Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Zhang Wenwu lit a cigarette and took two puffs before saying to Ouyang Heng, "Brother Ouyang, according to the route reported by the death squad, Staff Officer Hao met the Japanese major general at the edge of the camp. When they opened fire, the commander of the 9th Division, Yoshizumi Ryosuke, must have reacted immediately. He had two choices: one was to immediately organize the Japanese troops in the camp to block the attack of the death squad, and the other was to run away with his men."

Ouyang Heng nodded. He thought what Zhang Wenwu said was right, so he immediately added: "From the feedback from the suicide squad officers and soldiers, the Japanese army did not organize an effective defense in the camp. Basically, there were scattered Japanese soldiers fighting on their own. This shows that the commander of the 9th Division, Yoshizumi Ryosuke, did not organize troops to defend in the first place."

"That's right. That means Yoshizumi Ryosuke must have fled with his men when the suicide squad attacked. But if Yoshizumi Ryosuke fled, the closest place to the Japanese command center would be Hue Gate. Yoshizumi Ryosuke should have wanted to go to Hue Gate to organize troops to rescue the division headquarters. But this doesn't explain why the Japanese army didn't launch an attack that day. Logically speaking, Yoshizumi Ryosuke should have been angry and humiliated. Even if he wasn't so angry, he couldn't have stopped his troops from attacking for a day. This doesn't make sense." Zhang Wenwu analyzed according to Ouyang Heng's words.

Ouyang Heng couldn't think of a reasonable reason to explain the current situation. He said to himself: "Yes, the Japanese army's behavior is too abnormal. The suicide squad just sneaked into their headquarters and captured a major general. This does not affect Yoshizumi Ryosuke's command of the Japanese army. It's not that Yoshizumi Ryosuke was captured. This is too strange."

After hearing Ouyang Heng's mumbling, Zhang Wenwu suddenly thought of a small possibility, so he said to Ouyang Heng: "Brother Ouyang, do you think it is possible that Yoshizumi Ryosuke had an accident at Hue Gate?"

Ouyang Heng was also stunned when he heard Zhang Wenwu's words. The Japanese army had occupied Hue Gate long ago. It was also the rear of the Japanese army. What could have happened to Yoshizumi Ryosuke there? Could it be that the special forces battalion that was harassing the Japanese army in the rear killed Yoshizumi Ryosuke? No way, could the harassment troops of the special forces battalion run to such a far place as Hue Gate to shoot from behind?

"Division Commander, do you mean that the people from the special forces battalion shot Yoshizumi Ryosuke at the Hue Gate?" Ouyang Heng asked in disbelief.

Zhang Wenwu also knew that this possibility was extremely low, but based on the simulated trajectory of Yoshizumi Ryosuke's movements and the abnormal behavior of the Japanese army, it seemed that this was the only possibility that could explain it.

"Brother Ouyang, how about this. You arrange for someone to go to the Japanese-occupied area to find the people from the special forces battalion and ask if any troops have been to Hue Gate and taken action. From the current analysis, only the actions of the special forces battalion can cause the abnormal behavior of the Japanese army." Zhang Wenwu decided to let Ouyang Heng send someone to the rear of the Japanese army to find the people from the special forces battalion and ask clearly. If Yoshizumi Ryosuke was really shot by the people from the special forces battalion, then the situation in Hongcheng would be stable.

Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, commander of the 106th Division of the Japanese Army in Wanjialing, was looking through a telescope at the Japanese planes in the sky. These were sent by the th Army Headquarters to airdrop supplies to them.

When the 106th Division sent a telegram to the 106th Army Headquarters requesting airdrops of food and ammunition, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura immediately instructed his Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, to have the Air Force organize transport planes to carry out this mission as soon as possible. He knew that the th Division did not bring much supplies in order to carry out the penetration attack.

Moreover, in order to enhance the combat capability of the 106th Division, Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura also organized a team of 106 officers, who would be airdropped to the th Division along with the transport plane.

After the Japanese transport plane flew over Wanjialing, it contacted the troops of the 106th Division on the ground. After seeing the signs made by the troops on the ground, the transport plane began to drop supplies continuously, and suddenly white flowers appeared in the sky.

However, Wanjialing is a mountainous area, and gusts of mountain wind often blow at low altitude, which blew the airdropped parachutes away from the designated airdrop area. This made Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, who was watching the airdrop with a telescope, so angry that he cursed loudly.

But his curse did not stop the mountain wind in Wanjialing at all. All the Japanese airdropped supplies fell on the positions of the Chinese troops outside who were helpless. This made the troops of the First Corps make a small fortune.

The most tragic ones were the 106 Japanese officers who were dropped down along with the supplies. They all fell into the positions of the encirclement of the First Corps. None of these Japanese soldiers could reach the th Division, and they were all wiped out by the troops of the First Corps.

Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, the chief of staff, almost vomited blood when he saw the telegram sent to him by the communications staff. He looked at Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji, who had a livid face, and then said the contents of the telegram with a bitter face: "Your Excellency the Commander, Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, the commander of the 106th Division, sent a telegram saying that the airdrop we organized for the 106th Division failed. The wind in the Wanjialing Mountains blew all the supplies onto the positions of the Chinese army, and the officers we sent out also died."

Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura listened to the report of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto with a grim face. He closed his eyes at the end. Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura was reflecting in his heart. Since when did he not hear any good news from the Nanxun Line? Ah, it started after the 101st Division launched the attack on Hongcheng.

Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji also said weakly to the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi: "Mr. Yoshimoto, I think I did something wrong. I should have sent the Hongcheng troops to rescue the 106th Division at that time, so that this terrible situation would not have occurred. It was me who failed to withstand the pressure from the headquarters."

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also wanted to comfort Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura, but before he could open his mouth, he saw the communications staff officer walking towards him quickly with a telegram in his hand, looking panicked. Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto's heart trembled. What kind of trouble was this again? Would it ever end?

"Commander, Chief of Staff, the Chief of Staff of the 101st Division, Fukutaro Nishiyama, sent a telegram." The communications staff officer quickly handed the telegram to the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, who had a very bad look on his face, and then turned and left. He could see that the two commanders were in a very bad mood, so he had to be careful.

"Mr. Yoshimoto, what happened in Hongcheng?" Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura really didn't want to hear the word Hongcheng now. He was now trying to avoid Hongcheng.

"Your Excellency the Commander, Major General Fukutaro Nishiyama has already deployed the troops of the 101st Division into the urban area of ​​Hongcheng. The troops of the th Division that were originally in the urban area have been withdrawn. Major General Fukutaro Nishiyama plans to send the troops of the th Division to the west bank of the Ganjiang River to contain the attack. In addition, he has also sent a search team outside the city to look for the Chinese army's sneak attack troops, hoping to find Major General Ishu Nobutoki, the commander of the th Brigade. Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Yoshisuke, the commander of the th Division, was hit by four bullets. Three bullets have been removed, but one bullet hit Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Yoshisuke's lung. Due to the poor medical environment on the front line, Major General Fukutaro Nishiyama has sent troops to escort Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Yoshisuke to De'an for treatment. He hopes that we will also send the best doctors to De'an to treat Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Yoshisuke." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto quickly repeated the contents of the telegram.

After listening to the contents of the telegram, Lieutenant General Okamura Ningji was satisfied with the arrangement made by Major General Nishiyama Fukutaro, but he also felt a little troubled about Yoshizumi Ryosuke's injury. The bumpy ride from Hongcheng to De'an could take Yoshizumi Ryosuke's life at any time, but he also knew that this was the only way at present.

Whether Yoshizumi Ryosuke can survive depends entirely on himself. Those of us who are still alive can only try our best to provide help. This is mostly for the benefit of the people and the headquarters, as well as for other officers in the army.

"Mr. Yoshimoto, please arrange for the best surgeon to fly to De'an immediately. As soon as Yoshizumi Ryosuke arrives in De'an, start the rescue with all your strength. We hope Lieutenant General Yoshizumi Ryosuke can hold on. We cannot afford to lose another division commander." Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura ordered the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto.

Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura is now considering one thing, which is to withdraw all the troops of the 101st Division and the 106th Division in Hongcheng and let them go north to rescue the 106th Division. He now knows very well that his troops on the Nanxun Line have been torn apart by the Chinese army, and he must give up the strategic goal of Hongcheng in order for the th Division to break through the encirclement of the Chinese army.

After Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto returned after arranging the tasks assigned by him, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura also told Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto about his decision.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto fully agreed with Lieutenant General Ningji Okamura's decision, and he quickly ordered the staff officers in the headquarters to quickly work out a detailed plan to withdraw all the troops in Hongcheng to rescue the 106th Division.

The battle at Wanjialing was extremely difficult. The remaining two Japanese troops had dug field fortifications in preparation for holding on and waiting for reinforcements. This caused the attacking forces of the First Corps to lose their previous speed in annihilating the enemy. In the absence of heavy firepower support, the officers and soldiers of the First Corps could only advance little by little, and every step forward came at a heavy cost in casualties.

In the First Corps headquarters, Commander Xue was also listening to the staff officer's report with a frown on his brow. He knew that the Japanese army was now determined to be cowards, and he had to concentrate his forces to eliminate one of the two Japanese armies first.

Commander Xue spent a long time selecting, and finally he chose the Japanese army with the commander of the 106th Division, Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura. Of course, Commander Xue did not know that the commander of the 106th Division, Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, was among this group of Japanese troops. If he knew that Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura was among this group of Japanese troops, he would probably choose this group of Japanese troops in the first attack. Who doesn't want to kill or capture a Japanese division commander alive? The temptation is extremely great.