Chapter 556: The military situation is urgent, and those who escape from the battle will be killed
The plan for the joint operation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was somewhat crude. Even the top commanders of both sides did not meet in person. They only understood the essentials of the plan. The Kuomintang army also communicated the operational plan through telegrams, which also led to the implementation of the plan.
There will be many variables in the process.
According to the original plan and the best strategy, the main force encircled from the outside intercepted the Japanese troops before the Japanese reinforcements arrived in Lingchuan County, and induced the Japanese and puppet troops who were holding on to Lingchuan to voluntarily leave the city to fight in the field.
In the middle strategy, the Japanese reinforcements arrived at Lingchuan City first, but no matter which siege force the Japanese attacked, the troops must do their best to delay the Japanese, waiting for the encircling troops to surround them, and the outside troops waited for opportunities to attack.
As a result, this siege force will definitely face a flanking attack from the Japanese army.
As for the next step, Zhou Weihan never expected what the next step would be like. The military strength of both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Lingchuan did not allow for the next step.
.......
At dawn, Japanese reinforcements appeared outside the 89th Division. The Japanese army sent out several search teams to encounter the 89th Division's peripheral guard troops.
The 89th Division is a direct line unit of the Central Army, and it is also Tang Enbo's starting unit. Although it is not as good as the 87th Division, the 88th Division and the 36th Division, which are equipped with some German weapons and equipment, it is still a standard rifle.
, equipped with various heavy weapons.
Among them, there are more than 4,500 Chinese and official Type 79 rifles, more than 320 Czech light machine guns, 48 Maxim heavy machine guns, 24 anti-aircraft machine guns, 24 82mm mortars, 12 75mm mountain guns, and 6 37mm combat defense guns.
door, and there is plenty of ammunition.
In the Battle of Xuzhou, Chief Li of the Fifth Theater mainly used it as a mobile strike force. In fact, it was Tang Enbo's Army and General Zhang Zizhong's 59th Army. The other Northwest Army, Sichuan Army, Northeast Army and other units were basically used for defense tasks.
, only these two units have been running north and south to attack the Japanese invaders on the outside.
It can be said that the Thirteenth Army in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War was one of the first-class main forces on the North China battlefield. If we only look at the Central Army, one of them can even be removed.
In the late period of the Anti-Japanese War, the Thirteenth Army was also one of the first units to change its equipment, in addition to the five main forces: the New First Army, the New Sixth Army, the Fifth Army, the Eighteenth Army and the Seventy-fourth Army.
For this reason, the Thirteenth Army was once regarded by the outside world as the sixth main force after the five main forces. It can be seen that the evaluation of its combat effectiveness is generally relatively high.
If it weren't for the two divisions of the Thirteenth Army that participated in the battle and still retained their strength during the siege, otherwise the Japanese and puppet troops entrenched in Lingchuan City would never have been able to wait for the reinforcements to arrive.
Objectively speaking, if all the soldiers of the 89th Division are determined to fight to the death, they are qualified to become the core point of the battlefield.
With the initial battle between small groups of troops from both sides, news of the arrival of Japanese reinforcements quickly spread to the siege troops in the other two directions. At the same time, the 833rd Regiment of the 89th Division, which served as a reserve force, and the supplementary regiment met them from both sides. The Japanese command
The officer quickly sensed the difficulty of the 89th Division based on the current battle situation.
"It is indeed a national army unit that can fight fiercely with the Fifth Division. It does have some strength. When will the air support arrive?" Commander Yoji Nimura asked the adjutant next to him.
"Sir, Xinxiang Airport called twenty minutes ago. Two squadrons have already taken off!" the adjutant on the side responded.
Hearing this, Shinmura Yoji nodded with satisfaction: "Yusi!"
The Japanese reinforcements dared to go deep alone, and the air support that arrived immediately was their strong support.
"Immediately notify the artillery unit to bombard the weak points of the national army in front, give guidance to the imperial army's flying team, and open a passage for the warriors!" shouted loudly.
Soon, under the cover of artillery fire, two Japanese heavy machine gun squadrons with a total of twenty-four Type 92 heavy machine guns also formed suppressive firepower against the Chinese troops on both sides.
More than a thousand Japanese infantry launched a fearless charge. At the same time, the Japanese and puppet troops huddled in Lingchuan County, except for small groups of troops on the north and east sides to contain the siege troops outside the city.
The remaining 5,000 Japanese and puppet troops took a cavalry company of the puppet Zhang Lanfeng as the vanguard and launched a fierce attack on the 831st and 832nd regiments outside the city of the 89th Division.
Although both the enemy and ourselves were well prepared, the commanders of the 89th Division headquarters still did not expect that the Japanese army would pick such a tough target as them.
After the puppet cavalry company attracted the firepower of the two regiments of the national army, the rest of the Japanese and puppet troops immediately attacked without even using artillery. The national army was dissatisfied with the formation of nearly 4,000 soldiers from the two regiments.
Several holes were torn open by the Japanese army.
Less than ten minutes after the battle on the west side of the battlefield, more than 20 Japanese aircraft appeared directly above the battlefield.
The two reconnaissance planes at the front of the queue first lowered their altitude, circled over the battlefield, and then sent out an attack signal.
The remaining bombers were divided into two batches and dropped aerial bombs on the 89th Division, which was surrounded by Japanese troops. In an instant, the battlefield was plunged into a sea of fire.
Although all the soldiers of the 89th Division had already built defenses around the battlefield and were on guard against Japanese bombers, fierce battles were currently taking place on both sides, and many soldiers had no time to hide in air raid shelters before being submerged in the flames.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the 89th Division were distributed in two directions to intercept the Japanese troops, and the personnel were not concentrated.
At this moment, twenty-four concealed anti-aircraft machine guns opened fire in unison. Two bombers were suddenly concentrated and fell near the battlefield with black smoke. The other bombers hurriedly fled the battlefield like frightened rabbits.
Upon seeing this, the Japanese commanders from both directions immediately ordered their troops to attack.
89th Division Headquarters.
"Master, the Japanese army has intensified their attacks, and our brothers have suffered heavy casualties. We really can't stand it anymore!" The leader of the 832 regiment personally ran to the division headquarters to complain.
Shu Rong, commander of the 89th Division, put down his telescope. He had just had a panoramic view of the battlefield ahead, and then he looked at the commander of the 832nd Regiment, half of his body covered in blood.
"I have seen what happened just now. Your department and the 831st Regiment are indeed under a lot of pressure, but don't forget the Huangpu spirit. As the leader, you must always stick to your command position. If you die on the battlefield, you can honor your ancestors. If you escape in the face of battle, you can still honor your ancestors."
It will be infamy for thousands of years, you choose one!" Shu Rong said in a deep voice.
"this......"
"Why don't you go back!" Shu Rong said angrily.
"Yes!" The leader of the 832nd Regiment walked away in dismay upon hearing this.
After he left, the Chief of Staff of the 89th Division on the side hesitated and said: "Master, if we continue to fight, our 89th Division's old foundation will be wiped out. By then, I'm afraid the commander-in-chief will not...
.”
"Chief of Staff, I don't understand what you are saying. I don't know yet how the General Council will deal with you, but the sharp sword in the principal's hand is already on our necks!" Shu Rong still remembers the words given to him in the attendant's room.
That telegram was sent.
"In this battle, our 89th Division is the key to changing the direction of the current war. By delaying the Japanese army, when the main force arrives, we can completely annihilate the two groups of Japanese troops fighting. Otherwise, we will miss the opportunity!"
"Send my order to all the soldiers of the 89th Division. The military situation is urgent. Anyone who escapes from the battle will be killed!" Shu Rong said with a sharp tone.