It was night, and the headquarters of the First Army of Dali County was brightly lit.
"Military seat, the 36th Army has an urgent call. The Japanese troops are crossing the river from the direction of Hejin!"
"Return the call immediately and act in accordance with the battle plan. If there is any delay, military law will be dealt with!" Zhou Weiguo said seriously.
No one expected the heavy concentration of Japanese troops. Hu Zhongnan immediately returned from the first theater of war after receiving the news, and the pressure fell entirely on Zhou Weiguo's shoulders.
Judging from the deployment of the national army, the main force mobilized this time was concentrated in the Weinan area in the northeast of Guanzhong. However, the Japanese army chose Hancheng, the northernmost part of Weinan, to cross the river.
This deployment of troops was unanimously approved by Hu Zongnan. It would defend the West Bank to the greatest extent and rely on strategic depth to lead the Japanese army from the north to the south. Even if something unexpected happened, the troops in the first theater south of the Yellow River could also be reinforced.
The other purpose is unexplainable. The area north of Hancheng is bordering the territory of the Eighth Route Army. If the Japanese army moves north instead, it will actually give the Chinese army more opportunities.
Hejin has always been in the hands of the Japanese army, so it is a consensus that the Japanese army crossed the river from Hejin, and the Eighth Route Army was not unprepared. In the previous battle between the Eighth Route Army and the National Army, both sides continued to increase their troops and jointly performed a good show to lure the Japanese army to cross the river.
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To the north of Hancheng is Yichuan and to the west is Huanglong. The Yijun area is the area where the Eighth Route Army and the National Army gather heavily. In contrast, it was the "right choice" for the Japanese army to march south after crossing the river.
Compared with the barren northern Shaanxi, Weinan is followed by Xijian, and there are no heavy troop gatherings along the way, so it is the priority choice of the Japanese army.
In Hejin, the battle was not as brutal as expected. The Japanese vanguard took boats prepared in advance and forcibly crossed the river despite the firepower of the Chinese army on the opposite side.
The national army stationed here is the 1st Regiment of the 59th Division of the 36th Army. The division was established in May 1941 and has been stationed in Hancheng since then. It has few opportunities to actually participate in actual combat, and its combat effectiveness can only be regarded as third-rate.
"Reporting to the division headquarters, the Japanese army's artillery fire is fierce. The enemy's leading troops have landed at Wukouji. Please request the division headquarters to send troops for reinforcements as soon as possible!"
"Captain Zheng, the soldiers are very brave. I have seen them all. According to the order, the 1st Regiment needs to withstand the Japanese army for another half an hour, and then retreat towards Yichuan!"
"Master, I don't understand why you can't let the Second Regiment and the Third Regiment come forward, even to provide some artillery support. Once the Japanese army breaks through the defense line, everything will be over!"
"This is an order from the military, you just need to execute it!"
Listening to the other party hanging up the phone, Captain Zheng's face was filled with unwillingness and he shouted to the adjutant beside him: "Notify the security company and all the people in the regiment to help me. Behind me are our hometown elders.
Don’t let the little devil cross the river!”
However, one regiment was ultimately single and weak. Faced with the Japanese tactics of breaking through from one point, the remaining regiments from other directions quickly retreated. Then the gunfire gradually became sparse, and it seemed that the overall situation was decided.
"Your Majesty Colonel, the imperial army has successfully landed. Most of the national army on the opposite side has been annihilated, and only a small number have fled!"
"Hey, the Chinese troops stationed on the west bank of the Yellow River have been out of battle for a long time, but this battle is going so smoothly!" Matsunaga Junpei, chief of staff of the Japanese ninth mixed brigade, looked at the Japanese troops gathered on the other side, with a look of joy on his face, and immediately ordered:
"Order the following Imperial Army to follow up quickly and seize a favorable position to prevent the national army from counterattack!"
"In addition, call back to the commander of the brigade, our unit has successfully fought and gained a lot!"
"Hi!" the adjutant responded seriously.
Jun Matsunaga was a good leader. Since the Ninth Mixed Brigade moved from Peiping to Linfen, he often went to the front line to inspect the troops, so he was very familiar with the local situation.
After learning that it was a fatal situation, he still chose to take orders and lead his troops to break through the national army's defense line. This time, under his command were two infantry brigades of the 9th Mixed Brigade, an artillery battalion, and four regiments of the Imperial Association Army, a total of
The number of troops is less than 10,000.
However, it was the Japanese army that served as the vanguard, and the Imperial Army was watching the battle on the east bank of the Yellow River.
News of the Japanese army's landing operation in Hejin quickly spread to both the Kuomintang and the Communist camps, and the oppressive atmosphere in the First Theater District Chief's Department receded.
"General, the 14th Group Army is asking for instructions whether to send troops north to put some pressure on the Japanese army to ease the situation in Weinan!"
"No, please continue to inform us. The current situation is unknown. It is most likely a move by the Japanese army to lure the enemy. All troops are ordered to stick to their positions and only move northward when the situation is clear!"
Li Mo'an's purpose was very clear. As long as the main force of the Japanese army crossed the river and the southern part of Hu Zhong was entangled with the Japanese army, the 14th Group Army could move its troops northward to recapture the Hejin, Jishan, and Jiangxian areas where the Japanese army was depleted.
In this way, they can not only achieve the military success of recovering lost territory, but also block the Japanese army in Shaanxi Province and cut off the Japanese army's retreat. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone.
On the other hand, the Japanese army did not advance rapidly. After the vanguard troops occupied Hancheng, the Imperial Association Army disguised as the Japanese army crossed the river from the ferry during the day and secretly returned to the east bank at night.
These two days created the illusion that all the main force of the Japanese army crossed the river, and then made an all-out assault southward in accordance with the established combat plan.
After the temporary 59th Division of the 36th Army withdrew northward, only the 52nd Division of the 36th Army and the 97th Division of the 57th Army blocked the Japanese army's path south.
"I just don't understand. Our army's mission is obviously to defend Shaanxi Province, so why are we still at odds with the Eighth Route Army? Now it's better, the little Japs are coming directly!"
"Squad leader, I heard that more than 5,000 people in the 59th Division couldn't even hold on for three hours. Tens of thousands of Japs crossed the river. The ferry was crowded with people. Most of our 52nd Division are enlisted in the army.
The recruits who have been recruited for more than a year can at best fire a few shots at the Japs across the river. Can they hold on?"
"Yes, for two whole days, the Japs didn't go south. They kept gathering troops. How many people would have to cross the river?"
"Bah, you are so arrogant as usual, you peed before you even saw the little devil?" Squad leader Wu Dascar spit out his cigarette butt on the ground, pointed at the scar on the left side of his face and said: "Did you see this scar? Republic of China
In 2028, I was also a new recruit in the army. Less than half a year after joining the army, I fought with a Jaap in Jinzhong. This scar was caused by a Jaap with a bayonet!"
"Don't you usually all clamor to fight the little devils? Now the little devils are coming straight in front of us. If you survive this battle, you will all be veterans!"
The temporary 59th Division has three infantry regiments, one supplementary regiment, and the division's direct teams, with a total of more than 8,000 people at the forefront of the Japanese army's march south.
Initially, the morale of all the officers and soldiers was high. However, as the Japanese troops gathered in Hancheng, news about the Japanese troops continued to come, but there was no sign of the Japanese troops. In the past two days, the morale of the officers and soldiers became worse and worse day by day. Rumors spread within the troops.
