bayedsolid Chapter 438: The Chinese Army Discovered?
Chapter 438: The Chinese Army Discovered?
"Deputy Ying Hao, when will the main force arrive? Why won't the Japanese stop? If the main force doesn't arrive, it will be difficult for us to stop the Japanese with just the number of people we have." Li Zhengying asked Hao Jian behind him while running with sweat all over his forehead.
"Battalion commander, the main force should be on the way. We didn't bring a radio with us for this attack. Now we have to rely on the messengers to communicate with the division commander and others." Hao Jian said helplessly after taking two breaths.
The combat mission of the special forces battalion this time was to stimulate the Japanese attacking forces and attract them to continue the attack. The combat plan of the special forces battalion at that time was to fire a burst of gunfire to irritate the Japanese and lure them out, and then all retreat to the Laodao River defense position not far away. There was no need to bring a radio at all. Who would have thought that the Japanese would suddenly run away? It was really a ghost.
Li Zhengying thought for a moment and said, "Deputy Haoying, we should try our best to slow down the Japanese army and buy some time for the main force. We should leave as many Japanese troops as possible."
Li Zhengying also figured it out. Judging from the desperate way the Japanese army was retreating, his troops would not be able to leave these Japanese troops behind. They could only try to slow down the retreat of the Japanese army. After the Japanese army crossed the Miluo River, the road over there would not be able to speed up even if they wanted to.
If the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, were to take a plane to the front line again, he would see his own troops retreating in front, while behind and on both wings there were large numbers of Chinese troops rapidly pursuing them. Now it would depend on who was faster.
The commander of the 6th Division, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, was now also rolling up his trouser legs and retreating northward as hard as he could, taking one step forward and one step back, just like the ordinary officers and soldiers around him.
The retreat of the infantry was relatively easy. Although the road was muddy and there was a lot of water in some places, they could still move normally. However, the troops equipped with heavy weapons were in a miserable situation. The whole road was filled with officers and soldiers equipped with heavy weapons, who were covered in mud and were trying to move these valuable big things.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, looked ahead and saw more than twenty officers and soldiers trying hard to pull a cannon with a rope. The horse that was originally responsible for pulling the cannon had fallen to the ground exhausted and was being led to the side of the road to rest.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, had become a little numb after seeing such scenes. Looking around, the whole road was filled with such scenes. Either they were pulling artillery or pushing cars. There was no orderly marching formation at all. Not to mention the military appearance and demeanor of the officers and soldiers, it was simply a mess.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, felt that this kind of retreat was not a solution, so he ordered the infantry to take turns helping these heavy weapons units advance, which would at least increase their speed. Who knows when the Chinese army would catch up.
As the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, was retreating northward, the division chief of staff, Major General Nozaki Sadatsumi, was walking with his trouser legs rolled up, one foot deep and one foot shallow, and shouted to the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, in front of the team: "Your Excellency, there is an urgent telegram."
The division chief of staff, Major General Sadatsumi Nozaki, had no choice. He really couldn't speed up on such a road. He could only shout to the division commander in front of him and ask him to wait for him.
After hearing the shout, the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, stopped advancing and waited in place for the division chief of staff, Major General Nozaki Sadatsumi, to walk towards him in a crooked manner.
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, Colonel Fumio Tsuboshima, commander of the 13th Regiment, sent an urgent telegram. When they were preparing to retreat according to the order, the Chinese army on the Laodao River defense line had already launched an attack on them from their defensive positions. Now the regiment commander, Colonel Fumio Tsuboshima, is leading his troops to retreat towards us, but the Chinese army has been chasing them." The division chief of staff, Major General Sadatsumi Nozaki, came to the division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, and said a little breathlessly.
"What? Why did the Chinese army on the Laodao River defense line suddenly launch an attack? Have the Chinese troops on both wings already arrived? Or has the 13th Regiment's retreat been discovered by the Chinese army? Is there any news from the headquarters?" The division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, took the telegram in surprise and asked a series of questions to the division chief of staff, Major General Sadatsumi Nozaki, who was beside him.
After listening to a series of questions from the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, Chief of Staff Major General Sadatsumi Nozaki looked helpless. How would he know all this? As soon as he received the telegram, he hurried over to report.
The Chief of Staff, Major General Nozaki Sadatsumi, thought for a moment before saying uncertainly, "Your Excellency, the division commander, I guess the 13th Regiment's retreat was discovered by the Chinese army, so they deduced from the 13th Regiment's retreat that we were retreating as a whole, so they chased us. As for whether the troops on both wings of the Chinese army have surrounded us, we need the 11th Army Headquarters to send out aircraft for reconnaissance to find out."
"Hey, Nozaki-kun, quickly send a telegram to Commander Okamura Yasuji and report the situation here to him. Also, request the headquarters to send an airplane to check the movements of the Chinese army. Then, order the troops to speed up their advance and send more infantry to help the heavy weapons troops to speed up their retreat." The division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, also quickly issued orders.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, understood that no matter what the situation was on the Chinese side, it would always be right for his troops to speed up their retreat. Looking at the tired officers and soldiers in front of him, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba was filled with hatred in his heart. Damn Chinese army, it was you who made the road like this, which led to such a chaotic situation.
In the 11th Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi looked at the telegram just sent by the staff officer, his brows furrowed. Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi first glanced at the commander beside him, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, and then whispered:
"Commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, the commander of the 6th Division, sent a telegram reporting that the Chinese troops on the Laodao River defense line have begun to pursue the previous attacking troops from the defense line. He requested that the headquarters send aircraft to investigate the current movements of the Chinese troops on both wings."
After listening to the contents of the telegram, the commander, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, also gave a direct order: "Mr. Yoshimoto, have the Air Force send out reconnaissance planes to see what the Chinese troops on both wings are like now. Have them send more planes and report the movements of the Chinese troops at any time."