Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 546: Cutting off his retreat

The morning sun burst out, and thousands of rays of rays illuminated the battlefield. The corpses of Japanese cavalry were scattered all over the ground on both sides of the abandoned Yellow River. The ice surface was mottled with pools of blood. The war horses got stuck in the river and were forced to abandon their horses and flee.

As soon as the Japanese cavalry climbed onto the shore, they were attacked head-on by Tong Batu's troops who had been waiting for a long time. (Baidu search,)

With superior cavalry, there was no suspense in the battle against the Japanese cavalry who had fled and were reduced to infantry. In the dark night, sabers were waving and horse hooves were thundering. The Japanese army did not know how many cavalry squadrons were intercepting and killing them.

Aggravating the panic situation, after charging back and forth several times and leaving corpses on the ground, the Japanese troops ran back again and were intercepted by the 1st and 4th regiments chasing after them. Those who were waiting to lead the Japanese soldiers had only the fate of destruction.

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Tong Batu watched the soldiers happily dragging up the horses one by one. He pulled out half of Yingzuo's command sword in his hand. Under the reflection of the morning glow, a cold light flashed. Tong Batu couldn't help but admire: "A good sword sends a report, the teacher points out

, the Second Cavalry Brigade was between Gongyi and Yanshi

An ambush was set up, and after a night of fierce fighting, the Japanese cavalry regiment of Ying Zuo and an infantry brigade of the Japanese army were completely wiped out, a total of more than 5,000 people, and more than 2,800 horses were captured. From the commander of the regiment Ying Zuo down, no one was arrested. Please ask for instructions.

Next step, Brigadier Tong Batu."

Tang Qiuli, who received Tong Batu's telegram, clapped his hands and exclaimed: "Well, Mongolian men, we really have yours. He ordered Tong Batu's 2nd Cavalry Brigade to immediately go north to seize Anyang and block the retreat route of the Japanese garrison from Anyang to Zhengzhou.

, Remember, this battle is a quick assault and capture Anyang by surprise. In addition, all officers and soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade are commended."

After receiving the order, the Second Cavalry Brigade quickly left Gongyi, crossed the Yellow River north, passed through Jiaozuo and Huixian County at the fastest speed, ignoring Xinxiang and Hebi, and suddenly attacked Anyang from the direction of Linxian County, wiping out the two enemy Japanese troops.

After the squadron, they all occupied Anyang that day. The Japanese troops of a regiment used by Rensuke Isotani to guard the line from Zhengzhou to Anyang were cut off from their retreat.

At the same time, the Zhengzhou and Anyang regional combat troops led by Yuan Jinghao, Sun Zhenbang, and Zhou Yushan had more than 70,000 troops. They were divided into three groups. One group was led by Sun Zhenbang with more than 20,000 troops and went straight to Hebi. The other group was led by Zhou Yushan with more than 20,000 troops.

The troops went straight to Xinxiang, and the remaining troops, led by Yuan Jinghao, attacked Zhengzhou.

The battles in the three places started at the same time. Facing the waves of Japanese troops coming in, and the Japanese troops stationed in Zhengzhou, Xinxiang, and Hebi, the comparison of their forces was simply disproportionate. The battle ended smoothly in just a few hours.

At the end, the ** Division troops recovered all the lost ground lost when Tang Enbo's Eighth Army fled, and the price they paid was extremely small.

After the battles on the front lines in Zhengzhou and Anyang ended, Tang Qiuli ordered that the three brigades of Shaanxi Garrison Command Commander Yuan Jinghao command a total of more than 23,000 troops, and the ** Division Transportation Command Commander Zhou Yushan's command command more than 10,000 troops.

They were stationed on the line from Anyang to Xinxiang, ready to repel the troops coming from Hebei with the intention of reinforcing the Japanese First Army.

Sun Zhenbang, commander of the Yellow River Defense Headquarters, commanded four brigades with a total of more than 36,000 troops. They immediately went north and entered Licheng in the Taihang Mountains to stand by. The brigades were incorporated into the Taihang Mountains Field Corps under the personal command of division commander Tang Qiuli.

, preparing to participate in combat operations against the Japanese troops under Yamaguchi's command.

After Tong Batu's Second Cavalry Brigade handed over the defense of Anyang to Yuan Jinghao's headquarters, they immediately returned to the Taihang Mountains and were on standby in the Xiangyuan area, preparing to participate in combat operations against the Japanese Yamaguchi headquarters in the Wuxiang area.

Tang Qiuli issued a series of orders to adjust deployment, and after regaining the line from Zhengzhou to Anyang, a large gap opened by the Japanese army in Henan was finally blocked. He no longer had any worries. This meant that Rensuke Isotani's

The First Army's retreat was cut off, and the Japanese army had no choice but to fight all the way. It was absolutely impossible to turn back.

At the same time, Tang Qiuli had no intention of letting the mad dog break into the Taihang Mountain Pass. He would let him leave the Taihang Mountains alive, break into his home, burn, kill and loot, and then let him go. Don't say sorry to the Taihang Mountains.

The people in the base area all felt sorry for Tang Qiuli.

He also had a deeper consideration. The Japanese army under Yamaguchi was the only Japanese army in North China fighting in the Taihang Mountains. It was in a confrontation with Yan Xishan's Jin army and there was currently no sign of retreat. It was just a good time to mobilize troops for him.

The general will bring enough time to eliminate Yamaguchi. If Xuzhou Li Zongren takes Isotani Rensuke's first army again, the overall strength of the Japanese army in North China will drop a lot, and the difference in strength compared with the Japanese army will also be relatively narrowed.

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The key now is whether Li Zongren's main combat forces in the Xuzhou theater, the Gui Army and the Sichuan Army, can arrive at the scheduled time. It is already the morning of December 20, and Zhang Zizhong's Sulu garrison is desperately trying to block the already almost crazy army.

The Japanese army, the fighting on the outskirts of Shangqiu has ended, the troops retreated into the city, and started street fighting with the Japanese army.

As soon as the war in the Henan direction ended, Tang Qiuli turned his attention to the direction of Shangqiu. He sent a telegram to Zhang Zizhong, the content of which read: "Brother Xin Chen, yesterday, the remaining units of the *** Division have recaptured the line from Zhengzhou to Anyang.

From all points of view, the Japanese First Army has no retreat and will march eastward at all costs, capture Xuzhou, and go south to meet the Japanese troops coming from the sea, in order to avoid the fate of being surrounded and annihilated in Henan."

"The war in Shangqiu will definitely fall into a more tragic situation. My brother's troops are under great pressure. After weighing the pros and cons, in order to avoid greater losses to the troops, the Sulu Garrison Corps headquarters can evacuate Shangqiu after 12 noon today.

Move to the Anhui Haozhou area for rest and recuperation. The remaining blocking tasks can be undertaken by Tang Qiu Sheng's troops in Xiao County. Commander Wan Wangzhang will carry out this task. In addition, Brother Xin Chen must pay attention to his own safety and must not go to the front line easily. Tang Qiu Li

."

Zhang Zizhong called back: "Master, our unit has fully transferred to the urban area for combat. The Japanese army's attack is more violent than yesterday. It seems that they are ignoring the casualties. When I saw the call, I knew that the way forward was cut off. The so-called trapped beast still fights. However,

The Sulu Garrison Corps was formerly part of the 29th Army. It was trapped in Pingjin for several years and was humiliated by the Japanese. Although it was under the command of the division and fought with the Japanese army several times, it had no remarkable results."

"This division has entrusted our troops with the important task of guarding Shangqiu. We are loyal and know that the enemy is numerous and we are outnumbered. However, as soldiers, we have no reason to be timid in battle. Although the battlefield is stained with blood, there is no pity. Your Majesty has good intentions.

, I would like to express my gratitude to all the soldiers on behalf of Zhong, and ask for my guidance.

After the order was taken back, our troops still followed the original plan to block the Japanese army in Shangqiu until midnight on the 20th before evacuating. We would not be responsible for the responsibility of the soldiers, and we could also comfort the ardent hopes of the old army commander. ** Division Sulu

Zhang Zizhong, commander of the garrison.

After receiving Zhang Zizhong's call back, Tang Qiuli was silent for a long time. He did not expect that one of his telegrams would actually hurt Zhang Zizhong's military pride. From his call back, Tang Qiuli could see a desperate aura. This

This is also what worries him. The combat effectiveness and equipment of the Sulu Garrison Corps can be said to be the weakest among all the troops in the ** Division. Facing the superior Japanese army, even if they complete the two-day blocking mission, the troops will inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

However, he had no good solution. Even if he ordered Tang Qiusheng's five brigades to leave Xiao County to reinforce Shangqiu, it would be too late. And this was the old army commander Song Zheyuan's army. If they were all exhausted in Shangqiu, what would he do?

Being worthy of Song Zheyuan, Tang Qiuli thought rapidly in the headquarters, hoping to find a way to help Zhang Zizhong.

He suddenly thought that although the Dingbian Air Force was not yet an army, it would be no problem to send out more than a dozen bombers and fighter jets. North China did not yet have the Japanese air force. He immediately sent a telegram to Le Yiqin and dispatched the planes.

Bombed the Japanese positions outside Shangqiu and provided direct air support to Zhang Zizhong's troops.

Just as Tang Qiuli expected, Isotani Renjie, who led his army to storm the Shangqiu defense line, learned that the line from Anyang to Zhengzhou had been recaptured by Tang Qiuli's troops. There was no way for him to retreat. At that time, he broke out in a cold sweat. He was afraid that

It was not that there was no way back. He had always been on a mission to go south. What he was afraid of was Tang Qiuli's troops coming from behind. Shangqiu fought for more than a day and fell into a stalemate again.

He couldn't see the possibility of immediate capture. What made him extremely annoyed was how he encountered these stubborn Chinese troops. They were exactly the same as Kaifeng's fighting style. First, they fought on the periphery, and then fought in the streets. If they continued like this, it wouldn't last for three days.

It is impossible to pass through Shangqiu on the left and right, and as for Xuzhou, it is even more elusive.

He could only take advantage of the opportunity when Tang Qiuli had no time to mobilize his troops and stab himself in the back, quickly open the Shangqiu Passage, and seize a way south from Xuzhou. For this reason, he issued a death order to all divisions, and on the 20th

Shangqiu must be captured before six o'clock in the evening.

At the same time, to be on the safe side, he sent a telegram to Xiang Yue Qingsi asking for help, requesting the commander to quickly dispatch troops to reopen the Anyang gap to avoid the First Army being attacked front and rear. Xiang Yue Qingsi, who received the telegram, sent his wife who had just left

The 23rd Division, which was transferred from Guanqian, immediately went into the battle to attack Anyang.

A war broke out on the Anyang front line. Isoya Rensuke went crazy. He knew the importance of time to himself and ordered his troops to attack continuously. After being repelled once, he immediately replaced them with new troops and launched another attack. Shangqiu City was under fire.

, the sound of gunfire was like a torrent, and the billowing smoke blocked the sun.

The Japanese soldiers fought like crazy. They all knew that there was no way out. If they wanted to survive, they had to open up a road south of Shangqiu. The battle continued until dusk. The fortifications at Xiguan in Shangqiu were attacked by the Japanese army desperately, opening a hole. If this place was lost,

Then the entire Shangqiu defense line was shaken.

After hearing the news, General Zhang Zizhong personally led the reserve corps guard group to fight towards the breakthrough in the face of the soaring artillery fire. This was the most elite unit in the entire Sulu garrison, with more than a thousand soldiers, following the tall commander.

The figure, shouting, rushed towards the Japanese troops that were coming in a steady stream like turbid waves.

The two torrents crashed together, splashing blood flying all over the sky. The cruel hand-to-hand combat was the best battlefield to test the will of soldiers. The sound of swords and guns clashing and the shouts resounded through the cold wind in Shangqiu dusk.

inside.

(To be continued)