Devil's Army

Tongcheng County and Chongyang County were attacked by the devil troops, and the Japanese captain hurriedly ordered his troops to return to their aid.

Seeing that the Japanese army was showing signs of retreat, the soldiers of the First and Second Regiments quickly moved in and engaged the Japanese troops.

The soldiers of the First and Second Regiments, who were attacking the city, were also in a fighting posture, ready to fight back against the Japanese army's return.

The Japanese troops outside the city were met with fierce resistance from the First and Second Regiments and were unable to enter the city to provide reinforcements.

The soldiers of the First and Second Regiments intensified their offensive and broke through the Japanese defense lines in Tongcheng County and Chongyang County.

After a day of fierce fighting, the First and Second Regiments finally recaptured Tongcheng County and Chongyang County.

Before the troops could clean up the battlefield, they immediately turned their attention to encircle the Japanese troops who were leaving the city.

Japanese troops from Xianning County sent reinforcements, but they were met with fierce resistance from the soldiers of the 4th Regiment of the Southern Independent Division.

After eliminating the Japanese forces in Tongcheng County and Chongyang County, the Southern Independent Division did not stop its offensive but continued to attack Tongshan County.

Meanwhile, the First Army marched south and the First Front Army also recovered Jiayu County and Wuchang County.

After a day and two nights of fierce fighting, the Southern Independent Division finally broke through the core position of Tongshan County—the Shankoupu position—and recaptured Tongshan County.

At this time, Xianning was already surrounded by the First Army Group heading south and the Southern Independent Division.

After two days of rest, the First Army Group and the Southern Independent Division of the First Army Group launched a fierce attack on Xianning from the north and south respectively.

The offensive by the Southern Independent Division was particularly fierce.

As the Japanese army advanced south, the First Area Army only deployed three brigades to launch an attack from Heshengqiao in the north of Xianning County and Damushan in the southeast. Other units continued to recapture the towns and counties surrounding the three towns of Wuhan, isolating the Japanese forces in Wuhan.

The Southern Independent Division launched a fierce attack on Xianning from Tingsiqiao, Guabangshan, and Xiling.

Tingsi Bridge is located in Tingsi Bridge Town, Xian'an District, Xianning City, Hubei Province. It is a necessary passage for the Yangtze River waterway in the border area of ​​Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces, and guards the throat of the Yuehan Railway.

Whoever controls the Tingsi Bridge can cut off the enemy's north-south transportation line via the railway, hindering their material transport and troop movement.

Moreover, Tingsi Bridge is surrounded by water on its north, west, and south sides, forming a natural water barrier.

During the flood season, the surrounding area is covered by a dense network of waterways, with only a land passage to the east.

The Japanese army built a cluster of visible and concealed bunkers on the east side, and their crossfire blocked the only land route across Tingsi Bridge.

Moreover, Tingsi Bridge is located in the foothills of the Mufu Mountains, with overlapping mountains to the southeast and undulating hills in the middle.

The Japanese troops in Xianning deployed several lines of defense in these mountains and hills, preparing to defend Xianning County to the death.

The 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the Southern Independent Division encountered great resistance during its attack on Dingsiqiao.

The soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 1st Regiment attacking from the east of Tingsi Bridge were subjected to a barrage of crossfire from the Japanese army's exposed and concealed bunkers, making it impossible for them to get close.

Subsequently, the First Army Air Force arrived to provide support and launched a fierce bombing raid on the Japanese bunker complex east of Tingsi Bridge. However, since most of the Japanese bunkers were built underground, the First Army Air Force's bombing only destroyed the bunkers on the ground.

After the air force ceased bombing, the soldiers of the 1st Regiment were still subjected to fierce strafing by Japanese bunkers during the attack, making it difficult for them to advance.

Subsequently, Commander Zhang came up with a solution.

The Japanese firepower inside the bunker was so fierce that they must have consumed a lot of ammunition.

He requested that the air force block the roads leading to Japanese reinforcements to prevent the Japanese from obtaining ammunition replenishment.