bayedsolid Chapter 305 Preparing to Retreat
Chapter 305 Preparing to Retreat
In the evening of that day, Commander Huang and Chief of Staff Zhao Dong led the new 22nd Army headquarters to withdraw from Nanhai City to Sanshui.
"Wenwu, the troops in the South China Sea will begin to retreat towards your Sanshui tonight. After the troops of the new 210th Division and the new 211th Division have completed their retreat, your division must follow suit. Our new 100nd Army will retreat westward in accordance with the theater's order and then north to Lian County for rest and recuperation. As the rearguard of the entire army, your division must be extra careful." Commander Huang also told Zhang Wenwu about the troop movements in the new th Division's headquarters.
Commander Huang was very satisfied and proud of the performance of his New 22nd Army in the Battle of Yangcheng. Not only did they complete the combat tasks assigned by the theater command, but they also eliminated a large number of Japanese troops, greatly improving the New 22nd Army's anti-Japanese combat performance.
What's more important is that in this battle, the troops of the new 22nd Army suffered little losses, and the combat effectiveness of each division has basically remained at a very high level. In this way, in future battles, our troops can join any battlefield to fight at any time according to orders.
"Please rest assured, Commander. The new 100th Division will complete the rear-end mission assigned by you and ensure the safe withdrawal of the entire army to Lian County." Zhang Wenwu also stood at attention and assured Commander Huang loudly.
"Wenwu, we don't have time to eliminate this Japanese army this time, so don't take it too seriously. It can be seen from the fact that the war zone wants our army to withdraw to Lian County this time. It won't be long before our new 22nd Army will be sent to the battlefield again, and you will have to fight some battles." Chief of Staff Zhao Dong was afraid that Zhang Wenwu was still thinking about the surrounded Japanese army, so he quickly spoke to comfort him.
Chief of Staff Zhao Dong was not talking nonsense. It can be clearly seen from the fact that the war zone ordered the New 22nd Army to withdraw to Lian County that the New 22nd Army will soon be dispatched to the battlefield to fight, because Lian County is located at the junction of southern Hunan and eastern Guangxi. At that time, if it goes west, it will participate in the defense of Guangxi Province, and if it goes north, it will participate in the defense of Hunan Province. It just depends on where the Japanese army launches the attack.
Now the Battle of Three Towns has come to an end. The Japanese troops on the south bank of the Yangtze River are still replenishing and resting, and are not in a hurry to go south to attack Hongcheng. The situation on the north bank of the Yangtze River is relatively passive.
The 6th Division of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, occupied Guangji and was attacking Tianjia Town, an important fortress of China on the Yangtze River.
Tianjia Town is the most important river defense fortress on the Yangtze River and the most important gateway to protect the three towns. If Tianjia Town is lost, the three towns will be in danger and basically there is no need to defend them.
Now the two sides are engaged in a fierce battle in Tianjia Town. The Japanese army continuously releases poison gas bombs to launch an attack on the Chinese troops guarding Tianjia Town. This has caused heavy losses to the Chinese defense forces, and they can only barely hold on to the shaky defense line.
Zhang Wenwu knew that the Battle of Three Towns would be over soon, and both China and Japan would need to take a good rest. For China, the soldiers with combat experience had suffered huge losses after more than a year of various battles. Although the size and number of the Chinese army are still maintained at a certain level, many troops have not undergone rigorous training. When such troops are dragged onto the battlefield, not only will they not be of any help to the battle situation, but more often they will bring down the entire defensive line. Many troops collapsed at the touch of a button in the face of the Japanese attack and were completely ineffective.
"Don't worry, Chief of Staff. I still know what's important and what's not. Just let these Japanese soldiers live a few more days. As long as they are still in China, they will have to take their lives sooner or later." Zhang Wenwu responded to Chief of Staff Zhao Dong with a smile. His relaxed look made Chief of Staff Zhao Dong feel relieved.
Commander Huang and Chief of Staff Zhao Dong did not stay in Sanshui for long. That night they withdrew westward with the headquarters of the new 211nd Army and its direct-affiliated teams. At the same time, the troops of the new 210th Division and the new th Division that were defending Nanhai City also began to gather to the west of Nanhai City.
"All troops should quickly withdraw to the designated assembly point, and place the scarecrows on the positions. Don't let the Japanese troops on the opposite side find them, so that we don't have to deal with the Japanese pursuers." Division Commander Cai also commanded his troops to begin to withdraw from the blocking positions.
In order to prevent the Japanese from discovering that his troops had withdrawn, Commander Cai had his officers and soldiers make hundreds of straw men in advance, and then put some tattered military uniforms on the men and placed them on the positions to confuse Japanese scouts. If the Japanese attacked the positions after dawn and found that his troops had withdrawn and came to pursue them, his troops would have already reached Sanshui City by then.
Colonel Shiro Yamazaki, commander of the 55th Regiment of the 18th Division of the Japanese Army, also summoned all the captains of his attacking forces, and everyone discussed the situation of the Chinese army's blocking positions based on the reconnaissance summary.
"Your Excellency the Captain, I think we should organize a surprise team. When the attack is not going well, we need to give full play to the Bushido spirit of the Great Japanese Empire and use our invincible Bushido to give the soldiers strength. In this way, we can break through the defensive positions of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese Government in one fell swoop." A major officer with an obviously brave personality expressed his thoughts to Colonel Shiro Yamazaki.
Colonel Shiro Yamazaki listened to everyone's suggestions and was very satisfied with the current morale of the troops. This time they were able to fight against the long-renowned New 22nd Army of the Chinese government. Everyone's spirits were very high, and everyone wanted to prove their abilities by fighting against such an excellent opponent.
"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, the artillery units will first bombard the blocking positions of the New 22nd Army of the China Government for ten minutes, and then extend the artillery fire backwards to prevent possible reinforcements of the Chinese army. The First Battalion will be responsible for launching a full-scale attack on the positions of the New 22nd Army of the China Government after the bombardment. The other battalions will draw half of their heavy machine guns from their own troops to provide sufficient fire support for the First Battalion's attack. After the First Battalion breaks into the blocking positions of the New 22nd Army of the China Government, the Second Battalion will rush forward to reinforce the First Battalion's battle. The remaining troops will all be ready for battle and ready to join the battle at any time according to orders." Colonel Shiro Yamazaki also arranged tomorrow's attack.
Colonel Shiro Yamazaki was also fully prepared. He did not force his troops to occupy the Chinese army's positions in one attack. After all, the combat effectiveness of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government was still very strong, which could be well observed from today's attack.
As for how long it would take to occupy this blocking position, Colonel Shiro Yamazaki mentally gave himself one day. He felt that under the full-scale attack of his troops, the Chinese government's New 22nd Army blocking force would only be able to hold out for one day at most.