xymnovel Chapter 220: Entering the City and Defeating the Reinforcements
Chapter 220: Entering the City and Defeating the Reinforcements
Sitting in the bumpy command truck, Mitsuru Ushijima's brows furrowed instantly, and he asked in a deep voice:
"What's going on up ahead?"
"Reporting to the brigade commander! The 45th Infantry Regiment has been attacked by enemy forces in the valley ahead; it's an armored unit!"
The communications soldier clutched the telegram he had just received, his face pale and his voice trembling.
Ushijima Mitsuru's face instantly turned extremely ugly.
The 45th Regiment was the core force of the 36th Brigade in its relief efforts in Huainan. If it were defeated, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Order the remaining troops to accelerate their advance and immediately provide support to the 45th Regiment!"
Ushijima Mitsuru gritted his teeth and gave the order, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
He knew better than anyone that in this narrow terrain surrounded by mountains on both sides, it was almost impossible to fight against enemy armored forces.
We must first regroup our troops and reorganize our formation before we can have any chance of a counterattack.
In fact, the most sensible choice for Ushijima Mitsuru at this moment would be to immediately stop advancing, switch to defense, and wait for the main force to arrive from the rear.
But the dire situation in Huainan City left him no time to wait.
He knew very well that if Huainan fell, the entire logistics supply of the Japanese army on the northern front would be cut off.
The 6th and 10th Divisions, with their hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines in Gushi, will soon find themselves in dire straits, running out of ammunition and food.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere was equally oppressive at the joint command post of the Japanese 6th and 10th Divisions in Gushi County.
The telegram on the table still held the warmth of the ink. Ogisu Ritsuhei stared at its contents, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
"The situation is not ideal. Ushijima Mitsuru's reinforcements were ambushed by the enemy halfway and suffered heavy losses."
Ogishu Rippei put down the telegram, his voice tinged with barely concealed anxiety.
Hisao Tani sat to the side, showing no surprise on his face, and took a sip of his tea.
"This was expected, but there's no need to worry too much."
"As long as the garrison in Huainan can hold out until the main force arrives, the enemy's siege will naturally be lifted."
"More importantly, we can take advantage of the situation to completely block this enemy force in the Huainan region and wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Regarding the outcome of this battle, Tani Hisao was clearly the more optimistic one.
In his view, a full-strength infantry regiment could easily hold out for three days and three nights in a fortified city.
But Ogiu Rippei shook his head, his tone tinged with difficulty.
"No, Mr. Gu Shou, the situation is different. The defenses of Huainan are also in trouble."
Hisao Tani's teacup froze in mid-air. He turned around abruptly to look at him, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
"What? Could it be that an infantry regiment, under the cover of the city walls, couldn't even hold out for three days?"
"Just received a telegram: a large section of the Huainan city wall has been bombarded and collapsed by the enemy."
Ogiu Ritsubin's gaze was fixed on the mark of Huainan on the map, his tone solemn.
"A large number of enemy tanks, along with infantry, have stormed into the city."
"Although Noriaki Ohno is organizing a counterattack, the situation is not optimistic."
"The enemy on the other side is not an ordinary Chinese army, but Li Jianghe's Third Column, which is armed to the teeth."
Tani Hisao slammed down his teacup, the bottom of which slammed onto the table with a jarring sound.
He strode to the map, tapped his knuckles heavily on the location of Huainan, and said in a deep voice:
"You should know what the consequences will be if Huainan is lost."
"I understand perfectly well." Ogisu Rippei nodded. "That's why we must have Ushijima Mitsuru's 36th Brigade fight to the death to hold them off."
"Relying solely on the garrison in the city, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out."
That being said, Wu Yun's late masterpiece, "You Were Let to Guard the Sihang Warehouse, and You Brought Out a German-Equipped Division," is available to read now! However, Tani Hisao still didn't think things were too bad.
He never believed that the Third Column could completely take over the impregnable Huainan in just one day and one night.
But he didn't know that the battle in Huainan City had already reached the point of collapse.
In Huainan City, the battle lasted from dawn until noon, with the sound of cannons never ceasing.
The western city wall had long since collapsed into a slope due to repeated artillery bombardment, with brick and stone fragments scattered all over the ground.
The soldiers of the Third Column charged up the collapsed bricks, firing as they went.
The remaining Japanese troops on the city wall were quickly cleared away, and red flags were planted on the city walls of Huainan.
For Nobuaki Ohno, the situation in the city was even worse.
Less than a third of the neighborhoods that the Japanese army could still control were still being shrunk.
Several key Japanese supply depots have been captured by the Third Column.
The large quantities of grain, oil, medicine, and ammunition stockpiled inside all fell into the hands of the Third Column.
However, the Third Column's offensive showed no sign of stopping.
Under the cover of tanks and armored vehicles, large numbers of infantry launched wave after wave of attacks on the last Japanese-controlled area.
It must be admitted that the Third Column also lost a lot of tanks in this battle.
Most of them were destroyed at close range by Japanese anti-tank guns hidden in buildings.
Even so, Li Jianghe's troops showed no sign of ceasing their attack.
The soldiers pushed forward step by step, stepping on the blood of their comrades, giving the Japanese army no chance to catch their breath.
After a night of fierce fighting, two-thirds of the city had fallen into enemy hands.
The blue markers on the map are visibly encroaching on the last remaining areas under Japanese control.
The sounds of cannons, gunfire, explosions, and the roar of tanks outside the window never stopped.
Each loud bang signifies the fall of another position and the death of another batch of soldiers.
"How's the situation with the reinforcements from the brigade?"
Nobuaki Ohno asked in a hoarse voice, without turning his head, his eyes still fixed on the map.
The regimental staff officer, head bowed and voice trembling with tears, stepped forward to report to the commander:
"Reporting to the regimental commander, the brigade command has sent a telegram saying that they will not be able to get here in a short time."
"Last night's ambush resulted in heavy losses for the 45th Regiment, which was the core of the support team, and it has lost its ability to provide support."
"What?"
Noriaki Ohno turned around abruptly, his face filled with disbelief, and he stood there stunned.
"The 45th Regiment was wiped out in just one night?"
But after a moment of stunned silence, he quickly came to terms with it.
After all, the Third Column had fully demonstrated to him what it meant to be utterly devastating and unstoppable in the past night.
His 47th Regiment was also an elite force that made great contributions in the Battle of Shanghai.
But now, facing the fierce attack of the Third Column, they didn't even have the slightest power to fight back.
Just as Nobuaki Ohno was rapidly calculating in his mind how to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a soldier rushed in, stumbling and crawling.
"Report to the regimental commander! The north gate has also been breached by the enemy! Several nearby districts have all fallen!"
These words struck Ohno Nobuaki like a thunderbolt, making his heart sink instantly.