Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Despite the Kwantung Army's fearlessness, adherence to the Bushido spirit, and tenacious resistance.

but,

Faced with overwhelming firepower, any resistance is nothing but cannon fodder.

Compared to Ximentang's current state.

Whether it was the accuracy and power of their weapons, or their morale, the Kwantung Army was at a significant disadvantage.

therefore,

The ensuing battle was nothing short of a crushing massacre.

In less than half an hour, the entire 'bunker platoon' tactical defense line was completely breached.

Ximentang's elite troops marched straight in.

but,

At the last cannon tower in Yangxin County, Ximentang encountered fierce resistance.

This is the core gun tower of the Kwantung Army stationed in Yangxin County. The underground part of the building is more extensive, while the above-ground building is relatively small. The garrison numbered over three thousand.

One of the Kwantung Army colonels held out fiercely inside a gun turret.

The key is,
The turret is in a very good location, right behind a rocky hill, with only one passage in the middle.

Although Ximentang had more troops, their weapons were more advanced.

However, an attack could not be launched in the narrow passage.

For the time being, they were unable to take down this last turret.

Just as Xu Xiaodao ordered the concentrated firepower to blast open the rocky hill in front of the turret, and then concentrate fire to completely destroy the last turret.

The 100,000 reinforcements of the Kwantung Army finally arrived from the direction of Ezhou and joined the battle.

in fact,

After Ximen Tang defeated the Sakata Army in Songjiang Prefecture, he immediately entered the capital, causing the Kwantung Army, which had already entered the pass and occupied Tangshan, to retreat in fright.

The Kwantung Army had always wanted to have another head-on battle with the main force of Ximentang.

not to mention,
This time, the supreme commander of the Kwantung Army, Oyama Iwao, personally supervised the battle in the Hanzhong area and commanded the decisive battle in Wuchang Prefecture.

When the Kwantung Army saw Xu Xiaodao and Aman's main force of Ximentang enter Hanzhong, they had long hoped to have a showdown with Ximentang's main force.

Although Da Shanyan knew that Xi Mentang's weapons were advanced and their firepower was extremely strong.

but,

The Ximentang forces in the Hanzhong region were not numerous; together with all the forces in Xianning Prefecture, they numbered only 180,000.

The supply of weapons and ammunition and logistics for such a large number of people posed a severe challenge for Simon Hall.

The supply train of Ximentang was continuously being sent from Jinling and Songjiang Prefecture, but transporting it to Xianning Prefecture was not so easy.

therefore,

Whenever the main force of Ximentang is encountered, the Kwantung Army will gather all its surrounding forces to encircle and annihilate Ximentang.

Even if the final losses are heavy, the battle ends in mutual destruction, or even if we lose to Ximentang, we must achieve the greatest possible result.

In the Hanzhong region, as long as Ximentang's main force is crippled.

Then,

This was very advantageous for the overall war situation of the Kwantung Army.

Because Ximen Hall is the last bulwark of the Great Qian Dynasty. As long as this bulwark is broken...

For the Kwantung Army, the entire Great Qian Dynasty was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

then,

After the battle of Yangxin County began, the Kwantung Army quickly assembled troops to provide support.

Prior to this, Da Shanyan had launched several encirclement and suppression campaigns in an attempt to annihilate Xu Xiaodao's troops.

Unfortunately, Xu Xiaodao's troops were too mobile, fighting and running away, giving the Kwantung Army no chance to encircle them.

And this time,
Ximentang's main force launched a fierce attack on Yangxin County, gathering tens of thousands of troops, but was trapped by the "bunker platoon" tactic.

Upon hearing this news, Da Shanyan decisively mobilized his troops, sending 100,000 elite Kwantung Army soldiers stationed in Ezhou City to Yangxin County.

The Kwantung Army had been waiting for this decisive battle for a long time, and when they finally discovered Ximen Tang's main force, they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Simultaneously,

In the direction of Jiujiang Prefecture, the army under Oshima Yuutake also took advantage of the fact that Ximentang was attacking the fortified group in Yangxin County, and immediately mobilized 50,000 troops, dividing them into two routes to launch the most fierce attack on Ximentang.

150,000 troops assembled to launch a pincer attack!

At this time,

Ximentang has already leveled all the bunkers north of Yangxin County and has captured the last large cannon tower in Yangxin County.

They were about to take over the entire Yangxin County.

Unexpectedly, Oshima Yuu's army had already arrived at the battlefield first.

Seeing that continuing the fight would be disadvantageous to Ximentang, Xu Xiaodao decisively ordered a retreat, temporarily halting the attack on the last turret in Yangxin County.

Turn the cannons around and deal with Oshima Yutaka's reinforcements first.

Simultaneously,

He ordered his generals to lead the army to split into two groups from the flanks and engage the enemy from both sides.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle near the cannon tower in Yangxin County.

This was also the largest battle between the Kwantung Army and Ximen Tang's army after the Kwantung Army landed in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions and entered the Hanzhong region.

The Ximentang forces involved in the battle numbered approximately 65,000.

The Kwantung Army deployed 150,000 troops.

The fierce artillery battle took place in the area of ​​the city gate cannon tower in Yangxin County, and extended to a range of more than ten miles around.

but,

The focus of the fierce battle between the two sides remained Yangxin County.

Ximentang has completely occupied the gate of Yangxin County and has already destroyed one of the largest turrets.

but,

Reinforcements from the Kwantung Army poured into Yangxin County through the south gate, where the fiercest battles raged at the county's entrance.

This is a fierce battle, with neither side willing to give an inch.

Despite the overwhelming advantage that Ximen Tang's elite troops had gained through artillery fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the Kwantung Army.

but,

Japanese troops arriving from the south gate of Yangxin County arrived in an endless stream.

The commander of the Kwantung Army, Takuhiko Kimura, was well aware that the battle in Yangxin County would affect the Kwantung Army's situation in the Hanzhong region.

Therefore,
Takuhiko Kimura personally supervised the battle and joined the turret defense efforts.

therefore,

All the soldiers of the Kwantung Army fought back fiercely and refused to retreat.

It would be extremely difficult for Ximentang to continue advancing into Yangxin County.

The two sides engaged in fierce artillery battles and repeated struggles.

The city gates of Yangxin County were turned into meat grinders.

Despite the superior weaponry of the Ximentang forces, casualties were inevitable in this intense artillery battle.

The casualty rate soared, and the city gates of Yangxin County were piled high with corpses.

The ground was stained red with blood, flowing like a river, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.

The fierce battle lasted for almost an hour, and the fight remained deadlocked.

Although Ximentang still held an absolute advantage at this time, the Kwantung Army's support troops continued to pour into the position.

It was clear that the Kwantung Army was continuously reinforcing its troops from several other locations.

If the fighting continues, it will be very disadvantageous for Ximentang once it gets dark.

Xu Xiaodao checked the time and had no choice but to order a retreat, withdrawing from the battle for Yangxin County and returning to their base thirty miles away.

In this battle, Ximentang suffered heavy casualties, with a total of 563 dead and 965 wounded.

The Kwantung Army suffered more than 30,000 casualties.

Furthermore, the row of bunkers on the northern outskirts of Yangxin County were all destroyed.

Although in terms of casualties, Ximentang, as the attacking side, can be considered to have won a great victory.

but,

Xu Xiaodao couldn't be happy at all; the casualties were too great. The outcome of this battle exceeded the casualty rate set by Ximentang before the battle.

Although the Japanese suffered heavy losses, a large portion of them were remnants of Hong Chaoge's troops, not elite Japanese forces.

That is,

Although the Allied Forces of the East suffered heavy casualties in this battle, they were not crippled and had little impact on the overall situation of the Kwantung Army.

Ximentang, however, could not afford such battle losses.

Any commander must pay special attention to casualty rates when considering an offensive strategy.

because,

One of the main criteria for evaluating Ximentang's military achievements was the casualty rate.

If the casualty rate is too high and no results are achieved, the commander-in-chief will be held responsible.

Therefore, one can imagine Xu Xiaodao's feelings after seeing the casualty reports.

but,

He dared not hide anything and reported the situation directly to Aman and Chen Jie.

In this major battle in Yangxin County, Ximentang not only suffered heavy losses, but also consumed a large amount of weapons and ammunition, including many expensive armor-piercing shells.

therefore,

After retreating to his position, Xu Xiaodao dared not launch another general offensive.

Although the northern bunker of Yangxin City was completely breached by Ximentang, the arrival of reinforcements from the Kwantung Army made progress.

After several days of emergency repairs, the bunker will be rebuilt again, and Yangxin County, which was garrisoned by the Kwantung Army, still has not been captured by Ximentang.

Over time,
The Japanese garrison in Yangxin County has exceeded 200,000 troops.

Oyama Iwao ordered Ozawa Kaiki to lead 50,000 elite Kwantung Army troops, along with a large number of Japanese field artillery and heavy machine guns, to support Kimura Takuhiko.

Faced with this situation, Xu Xiaodao had no choice but to retreat.

After receiving news from Yangxin County in Wuchang Prefecture, Daisan Iwa greatly praised the heroic performance of the Kwantung Army.

have to say,

The "bunker platoon" tactic was quite successful, at least it delayed Ximentang's attack, allowing the Kwantung Army's support to arrive in time.

Faced with the fierce attack of Ximentang's 65,000 elite troops, the Kwantung Army held Yangxin County and did not break through the defense line.

This battle greatly boosted the morale of the Kwantung Army.

Therefore,
In his military report, Oyama Iwao commended the Kwantung Army for its performance.

Some commanders who performed bravely were even promoted.

For those Japanese Allied soldiers who abandoned their bunkers and fled in the face of battle, Oyama Iwao directly ordered them all to be executed on the spot!
A total of fifty-six fleeing soldiers were killed, all of whom were soldiers from the Daqian government and remnants of the Imperial Guard under Hong Chaoge.

There were no Japanese people there!
That's right,

Among the Japanese soldiers who fiercely resisted Ximentang's attack, the Japanese chose to fight to the death and displayed extreme bravery.

This is also the main reason why Ximentang's continuous strong attacks failed to break through Yangxin County.

This military disciplinary action by the Kwantung Army shocked the entire army.

Whether it was the remnants of Hong Chaoge's Imperial Guard, the local militia, or the Japanese soldiers, they all held Da Shanyan's orders in awe.

for the rest of the time.

Takuhiko Kimura and Kaiki Ozawa began gathering manpower again to build the 'fortress' once more!
Oshima Yuutake amassed his forces and launched an attack on the Ximentang's stronghold.

Fortunately, Xu Xiaodao had made preparations in advance. The location he chose was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and he also built trenches and various defensive fortifications on the periphery.

As long as Ximentang occupies the high ground, the Kwantung Army will not be able to gain any advantage.

Positional warfare is Ximen Tang's forte, especially now that he has 65,000 troops.

Therefore,
The Kwantung Army launched a continuous attack for half a day, but did not cause much damage to Ximentang. Instead, they were bombed and fled back to Yangxin County in disgrace.

but,

As the Kwantung Army continued its offensive, their methods of attack began to change significantly.

Many of the tactics and strategies employed by Ximen Tang were adopted by the Japanese Kwantung Army.

Arc-shaped battle formation, large-scale relocation, flanking maneuvers—!
These tactics that made Ximen Tang famous were learned by the Japanese in great detail.

Although it is not yet possible to shake the garrison position of Ximentang.

but,

However, it greatly reduced casualties during large-scale relocation operations.

Compared to previous battles, the firepower of Ximentang's artillery was reduced by at least half by the Kwantung Army.

The Kwantung Army seemed to be intentionally testing tactics, even at the cost of using many of its soldiers as cannon fodder.

During the battle, they tried to calculate the trajectory of Simon's artillery.

Ximentang used up a lot of ammunition, but failed to achieve the desired results.

If this situation continues to drag on, it will be extremely detrimental to Ximentang's overall war situation in Hanzhong.

Xu Xiaodao was getting anxious and sent three telegrams to Nanjing every day.

the reason is simple,
The Kwantung Army of the Japanese Empire continued to reinforce its troops.

Dashanyan has a big appetite and seems to want to devour Xu Xiaodao's 65,000 elite troops.

Chen Jie, far away in Jinling, stood silently before the battlefield sand map.

It was only then that he realized that the course of the battle in Hanzhong was not what he had expected.

Aman's main force was tied down by Oshima Yuu's army, while Oyama Iwao mobilized a large army and launched a fierce attack on Xu Xiaodao's troops.

The overall war situation in the Hanzhong region needs to be reassessed.

And right at this moment.

Another battle broke out in the direction from Ezhou City towards Xianning Prefecture.

It turns out that after Sakata Takeo's defeat last time, he retreated to the area around Ezhou City.

Upon receiving orders from Dashanyan, he regrouped his troops and began constructing fortifications on the outskirts of Ezhou Prefecture, slowly advancing towards Xianning Prefecture.

In order to strengthen the defense of Xianning Prefecture, Aman reduced the number of troops under his command.

As a result, the troops originally stationed in Tieshan District were left vacant.

Ah Man and Xu Xiaodao's 180,000-strong Ximentang allied army will face the 700,000-strong Japanese allied army.

therefore,

Aman sent a telegram to Chen Jie, asking if he could transfer another batch of incendiary bombs from Shandong.

However, to be honest, the effectiveness of incendiary bombs would be greatly reduced against the bunker tactics of the Japanese army.

At last,
Due to the heavy losses, Ah Man and Xu Xiaodao were under great pressure and hoped that the three Ximen Tang army generals, Xiong Chao, Zhang Changfeng, and Yan Kuangtu, could be sent to take charge of the overall situation.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Jie replied to Aman and Xu Xiaodao that he would personally go to Xianning Prefecture to discuss the next steps.

in fact,

After receiving Aman's telegram, Chen Jie decided to go to Hanzhong himself.

The three generals of the Ximen Army cannot be moved at present.

Yan Kuangtu has already been transferred to the capital to be in charge of the defense of the entire capital and Tianjin, so he cannot be easily transferred.

Zhang Changfeng was stationed in Shandong, responsible for the defense of the Shandong base, which was the base of the arsenal, and therefore could not be moved in the slightest.

Xiong Chao was in charge of the defense of Songjiang Prefecture. The defense of eastern Zhejiang, Songjiang Prefecture, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, Nanjing and other places were all handled by Xiong Chao's army.

Therefore,
Given the current situation, the generals of Ximen Hall are like pillars of stability, firmly controlling the situation of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The only one who was free was Chen Jie.

He immediately convened a meeting of his key personnel, arranged the defenses, and then personally led an army of 50,000 from Nanjing to Hanzhong once again.

The last time was to quell the rebellion of Prince Li Ben of Han, and this time it is to wipe out the Guandong Army.

Because the Japanese built numerous fortifications, the Ximentang suffered a sharp increase in casualties despite having fewer troops.

Both special operations regiments under Xu Xiaodao and Aman suffered heavy losses.

In fact, the battlefront in Yangxin County is not long. If we can take it in one fell swoop, the battle will be much easier once we switch from offense to defense.

"We originally wanted to see the 'tank corps' appear on the battlefield in Northeast China, but we didn't expect it to be unveiled so soon!"

"A modern mechanized army of one hundred tanks, let's start by taking down Oshima Yutaka!"

Standing on the deck of the ship departing from Jinling, Chen Jie looked at the hundred tanks and transport vehicles parked on more than a dozen transport ships and felt a surge of pride.

Tank corps mobilized—! (End of Chapter)