Devil's Army

Captain Xu told Captain Yi that during the meeting that day, Commander Leng told them that the Chinese defenders would fail in the Battle of Wuhan.

"I heard from our superiors that our army has assembled more than 110 million people and is ready to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army in Wuhan. Will we fail?" asked Captain Wang of the 723rd Regiment.

"Our Commander Leng's predictions have always been accurate. Moreover, we have been fighting outside Wuhan for so long, and Anqing, Madang Fortress, and Jiujiang have been lost one after another. The prospects are worrying." The head of a regiment said pessimistically.

Captain Wang didn't say anything because what Captain Yi said was the truth.

"What's the current situation of the tribe?" asked a captain, changing the subject.

"The Japanese army is now concentrating on invading North my country and Central China. The Northeast is already under their jurisdiction. The Kwantung Army has not yet increased its troops in large numbers. However, Commander Leng has already reorganized the troops and redeployed them."

“What adjustments did the commander make?”

"General Leng said that although we failed in the Battle of Wuhan, we dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army's manpower and slowed down their invasion of China. The Japanese army's fantasy of a quick victory in the Chinese battlefield was shattered. After that, we entered a strategic stalemate with the Japanese army."

When Captain Wang heard this, he became more alert. The Japanese army was no longer aggressive.

"Some time ago, Commander Leng ordered the Seventh Brigade to recapture Changtu County. Now the defense zone of Tieling Town has been advanced to the vicinity of Siping County. And Commander Leng is still planning a big game."

"Oh, what's the big plan, Commander Leng?"

"General Leng is currently preparing to recapture Shanhaiguan, and then open up the land transportation line from Huludao to the Tangshan base, connecting the two bases into one."

"That's great. The two bases are connected, supporting each other. The Tangshan base will no longer be fighting alone."

Although Captain Wang was not clear about the situation of the First Anti-Japanese Army's base, it was a good thing that they were able to defeat the Japanese army.

After the Japanese cavalry brigade ran back to Jiujiang, the Japanese command began to put the issue of Dehua County on the agenda. However, at that time, Commander Okamura Yasuji was still focused on the Wanjialing Campaign.

As the battle of Wanjialing came to an end, the battle outside Jiujiang also came to an end.

Jiujiang and its surrounding areas fell into the hands of the Japanese army one after another. The 32st and 723nd Regiments of the First Anti-Japanese Army of Dehua County and the rd Regiment of the nd Army of the Government Army became important military forces outside Jiujiang and fell into the eyes of General Okamura. General Okamura began to draw troops to attack Dehua County.

Faced with General Okamura Yasuji's deployment of troops to besiege Dehua County, the Nanjing government's garrison also made corresponding adjustments.

Along the Nanxun Railway, the Nanjing government army, with the 4th Army and the 74th Army as the main force, relied on the existing positions and took advantage of the terrain to build solid fortifications, stubbornly resisted the attack of the Japanese 106th Division, and repelled the Japanese charge many times. The government army also seized the gaps and weaknesses of the Japanese attack, organized counterattacks at the right time, and used close combat and night battles to give the Japanese a surprise attack, disrupting the Japanese offensive rhythm.

A defense line was set up in the direction of Xingzi, and the 25th Army and other troops were deployed. Multiple defense lines were set up along the road from Xingzi to Dehua County and in the mountains on both sides. Relying on the mountainous terrain such as Lushan Mountain, a crossfire network was set up to prevent the 101st Division of the Japanese Army from making a detour and outflanking. A mobile defense tactic was adopted. According to the offensive situation of the Japanese Army, the defense line was flexibly adjusted, and small teams were used to harass the flanks and rear of the Japanese Army to slow down the Japanese Army's advance.

Layered defenses were set up in the direction of Ruichang and Wuning: The 30th Army and other units set up layers of defensive positions on the roads from Ruichang to Wuning and from Wuning to De'an, using natural barriers such as mountains and rivers to successively resist the attacks of the 27th Division of the Japanese Army.

The Nanjing government forces also sent troops deep into the rear of the Japanese army, destroyed transportation lines, attacked the Japanese army's baggage trains, cut off the Japanese army's supply lines, and restricted the Japanese army's offensive due to shortage of supplies.

As the Japanese army continued to increase its troops outside Dehua County, the Nanjing government army had been fighting for a long time and had consumed a lot of manpower and ammunition. Continuing to hold on would result in greater casualties and would not be conducive to a long-term war of resistance.

The leaders of the Nanjing government then ordered a retreat to reserve forces for subsequent operations. The Nanjing government troops began to retreat in a planned manner.

The 4th Army and the 74th Army retreated along the northern foot of Mufu Mountain towards Pingjiang and Liuyang in Hunan.

The 30th Army retreated towards Wuning and Xiushui, while at the same time containing and resisting the Japanese army and protecting the safety of the main force's flanks.

Some troops retreated to the area west of Ruichang.

After the main force retreated, the 32rd Regiment of the 723nd Army was told to hold Dehua County for a week to cover the retreat of the main force.

The situation of the 32rd Regiment of the 723nd Army and the st and nd Regiments of the st Brigade of the st Anti-Japanese Army in Dehua County began to become dangerous.