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Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 698 Annihilation

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    Chapter 698 Annihilation

    In the battle of Yongheguan Ferry, two divisions and a brigade of more than 35,000 people from Okamura Neiji crossed the Yellow River to the west, and a division of more than 16,000 people crossed the Yellow River from the west to Fenglingdu Ferry were all trapped in the Tang Dynasty.  In the encirclement laid by Li, the subsequent troops crossing the river were bombarded again and suffered heavy losses. Okamura Neiji fully understood that he had fallen into Tang Qiuli's trap.

    After receiving the emergency telegram from the Fenglingdu troops, Okamura Neiji finally realized that Tang Qiuli's troops had cut off his retreat. In fact, the troops stranded on the east bank of the Yellow River were alone and facing the water.  The enemy has no backup. This is the most dangerous situation. He has no intention to fight. He goes to rescue the surrounded Akita Division. How to bring the remaining troops safely back to Taiyuan is a problem. There are many mountains and ravines.  The Luliang Mountain area was the biggest obstacle to his retreat to Taiyuan.

    At this time, Okamura Neiji has not lost confidence and has not lost all his capital. There are still more than 100,000 troops around Taiyuan, and they can fight against Tang Qiuli to the end. There are also back-up Kwantung Army troops going south. Thinking of the Yellow River this time  The disastrous defeat on the shore would put him in a situation that was beyond redemption, and he felt a strong urge in his heart. It was true that he was greedy for success and rushed forward. Looking at the battle situation in Shanxi at that time, his deployment was absolutely correct. How could he have expected that Tang Qiuli would  Design such a big game yourself and use the entire Shanxi Province as bait.

    After receiving the order from Okamura Neiji, more than 20,000 Japanese troops in the Fenglingdu area in southern Shanxi immediately retreated to Taiyuan, but they could not leave. Chang Feng led the two main field brigades in Huangyadong and the newly formed Sixth Army.  The Taihang Mountain Field Corps was composed of three field brigades. Except for the four brigades that went north to the Luliang Mountains to cut off Okamura Ningji's retreat, the remaining four brigades had more than 50,000 people. They were able to cut off all channels for the Japanese army to return to Taiyuan.  Along Yuanqu, Jiangxian, Houma, Quwo and Dishan, an insurmountable iron wall was formed.

    However, Okamura Neji led the remnants of less than 7,000 people and retreated faster, but they could not escape the dragnet set by Tang Qiuli. When they just approached the Luliang Mountains, they ran into the 50,000-strong Taihang Mountains Field Corps' four brigades that were waiting for them.  With the remaining troops, the anxious Neiji Okamura commanded the troops to storm the interception position of the Field Corps in the Taihang Mountains. With only 7,000 men, he attacked the defense line of more than 50,000 men, which was almost like seeking death.

    No matter how brave and fearless the Japanese soldiers were, they could not offset the huge gap in numbers and firepower. Seeing that there was no hope of breaking through, Okamura Neiji led his troops to retreat to the Xinyi line and wait for reinforcements. The only reinforcements he could count on were scattered soldiers.  In the Luliang Mountains, more than 10,000 troops of the ** Division were pursued and suppressed. As for the troops around Taiyuan, they were still gathering. They were still being entangled and delayed by the elusive special operations detachment units. There was still time to send troops for rescue.  Not sure.

    After receiving the rescue order, the Japanese troops immediately gave up fighting with the small troops of the ** Division. Using Mafang as the assembly point, they desperately attacked westward, trying to open a gap, pull out Okamura Neiji, and intercept the Japanese retreat.  The first section of the Changfeng Taihang Mountain Field Corps heading to Taiyuan immediately divided into two brigades and intercepted the Japanese troops in the Dawu area. More than 5,000 people from more than 30 companies of the Japanese Army scattered in the Luliang Mountains were intercepted from behind.  Surrounded by this Japanese army, the Luliang Mountains formed a situation where the enemy and ourselves were intertwined. Generally speaking, the Japanese division troops had the upper hand.

    Tang Qiuli was even more anxious than Okamura Neji. Once the more than 100,000 Japanese troops from the Taiyuan direction came over, it would be a stalemate and entangled situation. He wanted to deal with the more than 35,000 Japanese troops surrounding him as soon as possible so that he could free up his hands to attack the East.  Cross the Yellow River and completely eliminate the Japanese troops under Neiji Okamura before the arrival of the Japanese troops around Taiyuan. The situation in southern Shanxi is very good. The four brigades commanded by Chang Feng and the two brigades commanded by Sun Zhenbang, with a total of more than 70,000 people  The military strength tightly surrounded more than 20,000 Japanese troops in the Wenxi area. It was only a matter of time before this Japanese army was completely annihilated.

    Contrary to expectations, the Japanese Akita Division and other Japanese troops who were surrounded were the elite first-class divisions of the Kwantung Army. They had strong combat effectiveness and tenacious fighting will. Tang Qiuli commanded the six newly formed brigades to attack the Japanese defensive positions from all directions.  , at the end of the day, there were casualties on each other, but they still could not break through the Japanese positions. Surrounded by superior forces, the Japanese troops actually launched multiple counterattacks. The Japanese soldiers, fearless of death, launched a group charge, although they were beaten to pieces by fierce artillery fire.  All over the field, it also caused a lot of casualties to the troops.

    Tang Qiuli deeply realized that no matter how brave the fighting spirit of the soldiers in the newly formed unit, it could not make up for the shortcomings caused by the lack of actual combat experience. If this were the old brigades of the ** Division, with only three brigades in strength,  It was completely possible to deal with these Japanese troops. He was secretly glad that the Japanese troops did not have heavy firepower or artillery, and he only had two artillery brigades. Otherwise, the casualties of the troops would be much greater, and they might even be able to break through the blocking line.

    He originally planned to spend three days to deal with the Japanese army. After three days of fighting, even the Japanese army's outer positions were not broken through. The brigade commanders became impatient and the casualties of the troops increased sharply. Tang Qiuli immediately ordered to stop the attack.  Come to the forward position and carefully observe the Japanese defense situation.

    After three days of fighting, there were more than 35,000 Japanese troops, and the remaining strength was less than 20,000, but there was no chaos at all. In the rush, defensive facilities such as ring fortifications, concealed areas, fire support points, chain bunkers, and transportation trenches were deployed.  All were set up, and the field fortifications were constructed by an expert. Tang Qiuli secretly admired that the Kwantung Army was worthy of being an elite force of the Japanese army. From officers to soldiers, it was overall superior to the Japanese army in North China, not only in terms of fighting will, but also  The command ability of the officers, the training quality of the soldiers, individual combat capabilities, etc., if they have heavy artillery to provide fire cover and suppression, you will need at least nine brigades of troops to surround and eliminate them.

    Okamura Neiji, who stayed at Xinyi, received reinforcements. These were the troops that retreated from Liulin Ferry. After many days of consumption, they were no longer less than a division. In any case, in the cloudy weather,  Finally seeing a ray of sunshine was enough to make Neji Okamura happy. He had more than 16,000 people in his hands, and it could work.

    Okamura Neiji was clearly aware of the danger. The longer he stayed in Xinyi, the greater the possibility of being encircled. Once Tang Qiuli's troops were encircled, he would not be able to escape even if he had wings. He commanded the troops regardless of casualties.  Desperate to break through in the direction of Taiyuan, the Japanese soldiers on the verge of despair were like a wild wolf with red eyes and wounded. They desperately launched a non-stop charge and were once less than ten kilometers away from the Japanese troops who came to rescue.

    It is a pity that Okamura Neiji encountered the Huangyadong recruit field brigade, which was based on the Second Brigade of the ** Division and had been trained for more than four months.  The brigade was different. Okamura Neji's craziest offensive was repulsed, and he lost the offensive spirit. At the same time, Tang Qiuli ordered a brigade at Wubao Ferry to immediately cross the Yellow River eastward and flank the Jinluo direction.  , stabbed Neji Okamura again.

    In order to quickly resolve the Japanese Akita Division and other Japanese troops surrounded in the Yanchuan and Jiaokou areas on the west bank of the Yellow River, Tang Qiuli ordered the Eighth Route Army rear area troops to participate in the general attack on the Japanese army, and also transferred an artillery brigade from Fenglingdu  The other two heavy artillery regiments formed a powerful attack corps.

    The ** division troops, which had strengthened their artillery firepower, no longer used the flesh and blood of soldiers to attack the tightly defended positions of the Japanese army. On May 29, the general attack began. More than 2,000 artillery pieces of various calibers were used to attack the Japanese troops.  The Japanese positions along the Sichuan and Intersection lines exploded into a sea of ??flames. From the time they crossed the Yellow River in the west until now, the Kwantung Army troops have never experienced such fierce artillery bombardment.

    Tang Qiuli's request for all artillery units was to provide all-round coverage without limiting the amount of ammunition. Before the bombardment, on the road from Dingbian to the Yanchuan front line, there was a constant flow of convoys from the ** Division Transportation Headquarters, with boxes of shells like a hill.  They were piled up everywhere, and the Eighth Route Army soldiers who participated in the battle were dumbfounded. This battle was fought so grandly. The shells were as dense as locusts, and they just gnawed open the Japanese defense line. The spirit of Bushido could not withstand the hot steel, and they sacrificed themselves for His Majesty the Emperor.  The will cannot change the disadvantage.

    Artillery fire flattened a Japanese position, and the infantry rushed to occupy it. Then there was another fierce artillery fire. For two full days, the remaining more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers endured a purgatory nightmare. Tons of steel were used without any traces.  It mercilessly shattered the spirit and enthusiasm of the Japanese soldiers. The area from Yanchuan to Jiaokou was only a dozen kilometers away. It was repeatedly plowed back and forth by the artillery fire of the Japanese division, and the topography completely changed its original appearance.

    Two days later, the Japanese division and the Eighth Route Army soldiers rushed to the last high ground. What they saw were the mutilated corpses of Japanese soldiers scattered everywhere. Everything, including their weapons, were in this overwhelming steel storm.  In accordance with the policy of the Eighth Route Army, we captured a few prisoners and seized some Japanese equipment. In the eyes of the Eighth Route Army soldiers, these were rare treasures. However, after searching the entire position, there was not a single living Japanese soldier.  No one was seriously injured.

    The unwilling Eighth Route Army soldiers found the intact bodies of some Japanese officers in several hidden areas. Among them were two lieutenant generals and a major general. They were the top commanders of the Japanese army. One of them was the Autumn Division.  Long, the shells did not shatter their bodies, but the shells destroyed their hidden parts, and they were buried alive inside. They could be considered whole corpses. They came all the way from Japan to China. Such an ending, for these fanatical invaders  For the patient, it is also the most honorable way to die.

    The Yanchuan and Jiaokou battles lasted five days and ended with the complete annihilation of two Japanese divisions and a brigade of more than 35,000 people. In this battle, Tang Qiuli's six newly formed infantry brigades suffered casualties.  With more than five thousand men, the combat effectiveness of the Kwantung Army once again left a deep impression on him.

    Tang Qiuli was a little surprised by such heavy casualties. In addition to the combat effectiveness of the Kwantung Army, he also considered more issues. There was another person who was deeply shocked by this battle. He was General Xiao Jinguang, director of the Eighth Route Army's Rear Area Stay Division.  .

    (To be continued)
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