Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Chapter 311: The Battle of the Three Towns Ends, New Problems Emerge

On the third day after Guangzhou was occupied by the Japanese army, the Japanese army widely publicized the success of the Guangzhou operation in newspapers in the occupied areas, claiming that the Japanese army fought bravely in this operation. Not only did they successfully occupy Guangzhou, but they also wiped out a total of 180,000 troops of the Chinese government and defeated the Chinese government's army. The Japanese Empire suffered a total of more than 3,000 imperial warriors killed or wounded in the Guangzhou Battle, which was a glorious victory.

Almost at the same time, the Chinese government also announced the victory of the Yangcheng Battle in the newspapers. The Chinese government explained in the newspapers that the Yangcheng Battle was a defensive battle with the main goal of transporting supplies. The 12th Army Group of the Fourth War Zone and the New 22nd Army, led by Commander He, the commander-in-chief of the war zone, successfully blocked the Japanese army's plan to quickly capture Yangcheng in the face of attacks from three Japanese divisions and the navy, ensuring that all Yangcheng supplies were safely transported to the rear.

At the same time, the Battle of Yangcheng annihilated more than 30,000 Japanese troops, captured two Japanese battalion commander-level officers, and caused more than 20,000 casualties among the Chinese army. It can be said to be a complete victory.

The propaganda departments of both sides also pointed out at the same time that the other side was talking nonsense and lying about the results of the battle, so the two sides started a war of words in the newspapers again.

Not long after the loss of Yangcheng, the Tianjiazhen river defense fortress was also captured by the Japanese army. Originally, the Chinese defenders and the Japanese Sixth Division's troops were evenly matched in Tianjiazhen, but this balanced situation was broken by the Hata Detachment advancing westward along the river.

The joining of the Hata Detachment broke the balance on the battlefield, and Tianjia Town was also lost in the fierce attack of the Japanese army. Now, the gates of the three towns in the direction of the Yangtze River were opened by the Japanese army.

After learning that the Sixth Division and the Hata Detachment had finally opened the Tianjiazhenjiang Defense Fortress, the gateway to the three towns, the Japanese 11th Army Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji quickly organized a special rapid attack column led by Major General Ushijima Mitsuru, commander of the 36th Brigade. The goal of this rapid column was to capture Hankou before the Japanese Second Army attacked the three towns from the north, and hoped to join forces with the Second Army north of the three towns to cut off the retreat of the Fifth War Zone Army.

In this case, the performance of the 11th Army in the Battle of Three Towns would still be able to satisfy the expeditionary army and the headquarters. The commander of the 11th Army, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, has been anxious to complete the pre-war combat plan to occupy the three towns as soon as possible. After all, the operations on the Nanxun Line on the south bank of the Yangtze River have been destroyed by the Chinese government's army. Up to now, several divisions on the Nanxun Line are still replenishing troops and weapons and equipment. Without several months of preparation time, it is impossible to launch another attack on the Nanxun Line.

Now, Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji felt at ease. As long as his 11th Army could occupy the three towns first, he would have completed his mission. As for the previous failure on the Nanxun Line, it did not seem so important.

After the Battle of Three Towns began, the Japanese Second Army also divided its troops into two routes. The 13th Division and the 16th Division on the left crossed the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains and headed straight for Wuhan, while the 3rd Division and the 10th Division on the right attacked Luoshan and Xinyang directly, bypassing the three towns.

The Fifth War Zone also mobilized and supplemented some troops and launched a tenacious resistance against the Japanese army's left-wing attack force in the Dabie Mountains area. In the defensive battle of Fujin Mountain, the 36th Division of the 71st Army, as the ace division, fought to the end with only more than 800 people left in the entire division. It was extremely tragic.

However, the Japanese army's left-wing attack force was blocked in the Dabie Mountains by the troops of the Fifth War Zone, and was unable to break out of the Dabie Mountains as planned.

Compared with the unsuccessful attack of the left-wing attack force, the attack of the right-wing force of the Japanese Second Army was slightly better. The Third Division and the Tenth Division were also slowly advancing under the obstruction of the Chinese army along the way, but at least they were advancing, which was better than the Thirteenth Division and the Sixteenth Division on the left wing who were standing still in the Dabie Mountains area.

By the end of October, the four and a half month-long Battle of Three Towns finally came to an end with the Chinese army's voluntary withdrawal from the three towns.

As far as this battle is concerned, the Japanese army occupied three towns, controlled the transportation hub in the heart of China, and achieved a certain victory. Before the war, the Japanese headquarters believed that as long as they occupied the three towns and Yangcheng, they would be able to control the lifeline of the Chinese government's transportation in the interior, thus forcing the Chinese government to succumb and agree to all the conditions and demands put forward by Japan, and at the same time quickly end this increasingly protracted war against China.

However, the Chinese government did not surrender because of the loss of the three towns and Guangzhou as the Japanese government imagined. After the loss of the three towns, the Chinese government declared in major newspapers that "temporary advances and retreats will not shake our country's determination to fight the war, and the gains and losses of any city will not affect the overall situation of the war of resistance." At the same time, the Chinese government also stated that it would work harder for a comprehensive and protracted war of resistance in the future.

After the war between China and Japan went to war, there were undercurrents in the Chinese government. Many people in the government were not optimistic about the war with Japan and strongly opposed the government going to war with Japan, clamoring that "going to war will lead to defeat."

The outbreak of war between China and Japan also gave Wang Zhaoming, who had always been frustrated, different ideas. Wang Zhaoming was extremely greedy for power. He always regarded himself as the successor of Mr. Sun Yat-sen. However, in the open and secret struggles with the highest level of the government, he was repeatedly at a disadvantage, which made Wang Zhaoming very dissatisfied and unwilling.

After the war between China and the Japanese army went to war, Wang Jingwei also smelled his opportunity. He wanted to exchange peace talks with Japan for the Japanese Empire's personal support to help him replace the top level of the government and ascend to the throne of China's supreme leader.

Therefore, when the Battle of Three Towns just started, Wang Jingwei secretly sent his confidant Mei Siping to fly to Tokyo, Japan via Hong Kong Island to have preliminary secret talks and negotiations with the Japanese side. Finally, the two sides agreed that Wang Jingwei would come forward to "negotiate peace" and "clean up the situation."

After the Battle of Three Towns ended, Wang Zhaoming secretly sent his confidant Mei Siping to Shanghai to secretly discuss the conditions and promotion methods of peace talks with Japan in Jiangwan Chongguang Hall with Japanese representatives. After eight days of bargaining, the two sides finally signed the "Record of Japan-China Agreement and Matters of Understanding" and the "Record of Japan-China Secret Agreement".

When Mei Siping passed the news of the completion of the negotiations with the Japanese representatives to Wang Zhaoming, Wang Zhaoming breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He had waited for this day for too long. Thinking that he would soon be able to stand on the highest throne of China, he was very excited. So Wang Zhaoming quickly gathered several of his confidants together to discuss the next steps.