Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 447: Baoding changes hands

After the ** Division troops moved into the city of Baoding, they used two brigades to fight with the Japanese army in the city. They used the city to operate street fighting fortifications for more than a month, consuming and delaying the Japanese army's movements, luring the rest of us to fight in the streets, and the remaining troops passed through the city.

, preset positions on the left and right wings of Baoding.

The Japanese army broke into Baoding City with a force of more than 100,000 people. They encountered fierce resistance from the defenders and suffered heavy casualties. Their advance was blocked and they only occupied a small part of the northern part of Baoding City. During this period, the Japanese army conducted multiple assaults on the defenders in the form of a regiment.

, all failed. The street fighting fortifications of the Japanese Army have been built underground, and there are fire points everywhere. No matter which direction the Japanese army attacks from, they will be hit by crossfire.

In the afternoon of the battle, the Japanese army brought in aircraft to assist in the battle. The heavy bombs destroyed Baoding City to almost rubble. The Japanese aircraft were hit by the anti-aircraft firepower of the Japanese Army Division. After losing seven aircraft, the Japanese North China Expeditionary Force Air Force was already frightened.

, the losses of the previous few days were unbearable for him, so he ended it hastily.

At this time, the Dusan Brigade and Duwu Brigade troops in the city of the ** Division had all moved to underground fortifications. The Japanese air firepower did not cause effective damage to the troops. Then, the Japanese army began to attack, and the defenders' firepower was as intensive and ferocious as before.

, the Japanese army failed to attack several times and retreated to the north of the city to occupy the area.

Tang Qiuli used two brigades with less than 30,000 troops to strand and entangle the Japanese main attack force of more than 100,000 people in Baoding City. This is extremely bold. It also shows that the Japanese Army's careful preparations in Baoding for more than a month seemed to be

I have long expected today's battle.

When the Japanese commander was engaged in a fierce battle with the defenders in the middle, the remaining troops, about 100,000 men, were divided into left and right wings, passing around Baoding City, encircling Baoding, cutting off its retreat, and annihilating the ** Division troops in Baoding City.

, Unexpectedly, on the outskirts of Baoding, they were suddenly ambushed by an equal force of the Japanese Army.

The fierce fighting continued until dusk, when the Japanese troops surrounding the left and right flanks retreated in shock after losing more than 10,000 people. The Japanese commander's attempt failed, so he threw all his troops into the battle for Baoding City. The fierce fighting in the city became increasingly fierce. Under the attack of the superior Japanese army,

Under the attack, the only three and five brigades of the ** division in the city resisted step by step and gradually retreated to the south of Baoding in an orderly manner. In the evening of that day, the battle line was fixed in the central area of ​​Baoding City.

At night, there were fires everywhere in Baoding City. The burning houses and various buildings emitted billowing smoke, and the firelight turned half of the sky red. On the night of September 13th and 4th, Tang Qiuli commanded the troops to evacuate Baoding. At that time, in the city

There was no one left, and all the residents had evacuated. Before retreating, Tang Qiuli concentrated the artillery of two artillery brigades and suddenly launched an indiscriminate bombardment on the central and northern parts of Baoding City, which lasted for an hour.

It was impossible to predict the effect of this shelling. We only received reports from special operations units operating nearby. Thick black smoke was emitting from Baoding City, and there was an extremely strong smell of burning animal flesh. It was suspected that the Japanese army was burning the bodies of dead soldiers.

On the 14th, the Japanese army occupied Baoding, and what they got was an empty city with ruins everywhere and almost desolation.

Tang Qiuli set up an ambush circle in the mountains around Boye and Wenren, hoping that the Japanese army would follow up and annihilate the vanguard. To no avail, the Japanese army did not advance. They were busy setting up defense lines in Baoding and establishing a puppet regime. They seemed to want to have a long-term confrontation with the Japanese army.

, the plan came to nothing, the war in Hebei came to an end, and the war situation in North China was temporarily stable.

This battle was the largest main force battle since the July 7th Incident. Tang Qiuli used 100,000 troops to fight against the Japanese army's 250,000 troops. In the early stage, he annihilated more than 20,000 enemies, and in the later stage, he annihilated more than 25,000 enemies.

In this battle, the ** division suffered casualties

More than 13,000 people, at the cost of giving up Baoding, annihilated nearly 50,000 enemies, and ended with the Japanese occupation of Baoding, an important town in southern Hebei. General Tang Qiuli, who commanded the battle, and Japanese commander Lieutenant General Xiang Yueqingji, both

Think that you have achieved the goal of the campaign.

Tang Qiuli believes that Baoding is isolated in the south of Hebei, close to Pingjin, and is an important node on the Ping-Han Road. The Japanese army cannot tolerate falling into the hands of the Japanese division, and will definitely capture it with heavy troops and compete with the superior Japanese army in Baoding.

**The master couldn't withstand the consumption. He had already planned to give up Baoding, and he wouldn't do it because of

In an isolated city, it is necessary to engage in a large-scale decisive battle with the Japanese army. With the current strength of the Japanese Army, it does not have all the conditions to engage in a decisive battle with the Japanese army. It has achieved the purpose of killing a large number of Japanese troops. Enough is enough and the camera is stopped. Moreover, in a few days

In the fierce fighting, the ** division's casualties were close to the strength of a main brigade.

Xiangyue Qingsi believed that by occupying Baoding, the North China Expeditionary Force had a strategic advantage. The entire southern Hebei area fell under the control of the imperial army, and the geographical location of Baoding was like a fist extending from the Pingjin area.

, If you attack to the west, you can enter Shanxi, if you go south, you can attack Henan, and if you advance east, you can go straight to Shandong. It can be said that it has the advantage of taking advantage of both sides. More importantly, it has occupied an important hub of the Ping-Han Railway.

Although the Imperial Army of Japan suffered certain losses, it also dealt heavy losses to the always arrogant North China Army. It avenged the previously shattered imperial warriors. The price paid was well worth it. The Japanese base camp and the representative of the base camp, Chief of General Staff Xian

Prince Yuan Gong Zai Ren also approved of the Battle of Baoding.

Xiangyue Qingji also had some unspeakable little thoughts. Ever since he took over the position of Tashiro Anichiro as the commander of the North China Expeditionary Force, he suffered a lot at the hands of Tang Qiuli and killed more than 300,000 people.

, and also caused the Itagaki Division to be wiped out. If Prince Zai was not there to protect him, his fate would not be much better. Many people in the military department already criticized him.

He urgently needed a victory to reverse the unfavorable situation and occupy Baoding, which was the pillow he sent to him when he was dozing off. He did not dare to be careless, fearing that he would be separated and left alone, and Tang Qiuli would find a flaw. This China devil had no idea about the battle.

His insight is almost like that of a demon, so he can no longer afford to lose if he launches an attack with a large group of troops.

His current idea is to occupy Baoding. As for killing Tang Qiuli's North China Army Division, he has never thought about it. Therefore, when the troops surrounding Baoding on the left and right wings were attacked by Tang Qiuli's equal forces, he did not even think about it.

Without hesitation, we immediately joined forces and went all out

Attacking Baoding, in this battle, he achieved his goal and won praise. This was the first time since the empire started fighting in North China that he had captured a city controlled by the Japanese Army. It was of great significance. Xiangyue Qingsi's position was secured.

You can also hold your head high that was once half-lowered.

The troops of the ** Division fully retreated southward from the southern Hebei area and re-established their positions on the Shijiazhuang line. Tang Qiuli hoped that Xiangyue Qingsi would launch another offensive. The vast area could disperse the Japanese troops and find suitable targets for the troops to attack.

Tang Qiu hoped that through several major annihilation battles, he could further weaken the Japanese army's advantage in military strength and gradually change the current passive situation of being suppressed by heavy Japanese troops and being forced to defend.

However, from mid-to-late September, the Japanese troops in North China had no intention of continuing to attack southward. They were busy building strong fortifications, establishing a puppet regime, establishing various puppet organizations, and returning U.S. troops in the Beijing-Tianjin-Baodong triangle area.

Its name is "to stabilize the ruling order in the occupied areas and establish the North China Model Area of ​​the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere".

Tang Qiuli had organized several battles, but the Japanese army was unmoved. It was obviously not a wise move to attack a city with strong fortifications and heavy troop concentrations. The plan failed. Xiangyue Qingsi seemed to have no intention of fighting with Tang Qiuli at all.

Large-scale battles took place in the vast area of ​​Hebei.

The battlefield in North China was so dull that Tang Qiuli almost went crazy because the Japanese troops were stuck on the spot and had no chance to annihilate the enemy. However, the battlefield in Songhu in East China was confusing. More than 40,000 remnants of Matsui Iwane's defeated troops were wandering off the Yangtze River Estuary.

For more than twenty days, they neither attacked nor retreated, just lingering around Shanghai.

However, Chairman Chiang reduced the military strength of Shanghai's garrison from the current 200,000 to 100,000. Some Central Army troops gradually evacuated Shanghai. He also reorganized Shanghai's military structure and abolished the establishment of the Ninth and Tenth Group Armies.

With Zhang Zhizhong as the commander of the Shanghai garrison, he unified the strength of all parties in Shanghai's defense, but the strength in his hands was reduced by half.

The Tenth Army restored the designation of the Sulu Mobile Regiment of the North China First Division, and Chang Feng's troops withdrew from Shanghai and returned to the organizational structure. Zhang Fakui's Eighth Army retained its original designation and continued to assume the garrison task in the Hangzhou Bay area. However, it did not strengthen the Central Committee

The main division of the army has not improved its equipment and is still the same miscellaneous army and local security corps.

Chairman Chiang called Tang Qiuli again to ask for his opinion. In view of the fact that the war in Songhu area has subsided, the Japanese army in North China is huge, and the Japanese army is unable to attack Shanghai, there is no need to maintain a huge military force in Shanghai. The Sulu Mobile Corps cannot stay in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

If necessary, whether the original defense line in Xuzhou, northern Jiangsu, can be transferred back to strengthen the Yellow River defense line.

This is Tang Qiuli's face. In addition, in the Battle of Songhu, Chang Feng's troops fought very well and became the backbone and backbone of the defense. They killed the most Japanese troops. The old man knew it well and it was not easy to use up others.

Just kick it away

, Besides, when Songhu was nervous at the beginning, he asked Zhang Zhizhong to ask others to send troops for reinforcements, and then he asked Tang Qiuli for his opinion. If it were someone else, with an order, you would have to move even if you don't want to, and there would be no room for negotiation.

Tang Qiuli couldn't figure it out. Why did the old man think that there would be no problems in Shanghai? The Japanese were not afraid of being beaten yet, so they would not give up. The current situation was the calm before the storm. Besides, my troops stayed in East China.

They are looking after your home and nursing home, and they don’t eat or drink from you. Even the ammunition is transported from the Taihang Mountain base area. There is no need for the central government to replenish one pill. What will it do to you? Are you afraid of taking away your Nanjing?

Tang Qiuli replied to Chairman Chiang: "The current situation in Shanghai is not as clear as it seems. The remnants of Japan's Shanghai Expeditionary Force are still in the open sea. Their intentions are very suspicious, and the Japanese are not yet incapable of attacking. Qiu Li thinks that Song

The war in Shanghai is bound to intensify, so Tang Qiusheng's troops will stay in Suzhou and Hangzhou to prepare for emergencies. The situation in North China is now stabilizing, so there is no need for Tang Qiusheng's troops to move to northern Jiangsu. Please consider it, Chairman of the Standing Committee."

After receiving Tang Qiuli's call back, Chairman Chiang didn't know what to think. Anyway, he no longer insisted on letting the Sulu Mobile Corps return to the Xuzhou area, so the matter was left alone. Tang Qiuli predicted that there would be more battles in the Songhu area.

When a new round of war broke out, he didn't take it seriously, thinking that Tang Qiuli was worrying too much, which made Tang Qiuli depressed.

(To be continued)