bayedsolid Chapter 332: One Day Less
Chapter 332: One Day Less
After careful consideration, Li Zhengying felt that the solution proposed by Hao Jian was much better than the ideas proposed by the previous group of rough guys, and it was also very practical. So he took out the map and discussed it seriously with Hao Jian.
The next day, Li Zhengying and Hao Jian, each with dark circles under their eyes, found Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng early in the morning to report their plans.
"Division Commander, I think Li Zhengying and Hao Jian's method is good. Now it will be much easier to defeat the Japanese cavalry units." After listening to the reports from Li Zhengying and Hao Jian, Ouyang Heng also felt that this method was feasible.
Zhang Wenwu looked at the map, and then deduced the plan in his mind. He felt that the plan could be expanded, so he said to Ouyang Heng: "Brother Ouyang, this method is indeed good. Since we now have such a good method to deal with the Japanese cavalry, can we extend this plan and follow this plan to study a method to target the Japanese positions on both sides of the Xiangzao Highway and try to come up with a chain of tricks for the Japanese."
After hearing Zhang Wenwu's suggestion, Ouyang Heng fell into deep thought. Just as Zhang Wenwu said, if they could defeat the Japanese cavalry and also seize the Japanese defensive positions on the north and south sides of the highway, that would be perfect.
But how to design it?
The Japanese encirclement troops also officially launched a full-scale attack on Xinye today. The Chinese Fifth War Zone troops guarding Xinye mobilized their reserve troops from the very beginning. At the same time, they also reported the fierce and comprehensive offensive of the Japanese army to the war zone headquarters.
The meaning is very clear, that is, Xinye cannot hold out for three days under such a fierce attack by the Japanese army, so the theater command should make plans early.
Inside the Fifth War Zone headquarters, Chief of Staff Xu read out the telegram about the troops guarding Xinye, while Commander Li looked at the large military map on the wall with a stern face. He knew that his previous idea of consuming the Japanese troops in Xinye might not achieve the desired effect.
According to the content of the telegram sent by the troops defending Xinye, the Japanese attack was much more fierce than previously expected. This was mainly because Gaocheng in Sui County was lost in advance. The attack force of the Japanese Army's Third Division on the right wing severely stimulated the outflanking force on the left wing.
But things had come to this point, and Commander Li had no better solution. The Second Army, which was closer to Xinye and had basically reached Deng County, was used to counterattack Xinye, not to fill the gap at this time.
"Tell the garrison troops in Xinye to delay and consume the Japanese army as much as possible, adjust the garrison time to two days, and allow them to retreat from Xinye to the northwest tomorrow night and enter Deng County to join the Second Army." Commander Li also gave up the original plan directly when he saw that the situation was hopeless.
"Also, let the new 22nd Army and the 2nd Army be prepared. I see that the Japanese are so anxious. If we abandon Xinye tomorrow night, the Japanese will most likely organize troops to move south to attack Zaoyang the day after tomorrow. Then, after the main force of the Japanese army leaves Xinye and starts fighting with the 31st Army in Zaoyang, we will launch a counterattack against Xinye. The time is tentatively scheduled for the day after tomorrow night." Commander Li then re-issued the subsequent combat orders.
Chief of Staff Xu also recorded Li's order, and then asked Li to sign it and ordered the communications staff to send the telegram to all troops. After the communications staff left, Chief of Staff Xu looked at the map and said, "The key now is whether the new 22nd Army can clear the Japanese troops north of the highway on time and hold on to the Xiangzao Highway."
"Well, which unit did Huang Jinxian send to complete this task?" Commander Li asked casually while looking at the map.
"Huang Jinxian sent the Shixin 100th Division to carry out this mission. This is the most capable unit of their new nd Army. He also knows that this is a critical point. Our troops are still a little short. If we can get two more main forces, this battle will be much easier to fight." Chief of Staff Xu also answered Commander Li's question, and at the same time couldn't help but sigh.
When Li heard Chief of Staff Xu's sigh, Xin also smiled and said, "Be content. I have lost a lot of hair in order to get these troops to join the war. Now China only has a few troops that can fight. All the war zones are eyeing these troops. It is a blessing to be able to get these troops here."
Chief of Staff Xu also smiled awkwardly and said, "Indeed, this is also a good battle for our Fifth War Zone. Taking the initiative to encircle and attack the Japanese army was just something we thought about before the battle began. I didn't expect that we would actually start to implement it now."
Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, commander of the 13th Division of the Japanese encirclement force, is now observing the progress of the attacking forces in front of him through a telescope with a grim face. As the commander of Japan's regular Type A division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei is not very satisfied with this operation.
Lieutenant General Susumu Fujita, commander of the 3rd Division on the right wing, had previously led his troops to occupy Gaocheng and surrounded Suixian on three sides. This allowed Lieutenant General Susumu Fujita to send telegrams to the 11th Army Headquarters to ask when the left wing could capture Xinye. This made him so proud that he could not even show off.
Indeed, the 3rd Division, the 13th Division and the 16th Division that participated in the battle this time are all Type A divisions, and secret competition between the divisions is also commonplace. This time, the 3rd Division made some progress ahead of schedule and overwhelmed the other two Type A divisions, so it does have the capital to brag.
"Tell the commander of the 58th Regiment, Colonel Kuraya Kototo, to intensify the attack and occupy Shinno by the day after tomorrow at the latest." Lieutenant General Ogisu Rippei, the division commander, gave the order to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, with some helplessness.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, also saw that the resistance of the Chinese army in front was very tenacious. His attacking troops rushed into the Chinese army's positions several times, but were unable to gain a foothold in the Chinese army's positions.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, also knew what Xinye meant to the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government. If Xinye was occupied by his own troops, all the troops of the Fifth War Zone in Zaoyang and Suixian would be basically surrounded. In that case, it would be a very fatal blow to the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government.
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, the 58th Regiment has also suffered heavy casualties. Should we replace it with the 65th Regiment to attack? This will increase the intensity of the attack and should allow us to capture Shinno more quickly." Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa also reminded the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, at the right time.