bayedsolid Chapter 400: One step ahead
Chapter 400: One step ahead
After the messenger from the division headquarters left, the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian, asked uncertainly, "Your Excellency the commander of the regiment, the commander of the division sent someone to give us a combat order. If we retreat like this, we will definitely be questioned by the commander of the division."
Colonel Katagiri Morio looked at the Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian and said with determination: "Gu Xianjun, the division commander's battle plan is very clear. He is using the lives of the entire 16th Division to exchange for a chance to survive. It is still wartime, and we can't say anything, but we must survive. Only by surviving can we seek justice for the dead officers and soldiers after the war. Therefore, retreat is a must. We can't withstand such a large-scale attack by the Chinese army. We were driven out of the position by the Chinese army. Do you understand? Gu Xianjun."
When the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Kokanken, heard the words of the regiment commander, Colonel Katagiri Morio, he was also shocked. It seemed that the regiment commander had even thought about how to deal with inquiries from the expeditionary force or the headquarters after the war in order to survive. He was preparing to bring down the division commander.
As for the nonsense about seeking justice for the dead officers and soldiers of the 16th Division, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian didn't hear a word of it. Anyone who believed such talk was a fool.
"Your Excellency the Commander is righteous. I will follow you to the death and fight for the dead officers and soldiers of the 16th Division." Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian also shouted slogans to express his firm stance.
At this moment, he has been tightly tied to the regiment commander, Colonel Katagiri Morio, and he must express the attitude that should be expressed. The chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Furukanken, even wondered whether the regiment commander had already thought of deposing the division commander before, or whether he only thought of this after the messenger came over just now.
However, Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian felt that this was no longer important. What was important was that he had made a decision now and there was no turning back. If he wanted to survive, he could only stand in the same trench with the regiment commander. Otherwise, if he followed the order of the division commander to hold his position, he would definitely die on the position.
"Yes, Gu Xianjun, you go and organize the troops. The seriously injured and those with limited mobility will stay behind to cover our retreat, and the rest of the personnel will begin to retreat in 30 minutes. We must act quickly. We are now besieged on three sides by the Chinese army. Only the direction leading to the division headquarters is currently safe. But once our retreat is discovered by the Chinese army, they will most likely launch a fierce attack on the direction of our retreat. We must not let the Chinese army block our retreat route." The regiment commander, Colonel Katagiri Morioh, also carefully explained the precautions to the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian.
"Sir, should we notify the 20th Regiment? If we suddenly withdraw our position, the 20th Regiment will be in great danger. The Chinese army can completely cut off the connection between the 20th Regiment and the division headquarters from behind." Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Furuki Ken asked the commander of the regiment, Colonel Katagiri Morio, a question that tested human nature.
Colonel Katagiri Morio lowered his head and thought for a while, then nodded gently, and said to the Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian: "Gu Xianjun, our telephone line has been cut by the Chinese army's artillery fire. Let's do this. Send someone to inform Colonel Ono Nobuaki, the commander of the 20th Regiment, and tell them that we have been defeated by the Chinese army and have no choice but to retreat."
Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian understood that the commander had no intention of notifying the 20th Regiment of the retreat, and asking him to send someone to notify the commander of the 20th Regiment, Colonel Nobuaki Ohno, was just a formality.
Besides, by the time the people he sent successfully arrived at the 20th Regiment, he had already begun the retreat. No matter how fast the 20th Regiment was, it would not be able to retreat in time. The commander of the regiment wanted to use the 20th Regiment to delay the pursuit of the Chinese army.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Gu Xianjian said nothing, but bowed respectfully and turned around to arrange the retreat. It was useless to say anything now, just make sure you can survive first.
Thirty minutes later, Colonel Katagiri Morio, the regiment commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Furukanken, the chief of staff, began a rapid retreat with the remaining 600 officers and soldiers of the 9th Regiment. More than 80 seriously wounded and disabled soldiers of the 9th Regiment were left behind on various positions. These Japanese soldiers who were responsible for the rearguard action were ready to die.
When the attacking force of the 31st Army rushed into the trenches previously held by the Japanese army, they found that the Japanese army had basically disappeared. However, before the officers and soldiers could figure out the specific situation, the "corpses" of the Japanese army in the trenches suddenly exploded.
This series of explosions dealt a heavy blow to the attacking forces of the 31st Army. For a time, Chinese soldiers were lying in pools of blood inside and outside the trenches, and some injured soldiers were crying for help in pain.
The Japanese army's rear-end combat method also irritated several commanders of the 31st Army Group, which was responsible for the attack. While arranging for their troops to quickly treat the wounded, they ordered their troops to continue pursuing the fleeing Japanese troops. At the same time, they also sent troops to intercept the Japanese troops that were fighting with the 2nd Army Group and the New 22nd Army.
When the rearguard troops on the position of the Japanese 9th Regiment began a suicidal attack, the commander of the 20th Regiment, Colonel Nobuaki Ohno, was completely stunned. Just now, a messenger from the 9th Regiment brought him shocking news that the 9th Regiment had retreated.
Oh my god, the commander of the 9th Regiment, that bastard Katagiri Morio, was so ruthless. I didn't expect that that bastard Katagiri Morioki would dare to retreat without permission in the broad daylight. He even considered the consequences a little. What a mistake.
It is estimated that the troops of the 9th Regiment have already started to retreat, but the 20th Regiment is still foolishly fighting with the Chinese army. They are too stupid. Now their 20th Regiment is going to be a wedding dress for others. The 9th Regiment obviously wants their 20th Regiment to attract the firepower of the Chinese army to facilitate their retreat.
"Come here, order all troops to retreat, retreat quickly. All troops do not need to be concentrated, all retreat towards the division headquarters, and then concentrate there, quickly." Colonel Nobuaki Ohno, commander of the 20th Regiment, shouted loudly to the officers in the regiment headquarters.
(Thanks to the gift support from the Director of Shenlong Library, 1980s and 1981s, Duke Weiguo who loves beef jerky, Muyue who loves fried crucian carp, and Dumplings without vinegar! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)