Chapter 70: War breaks out again
At this time, the auditorium of the Nanjing China Expeditionary Army Headquarters was already filled with high-ranking Japanese military officers of all shapes and sizes. The lowest rank of these Japanese invading troops was colonel. They all stood with their chests puffed out, swords in hand, eyes straight ahead, and solemn expressions, creating a depressing and murderous atmosphere that enveloped the entire building.
Just after 9 o'clock, the door of the auditorium opened again from the outside, and General Hisashi Nishio, Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, and Lieutenant General Seishirō Itagaki, Chief of the General Staff of the Expeditionary Force, walked in accompanied by a group of senior staff officers.
Seeing the commander-in-chief arrive, the seated Japanese officers stood up and saluted, watching Nishio and Itagaki walk up to the podium one after another.
Nishio and Itagaki walked onto the stage and saluted the officers in return, then turned around and took the lead in saluting the portrait of Japanese Emperor Hirohito hanging in the center of the auditorium. At this time, the music of "Kimi ga Yo" sounded, and all the Japanese invaders worshiped respectfully.
At the same time, they hoped that the military achievements of the Meiji period and the luck of the Taisho period would once again protect the Japanese army and stop the music.
Nishio Toshizo put on his military cap and took a document from Chief of Staff Itagaki. He then walked to the microphone and read in a hoarse voice: "Tokyo Headquarters Continental Order No. 472."
In accordance with the mainland order and the China Expeditionary Army's First Order of 1941, the Japanese invaders decided to implement a comprehensive offensive plan to open up the Pinghan and Yuehan railways in early 1941.
This was an order that greatly disappointed Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka, commander of the First Army. His plan to launch an offensive on the Zhongtiao Mountain front was completely rejected. The Japanese army decided to completely change the current situation on the Chinese battlefield through a larger-scale battle in order to achieve the goal of severely damaging the Northwest, forcing Chiang's faction, and ultimately resolving the Chinese quagmire.
As the Japanese army established its strategic focus, the invading Japanese troops in China immediately carried out a series of maneuvers.
Among them, the 38th Division of the 15th Army, which was originally stationed in Xinyang and Zhumadian, moved northward, and the garrison in the Xinyang area was handed over to the 11th Army in central China.
In addition, the First Army and the Mongolian Army also drew one integrated regiment from each of the 36th, 37th, 41st and 26th Divisions to form two mixed brigades to reinforce the Henan front.
Since the Kwantung Army was preparing for the "Kwantung Special Exercise" and did not want to increase troops in the interior of the country, it only transferred two divisions of the puppet Manchukuo Army to the south.
As for central China, the 13th Army stationed in southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, northern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang also drew an integrated regiment from the 15th, 17th, 22nd, and 116th Divisions to form two mixed brigades and headed for Wuhan.
The South China Front Army planned to dispatch the Imperial Guards Division and other units to launch a diversionary attack in southern Guangxi and northern Guangdong.
The frequent mobilization and preparations of the Japanese army naturally attracted great attention from the Chinese side. Both Lanzhou and Guiyang were eager to know the exact target of the Japanese army's attack, so a series of intelligence wars behind enemy lines were launched in full swing. During this period, some Communist elements took advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters, and the two countries and five parties performed a series of thrilling dramas.
On February 20, 1941, the Japanese South China Front Army took the first action.
On that day, the Japanese army first used more than 40 carrier-based aircraft from two aircraft carriers of the Navy's First Fleet to bomb Fuzhou, Changle, Lianjiang and other places in turn.
The next day, the Japanese army used more than 30 warships and more than 100 motor sailing ships to transport parts of the 18th Division, the 48th Division and the Guards Division. Under the cover of the navy and air force, they landed simultaneously in six places in two routes, including Dawo, Xiaowo, Baisheng, Dongdai in Lianjiang County, and Zhanggang and Songxia in Changle.
On the 21st, the Japanese army successfully occupied Lianjiang, Changle, Fuqing and other counties.
Afterwards, planes were dispatched successively to bomb Taijiang, Gulou and Hongshan Bridge in Fuzhou.
On the 22nd, the Japanese invading army attacked Fuzhou.
When the Japanese army attacked, the Kuomintang Marine Corps and agencies retreated in a panic from Mawei to Shuikou and Nanping without resistance.
The headquarters of the 80th Division of the Fujian garrison and its subordinate troops also fled from Fuzhou to Minhou and Gutian.
The Japanese army quickly occupied Fuzhou with almost no resistance.
The fall of Fuzhou did not affect the Kuomintang's rule in Fujian. This was because as early as July 1938, the Kuomintang Fujian Provincial Government had withdrawn from Fuzhou to the inland town of Yong'an. However, the Japanese army's actions still touched the nerves of Guiyang. Zhu Shaoliang, commander of the Third War Zone, mobilized the 100th Army and other units to eastern Fujian in an attempt to prevent further Japanese invasion.
The rapid mobilization of the three war zones did curb the Japanese army's further actions, but the Japanese army in South China was a detachment, and its actions were also to provide a cover for the Japanese army in North China and Central China. Therefore, after being unable to continue the invasion for a while, the Japanese army stopped advancing. Zhu Shaoliang had limited troops and was unable to recapture Fuzhou. He could only watch the people of Fuzhou suffer under the iron hoof of the Japanese army.
At 8:15 a.m. on March 1, 1941, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, who succeeded General Okamura Yasuji as commander of the 11th Army, issued an attack order .
The Japanese 4th Division, which had been well prepared, immediately attacked the Xiangfan line again. The Hunan-Hubei-Bashu war zone was the first to face the fierce attack of the Japanese army.
On March 2, Suizhou fell.
On March 4, Zaoyang fell.
Feng Zhanhai's 103rd Division of the 51st Army and Zhang Lingyun's 132nd Division of the 77th Army, which were guarding the two places, were unable to withstand the battle and were eventually forced to retreat to Xiangfan.
On the night of March 4, Liu Wenhui, commander-in-chief of the Hunan-Hubei-Bashu War Zone, appointed Fu Zuoyi as the garrison commander of Xiangfan. The newly arrived Fourth Corps was ordered to hold the important town of Xiangfan. Feng Zhanhai and Zhang Lingyun's troops were also handed over to Fu for reorganization. As for the rest of the troops, they withdrew to the Wudang Mountain area and the outskirts of Xiangfan to launch a counterattack.
"Commander, this is Northwest killing someone with a borrowed knife."
Jin Xianzhang, the commander of the Sixth Reserve Division, was originally a member of the puppet Mongolian army. However, his humanity was not yet lost and he still knew the national justice, so he resolutely turned against the enemy. However, it was precisely because of his experience as a puppet soldier that he was more aware of the Japanese army's offensive capabilities.
"Xiangfan is a deadly place. Not to mention that the four legions are not fully armed, even if they were, could they still be compared to the armies that defended Guide and Lanfeng?"
That's right, the battles in Guide and Lanfeng were fought with rivers of blood, and only one in ten of the soldiers who survived the hundreds of battles survived. Moreover, unlike the defenders in the two places, Fu Zuoyi, who came to Hubei as a guest army, might not get the necessary reinforcements in the eyes of others. If all the soldiers were really wiped out, the cadres of the 35th Army, who were stuck in a dilemma, would have no place to cry.
"Master Jin, do you think there is still a possibility that we can refuse?"
Fu Zuoyi asked back coldly. He was well aware of Jin Xianzhang's loyalty, but now he and the Fourth Army had no choice.
"I once said to Commander-in-Chief Dai that it doesn't matter if the 35th Army is completely wiped out in order to fight the war. Now is the time to fulfill my promise."
Looking at his subordinates with bitter faces, Fu Zuoyi encouraged them.
"It was different in Datong and Zhengding. We were outnumbered and had no reinforcements. Now we still have the First Corps and the 19th Army Group to help us. Why can't we fight? I think we should not only fight, but also show the power of the 35th Army and let other armies see our strength. Only in this way will Liu Wenhui not dare to strangle us."
According to Fu Zuoyi's plan, his main force, the 138th Division led by Lu Yinglin, was stationed in Fancheng.
Sun Lanfeng's 101st Division stationed its first regiment at Zhenwu Mountain west of Xiangyang City. The second regiment controlled Pipa Mountain and Tiefu Temple outside the west gate. The third regiment and the division's supply battalion and other units built fortifications at key points on Yanghu Mountain and Hutou Mountain.
The corps' direct troops and Feng's and Zhang's troops set up defenses at the city gates.
The 6th Reserve Division held the city and served as the last reserve for the outer line troops.
On March 5, the Japanese army began bombing Xiangfan. Fu's troops, who had no anti-aircraft weapons, could only use light and heavy machine guns to build a simple air defense barrier. However, since it posed little threat to Japanese aircraft, the Japanese aircraft's bombing was not stopped. Fu's troops suffered heavy losses before the battle even started. There were complaints among the troops and morale was extremely low.
At this time, if the Japanese army concentrated on attacking Xiangfan, Fu's troops might not be able to hold out for long. However, the Japanese army's goal was not to further occupy northwestern Hubei. Therefore, after a feint, the Japanese 4th Division continued to monitor the direction of Xiangfan with a small part of its force, while its main force turned to attack the Nanyang area, and then engaged in fierce exchanges of fire with Liu Ruming's 12th Army in Tanghe and other places.
On March 6, the Japanese 3rd Division, which had moved to Xinyang, also began to attack towards Nanyang.
Major General Miharu Kido, commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade of the division, personally led the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 18th Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment, the 1st, 2nd and 4th Squadrons of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, and the 3rd Engineer Regiment and the 3rd Quartermaster Regiment, a total of 7 squadrons, totaling about 5,000 people, to attack Bianyang from Queshan.
At the same time, the division also used the 6th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Infantry Brigade as its main force, strengthened it with one battalion of the 68th Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, the 3rd Engineer Regiment, and 6 squadrons of the 3rd Logistics Regiment, totaling about 7,000 people, to form the Sichuan Bao Detachment, which advanced westward from Suiping and bypassed Wuyang and Ye County to attack Fangcheng.
The actions of the Kido Detachment were soon blocked by Yang Sen's 11th Corps. Yang's troops, which had just been organized into the 8th Reserve Army, were in high spirits. Although facing a powerful enemy, they did not show any weakness. They used the rugged roads in the Tongbai Mountain area to resist step by step, effectively curbing the offensive of the Kido Detachment.
As for the Japanese detachment, it ran into the main force of the Seventh Army. Although it was advancing rapidly, the encirclement was already ready, waiting for the Japanese to break through Fangcheng Pass and fall into the trap.
However, whether it was the Battle of Xiangfan or the Battle of Nanyang, the actions of the Japanese 11th Army were just a feint to attract China's attention. Its hidden killer was not revealed until March 11.
On this day, the Japanese 15th Army, with the assistance of three divisions, two divisions of the puppet Manchurian Army, and two divisions of the puppet Imperial Army, began to attack the outskirts of Zheng County. "What did Yang Hucheng say?"
"The Hubei-Henan-Anhui War Zone reported that two mixed brigades of the Japanese army attacked from Luzhou and Bengbu respectively. Hubei-Henan-Anhui was unable to take care of itself and was afraid that it was unable to contain the Japanese invaders from the Pinghan and Longhai directions."
"Yang Hucheng is playing tricks."
Dai Jiliang commented coldly on Yang Hucheng's report.
"Huaibei is so vast, how can the Japanese army's two mixed brigades cover everything?"
Zhang Xueliang and others were also present, so Dai Jiliang stopped talking at that point.
"Forget it. We don't have to eat hairy pigs just because we lack Zhang the butcher. Since Hubei, Henan and Anhui and Jiangsu, Xuzhou, Shandong, Henan and Anhui are unable to contain the Japanese army, let's fight a defensive battle in Zheng County."
