After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Communist Party of China frequently mobilized troops from Shandong, North China and the mainland of China and went south to participate in the war. On the one hand, it expressed that it had no intention of expanding the war in China and showed favor to the Nanjing government. On the other hand, it took advantage of the fact that the navy had the absolute upper hand.
In one fell swoop, the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand were under control.
Today, the strategy formulated by Kanji Ishihara has achieved great success. The Philippines, Hawaii and New Guinea have all been occupied, and Australia has also controlled most of them. However, the result of this is that the entire Chinese army has been dispatched, and only fourteen are left.
The divisions, 13 independent mixed brigades and 20 puppet military divisions are already in an extremely dangerous situation under the observation of millions of Chinese troops.
Before the Pacific War, the Chinese Expeditionary Forces were reorganized. The commander was General Tsukuda Junliu, and the chief of staff was Lieutenant General Haremong Chun. The headquarters was located in Beijing. It had jurisdiction over the North China Front Army, the 11th Army, the Mongolian Army, the 1st Flying Regiment and
3rd Tank Division.
Ishihara Kanji's good friend Okamura Neiji was promoted to general in the second half of last year and served as the commander of the North China Front. Lieutenant General Tsukada was the chief of staff. The headquarters is located in Shijiazhuang and has jurisdiction over the 1st and 12th armies, as well as directly under the Central Government.
The 60th, 104th, and 118th Divisions were independently combined into the 1st, 8th, 9th, and 15th Brigades.
The commander of the First Army, Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu, and the chief of staff, Major General Masaru Hanatani, are headquartered in Datong, Shanxi Province. They have jurisdiction over the 34th, 40th, and 69th Divisions, which are independently combined into the 3rd and 4th Brigades. The main combat direction is northern Shanxi.
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The commander of the Twelfth Army, Lieutenant General Dohashi Ichi, and the chief of staff, Major General Etsujiro Shuno. The headquarters is located in Xinxiang, Henan. It has jurisdiction over the 47th, 58th, and 59th divisions, which are independently combined into the 5th, 6th, and 7th brigades, with another command
The 4th Cavalry Brigade's main combat directions are southern Shanxi and northern Henan.
Shandong officially abolished the front army organization. The Japanese 3rd, 13th, 68th, and 129th Divisions stationed here, as well as the independent mixed 12th, 13th, and 17th Brigades, were organized into the 11th Army. Commander, Lieutenant General Anami Yuiki, Chief of Staff Kinoshita
Major General Yong, headquartered in Jinan.
Lieutenant General Ichiro Nanada, Commander of the Garrison in Mongolia, and Major General Toyojiro Inamura, Chief of Staff, are headquartered in Zhangjiakou, under the jurisdiction of the 27th Division, which is independently formed into the 2nd Brigade and Cavalry Group. The main combat directions are Suiyuan and Chahar.
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July 12, Peking, China Expeditionary Forces Headquarters. Tsukuda Junliu summoned the generals and officers to gather in Zhongnanhai to discuss the war in the Central Plains.
Shunroku Tsukuda, wearing a kimono, looked stern:
"Gentlemen, no one has the heart to fight a tiger, and a tiger can hurt others. Previously, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the war in the Pacific, the base camp strictly prohibited us from stirring up trouble. Therefore, for the past six months, we have also kept a low profile, deliberately restrained our sharp edges, and will never take the initiative to cross the border to fight!
Well now, the *** government dares to break the tacit understanding and take the initiative to challenge. At present, Lincheng, Zaozhuang, and Cangshan have all been lost. Jining, Linyi, Shiziluji, Andongwei and other cities are under siege. Please discuss it! "
Tsukuda Shunroku's words immediately made the conference room boil.
Major General Hanatani Masaru, Chief of Staff of the First Army, stood up and said loudly: "The evil-doing Japanese must be punished! I propose that we immediately recommend to the base camp that the Kwantung Army move troops into the pass to have a showdown with the Japanese army!"
"Currently, the Kwantung Army has fifty-eight main divisions. Even if only twenty divisions are deployed to fight in the Kwantung, this kind of force will be enough to sweep across the Central Plains, intimidate Bengbu and Nanjing, and force the National Government to move the capital, so as to cope with the rest of Australia.
Fight on other fronts! Gentlemen, the rise and fall of the empire depends on this action, we can no longer hesitate!"
Lieutenant General Dohashi Ichi, the commander of the Twelfth Army, frowned and said:
"Of course I am in favor of increasing the number of troops! However, what I want to remind you is that our North China is actually very dangerous now. Although the offensive of the Japanese army this time mainly focuses on Shandong, it cannot guarantee the safety of Shanxi and Henan.
The ** army will not take the opportunity to attack us!
"Don't forget, gentlemen, there is still the Lu Yixuan Division, the main force of the Anjia Army in southern Shanxi and northwest Henan. This division is a super-organized group army with extremely strong combat effectiveness. Our Twelfth Army will find it extremely difficult to deal with its offensive! Therefore, this time,
During the war, the strength of our army not only cannot be moved, but must also be appropriately strengthened. Otherwise, once it is allowed to occupy Yuanyang, Fengqiu and other places, repair the Zhengzhou Iron Bridge, and a million troops rush across the north bank of the Yellow River, the situation will quickly deteriorate!
"
Major General Toyojiro Inamura, Chief of Staff of the Mongolian Army, said:
"It is best to appropriately increase the number of troops and push the front to the position before the crisis broke out! It's not that I am timid, we are also facing great pressure now. According to the investigation of the intelligence department, the conservative strength of the Anjia Army *** Military Region is at six
More than ten divisions. With the opening of the railway across Japan, the armies of Central Asia, West Asia and India can respond to its offensive at any time! With our meager strength, it is really impossible to mobilize troops. Once Anjia's army faces from the north,
If there is pressure from the south, Pingjin will be in danger!"
Tsukuda Junroku waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, I will not mobilize your troops to support Shandong! Gentlemen, I just want to ask now, in the war against Japan, should we just focus on defense, or should we launch a comprehensive counterattack? Once
After determining the strategy, I will consult with Commander Umezu Yoshijiro!
"Gentlemen, let me tell you a secret here. In fact, there are thirteen divisions in the Kwantung Army sequence that originally belonged to our *** dispatched army system. The reason why the Kwantung Army is temporarily assigned to the command is to avoid over-stimulation*
The ** government! Now that it has taken the initiative to show its face, there is no need for us to tolerate it anymore. The key now is to see which step we need to take? Is it a simple defense, or is it a long march, drinking from the Yangtze River, and expanding the war against Japan?
To strengthen the influence of my dispatched army!"
The generals looked at each other, and except for a few people, everyone saw a hint of ecstasy in each other's eyes.
Now that the Japanese base camp is dedicated to the Pacific War, the specifications of China's dispatched troops have been downgraded from a major theater that was previously tied with the Kwantung Army to a second-class theater that is inferior to the Kwantung Army and the Southern Army.
However, once the war in the Central Plains expands, a steady stream of materials and troops will flow in like spring water, quickly increasing the strength of the dispatched troops and restoring their former glory.
Okamura Neji hesitated and said:
"Commander, gentlemen, my opinion is that I am not sure about the specific strategy for the time being. Everything depends on the progress of the current war situation! If the enemy shows extraordinary tenacity, we should not consume too much strength. If we are too weak, we will collapse at the first touch.
Then we take advantage of the situation and capture Xuzhou and Bengbu, threaten Nanjing, and coerce the Japanese government to move the capital.
"Once the strategic goal is achieved, it is best for us to support a puppet government, hand over military and political power to this government, and then return to the existing area. It is not appropriate to expand the war! Now the Pacific War has occupied a large amount of the empire's resources and troops, plus the South China Army
The tiger is eyeing it and may launch an attack on our East India, Burma, Malaya, Far East and Manchuria at any time. If we fall into the quagmire of aggression that we cannot stop, even the now powerful empire will not be able to support it for a long time!
"Besides, the areas we control are not peaceful. There are a large number of Japanese troops and base areas behind us. Control of rural and remote areas has always been our weakness. The larger the land we occupy, the more
The army and the army are developing more rapidly!
"To sum up, I agree with moderate punishment of the *** government, but I do not agree with unprincipled expansion of war. This will be a terrible disaster for the empire!"
A hint of joy appeared on Tsukuda Shunroku's face: "So, Commander Gangcun also agrees to deploy troops into the pass?"
Okamura Neiji nodded: "Yes, we must respond to the current situation. The Eleventh Army only has four divisions, which is not enough to withstand the attack of the Japanese army of more than two million people.
Troops are inevitable, and they must be fast! Otherwise, once the Japanese are allowed to occupy Jinan and the Yellow River Bridge on the Jinpu Railway, Shandong will be separated from the rest of the dispatched army, and they can only fight on their own, and the war will definitely become complicated!
"Shandong has special significance to the empire. Once it is allowed to be occupied, the entire Liaodong Peninsula, Manchuria and North Korea will be under the threat of Japanese fighter planes. The empire's ships entering and leaving the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea are very vulnerable to Japanese fighter planes.
Attack, the empire's strategy in the Northern Branch region will also be in a dangerous situation!"
Tsukuda Shunroku knew that Okamura Neji and Ishihara Kanji had a good relationship. With his opinion, the base camp had to carefully consider the opinions of the dispatched troops and stood up immediately:
"Okay, let's adjourn the meeting now. I will immediately call the base camp and ask for additional reinforcements! Please go to Ziguang Pavilion for lunch. After the meal, I believe a reply from the base camp will come. Then we will discuss the next strategy! Once the Japanese army arrives
If the battle in the Xubeng area is defeated, the armies in Shanxi and Henan will be ready to take the initiative to provoke a war. When the time comes, we will wait for the opportunity to win a few more battles and clear away the haze hanging over us!"
"Hey Yi——"
The generals stood up, saluted respectfully, watched Tsukuda Shunroku walk out of the conference room, and slowly dispersed.
Okamura Neiji came to the large map of China hanging on the side of the wall, with a worried look in his eyes, and then strode away at the urging of Chief of Staff Tsukada Kaguya.
...
Lincheng, known as Linguo in ancient times, was founded by King Linwengong. It has a long history and splendid culture. The recorded history can be traced back to four thousand years ago. It is located at the intersection of Jinpu Railway and Lintai Railway (Lincheng to Taierzhuang)
, and adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, with very developed water transportation and an extremely important geographical location, it is a north-south transportation hub.
After the Japanese army captured Lincheng a year ago, they stood still and faced off with the Xiawei tribe of the Guangxi clan who had built a solid defense line in the giant mountains and high mountains to the south and east of Lincheng, maintaining a peaceful coexistence with each other.
This tacit understanding was broken until the full-scale attack launched by the Communist Party on the 11th of this month.
Due to calculated calculations and unintended consequences, the Japanese troops approaching the city were severely understrength. They were rushed by three divisions of the 84th Army of the 41st Group Army of the Fifth War Zone. After a day and night of fighting, they were successfully recovered on the morning of the 13th.
Lincheng.
Just when the Central Daily News was hyping up the great victory in Lincheng, Lieutenant General Nakayama Dun, commander of the 68th Division of the Eleventh Army of the Japanese Army, quickly adjusted his troops. Unexpectedly, he did not adopt a defensive posture in Teng County, north of Lincheng.
Decisively sent troops forward and assumed an aggressive attack posture.
The 1st Trinity Division of the Guangxi Army quickly moved out of the Xue River and built defensive positions on Longtou Mountain and Xiaonan Mountain in the Changyu Mountains south of the Xue River.
In the evening, a large group of Japanese troops quickly moved south along the Jinpu Railway, heading towards the north bank of the Xinxue River, and unknowingly entered a hilly area.
Major Itozawa Arata, captain of the Fourth Battalion of the 57th Infantry Brigade, was riding listlessly on his horse. As one of the few troops who safely retreated from Lincheng, the Fourth Battalion encountered ruthless humiliation from his colleagues after returning to Teng County.
Brigade commander Nagakawa Hisanosuke even scolded Itozawa Arata for why he did not perform a caesarean section to apologize to the emperor.
New Major Itozawa was transferred to China to join the war just after getting married. He had not enjoyed a single beautiful day since his wedding. How could he be willing to meet Yamata no Orochi? Therefore, he could only lower his head and say nothing, and then issued a full-line counterattack mission to the division.
When he was young, he volunteered to be a vanguard to wash away the shame of being a deserter.
In order to vent his anger, Itozawa Arata ordered his soldiers to surround a village by the canal on the way south. They robbed, raped, and massacred again and again on the land of China.
"Ito-kun, what are you thinking about?" The deputy captain, Captain Kitazono Shoji, rolled his eyes without raising his head and said with a smile, "Ito-kun, how are the photos taken this morning?"
Sure enough, Itozawa regained his energy and proudly patted the camera on his chest:
"Yo Xi, the effect of stacking the heads of more than 300 *** people together must be wonderful! I can finally vent the evil I suffered in Lincheng! I really don't know what the base camp thinks, but they actually want us to treat *** kindly.
*People, but what is the result? If the occupying army does not have any welfare, who is willing to come to this strange land to open up wasteland!"
"Ha ha--"
Both of them laughed wildly.
"Ito-kun, do you think there is any danger ahead?" Captain Kitazono Shoji asked without saying anything.
"Probably not! The line between Longtou Mountain and Xiaonan Mountain is the best defensive terrain. The Japanese army can only build a defense line there. We will try to get to the north bank of the Xue River before dark, wait for the large forces to converge, and launch a river-crossing operation early tomorrow morning.
, we should be able to contact the *** army by noon!"
When Itozawa Arata said this, he subconsciously looked around: "Actually, this is also a good ambush location, but the outpost just sent someone to report that there are no Japanese troops within ten miles around. It seems that we can camp safely today."
"Ito-kun, please be cautious!"
Kitazono Shoji exclaimed: "If it were me, I would never have thought of sending scouts. After all, the impression the Japanese gave me in the past was so bad. Both offense and defense were in a mess. It didn't look like a qualified army at all! But
No one thought that those cowards would dare to attack the Imperial Army. I believe they will be taught a painful lesson this time!"
"Dead, dead!"
Itozawa's anger was once again aroused: "The Japanese actually ignored the good intentions of the imperial army and took the initiative to break the peaceful life! This time, the superiors also took action. I heard that troops from the Kwantung Army would be transferred to the customs to join the war!
It will definitely not be limited to Shandong! The messenger, order the warriors to speed up and go to the north bank of the Xue River to find work for the flower girl!"
After receiving the order, more than a thousand Japanese soldiers quickly accelerated their advance as if they had taken stimulants.
...
"Squad leader, he's a Japanese!"
About a squad of soldiers who were on guard at Xigong Mountain, ten kilometers away from Xuehe River, were lying in the woods more than fifty meters away from a road sandwiched between two hills to observe the situation. A sharp-eyed soldier quickly discovered the sudden appearance of
More than a dozen devils.
"Why are you panicking! This is the enemy's outpost, and the enemy's large army is still behind!"
When the squad leader saw this group of Japanese soldiers marching in a swaggering manner, with all their guns on their shoulders, and showing no signs of vigilance at all, the squad leader couldn't help but cursed and said: "Damn it, you stupid little *** are too arrogant! Brothers, let's
How about killing them?"
"This - the company commander asked us to report back as soon as we find the Japanese!" A soldier stopped other officers and soldiers who were about to take action.
"Go, this group of Japs are unprepared, and the Japs behind are far away! Even if we eat these Japs, we can evacuate safely! Besides, as soon as the gunshots are fired, the brothers behind will also know that the Japs are coming, and they will not
It delays the military situation."
The soldier who originally wanted to fight this group of Japs nodded when he heard what the squad leader said made sense.
"Brothers, come on!"
The twelve soldiers slowly dispersed. Ten medium-sized rifles, a submachine gun and a Czech light machine gun all opened their safes. The black muzzles of their guns were aimed at the Japanese soldiers who were getting closer and closer.
The twelve Japanese soldiers, who had long forgotten their duties, were still discussing with great interest the massacre of Chinese villages at noon. One of the Japanese soldiers inadvertently glanced at the woods on the roadside and was stunned for a moment. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to react.
, amidst the "click-click" sound of the submachine gun, the Japanese who was about to shout a warning felt a burst of blood mist from his chest, and fell to the ground without even a scream.
The other Japanese soldiers were startled by this sudden scene. Before they could react, ten crisp gunshots and a burst of machine gun fire rang out. The remaining eleven Japanese soldiers all screamed and fell in a pool of blood.
, twitched a few times, and then breathed his last.
This Gui army was an elite scout trained according to the training manual of the Anjia army. They showed extraordinary qualities in this close encounter. They wiped out a whole squad of Japanese soldiers in the first round of volleys. Of course, this was mainly due to calculation and unintentional
result.
"withdraw--"
The squad leader stopped the soldiers who wanted to clean the battlefield and quickly ran back to the rear position. He knew that he could not waste a second now. If he was entangled by the Japanese army who had reacted, he might not have a chance of survival.
have.
The sudden sound of gunshots hit Itozawa Arata hard in the face, and he ordered the troops to speed up their pace.
"Baga!"
Itozawa Arata looked at the twelve soldiers of the outpost squad who fell in the blood, shouted angrily, and summoned the messenger: "Yours, go and report to the commander of the Nagakawa Hisanosuke brigade, tell him that our department has nothing to do with **
When the Japanese army encounters them, our troops will definitely defeat the Japanese and ensure that the main force moves south smoothly!"
"Hi!"
"Kill me!"
Itozawa drew out his command sword and pointed forward. He became so angry that he decided to use the blood of the ambushed Chinese to summon the souls of the fallen Japanese Empire warriors!
There was silence in Xigong Mountain under the setting sun. Itozawa was staring at the trench a few hundred meters away and using his brain. After fighting against the Anjia Army for many years, the Japanese army also improved their tactics and became more difficult to deal with.
Two Type 92 infantry guns kicked off the Japanese attack.
Two dark red bullet marks passed through the air and roared toward the defenders' trenches.
"Whoosh——"
Amidst the roar, two 70mm artillery shells hit the ground hard, and the ground suddenly shook violently like a strong earthquake.
Two infantry cannons, controlled by skilled Japanese gunners, bombarded the defenders' first trench at extreme speeds. Balls of fireballs rose from the ground, and the air was suddenly filled with the choking smell of gunpowder smoke.
Fortunately, most of the officers and soldiers hid in the shell-proof caves. Apart from being blinded by the falling dust from time to time and having their auditory nerves impacted, they did not suffer any damage.
Of course, if this kind of gun-proof hole is bombarded by large-caliber artillery, it will definitely become a grave for soldiers.
The Japs have now also learned how to coordinate infantry and artillery. About five hundred Japs, while bombarding, approached two hundred meters in front of the position. When the artillery fire stopped, they quickly accelerated the pace of the assault.
The Type 92 heavy machine gun and grenade launchers were all deployed a hundred meters away, ready to cover and fire at any heavy firepower point that might appear in the first trench.
Suddenly, countless steel balls burst out from the originally dead trenches. They formed a barrage and covered the approaching Japanese soldiers. The fierce fire net stopped the Japanese enemy's entire charge line.
The Gui Army riflemen in the trenches were shooting desperately. Although the Zhongzheng I-type rifle was a single shot, due to the large number of people participating in the ambush, there were always dozens of Japanese in the charge during each round of crisp gunfire.
The man fell to the ground.
The submachine guns and Czech machine guns firing at full speed formed a dense fire net, setting off bursts of blood among the Japs. The Japs fell to the ground in swarms like freshly harvested wheat.
The three Mark Mi heavy machine guns placed on the left, center and right of the defense line roared like tongues of flames like death's scythes, covering the entire battlefield. Wherever the scythes passed, the Japanese were torn apart into lumps of flesh without exception.
"Huhu——"
Eight 60mm grenades screamed and pounced on the chaotic group of Japs. In the continuous explosions, scarlet fireballs rose up one after another, and the Japs' mutilated limbs and gun parts flew randomly in the air.
"Baga——"
Seeing that his troops were suddenly hit by fierce firepower, Itozawa Arata was so angry that he was furious.
"Fight back! Kill all those damn *** people!"
The Japs who had been in chaos for a while fell down and fired back. Accurate bullets knocked down the Guangxi officers and soldiers in the trenches one by one.
The Japanese's crooked machine guns, Type 92 heavy machine guns, and grenades also began to suppress fire at the discovered fire points! Countless bullets rained down, roaring towards the trenches.
Soon, all the Czech machine guns on the position misfired, and almost all the chief and auxiliary shooters fell in a pool of blood.
The garrison officers and soldiers who lost fire support were immediately pinned down by the Japanese in the trenches and unable to move. Seeing that all the firepower in the trenches disappeared, the Japanese stood up one after another and rushed towards the trenches at an accelerated speed.
Seeing the team with almost a quarter fewer people, Itozawa Arata felt extremely distressed. He suddenly felt that this counterattack might not be as smooth as expected. Such a simple defense had already cost him many troops. It was hard to imagine that
How strong will the enemy build the mountains south of Xue River?
If the Chinese army is so brave and good at fighting, can the current legion with only four divisions and three independent brigades really be able to complete the counterattack mission?
Just after the Japs approached the defenders' position at high speed, about a squad of soldiers rushed to the machine gun position, gently pushed the brother's body away, and then prepared to shoot.
The various machine guns of the Japanese were still firing, locust-like bullets passing close to the top of the trench. Everyone knew the result of shooting in such a situation, but no one looked away. The squad leader smiled happily and shouted
He shouted "Go", then led the soldiers and set up the machine gun desperately.
"Da da——"
The silent roar of the machine gun suddenly rang out, and tongues of flames shot the Japanese who were charging at full speed into gourds of blood. Unfortunately, nearly half of the soldiers fell down before they had time to pull the trigger, and their whole heads were covered with big wounds.
caliber bullets shattered. Without a trace of hesitation, the soldiers behind immediately took over the machine guns and joined in the interception and strafing of the Japanese with chains of fire.
In just a moment, all the enemy's firepower was attracted. Thousands of 6.5mm 38-gun rifle bullets, 6.5mm crooked machine gun bullets, 7.7mm Type 92 heavy machine gun bullets, and 50mm grenades were concentrated.
Towards a point.
The effect of this round of shooting is to turn everything, including people and guns, into nothing.
However, these soldiers manipulating machine guns bought time for other officers and soldiers at the cost of their own lives!
The Japanese who were charging suddenly discovered that countless soldiers appeared in the trenches on the opposite side. They waved their hands rapidly, and black clouds flew towards them.
These grenades fell into the crowd of Japs and exploded. A series of explosions sounded, and shrapnel shot into the fragile bodies of the Japs! The Japs who were caught off guard screamed and fell in large pieces! The Japs who were alive also fell to the ground in terror.
"Brothers, withdraw!"
Without enough time to appreciate their own masterpiece, the surviving soldiers of the company took the bodies of their brothers and used this brief opportunity to retreat from the traffic ditch to the second trench.
Subsequently, a bloody battle began in the mountains. It was not until two hours later that the defenders took the initiative to retreat, but by this time it was completely dark.
When cleaning the battlefield, Itozawa Arata didn't even find a single corpse, but his subordinates lost more than 500 people. Such a terrible mortality rate cast a shadow on Itozawa Arata's heart.