Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 107 Crossing the River
On the vast wilderness and on the road, a Japanese army unit was walking and stopping. It was the 13th Division.

Ogisu Rising from his horse, he ordered the troops in front to slow down their march.

The staff officer stood under his horse and said, "Sir, there is a village ahead!"

Ogisu Rippei took out a map, carefully looked for the coordinates on it, and then a smile appeared on his face.

"well!"

"Deploy the 116th Infantry Regiment here, and the rest of the troops continue to advance!"

The staff officer was a little surprised: "An entire wing?"

Ogisu Rippei nodded.

The enemy in Hefei has always been a major concern for him.

The report submitted to the General Staff a few days ago was ruthlessly rejected.

The reason is very simple. After occupying Beijing and Shanghai, except for the 13th and 18th Divisions heading north, other troops were not idle either.

The military force expanded in all directions with Nanjing and Shanghai as the center.

On December 1937, 12, Wuhu fell, and the imperial army used it as a base to launch an attack on the entire Anhui province.

The General Staff believed that Hefei was an important city in Anhui and the troops stationed there would definitely participate in the local defensive battle.

Naturally, there is no time to look north.

In response, Ogisu Rippei scoffed at this, thinking that the military officers sitting in the General Staff were a bunch of useless fools.

From a strategic perspective, the importance of the Jinpu Line far exceeds that of Hefei, or even the entire Anhui Province.

If it really comes to an emergency, or the time is right, they will most likely sacrifice the car to save the driver.

Since the General Staff didn't care, Ogisu Rikihei could only make arrangements on his own.

But the staff officer felt it was inappropriate.

At present, the combat strength of the entire 13th Division is at most one brigade, which has two regiments under its jurisdiction.

Just because of a false possibility, half of the troops were withdrawn, making it difficult to carry out subsequent operations!
"Sir, in my opinion, one infantry battalion is enough!"

Ogisu Rippei frowned and thought deeply. The main purpose of stationing troops here was to delay time.

Nor did they expect that the strength of a single regiment could hold off the enemy in Hefei.

"Well, then a battalion of infantry!"

"The rest of the troops, keep moving forward!"

2 month 3 day.

Go up to the kiln.

Wang Feng led his troops to the banks of the Huai River.

This was his second time seeing the Huai River. The first time was when he took a military train to Mingguang. When he had nothing to do, he admired the beautiful scenery through the window.

But this time the treatment was not so good.

In order to prevent the Japanese invaders from crossing the river, the 51st Army blew up the Huaihe River Bridge on the Jinpu Road. Now, if they wanted to cross the river, they could only find a way themselves.

The Huai River is freezing cold in winter.

Crossing the river under such conditions is a great test of the soldiers' physical fitness.

Wang Feng waved to the back: "Cross the river!"

Along the way, whenever he passed through a village or town, he ordered the collection of civilian boats, and by accumulating a lot, he finally gathered a considerable number.

But if a large army wants to cross the river, it cannot rely solely on this.

Small boats can only transport troops, not artillery.

A temporary floating bridge had to be built.

At this time, the engineering corps came in handy.

After the Yangquan reorganization, the original engineering company was also expanded and incorporated into the logistics brigade, with a total number of five to six hundred people.

First, two or three hundred people were transported over by wooden boats, and floating bridges were built on both sides of the north and south banks, which greatly increased efficiency.

Zhao Fangyuan came over with a telegram in his hand: "Sir, urgent message from southeastern Shanxi!"

"The Japanese 108th Division captured Dongyang Pass and Licheng, and divided its troops into three groups to encircle Changzhi!"

Wang Feng pulled the reins of his horse and frowned.

"108th Division?"

He began to search his memory for information about this division.

The special division transformed from the 8th Division's reserve force is not as powerful as the old Type A division, but it's barely acceptable.

Zhao Fangyuan was a little worried: "Sir, the Japanese army has sent a full-strength division here, should we attack and send reinforcements?"

The southeastern Shanxi region is of great significance and must not be lost.

Chiang Kai-shek did something ruthless. He labeled Wang Feng a member of the "new faction" and basically cut off his supplies.

Li Zongren was a relatively magnanimous person and provided basic supplies to the battle group in the name of the war zone.

But after leaving the Fifth War Zone and moving to other places, the future will be unknown.

A rear base that can ensure self-sufficiency is particularly important.

At present, Changzhi's military industry is developing very rapidly.

Not long ago, news came that the First Bullet Factory has been able to produce 15,000 rounds per day.

The copper mine is gradually expanding its production scale and can ensure a stable supply of raw materials.

The First Rifle Factory also received good news, with the daily output of Type 80 rifles reaching .

Wang Feng thought for a moment and said: "Let's keep our troops in place and resolve the war in Huainan."

"There are two mountain corps stationed in Changzhi, as well as the 386th Brigade and the 47th Army. It's easy for them to deal with a division."

Wang Feng rode on his horse, and after thinking again and again, he looked at the gurgling water in front of him: "Also, telegraph Song Wenjie to immediately prepare to form the second and third reserve tactical corps to meet any emergency needs!"

He thought about military expansion for a long time.

The decision to expand the two corps is not as simple as just recruiting 10,000 people.

The logistics must keep up.

Blindly expanding the military will only lower overall combat capabilities.

Zhao Fangyuan looked up at Wang Feng from his horse, nodding his head repeatedly with an excited look on his face: "I see. How should the officers be allocated for the expansion of the two corps this time?" Wang Feng did not answer this question, but asked another question: "How is the Changzhi Military Academy going?"

After unlocking the national policy of [Training Young Officers], he immediately conveyed the order.

It has been more than a week now.

Zhao Fangyuan handed over the telegram in his hand: "The venue and other things are ready, and the supplies are almost ready. The main thing is that we are still short of instructors."

"The first enrollment has already been publicized."

Wang Feng nodded, feeling very satisfied.

Song Wenjie has a strong execution ability. The organizational framework was set up the next day after the order was issued.

The specific details were filled in by Wang Feng.

The administrative management system of Changzhi Military Academy was to some extent inspired by that of the Whampoa Military Academy.

It has management department, political department, academic affairs department, quartermaster department, military medical department, etc.

Wang Feng will be the principal himself, and the other ministerial positions will be vacant.

There are currently four major departments, namely the Infantry Department, Artillery Department, Engineering Department, and Logistics Department.

It can already meet the needs of the army.

In terms of teaching arrangements, a fast-track system is adopted, which is very intensive and students can graduate in just one year.

Students get up at 5:30 in the morning, attend the first class at 7:00, and do not finish their learning for the day until 10:00 in the evening.

The average daily study time for theoretical courses is ten hours, in addition to physical training, simulated practical operations, etc.

The study pressure was great, but Wang Feng did not take it into consideration when making the teaching arrangements.

This is a military academy, not a school, and survival of the fittest is inevitable.

If he can't even handle this little pressure, he's not fit to be an officer.

"The instructors at the military academy will be rotated among the officers of the General Staff." Wang Feng glanced at the telegram and handed it back.

He had already made up his mind about the instructor.

After the Changzhi Military Academy was established, there was no need for the general officer training classes in the army to continue to exist.

Active-duty officers can be arranged to study in schools in separate classes, and they can graduate in two or three months rather than a year.

Zhao Fangyuan nodded.

While the two were talking, the engineers had already started building a pontoon bridge, and the rest of the soldiers sat on the ground, racing against time to take a quick rest.

59st Army.

After Zhang Zizhong took over the Huaibei position, he launched a fierce defense against the Japanese attack.

Dawn time.

The first group of Japanese soldiers who participated in the river crossing operation were completely stunned.

Nani?

Yesterday, the Chinese army's defensive line was still shaky, as if it would fall apart at the slightest touch.
Last night, the Japanese army opened champagne at halftime. When all the Japanese soldiers thought this was the last attack, the enemy's resistance level suddenly increased by more than one level.

The division commander, Ushijima Sadao, slammed the table in anger.

"idiot!"

"Damn you, despicable Chinese!"

Ushijima Sadakuma slammed the telescope heavily on the table, and stared grimly at the north bank of the Huai River through the observation hole.

This week, he thought his team had been on a strong offensive.

One regiment served as reserve, while the other three companies took turns attacking.

In addition, there were seven squadrons of aviation, a field artillery wing, and a tank wing to provide fire support.

However, they were still unable to conquer the Huaihe River defense line.

Long-term, high-intensity siege warfare places high demands on the soldiers' physical fitness and willpower.

The combat capability of the 18th Division is one level weaker than that of the old Type A divisions.

In order to outshine the badly damaged 13th Division, Ushijima Sadao refused to stop even though his soldiers were exhausted.

Desperately issuing attack orders.

The division's sustained combat potential was completely squeezed out.

The original plan was to rest the troops after crossing the Huai River.

But I never expected that the enemy reinforcements would arrive so quickly.

"Where is the 13th Division now?" Helplessly, Ushijima Sadao thought about reinforcements.

Chief of Staff Takahiko Iwata was checking intelligence on the side. When he heard the division commander's call, he immediately came over.

"Report to you! The 13th Division is pursuing the Chinese army between Chihe and Shangyao!"

Sadao Ushijima looked at the map, feeling somewhat confused.

"I remember the report from a day ago. The 13th Division was in pursuit. Why hasn't they made any move in such a long time?"

"Could it be that... we encountered resistance from the Chinese army?"

Iwata Takahiko shook his head: "No, according to the news, the 13th Division has never encountered the Chinese army."

Upon hearing this, Ushijima Sadao became furious and pounded the table, causing ripples in the water cup.

"idiot!"

"What on earth is Ogisu Rippei trying to do? Why is he taking so long to move forward?!"

Ushijima Sadao's chest heaved violently, and he was obviously very angry.

Been chasing, but never encountered.

How could this be?
The 13th Division was equipped with a large number of trucks and could not be considered a motorized unit, but it was still able to easily pursue the Chinese troops who could only run on foot.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is definitely something wrong here.

The more Ushijima Sadao thought about it, the angrier he became.

His own troops suffered a setback at the Huai River, while the 13th Division was leisurely in the rear, not putting in any effort.

Who can bear this?
"Order Ogisu to set up his troops and reach Shangyao within five hours. Launch the first attack at 5 pm!" Ushijima Sadao immediately issued a death order as the commander-in-chief.

(End of this chapter)