freenovelworld Chapter 337 The critical moment has arrived
Chapter 337 The critical moment has arrived
Inside the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, Chief of Staff Xu also reported on today’s combat situation.
"Xinye's defense forces abandoned Xinye City and retreated to Deng County after dark. The Japanese army has entered Xinye City. The new 100nd Army and the Second Army Group are ready for battle and can launch an attack on Xinye as planned at any time. The new th Division has also completed its combat deployment and can launch an attack on the Japanese army north of the Xiangzao Highway at any time." Chief of Staff Xu reported on the current situation.
Commander Li nodded after looking at the map. Then he pointed to the direction of Zaoyang on the map and said, "How is the 31st Army preparing? The Japanese will probably attack them tomorrow. There is also the 11th Army in Sui County. The Japanese 3rd Division will definitely attack them at the same time. Let them follow the previous battle plan. Sui County can be abandoned and the living forces can be preserved. Stick with the 31st Army and make sure to contain the 3rd Division troops on the right wing of the Japanese Army."
Chief of Staff Xu knew that the critical moment of this battle was about to come, and there could not be any major mistakes in any link, otherwise the formulated combat plan would be wasted.
"Don't worry, Commander Li. I have already sent telegrams to all the troops, asking them to keep a close eye on the movements of the Japanese army. They will all act according to our pre-war plan, and we will be able to fight a good battle this time." Chief of Staff Xu also comforted Commander Li.
It would be a lie to say that Chief of Staff Xu was not nervous, but at this moment he and Commander Li must not show any nervousness, as doing so would convey a sense of uncertainty to the combat troops in front and would also affect their own judgment of the battle situation.
"Well, things have developed to this point according to our thinking. We have done what we should do. The rest depends on the performance of the troops in the front. I believe that the officers and soldiers of the front troops will fight this battle well. The next step depends on when the Japanese encirclement troops will launch an attack on the 31st Army Group in Zaoyang." Commander Li also said with pretending to be relaxed.
"After the Japanese encirclement troops attack Zaoyang, let the Second Army and the new 22nd Army be prepared. As soon as it gets dark, they will advance covertly in the direction of Xinye and recapture Xinye as quickly as possible." Commander Li muttered to himself about the subsequent battle plan while looking at the map.
Inside the headquarters of the new 100th Division, Ouyang Heng was also reporting on today’s troop situation and the situation on the battlefield ahead.
"Division Commander, according to the plan we have made, we have now dug traps around the preset battlefield to deal with the Japanese cavalry. Hao Jian is also conducting temporary training for the officers and soldiers of the suicide squad. In addition, the Japanese encirclement troops have occupied Xinye. The theater has ordered us to be prepared for battle at any time. Tomorrow night, we will begin to act according to the pre-war plan." Ouyang Heng also briefly explained today's battle report and situation.
After listening to Ouyang Heng's report, Zhang Wenwu also looked at the map in front of him. His mind was now entirely focused on the attack that would be launched tomorrow night.
The new 100th Division's combat mission this time can be said to be quite heavy. Only by minimizing casualties in the first phase of the offensive can it persist longer in the second phase of the defensive operations.
You know, it takes time to eliminate such a large group of Japanese troops in the encirclement, and this time needs our new 100th Division to buy for the attacking force. It can be said that the responsibility of our troops in this operation is very heavy.
"Brother Ouyang, get the troops ready. I think the order from the war zone will come down as soon as it gets dark tomorrow." Zhang Wenwu also asked Ouyang Heng to arrange the troops first, and then arrive at the designated battlefield at the specified time. They must not let down their guard at this time.
After dawn, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army, and Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo set out with the 16th Division headquarters.
They needed to rush behind the attacking force as quickly as possible to set up a new division headquarters, and then command the troops to launch an attack on the 31st Army of the Chinese government in the Zaoyang area at noon.
"Sir, division commander, should we strengthen the defense in Xinye? The 58th Regiment suffered serious casualties before, and now the combat strength of this regiment is less than half of its full strength." When Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa passed by Xinye Castle, he also thought of the troop loss report of the 58th Regiment that he had just received.
Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, commander of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army, also frowned after hearing the report from the Chief of Staff, Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa. He did not expect that the losses of the 58th Regiment were so heavy, but he was still relatively relieved about the safety of Shinno.
First of all, there are no large-scale Chinese troops near Xinye. In the absence of a large-scale Chinese army attack, the troops of the 58th Regiment can still defend Xinye.
Secondly, he must ensure that he has sufficient troops to launch an attack on the 31st Army of the Chinese government in Zaoyang. The original offensive force is not very sufficient. If he now withdraws troops to assist in the defense of Xinye, then his attack force will be even more insufficient.
"No need. Just let Colonel Kotobuki Kuraya, the commander of the 58th Regiment, take charge of the defense of Shinno. Our attack force is not far from Shinno. If anything happens, our attack force can be dispatched to support Shinno at any time." Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie also considered it and decided to maintain the status quo.
Chief of Staff Major General Sanzo Nakazawa also felt that what the division commander said made sense. Although the 58th Regiment now had less than half of its combat strength, it could still defend itself against the attack of the Chinese army. As long as Xinye was not lost too quickly, the reinforcements drawn from the previous attacking forces could come back to support it.
Moreover, the main forces of the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government have now been surrounded in Zaoyang and Suixian. They do not have large-scale organized troops to launch an attack.
We conduct aerial reconnaissance every day, but have not found any news of large-scale Chinese military activities near Xinye. It seems that I was worrying too much.
In fact, time was quite tight for Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke. He had to complete the operation before the 16th Division was transferred back to the mainland. He must not let the credit slip away.
At noon that day, the attacking force of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army had already engaged in a battle with the 31st Group Forces in Zaoyang, and the critical moment of the battle arrived as expected.
(Thanks to the gift support from the Duke of Wei who loves beef jerky, the director of Shenlong Library, and the one who eats dumplings without vinegar! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)