Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 128 The Encirclement Begins

Headquarters of the 20th Army Corps, 50 li south of Zaozhuang
Tang Enbo, commander of the 20th Army Corps, paced back and forth in the command post with his hands behind his back, looking extremely conflicted.

A few hours earlier, he had received a telegram from Li Zongren. The contents of the telegram were very stern, and even he was somewhat frightened after reading it.

He asked the operations staff again, "Has that group of Japanese troops behind ours not left yet?"

"No." The operations staff officer shook his head: "Our cavalry just sent word that the Japanese cavalry unit is still lingering behind our main force."

Tang Enbo frowned. "Have you tried sending troops to drive them away?"

The staff officer looked troubled: "We've tried... but they don't even engage us. They retreat as soon as they see our cavalry, and then they come back after we leave, like a piece of chewing gum."

Tang Enbo's distressed expression deepened, and he couldn't help but complain, "Our Commander Li only knows how to urge me to attack Taierzhuang, but he doesn't know our actual situation. Once we take action, the Japanese troops behind us will close in, and then we will be attacked from both sides. The 20th Army Corps will be in danger."

Guan Linzheng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but shout, "Commander, I am willing to lead the 52nd Army on a solo attack. If I fail to complete the mission, I am willing to accept military punishment!"

"You bastard!" Tang Enbo roared, "How can matters of national importance be treated like child's play? It doesn't matter if you die, but what about the more than 20,000 soldiers of the 52nd Army? Are you going to send them to their deaths with you?"
We've spotted the Japanese army behind us. If we're wiped out, we won't be able to hold Taierzhuang either!

Guan Linzheng was getting anxious and wanted to continue speaking, but he was pulled away by Wang Zhonglian, the commander of the 85th Army.

Just as Tang Enbo was about to continue observing, a communications officer rushed over, "Sir... a telegram from Chairman Chiang Kai-shek."

Tang Enbo's expression changed drastically. "What did the Chairman say?"

"Strive for merit...annihilate the stubborn enemy!"

Tang Enbo's expression immediately became excited. He pointed his index finger to the sky and said, "Pass on my orders: Guan Linzheng's 52nd Army, Zheng Dongguo's 2nd Division, Zhang Yaoming's 25th Division, Wang Zhonglian's 85th Army, Chen Daqing's 4th Division, Zhang Xuezhong's 89th Division, the 13th Army, and Zhang Zhen's 110th Division, immediately march south at full speed according to the corps' orders and advance to Taierzhuang!"

On April 3, 1938, Tang Enbo led the 20th Army Corps in an attack on the 16th and 10th Divisions, which were fiercely attacking Taierzhuang, under the orders of Li Zongren, the commander of the Fifth War Zone.

Normally, Tang Enbo wouldn't have dared to attack two divisions at the same time even if he had ten times the courage, but things are different now.

The 10th Division had already been weakened by the continuous fierce battles with the 31st Division and the Nanjing Security Regiment, and the 16th Division was still fighting fiercely with the Nanjing Security Regiment in Taierzhuang. They were completely unprepared for this new force that came out from behind and were caught off guard.

"it is good!"

Bai Chongxi slammed his hand on the table, his joy evident, and exclaimed.

"This Tang Enbo has finally stood up for himself."

Li Zongren, standing to the side, disagreed, saying, "In my opinion, if the Chairman hadn't sent him a telegram, this guy probably wouldn't have launched an attack."

“That’s true.” Bai Chongxi agreed, then sighed softly, “I heard that Mingxi has been fighting hard in Taierzhuang these days, this will finally relieve some of the pressure on him.”

"Yes," Li Zongren said with emotion, "In the past few days, Nakajima Kesago has mobilized hundreds of batches of aircraft to launch a massive bombardment of Taierzhuang, along with dozens of heavy artillery pieces on the ground, and more than 20,000 infantrymen have launched attacks in shifts."

An attack of this scale would be too much for a mere security regiment, let alone a central army unit. It's surprising that Mingxi managed to hold out.

Not only did they hold their ground, but they also achieved the feat of shooting down more than twenty aircraft and over three thousand Japanese soldiers… Remarkable, truly remarkable!” Bai Chongxi also said with some regret, “This lad is a good one, it’s just a pity he has the same bad temper as me.”

"Hahaha..." Li Zongren couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

After laughing, he looked at Bai Chongxi and said, "Jiansheng... now it's time for us to make our move."

“Indeed.” Bai Chongxi nodded. “The time is ripe. We can issue the following orders.”

"it is good!"

Li Zongren walked to his desk, picked up the phone, shook it twice, and said in a deep voice, "This is Li Zongren... I now order... to launch a full-scale attack according to the original plan, with the target being Taierzhuang!"

"Yes... target Taierzhuang... attack immediately!"

With a command from Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, the entire Fifth War Zone began to mobilize.

The 40th and 59th Armies located in Linyi, the 22nd Army Group in Bengbu, the 21st Army Group in Yanzhou, the 3rd Army Group in Qishan, and the 2nd Army Group in Xuzhou all launched fierce counterattacks against the Japanese army.

In an instant, the entire Xuzhou area was engulfed in war. Within a single day, the North China Area Army Headquarters, where Terauchi Hisaichi was located, received countless telegrams from the Japanese army requesting tactical guidance.

Of course, as the commander of the North China Area Army, Terauchi Hisaichi knew that most of the attacks on the Japanese army were just a facade, and that there was only one place that really needed his attention: the 10th and 16th Divisions located in Taierzhuang.

In the office of the North China Area Army Headquarters in Beiping, Terauchi Hisaichi was standing in front of a military map with a scale of 100,000 to 1, intently drawing on it with red and blue pencils.

After a while, when he finished drawing and took a closer look, even he gasped in surprise.

On the small island of Taierzhuang, countless red arrows representing the National Revolutionary Army were rushing toward the blue circles representing the Japanese Army.

上面不仅有第二十军团的第110、2、25、4、89等五个师共七万多精锐国军从后面朝台儿庄直扑过来。

Ahead of them was the Nanjing Security Regiment, which had severely damaged the Sixth Division in the Nanjing area, and next to it was the Thirty-first Division under the Second Army Group.

By this calculation, seven divisions, totaling 100,000 troops, have now surrounded these two divisions.

In normal times, at their peak, the 10th and 16th Divisions wouldn't have been afraid of even a few more divisions, let alone 100,000 men.

But things are different now. The 10th Division has been decimated, and the 16th Division is exhausted both physically and mentally after several days of fierce fighting.

Now they are suddenly surrounded by the Chinese army. If they can only retain 60% of their original strength, how can they withstand the siege of 100,000 troops?

"Immediately order the 10th and 16th Divisions to turn towards Linyi and join forces with the 5th Division to begin constructing fortifications on the spot."

Also, tell Isogai Rensuke and Nakajima Kesago that the operation must be swift and there must be no delay!

"Hai!"

(End of this chapter)