Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Therefore, Commander Gu of the Third War Zone of the Chinese government began to adjust the deployment of troops in the Third War Zone in accordance with the orders from the highest level of the government.

Commander General Gu of the Third War Zone first deployed a small number of troops in the Third War Zone to the western section of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway to prevent the attack of the Japanese 11th Army and serve as a warning. Then, he ordered the main force of the Third War Zone to be deployed in the Quzhou area of ​​the eastern section of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, waiting for the right time to engage in a decisive battle with the offensive forces of the Japanese 13th Army.

In addition, part of the troops of the Third War Zone were ordered to withdraw to the two wings of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Line after blocking the enemy at each step in the eastern section of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Line. After the Japanese attacking forces penetrated into the Quzhou area, these troops penetrated into the rear of the Japanese 13th Army, engaged in guerrilla warfare and sabotage warfare, and paralyzed the transportation and supply of the Japanese 13th Army.

However, just as Commander-in-Chief Gu of the Third War Zone readjusted the deployment and various troops were urgently moving according to the latest deployment, the attack of the Japanese 13th Army also began.

On May 14, 1942, the troops of the Japanese 13th Army assembled on the front line launched attacks on the area controlled by the Third War Zone. The main attack direction of the Japanese army was concentrated on the eastern section of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Road.

The 116th Division of the Japanese Army began its operation from Fenghua and Xikou areas that night, and attacked towards Yongkang via Jianshan Town and Anwen Town. The 116nd Division of the Japanese Army went south along the Cao'e River from Shangyu on the next morning, and attacked towards Dongyang via Sanjie and Shengxian. The 116th Division crossed the Puyang River near Xiaoshan on the second night, and attacked south along the west bank towards Pujiang. The th Division set out from Fuyang and attacked towards Jiande along the west bank of the Fuyang River. The rd Division followed the th Division from Fuyang and advanced behind the th Division.

The Chinese government's Third War Zone defenders were temporarily organized into the Ninth Army, the Eighty-eighth Army, the Fifth Reserve Division and other units. Facing the Japanese attack, they resisted step by step in accordance with the requirements of the Third War Zone Command, fighting and retreating at the same time.

The Japanese army learned that the main forces of the three war zones were gathering between Anhua Street, Changle and Yiwu, and judged that the intention of the three war zones was to guard Jinhua and Lanxi, so they decided to still focus the main attack direction on the above areas, preparing to capture and annihilate the Chinese troops near Anhua, Changle and Yiwu.

On May 18, after Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, issued the attack order, in order to demonstrate his importance to this battle, he took a large motorboat on the Puyang River towards Linpu.

Unexpectedly, when the motorboat was traveling near Yiqiao, it suddenly triggered a mine. The motorboat carrying Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, was sunk on the spot. Dozens of commanding officers of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army were killed and injured on the spot. After suffering such a major accident, the headquarters of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army had to stay near Yiqiao.

What's even more tragic is that the commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru, had poor eyesight to begin with. He could only barely see the state of things before, and now he was frightened like this, his nerves were stimulated, and his eyes could not see anything.

The incident with Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, immediately made all the Japanese troops feel that they were in a disadvantageous situation. The war had just begun, and the highest commander on their side was not only hit by the bomb, but also blinded. All this seemed to indicate that the 13th Army of the Japanese Army was destined to be very unsuccessful in this battle.

The commander of the China Expeditionary Army, Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, was also helpless when he learned that the commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, was blinded after the bombing. You know, changing generals in the middle of a battle is a taboo in military strategy. What's more, the commander of the China Expeditionary Army, Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, did not have a suitable candidate to replace the commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada.

In fact, the relationship between Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, and Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, commander of the China Expeditionary Army, was not good. As early as July 1939, the current Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, used Prince Zaihito's seal to oust Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, who was then sitting in the position of Army Minister.

Although before the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Japanese Army, and Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, commander of the China Expeditionary Army, reached a consensus on how to use troops, but this does not mean that Lieutenant General Shunroku Hata, commander of the China Expeditionary Army, did not want to take this opportunity to take revenge on Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Japanese Army.

Since the commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Sawada Shigeru, is now blind, he has not yet requested to resign, and since he can still continue to command, the commander of the China Expeditionary Army, Lieutenant General Hata Shunroku, has decided not to send anyone to replace him.

However, the reason why Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, did not propose to resign and return to the rear for rest was that he was very confident in his abilities at that time, and Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, was indeed quite capable. Although he is blind now, the deployment of this operation has been fully imprinted in his mind. As long as the battle situation does not change too much, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Army of the Japanese Army, is confident that he has the ability to control and grasp the situation on the battlefield.

The reconnaissance unit of the 13th Japanese Army discovered that the troops of the Third War Zone of the Chinese Government were gathering in the area between Anhua Street, Changle and Yiwu. Therefore, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Japanese Army, judged that the troops of the Third War Zone of the Chinese Government should be preparing to guard Jinhua and Lanxi. Therefore, the blind commander of the 13th Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, decided to keep the focus of the attack on the left wing.

Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada, commander of the 13th Japanese Army, hoped to capture and destroy the main forces of the Chinese government's Third War Zone near Anhua, Changle and Yiwu in one fell swoop.

The battle lasted until May 24th. After the 9th Army of the Third War Zone of the Chinese government dealt a certain blow to the Japanese army in its existing positions near Changle and Dongyang, and the 88th Army in its existing positions in Anhua, Yiwu and Pujiang, they followed the order of the Third War Zone Command to move to both sides of the Dongyong Highway and the area north of Jinhua, and carried out flank attacks, ambushes and containment of the attacking Japanese army.

The Fifth Reserve Division of the Third War Zone of the Chinese government, on the north-south line between Lanxi and Zhixia, firmly blocked the advance of the Japanese 13th Army's offensive forces, and then moved to the southeast of Jiande in accordance with the order of the Third War Zone Command.

As a result, the 70th Division of the Japanese Army turned northwest from Yongkang and advanced to the area west of Xiaoshun. After occupying Dongyang and Yongkang, the 22nd Division of the Japanese Army turned west to the northwest of Wuyi. The Kono Brigade advanced to the southeast of Jinhua. The 15th Division advanced to the area west of Xiaoshun after occupying Xiaoshun.

In this way, the offensive forces of the Japanese 13th Army had reached the outer areas of Jinhua and Lanxi, and formed a three-sided encirclement of Jinhua.

(Thanks to the gift support from Wei Guogong who only eats dumplings without vinegar, and Kun Zuo who loves to eat clams with garlic sauce! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)