Quartermasters can also fight the devils

The Chinese army is different in this respect. You should know that in addition to the five army groups of the Chinese government's Sixth War Zone and the 29th Army Group that has been crippled and gradually driven to the battlefield, there are at least two army groups reinforced from the Ninth War Zone. It is estimated that the total strength of the Chinese army will exceed 200,000 people, and the strength of the Chinese army can continue to increase.

Facing the Japanese 11th Army's 100,000-strong force without any backup, the Chinese government's Sixth War Zone's more than 200,000 troops were completely capable of dealing with it. If they fought well, they could even cause half of the casualties to the Japanese 11th Army's attacking force.

As for the 57th Division currently besieged in Changde by the attacking forces of the Japanese 11th Army, they would naturally try their best to rescue it. However, to put it cruelly, both Commander Sun, the acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, and Commander Xue, the commander of the Ninth War Zone, knew very well in their hearts that whether the 57th Division could be rescued would not affect the overall situation of the Changde Campaign.

Because at present, the more than 80,000 offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army have completely surrounded the 8,500 people of the 57th Division of the Chinese government in Changde City, but the 200,000 main forces of the Sixth War Zone and the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government outside Changde have counter-encircled the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

It can be said that the overall layout of the Chinese government and the 11th Army of the Japanese Army has been completed. The offensive force of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army will inevitably end in defeat. Even if the offensive force of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army can occupy Changde or even completely destroy the 57th Division of the Chinese government, it cannot change the fate of the failure of the offensive force of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army.

However, having said that, we are all members of the Chinese government's army, and no one can sit idly by and watch the 57th Division fight to the death in Changde.

Commander Sun, acting commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government, and Chief of Staff Guo of the War Zone believed that the best outcome of the Changde Campaign was that the Chinese troops on the periphery would be able to successfully defeat the encirclement of the Japanese 11th Army, forcing the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army to retreat across the board, while also being able to rescue the 57th Division trapped in Changde City.

However, Commander Sun, Acting Commander of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government, and Chief of Staff Guo of the War Zone also understood that whether this wish could be realized in the end was still an unknown. Based on past experience, the combat effectiveness of the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army still had an absolute advantage, and the possibility of the 57th Division escaping unscathed from the Battle of Changde was very small.

Of course, the longer the 57th Division can hold out in Changde City for one more day, the greater the possibility that the Chinese army will win the Battle of Changde, and the faster the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army will collapse. Therefore, even if the 57th Division is completely wiped out in Changde City, as long as the 57th Division can hold out long enough, it will still make a decisive contribution to the entire Battle of Changde.

The 57th Division, which was responsible for the defense of Changde, was actually not included in the 74th Army when it was formed at the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japan. At that time, the 74th Army only included the 51st Division and the 58th Division, two direct troops of the government.

Because, the 57th Division was originally a unit of the warlord Sun Chuanfang, belonging to the new Zhili Fifth Front Army commanded by Fatty Chen Tiaoyuan. During the Northern Expedition, Chen Tiaoyuan's troops were defeated many times by the Northern Expedition Army. Later, Fatty Chen judged the situation and cleverly separated from the dying Sun Chuanfang and surrendered to the highest level of the government.

Later, because Fatty Chen's troops performed poorly in combat, the top government leaders took the opportunity to gradually cancel Fatty Chen's military power and appointed him as a senior government official without military power, and placed him in the government to retire.

Fatty Chen's troops were also successfully and thoroughly incorporated into the government by the top level. After abolishing Fatty Chen's military power, the top level of the government immediately reorganized the troops and began the comprehensive governmentization.

In September 1930, the Military Commission of the Chinese government combined the First Supplementary Brigade and the Second Supplementary Brigade of Fatty Chen's troops with the Guard Regiment of Shandong Province to form the 57th Division. After the 57th Division became a Chinese government force, it quickly began to become a government-run force. From the beginning of the division's formation, all officers from top to bottom were basically replaced by those from the Whampoa Military Academy, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the previous warlord troops.

Before the official war between Japan and China, the 57th Division was very lucky to become the first batch of adjusted divisions in the Chinese government's army, and became one of the 20 divisions with the most advanced weapons and equipment in the Chinese government's direct troops.

In principle, the Chinese government's adjustment division has two brigades, four infantry regiments, and one artillery regiment, with a strength of 11,000 people, and is equipped with eight 75mm mountain cannons and 74 heavy machine guns. Although these equipment cannot be compared with the weapons and equipment of the Japanese army, in the Chinese army, the weapons and equipment of the 57th Division are already top-notch.

Moreover, the officers and soldiers of the 57th Division were carefully selected. Generally, only soldiers with good physical condition, quick thinking, and especially those with relatively high cultural level could join the 57th Division.

After the official outbreak of war between Japan and China, the 57th Division was incorporated into the combat sequence of the 69th Army and participated in the Battle of Shanghai, where it achieved relatively good results. Later, in the Battle of Three Towns, the 57th Division's combat performance was also outstanding.

The 74th Army, the direct line of the Chinese government, has also experienced almost all major battles since the Battle of Shanghai, and fought countless tough battles with the Japanese army, forming an extremely tenacious and good fighting style. The officers and soldiers of the 74th Army, from top to bottom, have a fearless fighting style.

After the Battle of Three Towns in 1938, although the 74th Army cooperated with friendly forces to almost wipe out the 106th Division of the Japanese Army, while achieving impressive results, the 74th Army itself also suffered heavy casualties and the entire army was ordered to rest in Changsha.

Because the 74th Army performed particularly well in combat, the entire army formed a heroic fighting style of an ace army that is priceless, and the fact that it is a direct government force made the top government pay special attention to the 74th Army. In order to strengthen the combat capability of the 74th Army, the top government personally ordered the expansion of the 74th Army and incorporated the 57th Division into the combat sequence of the 74th Army.

However, the officers and soldiers of the 74th Army did not have much trust in the newly joined 57th Division. After all, the officers and soldiers of the 74th Army were experienced in many battles and had fought countless tough battles with the Japanese army to gain their current status in the Chinese army.