Chapter 838: The Fourth Independent Infantry Brigade
Yongcheng was originally the Huaibei base where the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army was located. As Li Xianzhou's 28th Group Army moved north, the Fourth Division was forced to move east of the Jinpu Railway.
The 28th Group Army was originally an organization of the Sichuan Army. In 1938, due to the unfavorable operations of its officers and soldiers on the front line in Xuancheng, Anhui, Chiang Kai-shek took the opportunity to cancel the designation.
Until February 1943, in the Guoyang area of Anhui Province, the 28th Group Army resumed use, but it was already the combat order of the Central Army. It was affiliated to the Sulu-Henan-Anhui Border Region, under the command of Tang Enbo, and under the jurisdiction of the 92nd Army (21st Division, 142nd
division (temporarily numbered 56th Division), the 12th Army (20th Division, 22nd Division, 81st Division) and the temporarily numbered 30th Division. The combat forces total 7 divisions and 21 regiments, with approximately more than 50,000 people.
28th Army Headquarters.
The 142nd Division was forced to stagnate in the Huxi area. Liu Chunlin quickly reported the whole story to the group army headquarters and asked Shangfeng to send troops to relieve the siege. Li Xianzhou was furious when he learned about it.
"What does the Eighth Route Army want to do? Do you really dare to take action?" Li Xianzhou was frightened and frightened at this time. The 92nd Army was his direct line unit, and the 142nd Division was his thorn in the side.
Li Xianzhou was extremely reluctant from the bottom of his heart regarding the 28th Army's strategy of entering Shandong, which was secretly taught by the veteran general. After all, Shandong was the real enemy behind the enemy lines.
After the Nationalist Government ordered the bombing of Huayuankou, the Yellow River flowed from northwest to southeast, which to a certain extent played a role in delaying the Japanese army.
The two sides took the Yellow River as the boundary. East Henan, North Anhui and other places to the north of the Yellow River were occupied by the Japanese army. The area to the south was the defense area of the National Army. The Sulu-Henan-Anhui Border Region Headquarters was set up in Linquan, and the predecessor of the 28th Group Army was
The first advance was in Fuyang.
The 28th Group Army was ordered to cross the Yellow River and advance northward, which was a risky move. Fortunately, the local Japanese army's ruling power was weak, and most of them were military-controlled counties under the jurisdiction of the puppet army. The Japanese army was also happy to see friction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, so the 28th Group Army barely gained a foothold.
However, there is a risk of destruction when approaching Shandong. The Lusu War Zone is a lesson learned from the past.
At the beginning of 1943, the Japanese army chose to attack the Lusu War Zone, which had a weaker organizational strength, and jointly carried out a large-scale raid on the northern Jiangsu and Shandong areas. The armed forces of the Lusu War Zone in Shandong were successively damaged under the Japanese attack. With Wu Huawen
, Li Wenli’s local armed forces surrendered to the enemy one after another.
Zhou Fu, director of the Political Department of the Lusu War Zone, died for his country in the Battle of Chengding Mountain. Yu Xuezhong saw that there was nothing he could do and was eager to lead his troops to evacuate from Shandong.
The situation suddenly changed, how could Li Xianzhou not be afraid, but it was difficult for him to survive.
"Chief Commander, would you like to ask for instructions from the top? At the very least, let the troops from the Lusu War Zone stay in Shandong for a while, so as to buy time for our army. Otherwise, when we arrive in Shandong, we may not have a foothold!"
Hou Jingru, commander of the 92nd Army, said,
"Asking for instructions? What are you asking for? Do you want the principal to scold me for being incompetent and scolding me for being timid?"
"Director Zhou Fu of the Lusu War Zone sent several telegrams to invite our troops to enter Lu, but their own people did not resist. I said that Yu Xuezhong's Northeast Army is just a bunch of losers!" Li Xianzhou was unable to advance or retreat at this time, so he could only
Able to curse loudly.
He Cuizhi, commander of the 12th Army on the side, said nothing. His unit was from the Northwest Army. The previous commander was Sun Tongxuan, who was Han Fuju's direct unit in Shandong.
However, as Shandong fell to the Japanese army, Han Fuju was shot for abandoning the city and escaping, and his direct troops also became the target of Chiang Kai-shek's division and suppression.
Chiang Kai-shek was worried that the 3rd Army had become a problem in the Jincheng area, so he transferred the 12th Army away from the 3rd Army.
Of course, such a change requires a legitimate reason. Chiang Kai-shek asked the 12th Army to return to Shandong because there were many locals in Shandong among the units under its jurisdiction. However, he was worried that the 12th Army would arrive in Shandong first and then seize control.
On one side, they could only let Li Xianzhou's direct descendants take the first step.
"I don't believe that the Eighth Route Army dares to take action. You will lead the 12th Army to the north quickly. If the situation changes, you can launch an attack directly without asking for instructions. Huxi and southwestern Shandong are the targets this time!" Li Xianzhou said to Hou Jingru.
The words are divided into two parts. The large-scale troop mobilization cannot be concealed, not to mention that the 28th Army has a weak foundation in the local area. The 92nd Army has just set off, and the Japanese army got the news immediately.
The Fourth Independent Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army stationed in Shangqiu is a newly formed unit. The brigade commander is Araki Sadahiro, an old acquaintance of the Eighth Route Army, and the chief of staff is Kuroshima Morita.
The previous plan of the two sides to jointly attack the Eighth Route Army base areas went bankrupt due to public opinion, but the Japanese army did not have so many scruples and even wanted to take advantage of the situation.
"Hey Xi, the former division headquarters called and gave combat instructions, but they were not realized in the end. However, as long as the national army passes through the territory of the Eighth Route Army, there is a chance after all. This situation will be greatly beneficial to the Imperial Japanese Army.
!" Araki Sadahiro said excitedly.
Kuroshima Morita on the side was a little puzzled. Not long after the Fourth Infantry Regiment received the order for joint operations, its troops had not yet been mobilized, but the Eighth Route Army broke the news.
The problem was that the information had not been leaked from him, so Kuroshima Morita turned his suspicious eyes to Sun Liangcheng. He even suspected that this guy who was on both sides of the fence not only had contact with the National Army, but also had some connection with the Eighth Route Army.
kind of connection.
"Sun Sang, you must organize several special forces as soon as possible. When the main force of the National Army crosses the railway line, follow it secretly into the Eighth Route Army base area, and then mix in to cause trouble. You must let the National Army and the Eighth Route Army fight!"
"As long as this is accomplished, I will personally ask for credit from the division headquarters!" Araki Sadahiro stood up and patted Sun Liangcheng on the shoulder.
Sun Liangcheng nodded in response, but in his heart he cursed the little devil. The Japanese army both used and defended Sun Liangcheng. With the formation of the Fourth Independent Infantry Brigade, the status of Sun Liangcheng's Fourth Army declined significantly.
The Japanese army's previous promises have not yet been fulfilled. Instead, some other puppet army leaders in the 35th Division's area were entrusted with important tasks, which made Sun Liangcheng increasingly dissatisfied.
After the 28th Group Army marched into Northeast Anhui, Sun Liangcheng even sent his confidants to contact him secretly, hoping to take advantage of the situation. However, Chiang Kai-shek did not agree. Instead, he asked Sun Liangcheng to continue working for the Japanese and promote the Japanese army to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army base area.
The current actions ordered by Araki Sadahiro are really thankless in Sun Liangcheng's opinion. Although the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will definitely fight, if he sends people to instigate in the middle, it can be said that he will cut off the way out.
The National Army and the Eighth Route Army will record this account for him, and the Japanese will also regard this as a handle. I am afraid that his situation will be even more difficult by then.