ushernet Chapter 500: If I Can't Catch Up, I'll Forget It
Chapter 500: If I Can't Catch Up, I'll Forget It
The special forces battalion and the suicide squad of the new 100th Division, which were at the forefront, finally caught up with the retreating rear guard of the Japanese Army when the nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army was about to reach the vicinity of Nanning.
Li Zhengying and the officers and soldiers of the special forces battalion and the suicide squad ran until their legs were broken. They finally caught up with the Japanese army's rear guard. Li Zhengying was very happy. According to convention, as long as the Japanese army's rear guard was entangled, the overall retreat speed of the Japanese army would inevitably slow down. Once the large force behind arrived, this Japanese army unit would not be able to escape.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Jun'ichi Sakamoto, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army, did not play according to the normal routine. After learning that the Chinese army's pursuit troops had exchanged fire with his rear guard troops, Lieutenant Colonel Jun'ichi Sakamoto directly ordered the main force of the regiment to speed up the retreat. The rear guard troops fought and retreated at the same time, adopting the gecko-cutting-off-the-tail combat method to ensure the smooth retreat of the main force of the 2nd Regiment.
The combat method of Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Junki Sakamoto really meets the current retreat needs of the Second Regiment. The only troops of the New 100th Division chasing in the front are the officers and soldiers of the Special Service Battalion and the Death Squad. With such a small number of troops, it is impossible to eliminate the Japanese rear guard in a short time. This can allow the main force of the Second Regiment to maintain a relatively safe distance from the pursuing Chinese army.
The 2nd Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade was responsible for the rear guard mission with a squadron of troops. They divided the troops into two and took turns to cover each other and slowly retreat. Their mission was to slow down the advance of the Chinese pursuit troops, not to hold on here to the death.
The Japanese rear guard troops also made full use of the terrain along the way and continued to shoot at the pursuing officers and soldiers of the New 100th Division. After a burst of shooting, they ran back without getting too entangled with the officers and soldiers of the New 100th Division.
This made Li Zhengying very anxious, but he had to guard against the Japanese sniping shooting. If he led his troops to rush forward regardless of the consequences, what if the Japanese set a trap and launched a large-scale attack when he was leading his troops to rush forward? His troops would suffer heavy casualties, which would be very inappropriate.
It was not until Zhang Wenwu arrived with a large force that Li Zhengying reported the current situation in detail. He also maintained a cautious attitude towards the current blocking situation of the Japanese army.
"Division Commander, Chief of Staff, this is the current situation of the Japanese rear guard. For safety reasons, I did not dare to let the brothers charge head-on, for fear of being ambushed by the Japanese. But if this continues, the main force of the 100nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army will be farther and farther away from us." Li Zhengying reported the current situation and also tactfully expressed to Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng that according to the current advance speed of the new th Division, it would be difficult for the main force of the Japanese Army to catch up.
After listening to Li Zhengying's report, Ouyang Heng waved his hand to show that he understood, and asked Li Zhengying to go down and rest first. After Li Zhengying left, Ouyang Heng sighed and said, "Division Commander, it seems that our fate with the Second Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade has not yet come. According to the time that Li Zhengying and his men have been entangled with the Japanese rear guard, and based on the retreat speed of the Second Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade, it is estimated that it is about to enter the territory of Nanning. No matter how much we speed up, we can't catch up."
Zhang Wenwu looked at the officers and soldiers who were resting around him, feeling extremely regretful. He also knew that what Ouyang Heng said was the actual situation. Although he was not willing to accept it in his heart, he could say that the pursuit of the new 100th Division this time was basically in vain.
"Brother Ouyang, let the brothers have a good rest. We have run such a long distance and are exhausted. Then let Li Zhengying lead the brothers from the Special Service Battalion and the Death Squad to stop chasing the Japanese army. Since we can't catch up with the Second Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army, then let's not chase them. Let's have a good rest and then go back to Luwu, so as not to delay the important event of the war zone's counterattack on Nanning." Zhang Wenwu also directly issued an order to stop the pursuit.
Zhang Wenwu also figured it out. Since they couldn't catch up with the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade anyway, it would be better to let the officers and soldiers stop the pursuit and have a good rest. Compared with the counterattack in Nanning by the Fourth War Zone, the annihilation of the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade was completely incomparable.
According to the requirements of the war zone, the new 100th Division must ensure the defensive security of the attacking force's flank in Luwu. This is a very important task. It is the rearguard guarantee for the Fourth War Zone's attack on Nanning. The Japanese army's combat style is to use those modes over and over again, and the most commonly used one is to attack the opponent's flank in a roundabout way and encircle the frontal troops. Therefore, the task of the new 100th Division in subsequent operations is very arduous, and it cannot waste too much energy and manpower on pursuing the remnants of the Second Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade.
On that day, the 2nd Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade, led by Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Jun'ichi Sakamoto, successfully withdrew to the vicinity of Nanning, which made the commander of the 5th Division, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, very happy. The smooth withdrawal of this unit also meant that they had more troops available to guard Nanning.
However, when the commander of the Fifth Division, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, came to the camp of the Second Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army outside the city of Nanning with great interest for inspection, he felt unwell because all the officers and soldiers of the Second Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army were so tired that they lay down and slept soundly in the camp. The commander of the division, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, also understood that it was very rare for this unit to withdraw smoothly from the pursuit of the Chinese army, and he could no longer ask for anything more from these tired officers and soldiers.
Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, commander of the Fifth Division, only hoped that the officers and soldiers of the Second Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army could recover before the Chinese army counterattacked Nanning. He needed more troops to ensure that the city of Nanning could be held for at least five to seven days.
Because, the commander of the 21st Army, Lieutenant General Ando Toshiyoshi, had sent him a telegram today, in which Lieutenant General Ando Toshiyoshi clearly told him that the troops of the 18th Division and the Guards Mixed Brigade drawn from Yangcheng would start boarding ships in five days, and then land in Qinzhou to reinforce Nanning's defenses.
Moreover, Commander Lieutenant General Ando Toshiyoshi also told him that this time he not only had to defend Nanning, but also had to launch a counterattack against the Chinese army at the right time and teach the Chinese army a severe lesson.