When Seishiro Itagaki returned to his temporary headquarters of the Fifth Division, he received a telegram from his friend Ishikawa Koichi. At this moment, Ishikawa Koichi was leading his troops southward from Chengde to seize the strategically important south entrance.
Ishikawa Koichi didn't say much in the telegram. With just a few words, Itagaki Seishiro realized the huge conspiracy behind An's army's unconventional tactics - to siege Tianjin!
Ishikawa Koichi's timely call finally aroused the heavy worries in Itagaki Seishiro's heart that he had just suppressed, and attracted his great attention.
Seishiro Itagaki, who considers himself a master of China, admires the steady and wise Koichi Ishikawa. If there is anyone in the entire Japanese military who knows the An Jiajun best, the answer can only be that he once worked as a colleague with the An Jiajun leader An Yi for two years.
He also led his troops to frequently fight against the Anjia Army a few years ago. Ishikawa Koichi has the most say in the composition history, main generals and combat characteristics of the Anjia Army.
Itagaki Seishiro did not dare to neglect, and immediately rushed to the garrison headquarters by car to report to Kozuki Kiyoshi.
After reading Ishikawa Koichi's telegram and listening to Itagaki Seishiro's explanation, Kozuki Seiji immediately realized that he had overlooked the biggest hidden danger, and immediately summoned Chief of Staff Hashimoto Gun and a group of staff generals to discuss countermeasures.
At this moment, more than 40 Japanese planes from Tianjin Airport had taken off, bombing the Huangcun defenders of Song Zheyuan's department and the forward positions of the Anjia Army's 17th Army. In the first round of bombing, they did not encounter Chinese Air Force fighters.
This unreasonable situation once again puzzled and worried Xiangyue Qingsi and others. After all, Baoding Qingyuan Machinery
The intelligence that there are two brigades of the Chinese Air Force stationed at Tianyuan and Kaifeng Airport has been repeatedly confirmed. It is even reported that Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Air Force Zhou Zhirou went to Taiyuan to negotiate with Yan Xishan. There is information that one or two brigades of Air Force fighters are about to transfer to Tianyuan Airport.
, have been reported to the garrison headquarters in a timely manner through the local secret service agencies.
At this time, the Chinese Air Force did not attack, and Japanese planes were allowed to bombard the Chinese Air Force indiscriminately. Is there any huge conspiracy hidden behind it?
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Kozuki Kiyoshi and the Hashimoto Group finally adopted Itagaki Seishiro's safer strategy: the Fifth Division sent a brigade, an infantry regiment, a cavalry brigade, and a heavy artillery brigade with the garrison army's Tianjin garrison brigade.
The team coordinated closely and took the initiative to launch an attack on Wan Fulin's 53rd Army occupying the Liuli River line in the south, striving to push back Wan Fulin's troops, thereby reducing the threat to Tianjin City from the south and buying valuable time for the arrival of follow-up troops.
Neither Kozuki Seiji nor Itagaki Seishiro and other generals expected that the decision they made was in direct opposition to the decision of General Anjiajun. A fierce collision that neither side had expected was about to occur. The total number of participating troops from both sides reached
There were more than 60,000 people, exceeding the scale of any fighting since the July 7th Incident.
What Xiangyue Qingji and other Japanese generals did not expect was that the two divisions of Pang Bingxun's 40th Army stationed on the Qingxian line in the north of Cangzhou had also begun to move north. The Japanese army would face the biggest challenge since the war began.
Wan Fulin was riding in a Mercedes-Benz off-road vehicle, and four off-road vehicles of the same brand in front and behind him were closely guarding him all the way.
It has been more than five hours since he left Baoding, and he is less than 50 kilometers away from the newly established headquarters of the 53rd Army in Jinghai. In another hour or so, Wan Fulin will be able to return to his headquarters and start commanding an order.
His heartbeat was racing, and the battle shocked the whole country.
Five "Big Leopard" off-road vehicles with excellent performance were generously donated by An Yi. Two of them were also equipped with the most advanced wireless communication equipment. He clearly remembered An Yi's confidence when he introduced the functions of the communication equipment to him.
I also remember the words An Yi said when seeing him off after lunch:
"Senior, don't be reluctant to give up. Only when you give up can you get something. For the sake of the country and the nation, let's fight. No matter how much you lose, An Yi will double the compensation. And after this battle, the 53rd Army will definitely be famous!"
The launch time of the extremely sudden and extremely confidential general offensive was set at seven o'clock in the evening. The two main divisions of Pang Bingxun's department, which were only more than 60 kilometers away from Dagu Port, had already started taking action in advance and would arrive at the scheduled position before sunset at the latest.
After a short rest and replenishment, you can launch an attack.
To this day, Wan Fulin still has to admire An Yi's perseverance and ruthlessness. Zhou Zhirou's air force troops are clamoring for war. The officers and soldiers of the 17th Army's divisions have submitted thousands of bloody letters to the headquarters, but An Yi can still
The three brigades of Song Zheyuan in Huangcun, who tolerated round after round of bombings by Japanese planes on the two divisions on the eastern front of the Seventeenth Army, could still watch indifferently as the three brigades of Song Zheyuan in Huangcun staggered under the fiercer Japanese attacks one after another.
This kind of coldness and tenacity that goes deep into the bones, appears in a young man in his early thirties, which can't help but make Wan Fulin, Pang Bingxun and other military veterans sigh with emotion.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, the sun in the western sky was still scorching. Wan Fulin, who had just returned to the headquarters to wash off the dust on his face, was shocked by the news from the front line:
The main force of the Japanese army in Tianjin suddenly moved forward in three groups and launched a sudden, violent and intensive artillery bombardment of our army's forward positions. More than 30 Japanese aircraft continued to bomb and strafe in the air. The officers and soldiers of the 116th Division and the 130th Division were in the forward positions.
, there were heavy casualties, and the military was requested to issue an order to counterattack or retreat.
Wan Fulin and his generals were shocked. Their first thought was that the plan formulated by An Yi had been leaked. They quickly called An Yi to explain the situation. At the same time, they called Pang Bingxun to ask how to deal with it.
Ten minutes later, An Yi called back and suggested that Wan Fulin's troops retreat five kilometers. He also told Wan Fulin very clearly that the Japanese army was purely an intimidating attack. The purpose was to detect the reaction of the 53rd Army, and they would never dare to take the initiative to cross the border.
Liulihe moved deeper into North China and emphasized again: no matter what happens, the original battle plan cannot be changed.
Three minutes later, a telegram from Pang Bingxun's department arrived: The two main divisions of our army did not encounter any main Japanese troops in front, and the headquarters was already in place. After a short rest, the attack would be launched according to the original plan.
At 6:35 pm, the Japanese army saw the units of the 53rd Army retreating quickly, and immediately stopped attacking and shelling. There were only two reconnaissance planes left in the sky circling continuously. After seeing the two divisions of the 53rd Army,
After withdrawing five kilometers, they deployed defense on the spot, but the Japanese army took no further action.
At this time, An Yi's telegram arrived again, and in an undisputed tone, he once again made it clear that the original plan would be followed.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the sky was getting dark. Stimulated by the heavy reward, the two divisions of the 53rd Army gritted their teeth and launched. The troops divided into two groups and rushed to the south bank of the Liuli River again. The thirty-two artillery pieces that quickly moved forward were roaring in unison.
, launched a non-stop artillery bombardment against the Japanese troops stationed on the north bank.
The Forty Army to the east fought more decisively. The two main divisions launched a charge at the same time, defeating a squadron of Japanese defenders with unstoppable momentum. The New 25th Division captured Yuan Shikai's "small training station" in the blink of an eye.
"The place of origin at that time, and then without stopping, continued to rush towards Dagu Port, which was guarded by a Japanese army brigade. The New 26th Division, under the personal leadership of deputy commander Ma Fawu, rushed towards Yaowang Temple.
At 7:25, the 116th Division led by General Zhou Fucheng of the 53rd Army broke through the Japanese position. More than 8,000 soldiers who successfully crossed the river collided violently with a regiment of the Japanese Fifth Division, and fired briefly at close range.
After that, the two sides staggered together, and a brutal hand-to-hand battle ensued.
At 7:35, the 130th Division led by Zhu Hongxun defeated the Japanese center position at the cost of more than 1,800 casualties. More than 7,000 soldiers entered the enemy's formation and entered a melee. As night fell, the north bank of the Liuli River was
Blood shot into the sky, and the cries of killing could not be heard without end.
The Japanese army in Tianjin was shocked, especially the sudden appearance of Pang Bingxun's troops and the urgent report of attacking the unexpected Dagu harbor, which was enough to shock and dumbfound the entire garrison.
The remaining brigade of the Itagaki Division rushed to reinforce Dagu Port. The Japanese garrison, military police units and overseas Chinese in Tianjin were all urgently mobilized. An engineer brigade stationed in Wuqing County, a
Under the urgent order of Xiangyue Qingsi, the cavalry brigade hurriedly returned to Tianjin to help Tianjin. A brigade of puppet troops stationed in Xinhouzhuang, fifteen kilometers north of Tianjin, was also driven south by Japanese instructors and rushed south quickly to rush to Tianjin.
...
Eight o'clock in the evening, Nanjing, ***.
More than a dozen generals, including Chiang Kai-shek and Bai Chongxi, all stood in front of a large map of North China, looking at the just-marked situation map of the enemy and ourselves in the south of Tianjin, and started intense discussions.
Every time An Yi's telegram arrives, he will report it to Chiang Kai-shek and the generals immediately.
"The latest call from General An: After nearly an hour of bloody battle, the soldiers of the 53rd Army finally defeated the enemy and occupied the position five kilometers north of the Liuli River; the New 26th Division of the 40th Army defeated the enemy they faced.
After successfully reuniting with the 53rd Army, the New 25th Division encountered a Japanese brigade-sized force three kilometers south of Dagu Port, and the two sides immediately entered a fierce battle.
"Another: The all-out fighting of the officers and men of the 53rd Army and the 40th Army successfully mobilized the Japanese troops in Wuqing County to rush to Tianjin, and initially completed the planned strategic plan. The 17th Division and the 40th Division of the 17th Army will be held at 8 p.m.
Ten minutes, launch a fierce attack on the enemy defenders in Langfang and Wuqing! Over."
"good--"
The hall burst into applause. Chiang Kai-shek took out his handkerchief, wiped the sweat off his forehead frequently, exhaled a heavy breath, and said "good" three times.
Chen Cheng made a fist with his right hand and swung forward: "Xiao Yi commanded well, the three armies cooperated with each other, and the fight was beautiful!"
Feng Yuxiang nodded frequently and sincerely praised: "In such a short period of time, such a huge and ingenious battle plan was formulated, and the soldiers of the three armies had no grudges and shared the same hatred of the enemy, which inspired the morale and spirit of our army. It is amazing, amazing."
Ah! It is true that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead!"
Only Bai Chongxi was the calmest, with a pair of sharp and deep eyes still staring at the map, seemingly unaffected by the bursts of cheers and exclamations.
After a few minutes, the audience gradually became quiet, and Bai Chongxi expressed his opinion after being asked by Tang Shengzhi and others:
"If my estimate is correct, in less than two hours, General Yang Jiuxiao's 40th Division will be able to defeat or even annihilate the enemy defenders in Wuqing County, and then calmly set up blocking positions; at midnight at the latest, Zhang Zuying's 10th Division commanded by General Lu Yixuan
The Seventh Division, supported by General Li Jinlong's Sixty-eighth Division, will definitely capture the strategic location of Langfang, thereby cutting off the Japanese army's transportation lifeline between Beijing and Tianjin in one fell swoop and fully realizing the strategic purpose formulated before the war.
"This battle, from planning to overall command to various battlefields, is a rare masterpiece in recent years. The An family army from top to bottom... is really extraordinary, I admire you!"