Age of Rebirth

Chapter 520 Sudden Changes in the Battle Situation

Tang Qiuli was awakened by the rapid knock on the door, and the dawn was already dawning outside. When he opened the door, a gust of cold air came in, and a few people walked in. He saw that there were quite a few people coming. Yu Guanghan, the Chief of Staff, , Director of Communications Chen Feng, Director of Intelligence Yu Deshui, Director of Investigation Shen Jun, and the heads of several functional departments of the division have all arrived. What's the big deal?Surprised the generals, Tang Qiuli looked at them in surprise.

These people had nervous expressions on their faces, and Yu Guanghan said to him in a deep voice: "Teacher, something happened to the middle line!" Tang Qiuli was stunned for a long defense line of 23 kilometers. On the middle line, there were [-] troops from Tang Enbo's Eighth Army guarding there. What big things could happen?

Yu Deshui handed over a telegram, and Tang Qiuli opened it. As if struck by lightning, it read: "Anyang, Henan No. 34 intelligence station urgently reported that at about 83 o'clock in the morning today, the Japanese army launched a surprise attack on the Anyang defense line of the Central Army. In just over two hours, they broke through the defense line of the Central Army and defended the [-]th Division and [-]rd Division of the Eighth Army in Anyang. The city is in chaos, so I can go underground and report any new information.”

Tang Qiuli hurried to the headquarters and rushed to the map. Anyang is the northern gateway of Henan. Once Anyang is lost, the Japanese army can drive straight into the hinterland of Henan. The next target must be to go straight to Zhengzhou. I hope that Tang Enbo can deploy it properly and bring the Japanese army Blocked at the front line of Xinxiang. [

He hastily ordered the radio station to call Tang Enbo of the Eighth Army Corps immediately, and finally got through. It didn't make sense, Tang Qiuli instinctively felt that something was wrong. If Tang Enbo really commanded the troops to stop the Japanese army, he should maintain close radio contact with the various ministries under his jurisdiction, and there was no reason to suddenly shut down the phone.

He was at a loss. Since Tang Enbo was in charge of guarding Henan, the reconnaissance troops of the Independent Division seldom set foot there. The one-line contact with Tang Enbo's army department is good now. When the other party shuts down, his eyes are darkened, and he doesn't know what's going on.

He didn't notice that Yu Deshui, the chief of the intelligence department, hurried out and came back after a long time. Seeing the anxious look of the teacher, he comforted: "Master, I have activated all the intelligence systems from Anyang to Luoyang. Pay close attention to the battle situation, I believe there will be new intelligence soon."

Tang Qiuli was surprised to see that Yu Deshui, who was usually calm and quiet, quietly built an intelligence network to Henan without supervision or reminders. This is a rare talent.

With Yu Deshui's words, Tang Qiuli felt a little more comforted. Tang Enbo couldn't point it out, and it depended on his own intelligence system. However, he was not very worried about the situation in Henan. The four battlefields in Xiangxiang and Cangzhou were pinned down respectively. The Japanese army that raided Henan would not have too many troops. With Tang Enbo's strength, it should not be a problem to block the Japanese army on the north bank of the Yellow River.

Furthermore, when the North China War broke out, he specially reminded Tang Enbo to pay attention to preventing the Japanese army from raiding the Henan line of defense, and asked him to make strict deployments. In Anyang and other places at the junction of Hebei and Henan, he must deploy heavy troops. Make a mess of the situation in Henan.

In Guxian, Shanxi Province, in the headquarters of the Independent Division, more than [-] radio stations shouted one after another. Tang Qiuli ordered the communication office to immediately contact the troops from all over the country, including the troops of the Jin Army, and asked the Japanese troops on the opposite side if they had made any moves. I hope that the battle in Anyang was an isolated incident, not an overall conspiracy by the Japanese North China Dispatch Army Headquarters.

The Japanese army was pinned down in four battlefields, so why not the troops of the Independent Division? If the battle situation in Henan was really critical, and I had no means to spare myself, the journey was far away, and there was no time for reinforcements, I could only watch the Japanese army stab a hole in the Yellow River defense line that I had carefully arranged. Big hole, he was anxious in his heart, but his face remained calm, and he was making various assumptions in his mind.

Near noon, the Intelligence Office of the Independent Division and the Xinxiang Intelligence Station in Henan sent the latest intelligence, "Headquarters, urgent intelligence, the Japanese army's offensive was fierce and overwhelming. After the fall of Anyang, in less than seven hours, the Japanese army successively broke through the defense lines of the Central Army in Hebi and Xinxiang. The five divisions of the Eighth Army's defense force were defeated one after another, and the Japanese forwards had already approached the area of ​​Bencheng and Zhandian on the north bank of the Yellow River in Zhengzhou, and the situation in Zhengzhou was critical."

"It has been preliminarily ascertained that the Japanese troops attacking Henan belonged to the No.18 Division, No.20 Third Division, Seventh Mixed Brigade, Yamazaki Chariot Regiment, and Kagezuo Cavalry Regiment of the North China Dispatch Army. , with a total strength of more than 67 people. Another thing is that the 61th and [-]st Divisions of the Eighth Army Corps defending the Xinxiang Line of Defense suddenly withdrew from their defensive positions for some reason after the Japanese army began to attack, leaving only the [-]rd Division to fight alone. By the time the information was released, there were still sporadic battles taking place in the Xinxiang area."

After reading the latest information, Tang Qiuli sat down on the kang all at once. It may be more than 8 kilometers from Anyang to Zhengzhou. The Japanese army only took more than seven hours to break through the three roads of the seven divisions of the Eighth Army Corps. On the defense line, the soldiers are pointing directly at Zhengzhou, and they are flying at the same speed. Seven central military divisions, that is an elite force of more than 15 people. Ten thousand troops, why not reinforce the Xinxiang defense line?

What happened here?What is Tang Enbo doing?The Central Army units of the seven divisions are about to collapse at the first touch. What did the Eighth Army do?A series of questions swirled in Tang Qiuli's mind like a revolving lantern. However, one thing is certain, the battle situation in Henan is not optimistic.

Telegrams inquiring about the situation to the independent division units in various places and Yan Xishan’s Jin army soon received an answer. Zhao Chengshou from the direction of Datong reported that the Japanese army on the front line of Datong did not launch a new offensive, but retreated to the front line of Huai’an. The intention of mobilizing troops eastward toward Shijiazhuang.

Feng Jiwu from the direction of Niangziguan reported that the Japanese army, which had been silent for many days, launched a large-scale attack on the defensive position of Niangziguan at about [-]:[-] this morning, and fierce fighting broke out across the board. Similar attacks were repeated many times. According to my judgment, the Japanese army seemed to have other intentions. The attack on Niangziguan was intended to attract the attention of our army and draw the attention of the division commander to this situation.

Liu Tiehan from the front line of Cangzhou reported that at about [-] o'clock in the morning today, the Japanese army suddenly left Cangzhou and launched fierce attacks on our positions at Fengjiakou, Damanzhuang, Dongguan, etc., all of which were repelled by our army. Xu, the Japanese army launched an attack again, and the offensive was even more violent. There was an attempt to open up the southward passage to Dezhou.

The Japanese army's move is extremely abnormal. They have been confronted with our army for many days, but they have not made any moves. There is no increase in troops today, but this abnormal move seems to be to achieve some kind of strategic goal. By the time the telegram was sent, the battle was still going on fiercely. In the middle, the division commander was reminded of the abnormal behavior of the Japanese army.

In addition, the Dezhou Campaign Headquarters, based on the battle situation, with our army's current strength and firepower, it is absolutely impossible for the Japanese army to advance one step forward. Therefore, our department plans to use part of the troops, led by Chief of Staff Li Honggang, to advance through Tengzhuang in the east of Cangzhou. Tianjin, in order to disrupt the Japanese army's offensive plan, please give instructions to the division commander.

Yan Xishan's telegram was the last to arrive, and it began with a complaint, "Brother Qiuli, the Japanese have gone crazy. Since around [-]:[-] this morning, the Japanese army has launched an uninterrupted attack on our Wuxiang defense line. Our frontline troops have suffered casualties. It's serious, if the fight continues like this, I'm going to lose all my money, I implore Qiuli, brother, to attack immediately and stab the Japanese from behind, so as to relieve the pressure on the front line of Wuxiang, please!"

In fact, although fighting took place across the board in Wuxiang, it was not as difficult as Yan Xishan said. After several days of fierce fighting, the Japanese army whose supply channel was cut off by Liu Chun and Tong Batu's cavalry had long since lost their vigor and became exhausted. The division, the offensive is not as violent as the first three days, and can only barely maintain the offensive. [

On the other hand, the Jin army was well prepared, relying on complete fortifications, backed by Taiyuan, easy to supply, and more troops than the Japanese army. The reason why Yan Xishan exaggerated the war was his own plan. Tang Qiuli now has more than 3 troops You can't let him be idle with military strength, at least to help, it's better than fighting with the Japanese with your own family. Besides, the Japanese came from your Taihang Mountain, so you can't just let it go and hide on the sidelines.

Yan Xishan had his own calculations and deliberately exaggerated the intensity of the battle, but it caused great interference to Tang Qiuli's judgment of the Japanese army's true intentions, resulting in an extremely passive situation and heavy losses that should not have occurred. .

Based on the comprehensive information from various sources, Tang Qiuli at least judged that the Japanese army's raid on Anyang, Henan Province, and its direct arrival at Zhengzhou was by no means an isolated and accidental act. , France divided troops to reinforce the Henan battlefield.

The point is, after losing Anyang, Hebi, and Xinxiang, the Henan garrison Tang Enbo's Eighth Army, how much preparation has been made on the Yellow River defense line in Zhengzhou, can they stop the Japanese army's offensive momentum in the Zhengzhou area? Tang Enbo's contact has not yet been communicated. The radio operator at the division headquarters shouted hoarsely, but the other party just didn't turn on the phone.

On December [-]th, the battle situation in the direction of Henan was unknown throughout the day. The Zhengzhou Intelligence Station of the Intelligence Department sent information. The battle on the Yellow River defense line in Zhengzhou was fierce. The city of Zhengzhou was in chaos and a large number of residents fled. There was an unexpected situation. The legion troops seem to be very weak, and the specific situation is unknown. By the time the information was sent, the defensive positions on the south bank of the Yellow River had been breached in many places, and there were many routs in Zhengzhou City.

Inside the division headquarters, everything became quiet, except for the sound of ticking keys. In the quiet atmosphere, it was extremely disturbing and harsh.

(To be continued)