boyutpedia Chapter 372 The Helplessness of the 104th Regiment
Chapter 372 The Helplessness of the 104th Regiment
At around three o'clock in the morning, the 104th Regiment of the Japanese Army finally stabilized the front line under the attack of the Chinese Second Army and part of the offensive forces of the New nd Army.
However, when Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the 104th Regiment, stabilized the front line and took inventory, he found that his regiment had been cut into four parts by the Chinese army, and that the entire regiment, including the two reinforced battalions, had suffered more than three-quarters of casualties.
What's even more distressing is that supplies are basically gone, and ammunition has basically run out after continuous high-intensity combat. Now each soldier has only more than 30 bullets on average, and medicines have been exhausted. A large number of wounded can only lie in the medical stations wailing in pain, and the seriously injured can only wait to die in the medical stations.
What worries the regiment commander, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, the most is that there is very little food left. The current food reserves cannot even provide a meal for the remaining officers and soldiers. If the Chinese army knew this, they would not even need to attack his own troops. As long as they surrounded the enemy for a few days, the few officers and soldiers in his own troops would be so hungry that they could not even hold their guns.
No, he must send a telegram for help to Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the 104th Division. If this goes on for less than two days, the th Regiment will disappear from the battle sequence of the Imperial Japanese Army.
However, when Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the 104th Regiment, received a reply from Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the th Division, he was completely stunned. In the telegram, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the th Division, asked him to lead his troops to break out on their own, and the th Division could not send reinforcements to help them break out.
When the regiment commander, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, read the contents of the telegram, he suddenly became furious. His regiment belonged to the 13th Division, and now it was only temporarily assigned to your 16th Division to fight. To put it bluntly, he was just here to do a short-term job.
Before, my 104th Regiment was following the orders of your Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke to protect the rear of the entire division. It also rescued your th Regiment of the th Division from the siege of the Chinese army. So I worked so hard, but in the end I ended up being abandoned.
If your 104th Division had not been unable to hold the defense line on the west wing, how could our th Regiment have been surrounded by the Chinese army? In the final analysis, the current situation is all caused by your th Division, and now you don't even want to take care of it. Isn't this bullying?
Besides, if my 104th Regiment had the ability to break out on its own, why would I send you a telegram for help? Are you crazy, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke? If you are not crazy, then it must be that you, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, are really bad.
After being angry for a while, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the 104th Regiment, made a decision in his heart. He couldn't just watch his officers and soldiers die in such a cowardly way. Since Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke didn't want to take care of us, he couldn't just ignore himself and not abide by battlefield discipline.
After making up his mind, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, the regiment commander, sent a telegram for help directly to the commander of his 104th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei. Colonel Tachibana Yoshio knew that at this moment, only his own division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, would fully help the th Regiment, and everyone else was talking nonsense.
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, the commander of the 104th Regiment, sent an urgent telegram. They have now been divided into several pieces by the Chinese army, and Colonel Tachibana Yoshio hopes to get help." Major General Ishikawa Takuma, Chief of Staff of the th Division, walked quickly into the tent of Lieutenant General Ogisu Tachihei, the division commander, holding the telegram he had just received.
Lieutenant General Ogisu Tachibei, commander of the 104th Division, looked at the Chief of Staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, with a puzzled look on his face. He didn't quite understand why Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the th Regiment, would send a telegram for help to him. According to the order of the battlefield, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio should have sent this telegram to Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the th Division.
Now Colonel Tachibana Yoshio's behavior is a serious violation of battlefield discipline. After the war, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio will be taken away by the military police for investigation. As a mid- to high-level troop commander, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio would never make such a low-level mistake.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Takuhei, did not say anything, nor did he take the telegram to read its contents. Instead, he stared at the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma. He knew that the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, would definitely give him a reasonable explanation.
"It's like this, Your Excellency the Division Commander. Colonel Tachibana Yoshio has previously sent a telegram for assistance to Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, the commander of the 104th Division. He hopes that Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke can send troops to rescue the 104th Regiment and allow the th Regiment to withdraw from the encirclement of the Chinese army. However, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke said that the th Division is currently short of manpower and cannot send troops for rescue, so he asked Colonel Tachibana Yoshio to break out on his own." Chief of Staff Major General Ishikawa Takuma explained the situation with a look of grief and indignation.
To be honest, Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa was very dissatisfied with the handling method of Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the 104th Division. This was clearly an act of abandonment of the th Regiment and an act that was very inconsiderate to the feelings of all officers and soldiers of the th Division.
What should the officers and soldiers of the 13th Division think? You thought of me when you were in trouble, but when I needed you to save my life, you simply dismissed me with a sentence "you couldn't do anything" without even a word of comfort. This is so sad.
Besides, this is also a manifestation of not taking the 104th Division seriously. The 104th Regiment and its attached troops were all supported by the th Division in the battle. You, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, decided not to rescue the th Regiment without even saying hello to Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei. Isn't this looking down on the th Division and not taking the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, seriously?
"What? Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke didn't even dispatch a single reinforcement to rescue the 104th Regiment?" Upon hearing the explanation from the Chief of Staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Ryuhei, immediately became furious.
Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei felt that Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke had suffered heavy losses in manpower and could not send a large number of troops to rescue the 104th Regiment of his own division. He could understand this, but you could at least transfer a squadron of troops to show your kindness. This would make him feel better. But it was unacceptable for you to be so stingy.
"Yes, Your Excellency the Division Commander, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio is really out of options now. He can only send a telegram for help to us. Now the only one he can count on is our 104th Division." Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa also followed suit and explained the matter on behalf of Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the th Regiment.