Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 680 Taiyuan City is destroyed (2)

The defensive barriers in the south and southeast of Taiyuan, Taigu and Jinzhong were subjected to fierce attacks by the Japanese army for many days. Yan Xishan, Chairman of Shanxi Province, Commander of Shanxi Security, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Yellow River Basin Theater Command, used what he could

All the troops are devoted to these two battlefields. The whole territory of Shanxi is at stake. Commander Yan's family fortune is at stake, and he has to fight for his life.

In the fierce fighting until the evening of May 13th, the Jin army, which suffered more than half of its troops casualties, could no longer withstand the continuous fierce attacks of the superior Japanese army. First, in the direction of Taigu, the defensive position was breached by the Japanese army. Then, in the direction of Jinzhong,

A big hole was opened in Sun Chu's defense line by the Japanese army. What a pity.

, when it got dark, the Japanese stopped their attack and just established positions at the breach. The sound of guns and artillery that had been ringing all day finally fell silent. The exhausted Jin soldiers finally took a breath, and there were still fires everywhere, dim.

Reflected are the corpses, including Japanese soldiers and Jin soldiers.

When Yan Xishan learned that the Taigu and Jinzhong defense lines had been breached by the Japanese army, he slumped down on a chair, covered his head with his hands, and groaned in pain, which was killing him. There were more than a dozen people with gray faces standing around him.

Gao Shen looked at each other, neither

They have good ideas. Among these people, there are many who are frightened by the current war situation. They have made up their mind to persuade Commander Yan to leave Taiyuan. As for where to go next, they have no idea. They can only take one step.

step.

Seeing the old man's helpless appearance, several people pretended to be brave and told them all their suggestions. Yan Xishan did not rebuke loudly, but just looked at the roof blankly. He knew that these old subordinates were not only for their own survival, but also for their own survival.

Most of them were thinking about the big tree they relied on. They were nothing if they left Yan Xishan. To Chief Yan's relief, no one persuaded him to surrender to the Japanese.

In fact, after Yan Xishan learned that the Taigu and Jinzhong defense lines had been breached in many places, he knew that he was no longer able to fight. He had considered making peace with the Japanese. But in this situation, the Japanese were unable to do anything.

Press hard, even if you defect to the Japanese, you will never gain anything.

, at most it was an alliance under the city, and the conditions were so harsh that he could not accept it. Besides, there was also the issue of reputation. With his character, even if he surrendered, he would still strive for the greatest interests. His subordinates did not propose surrendering to the Japanese, so he

There is still a glimmer of hope in my heart to fight again.

Now, Yan Xishan is faced with a dilemma. If he leaves, everything will be over. He will lose Shanxi and everything he has worked hard for many years. He is reluctant to leave. If he doesn't leave, he can only be a prisoner of the Japanese, or die in battle, be a prisoner or a prisoner.

Whether he died in battle, it was not the result he wanted to see. Where to go? There was only tonight and one night. Tomorrow, the Japanese would attack Taiyuan City. The senior counselors stood in silence, looking at the old man's uncertain face, waiting for him.

Decide.

The room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional heavy breathing, the atmosphere was oppressive, and there was a rush of footsteps outside the door, "Report to Commander Yan, your subordinate Zhao Chengshou has arrived with the main force of the 7th Army, please give Commander Yan a lesson."

"Instructions." Yan Xishan suddenly raised his head and saw Zhao Chengshou standing in front of him with a tired face and a dusty face. His eyes suddenly lit up and he actually shed tears. The great savior, at the most critical moment, Zhao Chengshou rushed back.

"Yinfu, is that you?" Yan Xishan stepped in front of Zhao Chengshou and held his hand. He couldn't help but burst into tears. He couldn't help himself. The corners of Zhao Chengshou's eyes were also moist. He had followed the old man for many years and had never seen him before.

Such a gaffe shows how critical the situation in Taiyuan is, making the usually calm Commander Yan go out of his way.

Zhao Chengshou was almost driven crazy by Yan Xishan. He received several telegrams a day, all urging him to rush to Taiyuan as soon as possible. Zhao Chengshou understood the old man's mood. If Taiyuan was not critical, the old man would not urge him desperately, but

It’s nearly a thousand miles from Zhangjiakou to Taiyuan

, almost running through the entire northwestern Shanxi region, there were still more than 200,000 troops. He wished he could grow wings, but the reality could not be changed. He could only gather the only trucks and transport a few divisions back to Taiyuan. The other troops had to stay in Shanxi.

A difficult day and night march on the mountain road in the northwest.

Zhao Chengshou's Seventh Group Army is the main force of the Jin Army. Zhao Chengshou has an open-minded personality, is bold and careful, can make prompt decisions when encountering problems, and dares to act. He is Yan Xishan's confidant and favorite general. He is also a fierce general and is brave in combat.

Dare, who had repeatedly held important positions in the Jin army, followed Yan Xishan for many years, and was known as Zhao Menghu. He led his troops to rush back to Taiyuan in time, which was undoubtedly the greatest comfort and confidence for Yan Xishan, who was already facing a desperate situation.

Immediately, under the auspices of Yan Xishan, an emergency military meeting was held in Yan's Mansion to discuss ways to deal with the current war situation. Zhao Chengshou overcame all opinions and found a unique approach and proposed two plans. Taiyuan must stick to it. Even if it retreats, it must give way to the Japanese army.

To avoid serious damage and for safety reasons, Commander Yan should immediately evacuate Taiyuan and establish a headquarters in the Shuozhou area in northwestern Shanxi to coordinate and direct the war of resistance throughout Shanxi.

Zhao Chengshou's plan was undoubtedly the most in line with Yan Xishan's wishes, especially his words, "Now we can't rely on anyone but ourselves," which touched Yan Xishan's nerves. Since the Battle of Wuxiang, the Jin army has suffered successive

Suffering heavy losses, it was not just the Jin army and their family who were fighting against the Japanese

Are people desperate? Tang Qiuli was right in front of him, but he didn't reach out, which made him feel chilled. Yan Xishan didn't think about it. As the saying goes, "Sow good causes, you will reap good results." What he has done since the July 7th Incident

, had caused Tang Qiuli to lose even the most basic trust in him, leading to the current situation.

Although it was Tang Qiuli's plan to divert trouble to the east, he brought it upon himself. The meeting finally made a decision to shrink troops across the board, abandon Taigu and Jinzhong, and concentrate troops to defend Taiyuan. Zhao Chengshou was appointed as the commander of Taiyuan city defense to unified command of all troops.

Yan Xishan left the city tonight and evacuated to the Shuozhou area. All enterprises, factories and mines in Taiyuan were immediately relocated to defend Taiyuan's troops and buy time for the relocation.

It was late at night, and Taiyuan City was completely dark. Outside the north gate, dozens of cars turned off their lights and parked quietly in the darkness. A large group of senior officers bid farewell to Yan Xishan at the city gate. Yan Xishan took Zhao Chengshou's hand.

Hand, repeatedly warned: "Yinfu, if you can protect Taiyuan, you can protect it. If you can't do it, you should withdraw north immediately to protect the bones, blood and seeds of our Jin army. And you, who have always fought bravely, must pay attention to your own safety."

The spring was cold and the motorcade was leaving. Yan Xishan looked back at the city of Taiyuan in the dark night. Pain in his heart hit him. He had never left here for many years. His heart and roots were integrated with this city.

Together, no matter how many times the situation changed and the smoke of war never left here, now, he had to leave here in panic and sadness. Yan Xishan sighed and looked away, not knowing when or what month he would be able to return to Taiyuan.

Zhao Chengshou led Yan Xishan away, feeling a stone fall in his heart. He organized troops to immediately build fortifications outside Taiyuan, and the order to retreat was issued to Taigu and Jinzhong front lines overnight. What Zhao Chengshou did not expect was that on the battlefield,

The troops who fought bloody battles with the Japanese for many days will fall into chaos after receiving the order to retreat.

The first to be confused was the troops of the Seventh Group Army defending the Taigu Defense Line. Many of their comrades fell beside them, their bodies torn to pieces by Japanese shells. With one breath and gritted teeth, the minds of the Jin soldiers had become numb.

, thinking that there was no chance of survival, after receiving the order to retreat to Taiyuan, the last tight string finally broke, and the desire for survival was unstoppable, spreading in the hearts of every soldier who was lucky enough to survive.

The entire line was in chaos. According to the order to retreat, each unit followed the order and took turns to cover the evacuation positions without disturbing the Japanese army. However, the retreat turned into a rout. The more than 20,000 soldiers who had been fighting for many days had a chance to survive, but this was not to worry about the unrest.

In addition, officers at all levels were only focused on retreating, and the troops formed a swarm in disorder, scrambling to escape from this terrible hell and the overwhelming Japanese artillery fire.

The unusual movement on the position finally alerted the Japanese army. The situation was reported to Okamura Neiji. This cunning old devil immediately concluded that the Jin army was going to retreat. However, the situation was unknown in the dark and he was afraid that it was a Chinese plan.

It was decided to send out a regiment of troops to conduct a tentative attack, using the breach as a starting point to attack the Jin army in depth. If things went well, the main force would press forward across the line, launch a general attack overnight, and capture Taiyuan City in one fell swoop.

Zuo Siyu was the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the Jin Army. After many days of fierce fighting, a regiment with more than 3,400 soldiers was defeated and less than 1,000 people were left. His position was in Tai

The front end of Gu's defense line received the most attacks. The order he received was to withdraw the second batch.

Retreat, followed by the 25th Division of the Seventh Army, but before he could assemble the troops, the soldiers of the 25th Division had already crossed the trenches in a mess and ran in front of his troops. Zuo Siyu was so angry that he cursed,

Isn't this retreat tantamount to giving a message to the little devil?

Unfortunately for him, the shadows of a large number of Japanese troops appeared on the position of the 25th Division. The helmets shone with a dark luster under the firelight that had not yet been extinguished. Then, bullets were fired, and the soldiers of the 25th Division fell.

In the next scene, Zuo Siyu thought sharply, retreating like this would be a living target for the Japs. If they were chased, the Japs could hit Taiyuan City directly, and the whole line would be in danger of collapse.

Gritting his teeth, Zuo Siyu ordered the troops to immediately enter the position, preparing to block the Japanese army and cover the retreat of the friendly forces. What this decision means to all the soldiers of the first regiment, everyone knows that the Keqin Training Brigade is the elite unit of the Jin Army and is the leader of Yan.

The Royal Guards had a sense of arrogance and ruthlessness, and did not have the habit of running away at the sight of little devils. The soldiers entered their positions silently.

The Japanese soldiers who were pursuing fiercely were hit by sudden firepower and immediately stopped. They did not expect that the Jin army who retreated in panic still had covering troops. This was a Chinese trap. The Yin* imperial army was fooled. The situation was quickly reported.

When they arrived at the suspicious Okamura Neiji, the main force of the Japanese army, which had been assembled to prepare for a follow-up attack, received an order to rest in place.

A battle that was enough to trigger the collapse of the entire line was resolved invisibly because of an exhausted regiment with less than a thousand men. Thanks to Zuo Siyu's regiment, they helped Zhao Chengshou organize the Taiyuan defense battle and bought a precious night.

.

(To be continued)