Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 648 The Last Dance of the Guangxi Clique? Anxiang Falls, Nanxian Besieged! (Please Subscribe)

After the General Staff made up its mind to fight and handed over the relevant operational plan to Deputy Chief of Staff Liu Fei, the General Staff made the decision.

The fifth and sixth war zones were also fully mobilized under Sun Lianzhong's proactive offensive.

Although Liu Fei and others judged that the main direction of the Japanese army's attack was Changde.

The number of telegrams sent and received at Chu Yunfei's temporary command post has increased significantly.

“The terrain of Nanxian and Anxiang is flat, which is conducive to the movement of mechanized troops, making defensive operations quite unfavorable for our defending forces.”

Chu Yunfei put down the telegram in his hand and continued to analyze: "It is obvious that the Japanese army is still using the encirclement tactic of concentrating its main force to launch a multi-pronged attack, attacking with machine guns and advancing at an extremely fast speed, while the movements of the combat troops in the Sixth War Zone are somewhat puzzling."

"Some doubts?"

Stilwell asked, "Didn't they follow the established battle plan?"

Chu Yunfei shook his head: "Judging from the current situation, although our army has an absolute advantage in terms of troop strength and the offensive operation has already begun, it has not posed a substantial threat to the Japanese invaders in any way."

Under these circumstances, the desperate fighting of the officers and soldiers could not crush or delay the fierce offensive of the Japanese army.

That would only increase casualties. In my opinion, it would be better to simply abandon Anxiang and Nanxian.

The combat troops stationed in Anxiang and Nanxian were the 77th and 15th Divisions, which were ordered by Sun Lianzhong to launch a counterattack.

As of now, the Nationalist army has suffered more than half of its casualties in the fighting.

These two divisions had a combined combat strength of only 10,000 men and a combat manpower of only 7,000, making them no match for the Japanese 17th Infantry Brigade.

The defenders' resolute resistance also inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese army.

At least the 234th Regiment of the 40th Division, which was attacking, had its organization reduced to 50 percent and its strength reduced by 700, clearly indicating that important officers had been killed.

Currently, only one officer is needed to advance the base in southeastern Shanxi to a higher level, which has led Chu Yunfei to pay excessive attention to this region and battlefield.

Just as Stilwell and Chu Yunfei were discussing the current battle situation further.

Zhao Pengcheng strode over and reported, "Your Excellency, we have just received news that Chen Shefan, the commander of the 45th Regiment of the 15th Division, and Li Ya'an, the battalion commander, have both heroically sacrificed their lives in the counterattack. The 15th Division has suffered more than half of its casualties, and the 77th Division has also suffered heavy casualties. The situation is quite grim."

Chu Yunfei nodded seriously: "Send a telegram to Commander Sun that both units are currently in a dangerous situation of being semi-encircled. I suggest abandoning them and also suggest that he emphasize that the river defense troops must not be used downstream from Yidu."

"Your Excellency, the operational plan devised by the command is to encircle the grain-producing areas."

"The General Staff's idea was completely wrong. Their goal was not to occupy Anxiang and Nanxian and then threaten Changde, but to eliminate the main force of the field army deployed in northern and western Hubei."

If the troops continue to hold out in areas with no real strategic significance according to the original combat plan, they will only shed blood and sacrifice themselves in vain.

Draft the telegram as I instructed.

"Yes!"

Zhao Pengcheng naturally obeyed the order unconditionally.

Stilwell took the strategic guidelines previously drafted by Liu Fei and read them carefully again.

1. The 29th Army Group should have its frontline garrison troops hold their current positions; its rear control corps, except for a portion that holds Jinshi and Lixian, should move in and out of the south bank of the Lishui River as appropriate, and coordinate with the 10th Army Group to eliminate any infiltrators that have entered that area.

2. The Fourth Army should deploy a strong force to establish positions along the riverbank against the enemy in Songzi and Yidu.
3. A portion of the Jiangfang Army should be dispatched to advance towards Niejiahe at an opportune time to conduct a rapid attack.

4. The 26th Army Group launched a main attack on Longquanpu and Shuangliansi, while the 33rd Army Group launched an attack on Dangyang with four divisions to support the main operations in the Jiangnan region.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the troop deployment and allocation.

This deployment strategy was simply based on the assumption that the Japanese army was gradually strengthening its positions on the beaches south of the Yangtze River, and was mistakenly interpreted as an attack on grain-producing areas such as Lixian and Changde.

After all, the Japanese army launched its offensive in mid-February in order to seize the Jianghan Plain delta and acquire grain-producing areas.

The General Staff's assessment can be considered the most reasonable explanation and indication of the current intelligence.

Chu Yunfei was able to clearly judge that the Japanese army's intention was not to occupy the territory but to annihilate its main force.

On the one hand, this was based on the fact that the Japanese army's tactics were very clear at this time: to hold the current occupied areas rather than continue to conquer any other areas.

Of course, this judgment is also consistent with the thoughts of the vast majority of people in Chongqing.

But Chu Yunfei is different from them in one aspect.

He also supported Chen Cixiu's statement.

The Japanese army is now very likely to choose to take a desperate gamble and launch a westward attack along the Yangtze River on Yichang and the mountain city.

It was precisely because of their defeats in the Pacific theater that they were able to take such risky actions.

The judgment on sticking to the grain-producing areas.

Chu Yunfei and Chen Cixiu were among the few commanders whose ideas differed from those of the others.

After thinking for a long time, Stilwell finally spoke up and expressed his thoughts: "SC Province has a peculiar geography. No matter which direction you enter from, you have to cross steep mountains and turbulent rivers."

"From a military perspective, entering the Land of Abundance requires a huge military force and strong supply support capabilities."

"Given Japan's current national strength, military power, and financial resources, it no longer possesses the conditions to carry out such a large-scale operation."

Chu Yunfei agreed, saying, "Mr. Stilwell, you're right, but we must also be wary of the Japanese invaders' desperate last stand when they're cornered."

Stilwell did not agree with Chu Yunfei's concerns.

He smiled and revealed another piece of good news: "Chu, it won't be long before some very good news comes from the Pacific battlefield, which will definitely surprise you."

Chu Yunfei grinned, already having a guess in his mind: "I'm really looking forward to it."

There were only three kinds of good news in the Pacific theater: naval victories, air victories, and, of course, the killing of key figures in the Japanese command.

Around this time, the Japanese army was at a disadvantage in all aspects.

The Japanese naval command will inevitably need to go forward to boost morale.

Although this would expose them to the threat of the American fleet, Yamamoto Isoroku had no other choice.

As new information continues to arrive.

The Fifth War Zone also launched a series of attacks.

I wonder if it was because Liu Fei came from the Guangxi clique and was highly regarded by Bai Jiansheng.

Liu Fei's proposed battle plan is still very much geared towards protecting the Guangxi clique's combat forces.

The Fifth War Zone, in its newly drafted operational plan, will still only implement the minimum strategic requirements.

Conquer Xinyang and the surrounding areas.

Therefore, the main force of an entire army group of the Guangxi clique was mobilized for the siege.

Their primary operational target was the 3rd Division.

Codenamed "Lucky", its headquarters is currently located in Xinyang City and is commanded by Lieutenant General Yamamoto Mitsunami, the division commander.

Currently, it has the 6th and 68th Infantry Regiments under its command, of which the 34th Infantry Regiment has been annihilated by the Provisional 51st Division in Yingshan and other places.

In addition, it was equipped with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, the 3rd Engineer Regiment, and the 3rd Supply Regiment, as well as the 62nd and 64th Independent Infantry Battalions, the 51st and 52nd Independent Mountain Artillery Battalions drawn from the 68th Division, and one Engineer Company and one Supply Company.

Within a three-dimensional combat map.

Chu Yunfei was clearly visible.

The Japanese 3rd Division and its combat forces numbered approximately 14,500 men.

The Guangxi clique's combat forces were said to number 100,000, but in reality, their combat strength was only less than 60,000.

This is the battle on the northern Hubei battlefield, where a force of 100,000 men fought against a Japanese division of 30,000.

The main battlefield is in the area surrounding Xinyang.

As for the Sixth War Zone.

The biggest problem at present is that there are no natural defenses along the Yangtze River.

Their primary task at the moment was to ensure that the Japanese army would not be breached when they launched a desperate attack on the mountain city.

Naturally, it was impossible to spare troops to reinforce the 10th and 29th Army Groups, which had suffered heavy casualties on the right flank.

In the future, it would be normal for the 77th and 15th Divisions to be unable to stop the Japanese offensive after suffering heavy casualties.

This battle.

Chu Yunfei couldn't understand why it was the Guangxi clique that put in so much effort to get Chang Ruiyuan to accept Liu Fei's battle plan.

Or perhaps Chen Cixiu still had the overall situation of the War of Resistance in mind.

Chu Yunfei believes that a combination of factors gave the main force of the Guangxi clique the opportunity to step onto the decisive stage. This was especially true if they could successfully capture the Xinyang region.

Then Li Pinxian's title of acting commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone can naturally be removed from the title of acting commander-in-chief.

Even after Li Delin was removed from the command system, the Guangxi clique was able to regain its footing in the Dabie Mountains.

only.

When Liu Fei was formulating the battle plan, it's unclear whether he considered his own attitude.

In his opinion.

This battle to capture Xinyang will inevitably be a tough one.

If the 8th Artillery Brigade and the 6th Artillery Brigade do not provide support.

Even if tens of thousands of Guangxi troops had their front teeth knocked out, they still couldn't defeat the Third Division.

The Third Division had more than 10,000 men, and its field artillery of various calibers was three times more than that of an entire army group of the Guangxi clique, plus air support.

There are no air force units directly under the Fifth War Zone in North China.

The air force squadrons that were originally transferred from the Guangxi clique had already been almost completely wiped out, and most of the pilots had also been killed.

The main force of the Guangxi clique army group only has a slight chance of winning this battle if it really puts in its best effort and there are no friendly forces to hold it back.

Was Liu Fei, or even Commander Bai, so certain that he would make a move?
Was there any similar political calculation behind Sun Lianzhong's transfer to the position of acting commander of the Sixth War Zone?
The General Headquarters must have known that he had a good relationship with General Sun, the Northwest Army commander, and that they had fought side by side several times.

Sun Lianzhong was quite supportive of the reorganization and reorganization plan, and could be considered a staunch supporter of the North China faction.

He has now been transferred to South China, and it's hard to say that Chang Ruiyuan wasn't behind this.

It's probably just another political balancing act.
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Once the flames of war are ignited, they spread wildly at an unstoppable pace.

The melee on the right flank of the Sixth War Zone lasted for four days.

For four days, the gunfire never stopped, and every inch of land was repeatedly soaked in blood and artillery fire.

Ultimately, Anxiang's defenses were breached by the relentless attacks of the Japanese 17th Brigade.

After experiencing fierce resistance, the main force of the 73rd Army stationed here was broken up, and its contact with the army group headquarters and the Sixth War Zone headquarters was completely severed.

Headquarters of the Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth War Zone.

"Can't get in touch! Still can't get in touch!" A communications officer ripped off his headset, his face covered in sweat and despair: "The 73rd Army seems to have vanished into thin air!"

Sun Lianzhong's weathered face was now as taut as a rock.

He slammed his fist on the sand table, making the war pieces on it jump.

"It's chaos! Everything's in chaos!"

In order to reverse the decline

Under orders from the General Staff, he issued the counterattack order almost immediately.

The 10th and 29th Army Groups were ordered to concentrate all their forces and launch a fierce attack on the flanks of the invading Japanese forces.

However, after the order was issued, it seemed to disappear without a trace.

Communication was poor and the organizational structure was chaotic.

Of those troops that still appeared formidable on paper, less than half were actually available for combat!
Many units had already been scattered and defeated in the initial chaos, and were out of control.

The vast army on paper contrasts cruelly and ironically with the depleted and defeated troops that can be mobilized in reality.

The 73rd Army was not an ordinary two-division miscellaneous army.

Peng Weiren was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the 30th Army Group after he made outstanding contributions in the Third Battle of Changsha.

This Hunan Army unit, which had participated in the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Yichang, and the Battle of Changsha, had by this time been reorganized into the Central Army.

They currently have three divisions under their command.

In addition to the 15th Division mentioned earlier, Liang Qiliu of the 15th Division, and Han Jun's 77th Division, there was also Guo Rugui's Provisional 5th Division. Although the number of troops was not large, they were nominally the main force of the Central Army.

Sun Lianzhong now feels that the so-called Central Army's combat effectiveness is just so-so.

Just as the Sixth War Zone was scrambling to reorganize its forces, an even more devastating piece of bad news arrived.

Yokoyama Isamu.

The wolf, with its keen sense of smell, decisively seized this fleeting opportunity.

He didn't give Sun Lianzhong any chance to catch his breath.

On the same day that Anxiang was captured, he commanded the main force to turn around and rush towards another key node - Nanxian.

This is why the current state of the war has deteriorated to this extent.

This was because the General Headquarters neither heeded Chen Cixiu's deployment adjustments nor accepted Chu Yunfei's suggestions.

……

On the Japanese side

The main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Army - the 11th Army - Puqi Forward Command Post.

In stark contrast to the Sixth War Zone's chaotic situation.

The atmosphere here is both oppressive and exhilarating.

Chief of Staff Takeji Shimanoki, holding two battle reports, strode up behind Isamu Yokoyama, who was standing with his hands behind his back in front of the map.

"Commander!" His voice carried a hint of urgency, but even more so excitement: "The enemy forces in Xinyang have indeed launched a strong attack."

Yokoyama Isamu slowly turned around, his eyes showing no emotion, and calmly asked, "Can Yamamoto-kun hold on?"

"Hai!" Shimano Takeji bowed and replied, "The main forces of the three armies of the Guangxi Clique are launching a fierce attack on Xinyang without regard for casualties!"

According to the telegram just sent by Division Commander Yamamoto, the Chinese army's front line has advanced three kilometers after paying a heavy price, and is still eight kilometers away from the core defense line of Xinyang.

Division Commander Yamamoto stated that if this was all the enemy's fighting strength was capable of, he was confident he could launch a counterattack immediately once the enemy's offensive faltered, and completely crush them.

A cold smile curled at the corners of Yokoyama Isamu's lips.

After all, a retaliatory sweep operation was enough to penetrate the Guangxi clique's stronghold in Anhui.

During the Battle of Guinan, the Guangxi forces also performed terribly.

In addition, there has been passive warfare in recent years.

Yokoyama Isamu clearly did not take the Guangxi Clique's combat forces seriously.

"Despite casualties, they only advanced three kilometers?" Yokoyama Isamu muttered to himself, his voice filled with disdain: "It seems that the Guangxi Clique's 'steel army' is nothing special."

Shimano Takeji did not respond. Instead, he held up the second battle report high and raised his voice suddenly, filled with the joy of victory: "Commander! A great victory has been achieved in Ango."

"Our offensive is unstoppable!"

"Anxiang has been captured by a part of my 17th Brigade!"

He walked to the map and planted a Rising Sun Flag, symbolizing victory, firmly in the location of Anxiang.

"The 73rd Army of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Army has been completely defeated by our army!"

"Their main forces, the 15th and 77th Divisions, were almost completely wiped out, with no organizational structure remaining!"

"Our army has completely seized the initiative on the battlefield!"

"Yoshi!"

Inside the command post, an uncontrollable cheer erupted!

A smile finally appeared on Yokoyama Isamu's face.

Although, the smile was quickly replaced by a deeper ruthlessness.

He looked at the chaotic battlefield on the map, at the blue arrows darting around like headless flies, and issued a new command in a cold voice.

"Pass on my order: the attacking troops must not rest and must continue their attack towards Nanxian!"

"Hai!"

(End of this chapter)