boyutpedia Chapter 369 An unexpected move
Chapter 369 An unexpected move
The attacking forces of the New 22nd Army were chasing too fast in the dark. Several attacking forces crossed the Japanese army's previous defense line from both wings. Moreover, these forces have now surpassed the remnants of the Japanese army that were moving in, blocking the Japanese army's forward route.
However, the rapid encirclement by the pursuit troops of the New 104nd Army cut off the transfer route of the slowly retreating 104th Regiment. It was an unexpected success. At the same time, it also caused the commander of the th Regiment, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, to misjudge for a short period of time that he had been surrounded by the Chinese army.
The retreat of the 104th Regiment of the Japanese Army was also caused by a certain degree of chaos due to the unexpected appearance of the New nd Army. The commander of the regiment, Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, was the first to realize that the Chinese army had broken through the defense line of the th Regiment on the west wing, and that his own troops and the troops of the th Division had been completely cut off by the Chinese army.
The attacking forces of the New 22nd Army also opened fire upon seeing the Japanese troops, regardless of which direction they came from. They would just fight first and talk later. In the dark night, the troops of both sides fought in chaos, and the fight turned into a mess.
As soon as Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the 104th Division, arrived at the 104th Regiment, he received a telegram from Colonel Tachibana Yoshio, commander of the th Regiment. Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie's face was gloomy. He knew that the th Regiment might not be able to withdraw because the Chinese government's new nd Army was moving too fast.
However, opportunities and luck are fair. There is the extremely unlucky Colonel Yoshio Tachibana, commander of the 104th Regiment, and there is the lucky Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa, commander of the th Regiment.
The regiment commander, Colonel Shizuo Sukekawa, led the remaining 104-odd officers and soldiers of the th and rd Regiments and quietly slipped out from the gap behind the New nd Army's blocking force while the New nd Army's blocking force and the th Regiment were engaged in a melee.
For the commander of the 104th Regiment, Colonel Shizueji Sukekawa, being able to escape this time was simply a miracle among miracles. As for the problems of the 104th Regiment, that was not something he could consider. Moreover, Colonel Shizueji Sukekawa did not have the ability to take care of the affairs of the th Regiment now.
The commander of the corps, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, felt that the Chinese were too smart. Didn’t they say, “I would rather die than have my fellow Taoist die?” This is truly golden advice.
Although only more than 300 people from the two regiments combined have escaped, this has preserved the organization of the troops. For the entire 16th Division, it is the greatest contribution so far.
"Mr. Nakazawa, the 104th Regiment will probably not be able to reach us. They were stopped by the Chinese government's new nd Army troops coming from the western defense line. Now we can only let them hold their position." Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the th Division, said to the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo, very frustrated.
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, you have done your best. It can only be said that there are too many Chinese troops this time. The 38th Regiment has also done its best. They only had a few hundred officers and soldiers left before, and there was nothing they could do about the Chinese government's new 22nd Army breaking through their defense line." Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa also comforted his division commander.
When Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke heard what the Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo said, he suddenly remembered that he still had two regiments of officers and soldiers on the western wing defense line. If the officers and soldiers of these two regiments were gone, his division would be missing two structures. If it was rebuilt after the war, he would definitely be transferred from the position of division commander and serve in some garrison divisions or newly formed divisions.
"Mr. Nakazawa, is there any news from Colonel Shizue Sukekawa, commander of the 38th Regiment? Have they reached the 20th Regiment's defense line?" The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, asked the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo, anxiously.
As for the problem of the 104th Regiment, now that things have developed to this point, he does not have enough troops to rescue the 104th Regiment from the siege of the Chinese army. He should first focus on the affairs of his own division.
In fact, thinking about it the other way around, the division and encirclement of the 104th Regiment would encourage the commander of the th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, to work harder and more actively with reinforcements to break through the Chinese army's blocking positions as soon as possible. Those were Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei's own troops, and he was the most anxious person.
"Sir, there is still no news from the commander of the 104th Regiment, Colonel Shizue Sukekawa. According to previous estimates, they should not have arrived at the th Regiment yet. In addition, the Chinese army is currently engaged in a melee with the th Regiment, which will also affect the speed of Colonel Shizue Sukekawa's transfer." Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo continued to comfort the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke.
In the mind of Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa, it was estimated that it would be difficult for the commander of the 38th Regiment, Colonel Shizuji Sukekawa, to escape from the pursuit and blockade of the Chinese army.
After all, if Colonel Shizue Sukekawa and his small force encountered a large-scale blocking force of the Chinese army, they would not even be able to break through the Chinese army's defense line in the dark. They could only rely on their own luck.
But at this time, I should not give any bad judgment or analysis to the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke. It would be better to wait until everything has come out before talking about it. What if Colonel Sukekawa Shizuji gets lucky and escapes with the blessing of Amaterasu?
Besides, doesn't the division commander know the situation on Colonel Shizue Sukekawa's side? There is no need for him to analyze it and tell him everything.
In the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, Chief of Staff Xu happily took the telegram to Commander Li's office and said excitedly: "Commander Li, good news. The New 104nd Army broke through the Japanese army's western defense line, and when outflanking and intercepting, it accidentally blocked the Japanese 104th Regiment. Now it is in a melee with the Japanese th Regiment."
When Commander Li heard that the attack ahead had made such great progress, he was so happy that he immediately stood up from the sofa, took the telegram handed to him by Chief of Staff Xu and started reading it.
Although Commander Li appeared to be relaxed in the headquarters, he was actually very anxious about the battle situation. You know, the battle report of the New 100th Division today was very tragic.
"Great, we finally broke through. The new 104nd Army is really great. Order the new nd Army to tie up the Japanese th Regiment. Try to use the night time to split and surround this group of Japanese troops. Then we will eat them up bite by bite." Commander Li also ordered Chief of Staff Xu after reading the telegram.