Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1415 Approval!

After just a few short exchanges, the teacher surnamed Hu already knew that Tang Dao was indeed a young man. How could such a smart person not know that such a core defense area would not be allowed by the 11th Division and the 18th Division?

In fact, this has nothing to do with fighting for military success, but in the three months since they were stationed in Shipai, since the defense zone was determined, the two main divisions have put a lot of effort into building fortifications.

Not only trenches and bullet-proof caves were excavated on the mountain, but air-raid shelters, bomb storage warehouses and water storage points were also excavated. These extremely labor-intensive fortifications can save lives at critical moments. Who would give up the fruits of their labor so easily? .

The Fourth Line Regiment took the initiative to invite troops to station in such a main defense area. The troops that were evacuated from wherever they were did not just withdraw to the second line, but they still had to go to another line of defense.

The Japanese army was trying its best to fight for the stone plaque this time. Together with the two divisions that were coming from Hunan Province, the entire western Hubei force reached an astonishing 170,000 troops, which was comparable to a medium-sized battle.

Moreover, the Japanese navy in Jiangxia has also begun to gather warships, including gunboats, light destroyers and transport ships. This means that in this battle of Shipai, the Japanese army intends to surround them on all sides. Even if the mountains here are not conducive to mechanized marching, they must conquer them in one fell swoop. Shippai.

Shipai is currently facing enemies from all sides!

This place is like a mill. Every unit and soldier still here will become the raw materials in this big mill, whether they are Chinese or Japanese.

From a purely military perspective, you will die faster if you leave. If you want to survive, you must continue to strengthen the fortifications.

If something goes wrong, there must be a monster, and Tang Dao did it knowing that he couldn't do it, which means that his target was not these two places from the beginning.

"This war zone requires our troops to obey your command, Commander Hu. Then our troops will advance and retreat together with all the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division. The brothers of the 11th Division have been operating the fortress frontal defense position for several months. Our troops cannot occupy the dove's nest. The 5000 officers and soldiers of the regiment are willing to protect the left flank of the outer position and defend against the enemy coming from the direction of Changyang for the brothers of the 11th Division." Tang Dao pointed directly to several highlands about 10 kilometers away from the Shipai Fortress.

Teacher surnamed Hu, who had been squinting his eyes so that no one could guess the changes in his heart, opened his eyes slightly. Obviously, Tang Dao's choice once again surprised him.

It is already obvious that the Japanese army is encircling Shipai. At this time, the Japanese army has occupied Gong'an and Songzi. The Japanese army, with a strength of more than 2, poses a huge threat to the rear flank of Shipai. To the southwest of Yiling, the Japanese army is approaching Yuyang Pass. , was about to cross the Qingjiang River; plus the two Japanese divisions that were about to arrive, there were at least 7 Japanese troops outside the Shipai Fortress.

The biggest threat seems to come from the Japanese army from the front, but in fact, according to analysis, the troops invested by the Japanese army on Shipai's left and right wings are even stronger than the enemy's frontal attack.

It's okay for Tang Dao to choose the left defense line. The high ground he just pointed out is the core position of the left defense line. It is located between the peripheral defense line and the core defense position of Shipai Fortress. It is an extremely important connection point. If this area is occupied If the Japanese army conquers, the entire defense system of the 11th Division may even be at risk of collapse.

For this reason, in the defense plan of the 18th Army, a main regiment will be placed here. Although the Four Lines Regiment is a special regiment, the area Tang Dao just pointed to is not just this one, and it even has to take the initiative to fight against Changyang. The enemy is coming from the direction.

Can he alone in the Four Elements Group be qualified for such an important task?

"Sir Hu, if I told you before that Tang Dao was not sure of success in the Battle of Shipai but Cheng Ren was indeed determined, then Tang Dao's commitment to our regiment's defensive position was that the Japanese wanted to step over us. The prerequisite for the regiment's position is to step over the body of Tang Dao." Faced with the glint and doubt in his eyes, Tang Dao held his head high and made a promise.

The area selected by Tang Dao is actually composed of three main highlands and countless small highlands. The three main highlands are Niuchangpo and Zhujiaping, which are the outermost ones. The area slightly further inward was cited by the commander surnamed Hu as the most important battlefield on the left wing. The highland is called Sifang Bay.

In the past, these three highlands were garrisoned by three infantry regiments of the 11th Division, and fierce battles broke out with the Japanese army here.

Based on the current total strength of the 11th Division, two brigades and six regiments, it shows that the division commander surnamed Hu has an extremely accurate judgment on the distribution of Japanese troops. The right wing is completely handed over to the 18th Division, and the left wing is defended by his own three infantry regiments. The frontal core defense area Three infantry regiments were also released, and thus won the victory in the battle to defend Shipai.

But it can also be seen from this that this man does not trust another infantry division of the 18th Army, the 34th Division, which is temporarily formed. He would rather allocate precious troops to guard the flanks of the central position than hand them over to friendly forces.

This distrust also led to a negative consequence. Although he finally won the victory, it was extremely thrilling. If Yokoyama persisted for another day or even half a day, history might be rewritten.

Because, in the last two days of the Shipai battlefield, the 11th Division no longer had any reserves.

If the Japanese could see the day's battle report of the 11th Division, they would feel regretful.

For example, the left-wing Sifangwan position that the teacher surnamed Hu most valued was the fierce fighting that day.

Due to the steep terrain of the Shipai line, the Japanese heavy artillery was almost impossible to carry. They could only attack with 75mm mountain guns and 70mm infantry guns, and their firepower was significantly reduced.

Seeing that the artillery firepower could not support it, the Japanese army asked the air force for support, so the Japanese army, navy and air force were mobilized. Every day, dozens of planes circled the Shipai line for a long time, dropping bombs and strafing.

After the Japanese artillery fire, the position of the 11nd Regiment of the 32th Division was beyond recognition. The bunkers were flattened, the barbed wire fences were blown away, and even many trenches were blown down to only half a meter.

Since part of the position was bombed, several platoons of Chinese troops could only rely on the natural trees on the position as cover.

Unexpectedly, after the Japanese army found out, they carried out intensive shelling and bombing from planes on these small holly forests. In less than half an hour, all the standing trees were blown down. All the officers and soldiers of these platoons suffered natural casualties, but the remaining ones still persisted in refusing to retreat, using the blown down trees as cover to fight to the death.

The officers and soldiers of the 11nd Regiment of the 32th Division resisted to the death, but suffered heavy casualties. In some positions, almost no one could fight. At one point, the squad leader replaced the platoon leader, and the platoon leader replaced the company commander in command.

Seeing the strength of the Japanese army, the head of the 32nd Regiment urgently requested support from the division commander surnamed Hu.

At this time, the division commander surnamed Hu had used up all the reserve troops, and there was only one guard squad left with no officers.

All officers have been sent to the front line to fight or supervise operations!

Finally, a deputy regiment leader who was injured and returned to the field hospital for treatment was found in the division headquarters field hospital, and he led the security squad to support Sifang Bay.

If the deputy commander had not led the guard squad to encounter 34 broken troops of the temporary 400th Division on the way to the battlefield, and had given the order to lead these 400 broken troops into the battlefield, I am afraid that not to mention defending Sifang Bay, more than a dozen people He entered the battlefield and disappeared without even a splash.

The division commander surnamed Hu only has a few adjutants, secretaries and staff members left, not even a combat soldier.

So when the commander surnamed Chen called to inquire about the situation of the war, the proud commander surnamed Hu said the famous saying, "Although success is uncertain, Chengren is determined!" It was also because the war was over. At that time, he no longer had the confidence to hold his position.

Many so-called military scientists like to use results to deduce the process, thinking that those famous generals have everything in mind before the war, which only means that they have not experienced war.

How can there be so many natural strategies on the battlefield that we are destined to win before the battle even begins? Enough courage and tenacity plus a little bit of luck may be the reality.

But this time, with the new force of the Four Elements Regiment, the situation will be different from before.

The central main position has three more infantry regiments in reserve, which is enough to give the Japanese army a good drink!

This is Tang Dao's judgment after comparing the previous battlefield and the existing defense zone sand table.

But obviously, the teacher surnamed Hu is by no means a person who easily trusts others. After hearing Tang Dao's generous promise, he still pursed his lips, frowned, looked down at the sand table, and did not answer immediately.

"Our regiment has 12 mountain guns and several 82 mortars. If it is not necessary, our regiment will not request artillery support from the headquarters." Tang Dao could only add one more fire.

This speaks directly to the heart of teacher surnamed Hu.

Although the 18th Army is the direct descendant of the civil engineering tycoon, Commander Chen, and belongs to the first batch of adjustment divisions. Its equipment is good in the entire theater and even the entire Chinese army, but in fact, each of the 11th Division and the 18th Division only has A directly affiliated artillery battalion has 12 75mm mountain guns, and 24 20mm machine guns and 24 Type 82 mortars belong to the regiment's firepower.

The firepower looks okay, but it depends on who you compare with. Compared to the Sichuan Army, the Qian Army, and the Northwest Army, which are miscellaneous armies from remote areas, of course they are awesome. But if it is compared with the heavy firepower of a Japanese division, it is far behind. The combined heavy firepower of the three divisions under the 18th Army is inferior to that of a Japanese Class A division, let alone a special division like the First Division that is reinforced by 3 howitzers and 105 heavy artillery.

How to provide artillery support to the peripheral flank positions is really the biggest headache for the division commander surnamed Hu.

If the Fourth Line Regiment has its own mountain artillery, it means that it can safely and boldly use all 12 mountain artillery pieces of the division's artillery battalion to distribute heavy firepower in the central position.

"Is this true?" The proud teacher surnamed Hu actually asked this sentence, which shows how much impact Tang Dao had on him by sharing the heavy firepower distribution issue for him.

"Seriously, our artillery position should be located about three or four kilometers between the central position and our regiment's position. If the main position needs it, our regiment's artillery battalion can also provide fire support for the central main position!" Tang Dao promised with a smile. .

"Okay! No wonder the 1st Division of the Battle of Zishan collapsed in front of your four-line regiment defense line! Hey, many people say that the most important thing in the Battle of Zishan was the good timing of the attack of the th Group Army and the strength of the troops. It is beyond everyone's strength, but I have said on many occasions that without your Four Elements Regiment to defend Zishan's frontal defense, no matter how good the perimeter is, it will be useless.

Then the safety of the left wing of our 11th Division rests entirely with Commander Tang and the brothers of the Sixings Regiment. "

Commander Hu was also a straightforward man. If for no other reason than for these 12 mountain cannons, the th Rank Regiment was qualified for it.

Of course, when someone had to carry the sedan chair, Tang Dao did not hesitate to use his trump card of 12 mountain cannons and was even willing to provide fire support for the central main position. Naturally, he was not stingy in praising the Four Lines Group.

As for whether he really said these words on various occasions, whoever compares this to the truth is really saying that his head is broken.

As a result, the defense area of ​​the Si Xing Regiment was decided. The Si Xing Regiment was responsible for defending the three positions of Niuchangpo, Zhujiaping and Sifangwan. Originally, in order to reduce the burden on the Si Xing Regiment, the enemy commander surnamed Hu from the direction of Changyang wanted to hand over the defense area to the Si Xing Regiment. The 34th Division temporarily sent a regiment to take charge, but Tang Dao strongly demanded to take responsibility.

Considering that the mountains there are steeper than those around Shipai, it would be reasonable for the Sixing Regiment to send an infantry battalion, and the division commander surnamed Hu agreed.

The reason why Tang Dao insisted on guarding this important mountain road was naturally because the seemingly simple defense in this time and space was ultimately ruined due to the negligence of the defenders.

A Japanese infantry regiment of more than 2000 infantrymen actually passed through that seemingly dangerous place, bypassing Zhujiaping with the help of the terrain and reaching Sifang Bay. This caused an infantry regiment to have a defensive position in distress.

Tang Dao already knew this, so how could he allow this loophole to continue to exist? Especially when his Fourth Army Regiment is stationed at the Sifang Bay position, he will not put the safety of the entire army in the hands of others.

After receiving the military orders and defense zone map from the division commander named Hu, Tang Dao immediately returned to the dock, where there was a large amount of materials and personnel waiting for his deployment.

The division commander surnamed Hu was much more polite this time. He personally delivered Tang Dao to the door together with the major general brigade commander. He watched Tang Dao and the guard squad disappear into the darkness with a solemn look in his eyes.

"Master, are you still a little worried about the Four Elements regiment guarding my left wing? But according to my brief observation of its military appearance and discipline, it is definitely a powerful force that is not weaker than ours." The major general brigade commander saw his commander's eyes were deep and said, I couldn't help but ask curiously.

"On the contrary, if the Four Lines Regiment defends our left wing, our left wing position will be worry-free! I can't give an answer to how strong the Four Lines Regiment's combat effectiveness is, but their Commander Tang is extremely powerful." Hu The teacher surnamed shook his head slightly.

"Then" the major general brigade commander was obviously a little puzzled.

"Tang Dao is truly one of the most powerful young people I have ever seen in recent years." The teacher surnamed Hu suddenly said his evaluation of Tang Dao.

The major general and brigade commander was stunned. One word was 'best', and one word was not 'one'. This evaluation was simply ridiculously high. At least in the few years he had known this person, he had never heard him say such an evaluation to anyone.

"Shaoqing, do you know? From the moment he came in, I tried to take control with the help of my military position and command power, but he very cleverly defused my strength bit by bit and even eliminated it invisible. Even in the end, it was him. took the initiative.

But this is not the most powerful thing. The most amazing thing is that he did not make me feel disgusted at all. "The teacher surnamed Hu said calmly.

The major general and brigade commander took a deep breath.

He knew very well that he was an officer belonging to the young sect, but he was still in his early thirties, and many of his peers were still working their way through the battalion level, but this one had risen through the ranks to become a main division commander, both in combat and in officialdom. The wisdom must be top-notch.

But such a person would actually be led by a young man in his mid-twenties during a conversation. What's even more frightening is that if he hadn't said it himself, he, the bystander, wouldn't have noticed it yet.

"In fact, the moment you brought Tang Dao into the war room of our division headquarters, I had already decided to hand over the three positions on the left wing to his Si Xing Regiment." The division commander surnamed Hu continued.

"Doesn't that mean that Tang Dao was following your ideas? In the end, he took the initiative to go to the left wing." The major general brigade commander breathed a sigh of relief.

This means that no matter how powerful a young man is, he still fell into the trap of the equally outstanding lieutenant general in front of him?

The teacher surnamed Hu did not talk about this topic again this time, but there was expectation in his eyes: "They say that the battlefield is like a chess game. It is difficult for me to admire a master. I am really looking forward to him taking advantage of this defeat." How to defeat his opponent on the battlefield with 70% chance.”

There was bitterness on the face of the major general brigade commander, but his eyes were full of fighting spirit. Before the battle started, he, the always arrogant lieutenant general and division commander, believed that the probability of losing this battle was nearly 70%, which showed that the situation of this battle was dangerous.

However, as the five main forces of the Central Army, no matter how ferocious the Japanese are, they have to be seen at gunpoint before they can tell. Even if they were defeated, with all the strength of his army, they would still be able to bite off a piece of flesh from the Japanese.

Seeing the fighting spirit in his subordinates' eyes, the teacher surnamed Hu showed relief in his eyes, but sighed slightly in his heart.

His subordinates were more than brave, but they lacked in strategy.

For example, every time he continued to talk about the topic, although Tang Dao took the initiative to choose the left wing, it was not that Tang Dao had his way, but that Tang Dao had clearly seen his thoughts and took the initiative.

He prides himself on having a profound city, and few people can get a glimpse of his inner thoughts from his words and deeds, but today in front of Tang Dao, it seems that the door is open for him to read, which is simply incredible.

It's like there is a thousand-year-old demon living in Tang Dao's body.

Of course, this proud general didn't know that Tang Dao might not have a thousand-year-old demon living in his body, but he would have experiences of the next hundred years. To a certain extent, Tang Dao might know him better than he did himself. .

The reason why Tang Dao did this was of course not to show off how capable he was.

Instead, he wanted to gain autonomy on the left-wing battlefield. The moment the division commander surnamed Hu personally sent him out, Tang Dao knew that he had acquiesced.

All recognition comes from strength itself!

(End of this chapter)