Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1492 The isolated city has been built!

June 6rd, dawn, west bank of the Xiang River!

The commander of the Japanese 11th Army, Isamu Yokoyama, issued the order to attack.

At this time, there were about 5.5 Japanese troops surrounding Hengyang, including the main attacking divisions, the 116th Division and the 68th Division, totaling 3.5 people, which had completed the encirclement of Hengyang from the west and south.

In addition to their direct artillery units, these two divisions are also equipped with the 122nd Field Artillery Regiment and specialized chemical warfare units.

In addition, on the bank of the Zhengshui River in the north of the city, the main force of the 5th Independent Infantry Brigade has arrived, with a strength of about 13 troops; a part of the 30th Division, with a strength of about 27 troops, has arrived in the suburbs less than 27 miles away from Hengyang, and is engaged in a fierce battle with a part of the th Army. The two infantry divisions of the th Army are holding their defenses under the personal command of Li Yutang, deputy commander of the army.

However, at this dawn, the three outer defense lines deployed in Hengyang have not yet been truly tested. Instead, the most intense battlefield is the Hengyang Airport east of the Xiangjiang River.

从6月2日黄昏开始，第68师团的两个步兵大队在10余架日军飞机的掩护下对衡阳机场周边的中国军队防线展开冲击，并动用了大约8门75山炮轰击。

The Chinese side was not to be outdone. Twelve Hellcat fighters from Guilin arrived over Hengyang and immediately engaged in an air battle with the Japanese planes. The two sides chased each other for more than 12 minutes. At least six fighter planes were hit and caught fire and crashed, and several other fighter planes evacuated towards their respective airports, trailing thick smoke.

Both sides suffered losses in the air battle, so it ended in a draw.

In terms of artillery, the Chinese artillery that had been deployed in Hengyang City did not hold back. Twelve of the latest US 12 mountain cannons with a range of up to 9500 meters immediately retaliated against the Japanese infantry. The two sides exchanged fire back and forth, and the shelling continued until late at night.

Fang Xianjue and Tang Dao stood on Huiyan Peak where the artillery command was located. They saw a line of fire rising into the sky on the east side of the Xiangjiang River. Countless fire dragons tumbled and rolled, rising and falling, and stopped at dawn.

After a night of fierce fighting, Rong Youlue led the 190th Division to repel six rounds of Japanese attacks at the cost of more than 300 casualties, killing more than 6 enemies.

“由于第3中队军官在耒水渡河之战中战死军官4人，大队长授命我为新补充完毕的第3中队队附兼第2小队小队长，小野君则成为第3小队小队长。

This was the first time Ono-kun and I truly fought side by side as comrades.

The battle began, and Ono-kun and I took a deep breath. We felt a tension we had never experienced before.

At the beginning of the battle, our artillery launched a carpet bombing on the enemy positions, and almost all of the enemy positions were destroyed as far as the naked eye could see. No one could believe that anyone could survive such an artillery attack.

Ono-kun and I followed the tank nervously, our expressions were extremely nervous. Although there was no enemy ahead, we still held our breath and carefully observed every move ahead.

Suddenly, the enemy's counterattack began. Countless bullets and shells were fired at us. Takashima-kun was shot in the head before he could react.

The tank was blown into a ball of fire by the shells, and the heavy turret flew more than ten meters away. The enemy's grenades could be thrown very far and exploded around us. Many people were killed before they could react. The attack ended. In less than 20 minutes, hundreds of Imperial Army corpses had piled up on the ground. Ono and I were lucky to survive. "

20 minutes later, before we could catch our breath, the order to attack started again. This time we found the right cover and killed the enemy accurately under the cover of the tank. In just a few minutes, I killed three enemy soldiers, and Ono also made a lot of gains, killing 2 people.

Just as we were about to approach the enemy's position, the next scene was really terrifying. Dozens of enemy soldiers, with grenades strapped to their bodies, rushed towards our tanks and soldiers. Due to our slow response, the explosion instantly engulfed several of our tanks.

Before we could react, we were caught in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, and Ono-kun was unfortunately killed in the battle.

I saw with my own eyes that his bayonet had pierced the body of a Chinese man, but the Chinese man still held on to his gun tightly, making it impossible for him to pull out his rifle. Then, he was pierced by another Chinese man's bayonet.

When he fell down, he glanced towards me. I had no time to make out his lip movements because it seemed as if the Chinese people who didn't know what death was were rushing towards me. At that moment, I thought I was going to die too.

Fortunately, the artillery provided timely support and repelled the subsequent enemy counterattack, so we were able to retreat.

After just two hours of fierce fighting and the death of Ono-kun, I had to take this cruel war seriously.

That night, the camp was filled with wailing, and the light of victory was no longer in everyone's eyes! "

  Perhaps Kazuo Miki’s diary can clearly show the cruelty of the defense of Hengyang Airport that night!

Although the number of casualties was only a fraction compared to the tens of thousands of troops deployed by China and Japan, the battlefield was tragic enough.

The 68th Division suffered a 1800% casualty rate among its -plus infantrymen in just one night, which was probably the most horrific casualty rate since the division entered China.

For the 190th Division, the percent casualty rate in the one-night blocking battle was equally high and was difficult for them to accept.

Because, this is just one night! Who knows how long this battle will last?

Yes, the commanders of both China and Japan were still stuck in the concept of how long it would take. If they knew that they would have to stay in this meat grinder battlefield for two months, I am afraid that the strongest commanders and soldiers would collapse.

  This is just the beginning, what a cruel truth!

Rong Youlue was a very decisive person. After a night of fierce fighting, he knew that Hengyang Airport was doomed to be lost, so he decisively destroyed the runway of Hengyang Airport.

A half-meter-deep pit was dug every 10 meters and one kilogram of explosives was buried. With bursts of explosions, the two kilometer-level runways of the airport, which had been completed with great effort, were completely destroyed.

Rong Youlue's decisiveness was correct. When the 68th Division's Lieutenant General Sakuma received a report from his subordinates, he became furious and ignored the main battlefield in the west of the city. He continued to send reinforcements to the Hengyang Airport and dispatched an independent infantry battalion to participate in the siege.

至6月3日下午，衡阳机场方向的日军已经高达近3000人，兵力远超仅剩1600余人的190师。

Although the 190th Division had completed the task of defending the Hengyang Airport and destroying it so as not to hand it over to anyone else, it was obvious that the Japanese army was also planning to take the Hengyang Airport as the enemy was increasing in number. With the 190th Division consisting of only one regiment, if the battle continued, not only would the division lose its position, but the entire regiment would be in danger.

The commander of the 190th Division, Rong Youlue, actually wanted to call Fang Xianjue in Hengyang City to inform him that his mission had been completed and he could abandon the destroyed Hengyang Airport on the evening of the 3rd and cross the Xiangjiang River to return to Hengyang City, but he was very nervous.

Firstly, he, the newly promoted division commander, was recognized in the 9th War Zone as a member of the lineage of General Xue. Although he chose to return to his base in accordance with the order of the military headquarters this time, he only brought one of the three infantry regiments of the 190th Division. God knows whether Fang Xian had any objection to him.

Secondly, he was naturally very clear about Fang Xianjue's temper. His 190th Division and the st Battalion had only fought two battles with the Japanese army in the Leihe River. If they just abandoned their positions and left, Fang Xianjue would certainly be dissatisfied.

  From the perspective of the Hengyang Command, if the positions outside the city had abandoned their positions and returned to the city when they saw the strength of the Japanese army, then there would be no need to fight the Hengyang Defense Battle. Everyone might as well hide in the city and fight the Japanese army in the streets. Why bother with several layers of defense?

However, the situation at Hengyang Airport is slightly different from that in the south and west of the city.

Rong Youlue thought for a long time, and finally, taking advantage of the gap between the Japanese army gathering and not attacking, he called his general, Pan Zhi, the commander of the 586th Regiment, to discuss the matter.

"Jiangdong and Hengyang are across the river from each other. The relationship between the two is like that between Tanzhou and Yuelu Mountain. Only one side can be saved. Undoubtedly, Hengyang must be saved and Jiangdong must be sacrificed.

But now Hengyang is an isolated city, and the Jiangdong area is like an isolated island outside the city. The terrain is not as good as Hengyang, but the area is not smaller than Hengyang. Not to mention that we have less than 2000 troops now, even if our entire division comes together, we probably can't hold it.

"If the Japanese army crosses the Xiangjiang River to the east and then uses firepower to blockade us, then the Japanese army will attack us from both sides, and we will be unable to escape. You and I have been prepared to sacrifice our lives before coming here, but the remaining 1600 brothers are all left here because of your and my persistence. As a division commander, I still feel a little bit reluctant!" Rong You said to his subordinates with a heavy heart.

Rong Youlue is a smart man. The reason why he brought the 586th Regiment with him is that, first of all, the 586th Regiment is itself the main force regiment of the 190th Division. Secondly, Colonel Pan Zhi of the 586th Regiment is a veteran of the 10th Army. Three years ago, Pan Zhi was still a battalion commander in the 3rd Division. He was promoted by the old army commander Li Yutang and became the regimental commander of the 190th Division.

His intention was obvious. If he went directly to the army commander, he would be scolded 80 to 90 percent of the time. He had to step forward. After all, he should consider the Buddha's face instead of the monk's. There was no other way. Even in such a deadly war, the human relations were unavoidable.

Pan Zhi was not only a veteran of the 10th Army, but also a native of Liuyang, Hunan Province. This time, when the Japanese army advanced southward, they not only captured Tanzhou, but also his hometown of Liuyang.

This time, Rong Youlue chose to return to his base in compliance with the military order. In fact, he also had a share of the credit. It was he who personally found the division commander Rong Youlue to express his feelings, saying that he was willing to live and die with Hengyang, rather than be scolded as a coward by his fellow villagers after the war. Rong Youlue then made up his mind, leaving two regiments in place to give face to General Xue, and took one regiment to Hengyang to fulfill his duty as the division commander of the 10th Army.

As for this Regimental Commander Pan, he was not a hard-nosed man. After hearing what the division commander said, he quickly said, "The division commander is right. I feel the same way. Since our unit has completed the task assigned by the army commander, we can retreat.

Besides, with our strength, if we just keep holding on in Jiangdong, we will just end up wasting our forces bit by bit, which will not be beneficial to the overall situation. On the contrary, if we withdraw to Hengyang City, we can strengthen the city defense and provide more strength for Hengyang City. Therefore, whether for the sake of the brothers of the 190th Division or for the overall protection of Hengyang, we should ask the military commander to withdraw. "

When Rong Youlue heard what this person said, he slowly felt relieved. He was afraid that this stubborn person would insist on carrying out the mission of defending Hengyang Airport, and then everyone would be buried here.

"I know you are worried, and I completely understand. However, I have followed the commander for many years and I know that he appears to be strict, but in fact he is kind-hearted. He will never abandon his subordinates unless it is absolutely necessary.

But we only fought the Japanese twice and wanted to leave. Given his temper, I'm afraid either of us would get scolded if we went to tell him about it." Pan Zhi continued.

"What should we do? The Japanese are gathering more and more troops. One more day is our limit. They will probably surround and kill us completely by tomorrow. Tonight is our last chance to evacuate." Rong Youlue said with a gloomy face.

"If someone goes to talk to us, we'll have a 90% chance of success!" Compared to his own commander, Pan Zhi felt much more relaxed now that he had a candidate.

"Who?"

"Tang Dao, the leader of the Four-Line Regiment, are you familiar with him, Commander?" Pan Zhi blinked.

"I've always heard of Tang Dao's reputation, but I met him for the first time when he arrived in Hengyang the day before yesterday. He looked very military. Can he help us? Or even if he can help us, can he help us with his military rank?" Rong Youlue shook his head and sighed slightly.

It was just a one-time encounter, so it was hard to call him familiar. Moreover, Tang Dao was only a colonel, so how could he have any influence on a lieutenant general?

"Before I came to Hengyang, I spoke with Commander Ge on the phone and asked about the material situation in Hengyang City and the command structure in Hengyang City." Pan Zhi continued with a smile.

"After coming to Hengyang City, hasn't the command structure been notified to the entire division? Tang Dao is the director of the Operations Department under the command, and his position is very critical." Rong You was a little puzzled.

"Hehe! Think about it, Commander, there are generals everywhere in Hengyang City nowadays! There should be at least two of them. The chief of staff is the lieutenant general chief of staff of the theater, and the chief of staff is Chief of Staff Sun. They are all generals. But the chief of operations, who is in a more critical position, is held by Captain Tang, who has the same rank as me. What does this mean?" Pan Zhi smiled.

"It means that Commander Fang admires the Tang sword very much! He admires it very much, or he highly recognizes the combat effectiveness of the Four Ranks Regiment, or maybe it's both." Rong Youlue's eyes lit up.

"And you don't have to worry about whether Director Tang will help me. I heard that Director Tang got along well with Commander Xue in the Battle of Wanjialing six years ago. His old superior, Brigade Commander Xie, is now also a powerful general under Commander Xue. With this relationship, he will have to speak up for you no matter what." Pan Zhi said confidently.

"Old Pan, Old Pan, everyone says you are a barbarian from Hunan Province, but I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful and know everyone's connections so clearly." This was the first time that Rong Youlue clearly understood the leader of the main group under his command.

"Okay! As long as you and I don't die in this battle of Hengyang, I will make you the deputy commander of the 190th Division."

When it comes to making big promises, every official is well versed in it.

However, Colonel Pan, who kept thanking him, probably didn't take it to heart. When he chose to go to the division headquarters to persuade the major general to come to Hengyang, he was already prepared to die in battle.

However, it also depends on how he dies. If he were to die here with all the brothers in the regiment, he would feel a little unwilling to do so.

Rong Youlue answered Tang Dao's call, briefly described the situation in Jiangdong, and asked Tang Dao for help, asking Fang Xianjue to approve the withdrawal of the 190th Division to Hengyang City.

Rong Youlue had already made plans, and was willing to use his connections with Commander Xue to ask Tang Dao for a fight. However, he only briefly introduced himself and stated his needs, and Tang Dao agreed without hesitation: "Don't worry, Commander Rong, I will take care of this matter, and you should prepare to retreat immediately. However, before Commander Fang's approval, it is best for your troops to hold their ground and not act on their own, so as to avoid repeating the mistake of the Tanzhou defeat!"

In fact, the Battle of Jiangdong is also a battlefield that Tang Dao has always been paying attention to.

Once upon a time, the 54th Temporary Division was responsible for guarding the Hengyang Airport. However, after a heavy attack by the Japanese army, the division immediately collapsed, abandoned the city and fled to Guilin. Seven or eight thousand troops were wasted. If the division had been withdrawn back to the city in time after destroying the airport, Hengyang City would have had an additional seven or eight thousand fresh troops, and perhaps the result would have been much better.

You know, after a month of defense of Hengyang City, the 11th Army was also exhausted, otherwise it would not have frequently sent personnel to negotiate with the 10th Army in the city.

Tang Dao personally felt that instead of letting 1600 elite troops be consumed in the undefended Hengyang Airport and the Japanese army outside the city, it would be better to withdraw them into the city or to the north of the city, which would allow the Japanese to bleed more.

However, Tang Dao also underestimated Fang Xianjue's persistence.

"Tang Dao, you are confused! When you wear this military uniform and meet the enemy, you should fight to the death. Our Hengyang is now an isolated city, with more than 7 soldiers and civilians here. Even if it is three for one, it will still cost us more than 2 heads of the Japanese. It will be the same if we die there. Don't you understand this principle?" Fang Xianjue criticized Tang Dao harshly.

Originally, Fang Xian was very satisfied with the battle reports of the 190th Division over the past two days. Nearly a thousand enemies were killed in one night at Leihe and Hengyang Airport. However, they had to avoid fighting before they had even recovered for two days. Wasn't this the style of Commander Xue?

This is somewhat related to factions and personal identity. In order to take care of his own little piece of land, General Xue often sacrifices the interests of other factions. The 10th Army in the 9th War Zone is more like a child without a mother and is often excluded. When they heard that the 190th Division, which had just gone upstream two days ago, was avoiding fighting, they were naturally extremely angry.

"Sir, please don't be angry. You are right. Soldiers should have the courage to kill the enemy and fulfill their due responsibilities. However, in the face of a war, brothers are united and their strength is invincible. Division Commander Rong may have other thoughts, but the fact that he led 190 brothers from the 2000th Division back to Hengyang City shows that they are not cowards.

  If you let them withdraw, the brothers of the 190th Division will not feel abandoned by their parents. Besides, the battle of Hengyang cannot be completed in two or three days. We still have to be prepared for a long-term combat, plan ahead, and keep more reserve troops!

Regarding the issue of killing the enemy you mentioned, I guarantee that after the 190th Division withdraws, it will be able to fight two enemies at a time and double the number of enemies killed. I will give you a military order. If the 190th Division cannot do it, then my Fourth Line Regiment will guarantee it. My brothers in the Fourth Line Regiment will kill more and make up for their shortfall. There are 3000 Japanese lives. If one is missing, Tang Dao's head is here. Take it and make up for it!" Tang Dao said on the phone.

Tang Dao dared to say this because he had historical facts as a basis. In the past, the 190th Division had as many as 5000 people in Hengyang City, and they killed and wounded at least three times more Japanese troops than their own.

There are no cowards among the Chinese soldiers who can be in Hengyang at this time! In other words, even if they have been cowards before, they have been tempered into fine steel in such a war, even if it was passive.

Fang Xian refused to say anything. Since Tang Dao had said so, he had no choice but to give in. In the afternoon of the same day, he ordered the 190th Division to withdraw to Hengyang at 12 o'clock at night.

After hearing that Tang Dao had issued a military order for them, a major general of the 190th Division and an army colonel were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes.

In retrospect, the evacuation operation that night was indeed timely enough.

An infantry regiment of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army actually took advantage of the night to march quickly to Jiangdong, and by five in the morning it had arrived at the rear wing of Hengyang Airport.

As a result, the 4th Division, which had learned from the 190th Army's failure in Tanzhou, relied on hundreds of boatmen to paddle bamboo rafts and quietly transported more than 3 officers and soldiers back to Hengyang City in more than three hours.

The Japanese army quietly gathered heavy troops and occupied the Hengyang Airport, which had become a ruin.

But it is undeniable that after dawn on June 6, the number of Japanese troops besieging the city had reached 4, and they had surrounded the suburbs of Hengyang and the city of Hengyang on all sides.

The lonely city has been built!