Bright Sword: Leading the Special Operations Squadron to Fight the Japs

Dai Anlan's Third Army's Seventh Army's 119th and 120th Armored Divisions kept nibbling at the tail of the Japanese breakout team and deliberately drove them towards Zhongmu.

Ningji Okamura, who was far away in Peking, received numerous telegrams blocking the breakout teams. He ordered his staff to put small flags representing the retreating divisions and brigades on the sand table. Surprisingly, he found that the upper, middle and lower breakout teams were getting closer and closer, and gradually concentrated in the direction of Zhongmu.

"Very strange! Could it be that the independent column is herding sheep again?"

Neiji Okamura had a bad feeling, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. However, he had a hunch that Zhongmu was in danger.

"Order all the troops trying to break out not to break out through Zhongmu, and do their best to avoid it!"

"Hayi!"

The breakout troops, who were already exhausted, were confused when they saw Okamura Yasuji's telegram. They had already broken out and all they had to do was head to Kaifeng. Why were they picking and choosing a place?

Between two points, a straight line is the shortest.

More than 30,000 Japanese soldiers, no, now there are only more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers left, rushing towards Zhongmu recklessly.

At dawn the next day, the Japanese vanguard finally arrived in Zhongmu, and seemed to see the sparks of Kaifeng through the morning mist. Suddenly, three bright red flares were fired into the sky, followed by a barrage of bullets and artillery shells of various calibers exploding around them.

"Baga, why are there ambushes everywhere?"

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, should we stop them right here?"

"Stop? Are we going to rely on our limited rifle bullets to stop them? There is an old Chinese saying, 'As long as the green mountains remain, there is no need to worry about running out of firewood.' Order the troops to retreat to Kaifeng at full speed!"

The 9th Brigade, which was originally at the rear, had been completely wiped out by the 119th and 120th Armored Divisions of the th Army of the rd Army of the Independent Column.

The Japanese did not arrange any troops to block the enemy in a hurry, and all of them rushed towards Kaifeng like headless flies.

The 201st Airborne Brigade and the 202nd Airborne Brigade, ambushed in Zhongmu, under the command of Wei Heshang, poured ammunition on the endless stream of Japanese troops on the plain.

How could the Independent Column Aviation Division miss this opportunity? One after another, bombers appeared in the sky above Zhongmu and dropped high-explosive bombs on the Japanese.

Every heavy bomb dropped could take away at least one squad of Japanese soldiers.

The B-17 Flying Fortress bomber was not satisfied after dropping its bombs, and it flew at low altitude with the F6F Hellcat fighters, using its onboard machine guns to whip the Japanese troops back and forth.

After a day and a night of frantic running, there were more than 30,000 Japanese soldiers when they retreated from Zheng County, but when they arrived in Kaifeng, excluding those killed by the independent column and those who ran to death, there were less than 5,000 left.

After receiving the information sent by the garrison in Kaifeng, Okamura Neiji's face turned green.

The battle plan in central Henan that he had carefully planned for three months ended in complete failure. Of the hundreds of thousands of elite troops, only 5,000 were left!

Isn’t this a replica of the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain?

But this time the casualty ratio was much worse!

"Order the troops to reorganize in Kaifeng immediately. Which unit has the most troops in Kaifeng now?"

"Reporting to His Excellency the Commander, according to the information reported by the divisions and brigades, the 35th Division originally stationed in Kaifeng has the largest number of troops!

The troops withdrawn from Zheng County, plus a battalion of troops left behind in Kaifeng and puppet troops, totaled more than 8,000 people! "

"Well, all participating divisions will be withdrawn according to their original organization, and the 35th Division will defend Kaifeng!"

"Hayi!"

In fact, what Okamura Neiji wanted in his heart was to let all the participating troops stay in Kaifeng and fight a decisive battle with the independent column, which was actually a "fighting with honor".

However, considering that if all the participating divisions and brigades were to be defeated without leaving any offspring, I am afraid that neither the Kwantung Army nor the General Staff Headquarters on the main island of Japan would agree.

Therefore, Ningji Okamura, who had always been strong, simply used the entire 35th Division to prove the so-called Bushido spirit, which can be regarded as "losing the battle but not the fight"!

On the third day after the breakout from Zheng County, the Fourth Army had assembled in Guandu Town, 50 miles away from Kaifeng, and was baring its fangs towards Kaifeng.

The 119th Armored Division and the 120th Armored Division of Dai Anlan's Third Army spread out in all directions, with Zhengxian to Kaifeng as the center, to clean up the remaining forces of the Japanese devils.

It seemed that both Okamura Neiji and Li Yunlong were waiting for the other party to give orders before deciding on the next course of action.

"Old Li, the Weishan Lake Independent Division has sent us intelligence that they have successfully captured Jining and Yanzhou. We are asking for instructions on the next battle plan!"

"Act quickly. Are there any defenders in Heze, west of Jining?"

"According to the intelligence, there is only one battalion, not worth mentioning!"

"Okay, isn't Okamura Neiji going to compete with us in endurance? Then order the Weishanhu Independent Division to move towards Heze and force the Japanese to react!"

Peng Liang from Weishan Lake Independent Division is now in high spirits and can see all the "Jining" flowers in one day.

Although the Japanese knew that there had been an independent column of military forces operating in Weishan Lake and that its influence was growing, they still believed that they were just a guerrilla force with slightly higher combat effectiveness.

It was not until the Weishanhu Independent Division directly deployed three infantry regiments and one artillery regiment with more than 12,000 people that the Japanese panicked.

But it was too late. After all, the 32nd Division originally stationed in Yanzhou was already deeply mired in the quagmire of Zheng County and was unable to split its attention.

The defenders in the Jinan direction did not dare to act rashly. What if it was another trick of the independent column to lure the tiger away from the mountain? They would be picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons.

Therefore, when the Weishanhu Independent Division attacked Jining and Yanzhou, there was no Japanese troops coming to support it. They could only watch the plaster flag being thrown down from Jining City and replaced by the Independent Column Army Flag.

The Weishanhu Independent Division, which had been developing in a low-key manner and jokingly called itself a "guerrilla force", has completely stepped onto the stage of southern Shandong and become an influential force.

Peng Liang in Jining City is currently busy cooperating with the work team sent by Zhao Gang to fight against the remnants of the Japanese devils and establish a new government.

Although Peng Liang is busy, he always feels like something is missing?

"Alas, I thought Jining was so difficult to attack, but it was taken in less than three days. The defenders were only a battalion. Alas, it's not satisfying!"

"Commander, our top priority now is to cooperate with Political Commissar Zhao's work team to stabilize the situation in Jining. If you want to fight, just wait a little longer!"

The more Peng Liang thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. This soldier should be on the battlefield killing the enemy. It is not fun to catch traitors in Jining city every day!

Peng Liang looked at the busy work team in the Jining Provisional Government Building with a sense of melancholy. At this moment, he really envied the armored division, which could gallop freely and fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army!

"Commander, urgent call from headquarters!"