Rise from eight hundred.

This turned out to be a request for help telegram forwarded from the Tenth Theater Command.

Although the main person asking for help was not Tang Dao, but the second war zone not far away, the reason for asking for help surprised Tang Dao!
'The Japanese army is gathering heavy troops at the occupied Yellow River ferry in southern Shanxi, and plans to march westward to Guanzhong!The defenders are now short of troops and in urgent need of support, especially Tongguan!

The Japanese army has frequent activities, and the main force in the war zone cannot leave the area. Southeast Shanxi is still far away from the place and is beyond reach. I hope your troops will overcome the difficulties and rush to the Tongguan battlefield to crush the Japanese army's delusions of advancing westward!

If Guanzhong is lost, our 30-strong army in the theater will be lost and we will have little trouble retreating. The important land in the southwest is in danger! "This is the original text of the telegram sent to Tang Dao by the theater headquarters.

The Tenth War Zone has not been clearly stated in history. That is because its war zone does not govern Shaanxi Province, which is only separated from Shanxi Province by a river. Its main defense is to deploy defenses along the Yellow River to prevent the Japanese troops in Jin Province from crossing the Yellow River. It was cut off a year after its establishment.

However, the role of this theater cannot be denied. Since the beginning of 1938, the Japanese army has never given up its intention to cross the Yellow River and enter the Guanzhong Plain.

In the past, even until the eve of Japan's surrender, the old county town of Tongguan was bombarded by Japanese artillery. It may have been the location where the war lasted the longest, but it was also a position that the Japanese army had never conquered.

Yes, if Tang Dao's memory is correct, although the Japanese army tried to cross the river countless times, they were repelled by the Chinese soldiers and civilians stationed along the river.

The Guanzhong Plain became one of the few fertile lands that the Japanese army did not set foot on.

But this time, a war zone with 12 infantry divisions and 3 cavalry divisions was actually asked to send a telegram to friendly forces asking for help. Could it be that the battle situation has changed in a way that even Tang Dao did not expect?

Tang Dao quickly sent a message to the regiment headquarters. Finally, he got the result he had guessed but didn't want at all.

The flapping wings of the little butterfly eventually blew up a hurricane on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

The aftermath of the great victory in the Battle of Jindong, he is here.

The newly appointed general commander of the Japanese North China Front lit two fires in total after arriving. As a result, he did not scorch his opponent, but burned his own butt.

In two consecutive battles, the Japanese North China Front did not suffer any injuries. The number of small wooden boxes shipped back to Japan alone exceeded 5!
This level of loss even exceeded the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Jinling, and naturally broke through the bottom line of the Japanese Army's base camp.

No matter how much Shan Shanyuan had the Earth Emperor backing him up, he still couldn't stand it.

However, the Japanese Army Base Camp finally gave the Emperor and the former Minister of War face, and Gen Sugami did not resign and leave in despair like his previous indoor shroud.

However, a new Third Army was established at the Japanese Army Base Camp!

The Third Army has jurisdiction over the Fifth Division, the Third Division, and the No. 13 Division, totaling more than [-] people, and is responsible for the battlefield heading west to Guanzhong.

However, this Third Army is not affiliated with the North China Front Army, but is directly affiliated with the Japanese Army Base Camp and has independent command authority.

The commander of the Third Army is Shiro Itagaki, commander of the Fifth Division.

Most of the troops of this Third Army, which is directly under the Japanese base camp, are drawn from the North China Front Army. The strength of the North China Front Army, which originally had a strength of over 30, has been sharply reduced to more than 20. In particular, the Fifth Division, which has the most powerful combat effectiveness, has also Being taken away, his strength dropped by more than one-third.

To put it bluntly, this kind of distribution that weakens the strength of the North China Front is punishment for Shan Shanyuan's ineffective fighting in North China.

But even the influence of Gen Sugamigi in the Japanese War Ministry cannot change this fact. In fact, after Gen Sugugami took office, the Japanese North China Front not only did not change the reality of indoor shrouds stretching the crotch, but even put the Japanese North China Front Kicked into the ditch.

The Japanese Army Ministry was not run by Gen Sugami alone, and it was impossible for him to cover the sky with one hand.

However, the Japanese North China Front's strategy is to attack Shanxi Province. The Zhongtiao Mountains in southern Shanxi and the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi are already serious dangers. In addition to tens of thousands of more than 20 troops left to stabilize the rear, its main force is still to deal with these two mountain ranges. The Chinese Second Theater Army in China cannot have the re-divided Third Army perform the same tasks because of the distribution of power!
That was really a slap in the face, even if Shan Shanyuan's old face had been swollen by the Chinese.

So, after scratching their heads and scratching their heads, the senior officials of the Japanese Army Base Camp who were responsible for concocting all this actually came up with a new strategy-to advance westward to Guanzhong.

Naturally, the person responsible for carrying out this task is the Third Army led by Itagaki Shiro!

In the past, this strategy had not been proposed before, but it had to wait until 4, four years later. As a result, the so-called Fifth Front Army was established. Coincidentally, the person appointed as the commander was still Itagaki Shiro is fat and bald.

If they want to advance westward, Tongguan, a pass built on a narrow passage between the Yellow River, the remnants of the Qinling Mountains, and the Huashan Mountains, is a place where the Japanese army must conquer.

In the past, the Japanese had never thought about Tongguan, or they were thinking about it all the time, but they have never been able to do so.

There are three reasons!

One is the victory of form!
How steep is the terrain in Tongguan?The annals of Tongguan County may say very clearly, "To the south of Tongguan, the Qinling Mountains are majestic, to the southeast is the danger of Forbidden Valley, and to the northwest are the Luo and Wei Rivers that meet the Yellow River!" '

The second is to strictly observe!

The 28th Division and the 1st Division of the Central Army successively garrisoned Tongguan and dug spider web-like trenches and traffic ditches in front of the river bank. In addition, they also built a large number of bunkers along the river!

Even American General Wedemeyer once praised it as the Maginot Line of Defense in the East!
I used to feel nothing when I saw Tang Dao's arrival in the information, but now when I read the request for help telegram from the [-]th War Zone, I instantly felt that the guy was a crow's mouth and could compete with Bailey.

Three is for containment!

Located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, there is a big mountain on the north bank of the Yellow River - Zhongtiao Mountain!This mountain, which is 170 kilometers long from east to west and 50 kilometers deep from north to south, blocks Tongguan and Chang'an to the west, Luoyang to the south, and controls Tongpu Road to the north. Its strategic location is extremely important.

There are more than 15 Chinese troops in this mountain. Unless the Japanese army deploys heavy troops to carry out a large-scale sweep of Zhongtiao Mountain, once they gather heavy troops to cross the river, they will be threatened by the Chinese army in Zhongtiao Mountain, and may even be killed. Take the back road.

It can be said that before the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain broke out in mid-1941, the Chinese army in Zhongtiao Mountain was one of the main reasons why Tongguan was not lost.

Of course, the main reason why Tongguan was not lost for eight years was actually related to the strategy formulated by the Japanese army in the early days of the war.

The attractiveness of Tongguan, a majestic pass on the bank of the Yellow River, to the Japanese army completely depended on the Japanese army's judgment of the strategic value of the Guanzhong area after Tongguan.

From the beginning of the war to the Battle of Central China, the Japanese army focused mainly on capturing strategic locations and lines of communication and annihilating the effective strength of the Chinese army.

After the Battle of Central China, the Sino-Japanese War actually entered a stalemate stage. As the rear base of the Anti-Japanese War in northern China, the strategic status of the Guanzhong area has increased. However, at this time, the Japanese army mainly used tactical offensives to annihilate the Chinese army and 'mopping up' The base areas behind enemy lines were used to stabilize the rear and bombard mountain cities and other large and medium-sized cities to weaken the will of Chinese soldiers and civilians to resist. Coupled with the existence of Zhongtiao Mountain, there were also heavy troops in the Guanzhong area, so the Japanese army had never put the attack on Guanzhong on the agenda.

Until 1941, after Japan provoked the Pacific War, the Japanese army achieved successive victories in the Pacific and Southeast Asian battlefields. The Japanese judged that the operations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific were basically over, and they could fully carry out the war against China.

Therefore, in September 1942, the Japanese Army Base Camp launched the "Operation Plan No. 9". The overall concept was to "use the main force of China's dispatched troops, one from Chang'an and the other from Jiangcheng area, to conquer Rongcheng and Shancheng, and urge the Shancheng regime to surrender." with crash! '

This cliff is a big move of "left and right uppercut" and "double attack". If it is really done like this, not to mention that Tongguan cannot be defended, Chang'an will also be lost, and Sichuan Province will hardly be spared.

Unfortunately, the Japanese think too much.

In the Pacific battlefield, which they thought had been stabilized, a sudden wave of American cowboys broke out, beating the Japanese naval fleet to a pulp.

As a result, the Japanese army base camp hurriedly mobilized troops from the Chinese theater to defend the islands in the Pacific to help the navy and mainlanders wipe their butts. Naturally, the "Operation Plan No. [-]" was stillborn, and it was not implemented at all until Japan surrendered.

But Tang Dao did not expect that the Japanese would come up with a Third Army similar to the "No. 4 Plan" four years in advance. Not to mention, they would actually launch an attack on the Guanzhong area from the banks of the Yellow River.

The telegram sent from the headquarters of the Fourth Army Regiment showed that a week ago, the Japanese North China Front Army began to attack southern Shanxi, and at least 13 troops invaded Zhongtiao Mountain; at the same time, the No. 14 Division was transferred back from Henan Province to coordinate with the 108th and 109th Divisions. And two independent brigades with 10 people are pressing down on southeastern Shanxi and watching eagerly;

Five days ago, Itagaki Shiro personally commanded the nearly 13 men of the Third Division and No. 5 Division to begin exploratory attacks along the river bank.

On November 11, in Fugu County, Shaanxi Province, more than 28 people from two Japanese infantry brigades forcibly crossed the Yellow River, but were repelled by the defenders!

The next day, a Japanese infantry regiment with nearly 4000 men and more than 20 artillery pieces forced their way across the border under the cover of more than a dozen aircraft, but was again repelled by the defenders.

On November 11, about 29 Japanese troops arrived at the two crossings of Matouguan and Qizhentan in Shanxi Province. They first bombarded the Liangshuiyan position on the opposite side, and then forced the crossing under the cover of more than ten aircraft. An infantry regiment of the defenders was completely wiped out. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time and were able to hold their position.

On November 11, 30 Japanese troops launched a forceful attack on the opposite river bank at Liulindu in Shanxi Province. A reinforced battalion of the defenders held on for half a day and suffered heavy losses. Three reinforcement infantry regiments arrived at the position in the afternoon and immediately organized a counterattack. With half a day's losses, At the cost of 5000 people, all 2000 Japanese troops who had landed and established their positions were killed!

The battle reports were shocking. The Japanese army launched attacks at more than ten important crossings along the river bank, using more than [-] infantry troops!
The Tenth Theater was forced to use all reserve forces and mobilized two cavalry divisions and four infantry divisions to support the original defenders.

But the theater commander who was an expert in civil war and an outsider in foreign wars was obviously deceived by Itagaki Shiro.

The focus of Itagaki Shiro's attack was not the areas that did not look particularly dangerous, but Tongguan.

That Xiongguan has geographical advantages, strict coastal defense and the strength of an infantry division.

Starting three days ago, the sound of artillery was rumbling in more than ten positions along the river. The Japanese attack became more fierce. More than [-] Chinese regular troops were on the road. However, in the direction of Tongguan, no Japanese infantry was seen crossing the river. Instead, they were bombarded by Japanese heavy artillery.

The 150mm howitzer is already considered a large-caliber heavy artillery in the Chinese theater. One shell can destroy everything in an area the size of four basketball courts!
Twelve 12MM howitzers opened fire together, which was devastating. Even the reinforced concrete permanent bunkers deployed along the river were blown up by this heavy artillery.

Only then did the general commander realize that he had made a mistake. But at this time, except for some militia groups and an infantry division left behind in Chang'an City, he had no available troops. Instead, he had to mobilize troops from other battlefields. When the enemy's troops are pressing down on the situation like this, those who know are mobilizing their troops, but those who don't know think that someone is going to slap their butts and run away. If they are not careful, they will be defeated like a mountain.

Forced by desperation, they had no choice but to ask the Second War Zone for help, hoping that they would send troops to assist the Tongguan battlefield.

Although he made a mistake, the general had fought in the war after all. His guess was correct. Three of the four infantry regiments of the Japanese Third Division were gathered at Fenglingdu on the other side of the river. Basically the main force of most of the division.

If you add the 12 150MM howitzers and the Japanese drones that are not included, let alone an infantry division on the opposite side, even an infantry corps cannot be defended.

The stingy old man was usually stingy, but at this time he also understood the truth of the cold. The reason why he was able to grit his teeth and fight the Japanese army in southern Shanxi was that his greatest confidence was that he had the natural danger of the Yellow River behind him and Guan Zhong. No matter what, If you can't beat us, you can still retreat. Isn't it said that taking a step back will open up the world!

There is no sea, but the mighty mother river is just as turbulent, but not everyone can cross it in one step.

But what if Guanzhong is lost?Then he, a dignified commander, would have no way out. If he was defeated and he didn't want to be a prisoner, he would have to die.

So, after the hair on his head, which was originally not much, lost a lot, after being reminded by his adjutant, the name of a group member who had finished his family leave appeared in front of the stingy old man.

Isn’t Tang Dao a military officer?There are still 4500 new recruits in hand. Although the new recruits are weaker in combat effectiveness, they are still 4500 men. Each of them can use a clockwork gun. Even if they are used as cannon fodder, they can still hold up for a while, right?

These were the words of the adjutant of the headquarters, but to the stingy old man whose eyes lit up, it was an indescribable confidence in Tang Dao.

With a stroke of his pen, Tang Dao and his new recruits became the only troops rushing to aid Tongguan.

Of course, the stingy old man still took Tang Dao's personal feelings into consideration and did not send a telegram in the form of a military order. Instead, he forwarded a request for help telegram from the [-]th theater. The theater headquarters only hopes that your troops will go to support.

The implication is that you can handle it yourself. If you really don't have confidence, you can pretend you didn't see it. But if Guanzhong is lost, not only will our brothers have no way out, but your hometown in Sichuan Province will be in danger.

Good guy, moral kidnapping has been used!

"This is the situation now, tell me what you think!" Tang Dao called Lu Sanjiang and the others to a mountain col, briefly explained the current situation, and threw the question to several subordinates.

"F*ck! If our four-pronged group were here, let alone 4500 people, even 500 people, I would dare to take my brothers up, but these stupid officials don't know that the ones we brought are not at all Have you ever seen a bloody recruit who has been on the battlefield? They are going to use 4500 people as cannon fodder! These are 4500 human lives, not cats and dogs!" Lu Sanjiang's eyes were as wide as copper bells, and he almost jumped up .

"Haha, go, I have to go! I don't know what cannon fodder is, but I'm so good at killing little Japan." Long Yan now likes to play opposite Lu Sanjiang the most. When he saw him jumping around in anxiety, he immediately patted his chest boldly ring.

"You idiot, I'm not afraid of death myself, but I'm afraid that the 4500 new recruits will die in the ball of light! Don't you think about my parents seeing them off?" Lu Sanjiang was so angry that he almost grabbed Da Lala and just pretended Crazy Long Yan.

"If you don't go, if Tongguan is lost, Guanzhong will be gone. If Guanzhong is gone, Sichuan Province will be in danger. Then instead of 4500 people will die, it will be 450 million people?" Mingxin, who had always been a talker, was uncharacteristically at this time, He looked at Tang Dao with bright eyes.

"What's more, the commander has already decided what you two are arguing about. Now it's not a matter of whether to go or not, but a matter of letting you think about how to fight."

"Well, Ming Xin, you guessed wrong. I really haven't decided whether to go or not." Tang Dao, who had always been determined, had a trace of bitterness on his lips.

"I don't know how many troops the Japanese have hoarded, but what I do know is that maybe in addition to the 12 150MM howitzers, the Japanese should also have prepared two terrifying weapons for the Tongguan battlefield!"

The Third Army has been established for more than a month. Based on time calculation, the Japanese army has time to transport two 280MM howitzers from China to the Tongguan front line as it did in time and space.

This kind of heavy artillery that appeared in the Russo-Japanese War has each shell weighing 200 kilograms. One truck can only transport 7 shells. Needless to say, it is powerful. One shell can destroy half a village!

In the past time and space, these two cannons would not be installed on the fort at Fenglingdu Ferry until the beginning of 39, but now the "Fifth Front Army" has appeared in advance, and it will be difficult to bring such giant cannons to the battlefield in advance. What's so surprising?

"I can put a gun barrel that I can put into it. I have two or three heavy shells. I am a Japanese special kid's good friend." Even Long Yan was brave. Hearing Tang Dao say the 280MM howitzer, he couldn't help but start cursing.

As the saying goes, the ignorant are fearless. Long Yan may not be afraid of any bullets, but he is really afraid of gunfire.

In the battle of Shaiyue Valley, the Japanese army's grenade as thick as a baby's arm killed at least a dozen of his brothers in the village, leaving him with indelible pain.

You can only imagine the damage caused by a cannon that can fire shells twice as heavy as his.

"Damn it, this battle is almost impossible to win. The Japanese factory is so powerful. They can make such terrible things." Lu Sanjiang shook his head fiercely. "Since that's the case, let's fight with this idiot! We may have to fight with 300MM or even larger cannons at some point, so let's leave it to Deputy Commander Lei and Director Ye to suffer."

Lu Sanjiang has the kind of personality that gets stronger when strong. What he said just now is very clear. If Shaanxi Province and Sichuan Province are lost, more people will die than 4500 people. It is better to take those 4500 people to fight. Well, with this as psychological support, there is nothing to be afraid of how powerful the enemy's cannon is.

"Even so, then generate electricity for the war zone. Our troops will rush to Tongguan at Xingye. Please ask the [-]th War Zone to prepare ordnance supplies for our troops in Hanzhong!" Tang Dao narrowed his eyes slightly and no longer hesitated at the moment.

"Also, notify the local mayor to temporarily store all the pack horses, carts, and military rations for our department!" (End of Chapter)