Chapter 19: Water-rafting stone (I)

By around 10 o'clock, the battle to annihilate the 118th Brigade was coming to an end. Under the attack of the superior forces and firepower of the Guards, except for a very few Japanese troops hiding in corners and resisting stubbornly, the Japanese army of the 118th Brigade was destroyed. Seeing the sound of gunfire, Lu Xueyi, the commander of the 5th Division who was responsible for commanding the war in front, immediately issued an order. In addition to the 3rd Regiment of the 15th Division, staying for the time being to continue to clear away the remaining enemies and clean up the battlefield, the three divisions belonging to the 5th Combat Group went to designated areas according to the tasks received before the war. The teaching brigade and the special combat brigade returned to the headquarters of the Guards.

"Tell me this good news first and then send a power to the outside world." After getting the battle report from the front, Du Yishan was so excited that he couldn't suppress his excitement. "If he killed the 118th Brigade of the Third Honkawa Province, it will be the turn of Yoshigata Ryosuke's 10th Division below."

"The telegram is right, there is no need to power on," Gu Haichuan did not fully agree. "We will fight the 10th Division next, temporarily block the news so that the enemy cannot understand the specific situation. This will be more beneficial to our army. If we really want to send a power on, we have to wait until the 10th Division is completed and we will talk about it with the consent."

The Guards' previous several external power-ups were carried out under the instructions of Zhao Zhenzhong. Yimeng had previously issued a joint power-up with the Northwest, indicating that it obeyed the leadership of the People's Party, which made it even more impossible to do whatever it wanted.

"I forgot this," Du Yishan also understood, scratched his head, and said, "It's time to attack Dushan Lake and east of Weishan Lake? The 10th Division is now attacking Jining. We can even take action at this time and we can also accidentally hurt it. We can't let the old Japanese Aokari, Aokari, calmly dispatch troops back to defend Jinan."

After occupying the Ziyang troops on New Year's Day, Isotani Ryosuke ordered the main force of the 10th Division to go south along the Jinpu Road and attack the two brigades on the east bank of the canal. Faced with the heavy attack of the Japanese army, the Han Fuju troops were almost at a loss, retreating to Jining and moving west of the canal. According to the progress of the Japanese attack, at most one or two days, the important river defense area of ​​Jining will be occupied.

"The order has been issued to the first and third two combat groups and related troops. However, after the 10th Division takes Jining, we will take action on Jining for at most two days. We can afford to wait," Gu Haichuan shook his head and said, "When we recover the lost land, we can block Han Fuju to the west of the canal, and we will also avoid entanglement with them in Hedong in the future."

If we consider it simply from the perspective of the War of Resistance, it is undoubtedly the most advantageous for the Guards to launch attacks on their flanks when the Japanese army attacked Jining in large numbers. However, in this way, the Guards and the Japanese army were in fierce battle, while the Han Fuju army could retain Jining, a Hedong bridgehead. Even after the Japanese army retreated, Han Fuju could once again send troops to the east bank of the canal in the name of the Chairman of the Shandong Government of the Chiang Kai-shek authorities to compete with the Guards for leadership in Shandong.

Gu Haichuan was considering that instead of trouble in the future, it would be better to let Isogaya Ryosuke occupy Jining first, and then the guards recovered the lost land from the Japanese and defended the river. In this way, the guards could not only achieve the goal of controlling the area east of the canal, but also avoid the trouble of taking the lead in going to war with Han Fuju. Han Fuju was compressed in 10 counties in southwestern Shandong. Due to the influence of population and local economic development, no matter how hard he could do, he could not break through the defense line along the river and make a comeback.

Du Yishan, Gu Haichuan and others were planning for the subsequent battle, but Isogari Ryosuke, who was supervising the battle in Tai'an, was worried at this time. Although the escort army did not release the results to the outside world, the sound of gunfire in Boshan, Zhangdian and other places in the early morning could not be hidden from the Japanese army. What's more, the escort army had tens of thousands of troops heading straight to the Yellow River, occupying the southern bank of the Yellow River below Linji Town and east of Longshan. The front of its troops was less than 40 kilometers away from Jinan.

Nearly noon, Colonel Umemura Uro received the news from Jinan, and he eagerly told Akisuke Isotani that the Honkawa brigade had completely lost contact since the early morning, and the enemy was approaching Jinan with heavy troops. Our army's retreat was seriously threatened. Jining could not continue to fight."

Isotani Risuke quickly turned his thoughts in his mind, calculating the gains and losses in all aspects, slowly shook his head, and said solemnly that things were not that simple. The main force of our division was attacking Jining, and Jining City was ready to go. In this case, suddenly withdrew back to Jinan and failed. Han Fuju's troops would definitely take the opportunity to expand into the east bank of the canal. In addition to attacking Jinan, the Chinese Guards would not miss the opportunity to attack Tai'an along the Dawen River. In this way, our division would be in a dangerous state of being attacked on three sides. This would not only turn the results of our division in Shandong into vanishing, but also whether the subsequent reinforcements could move south smoothly and whether the navy could land in Qingdao was a difficult problem."

Uro Umemura was stunned. He only cared about Jinan in the rear, and obviously did not expect any situations that would occur in Jinpu Road and Jining. Thinking about the consequences of the hasty withdrawal, although it was the cold winter weather, Meicun's cold sweat could not help but emerge.

However, when Meicun thought of the guards less than 40 kilometers away from Jinan, she couldn't help but reminded that according to the information from the rear, the Chinese guards appeared on the southern bank of the Yellow River and the Longshan area, with at least 50,000 troops. The enemy troops in this unit were equipped with many cars and heavy firepower, and with the troops of our division in Jinan, it was difficult to last for a long time."

"According to the previous telegram of the Honkawa Kun, the railway between Boshan and Zhangdian has been destroyed by the enemy. The guards can use cars to move westward. Obviously, they are not on the line from Boshan to Zhangdian. Then they can only go north from Yishui, pass through Linqu and Yidu. From Yishui to Longshan, the distance between this line is more than 260 kilometers." Yoshitani Risuke looked at the map in front of him and analyzed, "In the cold winter, it is not easy for the guards to travel such a long distance within half a day. Now there is only one infantry corps and engineer corps in our division in Jinan. If the guards can do the best, they will definitely not miss the opportunity to enter. And now they have stopped at the Longshan line, which can only indicate that they are unable to move westward."

Not only did Yoshikisuke Isotani's analysis make Umemura a lot more relaxed, but even Yoshiki felt that the analysis made sense more and more. After a pause, Yoshiki continued to say that we didn't have to worry at least before noon. Our division team also gained the preciousness of capturing Jining and returning to Jinan."

"The main force of our division returned to Jinan, and left enough troops to deploy motorized defenses along the railway in the areas of Ziyang, Tai'an and Jining. This can not only prevent Han Fuju's troops from advancing eastward across the river, but also prevent the guards from attacking Tai'an along the Dawen River." Umemura also understood Aoshi Isotani's intention. After hesitating, he asked again, "But, how many troops are appropriate for our army to leave in Tai'an and Jining?"

If there are more troops left, the strength to help Jinan will not be enough to eliminate the guards approaching Jinan; and if there are less troops left, Meicun is worried that it will not be able to resist the possible heavy troops of the guards.

"Mumeimura, don't just think about passive defense, and have a broader horizon." Isotani Ryosuke said, "Although our division seems to be facing great danger at the moment, this is also a great opportunity for our army to annihilate hostile forces in Shandong in one fell swoop and completely control Shandong."

It was obviously full of dangers, but it became a good opportunity to control Shandong in one fell swoop? Meicun was really a little overwhelmed, so he praised you for your wiseness and would like to give me some advice."

"The Imperial Navy is about to land on Qingdao, and part of the 5th Division commanded by Itagaki Kwan will also arrive in Dexian and prepare to attack Qingdao along the Jiaoji Line in the south. In this case, as long as our division resolves the Jining defenders and controls the canal line as soon as possible, the main force of the division canal can return to Jinan." As the analysis deepened, the original uneasiness was wiped out, and Isogaya Risuke became more and more confident, and then continued, "As long as our unit defends Jinan, waits for the 5th Division to cross Henan and advance, and the navy captures Qingdao, then transports the troops to advance westward through the Jiaoji Line, our division will not only get rid of the unfavorable situation, but the guards in the south bank of the Yellow River and the east of Longshan will be surrounded by our army."

As if seeing the prospect of the escort army being annihilated, Risuke Isotani was excited and said with his eyes shining. In order to give the Chinese escort army a fatal blow, I decided that after capturing Jining, Tian Jiujun led the 33rd Brigade and the 10th Cavalry Regiment to deploy defenses along the railways in Jining, Ziyang and Tai'an; other troops of our division will return to Jinan. After joining the escort army east of Longshan, Tian Jiujun led the 33rd Brigade to directly hit the escort army's nest in Yimeng and stabbed them hard on the back."

As the saying goes, Yoshiya Risuke Isotani punched the table hard. Umemura was also infected by Yoshitani's grand blueprint. He excitedly suggested that you should report this wonderful plan to the commander of Terainuchi and ask him to urge the 5th Division and the navy to speed up the operation. In addition, the Nanjing operation has ended, and the troops transferred to the south of the North China Front Army can also be transported to Qingdao by the Navy; and the main force of the 109th Division directly under the Front Army can also go south with the 5th Division to avenge the revenge of the Honkawa Brigade. In addition, the cooperation of the Front Air Force, our army will definitely be able to annihilate all kinds of hostile forces in Shandong in one fell swoop, open up the Jinpu Line, and meet with the 13th Division in Jianghuai."

Although Risuke Isotani was unwilling to enter Shandong and seize credit, he was really afraid of the fierceness of the guards. After he hesitating, he nodded and agreed. Although there was no exact news about the Honkawa Brigade, the Guards could send heavy troops west soon after the fierce battle with the 118th Brigade in the early morning. This move itself already illustrates the problem. Both Risuke Isotani and Umemura Uro know very well that the Honkawa Brigade is definitely in danger.

Isotani and Umemura knew the fate of the Honkawa brigade. After receiving the telegram, Soichi Teraunuchi also knew that unlike Isotani Ryosuke, the Temple was angry after receiving the news. This was already the second brigade of the North China Front Army that was annihilated in an integrated system. The Kanto Army, which was established in the former, had outstanding achievements, and the Central China Front Army, which was formed in the latter, was also very good. However, the strong North China Front Army commanded in the temple suffered heavy damage one after another, which made him arrogant and arrogant.

"Everyone, based on the situation of all parties, the 118th Brigade, which was carrying out a mission in the Boshan area, has encountered an accident. More than 50,000 Chinese Guards are approaching Jinan. The 10th Division is in a critical situation." At the meeting held on the 4th, the temple said with a deep water, "Our front army has lost two brigades in succession. This is not only a shame for our front army, but also a shame for the Imperial ** team. In order to severely punish the China Guards, open up the Jinpu Line and control Shandong, the Front Army decided to increase troops in Shandong."

Although Naosaburo Okabe, as the chief of staff of the Front, also wanted to severely punish the guards, he thought of the current military strength of the North China Front Army, he couldn't help but remind him that the 6th and 16th divisions of our Front Army, as well as the 5th Division, Kurasaki Detachment and other units, have not been transferred back. The 14th Division and the 20th Division had suffered a significant loss in Shanxi's combat, and are now preparing to clean up the central and southern parts of Shanxi, and cannot be transferred. The 108th Division is also moving towards the Handan area on the Pinghan line, preparing to clean up the battle, but it is difficult to transfer it; the 10th Division is fighting in Shandong. At present, only the 5th Division of Your Excellency Itagaki and the 109th Division of Your Excellency Shimoto. But once these two troops are transferred to Shandong, the Pingjin area will appear empty."

The temple was stuck. He had previously worried that the North China Front Army might have insufficient troops, but he did not expect to be so nervous. Although the Japanese army occupied too much territory and mobilized troops to participate in southern operations, it also had a lot to do with the armed forces led by the People's Party.

After annihilated the 15th Mixed Brigade, the People's Army joined forces with Yan Xishan to destroy one regiment of the 2nd Mixed Brigade and the 20th Division in Taiyuan by destroying the city and the enemy. Later, it restrained the forces of the 26th Japanese Division and the 1st and 2nd Mixed Brigades in northern Shanxi and Suidong. This caused the North China Front Army to be short of troops.

"Give the Central China side and ask our troops to return to Jian. The troops from Qingdao landed westward. Then send the telephone to Itagaki and Shimoto, urging the 5th Division and the 109th Division to go south to Shandong as soon as possible to prepare for crossing the Yellow River." The Templeuchi decided to say, "Order the 2nd Army to use the 6th Brigade of the Field Heavy Artillery on the front line of the Yellow River."

Rensuke Isotani and Soichi Desouchi were busy dispatching troops, and the escort army was not idle either. On the evening of the 4th, Han Tiezhu, the artillery commander of the escort army, led two heavy artillery brigades to the south bank of the Yellow River and built artillery positions overnight. So far, the escort army had gathered three division artillery regiments and two heavy artillery brigades along the Yellow River and along the direction of Jinan, with 84 105 caliber artillery and 96 155 caliber artillery. In terms of heavy firepower, the escort army had surpassed the Japanese army in all aspects.

Also on the evening of the 4th, while the 10th Division was competing with Han Fuju's troops in Jining, the 3rd, 8th and 13th divisions of the Third Operation Group of the Guards were dispatched at the same time, controlling the Liguoyi, which started from Zou County in the north, the junction of Sulu on the Jinpu line in the south, and the vast area on the east bank of Weishan Lake in the west.

The third combat group of the Guards was deployed here to prevent Li Zongren from sending troops north, but also prevent Han Fuju's troops from crossing the canal and advancing eastward. He was also prepared to block the Japanese army's southward and head north along the canal and railway lines at any time.

The reason why the third combat group occupied Zouxian, Tengxian and other places overnight was related to the lack of troops in this area. Because Han Fuju's troops had retreated to southwest Shandong, and the 22nd Army of Dengxihou's troops, which were scheduled to be connected to the Fifth War Zone along the Jinpu Road, had not yet arrived. In the past, with the assistance of 20,000 officers and soldiers of the 13th Division, who were scattered in the east of the two lakes, pretending to be Huamei and reclaiming wilderness and familiar with the local situation, the third combat group achieved its intended purpose almost without any bloodshed.

In history, the Taiyuan Battle ended in early November, and the 22nd Army was able to arrive in Tengxian and other places in early 38. But now the Taiyuan Battle lasted until mid-December. Even if the 22nd Army had iron legs, it was impossible to cross Henan from southern Shanxi to southern Shandong in half a month to reach southern Shandong in half a month.

In fact, it was not just the 22nd Army that was affected by the Taiyuan Battle. The 5th Division of the Japanese army was more affected because Taiyuan was destroyed and blocked by ice lakes. The infantry of Itagaki's troops and mountain cannons that could be transported by pack horses could still be turned into the direction of Zhengtai Road through mountain roads, and then walked east out of Shanxi. However, the heavy artillery of the divisions could only be transferred to northern Hebei through Wutai and other places, and then went south through the Pinghan Line to meet with Itagaki and others in Shijiazhuang. After the heavy equipment followed, Itagaki also had to lead the troops from Shijiazhuang on the Pinghan Line to Dezhou on the Jinpu Line. In the severe cold of winter, such a long journey was a chore. In addition, the 5th Division fought from Nankou to Taiyuan for more than four consecutive months, and the troops were extremely tired. The marching speed was even if it was fast.

The whole body was affected by one move. The People's Army's War of Resistance in Shanxi had obviously affected the progress of the War of Resistance in other parts of North China. If the Guards were combined with the efforts of the Guards, the situation of the War of Resistance in the entire North China would be beyond recognition compared with the original history, and at least, the Taierzhuang Battle would not be able to be fought.

Just when the Third Warrior Group attacked east of the Lianghu Lake and on both sides of the Jinpu Road, the 9th Division of the Fourth Warrior Group also set out from Linyi and occupied Yixian and Tancheng to the south. Among them, the Yixian direction directly dispatched troops in Taierzhuang on the east bank of the canal at the junction of Shandong and Jiangsu provinces; and the Tancheng direction was dispatched at Honghuabu, less than 10 kilometers away from the Longhai Line.

At this point, in the direction of southern Shandong, the original purpose of the escort army has been achieved

The next morning, after learning about the actions of the escort army in southern Shandong, Isotani Ryosuke, Li Zongren and Han Fuju were all shocked.

Although Isotani Ryosuke was not clear about the other actions of the guards, this group of "bandits" were able to occupy Zou County while attacking Jinan and the southern bank of the Yellow River, and confronting the 10th Japanese Division, which was amazing in itself

"Fortunately, after a night of hard fighting, I solved the problem of defending the Jining enemy. Otherwise, the trouble would be great." Risuke Isotani secretly felt glad.

In order to take Jining as soon as possible and return to Jinan to help, Isotani Ryosuke ordered the 10th Division to attack Jining overnight despite the severe cold of winter night. With the cooperation of heavy firepower, by dawn on the 5th, Jining had fallen into the hands of the Japanese army.

"Tian Jijun, I'll give you the safety of Tai'an to Jining." Early in the morning of the 5th, Isotani Ryosuke explained the combat mission to the 33rd Brigade Brigade Commander Tian Jiro, and then told him, "Before the battle situation in Jinan is determined, your unit can only defend. Once the Emperor* team severely damaged the guards in the north, Tian Jijun will lead the troops to attack Yimeng and take down the guards' nest."

"Hayi will never let you down," Taki Eijiro nodded heavily and responded.

After leaving the 33rd Brigade and the 10th Cavalry Regiment, Isotani Ryosuke led his troops to rush back to Jinan in a car to prepare for the attack that the guards might launch today.

Ryosuke Isotani has treated the escort army as the top enemy. After learning that the escort army was sent to southern Shandong, Li Zongren and Han Fuju also felt that the pressure increased greatly.

In Li Zongren's view, although the Guards expressed their position on the War of Resistance in the previous telegram, they also insisted on overthrowing the Kuomintang's rule. Although the Guards' Chen Bing and Jinpu Road were conducive to blocking the Japanese army's southward direction, the Guards could also advance southward, control northern Jiangsu, and threaten Xuzhou. In the current situation of obvious insufficient troops in the Fifth War Zone, the Guards' Changing and Lu and Su borders are also necessary to be vigilant.

"These mountain kings are here to grab territory." After learning the news, Han Fuju sighed bitterly. It had been a long time since these mountain kings had such strength, Han Fuju would never have had the idea of ​​using the guards as a knife before.

"Mengxuan, do you think we still have a chance to cooperate with the Guards?" Although the possibility is not high, Han Fuju still asked Li Shuchun for his opinion.

"Commander-in-Chief, the Guards have clearly stated in the previous power-up that they will not contact us in the future, so how can they cooperate?" Li Shuchun shook his head with a wry smile. Although he didn't say it, he secretly blamed Han Fuju for doing too much. Even if you want to retreat, you must tell your friendly troops that this is the minimum Xinyi. Now, not only will the territory be gone, but a strong enemy has been formed. Even the road to the Northwest People's Party will be seriously hindered in the future. It is really not worth the loss.

Li Shuchun couldn't help but remember what Du Yishan once said about Han Fuju's "the day when he regretted his intestines" was kept. Now it seems that he really regretted it. Due to the poor channels, Han and Li did not escort the guards to annihilate the 118th Brigade, otherwise they would even regret it.

On the 5th, with the northwest wind blowing, the foggy weather finally saw the sun again in central Shandong for several days and accompanied by sleet snow. This made Akisuke Isotani who returned to Jinan breathe a sigh of relief. When the weather improved, the fighter planes of the North China Aviation Corps could be dispatched, and the pressure of the 10th Division to defend Jinan was greatly reduced. This is really a good omen.

However, before I can wait for Isotani Ryosuke to be happy for a long time, this rare good omen became a bad omen in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, at least one hundred aircraft flew over the defense zone of our brigade. The direction of their landing was Laiwu and Xintai area controlled by the escort army." Major General Taki Eijiro, the commander of the brigade of the 33rd Infantry Brigade stationed in Tai'an, reported to Isotano Ryosuke anxiously, "Judgement from the relevant situation, the Northwest Air Force has transferred to Yimeng."

Risuke Isotani grabbed it, and was stunned for a moment when Ji, the Northwest Air Force maintained an absolute advantage over the North China Aviation Corps. Any Japanese plane challenging the Northwest Air Force almost never escaped the destruction. The Northwest Air Force transferred to Yimeng, which not only meant that Risuke Isotani's previous ease turned into a bubble, but also implyed that the upcoming battle would be unprecedentedly fierce.

Looking at the rising sun in the east in the cold wind, Aoshi Isotani felt a chill inexplicably. He would rather be full of wind and snow in the future than fly to the Northwest Air Force.

Chapter 19: Water-rafting stone (I)

Chapter 19: Water-rafting stone (I)
Chapter completed!