Chapter 26 Chapter 25 Boling Line of Defense

In March 1941, Major General Isamu Kinoshita replaced Shigema Aoki as Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Army of the Japanese Invaders.After arriving at the military headquarters in Wuhan, he immediately felt that "the atmosphere in the general staff and the military headquarters was generally dull."Therefore, he formulated two "work principles": 1. In view of the position of the Eleventh Army, it is necessary to actively use force to defeat the surrounding Chongqing Army.To this end, continuous operations should be planned. 2. The atmosphere of the headquarters should be clear, and the spirit of brave fighting should be enriched with a mighty spirit.

Then, the commander of the 11th Army also changed: Lieutenant General Ananwei replaced Sonobe and Ichiro. Anan Weiji and Kinoshita immediately ordered the staff of the Army Command to start studying operations against China's Ninth Theater.However, what the operational staff officer Yamaguchi Sadao reported to the two new chiefs was not how to carry out the next step of the operation, but the various difficulties faced during the "Battle of Hunan and Jiangxi" in 1939.The Battle of Hunan and Jiangxi is what the Chinese call the "First Battle of Changsha".After listening to the report, the two new chiefs still said: "It is not a problem to capture Changsha. There is nothing to be afraid of in the mountains and rivers, and specific research should be carried out immediately." Therefore, "The Eleventh Army launched an attack on Changsha in the summer and autumn of that year. Offensive operations, began research."

The staff officers of the Eleventh Army were not afraid of fighting, but believed that no matter how they were considered, the reason for carrying out a large-scale offensive operation in the direction of Changsha was not sufficient, and the timing was not appropriate: the Eleventh Army was facing a large-scale offensive in the direction of Changsha The unit with the strongest combat effectiveness in the Chinese army; the geographical conditions of the battlefield are full of rivers and lakes, and it is not suitable for large corps operations.More importantly, the general environment facing the Japanese army in China is changing—perhaps this is the real reason for the "generally dull atmosphere" in the Eleventh Army headquarters.

At this time, Japan and the United States are gradually approaching a state of war. For a long time, there have been strategic differences between "Northward Advance" and "Southward Advancement" in the Japanese base camp, thus forming two factions.The so-called Northern Movement faction, mainly Japanese army officers, advocated a northward attack on the Soviet Union. This was the ambition that Japanese soldiers had always embraced since the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.Especially with the outbreak of the European War, the Northern Movement advocated an immediate war against the Soviet Union, occupying the Asian part of the Soviet Union, and carve up the Soviet Union together with Germany.However, there is a crucial prerequisite for the northward march of the Soviet Union, that is, China must be conquered first.The northward advance can only be implemented after a favorable strategic situation has been achieved, the rear security of the offensive has been ensured, and sufficient industrial, agricultural, and human resources have been obtained.However, the war in China has fallen into the quagmire of a protracted war, and the Nationalist government still shows no signs of yielding.In view of the fact that the Japanese army is currently unable to concentrate its forces to attack the powerful Soviet Union, it can only use diplomatic strategies to temporarily avoid conflict with the Soviet Union.The so-called Southward Movement, mainly Japanese naval officers, advocated that while Britain, France, and the Netherlands were busy with European wars, they should immediately expand to Southeast Asia, which is rich in resources, so as to relieve the pressure of the serious shortage of domestic resources. All the forces of China, the Netherlands and other countries in the South Pacific were driven away, and Japan's "ambition" to become the sole hegemon in Asia was realized.Naval officers believed that the army was being largely held back on the Chinese battlefield, and the navy of the Empire of Japan had not yet been used.However, even if the navy advances southward on a large scale, it still needs to rely on the army to complete the occupation. The entire Southeast Asian battlefield will require a considerable number of troops, so the premise of the southward advance is still to resolve the war in China first.

In short, whether it is advancing northward or southward, Japan must make a difference and cannot stay still on the Chinese battlefield. The navy's southward proposition gradually gained the upper hand. The biggest obstacle to the Japanese navy's southward advance to Southeast Asia was the US Pacific Fleet. The weird Japanese started negotiating with the Americans to avoid a war with the United States when they moved south.In March 1941, contacts between Japan and the United States began.The conditions proposed by Japan are: the signing of a mutual understanding agreement between Japan and the United States; the two countries conspire to stabilize the Pacific region; the United States assists Japan in obtaining necessary supplies; Japan and the United States conduct trade and financial cooperation; , respect China's independence and the condition of not asking for compensation, but China must implement Chiang and Wang cooperation and recognize "Manchukuo".In response to the conditions proposed by Japan, the United States put forward four principles: to ensure China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to interfere in China's internal affairs, China must enjoy equal opportunity treatment, and maintain the current status of the Pacific region.The introduction of the last point shows that the Americans have seen that Japan has an attempt to advance southward.

The United States has always adopted a policy of appeasement after Japan invaded China, but this does not mean that the United States is not vigilant against Japan.Out of consideration for its own interests in the Far East, in March 1941, when Japan and the United States began diplomatic contacts, the United States announced that the "Lend-Lease Act" would come into force for China.This bill stipulates: During World War II, the United States borrowed or leased weapons, ammunition, strategic raw materials, food and other materials to the Allies fighting against fascism.Three-fifths of it went to Great Britain, one-fifth to the Soviet Union, and the rest to France, China and other countries.In May, China and Britain held a military conference in Singapore, and then signed the "Sino-British Joint Defense Agreement on the Burma Road" in Chongqing, thus forming the Sino-British military alliance.Immediately afterwards, the United States and the United Kingdom provided China with loans of 50 million U.S. dollars and 5 million pounds respectively.During the negotiations between Japan and the United States, the diplomatic mediation between Japan and the Soviet Union made progress, and the two sides signed the "Japan-Soviet Neutrality Treaty." , the other contracting party must remain neutral during the entire process of the dispute.” The premise of signing the neutrality treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union was that Japan must respect “the territorial integrity and inviolability of Outer Mongolia, and the Soviet Union must respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of Manchukuo.” .As a result, Japan's position became tougher, not only asking the United States not to interfere in China's affairs, but also asking the United States to recognize the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" proposed by Japan.

The United States replied immediately: These conditions are too far from the ideas of the United States. Japan-US negotiations immediately stalled. At this time, the Soviet-German war that shocked the world broke out. At 4:30 am on June 22, the German army launched a surprise attack on the Soviet Union from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathian Mountains on a front about 1,500 kilometers away.At that time, Germany's total military strength had reached 8.5 million, with 47,200 artillery pieces, 3,700 tanks, and 4,980 combat aircraft.German forces have occupied Central and Western Europe as well as Northern Europe and the Balkans.In the whole world, only Britain is fighting Germany by virtue of the sea.Therefore, Hitler thought he could tear up the "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact" and implement the "Operation Barbarossa" plan.The core content of this plan is: concentrate 3 million German troops, conduct a large-scale and rapid assault on the Soviet Union from three directions in the form of blitzkrieg, occupy the three major cities of Moscow, Leningrad and Kyiv, and wipe out the main force of the Soviet Red Army in the west of its territory.Then, head east to the Volga River line, use the air force to destroy the Soviet heavy industry and military industrial zone east of the Ural Mountains, defeat and dismember the Soviet Union.At the beginning of the war, the German army dispatched a large-scale fleet to bomb the military bases, transportation hubs, important cities and sixty-six airports in the western part of the Soviet Union. A large number of German paratroopers were airborne to every strategic location. Command structures, fortifications, and communication facilities were all in ruins.The 113 army divisions of the German army, including 19 tank divisions, and 40 divisions from countries such as Italy, Romania, Hungary and Finland, have a total strength of 5.5 million troops and are equipped with 3,500 vehicles Tanks and 4,000 combat aircraft quickly advanced towards the hinterland of the Soviet Union in three routes.Caught off guard, the Soviet army responded in a panic and lost 1,200 fighter planes within half a day, 2,000 trains of ammunition, 3,000 cannons, 1,500 tanks, and 200,000 trains within half a month. Eight army divisions were wiped out, more than half of the seventy army divisions were lost, and 300,000 Soviet troops became prisoners of the German army.

The crazy move of the Germans to expand the war greatly stimulated the ambitions of the Japanese.The Japanese army was ready to move again, and the call to attack the Soviet Union in the north in step with Germany continued to rise.For this reason, the Japanese cabinet had a heated debate, but the result was beyond the army's expectations: the opinion that the conditions for Japan's northern attack on the Soviet Union were not yet ripe prevailed; .For this reason, on July 5th, the Japanese base camp made military preparations for the southward advance: the battle order of the Japanese South China Front Army was lifted, the 23rd Army of the directly-administered troops of the base camp was transferred to the Chinese Expeditionary Army, and it was stationed in Guangdong to take over the tasks of the South China Front Army.The twenty-fifth army of the army was quickly organized in the country. The twenty-fifth army will set sail from Sanya, China on July 25-one month after Germany attacked the Soviet Union, and directly assault the southern part of French Indochina.

As expected, the Japanese were going south, and the Americans were deeply outraged. U.S. President Roosevelt approved a plan to equip the Chinese Air Force with 500 fighter planes, followed by American volunteer pilots.At the same time, the United States froze Japanese assets in the United States and terminated oil exports to Japan.On July 3, Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, made the decision to send a U.S. military delegation to China. ——The purpose of the Americans is very clear: to use the method of supporting China's war of resistance to pull the Japanese army back to the Chinese battlefield and firmly nail them there.

At this time, Japan-US negotiations have no meaning. Americans realized that conflict with Japan in the Pacific was inevitable. And the Japanese are determined to go to war with the United States at all costs. The problem is: going south to occupy the vast area of ​​Southeast Asia is tantamount to entering a state of war with the colonists there, Britain, France and other countries. War requires a large number of troops to invest. In addition to continuing to promote domestic arms expansion, the only way is to withdraw from the Chinese battlefield.However, the strength of the Japanese invaders in the Chinese battlefield was already stretched: nearly one million Japanese troops must firmly defend "Manchukuo" from the powerful threat of the 40 divisions of the Soviet Far East Army; They are stubbornly entangled in the North China region; and on the frontal battlefield, a considerable number of troops must be maintained in order to maintain a confrontation with the millions of troops of the Nationalist Government.Therefore, not to mention launching offensive operations, it is quite difficult to even maintain the existing occupied areas and confrontation lines.

Therefore, the staff officers of the Eleventh Army of the Japanese Army believed that another large-scale attack on Changsha was almost equivalent to "putting all one basket on the fate of the country". ——"At that time, on the battlefield in China, in addition to the 18th and 38th Divisions stationed in South China, the 4th, 33rd, 21st Divisions and The Fifth Division (located in Shanghai to be transported to the south, directly under the headquarters of the headquarters). The proportion of the air force is even more problematic. Although about 200 naval medium-sized attack planes have entered Hankou, and the fighter team is using Yichang Airport to attack the interior, it is responsible for this task. In order to prepare for new operations, the Eleventh Air Force of the combat mission decided to stop fighting against China and withdrew on September 1. The Army's Third Air Group must also be transferred in September. As a ground-air comprehensive combat capability Fighting in Xiaqiu, the future is worrying." Anan only needs to persuade the base camp to agree to his implementation of the Changsha operation. The Tokyo base camp is extremely contradictory: from the perspective of the troops needed to march south into Southeast Asia, large-scale combat is not allowed on the Chinese battlefield; The signal that Japan can no longer support in China. On August 26, the base camp issued "Dalu Ming No. 538", approving the Eleventh Army's Changsha combat plan.However, the base camp also set a series of prerequisites: the troops that will be transferred to the Pacific region cannot be used; the third flight group supporting the Changsha operation must be transferred in September; After March 1942—the meaning of setting the premise is: it is okay to attack Changsha, but Yichang cannot be lost. After the Battle of Shanggao, the Japanese army transferred the 101st and 106th Divisions within the jurisdiction of the Ninth Theater of China.At this time, the troops belonging to the Japanese Eleventh Army were scattered on various points that must be firmly defended: the third division was stationed in the Yingshan area of ​​northern Hubei, the fourth division was stationed in the Anlu area of ​​central Hubei, and the 40th division was stationed in Xianning in southern Hubei. The 39th Division is stationed at Jingmen in southern Hubei, the 13th Division is stationed in Yichang in southern Hubei, the 6th Division is stationed in Yueyang in northern Hunan, the 34th Division is stationed in Nanchang in northern Jiangxi, and the independent and mixed 14th Brigade is stationed in northern Jiangxi Jiujiang. ——No matter which direction, it is the confrontation line with the Chinese army.How can we gather enough troops to support Changsha operations?Anan Weiji decided: Before the base camp officially mobilized his troops, use all the troops that can be mobilized to launch an offensive as soon as possible. In early September, the Japanese Eleventh Army began to assemble troops for the Changsha operation: Lieutenant General Toyoshima Fangataro commanded the third division, attached to four mountain artillery brigades, set off from near Yingshan in Hubei in late August, and assembled towards Xiaoqiaoao in the southeast of Yueyang; Lieutenant General Kitano Kenzao commanded the Fourth Division, which was attached to a mountain artillery brigade and a mortar brigade. In late August, it set off from near Anlu, Hubei, and assembled towards Xinkaitang, southeast of Yueyang; Lieutenant General Kanda Zhengzhong commanded the Sixth Division, attached to two mountain artillery brigades and one mortar brigade, and moved to gather near Caoxieling south of Yueyang; Lieutenant General Amiya Naojiro commanded the 40th Division, attached to a mountain artillery brigade, which set off from near Xianning, Hubei in early September, and moved to the vicinity of Taolin, east of Yueyang; Major General Zaobuchi Shiro commanded the Zaobuchi detachment, which consisted of four infantry brigades and two mountain artillery brigades from the 13th Division. build up; Major General Masaji Araki commanded the Araki Detachment, which consisted of three infantry brigades and a mountain artillery brigade of the 33rd Division, starting from Anyi, Jiangxi, and attached to the 40th Division; The Hirano Detachment commanded by Hirano Yiichi was composed of an infantry brigade and a mountain artillery squadron from the independent 14th Brigade. In mid-September, it moved westward from Ruichang, Jiangxi, and assembled near Chenglingji, north of Yueyang; The Jiangto detachment, commanded by Eto Daihachi, was composed of an infantry brigade of the 14th Brigade, which was independently mixed. It moved westward from Ruichang, Jiangxi, and moved to the vicinity of Linxiang, northeast of Yueyang; The 13th Chariot Regiment, attached to two squadrons of light armored vehicles, marched south from Wuhan to Yueyang; The 14th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment moved south from Wuhan to Yueyang; The military engineering corps, consisting of three engineering regiments and eight bridging material squadrons, went south from Wuhan to Yueyang and Linxiang; The military depot in Yueyang area is composed of 18 automobile squadrons and 9 supply squadrons to ensure the logistics transportation on the battlefield. The above troops, about forty-five infantry brigades and four cavalry regiments, have a total strength of more than 115,000 troops. The battle plan formulated by the Eleventh Army is: first defeat the main force of the Chinese army between the Xinqiang River and the Miluo River, then break through the Miluo River, attack southward, and encircle and annihilate the troops of the Ninth Theater of China on the banks of the Xiangjiang River. In order to learn the lessons of the first Changsha battle, Anan Weiji completely concentrated his forces: along the narrow front of the Xinqiang River only 20 kilometers away, four main divisions lined up from east to west: the 40th Division, Sixth Division, Third Division and Fourth Division.And the combat principle he formulated is: a large force advances rapidly, and then quickly withdraws to the original place, striving to complete the operation in the shortest time.As for the purpose of the operation, what Anan only emphasized was: "In order to crush the enemy's resistance force and deal a big blow to the troops in the Ninth Theater." This is the first time Anan Weiji commanded a large-scale battle. Before taking over as Commander of the Field Forces, he was the Deputy Minister of the Japanese Army. In October 1939, after the first Battle of Changsha, with the Xinqiang River on the west side of Dongting Lake in northern Hunan as the boundary, the Chinese Ninth Theater Army and the Japanese Eleventh Army were on both sides of this confrontation line. There has been no fighting for nearly two years. In July 1940, after China re-established the Sixth War Zone, the demarcation line between the north and west of the Ninth War Zone and the Fifth and Sixth War Zones was: from Shimen Bridge, about 15 kilometers south of Changde, to the north, Along the south shore of Lianshan Lake, the north shore of Datong Lake, the north shore of Dongting Lake, and then along the Yangtze River to Jiujiang, Jiangxi.The dividing line between the east and the third war zone is: from the mouth of Poyang Lake in the north of Jiangxi to the south, extending to the Fuhe River. ——In 1941, on the battlefield of China's Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese Army's Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth War Zones surrounded the Japanese Eleventh Army from east to north, west, and south. At this time, the Ninth War Zone had jurisdiction over the regular army, three group armies, thirteen armies, thirty-five divisions, seven guerrilla columns, six security regiments, plus four field artillery battalions, a heavy mortar regiment, There are two anti-war artillery battalions, one engineering regiment and four independent engineering battalions, with a total strength of more than 378,000 people.The air force has only two brigades, and the navy has only a small number of units capable of carrying out waterway mine-laying tasks. The garrison positions of the Ninth Theater troops are: The Ninety-ninth Army directly under the command of the theater, Commander Fu Zhongfang, under the jurisdiction of the 92nd, 99th, and 197th Divisions, stationed in northern Hunan, served as the lake defense of Hanshou, Yuanjiang, and Qingshan, as well as Xiangyin, Yingtian, and Xiangyin. Guard the Miluo River and Xiangjiang River between Guiyi. The twenty-seventh group army, commander-in-chief Yang Sen, is headquartered in Pingjiang in northeast Hunan, and has jurisdiction over: The Fourth Army, Commander Ou Zhen, has jurisdiction over the 59th, 90th, and 102nd Divisions, guarding the south bank of the Xinqiang River in northern Hunan; The Fifty-eighth Army, Commander Sun Du, under the jurisdiction of the New Tenth and New Eleventh Divisions, stationed at the junction of Hunan and Hubei, guarding the positions from Huang'an City to Jiuling and Saigong Bridge in the west and Beigang in the north; The 20th Army, Commander Yang Hanyu, under the jurisdiction of the 133rd and 134th Divisions, stationed in the southeast of Hubei, guarding the north of Tongcheng to Tiezhugang, and the north of Doumi Mountain to Yang Fanglin's position. The 30th Group Army, Commander-in-Chief Wang Lingji, is headquartered in Xiushui in the northwest of Jiangxi, under the jurisdiction of: The 72nd Army, Commander Han Quanpu, under the jurisdiction of the new 14th and 15th divisions, stationed in the northwest of Jiangxi, guarding the positions of Dongkengling and Liuzuiqiao, the main force is training in Sandu north of Xiushui; The Seventy-eighth Army, commander Xia Shouxun, under the jurisdiction of the newly reorganized 13th and newly reorganized 16th Divisions, stationed on the north bank of Xiushui in northwest Jiangxi, guarding the positions of Guanyin Pavilion and Tanbu. The Nineteenth Group Army, Commander-in-Chief Luo Zhuoying, is headquartered in Shanggao in the northwest of Jiangxi, under the jurisdiction of the New Third Army, Commander Yang Hongguang, under the jurisdiction of the 183rd Division and the New Twelfth Division, stationed in Jiangxi In the northwest, guard the positions of Jing'an, Fengxin, and Xiangfuguan; The 74th Army, commander Wang Yaowu, has jurisdiction over the 51st, 57th, and 58th divisions, as well as the fifth reserve division and the Jiangxi Security Column.The main force of its army was concentrated in the Xinyu and Yifen areas along the Zhuzhou-Nanchang railway line; the security column guarded the Qixinggang and Shicha Street positions south of Nanchang, and the fifth division was prepared to guard the Wenjiazhen position from Shicha Street to the southeast; The 37th Army, Commander Chen Pei, under the jurisdiction of the 60th, 95th, and 140th Divisions, gathered at Changle Street, Wengjiangpu, and Fulinpu on both sides of the Miluo River in northern Hunan. The 26th Army, under the direct control of the Military Commission, was commanded by Xiao Zhichu, and under its command were the 32nd, 41st, and 44th Divisions, which were assembled in Jinjing and Liuyang between Pingjiang and Changsha; the Tenth Army , Army Commander Li Yutang, under the jurisdiction of the 3rd, 190th Division and the Reserve 10th Division, assembled in Hengshan on the bank of the Xiangjiang River south of Zhuzhou. The headquarters of the commander of the Ninth Theater is located in Changsha. Xue Yue judged that the Japanese army launched an offensive to the Ninth War Zone, and the choice of the combat direction may be as follows: in northern Jiangxi, or from De'an and Anyi to the west, attacking Wuning, Xiushui, and Tonggu; or fighting along Shanggao Go south along the route to attack Gao'an and Shanggao; or go all the way south from Nanchang to attack Xingan and Ji'an; in the south of Hubei, go south from Chongyang, Tongshan, and Tongcheng to attack Pingjiang and Liuyang; Directly attack Changsha from the areas on both sides of the Guangdong-Han Railway.Xue Yue believes that the Japanese army is most likely to attack northern Hunan according to the route of the first Changsha battle. The battle plan formulated by Xue Yue is: The theater of operations is in northern Jiangxi and southern Hubei, and the enemy on the non-main attacking side strives to flank the mountainous areas of northern Jiangxi.In northern Hunan, lure the enemy's main force to the south of the Miluo River at Jinjing, Fulinpu, and north of Sanjie Bridge, counterattack and annihilate them. The area to the north of Jinjing, Fulinpu and Sanjie Bridge is located between Miluo River and Laodao River. Xue Yue learned that the Japanese army's combat strength this time was not more than that in the first Changsha battle, so they still used the tactics used in the first Changsha battle to lure the enemy deep. In the past two years without fighting, Xue Yue has established a solid line of defense in the ninth war zone: on the north side of the battlefield, he used rivers such as the Xinqiang River, Miluo River, Laodao River, and Liuyang River to build a large-depth defense line. Multi-layered fortifications were used to carry out continuous confrontation with the Japanese army; on the east side of the battlefield, a large number of solid positions were dug out by using the mountains of Mufu Mountain and Lianyun Mountain, and mobile troops were deployed to attack the Japanese army when it entered Changsha southward. flank attack.At the Xinqiang River at the front, Xue Yue deployed the Fourth Army and the Thirty-seventh Army on the front, and the Fifty-eighth Army on the hilly area at the foot of Mufu Mountain on the side, and then completely destroyed all the troops in this area. path of.Along the banks of the Xinqiang River, using natural river barriers, a six-kilometer-deep defense position was built to form a network structure that matched the river bank positions and village strongholds, and there were traffic trenches between the positions and strongholds.The fortifications on the position are made of bricks and stones, with well-equipped firepower, and flanking firepower on the river is also deployed.On the banks of the river, in addition to barbed wire, there are also a large number of landmines.From the Xinqiang River to the Miluo River, stronghold positions were built on important highlands, and pentagonal bunkers were dotted with natural terrain such as hills and ditches. Xue Yue called the line of defense he established the "Boling Line of Defense". Xue Yue, courtesy name Boling. At least until the line of defense was completely destroyed, military generals liked such naming. Anan Weiji, who was commanding a large-scale battle for the first time, was so eager to fight. When the main division was still mobilizing, he ordered the Sixth Division guarding the Yueyang area to start mopping up Dayun Mountain. Dayun Mountain is an advanced position established by China's Ninth Theater across the Xinqiang River a few kilometers north of the river.Dayun Mountain, which straddles the border between Hunan and Hubei, is only 960 meters above sea level, but the mountains are steep and densely forested. The top of the mountain is guarded by a reinforced battalion of the Fourth Army. The 306th Regiment of the division, on the east side is a battalion of the newly organized 11th Division of the 58th Army. The combat task of the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army was to drive the Chinese troops guarding Dayun Mountain to the south bank of the Xinqiang River, so as to cover the deployment of the main division on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, and to open up a place for the operation of forcibly crossing the Xinqiang River during the official battle. Larger space for crossing the river, and guarantee the safety of the rear of the battlefield. The seemingly simple start of the battle did not go well. On the morning of September 7, with the support of the Air Force, the 13th, 23rd, and 45th Wings of the Japanese Sixth Division entered Dayun Mountain and launched an attack on Yanling and Zhanjiaqiao on the north side.The dense trees of Dayun Mountain made the Japanese army who broke in suddenly "submerged in the huge forest sea".After being blocked by the Chinese defenders, the 23rd and 45th Wings detoured to the southeast, and the 13th Wing attacked the position of the 102nd Division of the Chinese garrison to the west. Under the command of the Japanese army, they fought hard. After the position was broken by the Japanese army, the two sides fell into fierce fighting again near Gantian.After nightfall, the two armies faced off. At this time, a piece of information attracted the attention of the Chinese army: the 40th Division of the Japanese Army in the Xianning area of ​​southern Hubei was moving to northern Hunan, and it was judged that it was likely to change defense with the 6th Division.At dusk, Yang Sen's Twenty-seventh Army issued an order: the Fourth Army secured Dayun Mountain, the Fifty-eighth Army sent troops to cooperate with the Fourth Army to fight; Japanese army.The Chinese army decided to strike hard at the Japanese army when it changed its defense. On September 8, the 31st Regiment of the new 10th Division and the 31st Regiment of the new 11th Division of the 58th Army stationed at the junction of southern Hubei and northern Hunan advanced towards Dayun Mountain.At their request, the Ninth War Zone agreed to bring the 60th Division of the 37th Army, which was assembled near Changle Street, into the battle.On the 9th, the 13th Regiment of the Japanese Army was still stopped near Gantian by the 102nd Division, but its 23rd and 45th Regiments broke through the positions of the Chinese defenders.The interception by the 177th Regiment of the 59th Division of the Chinese Army was ineffective. It was not until the main force of the division entered the battle that the Japanese troops in this direction were blocked near the Chang'an Bridge. On the 10th, the 40th Division of the Japanese Army really switched defenses with the 6th Division.The 58th Army of the Chinese Army took the opportunity to take control of the main peak of Dayun Mountain.At this time, the 60th Division of the 37th Army, which was reinforcing Dayun Mountain, arrived on the battlefield.The 27th Group Army immediately ordered the 60th Division to be under the command of the 4th Army, and ordered the 59th and 60th Divisions to join forces with the newly organized 10th Division to encircle and wipe out the 13th Regiment of the Japanese Army.On the 11th, the joint attack of the three Chinese divisions began, and the thirteenth regiment of the Japanese army had to wait for help due to heavy casualties. The Shigematsu detachment of the advance force arrived first in the 40th Division of the Japanese Army. The Shigematsu detachment was commanded by Shigematsu Jie, the captain of the 2nd, 34th and 4th infantry regiments. The regiment lacked a second brigade, but the third brigade of the 235th regiment and a mountain artillery brigade were strengthened.When the detachment set off, the information it received was: "The Sixth Division has already cleared away the enemies in Dayun Mountain, and you will not encounter a large number of enemy troops." At that time, he encountered a fierce ambush from the new Tenth Division of the Chinese army.The Chongsong detachment was caught off guard, and hurriedly adjusted to fight in a panic. ——"This situation is completely beyond the division's expectation."The Thirteenth Regiment of the Sixth Division, which was surrounded in Gantian, took the opportunity to leave the battlefield, but the Chongsong Detachment of the Fortieth Division became the target of the Chinese army's encirclement and suppression.On the evening of the 12th, the Chongsong detachment was forced to break out of the siege in two ways.One of them was commanded by Shao Zuo Goto, the third brigade of the 235th Regiment. The Japanese army fought grenades all night before occupying a small high ground; The siege.In the evening, the 58th Army organized a night raid team. Chinese officers and soldiers rained hand grenades, and the Japanese army ran from left to right.At dawn on the 13th, the Chongsong Detachment, which had been fighting fiercely all night, was again hit by machine guns and mortars on the positions established by the Chinese defenders—"The highland suddenly turned into a miserable battleground. Although the main force of the Eleventh Squadron rushed to Rescue, but the enemy's firepower became more intense, and the soldiers fell one after another. On the night of the thirteenth, the squadron retreated." When the Chongsong Detachment was fighting hard, the main force of the 40th Division was also attacked by the Chinese army.Since the information obtained in advance was still that the 6th Division had driven the Chinese defenders away, the 40th Division ordered the 236th Infantry Regiment to advance to the predetermined area under the command of the commander Yoshio Kamekawa.On the morning of the 13th, when the Guichuan unit was wading across the Baiyangtian River, it was suddenly violently shot.Yoshio Kamekawa immediately ordered the first and second brigades to counterattack side by side.However, the assault troops of the 58th Army of the Chinese Army had already burst in from the gap between the two brigades of the Japanese army, approaching the rear of the 236th Regiment, and even approaching the regiment headquarters of the Japanese Army.The 40th Division did not expect such a situation, and hastily ordered the 235th Wing to join the battle.The 235th and 236th regiments of the Japanese army fought with the Chinese army in a narrow range of less than three kilometers from east to west. On the 15th, Anan Weiji finally understood that it was not easy to sweep Dayun Mountain. The Sixth Division had just escaped from trouble, and the Fortieth Division fell into it again. Potential for bad luck.In the evening, the Eleventh Army Command ordered the Araki Detachment of the 33rd Division to rescue the 40th Division.The Araki detachment took a car and rushed to Dayun Mountain at midnight on the 16th.However, when they reached the east side of Gantian, they were attacked by the newly formed 11th Division of the Chinese army.The Japanese army could only adopt the method of digging trenches, and approached the Shigematsu detachment inch by inch.It was not until the early morning of the 18th that it advanced to the position where the Goto Brigade fought hard.At the same time, the trapped Chongsong detachment finally captured a support point surrounded by the Chinese defenders.However, "the casualties of this division have reached more than half of the battle." At this time, more than four divisions of the Japanese army had assembled on the north bank of the Xinqiang River. The commander-in-chief of the Ninth Theater of China ordered the main force of the 27th Army to move to the south bank of the Xinqiang River for preparations. The Dayunshan battle is over. The Japanese military history describes the Battle of Dayun Mountain in this way: The army once ordered the Sixth Division to sweep Dayun Mountain (1,000 meters above sea level) across the east side of the open land. Because of the small number of troops and the large mountain, not only did not receive much results, but on September 10, it led to four divisions of the Chongqing regular army. big offensive.According to the combat deployment, that area was designated as the open area that the 40th Division was responsible for clearing.The division entered successively on the 11th, and suddenly encountered the above-mentioned Chongqing army unexpectedly, and each unit was forced into a bitter fight.On the night of the 15th, the army learned of this situation, and immediately put the Araki detachment into battle, and suffered unexpected hardships. It should be pointed out that the composition of the Chinese army in the Dayunshan operation was very complicated: Yang Sen, the commander-in-chief of the 27th Army Group, was a general of the Sichuan Army, and the 20th Army under his jurisdiction was his old Sichuan Army; The troops of the Yunnan Army are all Yunnanese; the Fourth Army of Xue Yue's old army is a Guangdong Army, but the 59th and 90th divisions are direct troops of the Central Army; Bai Huizhang's 1st Army The Second Division is an authentic Guizhou Army unit—the Central Army and various local armies are mixed together, and it is really rare to be able to fight the battle so impressively. The encounter at Dayun Mountain at the beginning of the war gave the Japanese army an ominous premonition. On September 17, the main force of the Japanese army arrived at the attack position on the north bank of the Xinqiang River. Its formation was that the main division was in the center, and the detachments were deployed on the two wings. Near Gangzui, the 3rd Division was near Wankou, the 6th Division was near Caoxieling, the 40th Division was near Majiaqiao, the Zaoyuan Detachment of the independent 26th Brigade was near Qinggang, and the 30th Division was near Qinggang. The Araki Detachment of the Third Division is near Gantian.Only the Hirano Battalion of the independent and mixed 14th Brigade was on the westernmost side of the battlefield, heading south from Yueyang to Dongting Lake, and then continued south along the Xiangjiang River, preparing to cover the frontal attack on the flanks. At this time, the 59th, 102nd, and 60th Divisions of the Chinese Army that participated in the Dayunshan battle were still hastily retreating to their positions on the south bank of the Xinqiang River; Confronted with the first part of the 40th Division of the Japanese Army near Gantian; the main force of the 20th Army was still advancing towards the designated defensive position.The above troops did not all enter the position on the south bank of the Xinqiang River until dawn on the 18th.As soon as the Chinese officers and soldiers entered the trenches, Japanese artillery shells flew over. At dawn on the 18th, the "Changsha Operation" of the Japanese Eleventh Army began. The Chinese called it the "Second Battle of Changsha". At 4 o'clock in the morning, on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, 322 Japanese artillery pieces were fired together.After the artillery bombardment lasted for an hour, fighter planes joined the attack.On the south bank of the Xinqiang River, the fortifications of the Chinese garrison positions collapsed, and earth and rocks splashed.Then, the four main divisions of the Japanese army advanced side by side, and began the assault operation to forcefully cross the Xinqiang River. Anan just rushed to the front, and his excitement could not be concealed: At 6 o'clock, depart from Yuezhou, go south along the road washed by rainwater, surpass the 150mm howitzer section and the Zaoyuan detachment and other troops, and arrive at the battle command post at 203 Highland (six kilometers northwest of Yukou) at 8 o'clock .The clouds gradually cleared, and amidst the rumble of heavy artillery and mountain cannons, there was intense machine gunfire.At 8:30, the Fourth Division began to advance together under the cover of smoke.At 8:50, we broke through the first line of the enemy on the left bank and continued to advance.Congratulate the head of the Kitano division by phone on the victory, and struggle hard.The 3rd Division began to move forward at 7:30 am, broke through the enemy's front line and rushed towards Dajing Street without preparing for an attack.The artillery of the Sixth Division was booming, and all the villages were on fire.A large-scale field battle is unfolding.It is the right time to lead the army, watch the battle situation, and command the battle.It is an honor to thank God. The various positions on the Xinqianghe line defended by the Chinese Fourth Army were also fiercely attacked by Japanese artillery and fighter planes.The Fourth Army had just finished the Dayun Mountain operation, and the troops had neither been rested nor replenished. The 102nd, 60th, and 59th Divisions at the front fought desperately, but they were still unable to withstand the powerful firepower of the Japanese army. Group charge with superior forces.In particular, the positions of the 102nd Division were jointly attacked by the Japanese 3rd, 4th, and 6th Divisions.The Japanese army passed through the defeated positions of the 102nd Division, and quickly rushed to the positions of the 90th Divisions in Changhu and Baiyangchong.上午九时，鉴于前沿阵地的全面瓦解，第二十七集团军总司令杨森命令第四军向二线阵地撤退；同时命令第五十八军向杨林街出击侧击日军，命令第二十军第一三四师归第五十八军指挥。第四军在撤退中发生混乱，军长欧震努力控制部队，希望在二线阵地站稳脚跟，但是日军很快就扑了上来。下午四时，第九十师的长湖、白羊冲阵地被日军突破，第一〇二师刚刚占领的二线阵地也被日军席卷。 日军已经大规模深入，正并列急促向南推进。 中国军队失去新墙河一线和二线阵地后，欧震军长不得不命令部队向东面的山区转移。 随着第四军撤退的脚步，日军直扑汨罗江边。 大云山作战后，第九战区没有要求第四军守住新墙河一线阵地，他们的任务仅仅是尽可能迟滞日军的攻击速度。因此，可以说他们完成了作战任务，只是部队损失巨大，其中以第一〇二师为最。第一〇二师师长柏辉章，是黔军中的老资格将领。日军突破新墙河后，柏师长严令三〇四团把失去的阵地夺回来。在团长许世俊的亲率下，中国官兵全歼了占领河边桥头堡的日军，还活捉了一个日军军曹。三〇六团正面阵地遭到日军骑兵的猛攻，柏师长命令该团坚守据点，没有命令不许后退一步。三〇六团官兵浴血苦战，鲜血染红了河畔的草坡。战斗最残酷的时候，柏师长把他的指挥所推进到距新墙河南岸咫尺之遥的潼溪街附近。三〇六团一营的比家山阵地危急，师直属工兵营奉命前往增援。很快，工兵营打得只剩下营长杨炯和三连连长孙逸民等三十一人了。日军向潼溪街方向发起攻击时，杨营长带着官兵们坚守高地，猛烈射杀冲上来的日军骑兵。与此同时，据守古家村的刘威仪团一营在日军的围攻中拼死作战，连长曾德政牺牲；二营代理营长徐锦江率领十八名官兵坚守黄泥港阵地，最终全部阵亡；三营营长孙国桢也在激战中阵亡。在请求军长增援没有得到答复后，柏师长红了眼，他命令副师长到三〇四团督战，自己到三〇五团督战，和官兵们一直坚持到接到撤退命令后才转移。转移途中，第一〇二师的后勤辎重部队和随营家属遭到日军骑兵的追杀。最后，待全师残部撤退到相对安全地点时，活着的军官不足百人，士兵仅剩六百余人，全师伤亡高达百分之九十。看着寥寥无几浑身血污的官兵，柏师长说： 此次战斗到现在，全师仅存官兵六百余人，牺牲损失九成人数。在历次战役中，先期出省的贵州士兵已经伤亡殆尽，军官生存的寥寥无几。历次新兵补充不久，未及训练就匆匆赴战，在敌人的强大炮火下，军官身先士卒，士兵负伤不下战场，全都抱着誓死为国的决心浴血奋战，杀敌报国。殉战的官兵弟兄是军人的楷模，是我们大家的榜样。现在在场的官兵，都是久经沙场富有战斗能力的将士，我们要时时刻刻准备再赴战场，为国献身，努力杀敌，夺取抗战的最后胜利。 黔军第一〇二师的顽强作战，受到了军事委员会的表彰。参谋总长何应钦早年曾任贵州讲武堂校长，柏辉章是讲武堂的学生。何应钦，字敬之，因此柏辉章称他为“敬师”。何应钦发来慰问电：“该师临战奋勇，阻击强敌，保卫长沙，克尽厥功，致嘉勉。对殉战将士深寄哀悼。”柏辉章回电：“敬师钧鉴，生辉所部，每战当敌精锐，痛歼顽寇，伤我士众，生以身存，实深愧疚。嗣当效命奋力，竭尽我责。”——柏师长说他的部队每战当面都是精锐之敌，官兵勇战，死伤众多，而自己还活着，深感愧疚。贵州的父老乡亲在贵阳大南门外建起了一座“国民革命军第一〇二师抗日阵亡将士纪念塔”，以彰显贵州抗战将士的荣耀，纪念血洒抗日战场的贵州好儿男。 为加强湘北主战场的力量，十八日晚，第九战区命令位于修水附近的第七十二军西进，并指挥暂编第五十四师，准备担任反击作战任务；命令第二十军进至王安屋、朱公桥方向，协助第五十八军和第四军侧击南下的日军。十九日凌晨，第二十军由桃树港向朱公桥急促推进。黄昏时分，第一三四师抵达指定位置，第一三三师也抵达枫树桥，军司令部抵达饶村。第五十八军军长孙渡命令新编第十一师到指定位置待命，新编第十师继续在朱公桥附近阻击当面日军。日军第四十师团不断地向中国军队第五十九、第六十、第九十师阵地攻击，双方激战一天，重松支队第三大队大队长古山常磐少佐被击毙。对第四十师团的使用，第十一军司令官阿南惟几与作战参谋主任岛村矩康之间存在着分歧。司令官认为，第四十师团须用于战场的东侧以袭击平江，因为那里是中国军队第二十七集团军司令部所在地；而作战参谋主任认为，第四十师团应该向第六师团靠拢，以加强战场中央突破的兵力。由此，第四十师团自进入大云山受到打击后，南下途中不断地接到相互矛盾的命令，一会儿向左，一会儿向右，导致部队的行动混乱不堪。因出现混乱而牢骚满腹的还有第四师团。部队突破新墙河后，配属的坦克和野战重炮部队，因为道路完全被中国军队破坏，根本无法前进，只能返回出发地。没有了坦克和重炮的支援，第四师团的步兵拥挤在一起向汨罗江靠近——“师团向左岸推进极为困难，道路为宽一至一点五米的粘土路，中间铺石部分仅余宽约四十厘米，每隔二十米，道路两侧即挖有反坦克壕，暗夜中路旁两侧的水田泛滥，变成潮湿地带，又无迂回道路可寻，全体部队在已被破坏后仅存的路上继续前行，加以重庆军的抵抗，成为此次作战中最艰苦的一次行军。” 十九日傍晚，日军第四、第三和第六师团分别抵达汨罗江北岸的石头铺、长乐街一线。第六师团一部甚至已经从磨刀石附近渡江，与南岸中国守军第三十七军在颜家铺、浯口一带接战。 防御汨罗江南岸的中国军队力量单薄，只有第三十七军四个团编制的第九十五、第一四〇师以及第九十九军三个团编制的第九十二、第九十九师。但是，薛岳还是按照原定方案，决定在汨罗江两岸与日军决战。其部署是：第三十七军和第二十六军沿汨罗江一字摆开，从平江以西一直到湘江岸边，全线固守正面阵地，利用汨罗江天险拼死阻击；同时调动战场上的两翼部队，对日军实施夹击。为支援步兵作战，薛岳把战区直属炮兵旅拉到了汨罗江南岸。 薛岳这种死拼硬打的方案，在第九战区司令长官部内引发分歧。有人认为，现在与日军决战的兵力不够，须等王耀武的第七十四军和李玉堂的第十军上来。目前只能节节抵抗以争取时间。第二十六、第三十七和第五十八军应依汨罗江、捞刀河交替抵抗，到浏阳河南岸后转为防御。待第七十四军和第十军抵达战场，再一起实施反攻。但是，薛岳没有接受这一建议。十九日，第九战区发布了作战命令： 一、第三十七军（欠第六十师）守备浯口亘骆公桥之线，第九十九军之第九十九师守备骆公桥以西亘营田迄湘阴之线，第九十二师推进于三姐桥以北彭家煅附近占领阵地，各师均归第三十七军军长指挥。 二、第二十六军军部及第四十四师即开金井，第三十二师集结金井，第四十一师向将军霸推进，准备作战。 三、第七十二军改调平江，准备参战。 四、战区炮兵指挥官王若卿，率炮兵第一团，即开金井。指挥该团及重迫击炮第二团，先协力第三十七军之守势作战，拒止由长乐街南犯之敌，尔后支援第二十六军攻势。 五、工兵第五团仍归第三十七军指挥。 这一命令意味着：第三十七军被置于汨罗江南岸宽大的正面阻击日军；第二十六军在第三十七军的南面，即汨罗江以南、捞刀河以北的二线阵地，以备日军冲破第三十七军的防线后再次实施阻击；第七十二军则被命令赶赴汨罗江战场的东侧，以向南下日军的侧背实施攻击。随后，薛岳又命令位于战场东侧的第二十七集团军全力向汨罗江北岸的日军侧背发起攻击。 毫无疑问，中国军队的正面阻击是在诱敌，真正的打击将来自汨罗江战场的东侧，其作战指向是南下日军的侧背。 决战在即，重庆军事委员会命令第六战区抽调出第七十九军、第七战区抽调出暂编第二军，命其增援第九战区。 但是，薛岳的作战命令被日军截获了。 日军推进到汨罗江北岸后，十九日晚，第十一军参谋长木下勇拟出了二十二日向汨罗江南岸发动总攻的命令。按照日军的作战方案，总攻将沿着岳阳到长沙的公路向南推进，然后在捞刀河以北向东面的金井和西面的湘江扩展，并以第三、第四师团为主力向长沙实施中心突击。由于第六师团师团长神田正种向军司令部提出了从侧翼包围中国军队的建议，这一建议引起了军司令部的讨论，导致总攻命令没有及时发出。就在这个关键时刻——二十日晨——第十一军司令部获得一份情报，即侦听部门破译的薛岳将集中主力从东面侧击日军的命令全文。 为证实这一重要情报的可靠性，日军立即派出侦察机飞到现场核实，结果发现中国军队第二十六军确实正由浏阳地区向北面的金井方向移动，中国军队的动向与情报中的部署完全一致。 阿南惟几立即决定，变更原作战方案，将主力移向战场东面的瓮江地区，从中国军队试图侧击日军阵形的外围，对中国军队主力实施合击。各师团的进攻方向是：第四十师团由平江向洞阳迂回，第六师团向瓮江以东包抄，第三、第四师团向瓮江东南方向攻击前进。 二十一日，日军各师团开始行动。 这一天发生了日全食。 日全食发生的时候，“太阳变成下弦的月牙形”，天地间“犹如黄昏时的微暗”。 交战的两军都不知这将预示着什么。 日军第三、第四、第六师团以及早渊支队，由骆公桥、新市、杨家仓、伍公市、磨刀滩、浯口等渡口，分成数路强渡汨罗江。防守汨罗江南岸的中国守军第九十五、第一四〇师进行了顽强抵抗。这两个师防守的地段，位于汨罗江与洞庭湖间的三角地带，这是一个尴尬的死角：日军不来不敢撤退，日军来了难以脱离。日军的攻击开始后，第九十五师和第一四〇师伤亡很大，阵地相继被日军突破。二十二日，日军在航空兵的支援下，发动了更为猛烈的攻击。日军第三、第四师团以一部正面攻击中国守军的阵地；第四师团主力则由第九十九师与第九十五师的接合部突进；第三师团主力从西面的浯口方向对第一四〇师右翼实施包抄。第九十五师师长罗奇、第一四〇师师长李棠，分别命令所属部队向两面阻击日军，严令不准擅自撤退，违者军法从事。二十三日拂晓，日军第三师团从第一四〇师右侧突入，日军的便衣队四处出击，主力则向双江口阵地猛攻。第三十七军各师面对日军两个师团的进攻，顽强抵抗了三天。至二十四日上午，正面阵地多处被突破，两侧的日军已迂回到纵深。第一四〇师后方收容所被日军突袭，伤兵大部被杀。全师陷入包围，各部队联络中断，官兵各自为战，师长李棠率残部冲出包围圈向南撤退。第九十五师顽强顶着日军第四师团的攻击，一直坚持到下午才接到向南撤退的命令。 日军第六师团留下小部队作局部攻击，师团主力开始沿着汨罗江向东横向移动。按照作战命令，他们要从当面中国军队第三十七军的阵地前，横向移动到第二十六军的阵地北面去。天色灰暗，背靠河流，田间小路泥泞不堪，机械化装备移动艰难，再加上从中国军队防御阵地的眼皮底下横向移动，绝对违反作战常规，因此官兵们普遍感到紧张不安：“全体官兵在日全食的这一天，跌倒爬起，满身泥水，奋力前进。神田师团长也与官兵一起，沿着敌军既设阵地艰苦行军。在无限忧虑的心情中，本日勉强进至谷溪源（瓮江西北四公里）。”因横向移动而筋疲力尽的第六师团，很快就与中国军队第二十六军撞上了。此时，按照薛岳的命令，第二十六军第四十四师刚刚从汨罗江二线战地抵近瓮江^在日军优势兵力的冲击下，部队很快支撑不住向后撤退。日军第六师团急促推进，对第四十四师形成了包围态势。二十二日，第二十六军军长萧之楚命令第三十二师火速解围。但是，第三十二师与同样正在东移的日军第三师团遭遇，激战一天后，第三十二师被迫南撤。包围第四十四师的日军第六师团猛烈穿插，一直突进至瓮江口，绕到了第四十四师的侧后。第二十六军军长萧之楚急令第四十一师前往堵截。日军第六师团一面应对第四十一师，一面不顾一切地继续推进，二十三日其先头部队抵达金井附近。鉴于第二十六军已被日军完全分割，第九战区命令该军后撤到蒲塘，各师尽力靠拢，组成环形阵地，继续阻击日军。第二十六军战至二十五日，环形阵地被日军突破，残部向金井东南转移，试图与从平江南下的第七十二军会合。 第二十六军之所以很快就垮了，是由于在战场侧翼受到日军三个主力师团的合攻。 此时，日军第四十师团也赶到了金井附近。 在这个方向上，无论是中国军队第四军，还是日军第四十师团，实际上都在向同一个方向推进。第四军执行的是向汨罗江东侧集结，以对日军进行侧击的命令；而第四十师团执行的是向金井方向推进，以对中国军队实施反包围的命令。两军不可避免地形成了混战局面。二十日，第四军第九十师对日军第四十师团进行侧击，即刻受到日军的凶猛反击，第九十师这才发现自己攻击的并非日军的侧背，而日军的反击倒是来自自己的侧背方向。第九十师边打边撤，日军趁机从第四军第九十师与第三十七军第六十师之间的缝隙插进来，随即攻击了第六十师的侧背。二十一日，日军第四十师团在航空兵的支援下，继续攻击前进，中国军队第九十师退往东港、黄泥岭，第六十师退往马嘶洞，第五十九师退往风角尖。 日军第三、第四、第六师团把中国军队第三十七军和第二十六军包围并击溃后，乘势向栗桥、福临铺、金井一线推进，三个师团凶狠地并列南下，却遇到了中国军队另一个军的阻拦，即刚刚赶到战场的第十军。中国陆军第十军，军长李玉堂。其下辖第三师，师长周庆祥；第一九〇师，师长朱岳；预备第十师，师长方先觉。该军奉薛岳的命令，从株洲以南的衡山北上石湾、金井、高桥一线，加入到汨罗江两岸与日军的决战中。部队由衡阳和渌口乘火车到长沙，然后开始步行。连日阴雨，道路泥泞，官兵没有防雨装备，背着子弹袋、米袋和军用毛毯，周身湿透，精疲力竭。二十二日晨，第一九〇师抵达高桥，其先头部队抵达金井。此时，日军已击溃中国军队的正面阻击部队，正大举南下企图对实施侧击的中国军队进行包抄。李玉堂率第十军司令部抵达高桥后，立即部署了作战行动。 二十三日晨，奉命向班召庙方向推进的第一九〇师前卫，与日军第师团前锋在长岳公路上迎头遭遇。刚上战场的第十军官兵喘息未定，对战场环境与周边敌情全然不知。第一九〇师前卫刚与当面日军发生战斗，就接到了迅速北上解救第三十七军第一四〇师的命令。第一九〇师决定留下五七〇团继续阻击日军，师主力则向白杉桥方向推进。五七〇团一度冲到了黄泥岭，师主力也攻到了白杉桥，但部队伤亡很大。更严重的是，日军第三师团一部插到了第一九〇师的右后方，第六师团一部也越过第二十六军右翼，对推进到金井附近的预备第十师发起了攻击。刚刚抵达了金井西北地区的预备第十师认为，东北方向有第一九〇师扼守大路，瓮江方向有第三十七军防守，他们这里是相对安全的。于是，疲惫不堪的官兵准备睡上一觉。谁知，半夜，日军突袭了他们——日军快速部队从浯口取崎岖山路，袭击了预备第十师一个营的宿营地，酣睡中的中国官兵遭日军乱刀砍杀，瞬间就伤亡数百人。预备第十师各部在黑暗中盲目抵抗，彼此完全失去了联系。直到拂晓，师长方先觉才初步弄清情况。 终于，第三十七军第一四〇师从大头岭以北突围而出。 日军第三师团不再管第一四〇师，直接南下向第一九〇师扑来。 二十四日，日军第三师团主力推进到竹山铺附近，围攻第一九〇师五六九团阵地，五六九团阵地被突破后，官兵向南突围。该师的五六八团与师部一起转移，途中与日军遭遇，激战中伤亡甚重，残部向福临铺方向溃逃。日军展开了猛烈追击，第一九〇师师长朱岳负伤，年仅三十八岁的副师长赖传湘阵亡。 二十五日，日军第三师团占领福临铺。 第四师团和早渊支队开始向中国军队第十军第三师发起进攻。 二十六日，第三师阵地被日军突破。金井、栗桥失陷。 当面日军长驱直入，在中国军队第三十七军和第十军的后方横冲直撞。第三十七军军部遭到袭击，第十军军部被日军包围，军长李玉堂和参谋长带领特务营侥幸突围而出。 预备第十师师长方先觉的强烈感受是，日军的猛烈穿插令中国军队各部队均猝不及防：“我们刚离开第一个指挥所，日军就抢先把我们第二个指挥所打烂了，破坏了通讯。他们有空军优势，侦察情报准确及时，行动迅速，使我们上下失掉联络，指挥意图无法下达，部队群龙无首，遇有情况无心应战，一味后退，战斗力完全丧失，以致我们这次如此惨败。” 到此为止，不但薛岳在汨罗江两岸围歼日军的作战企图没能实现，这个方向的中国军队反而因受到日军的围攻而损失惨重。 日军在汨罗江以南击破中国军队的防御后，于九月二十五日前后陆续进抵捞刀河北岸。 长沙城已经遥遥在望。 二十四日十七时，日军第十一军发布向长沙方向全面追击的命令： 一、军决定以一支有力部队扫荡歼灭金井方面包围圈内之敌，并以主力向长沙追击敌军。 二、第四师团应经黄花市向浏阳河口附近追击敌军，并及时渡过浏阳河向长沙东侧地区继续追击。 三、第三师团应经上沙市向金潭附近追击敌军，并在该地渡过浏阳河向长沙南侧地区继续追击。 四、第六师团应急速进入北盛仓附近捞刀河河谷，如敌第七十四军已进入该河谷，应即就地将其击破。 五、第四十师团应从二十四日夜至二十五日，扫荡金井包围圈内敌军，以后于金井附近准备追击。 由于第九战区在汨罗江两岸与日军决战的行动被日军各师团的急速东移、