiang Kai-shek felt as if he had returned to his young self outside the city of Nanchang.

Him at that time.

They also faced the dilemma of being unable to capture the city of Nanchang after a long siege.

When he made up his mind, he stormed the city gate.

And he sent all the guards around him up there.

That's the time.

A small unit of the Beiyang Army under Sun Chuanfang emerged from the sluice gate and launched a surprise attack on the headquarters.

Chiang Kai-shek believed that he was in great danger and his emotions were almost out of control.

But even so, he didn't think about running away... He was even ready to kill himself.
at this time.

Jiang Xiangyun led his troops back to provide support, repelled the enemy and laid the foundation for victory in this battle.

That battle was even more dangerous than the current Battle of East Henan.

Chiang Kai-shek never lacked the courage to put himself in danger and risk everything.

And when he was young, he was also a tough guy who kept his head on his belt.

The more this happened, the more paranoid and stubborn he became.

"Pass on our military order, the 17th Army Corps Hu Zongnan's unit and the 64th Army Corps Li Hanhun's unit"

Chiang Kai-shek personally took charge and visited the Kaifeng front headquarters.

Command this operation.

As soon as the news came out, the morale of the soldiers was boosted.

The generals felt mixed emotions.

Chiang Kai-shek made corresponding deployment adjustments.

Let Song Xilian of the 71st Army retreat northward to clear the way for the Japanese army to advance westward.

Order the main force of the 14th Division to join forces.

Li Hanhun's troops, who had performed well before but suffered heavy casualties, were asked by Chiang Kai-shek to go to the south of Lanfeng to assist in the defense, that is, the Yangyou and Shiyuan line.

The situation in Guide direction is tight.

The Flying Tiger Honor Division and the three divisions under Li Hanhun are likely to face the attack of the Japanese invaders' westward advance group.

After adjustments by Chiang Kai-shek.

The main force attacking Sanyizhai was composed of the 74th Army and the 17th Corps under Hu Zongnan.

The original ten divisions were adjusted to six divisions.

The military strength has actually decreased!
Everyone was confused by this sudden command method.

But the two of them were very lucky.
One is Hu Zongnan and the other is Chu Yunfei.

They both knew it in their hearts.

It's the final moment, it's time to go all in.

as predicted.

That afternoon, Chiang Kai-shek issued a handwritten order: "Urging the army and division commanders to "reflect immediately, cheer up, and make up for their crimes."

At the same time, a reward of 500,000 oceans was announced to boost morale.

This is a common method used by Chiang Kai-shek when commanding operations.

After getting rid of Kenji Doihara, junior officers were promoted three levels, middle-level officers were promoted two levels, and senior officers were promoted in rank and position.

These are all clear promises.

The reason why the 74th Army was used as the main attacking force was because of this.

It is obvious that Chiang Kai-shek trusts this force more and is more optimistic about it.

If the 74th Army performed well in this battle, it would have achieved unexpected results.

Then, there must be a place for this unit in the combat sequence of the campaign attack army!
"Under the fierce attack of the 51st Division of the 74th Army, the main force of the Japanese division fled westward. Our army had the first opportunity to encircle and annihilate the enemy's main force, but in reality!"

Chiang Kai-shek's anger was not without reason, but he also knew that now was not the time to blame these generals.

The Japanese army quickly adjusted its deployment and sent reinforcements towards Sanyizhai in the direction of Hongmiao.

Hu Zongnan, commander of the First Army, was very clearly aware of this.

Chenliukou is the key point of the Japanese army's supply line.

And after Chu Yunfei's support troops arrived at the northern suburbs of Lanfeng.

Xue Yue also moved his command center backward at Chu Yunfei's suggestion.

In this way, he could free up the two infantry regiments under the 197th to participate in the siege of Sanyizhai.

At this time, the strength of the Honor 196th Brigade was also shrinking rapidly, preparing to fight with the 197th Infantry Brigade to encircle and annihilate the Japanese troops who were fighting a desperate battle.

After the key stronghold of Luowangzhai was lost.

The last stronghold that the Japanese army could hold was Sanyizhai.

It was at this time that the 18th Cavalry Regiment of the Japanese Army fiercely attacked Hongmiao and broke through the 88th Division defending Hongmiao and defeated it.

The troops that Long Muhan's troops can currently mobilize, including those directly under his command, total less than four thousand people.

It was a bit difficult for him to hold off the attack of more than 10,000 Japanese troops.

In his opinion, it was a good thing that Chiang Kai-shek asked him to give way, otherwise his 88th Division would have been wiped out!

The main force of the Japanese army quickly advanced westward.

And that night they occupied Hongmiao, Weizhuang and Caozhuang.

Although the main force successfully reunited, their dilemma of lack of ammunition supply was still not resolved.

For Kenji Doiyama, the arrival of the reinforcements gave him a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the national army troops, now is truly the time to test them!

(The 64th Army’s defense line is further south, but the map doesn’t have enough space for it. I’ll just point it out. This defense line is not drawn accurately.)

In the previous command center.

Qian Bojun, Wu Ziqiang, Li Kuishan, Fang Ligong and Zhang Dayun gathered together.

They have different views on the current situation.

Qian Bojun and Li Kuishan advocated gathering all the troops and giving priority to attacking the main Japanese forces in Sanyi Group.

Wu Ziqiang advocated giving priority to cooperating with the 71st Army to annihilate the Japanese cavalry units.

Fang Ligong advocated dividing the troops to cooperate with the main elite forces of the National Army in combat.

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Qian Bojun and Li Kuishan's playing style is most in line with Chu Yunfei's wishes. He concentrates his main forces and attacks Tobiyuan Kenji first.

Kill this division commander and then annihilate the cavalry regiment to prevent it from continuing to penetrate effectively and collapse the battle line.

To be honest, Chu Yunfei still has great distrust towards friendly forces.

"The important task of defending Lanfeng City can only be entrusted to you."

Chu Yunfei turned his head to look at Wu Ziqiang beside him and said earnestly.

Wu Ziqiang nodded: "Please rest assured, sir. I guarantee that our 198B can effectively guarantee the safety of the flank of my attacking force."

"The Cavalry Regiment and the Heavy Mortar Battalion are both under your command. Qian Bojun, transfer the Third Artillery Battalion from your side to strengthen the defense of Lanfeng City."

"Yes!"

Chu Yunfei hesitated for a moment, then reminded Wu Ziqiang again: "We must shrink the defense line, but also seize the opportunity to take the initiative to attack. The Japanese will never sit still and wait for death. They may even launch a counterattack in an attempt to break through our defense line and shake the entire encirclement. The direction of Hongmiao is likely to be their key direction of breakout."

"Yes!"

Chu Yunfei's troops quickly adjusted their deployment again.

Wu Ziqiang's troops retreated to defend the northern and eastern suburbs of Lanfeng.

He personally led the 197th and 196th spearhead troops to launch a fierce attack in the direction of Sanyizhai.

According to what Chu Yunfei thought, he fought like this.

It was mainly to cooperate with the attack of the 51st Division of the 74th Army, the spearhead force.

The commander of the 51st Division was Wang Yaowu, who later became a famous anti-Japanese general.

Of course he has two brushes.

The firepower of this unit is equally strong.

Apart from the lack of some direct-fire artillery, there is basically nothing missing.

Chu Yunfei is now equipped with thirty-six direct-fire cannons.

It was very useful for machine gun fire to knock out small Japanese strongholds!
The 71st Army held on to Hongmiao and tightened the encirclement.

however.

However, the 74th Army adjusted the combat plan drawn up by Chiang Kai-shek that evening.

Under the command of Yu Jishi.

The main force attacked the Japanese troops along the Yellow River at Lanfengkou and Weizhuang.

that's it.

Overnight, Chu Yunfei's troops were adjusted due to Yu Jishi's deployment.

From assisting to attacking instantly
(End of this chapter)