Rise From Eight Hundred

After just a few words of communication, the commander surnamed Hu already knew that Tang Dao was indeed a handsome young man. How could such a smart person not know that neither the 11th nor the 18th Division would give up this core defense zone?

This actually has little to do with whether to fight for military merit or not, but in the past three months since the defense zone was determined, the two main divisions have made great efforts to build fortifications.

Not only trenches and bulletproof holes were dug on the mountain, but also air-raid shelters, ammunition storage warehouses and water storage points. These extremely manpower-intensive fortifications can save lives at critical moments. Who would easily give up the fruits of their labor?

The Sihang Regiment took the initiative to volunteer to enter such a main defense zone. The troops evacuated from anywhere did not just withdraw to the second line, but still had to go to another defense line.

The Japanese army went all out for Shipai this time. Together with the two divisions that were rushing from Hunan Province, the entire western Hubei had an astonishing 170,000 troops, comparable to a medium-sized battle.

Moreover, the Japanese navy in Jiangxia also began to gather warships, including gunboats, light destroyers and transport ships. That means that in this battle of Shipai, the Japanese army intends to encircle Shipai from all sides. Even though the mountains here are not conducive to mechanized marching, they must conquer Shipai in one fell swoop.

Shipai is currently surrounded by enemies!

This place is like a mill. Every unit and soldier still here will become the raw material of this big mill, whether they are Chinese or Japanese.

From a purely military perspective, leaving will kill faster. If you want to survive, you have to continue to strengthen the fortifications.

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Tang Dao knew it was impossible but still did it, which means that his target was not these two places from the beginning.

"This battle zone orders our troops to obey your command, Commander Hu. Then our troops will advance and retreat together with all the officers and soldiers of the 11th Division. The brothers of the 11th Division have been operating the front defense position of the fortress for several months. Our troops cannot occupy the nest of the cuckoo. The 5,000 officers and soldiers of our Four-line Regiment are willing to protect the left wing of the outer position for the brothers of the 11th Division and defend against the enemy from the Changyang direction." Tang Dao pointed directly to several high grounds about 10 kilometers away from Shipai Fortress.

The eyes of the division commander surnamed Hu, which had been slightly narrowed and could not let people guess his inner changes, opened slightly. Obviously, Tang Dao's choice was beyond his expectation again.

The situation of the Japanese army encircling Shipai is actually very obvious. At this time, the Japanese army has occupied Gong'an and Songzi. The Japanese army with a strength of more than 10,000 poses a huge threat to the rear wing of Shipai; and in the southwest of Yiling, the Japanese army is forcing Yuyangguan and is about to cross the Qingjiang River; plus the two divisions of Japanese troops that are about to arrive, the Japanese army outside the Shipai Fortress has at least 70,000 troops.

The biggest threat seems to come from the Japanese army in the front, but according to analysis, the Japanese troops deployed on the left and right wings of Shipai are even stronger than the enemy attacking from the front.

It is okay for Tang Dao to choose the left wing defense line. The high ground he just pointed out is the most core position of the left wing defense line. It is located between the outer defense line and the core defense position of Shipai Fortress. It is an extremely important connection point. If this area is conquered by the Japanese army, the entire defense system of the 11th Division will even be at risk of total collapse.

For this reason, in the defense plan of the 18th Army, a main force regiment will be placed here. Although the Four-Line Regiment is a special regiment, the area Tang Dao just pointed out is not just this one, and he even has to take the initiative to fight the enemy coming from Changyang.

Can his Four-Line Regiment alone be competent for such an important task?

"Commander Hu, if I answered you before that Tang Dao was not sure of success in the Battle of Shipai, but was determined to die, then Tang Dao's commitment to our regiment's defensive position was that the prerequisite for the Japanese to step over our regiment's position was to step over my body." Facing the gleam of light and doubt in his eyes, Tang Dao held his head high and made a promise.

The area selected by Tang Dao was actually composed of three main highlands and countless small highlands. The three main highlands were Niuchangpo and Zhujiaping on the outermost periphery, and the highland slightly inside that was cited by the division commander surnamed Hu as the most important highland on the left wing battlefield was called Sifangwan.

In the past, these three highlands were garrisoned by the three infantry regiments of the 11th Division, and fierce battles broke out with the Japanese army here.

The current total strength of the 11th Division is two brigades and six regiments, which shows that the commander surnamed Hu made an extremely accurate judgment on the distribution of Japanese troops. The right wing was completely handed over to the 18th Division, the left wing was defended by its own three infantry regiments, and three infantry regiments were also deployed in the front core defense area, thus winning the victory in the Battle of Shipai.

But it can also be seen that he did not trust the 34th Division, another infantry division of the 18th Army, and would rather divide precious troops to guard the flank of the central position than hand it over to friendly forces.

This distrust also led to a bad result. Although the victory was finally achieved, it was extremely thrilling. If Yokoyama Yong had persisted for another day or even half a day, history might have been rewritten.

Because, in the last two days of the Shipai battlefield, the 11th Division had no reserve troops.

If the Japanese could see the battle report of the 11th Division that day, they would regret it.

For example, to what extent was the fierce battle on the left wing Sifangwan position that the commander surnamed Hu valued the most that day?

Due to the steep terrain of Shipai, the Japanese army could hardly carry heavy artillery, and could only attack with 75mm mountain artillery and 70mm infantry artillery, with significantly reduced firepower.

Seeing that the artillery firepower could not support it, the Japanese army asked the air force for support, so the Japanese navy, army and air force were dispatched in full force, with dozens of planes hovering and bombing the Shipai line for a long time every day.

After the Japanese artillery fire, the positions of the 32nd Regiment of the 11th Division were completely destroyed. The bunkers were flattened, the barbed wire was blown away, and even many trenches were blown to only half a meter.

Because some positions were flattened, several platoons of Chinese troops could only rely on the natural trees on the positions for cover.

Unexpectedly, after the Japanese army discovered it, they carried out intensive artillery bombardment and aircraft bombing on these small holly forests. In less than half an hour, all the standing trees were blown down. The officers and soldiers of these platoons were naturally killed and wounded, but the remaining ones still insisted on not retreating, using the blown-down trees as cover to fight to the death.

The officers and soldiers of the 32nd Regiment of the 11th Division vowed to resist to the death, but suffered heavy casualties. There were almost no people on some positions who could fight. At one time, the squad leader replaced the platoon leader, and the platoon leader replaced the company commander to command.

Seeing the great momentum of the Japanese army, the head of the 32nd Regiment urgently asked the division commander surnamed Hu for support.

At this time, the division commander surnamed Hu had used up all the reserve troops, and there was only one guard squad left with him, and no officers.

All officers had been sent to the front line to fight or supervise the battle!

Finally, a deputy regiment commander who was injured and returned to the field hospital for treatment was found in the field hospital of the division headquarters. He led the guard squad to support Sifang Bay.

If it were not for the deputy regiment commander who led the guard squad to meet 400 defeated soldiers of the temporary 34th Division on the way to the battlefield, and led these 400 defeated soldiers into the battlefield with an order, I am afraid that let alone defending Sifang Bay, more than a dozen people would disappear without a splash on the battlefield.

There were only a few adjutants and secretaries left around the commander surnamed Hu, and not even a combat soldier.

So when the commander surnamed Chen called to inquire about the battle situation, the proud commander surnamed Hu also said the famous sentence "Although success is uncertain, there is determination to die!" That was because at that time, he had no confidence in holding the position.

Many so-called military scientists like to use results to deduce the process, thinking that those famous generals were well-prepared and in control before the battle, which can only mean that they have not experienced war.

How can there be so many natural strategies on the battlefield, and they are destined to win before the battle? Sufficient courage and tenacity plus a little bit of luck may be the reality.

However, this time, with the new force of the Four-Line Regiment, the situation will be different from before.

The three additional infantry regiments in the central main position are enough to give the Japanese a good drink!

This is the judgment made by Tang Dao after comparing the sand table of the previous battlefield and the current defense zone.

But obviously, the division commander surnamed Hu is not a person who trusts others easily. After hearing Tang Dao's generous promise, he still pursed his lips, frowned, looked down at the sand table, and did not answer immediately.

"Our regiment has 12 mountain artillery and several 82 mortars. If it is not necessary, our regiment will not request artillery support from the headquarters." Tang Dao can only add fuel to the fire.

This directly hit the heart of the division commander surnamed Hu.

Although the 18th Army is the direct line of the civil engineering boss Commander Chen, it belongs to the first batch of adjustment divisions, and its equipment is good in the entire theater and even the entire Chinese army, but in fact, each of the 11th and 18th Divisions has only one direct artillery battalion, with 12 75mm mountain cannons, and 24 20mm machine guns and 24 Type 82 mortars are classified as regimental firepower.

The firepower looks okay, but it depends on who you compare it with. Compared with the Sichuan Army, Guizhou Army, Northwest Army and other miscellaneous armies from remote areas, it is certainly awesome. But if it is compared with the heavy firepower of a Japanese division, it is far worse.

The heavy firepower of the three divisions under the 18th Army is not as good as that of a Japanese Class A division, not to mention the special division like the First Division that is reinforced with 105 howitzers and 150 heavy artillery.

How to provide artillery support to the outer flank positions is really the most headache for this division commander surnamed Hu.

If the Sihang Regiment has its own mountain artillery, it means that he can safely and boldly use all 12 mountain artillery of the divisional artillery battalion for the heavy firepower distribution of the central position.

"Are you serious?" The proud division commander surnamed Hu actually asked this question, which shows how much impact Tang Dao had on him when he shared the heavy firepower distribution problem.

"Really, and my artillery position should be located in an area of ​​about three or four kilometers between the central position and my regiment's position. If the main position needs it, my regiment's artillery battalion can also provide firepower support for the central main position!" Tang Dao promised with a smile.

"Good! No wonder the 1st Division was defeated in front of your Sixing Regiment's defense line in the Battle of Zishan! Hehe, many people say that the main credit for the Battle of Zishan was that the 80th Army of the periphery chose the right time to attack, and the force was stronger than everyone else, but I have said on many occasions that without your Sixing Regiment defending the front line of Zishan, it would be useless no matter how well the periphery fought.

Then the safety of the left wing of my 11th Division will be completely entrusted to Commander Tang and the brothers of the Sixing Regiment."

The commander surnamed Hu is also a straightforward person. If nothing else, the Sixing Regiment is qualified for these 12 mountain cannons.

Of course, the sedan chair needs people to carry it. Tang Dao did not hesitate to use the trump card of 12 mountain cannons and was even willing to provide fire support for the central main position. Naturally, he was not stingy in praising the Sixing Regiment.

As for whether he really said these words on various occasions, anyone who really cares about this is really crazy.

Thus, the defense zone of the Sihang Regiment was decided. The Sihang Regiment was responsible for defending the three positions of Niuchangpo, Zhujiaping and Sifangwan. Originally, in order to reduce the burden on the Sihang Regiment, the enemy division commander surnamed Hu from the Changyang direction wanted to let the 34th Temporary Division send a regiment to take charge, but Tang Dao strongly demanded to take it.

Considering that the mountain there is steeper than that around Shipai, it is not impossible to let the Four-line Regiment send an infantry battalion, and the division commander surnamed Hu agreed.

The reason why Tang Dao insisted on guarding this important road in the mountains was naturally because this seemingly simple defense in the past was ultimately caused by the negligence of the defenders.

A Japanese infantry regiment of more than 2,000 infantrymen actually passed through that seemingly dangerous place, bypassed Zhujiaping with the help of the terrain, and reached Sifang Bay, which led to an infantry regiment's defense position being in danger.

Tang Dao already knew it, how could he let this loophole continue to exist? Especially when his Four-line Regiment was stationed in the Sifang Bay position, he would not put the safety of the entire army in the hands of others.

After receiving the military order and the defense zone map from the division commander surnamed Hu, Tang Dao immediately returned to the dock, where there were still a large number of supplies and personnel waiting for his deployment.

This time, the division commander surnamed Hu was much more polite. He personally sent Tang Dao to the door with the brigadier general, and watched the figures of Tang Dao and the guard squad disappear in the darkness with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Commander, are you still a little worried about the Four-line Regiment guarding my left wing? But from my brief observation of their military appearance and discipline, they are definitely a powerful force that is not inferior to my army." The Major General Brigadier General saw his superior's deep eyes and asked curiously.

"On the contrary, with the Four-line Regiment guarding my left wing, my left wing position is not worried! I can't give an answer to how strong the combat effectiveness of the Four-line Regiment is, but their commander Tang is extremely powerful." The division commander surnamed Hu shook his head slightly.

"Then" The Major General Brigadier General was obviously puzzled.

"Tang Dao is indeed the most powerful young man I have seen in recent years, no one else." The division commander surnamed Hu suddenly talked about his evaluation of Tang Dao.

The Major General Brigadier General was stunned. The word "most" and the word "no one else" were ridiculously high. At least in the few years he knew this person, he had never heard him give such an evaluation to anyone.

"Shaoqing, do you know? As soon as he came in, I tried to take control by using my military position and command, but he cleverly resolved my strength bit by bit and even eliminated it. In the end, he still took the initiative.

But this is not the most powerful thing. The most powerful thing is that he did not make me feel disgusted at all." Hu said calmly.

The major general took a breath.

He was a young officer, but he knew very well that many of his peers were still working at the battalion level at the age of just over 30, but this one rose to become the commander of a main division. Whether in combat or in officialdom, he must be top-notch.

But such a person was led by a young man in his twenties in a conversation. What's more terrible is that if he hadn't said it himself, he, as a bystander, would not have noticed it.

"In fact, the moment you brought the Tang Dao into the operations room of my division, I had already decided to hand over the three positions on the left wing to his Sixing Regiment." Hu continued.

"Doesn't that mean that Tang Dao is following your thinking? In the end, he took the initiative to ask to go to the left wing." The Major General Brigadier General breathed a sigh of relief.

This means that no matter how powerful a young man is, he is still fooled by the equally outstanding Lieutenant General Division Commander in front of him?

This time, the Division Commander surnamed Hu did not talk about this topic again, but his eyes were filled with expectation: "It is said that the battlefield is like a chess game. I am looking forward to seeing how he defeats his opponent in this battlefield where he has a 70% chance of losing."

The Major General Brigadier General's face was bitter, but his eyes were full of fighting spirit. Before the battle started, this Lieutenant General Division Commander, who was always arrogant, believed that the possibility of losing this battle was nearly 70%, which shows how dangerous the situation of this battle was.

However, as one of the five main forces of the Central Army, no matter how vicious the Japanese were, they had to see the truth under the gun. Even if they were defeated, he would gather the strength of his entire division and bite off a piece of meat from the Japanese.

Seeing his subordinates' eyes full of fighting spirit, the commander surnamed Hu showed relief in his eyes, but he sighed slightly in his heart.

His subordinates are strong and brave, but they lack strategy.

For example, the topic he just continued to talk about, although it was Tang Dao who took the initiative to choose the left wing, it was not that Tang Dao was fooled by him, but it was clear that Tang Dao saw through his mind and took the initiative to go.

He boasted that he was deep and shrewd, and few people could see what he was thinking from his words and deeds, but today in front of Tang Dao, it seemed that the door was open for them to read, which was simply incredible.

It was like a thousand-year-old demon living in Tang Dao's body.

This proud general certainly didn't know that there might not be a thousand-year-old demon living in Tang Dao's body, but he had the experience of the next hundred years. To some extent, Tang Dao might understand him better than he did.

And the reason why Tang Dao did this was certainly not to show off how capable he was.

Instead, he wanted to gain autonomy on the left wing battlefield. When the division commander surnamed Hu personally sent him out, Tang Dao knew that he had acquiesced.

All recognition comes from strength itself!

()