Chapter 844: A Different First Battle of Changsha (Part 1)
Liu Yimin's telegram arrived very timely. At this time, although it was already late at night, the frontline command post of the Ninth War Zone in Lukou was brightly lit. Bai Chongxi, director of the Guilin camp, and Chen Cheng, commander of the Ninth War Zone, were present. The acting commander-in-chief of the Ninth War Zone
Xue Yue's face turned red and he was arguing with the two of them.
After the Japanese army broke through the Miluo River defense line today, Xue Yue held an emergency meeting in Changsha in the morning to study countermeasures for the current battlefield situation. The meeting decided to lure the enemy to the suburbs of Changsha to carry out a decisive battle against the enemy and then annihilate them. Then, Xue Yue ordered
The 4th Army and the artillery under the direct control of the theater moved toward Yuelu Mountain, Changsha and the northeastern region to occupy the offensive starting position, while the 9th theater frontline command post was moved to Lukou.
The reason why Xue Yue made such a deployment was because the Ninth War Zone was well prepared for the possible Japanese attack.
Since the end of the Battle of Nanchang and the Battle of Suizao, the Japanese army has resolved the pressure in the southeast of Wuhan, consolidated the position to the north of Wuhan, and opened up a channel to attack Changsha. As the strategic maneuver force of the Japanese army, the 11th Army must have
They will launch an attack on Changsha. As long as the Japanese army captures Changsha, they can go south to join forces with the Japanese army in South China, and the entire chessboard of the Japanese army's invasion of China will be alive. Both China and Japan understand this.
It should be said that at this point in the Anti-Japanese War, China did not make any major mistakes in its overall strategy. The combination of the frontal battlefield and the battlefield behind enemy lines basically tied up the hands and feet of the Japanese mad cow, and the little devil no longer dared to do so.
They clamored for a quick victory. On the contrary, although the Japanese fought in individual battles such as the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Taiyuan, the Battle of Xuzhou, the capture of Nanjing, the Battle of Wuhan, and the Battle of Nanchang, they were orderly and remarkable, and there were many classics.
However, in terms of the overall strategy, the thinking is chaotic. Several front armies go their own way. You fight yours and I fight mine, which is obviously a loss. For example, the Japanese troops in Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui were beaten to pieces by the Eighth Route Army. Normally
Under the circumstances, the Japanese army should concentrate all its efforts to completely eliminate the Eighth Route Army, which was the backbone of the North China War of Resistance. However, the Japanese army attacked from multiple directions. The First Army of the North China Front Army should concentrate its efforts on fighting in Shanxi, the Central China Front Army should fight the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Nanchang, and the Japanese Army in South China.
Dao Huohuo is preparing to capture Nanning, and the Kwantung Army is even more desperate. It does not care about the life and death of the Japanese troops in the pass and starts a war with the Soviet army. This is a war of life and death for the country. The Japanese army has such a strategic posture. I don’t know if it is relying on its tyrannical combat power and does not care about the Chinese troops.
From what I can see, I still don’t understand strategy at all. I’m afraid even a Hokkaido fisherman wouldn’t make such a fool of himself.
With such a strategy, the Japanese army will be undefeated, which is unjust!
Xue Yue is a famous anti-Japanese general of the Chinese nation. How could he fail to see the problems of the Japanese army? Therefore, after being ordered to guard Hunan, Xue Yue said at the inauguration ceremony: "Hunan occupies the most important position in the southeast region and is the most advantageous position in the war of resistance. Our future
Life can only be placed in Hunan. If Hunan exists, it will survive with it. If Hunan dies, it will die with it."
A solemn oath can shine upon the sun and the moon!
In early September, after it was determined that the Japanese army was about to launch an attack on Changsha, Xue Yue formulated the Tianlu strategy based on Liu Yimin's telegram to him during the Nanchang battle, which suggested giving way to the main road, occupying both wings, and retreating for a decisive battle.
Set up defenses, leaning against Dongting Lake on the left and Mufu Mountain on the right, using the four rivers Xinqiang River, Miluo River, Laodao River, and Liuhe as the basis for delaying the Japanese army, and thoroughly implemented "turning roads into fields and transporting grain up the mountain"
"" approach eliminated the mobility of the Japanese mechanized troops. The overall policy of the operation was to "retreat and fight decisively to win the periphery." Using the method of fighting and retreating, they moved between Sihe and Makufu Mountains, attacked, and then retreated and hid, so that the Japanese troops
Drag them into the four rivers, and finally use the main force in Changsha City and the surrounding troops hidden in the mountains and forests to encircle the Japanese troops who penetrate deep into the four rivers.
This deployment is undoubtedly correct, especially the method of converting roads into fields and transporting grain up the mountains, which is similar to the Eighth Route Army's reliance on the people and fighting people's war. In order to defend their homeland, the people in northern Hunan supported our army and
During the battle, the Japanese army not only destroyed all the roads, but also plowed all the land on the battlefield. In this way, the mechanization advantage of the Japanese army was gone, and cars could not run even if they wanted to.
Okamura Ningji is a man who is known as China expert. He thinks he knows everything about China's politics, economy and military, and even knows the situation of various factions. However, this time he miscalculated. He thought that after occupying Wuhan, Chiang Kai-shek's National Government
After retreating to Chongqing and Wang Jingwei's surrender, the Chinese government troops have become demoralized. As long as they have the cooperation of aircraft, they can completely defeat a Japanese division with one brigade.
The reason why Okamura Neiji made such a mistake is supported by practical experience.
Just after the Battle of Nanchang, the Chinese Communists could not attack the Nanchang City held by the 106th Division. Neji Okamura completely underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Japanese. He believed that as long as there were planes and tanks, the Japanese infantry could be defeated
A large group can defeat its opponent if it faces a Japanese division. Therefore, Okamura Neiji is even bolder in terms of troop allocation this time. He changed the calculation method of how a Japanese regiment matched a Japanese division in the past.
Using an infantry brigade to fight against an enemy division only uses the Sixth Division, the 15th Division, the 10th Sixth Division, and the Third Division, the 13th Division, and the 101st Division.
The strength of the two brigades. Compared with the 500,000 troops in China's ninth theater, the gap between the Japanese army and the 500,000 troops was one to five. The actual combat strength was one to four.
How did Neji Okamura know that Xue Yue from Changsha City had already set up the stove and was about to put him on the stove to bake?
What Okamura Neiji didn't expect was that not only the people of Hunan were mobilized, but even the Japanese troops responsible for the defense of northern Hunan were not soft persimmons. The 15th Group Army commanded by Guan Linzheng was the elite of the Central Army, and all the middle and lower-level officers were Huangpu
Graduates. Unlike Okamura Neiji thought, the Central Army was not demoralized. Chiang Kai-shek's dominance over the Central Army was beyond Neiji Okamura's imagination! When Chiang Kai-shek left the field, all the Huangpu officers followed him to the death.
Pushing their principal back to the leadership position, not to mention that the war situation is far from collapsing now? Moreover, the brilliant achievements of the Eighth Route Army instructors made the middle and lower-ranking officers of the Huangpu Department of the Central Army scream, their swords sharpened, and eager to
It’s time to meet the little devil for real!
Bijia Mountain is just an inconspicuous hilltop on the north bank of the Xinqiang River in Zhangkou Town, Yueyang County. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking around, it is surrounded by mountains on three sides: east, west and north. At the foot of the mountain in the south is the quietly flowing Xinqiang River. Xinqiang Henan
The shore is flat and fertile, the terrain is open, and there is no danger to defend.
Shi Enhua, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 1131st Regiment of the 195th Division of the 52nd Army, the 15th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army Guan Linzheng, led his troops to fight the Japanese army for two days and two nights. At this time, he led his troops to move from Caoxie Ridge to Beacon Mountain, where is the new
The last position of the Wall River defense line.
For two days and two nights, the Japanese invaders, under the cover of aircraft, artillery and tanks, took turns to attack the defense line of our 15th Group Army north of the Xinqiang River. As long as the wind direction was correct, the Japanese troops would release poison gas. The battle was very hard. Shi Enhua's battalion
Of the 500 brothers, only 250 are left, half of whom were killed in battle.
From September 20th to September 22nd, the fierce fighting has entered the third day. Division Commander Tan Yizhi called: "Batalion Commander Shi, your unit's mission has been completed. If you cannot persist, you can withdraw to the east as a last resort."
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Shi Enhua is 29 years old and is a graduate of the eighth class of Huangpu. His brother Shi Enrong is a graduate of the seventh class of Huangpu. He died heroically in the Battle of Taierzhuang at the age of 31, leaving behind a little girl who was only 2 years old. Received
After the news of his brother's death, Shi Enhua, who had been married for three days, left behind his tearful bride and returned to the army, never to return again.
Shi Enhua held the phone receiver and looked at the Japanese troops swarming down the hillside. His eyes were covered with a layer of mist, as if the 250 brothers who died in the battle were looking at him: "Report to the division commander: There is no last resort for soldiers."
, the oath of duty and the position will coexist and die!"
This was Shi Enhua's last phone call with his boss.
The Japs began to attack. Eight Japanese planes flew to Bijia Mountain, which is composed of three hills. The bombs roared down and the explosions brought a cloud of soil, branches, and grass blades everywhere, shrouding the position in a haze of smoke.
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After the Japanese planes bombed, the infantry came up. It looked like a squadron. Needless to say, the Japs looked at the low and low Beacon Hill and felt that there could not be too many defenders.
Shi Enhua came out of the shelter with his rifle and threw himself into the trench.
The 52nd Army is the elite of the Central Army and is well-trained. The soldiers are used to the tricks of the Japs and know how to avoid the indiscriminate bombings of the Japs’ planes. At this moment, each one of them got out of the mud of the trench and shook themselves off.
In the dirt, he cursed and set up his gun, pointing the black muzzle at the little Japs who were rushing towards him.
Seeing that he was within the shooting range, Shi Enhua yelled "hit" and hit a Japanese soldier who was walking and shooting with a rifle in his hand. In an instant, there was a loud sound of gunfire on the position. Maxim, Czech style, Chinese
They all opened fire, and the bullets were fired at the little Japs, knocking down the Japs who were attacking on the hilltop.
The attackers were the Japs from the Sixth Division. These guys were very tyrannical. They refused to retreat even after suffering losses from the attack. They used the terrain to set up machine guns and grenades on the spot and began to shoot at the defenders.
Not long after, the Japanese's supporting artillery fire started. The shells exploded on the defenders' positions one after another, and the blood of the brothers flowed in the trenches.
After finally waiting for the Japanese artillery fire to stop, Shi Enhua picked up a rifle and shouted: "Machine gun cover, grenades ready, brothers, charge with me and push down the little Japanese!"
After roaring, Shi Enhua wielded a submachine gun in one hand and grabbed a grenade in the other, jumped out of the trench and pounced on the little Japanese.
Behind him were the Chinese defenders shouting and jumping out of the trenches!
The noon sun shines on this small Bijia Mountain that cannot be found on the 800,000-to-1 map. It shines on this group of Chinese soldiers who jumped out of their positions and violently dropped bombs on the little Japanese. Looking at the Japanese army,
In the eyes of the soldiers, it was like a group of tigers roaring and rushing out. This group of Japanese soldiers were very tough. All those who were lying down stood up and threw grenades while screaming. After that, they straightened their bayonets and faced the dust mist from the grenades and grenade explosions.
The Chinese defenders broke out.
What Shi Enhua wanted was this effect. He graduated from the eighth class of Huangpu. He had knowledge and practical experience. He was not stupid enough to fight with the Japanese with bayonets at this time. Shi Enhua quickly threw himself on the ground and shouted "drop bombs, fire".
The submachine gun in his hand swiped away.
The battalion commander did this, and the brothers behind him naturally followed suit. They threw themselves to the ground one after another, and the grenades flew towards the Japanese who were rushing forward with bayonets to stab them. The bullets flew towards the Japanese. This time
, the attacking Japanese squadron suffered a heavy loss, and suffered heavy casualties. Unable to hold on any longer, they began to move backwards and flee down the mountain.
As soon as Shi Enhua and others retreated to their positions, the Japs' artillery fire arrived again. This time, the Japs went crazy, and the artillery fire was more violent than before, making the brothers unable to lift their heads. Shi Enhua hurriedly ordered a withdrawal to the second-line position.
The Ninth War Zone deployed defenses against northern Hunan early, and the positions had already been built. Shi Enhua and the others had just withdrawn to the second-line position, and before they had time to take a breath, the Japanese army launched a general offensive under the cover of artillery fire. Japanese attacks appeared on both the east and west sides.
Team.
Camp Shi Enhua is surrounded by Japanese soldiers!
By this time, Shi Enhua was no longer nervous. He sat down and took out a few packs of cigarettes and asked the brothers to pass them around and smoke them among themselves. It was now time, and even if the brothers died, they had to get over their addiction to smoking first. Otherwise, they would see each other.
If you ask for a cigarette after knowing the Lord of Hell, you will be laughed at by the Lord of Hell.
After smoking two cigarettes in a row, he was satisfied. The kid also came up. Shi Enhua threw away the cigarette butts and said in the trench, "Brothers, one fight is enough to earn money; two fights make one. If you die, you will lose the ball. In the next life, brothers will look up to me."
According to Shi Enhua, we can still be brothers!"
As soon as Shi Enhua finished shouting, a veteran said: "The battalion commander is so verbose! If you die, you will die, you are afraid of a bird! I have never had a good time while alive, bitches, but after death, my soul goes to the *** to bully*
**Female ghost!”
When Shi Enhua heard this, he burst into laughter: "Okay! That's good! I'll take the brothers to *** to bully ***'s female ghosts, beautiful female ghosts!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Japs rushed into the firing range. Shi Enhua shouted "hit" and the submachine gun in his hand started shooting.
The Sixth Division is by no means a wasted reputation. This group of Japs is skilled in tactical movements, has good coordination with infantry and artillery, and has accurate marksmanship. If the brothers are slightly taller, they will be hit by the Japs. Often they will just throw a grenade.
The man collapsed on the trench. What was even more shocking was that the Japanese tank came up.
By this time, the outcome of this battle was already decided.
Seeing the Japanese tanks showing off their ferocity, a platoon leader named Xiao Quanrong became angry. He tied a bag of explosives to his body and rushed towards a Japanese tank.
Seeing that someone was about to blow up the tank, the Japanese infantry began to concentrate their firepower to intercept Xiao Quanrong.
Xiao Quanrong, a platoon leader raised by veterans with rich combat experience, threw himself into a crater in front of the tank and became motionless.
The Japanese thought that Xiao Quanrong had been killed, and the tanks roared towards the crater where Xiao Quanrong was, trying to crush Xiao Quanrong's body into pulp. At this moment, Xiao Quanrong pulled the explosive pack, and the huge explosion shocked Shi Enhua who was shooting.
His eyes were filled with tears.
At the end of the battle, only three people were left in Shi Enhua's camp, and they were surrounded by the little devils on the top of Beacon Mountain.
With all the bullets fired and grenades thrown away, Shi Enhua and the two soldiers held their rifles in a stabbing stance and looked coldly at the little Japs surrounding them.
The Japanese officer seemed to have no idea that the Chinese were so tenacious, so he respected them and asked the translator to keep shouting: "You are real soldiers. As long as you put down your weapons, the imperial army will guarantee your safety!"
There was blood at the corner of Shi Enhua's mouth, and his tattered military uniform was also stained with blood. His eyes were scanning the little devil's face like a wolf: "You idiot! I've blinded you! If you have the guts, come up here. If you want me to surrender, ask me."
I’ll give you my bayonet or not!”
The Japanese officer finally understood that the Chinese in front of him were not Wang Jingwei and his disciples, but the real Chinese. As he was amazed in his heart, he waved his hand and a group of Japanese rushed forward with bayonets in hand.
On the afternoon of September 22, 1939, the 3rd Battalion of the 1131st Regiment of the 195th Division of the 52nd Army of the 15th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army was showered with blood on Beacon Hill. Shi Enhua, the battalion commander of the 500-man battalion, did not survive.
Similar things are still happening. At the Hu Chunhua Camp of the 2nd Division of the 52nd Army of the 15th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, except for 7 seriously injured people who were evacuated in advance, all were killed on the position. The 398th Regiment of the 20th Army of the 27th Army of the National Revolutionary Army Yang Sen
Wang Chaokui's camp fought fiercely with the Japanese invaders at Xianggong Ridge and Maxing Mountain in Xinqiang River, and the entire battalion was killed.
By the time Liu Yimin sent a telegram to the Military Commission and Xue Yue, the Japanese army had already crossed the Xinqiang River and broke through the Miluo River defense line. According to Okamura Neiji, Changsha was already in sight.
At this time, Xue Yue faced Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng, blushing anxiously, and spoke out in defense.
Liu Yimin did not know that Chiang Kai-shek's thoughts had changed at this time.
Chiang Kai-shek and Bai Chongxi judged that with Germany's blitzkrieg on Poland, Mao Zedong's determination to destroy China would become more determined, and its ambition to occupy all of China would become more urgent. However, China was temporarily unable to defeat Mao Zedong, so it had to ensure that it would not subjugate the country in order to wait for him to strike in the future.
, we must take the preservation of the main force of the Chinese army as the highest principle. If necessary, we can abandon Changsha and conduct a decisive battle in Hengyang, so that the main force of the Chinese army can avoid being targeted by the Japanese army and suffering a serious blow.
This idea cannot be said to be unreasonable, but it is inconsistent with the current situation on the battlefield in Changsha. Chiang Kai-shek and Bai Chongxi only saw that the Japanese offensive was fierce and our army retreated step by step. They did not see that the Japanese offensive was unsustainable and they lost confidence in defending Changsha.
Therefore, when Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng found Xue Yue in the Ninth Theater Front Command Post in a primary school near Lukou Station with Chiang Kai-shek's warrant to abandon Changsha, a dispute immediately broke out.
Xue Yue's opinion was simple: "If Changsha is not defended, what is the duty of the military?" Then he emphasized the importance of Changsha's strategic position.
Bai Chongxi patiently persuaded: "Bo Ling, don't fight on impulse. We are all soldiers with great responsibilities, and we must consider the overall situation in everything. If we stick to Changsha, we may expose the main position of the Ninth Theater and be targeted by the Japanese army, and they can be surrounded and annihilated.
Considering the overall situation of the war of resistance, this is very dangerous."
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