roccoschili Chapter 270 Cutting off the Japanese army's retreat route, 11th Army? Never heard of it.
Chapter 270 Cutting off the Japanese army's retreat route, 11th Army? Never heard of it.
Their movements were very light; the sound of shovels digging was carried by the night wind and scattered across the open field.
The soldiers built fortifications on the high ground along the highway. Everyone knew that holding this position was equivalent to closing the door to the Japanese retreat.
At the forward command post of the 11th Army, Li Jianghe stood in front of the marching table, looking at Xiao Shanling and Zhu Chi and the others.
"If the Japanese invaders try to break through to the rear, they will inevitably take this route. You all must hold it. I will lead the main force to attack Ma Huiling Town and completely cut off the Japanese army's reinforcements."
Xiao Shanling straightened his chest, his face showing calm confidence. Having worked with Li Jianghe for so long, he had long understood his temperament—he never fought an unprepared battle.
"Don't worry, Jiang He. Just do your job. None of those Japanese devils will escape from our lines."
Hua Pinzhang rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.
His troops had just been equipped with new gear, and the brand-new machine guns and mortars had not yet been tested in actual combat.
"I can't wait to beat those bastards with my new gear."
The 11th Army has now undergone a complete transformation.
Not only do they possess a large number of new weapons, but the soldiers' combat skills have also improved significantly. Especially their marksmanship—it's been honed through sheer practice and training with bullets.
Over the past few days, each soldier has fired an average of several hundred rounds of live ammunition, something unimaginable in the previous Nationalist Army.
After leaving the command post, Li Jianghe got into a car and led the main force of the Third Column to make a detour towards Mahuiling Town.
The convoy's lights were all off, relying solely on the faint guide lights of the lead reconnaissance vehicle to grope its way forward. The mountain road was bumpy, and the cars crawled slowly through the darkness like panting iron beasts.
Li Jianghe leaned back in his car seat, closing his eyes to rest, his mind rehearsing every step of the plan. Battlefields never unfold exactly as planned, but he had faith in his troops.
The forward reconnaissance units have reported that the main Japanese 7th Division and 106th Division have entered the Liujialing and Wanjialing line, leaving only one infantry battalion to guard Mahuiling Town.
This force is not small, approximately eight hundred to one thousand men.
If they encountered ordinary Nationalist troops, even if they numbered tens of thousands, it would take them a considerable amount of time to take down this large contingent.
At that time, the Japanese troops in Jiujiang and Chaisang will be able to provide timely support, and with their help from both inside and outside, they will be able to encircle the attacking forces.
But this time, they were not facing ordinary Nationalist troops.
They were facing Li Jianghe's third column.
Compared to the overlapping mountains on both sides, the area from Mahuiling Town to Minshan Township, and further north to Chaisang and Jiujiang, is mostly flat. This terrain is ideal for the Third Column's mobile operations.
On flat ground, the Third Column's numerous cars and light armored vehicles can fully utilize their mobility to quickly penetrate, outflank, and encircle enemy lines.
Li Jianghe's tactics were clear—attacking Ma Huiling Town was not the goal; the ultimate objective was to draw the main Japanese forces along the Jiujiang line to reinforce, and then use the terrain to outflank and annihilate their manpower.
In other words, in addition to wiping out the two divisions along the Wanjialing and Liujialing line, he also had to eliminate the Japanese reinforcements coming from Jiujiang.
Only in this way can Li Jianghe's ever-growing appetite be somewhat satisfied.
As dawn broke, the eastern mountain ridgeline began to glow with a pale white light.
The morning mist, like a thin veil, enveloped the distant villages and fields, with the occasional crowing of a rooster echoing from the depths of the fog.
In Xue Yue's forward command post, a telegram from the Third Column was placed on the table.
"The 11th Army? Wasn't the 3rd Column supposed to block their retreat? Why is it only the 11th Army?"
Xue Yue frowned, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of unease.
The reason is simple—although the 11th Army was part of the Central Army, the troops were all temporarily formed.
The composition was very mixed, including deserters and able-bodied men. The army had been organized for less than half a year, and on average, only two people could share one gun. Some soldiers even went to the battlefield with broadswords.
What good would it do to expect such a force to block the Japanese retreat?
Xue Yue dared not even think about it. It was like trying to stop a flood with a piece of paper.
Chen Cheng also frowned deeply, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
"That's really strange. What about Li Jianghe's third column?"
"He didn't say." Xue Yue looked down at the telegram again.
Chen Cheng paused for a moment: "The Third Column and the 11th Army are operating together. Since the 11th Army has appeared on the retreat route, Li Jianghe must also be in this area. I think he must be taking some action."
He wasn't entirely sure when he said that.
Xue Yue sighed deeply, placed the telegram on the table, walked to the door, and gazed at the gradually brightening sky in the distance. The continuous mountain ranges resembled giant beasts lying prone on the earth.
"This Captain Li Zong's tactics are truly unpredictable."
The next morning, the Japanese army was in their rear command post at Liujialing.
Junroku Matsuura, commander of the 106th Division, was playing with a blue and white porcelain piece.
It was a plum vase, its glaze lustrous and softly glowing under the light.
He "requisitioned" the item from the house of a Chinese gentryman and casually gifted him a fire; it was an official kiln product from the Kangxi era.
"Matsuura-kun, I didn't expect you to be interested in these things."
The speaker was Watanabe Tsuna, commander of the 7th Division.
Watanabe Tsuna had a thick beard, making him look like a brown bear. He had a strong body odor, a mixture of sweat and tobacco, which was particularly pungent in the closed command post.
Junroku Matsuura turned his head, somewhat displeased:
"That's art. Jiangxi was a major porcelain-producing region in ancient China." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Watanabe-kun, when are you going to learn to wear perfume instead of letting the stench permeate the entire command post?"
Watanabe Tsuna laughed heartily, the sound of which made the teacups on the table sway slightly.
"What do you know? This is the smell of a real man." He deliberately raised his arm and sniffed his armpit, pretending to be intoxicated. "Unlike you, you're more like an artist than a soldier, fiddling with bottles and jars all day long."
The two were classmates at the Army University and even lived in the same dormitory. They knew each other's temperaments very well and spoke without any restraint.
Just then, a communications soldier rushed in, stood at attention, and saluted.
"Report! A large number of enemy troops have been spotted at Wutai Ridge. Judging from the military flags and numbers, it's the 11th Army of the National Revolutionary Army!"
Junroku Matsuura and Tsuna Watanabe stopped simultaneously, their smiles freezing, and the air in the command center solidified for a moment.
Watanabe Tsuna frowned, searching his memory:
"The 11th Army? Never heard of it."
He had good military skills and had studied the main forces of the Chinese army, but this particular unit number was not in his memory.
Junroku Matsuura did know a little, but he waved his hand dismissively:
"A hastily assembled unit. According to intelligence, the entire force numbered only a little over 10,000, and its equipment was extremely poor, perhaps even worse than that of a local security regiment."
As he spoke, he carefully placed the porcelain back on the table, his tone light and casual.
Upon hearing this, Watanabe Tsuna's tense expression relaxed. He let out a long sigh and sat down in a chair. Crossing your legs.