xymnovel Chapter 104 Departure for Tengxian, the Sichuan Army Will Never Faith to the Nation
Chapter 104 Departure for Tengxian, the Sichuan Army Will Never Faith to the Nation
Outside the camp of the Independent Third Brigade, everyone was quite surprised to see Li Jianghe leading his men back with a large amount of grain and fodder.
"I must say, Commander Li is very generous."
Long Wenzhang watched as cartloads of grain were hauled into the camp and couldn't help but sigh.
"Unlike that guy, all he does is issue a commendation order; that 100,000 silver dollars is nowhere to be seen yet."
Wang Dayong also lowered his voice and said in Northeastern dialect:
"Some people are just worthless bastards. You fight for them, and they don't appreciate your kindness. They wish they could kill you."
Lin Yongzhi reminded:
"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say. I've heard that the agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics are everywhere."
Yang Ruifu pushed up his glasses and said:
"Although I was originally in the Central Army, Old Wang was right, I'm just a worthless piece of trash."
"Alright, get ready these next few days. We could be heading to the front lines at any time."
Li Jianghe waved his hand and said.
Upon hearing that they could fight the Japanese as soon as they arrived, the group immediately perked up.
"Hehe, this time our third detachment is well-equipped and strong, we're definitely going to teach those little devils a lesson."
Long Wenzhang said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
After all, his troops had transformed from an infantry regiment into a motorized infantry battalion, and even included armored vehicles.
Although it was only equipped with a vehicle-mounted machine gun and some direct-fire cannons, its firepower and protection were quite good. It just hadn't been put to use yet, so it was a good opportunity to practice on the Japanese.
Li Jianghe calculated the time, and on the evening of the 14th, the second night after they arrived in Xuzhou, they received orders to rush to Tengxian County.
At 7 p.m., without even having dinner, Li Jianghe prepared his troops and they set off overnight.
One group was the advance team, traveling by train along the Jinpu Railway towards Tengxian County.
The logistics personnel in charge of train dispatch were dumbfounded as they watched trucks, armored vehicles, and artillery being loaded onto the trains one by one.
This isn't just a detachment; even if you brought over a German-equipped division, their equipment wouldn't be this luxurious.
At this time, the battle on the outskirts of Teng County had entered a fierce stage.
Previously, Sun Tongxuan's Third Army Group and Sun Zhen's 22nd Army Group suffered heavy losses in their counterattack against the Japanese army in Jining.
The 10th Division's Seya Kei Detachment seized the opportunity to launch an attack and repeatedly succeeded in the battles outside Teng County.
Currently, only the 41st Army of the Sichuan Army remains stationed in Teng County.
Although it was called an army, there were many troops fighting fiercely with the Japanese army on the periphery, and only three thousand soldiers were actually left to guard Teng County.
One-third of them were logistics personnel, leaving only two thousand with combat capabilities.
That very evening, the Fifth War Zone Command issued an order instructing Wang Mingzhang's troops to hold out for at least three days.
Three days later, the Japanese army can be allowed to advance towards the Taierzhuang line.
This was a trap, a way to lure the arrogant Japanese army deep into enemy territory, into the Taierzhuang area, and then annihilate them.
In Teng County, Wang Mingzhang, commander of the 122nd Division and commander-in-chief of the 41st Army's forward command, is on the phone with Sun Zhen, commander-in-chief of the army group.
"Commander, when will reinforcements arrive? The outer support forces have been mostly repelled by the Japanese army. My troops suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Niangziguan, and now there are only two thousand soldiers left in the city who can fight."
Wang Mingzhang's tone was somewhat hurried.
After all, military orders are absolute, but his two thousand men were simply not enough to hold Teng County.
Sun Zhen said on the other end of the phone:
"The reinforcements have already boarded the train and departed overnight. They are expected to arrive in Teng County soon. The unit is the Independent Third Detachment. You should know the detachment commander; his name is Li Jianghe."
Wang Mingzhang, a general from Sichuan, had never heard of the Independent Third Detachment.
But Li Jianghe knew.
He was a great hero who distinguished himself in the battles of Shanghai and Nanjing, and annihilated many enemy soldiers.
As a young general without a faction and still in the Guangxi Army, the fact that he was so widely publicized by the Nationalist government's newspapers and media shows his outstanding military achievements.
"So it was Li Jianghe. He's really a formidable fighter, Commander. I think he can hold off the Japanese army for three days."
Wang Mingzhang immediately gained confidence.
After all, Li Jianghe was a fearsome figure, even the Japanese soldiers dreaded seeing him.
As a result, Sun Zhen poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Don't be too happy yet. I have to remind you that this unit suffered heavy losses when it broke out of Nanjing. It is said that a brigade has 7,000 men, but more than 5,000 of them are new recruits who probably don't even know how to fire a gun."
There are probably fewer than two thousand truly capable fighters; you should be mentally prepared.
Upon hearing this, Wang Mingzhang's previously inflated confidence instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Five thousand greenhorns? Well... so this is supposed to be a detachment, but in reality, only a regiment is capable of fighting?"
Sun Zhen said helplessly:
"Yes, I had no choice. I had to beg and plead with everyone I could to get this unit from the theater command. Don't be picky, or we wouldn't even have this unit."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Wang Mingzhang sighed deeply, his expression growing even more serious.
He originally thought that the Fifth War Zone Command could send at least four or five thousand men, but in the end, only a little over a thousand capable fighters came, and there were more than five thousand green recruits who probably hadn't even fired a shot.
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Wang Mingzhang sighed deeply, his expression growing even more serious.
He originally thought that the Fifth War Zone Command could send at least four or five thousand men, but in the end, only a little over a thousand capable fighters came, and there were more than five thousand green recruits who probably hadn't even fired a shot.
Zhao Weibin, the chief of staff of the 122nd Division, was dressed in military uniform but had a scholarly air about him. Even in wartime, his uniform and black hair were still meticulously groomed.
Seeing Wang Mingzhang sighing, he said slowly and deliberately:
"Commander, is it difficult for reinforcements to arrive?"
Wang Mingzhang shook his head and said:
"No, that's not it. They sent a detachment, 7,000 men, but more than 5,000 of them were raw recruits. Only about 1,000 of them were capable of fighting. They were brought over from Nanjing by Li Jianghe."
Upon hearing Li Jianghe's name, Zhao Weibin became more optimistic.
"It's not about the quantity of troops, but their quality. Back then, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin fought a great battle against Wang Shichong, didn't he use 3,500 Xuanjia soldiers to defeat an enemy army of 100,000?"
Wang Mingzhang gave a bitter laugh and said self-deprecatingly:
"Chief of Staff, you've read a lot, but you don't use classical allusions like that."
"We're not the Xuanjia Army, and the Japanese aren't Wang Shichong. Didn't you see that in the Battle of Niangziguan? These Japanese soldiers are all incredibly skilled fighters. If we want to hold Tengxian, we have to risk our lives."
His self-deprecation was not without reason.
The Setani Detachment, though only part of the Japanese 10th Division, included the 10th Infantry Regiment and the 63rd Infantry Regiment.
In addition, there was the 10th Independent Machine Gun Battalion, and two armored units, including the 10th Independent Light Armored Vehicle Company and the 12th Independent Light Armored Vehicle Company.
In addition, there were a large number of artillery units, including the 10th Field Artillery Regiment (missing one battalion), a temporary field artillery company, a temporary mountain artillery company, the 2nd Field Heavy Artillery Regiment (missing one battalion), and the 3rd Battalion (heavy howitzers) of the Japanese Army Artillery Regiment stationed in China.
Not only did they have a total strength of over 10,000, their equipment was far superior to that of the Sichuan Army.
Wang Mingzhang's side had 3,000 Sichuan troops, two mortars, and four shells.
The gap between the two sides is huge, whether in terms of weaponry or the quality of personnel.
As Wang Mingzhang said, if you want to hold on, you have to risk your life, and even then, you might not be able to hold on.
Finally, he stood up abruptly, his eyes blazing, his voice resounding and powerful.
"Notify all units: everyone must write their wills and defend the city to the death for three days. The city stands as long as we live, or the city falls! The Sichuan Army will never betray the nation!!"
The personnel in the command post were no exception; Chief of Staff Zhao Weibin noticed that Wang Mingzhang was hesitant to write.
Zhao Weibin glanced at him and asked:
"Aren't you going to write it?"
"When I left Sichuan to fight the Japanese, I had already written my will: I will never return to Sichuan until the Japanese invaders are wiped out!"
Wang Mingzhang said with his hands behind his back.
Just then, the sound of a train whistle reached the command center.
Li Jianghe's troops arrived in Teng County by train.
The Tengxian Railway Station had long been destroyed by Japanese warplanes, so the train stopped early when it reached the south of the city.
Each unit quickly unloaded its vehicles and equipment, and assembled its ranks at a series of commands.
Li Jianghe looked ahead at the dark city of Tengxian. Soon after, the sound of horses' hooves came. It was Wang Mingzhang, the commander-in-chief of the front, who came to greet him personally.
After a brief greeting, the two looked each other over in the incandescent light of the train.