Canteen System Assistance Notes

In the Suizhou area, on the edge of the Jingzhou battlefield, the 47th Army under Li Jiayu of the Sichuan Army voluntarily or semi-voluntarily took on the important task of "rearguarding" the area. Here, the light tanks of the 33rd Division and the 3rd Division Reconnaissance Regiment also put them under tremendous pressure. Their only luck was that the 47th Army had a small anti-tank unit under its headquarters.

As a ragtag army, the 47th Army was unloved and unappreciated, and naturally could not obtain valuable equipment such as anti-tank guns from the Chiang Kai-shek regime. However, as a Nationalist army with close ties to the Eighth Route Army, in early 42, they received 12 "2-pound anti-tank guns - Fushe modified" from the Eighth Route Army, as well as some useful "disposable turtle fists" at the cost of the Eighth Route Army.

These small cannons, removed from British tanks and fitted with gun mounts, were not very powerful, but they were very effective in dismantling Japanese tanks. The "turtle fist" technique, which even illiterate people could use, gave the infantry a slight chance of resistance against armored vehicles. With these "foundations", they successfully destroyed several Japanese armored vehicles and launched a counterattack, driving back the attacking Japanese invaders.

But over the past few days, almost half of these valuable anti-tank guns had been lost, and their ammunition reserves were almost gone. The unit's radio had been damaged, and personnel had suffered heavy casualties. More importantly, their ammunition was almost depleted, and they could not fight for much longer.

If the Japs organize another large-scale attack like before, I'm afraid...

With his head bandaged and his hand in a splint, Li Jiayu, the commander of the army, gazed southeastward, where smoke and dust billowed, suggesting a fierce attack was about to begin. "The Chinese people will not betray Sichuan, and the Sichuan people will not betray their country... You short-lived little devil! Fuck your ancestors!"

He drew his pistol and prepared to call his guard battalion for a final desperate stand.

However, from noon to night, the imagined large-scale enemy corps never appeared. Suspicious, Li Jiayu singled out the remaining elite soldiers, ordered them to march forward with portable machine guns and grenades to conduct reconnaissance.

A few hours later, Commander Li received shocking news.

"What? The Japs ran away?"

Chapter 706: The Battle of the "Partial Army" (Part 1) I am the One to Hold Back

At the start of the 1942 Autumn Counterattack, the Nationalist Army Command issued an order to the Communist Party forces in the area. Because the Anti-Japanese United Front was largely a patchwork of the Communists, and the Nationalist Army itself was aware of their actions, even Li Delin held little hope for the New Fourth Army operating in this area. After all, the Nationalist Army had previously deployed Chi Fengcheng's troops to assist in the defense of the New Fourth Army's 5th Division, causing trouble for the New Fourth Army on a regular basis and becoming a major obstacle to their anti-Japanese efforts.

The Communists were more moral and probably wouldn't take advantage of someone's misfortune. However, judging by their own experience, the Nationalist army felt that the Communists only needed to "stand still in times of difficulty" to gain an advantage and act like a good boy. Therefore, Li Delin's orders to the New Fourth Army were also very broad. In his telegram to the New Fourth Army Commander Chen Shijun, he asked the New Fourth Army to actively cooperate in combat. If they encountered an attacking Japanese army, they should delay it; if they encountered a moving Japanese army, they should attack; if they encountered a defending Japanese army, they should support it....

In short, just fight the Japanese army when you see them, and cooperate with the orthodox national army in combat.

However, even though the New Fourth Army was far inferior to the National Army in terms of absolute strength, the New Fourth Army Headquarters still ordered the New Fourth Army's 5th Division located in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area to seize the opportunity and actively cooperate with the National Army's counterattack operations, effectively killing and tying down the Japanese troops, and making contributions to the elimination of the Japanese devils.

As long as it can help fight against Japan and save the country, the New Fourth Army is really willing to put aside its prejudices and cooperate fully.

Because the New Fourth Army was able to basically grasp the movements of the Japanese army and the internal plans of the National Army, the coordinated operations were launched early.

At the same time as the National Army launched the attack, the remaining troops of the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army, the 2nd Division, the 3rd Division and the 1st Division on both sides of the canal and the Jinpu Road used the canal and the railway as the axis to launch an attack on the 21st Division, the 5th Division and other units defending there, successfully cutting off the railway and the canal, achieving a "handshake" between several bases, and successfully tying down the forces of at least 4 divisions of the Japanese army.

The New Fourth Army's 5th Division, which had a strong military force, began to attack the Japanese troops in the counties and cities surrounding the base. It captured several counties in a short period of time and fought several ambushes, eliminating more than 1500 Japanese and puppet troops, greatly hindering the 33rd Division's process of gathering troops and moving south to provide support.

At the same time, they also swept away some of the blind "chiefs" - around the Fifth Division, there were quite a few of these half-official army and half-bandit troops.

However, after more than ten days of fighting, the Nationalist army's victory reports did not cheer the New Fourth Army commanders at all. Xu Yuanqing, who was closest to the battlefield, read the news that the Nationalist army had "defeated the Japanese army and forced the enemy to flee" and immediately concluded that the Nationalist army had failed to annihilate the Japanese 39th Division on the front line, and instead allowed them to successfully retreat.

"This isn't a question of victory or failure. If Li Delin hadn't destroyed the main force of the Japanese—or at least crippled them—then after the Japanese retreated and regrouped, the Nationalist Army would have had no chance of breaking through Jingzhou! And if they couldn't break through Jingzhou..."

Although he still had some lingering illnesses from the Long March, Xu Yuanqing, whose health had improved considerably, clenched his fist, drew it back to his chest, and then swung it out fiercely. "The Japanese troops are coming down the Yangtze River, and if they attack us again—I'm afraid the Nationalist army won't be able to withstand it!"

"I just can't figure it out... With a claimed 600,000 troops, there must be at least 200,000 on the ground," Li Xiannian, who was cooperating with Xu Haidong on organizational matters, lamented. "This was a fully reorganized Nationalist army, armed with American planes and artillery. How could they have let over 10,000 Japanese soldiers escape?"

"From the Long March to now, the Nationalist Army remains the same. If these 20 were our soldiers—if nothing else, the Japanese soldiers from the 39th Division would definitely not be able to escape." "Yes..."

As expected, the battle changed rapidly just as the New Fourth Army commanders had predicted.

Under continuous attacks, the National Army consumed a large amount of supplies and manpower, and its momentum was far less strong than at the beginning of the battle; the Japanese army, with persistent and continuous reinforcements, stabilized its position and even had the ability to counterattack.

After defeating the Nationalist troops in Qianjiang and Jingzhou, the Japanese army launched a counterattack, concentrating their forces to break through the Nationalist defenses and rapidly advancing deep into the enemy's territory. Even in Suizhou, a marginal battlefield, the Japanese army defeated Song Xilian, deputy commander of the Nationalist Fifth War Zone, and began to attack the rear of the Nationalist defenses.

If the rear guard troops had not fought desperately to stop them, there would have been a major defeat here.

Considering that the Nationalist Army, no matter how strong it was, had tied down a considerable number of Japanese troops and was an important part of the anti-Japanese war in Central China, it was necessary to lend a hand whenever possible. The New Fourth Army troops in various bases immediately mobilized, increasing their offensive power as much as possible to further tie down the Japanese army.

The New Fourth Army's 7th Division in Wuwei, leveraging its monopoly on Japanese-occupied territory, briefly cut off the food supply of the Japanese 116th Division. For a time, they even reached the north bank of the Yangtze River, set up artillery, and sank two Japanese logistics barges, appearing to be attempting to disrupt Yangtze River shipping. This deterred the entire 116th Division from making any rash moves and preventing them from supporting the front lines.

At the same time, the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army on the west side of the Jinpu Road quickly suspended its hide-and-seek game with the 21st Division, and withdrew a newly formed Class A field division in the base area, as well as the 4th Division's meritorious New Fourth Army First Cavalry Regiment. Led by the famous New Fourth Army general Peng Xiudao, they followed the old base area route of Yongcheng, Haoxian, and Xihua, and crossed the Yellow River flood area with difficulty to come to support.

Now, the New Fourth Army's 5th Division, which had been clearing out Japanese troops around the base and besieging the Xinyang area, had sufficient field forces to transform its "siege operation" into an "offensive operation." Their primary target was the Japanese 33rd Division in Suizhou and Xinyang.

在获取了新四军4师一个野战师(241师)和一个骑兵团的增援后，原本扩编了1个甲等野战师〈251师)和2个乙等野战师〈(252、253师）的新四军5师已经俨然成为了一个军级规模的作战集群。但是，在北方抗日战局大有好转的情况下，已经同新四军建立有效链接的八路军自然不会放弃对战友的支援。

At this time, in addition to these four division-level units, the Fifth "Division" also had an additional artillery unit composed of personnel from the New Fourth Army, artillery from the Japanese, and training from the Eighth Route Army.

In terms of barreled artillery alone, this artillery unit could only be considered an "artillery reinforcement regiment" by the Eighth Route Army standards; but in terms of command strength, it could definitely be called an artillery brigade. They were equipped with Japanese 105mm howitzers, 150mm howitzers, and 75mm field guns captured in the Battle of Western Inner Mongolia and the Shanxi Province counterattack. They were also equipped with a large number of trucks and tractors, and had an artillery reconnaissance unit, which gave them independent combat capabilities.

At the same time, in order to assist the New Fourth Army comrades in training technical arms, the artillery "brigade" also carried a 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun battalion and a 160mm heavy mortar training battalion as seed troops.

As the artillery force moved south, its escorting infantry brigade was taken over by the 5th Division, preparing to be expanded and upgraded to the 4th Field Division of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. After a week of marching, the artillery brigade, with approximately 64 barreled guns, finally reached the outskirts of Xinyang City. After the artillery reconnaissance units and frontline infantry seized the commanding heights, these artillery pieces, voluntarily transferred by the Japanese Army in North China, happily raised their barrels and "delivered" their massive, heavy iron hulks to their "former owners" more than a dozen miles away.

Almost instantly, flames billowed from the Japanese defensive positions outside Xinyang City, and earth pillars flew into the air. The 215th Regiment of the 33rd Division, which had just days before been chanting, "Our defenses are strong, the Communists can't do a thing to us," suddenly found its fortitude severely tested. As the artillery fire spread, the Eighth Route Army, clad in dark green uniforms and steel helmets, began to rush down from the surrounding hills and mountains, engaging in close combat with the Japanese.

The familiar accurate cold guns turned into automatic firepower like pouring water, the 75mm shells that could be blocked by bunkers turned into heavy shells that splashed destruction, and the originally safe reverse slope fortifications also suffered a fierce blow from the sky... The 215th Regiment, which had been holding on for several days, finally couldn't hold on and began to move away.

But unlike the Nationalist Army, the Eighth Route Army, once in command, gave them little opportunity to escape. Several lightly armed, regimental-level units had already retreated to the rear of Xinyang, deploying at night and deploying tight defenses along the Japanese retreat route. Meanwhile, the New Fourth Army's First Cavalry Regiment, mounted on both biological and mechanical warhorses, had already polished their snow-maple swords and loaded their submachine guns with ammunition, launching a relentless pursuit of the remaining Japanese troops forced to swim across the Lu River due to the destruction of their bridges.

The attack on Langhu rolled forward, and within a few days, the 215th Regiment of the Japanese 33rd Division was annihilated. The 1st Battalion of the 214th Regiment, defending Dawu County, was also surrounded and annihilated. Crucially, due to the Tongbai and Dabie Mountains, the two cities defended by the Japanese 33rd Division could not be directly connected to each other. Instead, they had to travel south along the Pinghan Railway, then turn northwest through Dawu County and make a detour to reach the two cities.

Therefore, if Dawu was captured by the New Fourth Army, the remaining Japanese 33rd Division and part of the 3rd Division that came to reinforce it, which were attacking the 47th Army of Li Jiayu's Sichuan Army on the front line, would face an embarrassing situation. And if the New Fourth Army continued to attack southward...

The Hankou area, known as the "crossroads of nine provinces", will be completely exposed to the attack of this small army!

Chapter 707: The Battle of the "Partial Army" (Part 2) "Conquer Hankou and Eat Rice"

The 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, codenamed "Xing", was formed in Nagoya. As the unit defending Hankou and protecting the 11th Army headquarters in 1942, it comprised the 6th, 68th, and 134th Infantry Regiments, as well as its own Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment, Field Artillery Regiment, and Engineer Regiment. Its commander, San'ao Yamamoto, was also a graduate of the Army Academy, having risen through the ranks from Regiment Commander and possessing a solid understanding of basic combat operations.

All in all, this is a division-level force with a long history and great power.

However, now this force has withdrawn two battalions, and brought field artillery units and search regiments to reinforce the 33rd Division in Suizhou, and withdrawn another three battalions to take ships to support the 39th and 13th Divisions in Jingzhou in the pursuit of retaking Yichang. Therefore, in the huge Hankou defense zone, except for the direct guard troops of the 11th Army Headquarters, which did not exceed one battalion, there were only about four battalions of troops left.

This amount of troops couldn't even fill the defense line of the three towns of Hankou, but the 3rd Division even had to send troops out of Xiaocheng to support the 33rd Division that was urgently transferring!

This time it was the Japanese army's turn to experience the treatment of first winning and then losing, with the battle situation taking a sudden turn.

After breaking through Dawu County, the broad and flat Jianghan Plain spread out in front of the New Fourth Army. The disorganized Japanese 33rd Division was fleeing frantically on it, trying to retreat and reorganize the defense line.

It was like a buffet with no admission fee. How much you could eat depended entirely on your appetite. Unfortunately, the New Fourth Army had too few troops. At most, there were only four divisions and one regiment that could be deployed in the field. How could this amount of troops be enough to capture the three towns of Hankou and withstand the subsequent counterattack of the Japanese army?

Like the 3rd Division, the New Fourth Army also encountered the problem of insufficient manpower.

At this time, the New Fourth Army commanders desperately hoped that the so-called "600,000 strong" troops were all up to standard and capable of cooperating with friendly forces. If the Nationalist army could even make the most basic tactical coordination, the Chinese army would recapture Hankou and in turn cut off the retreat of the Japanese troops on the front line, achieving a hearty and annihilating battle would not be a dream!

But, everything goes wrong because of the "but".

General Ye Xiyi, who had once left the country and returned after seeing many dirty things, volunteered to go to the Kuomintang-controlled area to contact and communicate.

Hope to persuade the national army to fight together.

He first found the 30th Army of the National Army around the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area and the Anhui Provincial Security Command in Lihu County, hoping that the National Army could withdraw troops to cooperate in the attack, but he hit a wall again: Chi Fengcheng, director of the Henan-Anhui-Su Border Pacification Office and commander of the 30th Army, said that an order from the Provincial Security Command or the Fifth War Zone was needed to dispatch; and Xu Yanmou, director of the Anhui Provincial Security Command and governor of Anhui Province, said that he only had a few security regiments and was completely unable to fight. He could not command the 30th Army under his command and was powerless to do anything about it.

Afterwards, Ye Xiyi went to the headquarters of the deputy commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone in Laohekou. He found Song Xilian, who was in charge of the command there, and as an ordinary Chinese soldier, he asked the national army there to stop retreating, turn back to fight back against the Japanese army, and fight together.

"...At this point, the Japanese invaders' retreat has been cut off by our army. If our friendly forces can launch a counterattack, we will surely defeat the Japanese 33rd Division and annihilate it completely!" He actively mediated, "If this battle is successful, it will not only be a great achievement, but also a rare victory in the War of Resistance!"

However, Song Xilian looked around and said earnestly that the troops he had were now carrying out combat missions on various fronts and fighting fiercely with the Japanese army.

Heavy losses: "General Ye, our headquarters and the reserve 71st Army have already reached the front line.

I really have no strength to move forward...”

The battle will not stop because of the lack of cooperation from the National Army. The brave New Fourth Army soldiers will continue to advance.

The fastest-moving New Fourth Army's First Cavalry Regiment rushed down Wusheng Pass and rushed towards the Jianghan Plain. The "Dragons" riding tricycles and power carts followed closely behind. The slower-moving half-motorcycle, half-mule-horse infantry field division turned westward.

On the other hand, they attacked Guangshui and Suizhou in an attempt to cut off the retreat of the Japanese 33rd Division.

The Japanese 33rd Division was now urgently retreating from Suizhou towards Hankou. Rather than leaving the three towns of Hankou uncaptured, it would be better to launch a brilliant interception and devour the 33rd Division, the big dish right in front of them.

However, in this unexpected place, the New Fourth Army's field troops unexpectedly received support -

Li Jiayu's unit of the Sichuan V Army's 47th Corps, nearly crushed by the Japanese, surprisingly, without radio communication or tactical coordination, based solely on fragmentary information about the Japanese army's sudden retreat, had the courage to conclude that the Japanese rear was on fire. With troop order nearly broken, they squeezed out a death squad of about a regiment, concentrated the army's last submachine guns and box guns, and each man carried eight grenades, and launched a pursuit of the 213th Regiment of the 33rd Division, which was urgently moving.

The 213th Regiment was so eager to flee that it had no time to organize a full defense. They probably had no idea that the Nationalist army, having been so badly beaten, would still be able to counterattack at this moment. For a moment, the regiment, which still had sufficient manpower, was overwhelmed by the attacks of this regiment's death squad. Disarray ensued, forcing them to slow down and divert forces for a counterattack.

The New Fourth Army's 253rd Field Division seized this precious opportunity. Using their mobile M1 75mm field guns, they quickly established their positions and launched a relentless artillery barrage against the concentrated Japanese forces. Then, the battle-hardened New Fourth Army soldiers, closely following the impact of their shells, launched a decisive attack on the Japanese.

With enemies in front and behind and fighting hastily, the chaos of the 213th Regiment finally turned into a fatal retreat. However, at this time, the troops' retreat route had been completely blocked by the New Fourth Army, and the almost half-crippled 47th Army was pressing forward in the front with a life-and-death attitude. The entire regiment had been compressed into a small space called Maping Town in the southeast of Suizhou.

"Brothers, the Communist brothers are here to support us!"

"Comrades, bayonets ready, follow me!"

There was a roar of cannon fire and explosions everywhere.

Under the flying grenades and light machine guns spewing flames, the Sichuan Army officers and soldiers, wearing torn blue cloth uniforms and covered in blood, carried ghost-head swords on their backs and wooden-handled grenades on their waists, and charged desperately at the panicked soldiers; under the slowly advancing barrage of bullets across the sky and the turtle-fist bullets that found their way into the gaps, the New Fourth Army soldiers, wearing dark green uniforms and with strong builds, used the three-three squad tactics to organize the front-line firepower concisely and efficiently, killing any Japanese soldiers who wanted to cross the attack line.

The remaining tanks and armored vehicles were blown into flaming steel coffins by recoilless guns. The Wansui charging troops who had taken awakening agents fell under the dense fire network composed of automatic firepower. Even the hasty act of burning the military flag was interrupted by the thrown grenades. After all, the 213th Regiment of the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army became the final victory of this joint offensive between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at the last moment.

After wiping out the ridiculous last-ditch resistance of the Japanese regiment headquarters, the New Fourth Army saw the blue sky and white sun flag held high by the Sichuan Army soldiers, and the Sichuan Army's 47th Army also saw the fluttering red flag raised by the New Fourth Army.

It was as if Chinese soldiers from two different eras came together, shaking hands, patting each other on the shoulders, and hugging each other... Unfortunately, the soldiers did not have much time to exchange greetings. Under the battle situation that was as tense as clockwork, they quickly returned to their own units and continued the battle to pursue the enemy to the north.

While destroying almost all of the 33rd Division's troops, the New Fourth Army continued its advance southward.

Because of this division, the New Fourth Army in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region had only three combat-ready field divisions left, a situation that was already insufficient. At this point, if the New Fourth Army, acting with absolute rationality and self-interest, were to immediately clean up the battlefield, retreat to the Dawu and Guangshui areas, hold Wusheng Pass, and safeguard the spoils already secured.

However, since it has decided to help its brothers in the National Army, the New Fourth Army cannot retreat immediately. It must launch an attack on the Hankou area to put pressure on the Japanese army to cut off their retreat and force them to retreat, so as to achieve the effect of "encircling Wei to save Zhao".

But how could the New Fourth Army attack Hankou with only these three divisions? So, should they fight or not?

Xu Yuanqing, who was in charge of commanding this battle, decided to tell the Japanese:

"Like hitting"

沉重的日式150和105榴弹炮被留在了后方，轻装进行的新四军剩余部队旋即进攻了仅有3师团1个大队防御的孝城。在这里等待友军转进的3师团一部并没有等到友军的护旗中队，而是等到了160毫米的"大宝贝“和如同雨点一样的75毫米弹幕。在短促有力的进攻之下，孝城的城防破碎

The brigade was almost completely wiped out, with only a few members of the brigade remaining and fleeing south on horseback.

Afterwards, the New Fourth Army held a large-scale entry ceremony into the city. The 251st Field Division participating in the attack lengthened its formation and increased the distance between troops and horses, conducting a grand "parade". The dust raised could be seen from more than ten miles away.

The cavalry regiment, which had made outstanding contributions during the pursuit phase, led the cavalry units of the remaining two field divisions and galloped back and forth on the road between Dawu and Xiaocheng.

Instead of marching secretly by day and night, they marched forward with great fanfare, buying up

supplies and "recruiting civilians" to coordinate the attack.

If someone cautiously asked where such a large-scale "Four Masters Army" was going and where they were going to attack, the soldiers who had read the confidentiality manual and received confidentiality training would happily answer them: "We have a 100,000-strong army and are going to attack Hankou!"

"The commander gave us a promise: if we take Hankou, we'll have rice to eat!"

Chapter 708: The End of the Autumn Counteroffensive

All defenses are made up of people, and all weapons are controlled by people.

Although in a materialistic world, victory or defeat on the battlefield is ultimately determined by the effective projectile mass and explosive equivalent, the subjective initiative of the spirit is always an important factor that cannot be ignored.

Therefore, when a fire broke out behind the Japanese defense line and when the undermanned Hankou was faced with the New Fourth Army's black gun muzzles, even if the Japanese troops on the Jingzhou front had any equipment and skill advantages, their will to fight would obviously not be very resolute - what's more, the 11th Army Headquarters in Hankou was calling for support from various units at the speed of a radio button that could start a fire.

Help, help, help!

Of course, the 11th Army is a huge front after all, and it cannot call on its "subordinates" for tactical guidance.

The Japanese troops on the front line began to pack up their bags and evacuate their positions, covering each other alternately. Meanwhile, the Japanese troops in Jingzhou in the rear were preparing to board ships and sail down the river.

Quickly return to the rescue.

At this time, the US Air Force, which had suspended its front-line bombing support because it had run out of bombs, appeared again (the Kuomintang-controlled areas could not build the boats the US military needed).

After communicating with Ah Bie, the American troops, who only had planes but no bombs,

The 14th Air Force dispatched more than ten B25 bombers and escorting P4OE fighters, fully loaded with .50 machine gun ammunition, to patrol along the Yangtze River and strafe the Japanese troop transports.

A hunting operation targeting the Japanese army's logistics was launched.

The impoverished imperialist Japan did not have many motor ships on the Yangtze River and basically relied on small steamers towing wooden barges to transport personnel and supplies. When the ship carrying an entire brigade was sent into the Yangtze River by plane and the personnel could only swim to escape, the Japanese army's plan to use the Yangtze River route to retreat quickly and reinforce Hankou was completely ruined.

To travel all the way from Jingzhou to Hankou by land... the entire distance is 220 kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to about five consecutive marathons. Even if the Japanese army forced a desperate march, it would still take three and a half days!

But at the same time, the New Fourth Army troops who had just captured Xiaocheng and started to perform the "'feigned attack tactic'" did not intend to sit idle. Not only did they let the follow-up troops run back and forth at a distance to create the impression that a steady stream of troops were gathering to prepare for the attack on Hankou, they also sent out harassment teams in company units, crossed Xiaocheng, and launched a widespread infiltration of the outskirts of Hankou.

These reinforced companies, led by local soldiers and staffed by comrades from the "Special Forces Brigade," were organized in pairs. They rode bicycles, horses, and motorcycles, communicating with each other via "Yanwu 2" backpack radios with a range of nearly 2 kilometers. They carried large quantities of explosives and short-range fire projectors, as well as inflatable boats suitable for operations in water-connected areas, and possessed strong combat and reconnaissance capabilities.

They rushed towards Hankou like mercury, informed each other of the situation, bypassed the heavily guarded areas of the Japanese army, called on nearby friendly troops to take the initiative to attack, wiped out the Japanese army's messengers, logistics teams, patrols and even small units, and actively and vigorously launched sabotage and harassment.

The underground mass organizations that had been lurking in the surrounding villages and towns for a long time provided the soldiers with intelligence on the Japanese army. The safe rear at their doorstep allowed them to easily return for rotation, obtain supplies, and even make an emergency retreat. The convenient communication network that allowed them to have no worries about being exposed made them like a self-disciplined swarm of bees, completely unpredictable and vulnerable to attacks everywhere.

This Mongolian light cavalry-like combat method was a lingering nightmare for the understrength Japanese army. Even though the 11th Army urgently mobilized some of the "National Volunteer Corps" transported from mainland China and the Peninsula to reinforce the defense line, many logistical storage points, squad and even squadron headquarters, transportation nodes, and key outposts were frequently attacked.

In some places, telephone lines could be ripped up for five or six kilometers in a single night. Troops' defenses were subjected to a barrage of jet bombs at night, and mines were laid on their way out in the morning. Even the second Cihuidun Airport, under construction in the Donghu area, was attacked by this locust-like swarm of "Yuzhong Buchu" (a type of "Yunzhong Buchu"). After that night, not only did the army's camps suffer heavy losses, but valuable Isuzu trucks and construction machinery were also stuffed with high explosives, destroying their engines. Not a single intact unit was left.

The entire water network plain surrounding the three towns of Hankou instantly transformed into a swampy mire that threatened to swallow up the Japanese army at any moment. The phenomenon of Japanese troops evaporating and sublimating, which had once been staged across North China, began to reappear widely. The scene was like a hundred demons parading at night, a hell of hell!

Under such circumstances, the Japanese army, from top to bottom, began to firmly believe that a large number of Communist troops were gathering in the north and would soon launch an attack on the city: the 3rd Division was in a critical situation, and the 11th Army was in a critical situation!

The remaining Japanese troops had to retreat to the three core towns, and with the volunteer team composed of Eta, unqualified military service personnel, Ainu and Peninsular people, they dug fortifications and defended the city.

The demons were still active in the darkness. The Japanese soldiers dared not leave the city at night. Some trembled in fear, clutching their rifles. Some prayed silently to Amaterasu under the walls. Some opened fire in the fields at the slightest noise.