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Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 680 Taiyuan City Destroyed (2)

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    Chapter 680 Taiyuan City is destroyed (2)

    The defensive barriers in the south and southeast of Taiyuan, Taigu and Jinzhong were subjected to fierce attacks by the Japanese army for many days. Yan Xishan, Chairman of Shanxi Province, Commander of Shanxi Security, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Yellow River Basin Theater Command, used what he could  All the troops were devoted to these two battlefields. The whole territory of Shanxi was at stake. Chief Yan's family fortune was at stake, and he had to fight for his life.

    In the fierce fighting until the evening of May 13th, the Jin army, which suffered more than half of its troops casualties, could no longer withstand the continuous fierce attacks of the superior Japanese army. First, in the direction of Taigu, the defensive position was breached by the Japanese army. Then, in the direction of Jinzhong,  A big hole was opened in Sun Chu's defense line by the Japanese army. The weather was pitiful and it was dark. The Japanese stopped attacking and just established positions at the breach. The sound of gunfire that had been heard all day finally fell silent. The exhausted Jin army  The soldiers finally took a breath, and the fire was still burning everywhere, dimly reflecting the corpses, including Japanese soldiers and Jin soldiers.

    When Yan Xishan learned that the Taigu and Jinzhong defense lines had been breached by the Japanese army, he slumped down on a chair, covered his head with his hands, and groaned in pain, which was killing him. There were more than a dozen people with gray faces standing around him.  Gao Shen looked at each other, none of them had any good ideas. Among these people, there were many who were frightened by the current war situation. They had already made up their mind to persuade Chief Yan to leave Taiyuan. As for where to go next, they had no idea.  , we can only take one step at a time.

    Seeing the old man's helpless appearance, several people pretended to be brave and told them all their suggestions. Yan Xishan did not rebuke loudly, but just looked at the roof blankly. He knew that these old subordinates were not only for their own survival, but also for their own survival.  Most of them were thinking about the big tree they relied on. They were nothing if they left Yan Xishan. To Chief Yan's relief, no one persuaded him to surrender to the Japanese.

    In fact, after Yan Xishan learned that the Taigu and Jinzhong defense lines had been breached in many places, he knew that he was no longer able to fight. He had considered making peace with the Japanese, but under the current situation, the Japanese were unable to do anything.  Pressing hard, even if he surrenders to the Japanese, he will never get any benefits. At most, it will be an alliance under the city. The conditions are so harsh that he is definitely unacceptable. Besides, there is also the issue of reputation. With his character, even if he surrenders, he will have to surrender.  Striving for the greatest interests, his men did not offer to surrender to the Japanese, leaving him with a glimmer of hope to fight again.

    Now, Yan Xishan is faced with a dilemma. If he leaves, everything will be over. He will lose Shanxi and everything he has worked hard for many years. He is reluctant to leave. If he doesn't leave, he can only be a prisoner of the Japanese, or die in battle, be a prisoner or a prisoner of war.  Death was not the outcome he wanted to see. There was only one way to go, and the time was only tonight and one night. Tomorrow, the Japanese would attack Taiyuan City. The senior counselors stood in silence, looking at the old man's uncertain face, waiting for his decision.

    The room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional heavy breathing, the atmosphere was oppressive, and there was a rush of footsteps outside the door, "Report to Commander Yan, your subordinate Zhao Chengshou has arrived with the main force of the Seventh Army, please give Commander Yan instructions." Yan Xishan fiercely  He looked up and saw Zhao Chengshou standing in front of him with a tired face and a dusty face. His eyes suddenly lit up and he even shed tears. The great savior, Zhao Chengshou came back at the most critical moment.

    "Yinfu, is that you?" Yan Xishan stepped in front of Zhao Chengshou and held his hand. He couldn't help but burst into tears. He couldn't help himself. The corners of Zhao Chengshou's eyes were also moist. He had followed the old man for many years and had never seen him before.  It can be expected that the situation in Taiyuan is so critical that it makes the usually calm Commander Yan go out of character.

    Zhao Chengshou was almost driven crazy by Yan Xishan. He received several telegrams a day, all urging him to rush to Taiyuan as soon as possible. Zhao Chengshou understood the old man's mood. If Taiyuan was not critical, the old man would not urge him desperately, but  From Zhangjiakou to Taiyuan, there is a distance of nearly a thousand miles, almost running through the entire northwestern Shanxi region, and there are more than 200,000 troops. He wishes he could grow wings, but the reality cannot be changed, so he can only concentrate on the few trucks and transport a few divisions to catch up.  Back in Taiyuan, the other troops had to march arduously day and night on the mountain roads in northwest Shanxi.

    The 7th Group Army under Zhao Chengshou is the main force of the Jin army. Zhao Chengshou has an open-minded personality, bold and careful, can make prompt decisions when encountering problems, and dares to act. He is Yan Xishan's confidant and a fierce general. He is brave in combat and has won many victories in Jin Dynasty.  He has repeatedly held important positions in the army and has followed Yan Xishan for many years. He is known as Zhao Menghu. He led his troops to rush back to Taiyuan in time, which was undoubtedly the greatest comfort and confidence for Yan Xishan, who was already facing a desperate situation.

    Immediately, under the auspices of Yan Xishan, an emergency military meeting was held at Yan's Mansion to discuss ways to deal with the current war situation. Zhao Chengshou overcame all opinions and found a unique approach and proposed two plans. Taiyuan must stick to it. Even if it retreats, it must give way to the Japanese army.  To avoid serious damage and for safety reasons, Commander Yan should immediately evacuate Taiyuan and establish a headquarters in the Shuozhou area in northwest Shanxi to coordinate and command the entire resistance war in Shanxi.

    Zhao Cheng??'s plan is undoubtedly the one that is most in line with Yan Xishan's wishes, especially his words, "No one can be relied on now, we can only rely on ourselves," touched Yan Xishan's nerves. Since the Battle of Wuxiang, the Jin army has suffered successive defeats.  Suffering heavy losses, wasn't it just the Jin family who were fighting the Japanese desperately? Tang Qiuli was right in front of him, but he didn't reach out, which made him feel chilled. Yan Xishan didn't even think about it.  "As a result," since the July 7th Incident, his actions have caused Tang Qiuli to lose the least trust in him, which led to the current situation.

    Although it was Tang Qiuli's plan to divert trouble to the east, he was responsible for it. The meeting finally made a decision to shrink the troops across the board, abandon Taigu and Jinzhong, and concentrate troops to defend Taiyuan. Zhao Chengshou was appointed as the commander of Taiyuan City Defense and unified command of all troops.  Yan Xishan left the city tonight and evacuated to the Shuozhou area. All enterprises, factories and mines in Taiyuan were immediately relocated to defend the troops in Taiyuan and buy time for the relocation.

    It was late at night, and Taiyuan City was completely dark. Outside the north gate, dozens of cars turned off their lights and parked quietly in the darkness. A large group of senior officers bid farewell to Yan Xishan at the city gate. Yan Xishan held Zhao Chengshou's hand.  , repeatedly warned: "Yinfu, if you can protect Taiyuan, you can protect it. If nothing can be done, you should retreat north immediately to preserve the bones, blood and seeds of our Jin army. And you, who have always fought bravely, must pay attention to your own safety."

    The spring was cold and the motorcade was leaving. Yan Xishan looked back at the city of Taiyuan in the dark night. Pain in his heart hit him. He had never left here for many years. His heart and roots had been integrated with this city.  Along the way, no matter how many times the situation changed, the smoke of war never left here, but now, he had to leave here in panic and sadness. Yan Xishan sighed and looked away, not knowing when and what month he would be able to return to Taiyuan.

    Zhao Chengshou led and sent Yan Xishan away. A stone fell in his heart. He organized his troops to immediately build fortifications outside Taiyuan. The order to retreat was issued to Taigu and Jinzhong front lines overnight. What Zhao Chengshou did not expect was that on the battlefield,  The troops who fought bloody battles with the Japanese for many days will fall into chaos after receiving the order to retreat.

    The first to be confused were the troops of the Seventh Army defending the Taigu Defense Line. Many of their comrades fell beside them, their bodies torn to pieces by Japanese shells. With one breath and gritted teeth, the minds of the Jin army soldiers had become numb.  , thinking to himself that there is no chance of survival, after receiving the order to retreat to Taiyuan, the last tight string finally broke, and the desire for survival was unstoppable, spreading in the hearts of every soldier who was lucky enough to survive.

    The entire line was in chaos. According to the order to retreat, each unit followed the order and took turns to cover the evacuation positions without disturbing the Japanese army. However, the retreat turned into a rout. The more than 20,000 soldiers who had been fighting for many days had a chance to survive, but that was not to mention the unrest.  In addition, officers at all levels were only focused on retreating, and the troops formed a swarm in disorder, scrambling to escape from this terrible hell and the overwhelming Japanese artillery fire.

    The unusual movement on the position finally alerted the Japanese army. The situation was reported to Okamura Neiji. This cunning old devil immediately concluded that the Jin army was going to retreat. However, the situation was unclear in the dark night and he was afraid that it was a Chinese plan.  It was decided to send out a regiment of troops to conduct a tentative attack, using the breakthrough point as the starting point to attack the Jin army in depth. If the development went well, the main force would be pressed across the line, and a general attack would be launched overnight to capture Taiyuan City in one fell swoop.

    Zuo Siyu was the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the Jin Army. After many days of fierce fighting, a regiment with more than 3,400 soldiers was defeated, and less than 1,000 people were left. His position was in Taipei.  The front end of the Gu defense line received the most attacks. The order he received was for the second group to retreat, followed by the 25th Division of the Seventh Army. But before he could assemble the troops, the soldiers of the 25th Division  Zuo Siyu, already in a mess, crossed the trench and ran to the front of his troops. Zuo Siyu was so angry that he yelled, "Isn't retreating like this a message to the little Japanese?"

    Unfortunately for him, the shadows of a large number of Japanese troops appeared on the 25th Division's position, and the helmets shone with a dark luster under the firelight that had not yet been extinguished. Then, bullets were fired, and the soldiers of the 25th Division fell.  In the next scene, Zuo Siyu thought sharply. Such a retreat would be a living target for the Japs. If they were chased, the Japs could hit Taiyuan City directly, and the whole line would be in danger of collapse.

    Gritting his teeth, Zuo Siyu ordered the troops to immediately enter the position, preparing to block the Japanese army and cover the retreat of the friendly forces. What this decision means to all the soldiers of the first regiment, everyone knows that the Keqin Training Brigade is the elite unit of the Jin Army and is the commander of Yan.  The Royal Guards had a sense of arrogance and ruthlessness, and did not have the habit of running away when they saw little devils. The soldiers entered their positions silently.

    The Japanese soldiers who were pursuing fiercely were hit by sudden firepower and immediately stopped. They did not expect that the Jin army who retreated in panic still had covering troops. This was a Chinese trap. The Yin* imperial army was fooled and the situation was quickly reported.  When they arrived at the suspicious Okamura Neji, they had already gathered to prepare for the attack.The main force of the Japanese army, which was attacking, received an order to rest in place.

    A battle that was enough to trigger the collapse of the entire line was resolved invisibly because of an exhausted regiment with less than a thousand men. Thanks to Zuo Siyu's regiment, they helped Zhao Chengshou organize the Taiyuan defense battle and bought a precious night.  .

    (To be continued)
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