Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 112: Encirclement
Wang Feng held the baton tightly and pointed at the map, "I believe everyone is aware of the current situation. If we want to take advantage of the advantages in Huaibei, we must lure the Japanese army deeper into the area."

"There are no outsiders here, so I'm going to say this up front."

"The north bank of the Huai River is very flat and only a hundred kilometers away from Xuzhou. If we lure the Japanese army across the river, the situation will be disastrous if we are not careful."

"If you don't succeed in this battle, you will be benevolent!"

"We can't afford to fail!"

Wang Feng looked at the officers below, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

The war has come to this point.

In less than half a year, nearly half of China fell and almost all strategic locations were lost.

Everyone understands that blindly pursuing stability and defense may seem foolproof, but it is nothing more than a strategy for survival.

Wang Feng: "Looking at the water system north of the Huai River, east of the Xie River and west of the Hui River, there are swamps everywhere and complex lakes of all sizes. I intend to lure the Japanese army here and encircle and annihilate them!"

"The specific combat arrangements will depend on the remaining strength of each unit."

Zhang Zizhong had already thought of launching the main attack after reading the battle outline. He stood up and volunteered: "Our 59th Army has just arrived at the battlefield. Our strength is intact. We can lead the charge and carry out the offensive mission!"

Yu Xuezhong also hurriedly added: "Although our troops have suffered heavy casualties, we are well-equipped with combat weapons and our morale is stable. We can still fight the Japanese invaders!"

Wang Feng nodded slightly, cleared his throat, and his expression changed from before to look very solemn.

"Since Commander Li has appointed me as the commander-in-chief of the front line, I will not be polite."

"Everyone has it!"

As soon as the words fell, the three of them stood up immediately.

Wang Feng: "Now order the 59th Army to retreat towards the Xie River and abandon supplies along the way to create a false impression."

"I have already informed the war zone commander regarding the subsequent replenishment of related supplies."

Zhang Zizhong put his heels together, stood at attention and saluted: "Yes! Please rest assured, sir!"

Wang Feng continued, "The 31st Army will slowly retreat and set up defenses in the areas of Wohe River and Beifei River using the terrain to block the 59th Division and build a position for the th Army to buy favorable time."

"This mission is quite difficult. After the 18th Division crosses the river, it is very likely that it will join forces with the 13th Division and join forces to besiege your unit."

Liu Shiyi nodded, his eyes determined: "No problem, we will kill as many Japs as they come!"

Wang Feng looked at Yu Xuezhong and continued, "51st Army, your troops will withdraw to Si County and Wuhe area as a reserve force, and at the same time cover the flank of the 59th Army."

Yu Xuezhong: “Understood!”

There's nothing wrong with being a reserve.

He still knows what to do based on his abilities.

Among the four armies, the 51st and 31st Armies suffered the greatest losses.

But the 31st Army received supplies from the war zone, and after resting intermittently for half a month, it has recovered its strength.

The 51st Army fought with the Japanese Army in Bengbu for a week and had no time to rest before it was immediately thrown into the next battle.

Wang Feng put down his baton and said: "I will lead my troops to advance westwards in secret under the cover of night, encircling the entire encirclement and cutting off the Japanese army's rear."

"We cannot make up for the Japanese air superiority no matter what. All troops should try to march at night to avoid being discovered by reconnaissance aircraft."

"Also, the war is imminent, and I, Wang, will emphasize this again."

“I hope you can put aside your prejudices and unite as one!”

The three generals below shouted in unison: "Unity!"

Wang Feng: "The Japanese army attacked desperately during the day, but people are not made of iron, and even the Japanese get tired sometimes."

"Tonight is a good time, all troops should act immediately!"

The brief military meeting ended.

After everyone dispersed and returned to their original units, they kept going without even having time to drink a sip of water, and immediately conveyed the transfer order.

In just one hour, no less than twenty telegrams were sent back and forth between various units and Wang Feng’s army.

This forced him to hand over all military affairs to Zhao Fangyuan, and he himself devoted himself to coordinating the participating troops.

Seventy thousand people.

Fight a siege war.

Wang Feng was so busy that he felt dizzy after suddenly becoming so wealthy.

A large-scale tactical retreat is a complicated task. All units must coordinate and work together. If one link goes wrong, at best the enemy will discover the flaw, and at worst the whole operation will be lost.

Fortunately, I gradually adapted to the rhythm, calmed down, commanded the troops, and carried out the transfer in an orderly manner.

The first to withdraw was the 51st Army.

In order to save time, Yu Xuezhong personally cleaned up the debris in the command post. While doing so, he repeatedly reminded the chief of staff: "Notify the brothers below to act quickly and not make any mistakes!"

"If we win this battle, our Northeast Army will be able to completely turn the tide!"

The chief of staff nodded, turned around and ran out of the command post.

Yu Xuezhong was quite capable in commanding troops. When the grassroots soldiers and officers heard the order to move quickly, they immediately packed up their backpacks and bullets without saying a word.

The 51st Army was originally stationed on the second line and was out of the Japanese army's sight.

After leaving the battlefield first, they marched quickly all the way to Si County in the northeast.

The 59th Army was still pretending to resist.

He wanted to delay the Japanese army and create enough time for other troops to transfer.

Since the two battlefields were not integrated into a whole, the 31st Army had to undertake the same combat tasks as the 59th Army.

Cover the battle group's evacuation.

The positions of both sides were close to each other. Before leaving, Wang Feng led the logistics troops and personally went to the 31st Army Command Post.

"We must hold on for three days. When the time is up, we must seize the opportunity to break out from the Japanese army's weak point!" Wang Feng said with a serious expression after seeing Liu Shiyi.

Liu Shiyi saluted and said, "Please rest assured, sir. There are no cowards in the 31st Army who would desert the battlefield. None of the Guangxi soldiers are afraid of death!"

Wang Feng coughed lightly, waved his hand, and called the logistics captain: "Mobilize 2,000 rifles, 500,000 rounds of ammunition, and 20,000 grenades to support the friendly forces."

"Also, we have the canned Japanese meat that we seized earlier. Let's give some to our brother troops as well."

"Go quickly, don't waste time!"

Logistics Captain: “Yes!”

After saying that, he turned around and ran away in a hurry.

Liu Shiyi's face froze: "Commander Wang, what does this mean?"

The supplies for each unit should be supplied by the theater logistics department.

Although there is no explicit order prohibiting the troops from transferring combat supplies privately.

But as the saying goes, no reward without merit.

Wang Feng did this out of the blue, and Liu Shiyi felt something was amiss.

Wang Feng patted his shoulder and said, "You are older than me, so don't address me as your superior in private. Just call me by my real name."

"This battle was extremely dangerous. I'm sure that after the news spreads, my brothers will have a lot of criticism!"

"There are too few soldiers and too many things to do. I can't mobilize any extra troops to support the Beifei River battlefield."

"Distribute these cans to the brothers below as a snack before the battle."

It is undeniable that in terms of strategic arrangements, he did treat the 31st Army as cannon fodder.

An army had to stand alone on the front line of the blocking and resist the siege of a Japanese division and a brigade, totaling more than 25,000 people.

You have to hold on for three more days.

But there is no way.

A troop must step forward to buy time for building an encirclement in the rear.

The 59th Army and the battle group were the main forces in the attack, one building defense and the other attacking from behind.

Don't waste it on this place.

Since ancient times, in encirclement and annihilation wars, the real elite troops were fighting within the encirclement, and only the second-line troops were sent out to block the enemy.

The 51st Army lost nearly half of its troops and could not shoulder the responsibility alone, so it could only cooperate with other troops.

If it were placed on the front line to block the Japanese army, the outcome would probably be like the 61st Army during the Battle of Datong, where it would collapse at the first touch.

Moreover, the Xiehe battlefield is crucial and the 59th Army also needs support.

After all the calculations, this tough task can only be borne by the 31st Army alone.

Wang Feng was worried that Liu Shiyi couldn't hold on, so he came over to deliver some equipment.

Two thousand rifles, mainly Hanyang-made and Jin-made Type 65 rifles.

In the battle of Chihe, most of the supplies were taken away by Wang Feng.

The 31st Army barely had a sip of soup.

The two subordinate corps were all equipped with Type 38 rifles.

These old domestic rifles were eliminated.

There is no point in keeping them. Too much supply piled up will slow down the march.

Wang Feng only has these six trucks, which are definitely not enough. The rest can only be transported by mule and horse carts, which are extremely slow.

I simply did a favor and provided support to the friendly forces.

The battle reached this scale, with the total number of troops participating on both sides reaching nearly 100,000.

It is basically impossible to remain immune to the consequences.

Liu Shiyi moved his lips slightly, wanting to shake his head to deny it, but he forced himself to hold it back.

This is indeed the case.

The terrain in the Beifei River and Wo River areas is flat, the water flow is gentle, the river channel is narrow, and the water level is shallow, which is not as dangerous as the Huai River.

Even so, we still have to hold out for three days with the strength of an army.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is using the 31st Army as cannon fodder.

But Liu Shiyi did not show any reaction.

First, the Gui army could not lose face when they were away from home and be accused of being cowardly by friendly forces.

This is also what Li Zongren repeatedly reminded and warned us about.

Secondly, Liu Shiyi also knew in his heart that the 31st Army had to fight this battle.

Liu Shiyi looked around and saw that there was no one around. He lowered his eyes and asked quietly, "Commander Wang, there is actually something I don't understand."

Wang Feng frowned: "Please speak!"

Liu Shiyi: "Why should we give up the natural barrier of the Huai River? Wouldn't it be better for us to stop the Japanese army here and step up the defense line in the rear?"

Wang Feng's frown relaxed, thinking it was some big deal, but it turned out to be this problem.

"Commander Liu, from Pingxu Town where your troops are stationed, along the north bank of the Huai River all the way to Bengbu, it's at least 60 kilometers."

"With such a wide front, can you, with just your army, withstand the attack of a Japanese army of the same size?"

Liu Shiyi: “This”

Wang Feng: "Once the Japanese army attacks your weak points or bypasses your flank, the entire defense line will collapse in an instant."

"After your troops occupy the Beifei River and the Wo River, you can build a circular fortification between the two rivers, narrowing the width of the battlefield and ensuring the safety of your position to the greatest extent possible."

Liu Shiyi scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "I'm really old. I can't even see such a small thing."

Counting my age on my fingers, I realize I’m 52 this year.

Looking at the young and energetic Wang Feng in front of him, he couldn't help but feel some emotion.

It is true that the new generation pushes the old generation forward!
The logistics soldiers acted quickly and immediately unloaded the supplies loaded on the truck after receiving the order.

The 31st Army's logistics station was in contact nearby.

The noisy sounds gradually covered up the conversation between the two.

Liu Shiyi took out a match, lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and deliberately turned his head to exhale the smoke, fearing that Wang Feng would not be able to smell the pungent smell.

"I thank you on behalf of my brothers for your kindness, Commander!"

"Our Gui army will never let down our team in fighting the Japanese!"

Wang Feng smiled and saluted casually: "What a great Gui army!"

"In this battle, I must see how powerful you Guangxi Wolf Soldiers are!"

Liu Shiyi returned the greeting solemnly: "Please rest assured, sir!"

Wang Feng: "We will win!"

"We will win!"

The next day dawned.

Ushijima Sadao woke up from his sleep.

He had only rested for less than two hours and looked extremely tired.

Hearing the sound of gunfire outside, Ushijima Sadao walked into the command post and saw the chief of staff issuing combat orders.

"attack!"

"Provide artillery cover and attack quickly. In half an hour, the aviation force will support you!"

Sadao Ushijima walked to the observation hole, picked up the telescope, and casually glanced at the surface of the Huai River.

"When did the attack begin?"

The chief of staff came over and spoke weakly, extremely tired: "An hour ago, at dawn, we launched the first round of attack."

He hasn't slept for two days.

Upon hearing that the division commander had woken up, the cook immediately brought a bowl of miso soup and a plate of sushi.

The soup was still steaming and looked incredibly delicious.

Of course, ordinary soldiers do not have such good treatment. This is a special meal for the lieutenant general division commander.

Ushijima Sadao didn't bother to wash his hands. He picked up a piece of sushi at random, put it in his mouth and swallowed it whole: "How was the battle today?"

When the matter was mentioned, the Chief of Staff became excited: "It's very strange."

"Since this morning, the Chinese troops on the other side of the river have not only shrunk their defenses, but their firepower has also been greatly reduced!"

Ushijima Sadao was concentrating on tasting the food and casually replied, "Are you out of ammunition and food?"

"In Shanghai and Nanjing, we bombed the supply lines, and the Chinese army was often forced to cease fire due to lack of ammunition. This was normal."

He said this while chewing his sushi.

The staff officer frowned, thought for a moment and shook his head: "I don't rule out this possibility, but I feel that this is a deliberate retreat!"

Ushijima Sadao raised an eyebrow: "Are you planning to back down?"

"Could it be that they are trying to lure us across the river?"

The staff officer nodded: "It's very likely!"

"In Chinese military books, there are many tactics that involve pretending to be defeated while actually deploying ambushes in the rear."

Ushijima Sadao hesitated and turned to look at the battle map.

"As long as we cross the Huai River, we are only a hundred kilometers away from Xuzhou."

"The route is mostly plains, there is no place to hide ambushes!"

"Besides, the order issued by the General Staff is to cross the Huai River, deploy troops on the northern line, and capture Xuzhou."

"The Chinese army has already given up the Huai River. We cannot hesitate!"

The chief of staff was still a little worried: "But according to the pre-war survey intelligence, the river network is dense to the north of the Huai River. Not only will our tank regiment and heavy artillery units be unable to deploy, but they may also get stuck in the mud, slowing down the march."

Ushijima Sadao frowned and couldn't help but take it seriously.

Although he looked down on the Chinese military from the bottom of his heart, what the Chief of Staff said was not without reason.

No one who can reach the position of division commander is a fool.

Even a fool would not command his troops to charge head-on into the enemy when he knows that the enemy might be ambushing him.

"The infantry will cross the river first, the field artillery regiment will be deployed at the rear, and the tank regiment will be placed on the flanks. Do not participate in any battle until the enemy is fully exposed!"

Chief of Staff: “Hayi!”

Ushijima Sadao clenched his fists.

The north bank of the Huai River is covered with swamps, which is indeed a disadvantage for the attacking side.

But in his opinion, if only light infantry participated in the battle, assisted by aerial firepower reconnaissance and strikes, the Chinese army would still be crushed.

The quagmire does not recognize anyone.

Our own soldiers can easily get trapped, and so can Chinese soldiers.

Ushijima Sadao shook his head, a scornful smile appearing on his face.

The Chinese people's weak physical fitness and poor military skills were nothing compared to the imperial army.

"It seems that the Chinese have not yet understood that failure is not just about weapons and equipment technology."

"Extremely stupid!"

(End of this chapter)