Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 118 Continue to Advance
Twenty minutes into the battle.

13th Division Command Post.

The incident happened suddenly, and before Ogisu Rippei could clearly observe the situation on the battlefield, the signalman rushed over.

Takusuke Nakano snatched the telegram, glanced up and down, and then his face suddenly changed.

"Sir, we have entered an ambush circle of the Chinese army."

Ogisu Ritsu's eyes widened: "What?"

"Telegram me!"

Takusuke Nakano handed it over.

Ogisu Ribei's eyes moved rapidly, scanning the page word for word. He became furious and tore it into pieces.

"idiot!"

"Why are you taking such a risk? Why don't you report it in time?"

Takusuke Nakano shrank his neck, lowered his head and said nothing.

The situation developed so quickly that it was impossible to react.

Judging from the situation just now, even if Kawasaki Taiga reported it in time, he would not be able to stop the speed of the front-line troops' charge.

"Sir, the encirclement is only a few kilometers away from the river bank. The situation can still be saved!"

Ogisu Ritsuhei calmed his breathing and his mentality gradually relaxed.

There is no point in getting angry in the command post. The most urgent task is to order the troops to withdraw from the battlefield as much as possible.

"Send a telegram directly to each wing headquarters. The troops on both wings must hold their ground. The rest of the troops must retreat!"

"This is an order! It must be carried out!"

When Kawasaki Taiga realized that he had caused trouble, he immediately came to his senses and submitted all the battlefield information he had at hand to the division command post.

The encirclement of the Chinese army was wide horizontally but narrow vertically. If the reaction was timely, all the troops could be withdrawn to the banks of the Wohe River before the encirclement was closed.

Nakano Takusuke hesitated: "Sir, after the battle, the central troops spontaneously went to support the two wings, and now they are probably mixed together."

Ogisu Rippei glanced at him and said in an unquestionable tone: "This is an order!"

"No matter what, ensure the evacuation of as many living forces as possible!"

The trenches are full of mines, making it difficult to counterattack with the help of the positions. The reasonable approach is to retreat as soon as possible.

Nakano Takusuke nodded: "Yay!"

Ambush circle.

The fighting between the soldiers of both sides has reached a fever pitch.

The Japanese army continuously dropped flares into the night sky.

Under the bright incandescent light, on the smoke-filled battlefield, people were in a trance, wrestling with each other, trying every possible means to kill each other.

Bayonets, sticks, stones, fists, teeth.

They even pushed each other into trenches filled with mines.

rear.

Liu Shiyi put on a coat, ran out of the command post, and went to an area only two or three hundred meters away from the battle zone to command the battle.

The army chief of staff stood aside and said: "Sir, based on observations from various places, the Japanese army has a tendency to retreat!"

Liu Shiyi frowned: "Where is the 131st Division!"

"how is the progress?"

According to the original plan, Qin Lianfang's 131st Division, as the closing force, had to seal the encirclement as soon as possible.

Form a formal encirclement.

The chief of staff took out a telegram: "Called two minutes ago, the encirclement operation was blocked by the Japanese army!"

"The Japanese on the other side were very smart. When they saw that the situation was not right, they immediately moved their artillery fire back."

"We lack heavy weapons support. A Japanese infantry battalion, under the cover of artillery, can withstand the attack of a brigade in a short period of time."

"We will definitely not be able to resist for a long time, but as long as we hold on for half an hour, we can force the Japanese troops in the ambush position to retreat to the north bank of Wohe River."

After all, it's only a few kilometers away.
After hearing this, Liu Shiyi frowned even more tightly.

Thirty thousand men surrounded five thousand men.

If the Japanese troops were allowed to escape again, it would be truly a laughing stock.

But the hard power is there, and if we can’t penetrate it, we can’t penetrate it. There is no better way.

Different from the 26th Brigade.

Although the Japanese army currently only has the strength of a brigade, it has an entire division and a systematic support force to provide support.

The number of artillery pieces alone is enough to make up for the huge gap in troop strength.

Liu Shiyi was filled with indignation. The feeling of powerlessness brought about by the disparity in weapons made him feel as if he was punching cotton.

If we had a few large-caliber howitzers like Wang Feng, fighting would be much easier.

He had taken a look at the four Type 91 howitzers of the North China Battle Group.

in his impression.

In the dark night, the thick gun barrel points obliquely to the sky, and just by looking at it, one can feel the huge deterrent power.

But he was so envious.

The Gui Army's arsenal could not compare with large factories such as Taiyuan, Jinling, and Hanyang in terms of scale and manufacturing capacity.

Although there are many of them, the management system is perfect.

But it can only produce some rifles, light and heavy machine guns, etc.

Chief of Staff: "Sir, do you think we should mobilize the reserve forces for support?"

Liu Shiyi took a deep breath and nodded: "Telegram to Mo Dehong to transfer two brigades from the 138th Division to support the 131st Division!"

"Half an hour! I'll only give them half an hour!"

"If you can't seal the hole, you'd rather die on the battlefield than come back to see me!"

The battle has reached this point, if either side takes a step back, they will be doomed.

No matter how hard or difficult it is, we must grit our teeth and hold on!

The Chief of Staff put his heels together and saluted: "Yes!"

As a reserve force, the 138th Division quickly mobilized after receiving the order, with two brigades forming a pincer shape and infiltrating the Japanese rear from the periphery.

The fighting situation of the 31st Army was fierce.

Wang Feng, who was far away in Lixin, also received the battle report from Liu Shiyi.

At first glance, Wang Feng couldn't help but be a little surprised.

It seems that everyone has learned to be smart and knows how to use the terrain to engage in tactical games with the Japanese army.

Regardless of whether the tactics are mature or not, this kind of subjective initiative is rare and valuable.

In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, basically all the troops adopted the strategy of defense.

Build a position and defend. Retreat, build a position and defend again.

Very dull!

Even on the European battlefield during World War I, countries were racking their brains to find ways to break the deadlock of trench warfare.

The peak of infantry infiltration warfare was born in that period.

Zhao Fangyuan finally let go of his worries: "Sir, judging from the current situation, even if the 31st Army cannot defeat the th Division, it can still attract the th Division to come back for support."

Wang Feng nodded.

But this alone is not enough.

The main force of the Japanese army in this battle was the 18th Division which was ready to go.

Although in terms of combat sequence, it is not a veteran Type A division.

But the difference is not much. In some aspects, it is even stronger than the Type A Division.

For example, tank units.

Sergey's findings are in.

The scouts who received the order returned to the north bank of the Huai River. After searching, they finally found a large number of tracks on a secluded path on the edge of the river. After determining the direction, the rest was easy. The scouts followed the clues all the way and found the Japanese tank regiment beside a dry river after traveling more than ten kilometers.

To be precise, it cannot be described as a squadron.

It should be called Strengthened Tank Regiment.

According to the scouts' report, the 18th Division deployed at least sixty tanks of different models.

Even the Imperial Guards Division far away in Tokyo is not so large in scale.

It's obvious at first glance that it was a temporary addition.

Theoretically speaking, if these more than 60 tanks were concentrated together, coordinated with corresponding infantry units and strong air support, and used properly, it would not be a problem to sweep across the entire Chinese battlefield.

For a moment, Wang Feng looked worried.

The situation has clearly exceeded the scope that pure infantry forces can handle.

"Have you investigated the Japanese supply lines?"

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: "The scouts are still searching."

Wang Feng sighed.

If the Japanese supply lines could be completely cut off, even if there were a hundred tanks, without the corresponding fuel supply, they would just be a bunch of metal that would be lying there.

Airdrops can bring in guns, ammunition, and food supplies.

I haven't heard of any precedent of airdropping fuel.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, after daybreak, should we continue to stay put?"

The brothers below are getting so frustrated.

The soldiers always regard themselves as elite troops in front of friendly forces.

Not bad now.

While other troops were fighting on the front line, the so-called "elite troops" were hiding in the rear, which was really embarrassing.

Wang Feng frowned and raised his hand: "Wait a minute!"

"We will take action when the 31th Division encounters the st Army!"

The straight-line distance from the south bank of the Xihe River to the Wohe River and the Beifei River area is no more than thirty or forty kilometers.

If the 18th Division is willing to provide support, the vanguard troops can arrive at the battlefield as early as tomorrow morning.

This is not a unit that is seriously out of touch with support and supplies.

By the time the time came, the area around the Xie River was short of troops, and we could just send a corps in to attack directly.

The Japanese army was divided into three sections, completely disrupting their formation.

The essence of tactical infiltration lies in one word: chaos!

The more chaotic the enemy's formation is, the more conducive it is to tactical insertion and expanding the results of the battle.

In this way, the great plan can be accomplished!
Zhao Fangyuan responded: "Yes!"

Wang Feng added: "Telegram to the 31st Army. The bigger the noise, the better. But don't overly sacrifice manpower. There are still many battles to come."

Zhao Fangyuan: "Understood!"

Dawn of February 2th.

The morning light spread across the earth, a faint light appeared on the horizon, and wisps of smoke rose from the battlefield.

The kitchen team had to prepare breakfast before the Japanese aerial reconnaissance planes arrived.

It is difficult to guarantee three meals a day during wartime. During forced marches or when the situation on the front line is tense, there is no fixed meal time at all.

The soldiers would take a piece of cake or a steamed bun with them and eat while staying in the trenches or walking.

Inside the command post.

Wang Feng did not sleep all night, keeping an eye on the situation on the battlefield.

Zhao Fangyuan strode over, holding a battle report in his hand: "Sir, the 31st Army called, great victory!"

"In one night, we annihilated more than 2,000 enemies and severely damaged the Japanese 13th Division!"

"The two armies are currently facing each other along the Wo River!"

The telegram only mentioned the number of enemy killed, but from the text of the report, one can also get a glimpse of the specific battle situation.

With so many direct casualties, the number of soldiers who were seriously injured and unable to continue participating in the battle must be at least over a thousand.

By this calculation, the 13th Division lost about 3,000 manpower in this battle alone.

It can be said that we have returned with nothing, it was a complete defeat.

Wang Feng nodded, having expected this.

Liu Shiyi's command level was superb, and the Gui army was no pushover. They used their superior forces to lure the enemy deep into their territory and then encircled and annihilated them. It would be surprising if they lost.

Zhao Fangyuan felt a little regretful: "It's a pity that we were unable to completely wipe out the 13th Division."

Even though the 13th Division was incomplete, looking at the entire history of the War of Resistance, it was not easy to wipe out an entire division. It could only be achieved when the right time, place and people were all necessary.

According to the description in the battle report, the 31st Army had completed the encirclement of the Japanese troops that had crossed the river, and was just about to completely digest this piece of "fat meat" that had been swallowed into its stomach.

The heavy artillery unit of the 13th Division completed the survey and began to intervene in the battle.

Twelve Type 12 howitzers were lined up in a row. Their power was so great that only one round of salvos blew a gap in the tightly sealed encirclement.

Liu Shiyi in the rear was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but no matter how many troops he drew, he could not make up for the decline in heavy weapons.

The loading speed of artillery is always faster than the legs of infantry.

In desperation, they could only shrink their defense line and preserve as much manpower as possible.

Wang Feng smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. They can't escape. What's coming will eventually come. What's wrong with letting these little devils run wild for a few more days?"

"What are the casualties of the 31st Army?"

In his opinion, the 13th Division had been sentenced to death. Compared with the number of enemy troops killed, he was more concerned about the casualties of the troops.

This concerns the 31st Army and whether it can undertake the next combat mission.

Zhao Fangyuan looked up at the telegram and reported truthfully: "3,521 people were killed, more than a thousand were seriously injured, and countless were slightly injured."

Wang Feng sighed.

The battle situation was indeed quite tragic. If we round it off, it was equivalent to directly wiping out two regiments.

Behind the cold numbers on the battle reports are living lives and martyrs who sacrificed their lives heroically to defend their country!

But even so, this casualty ratio can be considered a hard-won victory in the current anti-Japanese battlefield.

Wang Feng responded and then continued to issue orders: "Order the 31st Army to rest on the spot and restore combat effectiveness as soon as possible!"

"What is the movement of the 18th Division?"

The battle continues.

The severe damage to the 13th Division was just an appetizer. As long as the main force of the 18th Division was still there, the battle could not be concluded.

It’s not time to cheer and celebrate the victory yet.

Zhao Fangyuan took out another telegram from his pocket and handed it over.

Wang Feng took it, glanced at it, and then a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Sure enough, I took the bait!
In the early stages of the war, the Japanese army was more reluctant to suffer huge losses in manpower than to capture cities and strongholds and quickly gain victory.

He had expected that the 18th Division would most likely turn around to provide support, but he did not expect that so many of them would withdraw.

According to the telegram, two regiments, totaling more than 8,000 soldiers, broke away from the 18th Division and moved towards the Beifei River.

After the troops were withdrawn, the remaining troops of the 18th Division were not idle either and immediately began to rush to cross the Xihe River.

But they were stopped by Zhang Zizhong and his troops.

Wang Feng collected the telegrams and made a prompt decision: "Inform all troops to rest during the day and move out as soon as it gets dark!"

"The success or failure of the battle depends on today and tomorrow, so brothers, cheer up!"

Zhao Fangyuan looked excited. After planning for so long and putting in so much effort, the time had finally come to close the net.

"Yes!"

"I'll notify the kitchen staff right away and ask them to prepare two more delicious dishes to boost the morale of the brothers!"

Wang Feng waved his hand: "Go!"

(End of this chapter)