ushernet Chapter 420: Keep 1 Point of Victory
Chapter 420: Keep 1 Point of Victory
For Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa, this task was very simple. After all, the blocking troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government on the opposite side must have received the order to retreat. He only needed to wait for a while, and he could successfully capture the blocking position after the Chinese army withdrew.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, nodded with a smile, and then said, "Very good, Ishikawa-kun, after we capture the Chinese army's blocking position, we will have completed our mission. I think Commander Okamura Yasuji will soon give us an order to rest on the spot."
In this battle, the 13th Division led by Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei also suffered heavy losses, and several main infantry regiments were almost completely wiped out. However, compared with the 16th Division which was completely destroyed, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei should still be thankful.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, felt that it was a good thing that when the battle started, Commander Okamura Yasuji did not let his 13th Division be responsible for the offensive operations in the Zaoyang area. Otherwise, the fate of the 16th Division would have been borne by his 13th Division, which would have been the most tragic thing.
The retreat of the New 100th Division was very quick. In just about an hour and a half, all the troops of the New 100th Division had withdrawn completely, and not even a single person was left on the blocking position.
Two hours after the new 100th Division's troops withdrew, the Japanese artillery fire began to cover the blocking positions. After the artillery fire covered the area for ten minutes, a complete battalion of Japanese officers and soldiers responsible for the attack began a charge.
When the Japanese attack force approached within 200 meters of the position, there was no gunfire as usual on the blocking position, which made the Japanese officers and soldiers who had become accustomed to the attack rhythm of the past two days somewhat uncomfortable.
Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, commander of the 13th Division, and Chief of Staff Major General Ishikawa Takuma, who were watching the battle in person from behind, put down their binoculars almost at the same time. They knew very well that the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government on the opposite blocking position had completely withdrawn as they expected.
"Mr. Ishikawa, you can send a telegram to Commander Okamura Yasuji. We have captured the Chinese army's blocking positions on the Xiang-Zao Highway. Tell Commander Okamura Yasuji that we will rush to the location of the 16th Division as quickly as possible and will definitely rescue the 16th Division from the encirclement of the Chinese army." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, was in a good mood and gave a convincing order to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, beside him.
Five minutes later, the Japanese army's plaster flag was erected on the deserted blocking position. Almost at the same time, the reply from the 11th Army Command was sent to the 13th Division Headquarters.
In a telegram, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, commander of the 11th Army, ordered Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, commander of the division, to lead the reinforcements to rest and wait in place, and told Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei that contact with the 16th Division had been completely lost.
"Mr. Ishikawa, let the troops rest where they are and prepare their defenses. We will be retreating soon." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, ordered the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, in a relaxed mood.
The complete destruction of the Japanese 16th Division made the already insufficient combat force of the Japanese Army even weaker. Based on the current troop allocation, the staff officers in the 11th Army Headquarters, after several rounds of sand table simulations, came to a disappointing conclusion, that is, with the remaining forces of the 3rd Division and the 13th Division, it would be difficult to continue to attack the Chinese Army's defense zone. It is even likely that one of their troops will be surrounded by the Chinese Army, which has an advantage in manpower.
"Commander, your Excellency, the staff department has conducted five simulations. At present, our forces are insufficient to continue the offensive. There is also a lack of effective forces to protect the 3rd Division and the 13th Division. The Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government has now completely eliminated the troops of the 16th Division. They can withdraw a large number of troops from the Zaoyang battlefield to fight in the south, but we no longer have any troops to reinforce the 3rd Division and the 13th Division." Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, Chief of Staff of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, came to the sand table and told the gloomy commander, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, the results of the simulation.
Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura had been watching the staff officers' simulations and analyses on the sand table. He felt that the simulation results given by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto were relatively optimistic. According to his own analysis, with the current strength, if the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone concentrated its troops to attack southward, it would be unknown whether the Third Division and the Thirteenth Division could hold the existing defense line.
"Mr. Yoshimoto, do you think the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government will continue to attack southward? If they want to attack southward, how long will it take to start the attack?" Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura asked Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto somewhat unwillingly.
This battle lasted so long and the losses were so great that if even the occupied areas were to be handed back to the Chinese army, it would be a complete failure. Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura still wanted to maintain control of the occupied areas as much as possible to save face for the failure of this battle.
"Your Excellency the Commander, I believe that Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese Government must have seen the problem of our current lack of manpower. He will not miss this good opportunity. It is estimated that the troops of the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese Government will attack southward after three to five days of rest. They are likely to concentrate their forces to attack the connection between the Third Division and the Thirteenth Division, thereby cutting off the connection between the two forces, and then encircling one of the forces." After thinking for a while, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi decided to remind the commander, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto felt that the safest thing to do now was to withdraw the troops as soon as possible. If they were surrounded by the Chinese army again and lost a troop, then he and the commander would be finished as well. The Imperial Headquarters would definitely remove him and the commander from their posts and send them back to the mainland for investigation.
"Mr. Yoshimoto, let alone the huge losses we suffered in this battle, the impact caused by the complete annihilation of the 16th Division is enough to give us a headache. If there are no combat results, we will have no way to explain to the headquarters and the expeditionary force." Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura said helplessly to Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto.