Chapter 782
: Annihilation of the Japanese 6th Division, a Reshuffling of the Guangxi Clique, Chu Yun
Northwest of Xuyi, along the Huanghuatang line.
Located south of the Huai River, the autumn rains had just stopped, but the stench of blood in the air was so strong it was nauseating.
The battlefield was originally an inconspicuous hilly area on the Central Jiangsu Plain, but now it has become the burial ground for the Japanese 60th Division.
"idiot!"
"Where is the 13th Division? Where is that bastard Lieutenant General Akashika?!"
Lieutenant General Nobuo Kobayashi, commander of the 60th Division of the Japanese Army, was standing behind a shoal that had been leveled by artillery fire.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he was clearly in a state of complete disarray.
His military uniform was so stained with mud and ash that its original color was unrecognizable.
The once neatly trimmed beard was now covered in stains and looked utterly disheveled.
Within a ten-kilometer radius of him, there was a hellish scene resembling a battlefield.
Thousands of Japanese soldiers lay dead in the muddy trenches.
Some were blasted to pieces by heavy artillery, while others were swept down by machine gun fire while still in a charging posture.
Meanwhile, from the east, south, and west, three attacking forces are relentlessly squeezing out the last few square kilometers of living space.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander"
Chief of Staff Colonel Yoshioka, his face filled with despair, had crumpled the telegram in his hand to shreds: "The 13th Division has sent an urgent telegram, claiming that it was besieged by several corps of the main force of the Chinese army, the 'Flying Tigers,' suffering heavy casualties, and has already retreated to the north bank of the Huai River before 7:00 AM this morning."
"Detour?"
Nobuo Kobayashi swayed and nearly fell.
He gave a bitter laugh, his voice shrill: "What retreat!"
"If we had moved in at 7 a.m. this morning, how could we have been surrounded?"
"They must have retreated beforehand; this is betrayal!"
"They treated us like expendable pawns!"
"boom--!!!"
A 105mm grenade exploded less than 50 meters from the command post, and the blast wave knocked Nobuo Kobayashi to the ground.
"The Flying Tigers are from episode 88; they are China's elite troops!"
Who would dare use the Flying Tiger on the military flag?
There is only this one elite force.
An army group with thirteen Flying Tiger flags, a truly kingly force.
Only a force like this would dare to use the image of the Flying Tigers on its military flag.
Wherever the military flag went, the enemy fled in disarray, and the Japanese army was thrown into chaos.
On the front lines.
The terrified screams of Japanese soldiers could be heard.
Through the smoke of gunpowder.
Kobayashi Nobuo happened to witness this scene that terrified him.
In that vast ocean of deep green steel helmets covering the mountains and plains.
A battle flag embroidered with a winged tiger rushed toward them in the howling wind!
……
The southern side of the encirclement.
The forward command post of the 88th Group Army.
Sun Xinpu put down his binoculars, a cold smile on his lips like an icicle in the dead of winter.
"A cornered beast's struggle."
He patted his mud-covered gloves, turned to the communications officer beside him, and ordered: "Tell the first and second regiments at the front not to rush into the attack. We are no longer the beggar troops we used to be."
"We have plenty of shells!"
"Order the heavy artillery regiment to conduct a third round of comprehensive artillery bombardment on the core Japanese positions!"
"Minimize personal casualties as much as possible!"
"Yes!"
As the order was issued.
Dozens of 105mm howitzers, whose parameters had already been set, and newly deployed 155mm heavy artillery roared with earth-shattering fury.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"
The earth trembled, and the sky was reddened by the firelight.
The dense barrage of shells rained down on the Japanese army's last defensive perimeter like a meteor shower. Each shell that landed sent up a mud column tens of meters high, mixed with severed limbs and broken weapon parts.
For this Class B division, which had long terrorized the Chinese battlefield, this level of firepower coverage was nothing short of a devastating blow.
On the other side of the battlefield.
Knowing the situation on the front lines, Wang Zhonglian couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
His chief of staff was also shocked: "Commander, these shells are being fired like they're free."
"The difference in treatment between the elite troops who can receive direct supplies from the North China Ordnance Industry Cluster and us is too great."
Wang Zhonglian suddenly came to his senses, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
He recalled Chang Ruiyuan's cold gaze at the Kaifeng meeting.
I remembered my previous punishment of being placed on probation.
This is the last chance!
If the 88th Group Army gets all the meat, Wang Zhonglian won't even get a sip of soup. How will he survive in the North China Joint Command after that?
Could it be that he should directly pledge allegiance to the War Commander?
Wang Zhonglian couldn't bring himself to do it, nor would he do such a thing.
"Pass down the order!"
"All troops, charge!"
Fifteen minutes later.
In episode 31, the main force launched a general offensive simultaneously.
"Kill them all!!!"
The 31st Army Group, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into the Japanese army's weak left flank.
Although their equipment was not as sophisticated as that of the 88th Group Army, they had the advantage of numbers and were all eager to wash away their humiliation. They charged at the Japanese troops who were already trembling in the artillery fire like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.
And outside this huge encirclement.
The combined forces of Commander Chen of the New Fourth Army and Commander Liu of the Eighth Route Army are firmly blocking the main route for the Japanese army's escape eastward.
"It seems we won't be able to make it to this feast."
Commander Chen lowered his binoculars, listened to the dense explosions in the distance, and said with a complex tone, "The Nationalist army is indeed not what it used to be."
"With this kind of firepower and coordination, the Japanese are doomed this time."
Commander Liu nodded, his gaze deep: "After this battle, the situation in East China will change dramatically."
"The Japanese 60th Division was annihilated, the 13th Division retreated, and the Guangxi Clique was crippled."
"Chu Yunfei is playing a very big game here."
"However, our mission is complete."
Commander Liu pointed to the large amount of Japanese supplies captured behind him: "We have cut off the 60th Division's supply line. These canned goods, bullets, and the wounded soldiers that we didn't have time to transport are also our spoils of war."
"Order the troops to consolidate the defensive line and guard against the Japanese 13th Division's return to reinforce."
"As long as we stay here, that's the greatest support we can give to our allies!"
……
Sunset.
Gunfire gradually subsided, replaced by sporadic explosions as enemies were cleared out.
The last position of the 60th Division was littered with corpses.
Nobuo Kobayashi knelt on a stone stained with blood, with a picture of a locust placed in front of him.
He no longer wanted to escape, and there was nowhere left to escape to.
Around them were the remaining few hundred defeated soldiers.
Some are committing suicide in despair.
Some tried to make a final suicidal charge with grenades, only to be riddled with bullets.
"Your Majesty, I have done my duty."
Nobuo Kobayashi gripped his ancestral katana with both hands, the tip of the blade pointed at his abdomen.
Just as he was about to cut it down.
"boom!"
A 7.62mm bullet struck him squarely in the shoulder, the force of which sent him sprawling to the ground, his katana flying from his hand.
"wanna die?"
"It's not that easy!"
A group of Flying Tigers soldiers in dark green uniforms rushed up and smashed Kobayashi Nobuo's face with several rifle butts, then dragged him into the mud like a dead dog.
"Caught alive!"
"The commander has ordered that these old devils in official positions be kept alive and brought to Pengcheng for public trial!"
With the capture of Nobuo Kobayashi.
The Japanese 60th Division, a unit that Okamura Yasuji had abandoned and that Tojo Hideki had placed high hopes on, was completely annihilated on the plains of central Jiangsu.
……
Xuyi County Town.
Former Fifth War Zone Command.
Today, this place has become the temporary headquarters of the joint command. The hall is brightly lit, but the atmosphere is even more somber than on the battlefield.
Li Pinxian sat in a chair at the lower end of the table, his face ashen, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
The several trusted division commanders and army commanders standing behind him were also dejected, not daring to even breathe loudly.
And in the main seat of the hall.
Fang Ligong sat upright, holding a teacup in his hand, gently blowing away the foam.
Beside him.
Mao Renfeng stood there in his military police uniform, his expression stern.
At this moment, he is fulfilling his duties as the deputy director of the North China Inspectorate.
"Commander Li."
Fang Ligong put down his teacup, his voice calm and unreadable: "Congratulations, the 60th Division has been completely wiped out. The crisis in central Jiangsu is over."
Li Pinxian forced a smile and cupped his hands, saying, "It is all thanks to the skillful command of the Chairman and Chief Advisor Chu that the Flying Tiger Army is so brave and invincible. If your army had not arrived in time, I'm afraid this old body of mine would have died here."
"Yes, it was indeed quite risky."
Fang Ligong nodded, then suddenly changed the subject, his eyes becoming sharp as knives: "However, Commander Li..."
"Shouldn't we settle some scores?"
Li Pinxian's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm: "What does Commander-in-Chief Fang mean by this?"
"The department does bear responsibility for the defeat due to poor command, and we have already apologized to the Chairman and Vice President Li."
"Mismanship?"
Fang Ligong sneered, took the brown paper bag out of his briefcase, and slammed it heavily on the table.
"If it's a misjudgment of command, then the Chairman naturally won't say anything; victory and defeat are common occurrences in war."
"but!"
Fang Ligong suddenly stood up, pointed at the stack of documents, and his voice rose sharply, like a thunderclap:
"Commander Li, shouldn't you explain what's inside here?!"
"Traitorous collusion! Betraying our defense zone! Leading the way for the Japanese!"
"This is what you call 'mismanagement'?!"
Li Pinxian's face turned deathly pale instantly. He picked up a few documents with trembling hands, glanced at them, and then slumped into his chair.
Photographs, letters, telegram copies...
The proof is like a mountain!
"This...this..." Li Pinxian's lips trembled. "This is impossible...this was all done by my subordinates! I didn't know anything about it! I absolutely didn't know anything about it!"
"Unaware?"
Luo Weiguo, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and waved his hand.
"Splash!"
The side doors around the hall were suddenly kicked open, and dozens of armed military police rushed in, their dark gun barrels instantly pointed at the Guangxi clique officers present.
"Whether you were unaware or not, let's talk about it in the interrogation room of the Inspectorate."
Mao Renfeng said coldly, then took out a list and began calling out names:
"Zhang Guangwei, commander of the 174th Division!"
"Li Danian, Chief of Staff of the 138th Division!"
"Zhao Desheng, commander of the Xuyi Garrison Regiment!"
……
Read each name aloud.
One officer, whose face was ashen, was dragged out by the military police like a dead dog.
Some tried to resist, some tried to draw their guns, but they were immediately knocked down by the butts of the military police who were prepared, and some were even shot in the thighs, their blood instantly staining the floor red.
"Commander!"
"Help me! I'm innocent!"
"Commander Li!"
"You've given your tacit approval for all of this! You can't just abandon us!"
Cries, pleas for mercy, and curses filled the hall in a chaotic mess.
Li Pinxian trembled as she watched this scene, but couldn't utter a single word.
He knew this was Chu Yunfei's doing.
This is the "closing the net" after using someone else to do the dirty work.
Most of those arrested had indeed had contact with the Japanese, but many were also staunch loyalists of his Guangxi clique.
With this move, his foundation within the 21st Army Group was completely severed.
In just ten minutes.
A third of the people in the hall were gone, and the remaining officers were all silent with fear, their backs soaked with sweat.
Fang Ligong looked at the remaining people, his expression softened slightly, and he sat back down in his chair.
"All right."
Fang Ligong straightened his sleeves and regained his composure: "According to our investigation, the rest of you still have a conscience and are still willing to resist the Japanese."
"If that's the case, then there's still room for discussion."
He turned to look at Li Pinxian, his eyes filled with a hint of sympathy yet also with coercion: "Commander Li, you've seen the situation now."
"The 21st Army Group has been decimated, and so many scoundrels have emerged from within it."
"If we don't thoroughly rectify the situation, how can we face our fallen brothers?"
"How should we explain this to the Chairman?"
Li Pinxian lowered her head helplessly, her voice hoarse: "Commander-in-Chief Fang, what do you mean?"
"It's very simple."
Fang Ligong held up one finger: "First, immediately accept the joint command's comprehensive reorganization plan, without any discounts or special treatment."
"All officers at the regimental level and above must pass the political and military assessments of the joint command. Those who fail will be demoted or retired."
"Second, all the defense zones of the 21st Army Group will be transferred to the newly established Jiangsu-Shandong-Henan-Anhui Border Pacification Headquarters, and will be under the unified command of the Central Government."
"third."
Fang Ligong paused, his gaze deep: "Please send a telegram to the whole country, requesting punishment, resigning from the position of Commander-in-Chief of the 21st Army Group, and recommending that General Zhang Gan temporarily take over, or that the Central Committee send another high-ranking official to take over."
"As for you personally, the Chairman's idea is that, given your hard work and great achievements, you can go to Kaifeng or Shancheng to serve as the Vice President of the Military Advisory Council and enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life."
Clearly, this is a complete stripping of military power.
It was to uproot the Guangxi clique's influence in northern Jiangsu.
Then it was swallowed up by the Central Army.
From then on, the Guangxi clique no longer had any combat troops that could be directly mobilized in Anhui and other places.
Li Pinxian raised his head, looked at Fang Ligong's calm yet unquestionable face, and then looked at his subordinates around him who had lost all respect for him and were now only filled with fear.
He knew perfectly well that the situation was hopeless.
If he doesn't agree, the fate of those who were just dragged out will serve as his example.
Even the charge of "treason" would be pinned on him, making him infamous for eternity.
"it is good"
Li Pinxian uttered the word with difficulty, as if he were uttering the ambition and glory of half a lifetime.
"The department obeys the orders of the command."
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Fang Ligong's face.
"President Li is a man of great integrity and a true blessing to the Party and the country."
……
three days later.
Pengcheng, Joint Command Post.
Chu Yunfei looked at the telegram in his hand, a slight smile curving his lips.
"The matter has been taken care of."
Lin Wei reported with admiration, "Li Pinxian has sent a telegram to resign and handed over command."
"The remaining four divisions of the 21st Group Army have begun to undergo reorganization."
"Those officers who colluded with the enemy will be publicly tried and a number of them will be executed in Pengcheng. Some officers who were not involved in the core issues will be sent to labor camps."
"Now, the entire northern Jiangsu and eastern Anhui have been completely connected, and there are no more obstacles."
Chu Yunfei nodded, walked to the map, removed the flag representing the Guangxi clique, and replaced it with the blue flag of the Central Army.
"Although it disrupted our plans to counterattack outside the pass, this battle was still worthwhile."
"Not only did we eliminate a Japanese division, but more importantly, we truly achieved unified military command."
"The road ahead will be much easier."
"By the way, what about the Eighth Route Army?"
Lin Wei hesitated for a moment, "They put in a lot of effort this time and took up a lot of space, didn't they?"
"The Chairman's intention is to issue them a commendation order."
Chu Yunfei waved his hand, his eyes clear: "If they hadn't cut off the Japanese army's retreat route, we wouldn't have been able to annihilate them so cleanly."
"Any news from Stilwell?"
"Have."
Lin Wei's expression turned serious: "President Roosevelt had a very high opinion of our bombing operation."
"The U.S. side has agreed to provide a new tranche of aid and has invited Chairman Chiang and you to the upcoming meeting in the Nile River region."
"According to Soviet sources, Soviet leader Starlin is considering his travel plans."
"Okay." (End of Chapter)