Chapter 47: The Third Battle of East Henan (XV)
"Thank you for your hard work, sir."
Colonel Gao Zengji, Chief of Staff of the 229th Division, did not exchange too many pleasantries with Xue Ming, who was still squinting his eyes to adapt to the sunlight, and asked very straightforwardly.
"The war zone asked me to confirm with the commander how long it would take for the Kaifeng garrison to completely evacuate."
Xue Ming had already learned about the war zone's decision from the telegram he received, and also understood the current situation.
That's right, although Kaifeng was relieved, the 36th Division of the Japanese Army was chased all the way to the west of the Yuni River by the Chinese army. However, between Zhengxian and Kaifeng, the 222nd Infantry Regiment and the 223rd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of the Japanese Army were dodging between the Jialu River and the Yunliang River in the north, and the four regiments of the 110th Division were attacking northward in Mengzhuang, Zhangzhuang, Bagang Township, Huangdian Town, Hansi Town and other places in the southern part of Zhongmu. The Second Army, which was responsible for the relief operation, had to use 3 of its 6 divisions for blocking in the south and 1 for operations on the northern line. Only the 229th Division and its 8th Mechanized Brigade were actually deployed to the Kaifeng line.
The situation was so critical that the Japanese 5th Division and the 35th Division further south, regardless of the counterattacks from the Chinese troops in front of them, transferred considerable forces to the north to support, allowing the Japanese 110th Division to concentrate more forces to attack the Chinese front.
Therefore, if Kaifeng fails to withdraw in time, not only will the 229th Division, the 8th Mechanized Brigade and the Kaifeng defenders be surrounded again, but the entire Second Army will also suffer irreparable and heavy losses.
In fact, if there had not been the threat , the Japanese Army's reckless attack on the flanks would have given the Chinese side the opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the enemy in one fell swoop.
But assumptions are just assumptions. Under the threat of the 101st Division's vanguard approaching the outskirts of Xuchang, the Chinese troops on the southern front no longer cared about obtaining results that seemed to be achieved by simply making a better effort.
After the reserve forces, engineering and logistics units, and special forces were transferred first, the front-line troops of the Second, Seventh, Eighth Corps and the Third Army, which were weak in attack, were probably just waiting for the order to retreat.
However, there are many medical staff and wounded soldiers in Kaifeng City, and the left-over weapons and ammunition can be described as piled up like a mountain. It will take more than a day or two to remove all these things. What's more, the city of Kaifeng is in a mess now. It is extremely difficult to remove these things from the buried buildings and damaged roads.
Perhaps seeing Xue Ming's embarrassment, Gao Zengji reminded him, "Sir, please send a message to Commander Ma in person to remind him that people are the most important thing. As long as we save the people, we can still make things even if we lose them. But it is wrong to say that we lost people because of things."
Gao Zengji paused and said, "The neighbors are all fighting hard. There are at least a thousand casualties a day."
Xue Ming also understood, so he nodded: "Your Excellency's instructions are very timely. Cousin Shou, I will trouble the brothers of the 229th Division to continue to help us block the way. I will arrange the retreat now. The wounded and medical staff will be the first. The rest who can leave on their own should try to take supplies with them. If they really can't take them away, let the engineers blow them up."
"The theater of operations has instructed us that although Kaifeng has been relieved, the Japanese troops on the outer fronts are still rampant. The brothers have had a hard time these days, but in order to ensure that the brothers of the Second Army can withdraw smoothly, the Fourth Air Force must also carry out delaying operations with all its strength."
The person who gave the public order was Major General Kong Qinggui and Kong Lidan.
Major General Kong is from Yizheng, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the third artillery class in Baoding. Later, because of his interest, he entered the fourth class of Nanyuan Aviation School. After graduation, he has been serving in the Fengtian Army Flying Team. When the Northern Expedition started and the Fengtian Army failed in the battle and withdrew from the Great Wall, he joined the Northwest Army because of his hometown relationship with Dai Jiliang in Yangzhou. Now he is the commander of the Fourth Air Force of the Northwest Air Force, in charge of the main air operations against Japan.
"So I order now."
Kong Qinggui took the document from Chief of Staff Colonel An Di and began to read it.
"The Yanshi Independent Air Force was responsible for carrying out air strikes against Japanese troops in the southern part of Zhongmu until the main force of the Second Army withdrew to the established battle line west of Zhengxian County.
The Ruzhou Independent Air Force carried out air strikes on the enemy on the Xinzheng front until the Second and Seventh Corps withdrew to designated positions.
The Fangcheng Independent Air Force is responsible for bombing the 101st Division and the Japanese Army's logistics supply lines in Central China. It is imperative that the Japanese Army crawl forward."
Colonel Kurokata Qing, commander of the 149th Infantry Regiment, who was unaware that the Chinese side had already decided to launch an all-out air strike, was leaning on his saber and gazing at the Linying County town from afar.
As the name suggests, Linying is located on the bank of Linying River and was established as a county as early as the Han Dynasty.
However, what caught Colonel Kunikata's attention was not the antiquity of the city, but the presence of the Third Army of the Northeastern Army stationed there.
"Sir, we have found out that the Linying garrison is the 119th Chinese Division, and its commander Huang Xiansheng is from the Northeast Army system."
The regiment staff officer nearby reported this, and further away there was a Chinese man with a rat-like look nodding and bowing.
"According to reconnaissance, the Chinese army has built several fortifications outside Linying City, and there is about a battalion of defensive troops at the railway station."
"Mr. Sang Ping, the Chinese army did not defend the Ying River, but instead occupied the county town and the railway station which had no geographical advantage. What do you think?"
In response to the commander's question, the staff officer named Kuro Sangping was clearly confident: "The Chinese army is thinking of retreating without even engaging in battle, otherwise they wouldn't have arranged such a weird formation."
"retreat?"
Colonel Kunikata shook his head.
" If we retreat further, we will end up in Xuchang."
After saying this thought-provoking statement, Kunikata Keisuke changed the subject.
"Have you contacted the Fifth Division?"
"Report to the commander, we have contacted the Fifth Division."
The telecommunications officer nearby took off his headphones and reported loudly.
"The 1st Battalion of the Fukuyama (41st Infantry) Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 5th Engineer Regiment are relying on the Laoqi River defense line to resist the attack of the Chinese army, and we urgently need our army to move closer to them."
"Move closer to it?"
Colonel Kunikata looked back the way he had come.
"Where is the 2nd Battalion?"
Due to the sabotage by the Chinese military and civilians, the Japanese army was not only unable to use the Pinghan Road to transport troops, but also unable to use county-level roads to advance quickly. Therefore, although Kunikata Keisuke was full of vigor, he only had one and a half battalions of troops at the moment, of which the regiment artillery company only had two 70mm infantry guns, and the main infantry battalion had only two light mortars. He was not ready to use these four artillery pieces to directly attack the entire line of the 119th Division.
"The 2nd Battalion has reached the Luohe-Yancheng line."
The staff officer reported.
“Should we urge them to speed up?”
Guo Fangqingsan nodded slightly, and a telecommunications officer drafted the telegram and placed it in front of him. He quickly scanned it, signed it with a big pen, and then the ticking radio waves transmitted his order.
While watching the telegraph officer send a message, Kunikata Keisan spoke eloquently: "If we cannot break through the Chinese army's defense line head-on, our army can only make a detour of 20 to 30 kilometers."
In fact, if you don't want to attack by force, there is no problem in taking a detour of 20 to 30 kilometers.
But the key point is that the 101st Division did not go north to serve as a reserve for the 5th Division. Therefore, even if it wants to rescue the other side, it must act like a savior. Therefore, the subtext of this sentence is to directly attack the Chinese army's defense line in front of it.
Don't say that Colonel Kunikata was arrogant. When fighting on the southern front, the Japanese army often had one battalion defeating an entire division. As for the lack of cannons, it was not a big deal. The Chinese army might have retreated after a bombardment from grenade launchers and mortars.
Of course, Colonel Kunikata did not mean to use the existing forces to attack directly. He wanted to wait for the 2nd Battalion in the rear, but the junior officer who misunderstood immediately said, "Please give me a chance, I am willing to lead the troops to seize the railway station line."
The arrogant middle and lower-level officers of the Japanese army obviously disdained the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army. However, they did not think about their own origins at all. You have to know that the 101st Division was a special division formed by retired veterans and replacement soldiers of the 1st Division. It was originally a third-rate unit in the Japanese army. As long as the Chinese combat effectiveness was a little bit stronger, they would suffer.
Speaking of which, the 101st Division did not suffer any losses in the Battle of Shanghai, but since the Japanese army broke the backbone of the Central Army in the Battle of Shanghai, the 101st Division has not encountered an opponent that can match it. The continuous victories along the way naturally made the arrogant 101st Division forget the pain after the scar healed. In addition, after conquering Shangcheng, the Chinese side retreated without a fight, and the enemy in front of them lost the Northeast Army outside the Great Wall without firing a shot, so they became even more unscrupulous.
"Ono-kun, you still have to be cautious."
Colonel Kunikata said so, but facing the eyes of his junior officers who were eager for military merit, he felt that if he insisted on waiting for reinforcements from the rear, it would seem unfair to these young people, so he agreed hesitantly and also modified the original plan of a single attack.
"How about this, the 2nd Squadron will also launch a feint attack in the front to respond, but if the Chinese army's artillery fire is fierce, you should prioritize preserving your forces."
Colonel Kunikata's words were in vain. The 2nd Squadron that was carrying out the feint attack mission did not think that they should play a supporting role. Therefore, after approaching the enemy, they changed their original containment into an all-out attack.
In this way, the Japanese army, with the help of only a few mortars, rushed towards the opponent who was ready to fight with murderous intent.
Seeing the Japanese army approaching through the snow, the Chinese soldiers who had already entered the trenches fought back.
For a moment, the only sounds were the sounds of rifles and machine guns firing, and amid the explosions of grenades fired by Japanese grenade throwers on the front line, the sound of mortar shells fired back by the Northeast Army could be clearly heard.
An expert can tell whether there is one or not just by stretching out his hand. As soon as the battle started, Colonel Kunikata felt something was wrong.
Is the Northeast Army still the weakling who swallowed their anger? When did they have the courage to allow the Japanese army to enter 50 meters and then fire back?
Moreover, the enemy's firepower was so fierce. The company-level machine guns and grenade launchers and battalion-level mortars completely overwhelmed the Japanese army that lacked artillery.
This, what does this mean?
"Let the regiment artillery squadron reinforce the 2nd Squadron, no."
Colonel Kunikata ordered urgently.
"Order Captain Tangkou to retreat. The enemy is far more powerful than we imagined."
