Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 119 The whole army attacks
The great victory won by the 31st Army on the north bank of Wohe River really poured cold water on the rapidly advancing th Division.

Ushijima Sadao had no choice but to stop and stand on the south bank of the Xihe River. He reluctantly withdrew his troops to support the 13th Division which had suffered heavy losses.

After two reorganized regiments were transferred away, a huge gap appeared in the formation.

At the same time, after a brief repair, the North China Battle Group, led by Wang Feng, quickly penetrated into the center of the Japanese army from the flank.

July 2th night.

The army marched quickly across the endless plain.

Wang Feng temporarily abandoned the white horse and took a jeep instead.

"What's the situation with the 31st Army?"

Inside the swaying car, the roar of the engine and the sound of conversation were mixed together.

Zhao Fangyuan sat in the co-pilot seat, holding a stack of telegrams in his hand. With the dim light of the flashlight, he could barely make out the words on them.

"Sir, the 31st Army has temporarily blocked the reinforcements from the th Division with the help of the Beifei River, but they are attacked from both sides and I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long."

Wang Feng: "Give me the map!"

The guard sitting next to him barely held up a map.

Wang Feng turned on the flashlight and silently guessed the situation on the battlefield.

If the news is correct, the main forces of the 18th Division are deployed on the south bank of the Xi River and the north bank of the Fei River.

If you flip the map over, you will find that the Japanese troop deployment is like a person with his arms outstretched and waving his fists.

Although the attack seemed fierce, airtight and suffocating, in fact the door was wide open and extremely vulnerable.

Wang Feng frowned and asked, "Where is the First Red Flag Regiment?"

Zhao Fangyuan quickly replied: "According to the last reply half an hour ago, the First Red Flag Corps is currently in the northeast, about five kilometers away."

(Yellow represents the Japanese army, blue represents friendly forces, and red represents the First Red Flag Mountain Infantry Regiment, abbreviated as the First Red Flag Regiment.)
As he spoke, Zhao Fangyuan drew a circle on the map.

As the vanguard, Zhang Hu's troops set out ahead of the main force and left the temporary base while it was still day.

Wang Feng blinked and shifted his consciousness from the real world to the three-dimensional combat map.

Then immediately pull the perspective.

As the troops marched to this point, they were completely stuck between the Japanese army's flanks.

The designated battlefield is very small, and the detection distance of thirty kilometers in radius is enough to cover half of the area.

Judging from various information, the battle situation has become very clear, and the deployment of every Japanese soldier is under Wang Feng's control.

This big net has been built for so long, it's time to close it!

"Zhao Fangyuan!"

"exist!"

Wang Feng cleared his throat, his face solemn: "Please remember, I have made the following deployment adjustments to each department."

"The 59th Army will deploy its main forces from east to west, deploying an equal width offensive line to launch a continuous, all-out offensive against the th Division. This offensive must last until at least a.m. tomorrow!"

"The entire Red Flag 1st Corps will be dispatched to attack the rear of the 18th Division using a multi-point breakthrough and rapid penetration combat method."

"The 51st Army mobilizes all its manpower to launch a surprise attack on the flank of the th Division before a.m.! Support the main battlefield."

"The 31st Army will stabilize the southern battlefield and use one division to block the th Division. The other two divisions will do their best to attack the th Division's support unit."

"Prepare a corps, adopt the same attack method, and fight in coordination!"

Zhao Fangyuan held the notebook in one hand and took notes while listening.

Wang Feng lowered his eyes in deep thought. After confirming that many of the arrangements were correct, he raised his eyes and said, "Repeat it to me!"

Zhao Fangyuan lowered his head to glance at the notebook, and in a short period of time, he had memorized all the contents.

"The main force of the 51st Army will attack the th Division on an equal-width front."

"The 59th Army attacks the flank!"

"The First Red Flag Corps penetrated and broke through the flank of the Eighteenth Division!"

"The 31st Army will stabilize the southern front, mobilize the elite main forces of two divisions, and join forces with the First Reserve Corps to attack the th Division's support unit!"

Wang Feng nodded.

Zhao Fangyuan looked at the words on the notebook, frowning: "Sir, how should the artillery unit be deployed?"

Wang Feng looked out the window and saw the vehicle quickly overtaking a Type 91 howitzer pulled by two mules and horses.

"Deploy the mountain artillery and infantry artillery units in the direction of the Red Flag First Corps, and the mortar units to support the Reserve First Corps."

"The heavy artillery units and command posts will be deployed six kilometers ahead!"

Zhao Fangyuan has a strong shorthand ability. As soon as he finished speaking, he put on the pen cap and said, "Yes!"

Then he leaned out of the window and shouted loudly: "Signalman!"

"Signal Corps!"

"Sir!" The sound of horse hooves was heard, and the signalman caught up with the jeep and took the notebook handed over by Zhao Fangyuan.

"All telegrams must be sent within ten minutes!"

The signalman pulled the reins and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

"drive!"

Outside the window, the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away. Wang Feng leaned back in the seatback, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently performed a sand table simulation in his mind.

The atmosphere inside the car was also very heavy, with only the roar of the engine as the only sound.

A heavy mood filled the hearts of several people.

Although the situation is very good, this is a battle that determines the fate of the Fifth War Zone. No one dares to take it lightly until the last moment.

Zhao Fangyuan spoke up, breaking the dull atmosphere: "Sir, how should the 13th Division deal with this?"

If the combat deployment just now could be implemented smoothly, the 18th Division would be deeply surrounded. If it advances steadily and digests the enemy slowly, it will definitely suffer heavy losses.

But it is hard to say about the 13th Division.

Always stay on the periphery and face the enemy. Once you find that the situation is not right, you can evacuate the battlefield to the south at any time.

It's such a pity to let such a big piece of fat meat fly away from your mouth.

Wang Feng opened his eyes and said confidently: "Don't worry, the 13th Division won't get away!"

"Believe it or not, as long as the 18th Division is in a critical situation, we don't even need to lure the enemy. The 13th Division will jump into the encirclement on its own."

Zhao Fangyuan became more and more confused as he listened, and scratched his head: "Sir, what do you mean?"

Wang Feng smiled and said: "As the Art of War says, if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger!"

"In the entire Huaibei battlefield, the Japanese army only has these two field mobile forces. The 18th Division is imprisoned, and the 13th Division will definitely not stand idly by."

"Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted."

"The Japanese want a quick victory and will not accept defeat. The 18th Division is the bait!"

"This nation loves gambling the most. As long as there is a little hope, they will put all their chips on the line."

Zhao Fangyuan suddenly realized.

Except for the grassroots soldiers, many middle and lower-level officers were unfamiliar with Japan at the beginning of the war.

I have only heard of the name of this country in rumors, but rarely see the Japanese in person, let alone deal with them.

The vehicle drove onto a muddy road, and the engine roared to the maximum, but the speed did not increase.

Wang Feng looked down at the time.

23:14
"Inform all units to speed up. You must arrive at the designated location within an hour and a half!"

The 1st 'Red Flag' Mountain Tactical Corps.

The soldiers stood in an open space and examined the weapons in their hands.

The war was imminent, the battle order had been passed down, and everyone knew what kind of battle was going to take place next. A Japanese Type A division.

Half a year ago, it could have swept across half of Shanxi.

An existence that frightened many generals.

Even though it has fallen into a "quagmire", as Japan's most powerful comprehensive field unit, its strength cannot be underestimated.

A complete logistics system, fierce artillery support capabilities, and integrated air-ground coordinated strikes.

But any one of them is beyond the reach of the domestic military.

But even so, there was no fear in the soldiers' eyes.

Aren’t they just the Japanese?
Since following Commander Wang, I have never lost a battle!

Zhang Hu quickly climbed up the makeshift platform and looked at the faces of the soldiers below in the moonlight.

Not a single wimp!

He is worthy of being the soldier I trained personally!
Just have guts!

Zhang Hu smiled, put his hands on his waist, and acted like a mountain king, unruly and uninhibited.

"Brothers! You all know me. I can't say polite words or polite remarks, and I don't want to say them!"

"We are all brothers who have fought together. I will tell you straight out that many people will die in the upcoming battle!"

"But I hope that everyone can die in a decent manner in their own position. We men should not die in a cowardly way, like eunuchs!"

"Did you hear that?"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices reaching the sky: "Die like a fool!"

"Fuck the Japs!"

Zhang Hu nodded, feeling very satisfied.

"set off!"

After the pre-war mobilization was completed, the 1st Red Flag Corps was ready to go and immediately moved to the rear of the 18th Division.

2 month 9 day.

0:34
The 18th Division Command Post at this time.

Ushijima Sadao had a gloomy face and stared at the battle map in front of him.

The Chinese troops on the north bank of the Xihe River suddenly seemed to go crazy and launched a large-scale all-out attack on their own troops on the south bank.

The 18th Division is a four-unit division with two brigades and four regiments.

When fully staffed, the front-line combat force is as high as more than 16,000 people, and including logistics troops, the total number is nearly 25,000.

But because of the damn 13th Division, it suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Chinese army.

Under pressure from the Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters, he had to withdraw nearly half of his troops to support friendly forces.

If the losses caused by the lack of replenishment before are taken into account, the front-line combat troops currently staying on the south bank of the Xihe River have a strength of less than 8,000 people.

The air force does not have the ability to fight at night, and in the absence of air support, it was unable to withstand the sudden and fierce attack of the Chinese army.

Chief of Staff Takahiko Iwata stood silently by the side, with a cloud of doubt in his heart.

There seemed to be a smell of conspiracy in the air.

It's so abnormal!

Judging from previous performance, the Chinese army on the north bank of the Xie River was a defeated army.

It is not easy to reorganize in a short period of time.

It is simply impossible to launch such a thorough and fierce all-out attack.

After thinking about it, there is only one possibility.

——Everything before was just an illusion. This is actually a trap!
Iwata Takahiko frowned: "Sir, should we mobilize the tank regiment to fill the vacancy on the flank?"

Ushijima Sadao had expected this a little bit, but he was not panicked at all: "Yes! Let's do it!"

"I want to let the Chinese army know that no matter how many soldiers there are or how big their army is, they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. They think they can completely control the situation with a little cleverness, but they don't know that in the face of absolutely powerful strength, all conspiracies and tricks are in vain."

His tone was so cold when he spoke that it made people shudder.

Flesh and blood cannot defeat steel.

This is the powerful confidence brought by advanced military weapons.

Iwata Takahiko nodded: "Yay!"

While the two were discussing specific countermeasures, a staff officer came running over.

"Sir, battle report from the front line!"

Iwata Takahiko took a step forward, took a quick look and his face froze.

"Sir, our flank was attacked by an enemy force numbering several thousand."

Ushijima Sadao immediately said: "Order the troops to counterattack immediately, the artillery aim and fire at all elements, and provide long-range fire cover!"

Iwata Takahiko hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, would you like to request the aviation brigade to provide us with airdrop support at daybreak?"

Ushijima Sadao thought for a moment and said, "Agreed. Send a telegram to the rear immediately!"

1:12
Wang Feng led the battle group's direct troops to the designated command location.

This place has an excellent geographical location, located at the bottom of a small hill. From a bird's eye view, you can directly observe the north and south banks of the Hehe River.

After the troops arrived, the artillery immediately set up heavy artillery positions.

Inside the command post.

Wang Feng transferred his consciousness to the three-dimensional combat map.

Looking at the densely packed dots from the bird's-eye view, that long-lost feeling comes back again.

The progress of the 1st Red Flag Corps was relatively smooth. The entire corps was marching covertly and was about to reach the rear of the 18th Division.

Zoom out a little further.

He had a clear view of the combat situation of the 59th Army.

The continuous batch attacks attracted most of the main forces of the Japanese army.

Under the conditions of marching throughout the night, the 18th Division would never have thought that a Chinese army would quietly penetrate into its hinterland.

To be honest, this tactic seems smart, but when it is actually implemented, it feels like dancing on a tightrope.

Once the whereabouts are discovered in advance.

The first to be surrounded were not the Japanese troops.

Zhao Fangyuan strode over and interrupted Wang Feng's thoughts.

"Sir, prepare a routine report for the corps!"

"Read!"

Zhao Fangyuan took out a telegram and said, "Our troops have arrived at the designated combat area. After sending this telegram, we will immediately assist our friendly forces and attack the target enemy!"

Wang Feng nodded: "Okay!"

"So far, there haven't been any major leaks. Any news from Sergei?"

Zhao Fangyuan took out another telegram.

According to regulations, subordinate troops will send telegrams to the enemy headquarters every twenty minutes to routinely report the latest battle situation.

Although Wang Feng rarely used it, he still required that this rule be strictly enforced.

"Fifteen minutes ago, the Japanese tank regiment moved at full speed to the northwest. The scouts lacked transportation and were out of touch with the Japanese tank unit. The unit is currently out of surveillance, but we can roughly infer that it is moving towards the Xihe River!"

(End of this chapter)