Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 188 Annihilation of the th Division

Upon hearing that it was Wang Feng's troops, Xue Yue breathed a sigh of relief: "Send a telegram quickly to request assistance from friendly forces. Do not let Doihara escape!"

"Also, order Li Hanhun to transfer a brigade of troops to fill the gap for me!"

The adjutant snapped to attention and saluted: "Yes!"

Dong Yingbin looked at Xue Yue and said, "Bo Ling, how about I go to the front line to supervise the battle?"

As the chief of staff of a theater of war, he could not be of much help in the command post of the Henan East Corps. It would be better for him to go to the front line to supervise the battle and boost morale.

Xue Yue nodded: "Well, I'll send a guard company to follow you!"

Dong Yingbin grinned and cupped his hands: "Thank you, Brother Bo Ling!"

--------

The bank of the Yellow River.

Kenji Doihara pulled the reins of his horse and looked at the surging river in front of him.

I still remember that a month ago, I led 40,000 soldiers to the bank of the Yellow River. It would be no exaggeration to say that we were in high spirits.

I even want to imitate a Chinese poet and improvise a poem here.

But at this time, the original enthusiasm is no longer there.

Behind him, Sano Tadayoshi followed on horseback.

"Sir, the Chiye Brigade is already ready in front!"

Kenji Doihara picked up the telescope and looked towards the other side.

Among the tall and lush reeds, some Japanese soldiers in dark yellow uniforms appeared.

Sano Tadayoshi: "Sir, the 2nd Regiment has arrived at the south bank first, and the boats for crossing the river are ready."

Kenji Doihara nodded, his words no longer having the authority they once had; "Organize us to cross the river!"

"How is the blocking line deployed? Don't let the Chinese catch up."

Sano Tadayoshi: “Hai!”

"Crack-!"

The breeze blew by, the river water lapped against the shore, Kenji Doihara turned his head and felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Four infantry regiments, four field artillery regiments, in addition to engineering, logistics, cavalry, and tank regiments.

All in all, the 14th Division was equipped with at least fifteen regiments.

Such a huge troop size.

In the end, only two regiments escaped the encirclement.
All of Katsuki Seiji's hard work and all of the First Army's assets were lost in Lanfeng.

A feeling of sadness arose in Kenji Doihara's heart.

After a while.

Sano Tadayoshi came over again: "Sir, everything is ready, please get on board!"

Kenji Doihara came to his senses and jumped off his horse.

"boom--!"

"Enemy attack!"

A loud explosion was heard, and Sano Tadayoshi widened his eyes and shouted loudly.

"Sir, it's the garrison's heavy artillery!"

"You get on board first!"

Kenji Doihara stood up suddenly. At this point, he no longer hesitated and ran towards the wooden boat that had been prepared.

Sano Tadayoshi drew the general's sword from his waist and commanded the soldiers still on the shore: "Disperse!"

"Everyone spread out!"

"idiot!"

------

Inside the command post.

Wang Feng switched the perspective to the bird's-eye view.

"boom--!"

The bombardment continued. After locking onto the target, Wang Feng mobilized all the heavy artillery within range, a total of twelve pieces, and launched a fierce bombardment on the south bank of the Yellow River.

"what happened?"

Looking at the crackling explosions, Wang Feng frowned and began to murmur in his heart.

The firepower density is much lower than before!
Zheng Zhenzhong complained to him more than once.

At the beginning, the two Type 91 howitzers captured during the Pingxingguan Battle were already in ruins.

Especially the recoil machine.

This is the most critical structural part of the artillery besides the barrel.

It stabilizes the gun and offsets recoil.

Later, the Japanese-made howitzers captured often malfunctioned due to the high intensity of combat and long-term frequent use.

It greatly affects combat efficiency.

In fact, the recoil mechanism structural component can be produced by Changzhi Arsenal.

The domestically produced Jin-made 122mm howitzer, equipped with a recoil mechanism, was so advanced that it completely crushed the Type howitzer.

But having the technology does not mean that we can produce it.

The first consideration is cost.

Domestic artillery has been mass-produced, and these more than 20 captured Japanese howitzers will be eliminated sooner or later.

Opening another production line would be too time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Zhao Fangyuan approached: "Sir!"

"The Henan East Corps sent a telegram, begging us to encircle the Doihara Division!"

Wang Feng took the telegram and glanced at it.

The wording is indeed sincere.

"Call Xue Yue back. Our troops have already set out and are currently encountering the Japanese army."

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

Wang Feng: "Where did Kenji Doihara break out from? Which unit's defense line did he break out from?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "It's the 41st Army, Wang Mingzhang's old unit."

Upon hearing that they were Sichuan troops, Wang Feng's brows gradually relaxed.

It’s not that he looked down on the Sichuan Army. To be honest, among the local troops, the Sichuan Army’s combat effectiveness was almost ranked last.

Their courage in combat is commendable, but their equipment and military quality are too poor.

The Sichuan Army could not change these two points. Sichuan had no industrial production capacity, and if it wanted to use weapons and equipment, it could only transfer them from the central government.

But here’s the kicker.

In the current national army, almost no one looks down on the Sichuan Army.

In terms of weapons allocation, the Central Army got the first bite, followed by the Guangxi Army, Northwest Army, Guangdong Army, Yunnan Army and other local troops.

Even the defeated Northeast Army was treated much better than the Sichuan Army.

"Let's leave some of the captured supplies to our Sichuan Army brothers!" Wang Feng sighed.

He was not a kind-hearted saint, but the battle was fought by everyone together. His side was advancing rapidly, while the friendly forces were retreating step by step.

It’s not a big deal.

If you are not careful, you may even ruin yourself.

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

The sight returns to the bird's-eye view.

Kenji Doihara was running wildly in the artillery fire, he stepped on a stone, staggered, and almost fell to the ground.

The guards nearby hurried over and supported Doihara.

"Sir, the ship is there!" the guard pointed and shouted.

Kenji Doihara took a few breaths, then ran over with his back bent. His hat and saber fell to the ground without him having time to pick them up.

At this moment, he no longer looked like an army lieutenant general. He looked like a stray dog on the side of the road, running for its life with its tail between its legs.

"boom--!"

A 105mm grenade fell and hit the shore.

Kenji Doihara was knocked down by the strong shock wave in the air and fell heavily to the ground.

The soldiers around him were not so lucky.

With his flesh and blood body, he swallowed a large-caliber grenade.

Blood mixed with mud splattered on Kenji Doihara's face.

The smell of blood and gunpowder rushed into his nose, but he no longer cared about that.

He glanced back.

"idiot!"

Kenji Doihara cursed in his heart.

The entire 2nd Regiment was busy crossing the river. There were thousands of soldiers, and the battle line they formed was at least one kilometer wide.

But this shell seemed to have eyes and kept chasing after him and exploding.

How strange!

"Your Excellency! Here!"

The Japanese soldiers on the wooden boat gripped the oars tightly and waved and urged them on.

Kenji Doihara ran over and jumped onto the wooden boat in one leap.

"Come on!"

"Baga! Row faster!" Kenji Doihara was so anxious that he snatched the soldier's oar and started rowing with a grunt.

Seeing that Kenji Doihara was about to run away, Wang Feng's heart rose to his throat.

Zhao Fangyuan understood what he meant and picked up the phone on the table.

"Hey!"

"Is it an artillery position?"

The phone immediately replied: "Yes!"

Zhao Fangyuan put his hand on his waist and said, "Why is the firing rate so slow?"

"The sorghum rice and flour I gave you were all wasted!"

Wang Feng stepped forward and answered the phone: "Move the mark forward 100 meters. If you can't complete today's mission, you will all go to the rear to feed the pigs!"

Seeing the commander's fierce words, the artillery battalion commander on the other end of the phone shuddered and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, sir!"

Wang Feng hung up the phone with a snap.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, how about I go and take a look myself?"

Wang Feng waved his hand.

Switch the perspective back to the bird's-eye view again.

On the Yellow River.

Kenji Doihara rowed the boat hard, turning his head from time to time to check the situation on the shore.

"boom--!"

The explosions were like muffled thunder, and every time they sounded, Kenji Doihara's heart trembled.

It has come to this critical juncture.

He no longer had the energy to review the battle and repent for why he had lost.

Now he has only one thought.

Live!
Or don't fall into the hands of the Chinese!
"Sir! Look!" The guard on the ship pointed to the sky and exclaimed with wide eyes.

Kenji Doihara looked up subconsciously.

Several fighter jets flew over from the horizon.

"It's the Army Aviation fighter plane!"

The guards on the side immediately cheered.

Only Kenji Doihara frowned: "What?"

"wrong!"

"It's the Chinese Air Force!"

Several fighter jets were flying lower and lower. Kenji Doihara squinted his eyes and saw the specific models clearly.

"Monoplane"

"This is not an Imperial plane at all!"

Kenji Doihara was so scared that his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

Look up toward the north bank of the Yellow River.

One hundred meters to go!

"Row!"

The guards on the same boat were frightened, and the soldier holding the other oar swung his arms, wishing he could make the boat fly.

The other two soldiers without oars immediately reached their hands into the freezing cold river water and splashed the water with their bare hands.

Eighty meters!
Kenji Doihara stared at the shore closely. With every step forward, his hope of survival increased.

"boom--!"

Just as it was about to reach the river bank, a 105mm grenade fell, hit the water heavily, and exploded in the river. The strong shock wave shook and stirred up a huge column of water.

The wooden boat also swayed.

Kenji Doihara's body was shaking, and his hand slipped and he lost his grip on the boat handle, causing him to lose balance and suddenly fall into the water.

"Your Excellency General!"

"Give me your hand!"

The soldiers still on the boat exclaimed and rushed over.

If the division commander died on their ship, even if he could return alive, he would probably be executed in secret.

The freezing cold river water enveloped Kenji Doihara, and he immediately regained consciousness and floundered in the water.

"Your Excellency General!"

The Japanese soldier on the boat reached out his hand and tried to pull Kenji Doihara.

But it's not that easy.

The second 105mm high-explosive bomb followed.

A huge column of water rose up, and the boat swayed violently again. The hand that was originally meant to be held was suddenly far away again.

After all this struggling, Kenji Doihara's physical strength had already been exhausted.

After the third and fourth grenades arrived.

He was completely exhausted, and after choking on two mouthfuls of water, he disappeared from everyone's sight.

Carried away by the surging river, it rushed downstream rapidly.

After seeing this scene, Wang Feng breathed a sigh of relief and switched his perspective back to reality: "You immediately lead the reserve team to set up defenses along the Yellow River and salvage all the devils in the river!"

Kenji Doihara was a lieutenant general in the Japanese army and one of the most representative ones. He was very cunning. If we didn't catch him or kill him this time, it would be difficult to have such a good opportunity next time.

Even if you drown.

You have to see the corpse!
Zhao Fangyuan asked in confusion: "Sir, why is this?"

Isn't it unnecessary to send a large number of troops to salvage the bodies from the river?

It is not good to feed fish directly
Wang Feng evaded the question casually: "After a war, there will be a great epidemic. Do you know how this came about?"

"There are nearly 10 million people living in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. We must treat them with caution!"

Zhao Fangyuan suddenly realized: "Yes!"

After giving the order, Wang Feng switched his consciousness again and kept an eye on the battlefield ahead.

The 2nd Regiment, which was preparing to cross the river, was interrupted by sudden artillery fire.

The Japanese soldiers looked around in panic, their eyes filled with fear.

After being bombarded for such a long time, there was still no sign of the Chinese army.

Tadayoshi Sano no longer cared about Kenji Doihara. He was lying on the ground with the part below his left knee disappearing.

"Fast Doctor"

The severe pain made him speechless. The military doctor squatted beside him and took out a bottle of powdered morphine from the medicine box.

"Da da da--!"

Just as the injection was about to be given, a burst of intense gunfire rang out.

Sano Tadayoshi used his arms to support the ground, pushed the military doctor away and tried to get up, shouting loudly: "Fight back!"

"Kill him!"

His expression was extremely fanatical, but his shouting had no effect.

The soldiers who had not yet crossed the river had been rendered unconscious and dizzy by the 105mm grenades.

"boom--!"

The heavy artillery bombardment had stopped, replaced by grenade launchers.

The funny thing is that from heavy artillery to grenade launchers, they are all Japanese-made weapons.
Zhang Hu pulled out the pistol from his waist: "Brothers, there are the Japs ahead!"

"dash forward!"

"Whoever can capture the Japanese lieutenant alive will be promoted two ranks!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' eyes turned red.

Being promoted twice in a row is enough to allow an ordinary private to become a company commander directly.

What is the purpose of joining the army and fighting?
In addition to expelling the Japanese invaders and defending the country, who doesn't want to become a high-ranking official?

"Kill!"

"Damn it! I saw that devil, don't fight with me for it!"

"I saw it first!"

"it's me!"

Sano Tadayoshi could understand Chinese. Zhang Hu's voice was so loud that even though he was far away and there were explosions on the battlefield from time to time, he could still hear most of it clearly.

Seeing the Chinese soldiers rushing towards him in a swarm, he shouted slogans with a distorted expression.

Alarm bells suddenly rang in my heart!

"Hel me up!"

"Hel me up quickly!"

He shouted and wanted to extend his hand to the military doctor beside him, but unexpectedly, he reached out to nothing.

"Nani?"

He immediately turned around and saw the military doctor throw away the medicine box and dive into the river.

Swim towards the north shore at a very fast speed.

This military doctor was a specialist in serving the General Staff, and Tadayoshi Sano, as the Chief of Staff, knew him very well.

I've known for a long time that the other party is very good at swimming.

We had agreed before that after we occupied Zhengzhou, we would go for a cruise on the Yellow River together.

Unexpectedly, the other party swam up first.
(End of this chapter)