Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 166 Duke De [Please subscribe! Please subscribe! ]

The Sixteenth Division.

Nakajima Imago was restless, crushing out his cigarette anxiously, pacing back and forth on the ground, and looking at Chief of Staff Uchida Daihiro:
"Any news from the 9th Regiment?"

The telegraph machine was chirping in the corner. Uchida Daihiro held the message in his hand and hesitated to speak: "General, we are facing the Chinese garrison, not an ordinary army. I suggest you prepare early!"

Nakajima Izaogo knew clearly in his mind that if the fighting continued like this, he would not be able to defend Dangshan with just his own division.

"What about the Third and Ninth Divisions?"

"Are you still in Yongcheng?"

Uchida Daihiro: "Well, they encountered an attack from another garrison. It will take at least three days to break through the defense line."

Hearing this, Nakajima Imao felt relieved.

Within the Japanese Army, the 16th Division, like the 3rd and 9th Divisions, is one of the regular Type A divisions.

But it has always been ridiculed as a "third-rate force".

As the division commander, Nakajima Imao suffered from contempt and unfair treatment.

Now when I think about those high and mighty Type A divisions that claim to be "first-class troops", I can't even break through the Chinese resistance.

He was even faintly happy.

As a general rule, outer blocking missions are usually not undertaken by elite troops.

This is an unspoken consensus.

That is to say, those arrogant "elites" were held up by the second-line troops for three days, while his 16th Division was fighting the most ferocious Chinese army.
Anyone with a discerning eye can tell who is strong and who is weak!
Uchida Daihiro was a little worried: "Sir, I suggest."

Just as he was about to say something, Nakajima Imao interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "No!"

"Where did the Chinese army fight to?"

Uchida Daihiro: "The nearest unit is only five kilometers away from Dangshan County."

Nakajima Imao frowned, and after hesitating for a while, he made up his mind: "Order the 9th and 20th Regiments to retreat five kilometers and rebuild their defensive positions in front of the enemy!"

Uchida Daihiro was shocked: "Sir, there are at least three Chinese divisions in front of us."

"Do you want to continue fighting?"

Nakajima Imao looked sideways and said in a cold tone, "Baka! Are you trying to shake the morale of the troops?"

Uchida Daihiro was startled, immediately bowed his head, and hurriedly explained: "I dare not!"

Nakajima Imao: "Dangshan is of vital importance. Once it is lost, the Chinese army in Xuzhou can flee directly to the west!"

"No matter what, we must defend Dangshan!"

Uchida Daihiro hesitated and stood there without responding.

"Go down and pass on the order!" Nakajima Jin Chaowu snorted coldly, "A true warrior would never show cowardice in front of the Chinese!"

"Everything is for the Empire of Japan and His Majesty the Emperor!"

Now that things have come to this, Uchida Daihiro can only comply:

"Hai!"

After the chief of staff left, only Nakajima Imao and a group of communications soldiers were left in the command post.

He looked at the blue symbol of friendly forces on the battle map and laughed coldly in his heart.

The reason why they insisted on holding on to Dangshan even though they knew it was impossible was very simple - Dangshan was related to the overall situation, and the ownership of its occupation directly determined the outcome of this encirclement and annihilation battle.

Unauthorized evacuation without the order of the mainland or the expeditionary force staff will result in dismissal from office at the very least and life imprisonment at the worst.

I can't afford this now.

He didn't dare gamble his military career.

If you continue to hold on, you may be defeated, but the punishment you will receive will be far less than deserting the battlefield.

Once victory is achieved, it will not only be a slap in the face of those "elites", but also a great achievement, and you may even receive a medal bestowed by the Emperor.

------

Four vertical fronts.

Zhao Fangyuan put down the telescope, frowning: "Sir, the Japs seem to be reorganizing their defenses."

Wang Feng responded casually: "I saw it. It seems that the 16th Division is determined to fight us to the end."

Zhao Fangyuan thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Fifteen minutes ago, the artillery column reported that the heavy artillery position had been moved. Should we immediately launch artillery support to the front line?"

Wang Feng looked down at the time——16:34
"Wait a minute, it's going to be dark soon!"

After the Third Squadron won the air battle at noon, both sides withdrew to the military airport.

But less than half an hour later, Japanese bombers appeared on the battlefield again.

At the same time, there were more than ten fighter jets escorting it.

When Wang Feng discovered this from a bird's-eye view, he was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he also felt helpless.

The aircraft donated by the Soviet Union are indeed good, and their performance is comparable to that of the Type 95.

But always relying on others for help is not a long-term solution.

There is no independent production capability in the country, and the amount of aid is limited. If one is lost, there will be one less aircraft permanently in the hangar.

Chiang Kai-shek was very stingy in this regard and would never allow these precious fighter planes that he had begged for to be used in battles one after another.

Once a week is already the limit.

Moreover, according to the aid bill, the Soviet Union only provided China with four squadrons and 124 aircraft.

It seems like a lot, but if it is spread across the battlefield across the country, it would be impossible to cope with it at all.

The National Army had only one fighter squadron in the Xuzhou battlefield, while the Japanese Army Aviation had at least three.

There were also two bomber squadrons.

The Third Brigade was busy running around, focusing only on the east and ignoring the west, and was easily taken advantage of by the Japanese army.

In general, without independent production capabilities, international aid alone will not be able to reverse the situation and we will always be like fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.

The Soviet Union would not provide aid without limits. Wang Feng estimated that most of the 124 fighter jets would be lost within a year.

By that time, Chinese airspace will once again be a paradise for the Japanese to wreak havoc.

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "The 16th Division is trying to resist stubbornly, probably waiting for reinforcements from Xuzhou and Yongcheng."

Wang Feng frowned and asked, "Where is the 60th Army heading to now?"

Zhao Fangyuan said without hesitation: "We arrived at Luoji five hours ago. At this speed, we will reach Yongcheng in less than three days."

The Yunnan Army was efficient and wanted to make a name for itself in away games, so they were very active.

Wang Feng: "That's great. As long as we can stop the 3rd and 9th divisions, even if the Japanese troops in Xuzhou move westward, it won't affect the overall situation."

There seemed to be five divisions on the northern front.

However, only two combined brigades of the Kwantung Army could be considered elite.

Although the 5th Division was reorganized as a Type A division, it was mostly composed of new recruits and its combat effectiveness was far inferior to that during the period of Itagaki Seishirō.

The remaining three divisions are numbered outside 100 and are Type B divisions with weaker combat effectiveness.

The significant difference between the Type A and Type B divisions lies in the troop organization and the number of artillery pieces.

Type A divisions are standing forces, and all soldiers are active military personnel. Before the reform was implemented, they were all "square armies" with a four-regiment system.

The full staffing is around 30,000 people.

Equipped with large-caliber field heavy artillery, it has a highly integrated military structure and the ability to independently carry out campaigns, similar to a small army group.

The Type B Division was a recently formed force, with most of its soldiers being reservists or veterans temporarily drafted. It was a "triangle army" with a three-unit system, and its full strength was around 18,000 men.

It is equipped with a small number of mountain guns and infantry guns, but no large-caliber heavy artillery above 105 mm.

The arms were also streamlined, retaining artillery, engineers and baggage troops, while the cavalry was reduced to battalion size or eliminated.

The tank regiments were uniformly cancelled.

On the battlefield, it is used only as a support force, responsible for attacking and garrisoning in secondary directions.

But its strength should not be underestimated.

A Type B division is equivalent to a main force of the National Army, and usually needs to gather superior forces to achieve local victory.

If compared with the garrison.

Only one column was needed to stop a Japanese Type B division without heavy artillery support.

Besides, there are two corps in the direction of Xuzhou.

Given Duke De's personality, he will certainly not stand idly by.

Hearing this, Zhao Fangyuan saluted and said, "Sir, I request to go to the front line tonight to supervise the battle!"

Wang Feng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go, tell Chu Yunfei that I will order the artillery to support him tonight. Make sure he reaches the city of Dangshan!"

Zhao Fangyuan stood up straight and saluted: "Yes!"

------

Xuzhou, Fifth War Zone General Staff Headquarters.

Xu Zuyi came to report: "Duke De, the Third Air Force Squadron has withdrawn."

Li Zongren straightened up and asked hurriedly: "How is the battle going? How much has been lost?"

Xu Zuyi had a happy look on his face: "We shot down 7 Japanese planes and lost 5 fighter planes."

After hearing the specific numbers, Li Zongren felt heartbroken.

Although these fighter jets belong to the central government, they are all national defense forces in the War of Resistance against Japan. If they cannot be replenished, even the crash of one plane will be an irreparable loss.

"Where's the pilot?"

Xu Zuyi: "Three pilots opened the cabin and parachuted out. The garrison has sent people to rescue them, but there is no result yet."

Li Zongren breathed a sigh of relief.

The Third Squadron is named after the Central Air Force, but the pilots are all from Guangxi, with the same roots, so it is inevitable that he will pay more attention.

Xu Zuyi stood there, hesitant to speak.

Li Zongren noticed something unusual and said, "Mr. Xu, feel free to say whatever you want!"

Xu Zuyi took a deep breath and said, "Wang Feng is a very domineering person. It is said that when he was in Shanxi, he often gathered defeated soldiers to strengthen his own team. If the pilot falls into his hands, I am afraid..."

Li Zongren frowned: "He is an army general, what does he need a pilot for?"

Xu Zuyi leaned closer, covered his mouth with one hand and lowered his voice: "I heard from my colleagues in the customs department that Wang Feng has close ties with Prussia and they have trade exchanges every month."

Li Zongren immediately understood.

In fact, he guessed it too.

As the leader of the "New Guangxi Clique", he was well aware of the domestic economic situation.

Without foreign interference, it is impossible to independently produce firearms and artillery.

He had seen weapons such as the Type 24 rifle and the Type 27 cannon with his own eyes, and had even tried them out.

Its manufacturing quality is comparable to that of Europe and the United States.

It would be hard to justify if there was no support from the great powers behind it.

"Yanmou, what you mean is," Li Zongren frowned even more tightly, "he became an imperialist."

Xu Zuyi shook his head quickly: "Duke De has misunderstood. I have hinted at this before. All the machinery and equipment were shipped from Prussia to Lanzhou, and then transported through many places before finally arriving in Changzhi. They were all bought with real money, and every payment was recorded. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is upright."

"What I mean is that behind the big equipment deals, there are probably technology deals hidden."

Li Zongren suddenly realized.

It’s not that he has a poor understanding, but he really doesn’t think about it in this way.

Come to think of it.

How long has Changzhi been developing?

Half a year at best.

In such a short period of time, we completed the production of light and heavy machine guns, rifles, and 75mm artillery.

The leap is really too big!
Li Zongren had run an arsenal before and knew the ins and outs of it. Even if there were suitable industrial equipment, there was still a long way to go before producing high-quality weapons.

Even for Western powers, it takes at least one or two years for a weapon to go from design to finalization and then to mass production.

"Mr. Xu, you're worrying too much. No matter what, we're all about building the national defense industry and enhancing our national defense capabilities for the war of resistance. If Wang Feng can really build a fighter plane, I might even thank him!"

Li Zongren laughed and joked: "Besides, the Third Squadron is the Central Air Force. I, Li, only have command authority, not control authority. All decisions must be submitted to the Chongqing Command."

There was a sour look on his face when he said this.

From the moment he decided to support the War of Resistance, he was no longer the leader of the "New Guangxi Clique".

But a Chinese soldier!
I remember that about four or five days after the "July 7 Incident", Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram directly to Guilin, declaring that the Central Committee had decided to fight the war and asked himself and Bai Chongxi to go to Lushan as soon as possible to discuss major plans.

After receiving the call, he sent a reply without thinking twice.

【Since the Central Committee has decided to fight the war, we will support it to the end.】

As the telegrams were being sent back and forth, the outside world got wind of the news.

Liu Xiang of Sichuan and Long Yun of Yunnan heard about it and called to dissuade them.

The gist is simple - it is rumored that the central government is preparing to fight against Japan, but whether it is sincere is still unknown. Brothers should not enter Beijing easily. If the anti-Japanese war fails, you may lose your freedom.

The country will become more troubled as a result, so I hope you will think carefully about this.

After receiving the telegram, he thought about it for a long time, but finally decided to support the war of resistance.

He took the initiative to hand over all of Guangxi’s military power, finances, and ordnance to the central government.

From then on, he had nothing to do with Li Zongren.

He only had feelings for the pilots of the Third Squadron as brothers-in-law. If Wang Feng insisted on detaining and recruiting them, he could only protest as the commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone.

But Henan is a garrison area.

What's the point of protesting?
On the contrary, it will hurt the anti-Japanese harmony, which is what will truly affect the overall situation.

Xu Zuyi nodded and cupped his hands: "Duke De, what you said makes sense!"

Li Zongren talked about something else: "How is the evacuation of the Huainan and Huaibei Corps going?"

"Any update?"

Xu Zuyi: "The Japanese troops on the southern front are desperately rushing to the Dangshan area. There are a lot of loopholes. Currently, four armies have escaped the encirclement."

"They are the 10th and 20th Armies of the Huainan Corps, and the 7th and 77th Armies of the Huaibei Corps."

Li Zongren nodded: "Very good!"

"This breakout is not to escape because of defeat, but to preserve our country's resistance. If it succeeds, future generations will remember it for eternity!"

Xu Zuyi looked solemn.

This is true. The strategic breakout of 500,000 people is unique in the history of world wars.

(End of this chapter)