At the Xiangtan Station, the Japanese army's strength was about twice that of the Xuebing Army at its peak. However, now, Kanda counted the remaining strength of each unit and suddenly discovered that their strength advantage was reduced to less than 5,000 people. Taking into account various battlefields, The imperial army was passive, and he no longer dared to think about how to counterattack or turn defeat into victory.
After all, in the wars of the 20th century, the human element has been greatly weakened. At this time, aircraft, tanks, and artillery play the leading role on the battlefield. Soldiers are certainly indispensable, but their role is It is through these weapons that Kanda first entered Xiangtan with lofty ambitions to rectify the name of the Sixth Division. However, now, he looked up and saw a Baiji from the Cadet Army flying over from a distance. Looking like he was in a deserted place, he thought about the telegram sent by Nishimura Lianchan not long ago saying that they were attacked by the air force of the Xuebing Army Air Force, and finally understood where the headquarters was defeated. There was no air support. There was no chariot unit that could restrain the mandrill, and the artillery was completely at a disadvantage. This battle was doomed from the beginning. Kanda thought like this, and finally made a decision in his heart. Ben and Suzuki called, and then called Nishimura and Ishikawa. The content was without exception, asking them to conserve their strength as much as possible and strive to take the troops away from the battlefield as much as possible.
Kanda made this decision based on the overall situation, hoping to preserve strength for the defense of Changsha. However, because the content of his order seriously conflicted with his previous order, it actually caused chaos among the Japanese troops on the front line.
Taking Meilin Bridge as an example, Miyamoto has less than 3,000 troops left at this time, including about 1,000 North Korean Communist Army. Because of the existence of anti-tank trenches and emergency response teams, he can lead these people smoothly. Withdrew, then crossed the river and returned to Xiangtan. However, the nearly 3,000 troops on the battlefield had no hope of survival. Nine thousand troops went out to fight, but only 3,000 escaped. Miyamoto was very worried because he could If you go to Changsha alive, you will be taken to a military court immediately.
Another example is that on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, the Suzuki Department and the Xuebing Army are fully engaged. If Suzuki orders a retreat at this time, it will immediately cause the collapse of the defense line.
The one who carried out Kanda's new order most resolutely was Ishikawa Seiye. Firstly, they had not yet had a direct confrontation with the cadet army. Furthermore, Ishikawa considered that if the Miyamoto and Nishimurabu fled without a fight, they would actually The commander was surrounded by the Xuebing Army, so he immediately ordered the entire army to turn and advance in the direction of Sanmen Town, preparing to cross the Xiangjiang River from there, and then run to the east bank of the Xiangjiang River.
The one who was most dissatisfied with Kanda's order was Nishimura Renchan. This was related to the current location of the unit. The unit was currently in a plain area between Meilin Bridge and the Kawakou Gakuin Army, with no cover in all directions. , once the Japanese troops at Meilin Bridge withdraw to the urban area of Xiangtan, they will face the embarrassing situation of being surrounded if they fight, and passively being beaten if they escape.
The order to shrink the defense line to preserve strength is also inappropriate for the Zero tank destroyer brigade led by Sanada Keiji. The unit is now facing the situation of Xie Yuchun's Mandrill tank regiment in the north, and facing the Jiguang medium tank under Feng Chunlan's personal command in the south. , it must be noted here that the so-called laser medium tanks are actually heavy tanks that were eliminated after the Xuebing Army was equipped with Mandrills. This type of tank once won a great victory in a contest with the Japanese New Type 99 heavy tanks. , and after technical rectification, its armor protection and strike capabilities are only second to the Mandrill, and it is the backbone of the Xuebing Army's tank force.
"Preserve strength, how to preserve it, when did the Japanese Imperial Army fall to this point? No, even if the entire army is destroyed, we must show the majesty of the Imperial Army so that the Chinese people will never dare to underestimate us." Sanada thought in his mind. After making such a decision, he simply closed the communication channel with the headquarters and focused on directing the battle.
Eighty-two Jiguang medium tanks faced forty-seven Zero tank destroyers. They were two kilometers apart. Xuebingjun opened fire first. This was Feng Chunlan's intention to test the armor protection capabilities of the Zero tank destroyers. , the Zero tank destroyer blindly emphasized armor protection capabilities, resulting in poor maneuverability. Three Jiguang medium tanks were ordered to launch an attack. Although the commander of the target Japanese tank was aware of it and directed evasion in time, none of them could escape. , Feng Chunlan stood on the turret of his command vehicle and used a telescope to observe the results of the battle. He found that none of the three Japanese tanks under attack suffered major damage. He frowned slightly and ordered to wait until they were at a distance of 1,500 meters. shoot one shot,
When he was attacked by a cadet tank, Sanada Keiji was worried. The poor performance of the Zero tank made him lose confidence in the Zero tank destroyer. After the explosion, he immediately ordered him to be attacked. The attacking men reported the situation and learned that the tanks were only slightly injured and would not hinder the subsequent battle. His confidence greatly increased and he shouted in the command channel: "Xinxi, those designers in Tokyo finally provided us with We have a good tank, gentlemen, this is the first battle of the Zero tank destroyer, let us use the remains of the Chinese tank destroyer to celebrate."
All three tanks on our side were attacked unharmed, which greatly improved the morale of the Japanese army. All Japanese tank commanders shouted "Hai" in unison, full of fighting spirit.
Just like this is the first battle for the Zero tank destroyer, for Ma Ming, a trainee from the 23rd Guangxi Police Regiment, this is also his first battle. Ma Ming is a returned overseas Chinese because he worked in an auto repair shop in the United States. After joining the Xuebing Army, he was first assigned to the logistics supply unit of the Third Xuebing Division and became a security guard. Ma Ming’s ambition is to become a general, and the kind who can command the steel torrent. Taking advantage of the opportunity of doing maintenance for the front-line tank troops, he learned to operate tanks, and then learned to operate radio equipment and tank guns. Opportunities always favor those who are prepared. During a drill with the Third Division, Ma Ming came to the rescue. He not only repaired the tank with a broken motor but also drove it back. From this, Liu Zheliang discovered his talent for tanks, and his fate changed. He was first sent to the Guangzhou Army University tank crash course. Then he was assigned to the 23rd Regiment of the Guangxi Police and became a lieutenant platoon leader at the age of 23.
The 23rd Gui Police Regiment was the first to launch an attack on the Sanada Division. After the attack failed at a distance of two thousand meters, Ma Ming summarized the gains and losses: "The position is too correct, resulting in a waste of most of the shells' effectiveness. We have to move to another place." Just aim." With this idea in mind, he looked for weak points in front of the Zero tank destroyer as he approached.