The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 417 Taking a Gamble (Two Chapters Combined)

At around 10 p.m. on the 8th, the temporary command post of the 18th Division in Beihai City was still brightly lit.

Amidst the swirling secondhand smoke, a large group of Japanese officers and staff officers split into two opposing camps, arguing heatedly, their faces flushed, the scene so intense it almost looked like a fight was about to break out.

Amidst the loud arguments, their division commander, Lieutenant General Seiichi Nagato, silently smoked a cigarette while looking at a map in front of him.

No matter how fiercely his subordinates reacted, he never offered any opinion.

The 18th Division, a reinforcement force that was said to have combat power comparable to a Class A division, completed the landing of all its personnel and equipment in Beihai City around 4 p.m.

According to the report sent back by the Akisui Battalion of the 55th Infantry Regiment, which was the vanguard unit they dispatched:

During their reconnaissance advance, the disguised squads encountered numerous small groups of Nationalist troops, resulting in several battles and heavy casualties on both sides.

As a result, the original reconnaissance mission had reached a point where it could no longer be carried out.

Then a crucial question was placed before the entire 18th Division.

Should they continue with their original plan to allow the soldiers to rest overnight and recover from the fatigue of the boat trip, before setting off early the next morning to reinforce Nanning?
On this point, the officers and staff of the 18th Division had a huge disagreement.

About 60% of the participants believed that they must continue their journey tomorrow, and at an even faster pace.

The reason is that, given their understanding of the National Revolutionary Army, they were extremely satisfied with successfully ambushing the 19th Independent Mixed Brigade once, and would absolutely not dare to ambush them a second time.

Continuing to lie in ambush is not in line with the tactical style that the National Revolutionary Army has always displayed.

The appearance of numerous small units of the National Revolutionary Army and their fierce fighting with the vanguard is nothing more than a feint, intended to buy more time for the attacking forces in Nanning.

Furthermore, the General Headquarters and the South China Area Army are constantly urging them to speed up and not to disobey the above orders.

About 40% of the officers and staff believed that they could not depart as originally planned tomorrow and that they should wait and see for at least two or three more days.

Their reasoning was that the appearance of those small Nationalist Army units, and their willingness to fight the vanguard units at all costs, was to conceal the battlefield and prevent the vanguard units from completing their reconnaissance missions.

There was no way to detect the Nationalist army's ambush in a certain area ahead.

In short, due to their differing judgments, neither side could convince the other, and for the time being, they were unable to decide on the 18th Division's movements for the next day.

It is estimated that only if Lieutenant General Seiichi Kuno speaks out can the final decision be made on how they should act tomorrow.

What exactly was the Japanese commander thinking at this moment, who had been silent all along?
“There’s an ambush, there definitely is an ambush! The ambush might even be in this old place, Da Dong Township. The enemy commander is really too bold, so who could it be?”

Even Bai Jiansheng, who is known as the "Little Zhuge Liang," wouldn't dare to use such a bold, even crazy, tactic.

Therefore, it is clear that, based on an analysis of all the Nationalist commanders on this battlefield, there is no other possibility besides Hu Biao, the "Tiger of Shanghai," and his associates.

This was the judgment that Kuno Seiichi made in his mind after a long period of silence, based on various pieces of information, or perhaps it was just an intuition.

Based on this judgment and intuition, and after careful consideration, Seiichi Kuno made a decision.

He extended his right hand and tapped it a few times on the table in front of him. The crowd that had started to make noise immediately stopped, demonstrating that this Japanese soldier had considerable authority in the 18th Division.

Instead of consulting with his officers and staff, Seiichi Kuno issued an order directly:

"There's no need to argue. The Nationalist army will definitely ambush us on our reinforcement route, and they'll do it right here."

As he spoke, he stretched out an arm and pointed to a location on the map, which was Dadong Township, where the 19th Independent Mixed Brigade had been completely annihilated last time.

Upon hearing this, the Japanese officers and staff who had previously opposed continuing the departure the next day were immediately delighted.

However, what Kuno Seiichi said next caught them quite off guard:
"But even if there's an ambush, so what?"
The fighting power of our 18th Division is far superior to that of the Independent Mixed Brigade 19. As long as we take precautions beforehand, we are not afraid even if we are surrounded by 100,000 Nationalist troops.

I hereby order the army to continue its march tomorrow, while making the following preparations.

First, there's no need to heed the urging from headquarters and the Southern Front Army. To use an old Chinese saying, it's called "a general in the field may disobey orders."

It was only a matter of arriving two or three days late. Although the situation in Nanning was quite tense, the Fifth Division was not completely unable to hold out.

Maintain a daily marching speed of 40 kilometers, keep the marching formation in strict order, and immediately build a defensive line on the spot if an ambush is discovered to prevent being divided and surrounded.

Secondly, the marching stopped at 5 p.m. every day, and the army camped together.

Furthermore, in strict accordance with the requirements of the "Infantry Drill Manual," they constructed encampments to the highest standards, and even built anti-artillery bunkers and set up artillery positions for counterattacks at any time.

It's better to go through trouble and hardship than to give the opponent an opportunity.

If the Nationalist army still dares to launch a night raid after this, then let them know what an impregnable fortress is.

Third, the army aviation force was basically rendered useless, so they requested fighter jet support from the navy to monitor the area around the army.

Especially after arriving near Dadong Township, the number must not be less than ten.

According to the map, the Nationalist Army's artillery units could usually hide in dense forests.

However, if they want to bombard our troops, they must come out of the dense forest to set up artillery positions in order to have sufficient range and ensure firing accuracy, which will take at least an hour and a half to complete.

If we discover this in advance, their last chance to breach our defenses will be eliminated.

In terms of field combat capabilities, would my 18th Division possibly fear the Nationalist Army?

To be honest, while Kuno Seiichi's orders were a bit too cautious, as long as they were strictly followed, even if they were ambushed by the Nationalist army, it wouldn't be a big deal.

At least that's what the Japanese officers and staff present all thought...

An hour later, in Nanning, Ando Rikichi, the highest-ranking Japanese commander in the city, was frowning as he looked at a document in his hand.

His behavior was not based on the contents of the documents, but rather on the fact that he knew the 18th Division, the reinforcement, would arrive two or three days later than expected.

Kuno Seiichi had no intention of informing the headquarters or Ando Rikichi of his plans.

It wasn't the fierce attacks from the foreign troops outside the city that made them completely unable to hold on; with the Japanese's various arrangements, Ando Rikichi was still confident that they could hold out for at least another week, or even more than ten days.

The root cause was that some very strange things had happened in the city.

These strange things must have started a week ago.

From that day on, all sorts of inexplicable accidents began to happen to the city's garrison, especially the core force of non-commissioned officers and officers.

Aside from the unfortunate ones killed by stray bullets, among the many bizarre ways people die, some twist their ankles while walking and fall to the ground, only to hit their heads on rocks and die.

Some suffered injuries that were not actually fatal, but died from receiving the wrong injection at a field hospital, or from wound infection and deterioration.

Some patrols have been killed by loose bricks or flowerpots falling from heights.

There were even cases of people choking to death on bones while eating too fast; the only limit to the accidents they could imagine was the possibility of them happening.

Initially, the military police did not pay much attention to these situations.

It was just an accident; those guys were just too unlucky.

However, as of this morning, with the number of deaths from these various accidents reaching 32, anyone would know that something was wrong.

Then the military police devoted all their energy, even neglecting the editor-in-chief of the South China Daily, to a thorough investigation throughout the day.

So what happened? All the evidence suggests that it wasn't sabotage or assassination by an adversary; it was purely accidental.

So many unexpected events, even a fool could see the irrationality, to the point that the morale of the troops was being affected, with some believing there was some kind of supernatural event at play. Could it be the vengeful spirits of those they slaughtered in Nanning City causing trouble?
"How about we ask the headquarters for help and have them airdrop a few priests over to perform a ritual to stabilize morale?" He thought to himself as he looked at the report.

If Lao Yu, who was currently fast asleep with a slutty old Japanese woman in his arms, knew about his thoughts...

I will definitely tell Ando Rikichi seriously: "It's useless, stop messing around! I took so many photos back then, and only a fraction of the Japanese soldiers in them died."

Oh, right! Old Yu had already made a decision before he fell asleep.

Tomorrow I'll probably make up some people and locations where evidence is buried to fool the Japanese and buy them some more time; what if the Japanese find out it's all fake after they investigate?
We'll see, I'll just coast along for as long as I can...

*******
At noon on the 9th, a combat meeting was held in a mountain valley in the southern part of Dadong Township, and the attendees were still shining stars.

The main reason is that, so far, the total strength of the reinforcement troops on the Dadong Township battlefield has reached 4.3.

That is, the warehouse manager, Lao Ma, and Xiao Henan led a group of elite veterans to fight to the death against the Japanese scouts. Otherwise, so many people hiding in the mountains would have been discovered by the 18th Division long ago.

Even so, everyone present looked solemn.

The reason is simple: it all stems from two telegrams now lying on a makeshift table in the middle of the crowd.

The first telegram stated that the Japanese 18th Division had departed from Beihai at around 7:00 AM this morning to reinforce Nanning.

They must have already guessed that the Nationalist army was preparing to ambush them a second time.

Therefore, unlike the previous group of Japanese soldiers who rushed along, they were extremely cautious along the way; there were planes circling overhead, and several squadrons were dispatched on the ground to guard the area around the army.

All of the above means that even if they plunged headlong into the basin of Dadong Township, the Nationalist army would have no chance to launch a surprise attack.

However, if they cannot launch a surprise attack, they will be no match for the fact that they have nearly three times the manpower.

Ironically, at that time, whether in open field battles or night attacks, the Nationalist army could not defeat the Japanese, let alone annihilate them.

The second telegram, in addition to showing even larger casualties among the Nationalist troops compared to the previous figures, also included...

In a telegram, Bai Chen and several other high-ranking officials frankly stated that if the current intensity and casualties continued, the army outside Nanning would be unable to take the city in at most three more days.

This was essentially the first telegram, letting all the military commanders present know one thing: they couldn't fight, because they simply couldn't win.

But the second telegram meant they had to fight.

Fighting is not an option, and not fighting is also not an option. What should they do? Soon, all the Central Army and Guangxi Army generals present looked at Hu Biao with expectant eyes, hoping that he could bring another surprise.

He no longer felt the superiority he once had, nor did he harbor the rebellious mentality that his rank was at least two levels higher than the other's, yet he had to listen to the words of a mere lieutenant colonel.

Facts have once again proven that boasting is not just empty talk, and that Hu Biao and Hu Tuanzuo (Hu Biao's nickname) are not undeserved titles.

After a moment's hesitation, Hu Biao spoke:
"The 18th Division is so cautious, we are not without hope of winning; even if we cannot annihilate them, we can cripple them and prevent them from continuing to support Nanning City."

However, the original tactics will need to be adjusted somewhat.

In the time that followed, Hu Biao explained the areas that needed adjustment to everyone present.

Perhaps some of these adjustments were too bold, causing everyone to fall silent once again.

After a long pause, a major general from the Guangxi Army finally asked, "Will this adjustment work?"

"It will definitely work." Hu Biao answered the question very seriously.

He then added, "However, there are two prerequisites: firstly, that Commander Bai and the bald-headed principal can meet the one request we made."

Secondly, every member of the participating troops, including you and me here, was determined to die for our country.

We are no match for the elite Japanese force like the 18th Division in terms of strength, equipment, and individual soldier quality. If we don't even dare to fight to the death, how can we expect to win?

Towards the end, Hu Biao was gritting his teeth, adopting a rather fierce and intimidating demeanor.

Seeing this, Du Yuming of the Fifth Army spoke up, expressing everyone's thoughts:
"Firstly, in this battle, not only are we completely put on the defensive, but the principal and all the officers are also put on the defensive. The only outcome is victory, not defeat."

Therefore, they will definitely agree to this request.

Secondly, isn't it just a matter of risking one's life? If Hu Yitong dares to do it, what is there that we wouldn't dare to do?

At this point, the Nationalist army's reinforcement-fighting forces in Dadong Township had reached a consensus to continue operations and were determined to fight to the death...

Twenty minutes later, after sending a telegram sent by Hu Biao.

Commander Bai said to Chen Xiuzhi, Li Jisheng, and Zhang Fakui, who had been hastily summoned, "We've already done the ninety-nine bows, and there's only one last hurdle to be done. I think we should agree to Hu Yitong's request."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuzhi said with a wry smile:

"Agree! If we hadn't lost this battle, the consequences would have been far more serious than just being demoted from a first-class general to a second-class general and sitting on the bench for a while."

"Let's go all out. We'll give Hu Yitong whatever he wants, and trust him one more time. Let's send a joint telegram to the bald-headed principal, begging him to agree."

Zhang Fakui and Li Jisheng did not speak, but their nodding gestures indicated that they agreed with Chen Xiuzhi's statement.

The question is: what exactly was Hu Biao's request that required the four of them to jointly petition the bald-headed principal?

The answer is Hu Biao's plan, which will almost use up the last remaining resources of the National Revolutionary Army's air force, and these resources may be completely depleted.

To put it bluntly, the artillery firepower of the Nationalist army in Dadong Township was crucial to the success or failure of this battle.

During the process of artillery units moving out of concealed positions and deploying to their posts, they must not be detected by Japanese aircraft in advance; they must not be allowed to notify the 18th Division, let alone allow them to directly launch air raids on the artillery positions.

Their decision to deploy the last remaining resources of the Nationalist Air Force was not intended to destroy these reconnaissance aircraft.

Because doing so would practically be a direct message to the Japanese that they were about to take action.

Therefore, Hu Biao and his men made their plans even more audacious and covert, preparing to send out planes and bombers to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese fleet in the North Sea, which was completely unprepared.

During the process, it would be ideal if one or two Japanese warships could be destroyed.

If not, it doesn't really matter.

If enough pressure is put on the fleet, the Japanese navy's planes on Weizhou Island and on the aircraft carrier will probably be too busy to conduct reconnaissance for the army.

Staying put to prevent further attacks from the Nationalist Air Force would be their most likely response.

In this way, the Nationalist army's artillery units in Dadong Township would be freed from one of the most deadly air threats, and would be able to deploy smoothly and blast open the Japanese tortoise formation.

Will the bald-headed principal agree to the request jointly signed by Hu Biao, Bai Chen, Li Zhang, and Zhang?

After all, the Nationalist Air Force was at its weakest point after the air battle at Kunlun Pass. The country as large as it was probably less than 50 aircraft that could fly.

Is he willing to throw away the last bit of his air force resources in a desperate gamble on the Guinan battlefield?
All I can say is that even if he's reluctant, he has to be willing to give it up!
Otherwise, all that previous investment would have been for nothing; if there was even the slightest hope, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and take the plunge.

"Hu Yitong! You'd better not disappoint me."

After muttering this to himself, he picked up the phone and said, "Connect me to Uncle Wang from the Air Force."

That very night, the last remaining resources of the Nationalist Air Force in Shuangqing, Chengdu, and other places were used to make a desperate relocation under the rare moonlight, despite the enormous risks involved.

To avoid being discovered by Japanese spies, after takeoff, the plane flew in another direction for a distance before heading towards the front-line airfield in southern Guangxi...

(End of this chapter)