bayedsolid Chapter 322: Battle Begins
Chapter 322: Battle Begins
As time went on, the Japanese army slowly concentrated its forces for defense during its continuous retreat, which slowed down the advance of the offensive forces of the Fifth War Zone.
But in the eyes of the people, the effect was that the Chinese army had been suppressing the Japanese army. The momentum of the attack alone made all the people excited.
Inside the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, Commander Li was deep in thought as he looked at the situation chart on the map. He knew very well that the attacking troops in front were already unable to advance.
During the previous period of slow retreat, the Japanese army had concentrated its forces on defending some important locations. If the Fifth War Zone wanted to continue to make progress in the offensive, it would have to increase the strength of the offensive forces.
But this was not what Commander Li wanted. When Commander Li first saw the "April Offensive" battle plan formulated by the Military Commission, he thought about what method he should use to achieve the greatest victory.
Commander Li understood very well the original intention of the combat plan formulated by the Military Commission. The Military Commission and the highest levels of the government also understood very well that it would be impossible to recapture the three towns or more lost territories by relying on the troops of the Fifth War Zone.
This operation was more of a political and public opinion consideration, but Commander Li felt that this was also an opportunity to use this attack to lure the Japanese army out and fight deep in their own territory, thus achieving the effect of luring the snake out of its hole.
Only in this way can his troops inflict the greatest damage to the Japanese army in mobile warfare. This is why Commander Li proposed to the highest level of the government to send the new 22nd Army and the 31st Army Group. This is the pair of pliers he prepared for the Japanese army.
Before the war, Commander Li analyzed and judged that after the Japanese army captured the three towns, they would definitely start to resolve the threats on the north and south sides of the three towns. His attack would definitely annoy the Japanese army, causing them to direct their attack towards his Fifth War Zone first.
In this way, his idea would be achieved exactly. After occupying the three towns, the Japanese army would need to replenish and repair the losses of each unit and would not be able to send too many troops into the attack. This would give him a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy.
The Japanese troops on the front line were now so concentrated on defense, which made Commander Li even more certain that the Japanese were mobilizing their forces and preparing to launch an attack on his side.
Therefore, Commander Li ordered the front attacking troops to continue to launch small-scale harassment attacks to make the Japanese army think that their troops had been used to the limit and could not attack anymore. At the same time, he ordered the second-line troops to prepare for defense and prepare to resist the counterattack launched by the Japanese army.
Throughout the entire month of April, people across China were in an excited state of mind. During this month, the troops of China's Fifth War Zone had been suppressing the Japanese army's continuous attacks.
Although the pace of recovering lost territory became slower and slower as time went by, this vigorous offensive spirit still satisfied all the people.
Even those who had previously criticized the government for its ineffective resistance in the newspapers, rarely praised this government-led offensive and cheered for the government.
However, according to the intelligence collected by the intelligence department from various parts of the Japanese army, the Japanese 11th Army was obviously using this time to make preparations before the attack.
In particular, intelligence sent back by government intelligence personnel lurking in the puppet city government in Shanghai at the risk of their lives showed that the Japanese military headquarters had dispatched the 33rd and 34th Divisions to the command of the 11th Army, and that the Japanese army was replenishing a large number of personnel and equipment for the 11th Army.
Commander Li understood that the intelligence sent by the undercover intelligence personnel could fully demonstrate that the strength currently possessed by Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the 11th Army, was fully capable of launching an attack on the troops of the Fifth War Zone.
"Order the 180th Division and the 122th Division in Zhongxiang to prepare for defense and be ready to resist attacks launched by the Japanese army at any time. Order the nd Division of the st Army to closely monitor and defend the movements of the Japanese army southwest of Changshoudian to ensure the safety of the Changshoudian flank." Commander Li also issued an order for the entire army to switch from offense to defense while looking at the map.
Commander Li looked at the calendar on the wall. It was already April 28th. The troops in the front must have a good rest and build defensive fortifications. Otherwise, facing the Japanese counterattack, it would be difficult for these troops to effectively block it.
Commander Li predicted that the Japanese counterattack would be around May 10th, so he gave the front troops about ten days to prepare so that the troops could have a rest period.
Commander Li didn't think it would be a problem if the Japanese army launched an attack in advance. At most, the Japanese army could be put on the second line of defense to consume their energy. In short, Commander Li would not fulfill the Japanese army's wish to end the battle quickly.
Time passed quickly, and it was the early morning of May 180st. The Japanese th Division, the th Division and the reinforced th Cavalry Brigade, which had been concentrated in Zhongxiang and Jingshan two days ago, launched a fierce attack on the defensive positions of the th Division and the th Division of the Fifth War Zone stationed in Changshoudian from the direction of Zhongxiang with the support of aircraft and tanks.
Almost at the same time, the Japanese 3rd Division, after strengthening a large number of artillery units, launched a fierce attack from the assembly area on the 11th Army Group, the 84th Army and the 13th Army of the Fifth War Zone stationed in Sui County.
From this moment on, the Japanese counterattack officially began, and China and Japan once again started a brutal fight on the front battlefield.
Fortunately, Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone had stopped the attacks of various troops in advance, leaving some time for all the troops on the front line to rest and build fortifications, and notified the Japanese army of the impending attack in advance.
This meant that the front-line troops did not panic when faced with the sudden attack by the Japanese army.
However, facing the offensive supported by Japanese aircraft and tanks, the Fifth War Zone troops, which had only simple field fortifications to rely on, also fought extremely fiercely. Most of the time, the officers and soldiers of the troops could only guard the fortifications and endure the Japanese army's heavy bombardment. The casualties of each unit also rose rapidly.
Despite the ferocity of the Japanese army, the troops of the Fifth War Zone also resisted the Japanese attack and prevented the Japanese army from quickly passing through the first line of defense of the Fifth War Zone according to the plan formulated before the war.
When May 1st ended, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, commander of the Japanese 11th Army, looked at the sand table in front of him with a bit of disbelief.
On the sand table, the small national flags representing the attacking forces in various directions had not moved at all.
This showed that after a whole day of fierce fighting, their troops were unable to break through and occupy even an inch of the Chinese army's position.