Age of Rebirth

Chapter 510: Battle on the Eastern Front

Tang Qiuli's dangerous move put the Japanese army in the direction of Dezhou at a disadvantage and tended to be encircled. It also caused the limited mobile forces of the Japanese army to be wasted in the continuous Taihang Mountains. The two cursed at each other in their respective headquarters. After being mean and cunning for a while, Tang Qiuli held his head again and racked his brains to think of a countermeasure.

The critical situation in Texas on the eastern front made Zairen and Xiangyue Qingsi extremely anxious. That was the main direction of attack, accounting for one-third of the attack force. The Eastern Front Corps can go straight to Cangzhou, and then threaten Tianjin. The Pingjin area will be exposed to the soldiers of the independent division.

Now, the troops in the direction of Datong and Niangziguan can't get away. This guy from Shankou commanded 10,000+ troops to sweep Tang Qiuli's lair in the Taihang Mountains. Xinbu and Yamaguchi confront each other head-on, and the end of the war is far away.

Xiangyue Qingsi couldn't sit still on the front line of Niangziguan. Dezhou was a needle in his heart. He rushed back to Peiping urgently to discuss countermeasures with Zairen to solve the current crisis. Two leaders of the Japanese invaders, on the map After looking at it for a long time, the situation in Dezhou is the most dangerous, and reinforcements must be sent, but there are surplus troops that can be adjusted there. [

Chennai collected all the troops guarding Beiping and Tianjin, except for the necessary left-behind troops. A total of 15 troops were assembled into a reinforcement Dezhou battlefield corps, and they went south at starry night to join the direction of Dezhou.

At the same time, he ordered Shankou to end the mopping up mission in the Taihang Mountains within seven days, pass through the Taihang Mountains, and approach Taiyuan in order to break the deadlock in the direction of Niangziguan and Datong, and force Yan Xishan of Datong and Feng Jiwu of Niangziguan to return to the division. Rescue, this is the Japanese version of encircling Wei and saving Zhao. After the increase of troops in Dezhou, Tang Qiuli's main force wanted to eat nearly 40 imperial troops in one bite. He didn't have that much appetite yet.

Even though the situation in Dezhou was critical, Zairen and Xiangyue Qingsi did not use the two divisions in Shijiazhuang and a brigade of nearly 9 troops. This is the reserve force they left behind for another sinister plan. Now, the entire North China On the battlefield, whether it is Tang Qiuli or Zai Ren and Xiangyue Qingsi, the troops are all used to the limit, and no one has extra troops in their hands, which can increase the victory chips for their own side.

After the deployment of troops was completed, Xiangyue Qingsi returned to the front line of Niangziguan. Zairen couldn't sit still in Peiping, and rushed to the Dezhou battlefield to command nearly 40 troops. In this way, between Dezhou, Shandong and Cangzhou, Hebei, the Chinese and Japanese sides assembled With an army of nearly 80, a bloody battle is inevitable.

Knowing that the Japanese army was about to increase its troops, the Dezhou Campaign Command reviewed the situation. If the Japanese reinforcements arrived, with equal strength, it would be impossible to wipe out the Japanese army in the direction of Dezhou no matter what. Before the Japanese reinforcements arrived, they acted decisively and launched the third phase of the Dezhou Campaign ahead of schedule.

Tang Qiu was unwilling to be resigned. With another 10,000 troops in his hand, he could take advantage of the situation to capture any city in Pingjin, and it would also completely disrupt the Japanese army's battle layout. He originally expected that after the victory in Dezhou, the Sulu Mobile Corps and the Independent The division reinforced the troops, and immediately returned to the division Taihang Mountains, surrounded the [-]+ Japanese troops at the pass in the Taihang Mountains, and caught turtles in an urn.

After solving the Japanese army in Dezhou, the more than 30 troops freed up can attack the Japanese army in the direction of Datong or Niangziguan. If so, the troops of the independent division can drink horses and Pingjin, and trap the Japanese army in several large cities in North China , simmer slowly, when the time is right, swallow it in one gulp, and North China can be owned by yourself, and the situation in the north is settled!

Man is not as good as God, Zai Ren and Xiangyue Qingsi were red-eyed, and sent all the guards to the direction of Dezhou. It was impossible to wipe out the Japanese army. Tang Qiuli sighed and had to agree to the proposal of the Dezhou Campaign Command. After signing the telegram, I still hated it, and was extremely annoyed at losing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Mei Ting's injury has improved greatly. With the support of the nurse, she can already sit on the bed. She saw her husband walking in sullenly, with a low mood, her beautiful eyebrows raised, and a pair of big eyes looking at her husband. This guy , Is it because he is with me all day long, a little bored and panicked, and the fight outside is in full swing, but he is bored here, feeling anxious?

Seeing Mei Ting's appearance, Tang Qiuli knew that his wife had misunderstood her, and quickly explained the situation. Mei Ting smiled embarrassedly. Tang Qiuli's heart skipped a beat when she saw that shy look. After a while, Mei Ting was joking. Said: "Why run so far, there are Japanese soldiers outside Huangya Cave, go out to fight during the day, you can still accompany me at night!"

Tang Qiuli's eyes lit up, and Mei Ting's joke reminded him that there were 10,000+ Japanese troops in the mountain pass in the Taihang Mountains, and they should not be allowed to rampage in the base area. Leaving the money for the journey, he stood at attention solemnly and saluted: "Thank you, Director Mei, for reminding me, my subordinates will go to arrange it immediately, may I ask, do you have any instructions from the Commander?"

Mei Ting was overjoyed, accidentally touched the wound, and frowned in pain, Tang Qiuli immediately rushed over, with a nervous expression, Mei Ting gave her husband a reproachful look, and said softly: "Go, I'm fine Son, be careful," Tang Qiu reluctantly left the ward, and before leaving the room, she turned her head and took a deep look at Mei Ting.

On November 24, the left-wing Li Honggang group and the right-wing Liu Tiehan group launched attacks at the same time. The targets were Botou and Nanpi south of Cangzhou, and the Japanese troops in Cangzhou were gradually withdrawn. Withdrawal speed, the No.15 Division, No.18 Division, and Xiaoshan Brigade of the Japanese Army serving as the rear guard, with a total strength of more than 7 troops, were cut off from the main force of the Japanese Army by the sudden and violent actions of the independent division, and encircled Cangzhou Damanzhuang area to the south.

In the third stage of the Dezhou Campaign launched in advance, the Japanese army was caught by the tail. The Japanese army that had already retreated into Cangzhou was shocked and turned around to return south, intending to rescue the besieged Japanese army. The first part fought against the main force of the returning Japanese army, and the rest besieged the surrounded Japanese army.

From the South Canal in the west to the Xinhui River in the east, on a land of nearly 70 square kilometers, [-] million troops from China and Japan fought each other. The Japanese army, under the strict order of Xiangyue Qingsi, devoted all its strength to attack the blocking troops of the Independent Division.

The Japanese army's move caught the hearts of Liu Tiehan, Tang Qiusheng and others who had been prepared for a long time. They concentrated two-thirds of the artillery and used intensive artillery fire to blow up walls of fire and exhausted steel on the Japanese attack route, smashing the Japanese army. The will of the attacking Japanese army, beaten to the point of bleeding, stopped [-] kilometers north of Damanzhuang, threw nearly [-] corpses, and retreated in defeat.

In the two independent battlefields, the sound of guns and guns can be heard, but it is difficult to see the compatriots close to each other. Although they have intentions, but their strength is insufficient, the mood of the Japanese commander at this time must be desolate.

Fighting fiercely all day and night, the besieged Japanese army was wiped out except for more than [-] people who fought to break out of the encirclement. In the third stage of the Battle of Dezhou, the two divisions of the Japanese army were wiped out, and more than [-] soldiers were lost. The Japanese army retreated to Cangzhou , and came to an end. In this campaign, the independent division suffered more than [-] casualties, and two main brigades were disabled. They returned to the Huangyadong base to rest and replenish.

When Prince Zairen, chief of the general staff of the Japanese base camp, arrived with 15 reinforcements in person, the battle was over. Chen Bing of the independent division was used on the front lines of Linsheng, Fengjiakou, Jiedi, and Dongguan on the outskirts of Cangzhou to close the passage for the Japanese army to go south, so that It did not dare to go half a step out of southern Hebei. The Japanese army's strategic plan to leave Cangzhou and descend to Jinan with 30 heavy troops ended in failure. [

Zairen was furious, replaced several senior generals one after another, launched an attack with new troops for three consecutive days, intending to open the passage to the south and gain a favorable situation, but they were all severely injured, and had to stop in shock, and instead stuck to Cangzhou, the gateway to Tianjin, and the southern Hebei battlefield. The independent division has the upper hand, but a large number of troops are also restrained here.

Regarding the Battle of Dezhou, both sides have their own opinions. In the report to the base camp, Xiangyue Qingsi said: "In the Dezhou battlefield, our army originally had an absolute advantage. The situation, given time, our army will break through the defense line of Dezhou, and go straight to Jinan, the capital of Shandong. Unexpectedly, more than 13 people from Tang Qiusheng, the Sulu Mobile Corps of the Independent Division, who were fighting on the Songhu battlefield on the southern line, suddenly joined Dezhou battlefield."

"As a result, the situation has reversed, and our troops are at a disadvantage. In addition to the days of hard work, the soldiers are exhausted. They are suddenly attacked by the enemy's cutting-edge troops. The various units of the North China Dispatch Army are fighting fiercely with the enemy on various battlefields. Only by dividing up the troops to rescue them can they be rescued." The root cause of forcing the entire front to retreat is that the troops on the southern front were disadvantaged in combat, which enabled Tang Qiuli to move troops northward, which is beyond the control of the North China dispatched army."

"On the Dezhou battlefield, it is the Chief of Staff, His Royal Highness Prince Zairen, who can take a defensive position with minimal losses. He dispatches in the middle, devotes the strength of the Pingjin defenders, and personally reinforces the Dezhou army. Only then can our army retreat smoothly. His Royal Highness's foresight is indeed true. It makes us admire and admire.

In the report of Xiangyue Qingsi, it is obvious that he has evaded responsibility, and he also concealed an important fact, that is, most of the troops in the Taihang Mountain Area of ​​the Independent Division also joined the Texas battlefield. He did not mention a word about this. Indeed, Tang The entry of Akio's troops into the Dezhou battlefield was the main reason for the Japanese army's tragic defeat, but is Kiyoshi Kazuki not responsible?

Xiangyue Qingsi also understood this. He mobilized 90 troops to attack three key points from Datong in the west and Dezhou in the east. It was even worse. As the supreme commander of the North China Dispatch Army, he had an inescapable responsibility. Therefore, at the end of the report, he flattered Zai Ren greatly, and the purpose was to drag His Excellency the Chief of Staff into trouble. I didn't do it alone.

(To be continued)