Quartermasters can also fight the devils

The Japanese 3rd Division and the Japanese 6th Division only arrived at the Miluo River after four days of hard fighting. However, just as the officers and soldiers of the two divisions were preparing to cross the river via the pontoon bridge, the New 22nd Army troops, which had already arrived at the flank of the Miluo River, began to attack the Japanese troops preparing to cross the Miluo River.

For a while, artillery shells fired by the New 22nd Army's artillery units kept falling around the more than ten pontoon bridges built by the Japanese army on the Miluo River, raising water columns more than ten meters high and taking away several Japanese officers and soldiers who were quickly passing through the pontoon bridges.

However, fortunately for the officers and soldiers of the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions, the defensive forces that had stayed behind on the pontoon bridge of the Miluo River temporarily blocked the attack of the Chinese army and prevented the Chinese army's infantry troops from rushing to the side of the pontoon bridge to block it.

Therefore, the remnants of the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions resisted the infantry attacks of the New 22nd Army while braving the artillery fire of the New 22nd Army and quickly rushed across the pontoon bridge. However, these two divisions of the Japanese Army also left more than 2,000 lives of officers and soldiers on the banks of the Miluo River.

Afterwards, the troops of the New 22nd Army successfully occupied the four pontoon bridges that the Japanese army had no time to destroy, followed the retreating footsteps of the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions, rushed across the Miluo River, and launched a fierce attack on the retreating Japanese troops.

The Japanese 3rd and 6th divisions also ignored the entanglement of the New 22nd Army behind them. The commander of the Japanese 3rd Division, Lieutenant General Toyoshima Futaro, and the commander of the Japanese 6th Division, Lieutenant General Kanda Masatane, commanded their respective troops and ran desperately towards the Xinqiang River without looking back. As for blocking the Chinese army chasing behind? What a joke, with the current strength and situation of the troops, how could they possibly stop the attack of the Chinese army?

From the Miluo River to the Xinqiang River, the officers and soldiers of the Japanese 3rd Division and the Japanese 6th Division completed the retreat in just one day. The speed of their retreat made the various Chinese troops that had been chasing them sigh in admiration. After all the Japanese troops had retreated to the north bank of the Xinqiang River, the troops of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government also stopped their pursuit one after another.

Commander Xue, commander of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government, also ordered all troops to build the defense line of the Xinqiang River now, and at the same time, to clear out the Japanese troops that have not yet withdrawn to the north bank of the Xinqiang River.

Lieutenant General Anami Korechika, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, looked at the miserable appearance of the three division commanders in front of him, Lieutenant General Kanda Masatane, commander of the 6th Division of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Toyoshima Fusataro, commander of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, and Lieutenant General Aoki Seiichi, commander of the 40th Division of the Japanese Army. He knew that he had been defeated miserably in this Battle of Changsha.

Lieutenant General Anami Korechika, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, simply encouraged the three division commanders and asked them to quickly count the losses of the troops. The propaganda agencies of the Chinese government would definitely make a big fuss about this victory, and they had to prepare countermeasures on their side so as not to embarrass the Empire of Japan.

However, when the Japanese 11th Army Commander Lieutenant General Anami Korechika received the casualty statistics of each unit the next day, he was completely stunned.

In the Battle of Changsha, more than 33,000 officers and soldiers of the Japanese 11th Army were killed, more than 23,000 were injured, and 1,362 were missing.

You know, the fundamental reason for launching the Changsha Campaign was to cooperate with the Japanese 23rd Army's attack on Hong Kong Island and to tie down the Chinese government's troops so that they could not go south to reinforce the British troops in Hong Kong Island. As a result, the casualties of the Japanese 11th Army's original auxiliary operations were more than 2.5 times that of the 23rd Army attacking Hong Kong Island. This is truly an unacceptable result.

Moreover, this battle resulted in so many casualties among officers and soldiers, but in the end, not an inch of land controlled by the Chinese government was occupied. This made the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Anami Korechika, know that his transfer order would probably arrive soon. Someone must bear the consequences of this disastrous defeat, and he is the most suitable person.

Commander Xue, commander of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government, was also looking at the losses of his troops in the Battle of Changsha. However, compared to Lieutenant General Anami Korechika, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Commander Xue looked much more relaxed.

In the just-concluded Third Battle of Changsha, more than 11,000 soldiers from the various units of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government were killed, and more than 16,000 were injured. However, these losses were very worthwhile for the gains.

In the Third Battle of Changsha, five Japanese regiment commanders, five battalion commanders, and four squadron commanders were killed. As for the platoon leaders and other officers, there were even more. In addition, the Japanese squadron commander Matsuno Eikichi and 139 other officers and soldiers were captured.

The great victory in the Battle of Changsha also made the top government leaders very happy. At this critical moment when foreign aid is really needed, the top government leaders also hope to win a big victory to let other countries see the strength and value of the Chinese army. Only in this way can Britain and the United States continue to provide economic and military assistance to the Chinese government.

Therefore, when the Japanese army just withdrew to the north bank of the Xinqiang River, the highest level of the government ordered the Military Affairs Department to organize reporters from major newspapers and reporters from the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France to go to Changsha for on-site interviews, so that reporters and officials from these countries could have a good look at this great victory. You know, the Japanese army is now constantly winning victories in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Against such a background, the Chinese government can still defeat the arrogant Japanese army. What a great propaganda point this is.

Commander Xue, commander of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government, also understood the intention of the highest level of the government very well. Therefore, Commander Xue understood the intention and issued an order: all troops must not clean up the battlefield before the interview team arrives.

At noon on the second day after the end of the third Changsha Battle, all reporters arrived in Changsha City on the transport planes of the Chinese Air Force. Commander Xue of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government also sent Zhao Zili, director of the General Staff Department of the Ninth War Zone Command, to accompany them throughout the trip and introduce the battlefield situation to all reporters.

Director Zhao Zili was extremely happy after receiving the order. He loved doing this kind of proud work. So, Director Zhao took the reporters to every battlefield to take pictures and watch, and introduced the situation of each battle in detail to the reporters.

When foreign reporters saw the bodies of Japanese officers and soldiers scattered all over the battlefield, they were all excited and took pictures frantically with their cameras. When they learned that the Chinese army had captured more than one hundred Japanese officers and soldiers, all the reporters asked to see the prisoners.

Director Zhao Zili also readily agreed, but Director Zhao also stated righteously that China was a country invaded by Japan, and the purpose of the Chinese army's combat was not to capture prisoners, but to completely drive the Japanese army out of China. Therefore, Director Zhao also expressed a little regret that "several" seriously injured Japanese prisoners had died, and hoped that everyone would not take it too seriously.

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