Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 533: Bloody Kaifeng (1)

The commander of the First Army of the Japanese North China Expeditionary Force, Isotani Rensuke, cunningly planned to attack from the west to the east, which surprised Tang Qiuli. Since the direction of the Japanese attack was already clear, which was to capture Xuzhou, the use of his troops had already

When it reached its limit, it had to ask the Nanjing National Military Commission for help.

After seeing Tang Qiuli's telegram, Chairman Chiang was silent for a long time. He knew very well that Xuzhou was the northern gate of Jiangsu. Once it fell, the Japanese army could drive southward, and his hundreds of thousands of elite troops in the Songhu area would be attacked from the north and the south.

, the Japanese troops in the direction of Shanghai and Hangzhou Bay have recently launched a fierce offensive, which made him even more worried.

With Tang Qiuli's character, he would not ask for help from the government unless he had to. What's more, Xuzhou is not included in the Yellow River Basin war zone. Strictly speaking, it belongs to his own defense scope, and he cannot afford to lose this.

Tang Enbo, what happened? He has 230,000 troops and cannot defend Henan.

The Henan defense line was breached, but there was no telegram from Tang Enbo explaining the situation. What the hell is Tang Enbo doing? He lost Henan and was so scared that he hid? In fact, Chairman Chiang could not contact Tang Enbo at this time. This guy was just

It was as if the world had evaporated, but Chairman Chiang knew that his direct troops had made such a big mistake, which caused the entire direction of the Yellow River to collapse. Tang Qiuli did not mention a word in the telegram. Because of this, he was even more worried.

Chairman Chiang knew very well about Tang Qiuli's personality. Tang Enbo would be unlucky, which he did not want to see. As for Tang Enbo, Chairman Chiang liked him for being loyal to him and never having second thoughts. He also did not want to do anything to Tang Enbo.

, so he focused on how to mobilize troops in the direction of Xuzhou.

His direct troops were in a fierce battle with the Japanese army and could not withdraw at all. However, he was quite relieved that the Gui army of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi had left Guangxi and was about to arrive in Anhui. They could rush directly to Xuzhou to set up defenses.

It is the elite unit of the Guangxi Army, Liao Lei's Eleventh Army, with a strength of 120,000.

In addition, the Sichuan army of Liu Xiang, the king of Sichuan, also went down the Yangtze River and reached the vicinity of Wuhan. It could disembark in Wuhan and go to Xuzhou. The Sichuan army going north this time was Liu Xiang's housekeeping force, with nine divisions and 100,000 troops.

In this way, there are 220,000 troops in the direction of Xuzhou, which is enough to block the 130,000 Japanese troops in Xuzhou. If the situation is favorable, greater results can be achieved.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the kings of Guangxi, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, and the kings of Sichuan, Liu Xiang, were willing to spend money to pull out the troops. Chairman Chiang nodded frequently, and his satisfaction was palpable. The battle of Xuzhou was no less important than the battle of Songhu. He

Issue orders with the fate of the Nationalist Government's Military Commission.

In view of the fact that the Japanese army pointed its finger at Xuzhou, the gateway to northern Jiangsu, this battle was inevitable. In order to unify military orders, a military committee was specially formed to form the Xuzhou Theater Commander's Headquarters, with Li Zongren as the commander and Bai Chongxi as the chief of staff. The troops under their jurisdiction were the 11th Group Army of the Guangxi Army and

The nine divisions of the Sichuan Army are dedicated to the specific matters of the Battle of Xuzhou.

However, it would take at least five days for the Gui army and the Sichuan army to reach Xuzhou, while it would take at most three days for the Japanese army to leave Zhengzhou and reach Xuzhou. This required Tang Qiuli's troops to buy time for Li Zongren to reach Xuzhou and organize defense. He personally dictated

, and sent the latest order of the Military Commission and the specific combat requirements to Tang Qiuli.

After Tang Qiuli received the telegram, he didn't see what he wanted to see. The old man still tried his best to defend Tang Enbo, the bastard. Well, if you don't want to let it go, I will do it for you. In Tang Qiuli's heart, Tang Enbo has already

He is a dead man, but there is no time and no news about him now.

Li Zongren was relieved to be able to arrive in Xuzhou. It seemed that the general direction of history had not changed, but the location was changed to Xuzhou instead of Taierzhuang. The strength of the Japanese troops he faced far exceeded historical records.

The King of Guangxi finally came to the forefront. The Battle of Xuzhou was destined to make him famous all over the world. This was a historical necessity.

However, Chairman Chiang's order made Tang Qiuli's scalp numb. With Su Jingfeng's less than 30,000 troops, he held off the Japanese army for more than five days. What kind of joke are you kidding? Doing it knowing you can't do it, is this bravery or stupidity?

Tang Qiuli couldn't express his feelings at this time. The battle of Kaifeng was inevitable. If Xuzhou was lost, he would not have a good life.

He gave Su Jingfeng another order to block the Japanese army in Kaifeng for three days. Then, the troops withdrew to the Xinzheng area in southern Henan to rest and recuperate. He ordered Zhang Zizhong's troops to form a second line of defense in Shangqiu, Henan. They must block the Japanese army for two days, and then

, the troops withdrew to the Haozhou area of ​​Anhui to rest and recuperate.

, ordered the Dezhou Command to deploy four brigades, led by deputy division commander Tang Qiusheng, to the Xiaoxian area to set up defenses to form a third line of defense. If the first two lines of defense did not reach the prescribed blocking time, they would be broken through by the Japanese army.

, then the third line of defense must ensure that it completes the blocking task.

If the Kaifeng and Shangqiu defense lines complete the blocking mission, Tang Qiusheng's troops will leave Xiao County and participate in the Xuzhou battlefield on the spot. They can cooperate with Li Zongren's Xuzhou battlefield. They have contacted the Military Commission to reissue the appointment letter and appoint the deputy commander of the ** division.

, Tang Qiusheng, commander-in-chief of the Sulu Mobile Corps, also serves as deputy commander-in-chief of the Xuzhou Theater.

After issuing a series of orders, Tang Qiuli felt very uncomfortable. He was using his own troops to fight for time for Li Zongren, paying a huge price every second. This was also blocking the hole for Tang Enbo, a bastard. He

He secretly begged God to let the Gui army and the Sichuan army reach Xuzhou on time. He could also lose less troops and block the attack in stages to minimize the losses of the troops.

He also considered asking Zhang Zizhong's troops to rush to Kaifeng and merge with Su Jingfeng to form the Kaifeng defense line to strengthen the strength and depth of the defense line. After some hesitation, he gave up the idea and Zhang Zizhong's troops rushed to Kaifeng.

, it would take at least seventy-two hours. He was afraid that before Zhang Zizhong's troops could reach Kaifeng, the Japanese troops had already broken through Su Jingfeng's defensive position. The advancing troops would be in danger of being dispersed if they suddenly encountered a large number of Japanese troops.

This has nothing to do with the combat effectiveness of Su Jingfeng's troops and the bravery of the soldiers. It is purely due to the comparison of forces. He knows Su Jingfeng very well. This is a general who dares to fight tough battles. Among all the troops of the ** Division, the ** Second Brigade is known as

Known for being able to fight tough battles, he also has a very good personal relationship with Su Jingfeng, and I really like this straightforward Northeastern man.

Precisely because he knew Su Jingfeng, he was even more worried. With Su Jingfeng's character, it was the most normal thing to fight to the death. Therefore, he gave Su Jingfeng an order to hold off for only three days, just because he was afraid that he would be in danger if he hit the red eye.

Su Jingfeng was the first to call back. Before the division commander's order arrived, the troops had already moved out to build positions on the outskirts of Kaifeng. His strategy was to exhaust the Japanese army's energy on the periphery and then withdraw into Kaifeng City, using street fighting and relying on barricades to entangle the Japanese army.

For this reason, he has evacuated the citizens of Kaifeng in the streets and alleys.

Tang Qiuli read Su Jingfeng's telegram and was sincerely happy. This big man Su was not only brave but also capable of using his brains. His plan was completely correct. He did not fight against the Japanese army with superior strength in the flat terrain, but used it to exploit

The terrain inside the city and the street fighting with the Japanese army are really unique.

The west wind is blowing, and the yellow sand from the old course of the Yellow River is flying all over the sky, hitting the face, burning pain. In the western suburbs of Kaifeng, looking at Su Jingfeng in the direction of Zhengzhou, he is not as relaxed as he showed in the telegram to the division commander, and there are continuous gunfire in the direction of Xinxiang.

, has made him wary. He once sent a reconnaissance team to go deep into the Zhengzhou area, and the news they brought back made him worried.

After the fall of Zhengzhou, although the Japanese army had not taken any action for the time being, Su Jingfeng still rushed to make detailed war preparations. As a senior general who had fought bloody battles with the Japanese for several years, he was well aware of the combat effectiveness and attack power of the Japanese soldiers. They were a group of people who had been brainwashed by the emperor.

The beast poisoned by the spirit of Bushido, coupled with the superior force, he knew what kind of pressure he and the troops would face. After receiving the order from the division commander, he immediately ordered the troops to enter the preset positions according to the original deployment.

At around 10 a.m. on the 16th, the reconnaissance force reported that the leading Japanese force had arrived near Kaifeng, less than ten kilometers away from the forward position. Its strength was an armored regiment, and about three kilometers later, it was the main force of Japanese infantry.

Su Jingfeng was stunned. He did not expect that the Japanese army would use so many armored assault forces. The frontline troops did not have special anti-tank facilities. Only a dozen anti-tank guns could not stop hundreds of Japanese tanks. He

Immediately ordered the artillery regiment to immediately change the planned shooting points and conduct blocking artillery bombardment on the planned path of the Japanese tanks. The artillery was required to cover the Japanese tanks and strive to destroy the Japanese assault force.

The Kaifeng Blockade was fought under fierce artillery fire. The Yamazaki tank regiment of the Japanese army was divided into several groups and advanced rapidly. Since leaving Zhengzhou, it had not encountered any resistance along the way. The regiment leader Yamazaki was full of confidence. If it were not for Iso

Commander Gu strictly ordered not to stay more than three kilometers away from the infantry. According to his idea, he could almost rush to Shangqiu and have dinner in Xuzhou.

There was a scream in the sky, and countless artillery shells fell down. For a moment, the ground shook, and smoke was everywhere. The artillery shells flying everywhere shattered Yamazaki's illusions. He hurriedly closed the tank hatch and fired a shell.

There was an explosion nearby, and the flying shrapnel hit the tank, making a metal-colliding sound. The tank trembled violently, and it felt like a small boat sitting in a storm.

Yamasaki lay down on the observation hole and saw that his scalp was numb. How many artillery pieces did the Chinese army use to deal with him? The route the troops moved in was filled with smoke and dust from explosions. It was hard to distinguish the number of explosion points. Yamasaki

I saw with my own eyes that one of my tanks was hit by several artillery shells and burst into flames with thick smoke billowing into the sky.

Su Jingfeng was determined to kill most of the Japs' Iron Turtles as soon as possible. Otherwise, these tanks would pose too great a threat to the forward positions. He concentrated all the artillery in the army to achieve this effect.

The smoke and dust caused by the explosion of artillery shells filled the battlefield. From time to time, Japanese tanks were hit and caught fire. As soon as the battle began, the battle became intense.

(To be continued)