Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 174 Meeting
As they entered the house, Wang Feng stood up from behind the table and walked quickly forward: "Duke De!"

Li Zongren extended his hand: "I didn't expect to see you again so soon after we parted ways!"

Behind him, Bai Chongxi and Xu Zuyi also stretched out their hands to greet everyone, and Wang Feng responded one by one.

Li Zongren: "The recent breakout in Xuzhou is a blessing for our country and nation. Commander Wang has made an indelible contribution!"

Wang Feng: "Mr. De, you are too kind! Come, don't stand and talk, sit down!"

As he spoke, he asked the guards to bring three chairs.

Wang Feng poured tea and said with a smile: "Mr. De, now all the troops in the Fifth War Zone have broken through the encirclement. The Japanese army spent a lot of manpower and material resources, but got nothing. I wonder how angry they are."

Xu Zuyi took over the conversation: "Terauchi Shouichi's plan has failed. It is estimated that the next step will be to head straight for Zhengzhou and go south to Wuhan along the Pinghan Railway. Commander Wang, your troops will bear the brunt of it, so you should make more preparations!"

Hearing this, Wang Feng's face suddenly changed: "The Japanese army has just occupied Xuzhou, why are they so anxious to go south?"

Li Zongren: "The longer the war drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for the Japanese. I'm sure you've heard about the recent Lanfeng war."

Wang Feng nodded.

The Henan East Corps commanded by Xue Yue, relying on its superior strength, formed a large network in the Lanfeng area and surrounded Kenji Doihara's 14th Division.

It seems that the battle is going unusually smoothly.

But no one can say for sure whether this big net can catch the Japanese army.

The 14th Division is an elite field mobile division with a high proportion of heavy weapons, which gives it a unique advantage in plain warfare.

After the Lanfeng battle broke out, the Fifth Column would routinely report on the battle situation every day.

In Zhang Zizhong's telegrams, there were frequent warnings of "unusual movements of Gui Yongqing's troops". He repeatedly used the excuse of adjusting the defense line to arbitrarily shrink the front line without the permission of the Corps Staff.

It looks like they are ready to evacuate at any time.

Once Lanfeng is broken and the Japanese army controls the local Yellow River crossing, the war situation will completely collapse and become uncontrollable.

Wang Feng: "Duke De, after the Fifth War Zone troops evacuate Xuzhou, what arrangements will the headquarters have?"

Li Zongren: "The Chairman has issued an order requiring our troops to prepare for the defense of Wuhan!"

Wang Feng raised his eyebrows: "The war is imminent, when will Duke De leave?"

Li Zongren thought for a moment and said, "In two days, the Chairman will still be in Zhengzhou presiding over the war situation and will not be able to take care of us."

Wang Feng grinned.

Chiang Kai-shek was too impatient. He thought he had seized the opportunity and wanted to replicate his previous victory in Lanfeng, but he acted rashly without considering the objective conditions.

Most of the elite main forces of the Henan East Corps had experienced the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing.

In such a short period of time, they have no time to rest and recuperate. It would be a blessing if their combat effectiveness could be restored to half of its original level.

An army of more than one hundred thousand seemed mighty and invincible.

In fact, it is a piece of stuff that looks strong on the outside but is weak on the inside.

Li Zongren added: "It is necessary to hold on to Zhengzhou. Chang Gong has basically used all the troops he can use. The next Wuhan battle still depends on the more than 50 divisions that retreated from Xuzhou."

Wang Feng took a sip of hot tea and said, "It seems that we still have to rely on Duke De for the Battle of Wuhan."

As the saying goes, you never hit a smiling person; on the contrary, appropriate flattery can bring people closer together.

The Battle of Xuzhou was a special case. In order to expand the results of the battle, Chiang Kai-shek tried his best to increase the stakes on the table.

Now that the battle has failed, the command of these fifty divisions certainly cannot be possessed by Li Zongren alone.

What every ruler fears most is that his generals become self-reliant and powerful.

Especially this general, who was a former enemy and a powerful warlord of the Guangxi clique.

Li Zongren sighed: "Fifty divisions, six hundred thousand people?"

"To be honest, the morale of the various units is low and the organization is incomplete. Some units have the number of a division, but the strength is only a few thousand people, not even as strong as a regiment."

"If such troops are not reorganized and replenished, they will be like chickens and dogs, and will collapse immediately when they go to the battlefield."

"The lesson of the Battle of Nanjing is too profound. It takes time to reorganize the troops and train new soldiers. Once Zhengzhou falls and the railway line is opened, the Japanese army can reach Wuhan in less than a week."

Wang Feng was in a dilemma.

The current situation is seriously contrary to his original strategic plan.

If we stay in Dangshan to stop the Japanese army, then the recovery of Puyang and Heze will become a distant dream.

The more critical issue was that there were seven or eight divisions gathered in the Xuzhou direction. Even if half of the forces were separated to advance westward, the troops in his hands were simply unable to resist.

Li Zongren thought of something: "In Yongcheng, can your troops still cope with it? You blocked two Japanese divisions with your weak forces. I'm afraid that this record has been reported to the Chongqing Military Committee."

Wang Feng smiled bitterly: "We are just trying to hold on and resist."

The street fighting in Yongcheng had reached its most brutal point. The 182th Army suffered heavy losses, and the 183nd and 183rd Divisions outside the city were almost destroyed. They had no choice but to be compressed to the regiment level and come under the command of the rd Division.

The situation of the 7th and 8th columns is still acceptable.

During these days, Yu Xuezhong thoroughly understood the details of the Japanese army.

They reinforced the fortifications in the city and fought a war of attrition with the 3rd and 9th Divisions.

Both sides won and lost alternately, and the casualty ratio was close to 1:1.

If it had gone according to the original plan, the 7th and 8th columns would only have to hold out in Yongcheng for half a month, and once the main force had recaptured Heze and Puyang, they would have been able to break out in an orderly manner and head north to Lanfeng to join the 5th column.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

Because he had to cover the breakout of the Fifth War Zone, he was delayed in Dangshan for more than half a month.

Now we have to defend Zhengzhou and prevent the Japanese troops from Xuzhou from advancing westward.

Plans to recover lost territory were repeatedly postponed.

Li Zongren picked up the teacup and took a sip. "My Lunan Corps still has two armies that are still intact and can be used. If Commander Wang doesn't mind, I, Li, will order the troops to go south to support the battle in Yongcheng."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng instantly became alert.

Are there reinforcements?
How could I possibly dislike this!

"Does Duke De really mean what he said?"

Li Zongren smiled and said, "Of course I take it seriously!"

"In the critical situation of the war of resistance, Chinese soldiers like us should help each other. Commander Wang has worked hard to help our Fifth War Zone break out and has been of great help. Now your unit is surrounded by the Japanese army, but I, Li, ignore it. How can such behavior be called a human being?"

Bai Chongxi also echoed: "Mr. De is right. It is not the duty of Chinese soldiers to stand by and watch someone die without helping him!"

Having said that, Wang Feng stood up, holding up the teacup: "Drinking is prohibited in the army. Today, I, Wang, would like to offer this tea to thank all my colleagues for their help!"

After saying that, he drank the hot tea in the cup.

Li, Bai, and Xu stood up and said, "Master Wang, you are too polite!"

No matter what, Li Zongren would definitely send troops to help.

Logically, as he said just now, the country was in crisis and the building was about to collapse. He could not just watch an elite force being annihilated under the siege of the Japanese army.

As for love, there are many reasons.

Since the Guide Military Conference, he has greatly admired Wang Feng, the new military officer.

Since the Battle of Xuzhou, the North China Battle Group has turned the tide many times and, when there was a shortage of soldiers and generals, it held up half of the Fifth War Zone.

With the blessing of the halo of achievements, the relationship between the two became closer.

The three giants of the "New Guangxi Clique" - Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and Huang Shaohong.

One of them served as the commander-in-chief of the war zone, one served as a senior advisor to the Central Command, and the last one is currently still in Changzhi as the director of the administrative office, in charge of the area.

Where is Changzhi?
The recognized base of the "newcomer system".

From this perspective, the relationship between the two families is extremely close.

------

North China Front Army.

Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Hisaichi sat behind his desk, browsing through the battle reports submitted from the front line one by one.

"Fifty divisions of the Chinese Army just withdrew from Xuzhou like that?" The more he read the battle report, the more gloomy his face became. In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore. Terauchi Hisaichi threw a pile of telegrams on the table and clenched his fists.

Chief of Staff Okabe Naosaburo: "Sir, the Chinese are very cunning! A new force suddenly appeared in the direction of Dangshan!" He pulled out a battle map with the 16th Division's retreat route marked on it. "The one that defeated the left wing of the Nakajima Division was the newly formed Federal Provincial Garrison Army, which was formerly the newly formed First Corps that defeated the Second Division."

"The 16th Division?" Terauchi Shouichi sneered, his eyes sweeping across the banner on the wall that read "Long-lasting Military Fortune". "The 16th Division's combat capability is not good, but they are first-rate at torturing prisoners of war!"

Okabe Naosaburo continued to fan the flames: "The operations of the Central China Front Army are not going well either."

"The Third Division has been attacking Yongcheng for too long and has wasted too much time, giving the Chinese army an opportunity to take advantage!"

Terauchi Hisaichi glanced at Okabe Naosaburo but did not say anything else.

The relationship between the North China and Central China front armies has always been delicate.

The two sides were secretly competing with each other and neither was willing to give in.

But at this juncture, making "reactionary" remarks that are detrimental to unity could easily reach the ears of the Army General Staff or even the Cabinet.

This had a huge impact on him.

Naosaburo Okabe's meaning was clear.

Blaming the Central China Front Army for its strategic shortsightedness, it mistakenly put all its elite troops into the encirclement and suppression of the garrison army, while neglecting to block the Chinese troops that were breaking out from the southwest.

Terauchi Hisaichi tried to smooth things over: "I remember that the predecessor of the United Provincial Garrison Army was the North China Battle Group formed after the Battle of Xinkou, right?"

Okabe Naosaburo nodded.

Terauchi Hisaichi: "In the previous Huaibei Campaign, the 13th and 18th Divisions in Central China were defeated, bringing shame to the Empire. It is understandable that His Excellency Hata Shunroku commanded in this way."

He said this because he didn't want to stir up rumors. At this critical juncture, the Japanese army suffered three consecutive defeats in Xuzhou. If word of this got out that the North China and Central China front armies were at odds, it would be bad for no one.

It is possible that both he and Hata Shunroku will be dismissed from their posts.

No one wants to see a situation where both sides are destroyed.

But I definitely don’t think that way in my heart.

Before the war, the Army General Staff had clearly instructed that the North China Front Army would take the main offensive mission in this strategic encirclement operation.

Now, due to the mistakes made by the Central China Front Army, the expected strategic effect has not been achieved.

If the Army General Staff were to hold him accountable, Terauchi Hisaichi would not be able to escape the blame.

Okabe Naosaburo: "Your Excellency, Huazhong"

Seeing that the other party wanted to continue speaking, Terauchi Shouyi interrupted with a wave of his hand: "Tell me about the 14th Division!"

Okabe Naosaburo bowed and stopped talking about the matter: "The 14th Division is in a very dangerous situation. It is surrounded by more than 100,000 Chinese troops in the Lanfeng area and is at risk of being wiped out at any time."

Hearing this, Terauchi Hisaichi's face turned pale.

"Lanfeng?"

"Didn't I order the 14th Division to go south and attack Shangqiu?"

Okabe Naosaburo hesitated: "The 14th Division is carrying out the orders of the 1st Army."

The army-level organization is a temporary organization formed to adapt to the development of the battlefield.

In the combat sequence, it is under the command of various fronts.

For example, Katsuki Seiji's First Army, whose main jurisdiction was in Shanxi, was affiliated with the North China Front Army.

"Baka!" Terauchi Shou was so angry that he stood up suddenly, "What is Kazuki Seiji doing? How dare you disobey military orders!"

Disobeying orders during war is a serious crime.

Especially in large-scale troop operations, once disobedience is discovered, the offender will be brought to a military court for trial at the very least, or shot on the spot in serious cases, in accordance with military law.

But in Japan, where the concept of "subordinates overthrowing their superiors" is extremely deep-rooted, this seems to have become commonplace.

As early as the Battle of Xinkou, Terauchi Hisaichi had repeatedly ordered Itagaki Seishirō to turn around and attack Baoding, Hebei.

But it was simply ignored.

As a result, the Fifth Division was stuck in a quagmire and suffered a bloody defeat at Xinkou.

Now Itagaki Seishirō is still in the reserve training new recruits, completely away from the front line of combat.

Okabe Naosaburo stood there, lowered his head and remained silent.

This was not the first or second time that Katsuki Seiji had disobeyed orders before a battle.

In the later stage of the Battle of Taiyuan, a conflict broke out between the immediate superior Terauchi Hisaichi and Katsuki Seiji.

The reason is very simple - it is disobedience!
As the army occupied larger and larger areas in North China, Terauchi Hisaichi felt that there was a shortage of soldiers somewhere, so he immediately transferred them from the First Army.

A battalion today, a regiment tomorrow.

The once good First Army was turned into the "reserve blood bank" of the North China Front Army.

Such practices caused extreme dissatisfaction to Katsuki Seiji, who protested many times, but Terauchi Hisaichi simply ignored him.

Continue to draw troops from the First Army.

The result was that Kiyoshi Kazuki expressed his dissatisfaction by frequently disobeying orders before the battle.

He secretly detained the troops that should have been withdrawn, and even incited the Second Army to complain to the Army General Staff.

Terauchi Juichi also took the opportunity to challenge him and directly defined Kazuki's "problem" as being disrespectful to superiors and refusing to obey orders.

This matter was mentioned repeatedly in various documents submitted to the military, and the First Army was repeatedly criticized as an example.

They are even more ruthless in "sucking blood", not only stepping up the withdrawal of troops, but also not sparing the ammunition reserves of the front-line troops.

Shanxi has a vast territory and extremely complex terrain. The Eighth Route Army's guerrillas are everywhere behind enemy lines, and Kozuki Seiji needs a large number of troops to suppress and mop up their forces.

As a result of Terauchi's actions, the First Army became increasingly powerless in dealing with the guerrilla warfare in the ruled area.

In addition, Terauchi Juichi also disgusted Kozuki Seiji with some trivial matters.

All the special aircraft of the First Army Command were replaced with the oldest and worst-performing aircraft.

I wish the plane would malfunction and some parts would fall off, causing Seiji Kazuki to die.

All in all, the grudge between the two became deeper and deeper.

Now it completely broke out in the command of the 14th Division.

Terauchi Juichi was still cursing inwardly, but Okabe Naosaburo didn't want to get involved and stood aside pretending not to hear.

(End of this chapter)