Chapter 53 Chapter 5 Death's Paradise (Battle of Changsha, Battle of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, Battle of Western Hubei)

Soon after the Battle of Shanggao, Sonobe, the former commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was dismissed due to the defeat in the battle. His successor, Lieutenant General Anan Keiji, once again invoked Okamura's heavy assault tactics and decided to concentrate the main force of the army against the Chinese 1st Army. The Nine War Zone hit hard. The Chief of the Ninth War Zone has also grasped relevant information, so the preparations are relatively sufficient.After reporting to the Military Commission, several armies have been added to the Xiangbei battlefield to defend against the enemy. Among these armies, the most important one is the 74th Army.

As early as when Okamura first attacked Changsha, some people regarded it as a pity that the 74th Army was not transferred to Changsha to fight. If you go to northern Hunan, you will definitely be able to expand the results of the Changsha Battle.The victory in the Shanggao Battle pushed the Seventy-Fourth Army to the pinnacle of honor, so that no matter who commanded a large-scale battle, he would be the first to think of using this ace army.In addition, the Japanese army in Northwest Jiangxi was really frightened during the battle. It has been nearly half a year since they dared to attack, and the front line is relatively calm.

The Seventy-Fourth Army has been stationed in Jiangxi for a long time, and its scale and volume are not comparable to those in the past. It is not easy to gather tens of thousands of troops and send them to Hunan.Among other things, it is a big problem just to recruit civilian husbands who carry luggage.No one had the relevant mature experience. After two days of frantic preparations, the troops had to set off on September 21. The whole army marched towards Liuyang via the border of Hunan and Jiangxi in three batches. As soon as the troops of the 74th Army moved, the telegram sent by Xue Yue to Wang Yaowu was intercepted by the headquarters of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army.After reading the content of the telegram, the entire army headquarters was shocked.

The outstanding performance of the Seventy-Fourth Army in the Battle of Shanggao made the "Anti-Japanese Iron Army" firmly rooted in the minds of the Japanese Army, and the Japanese Eleventh Army regarded it as "the most elite unit of the Central Department, a long-standing enemy" .When summarizing the lessons learned from the Battle of Shanggao, the Eleventh Army specifically warned the ministries: "In the future, we must pay special attention to General Wang Yaowu's Seventy-fourth Army." The Japanese called the Seventy-Fourth Army "Tiger's Son". "虎の子" in Japanese refers to something that is very cherished and unwilling to give up. During the war, it became a synonym for the ace unit. According to the habits of the Chinese, it can also be called "Tiger Unit".It happened that the "Blue Sky White Sun Flying Tiger Pennant" awarded to the 74th Army had a white flying tiger embroidered on it.

When it comes to "Tiger Force", all Japanese generals attach great importance to it, and Anan is no exception.The Eleventh Army of the Japanese Army tried to find the direction of the radio station of the Seventy-Fourth Army through ground and aerial reconnaissance and deciphering telegrams. Troops were not fixedly deployed in one place and failed. Now that the Seventy-Fourth Army suddenly appeared on the nearby battlefield, the staff officers of the Eleventh Army of the Japanese Army believed that this opportunity must not be missed. If they could concentrate their forces to annihilate the Seventy-Fourth Army, it would not only deal a heavy blow to China's direct line troops, but also It can reduce the threats to the areas south of Wuhan in the future, and accordingly, the operation in northern Hunan has achieved the expected results.

According to the original plan, after the Japanese Eleventh Army crossed the Miluo River, they would send the Sixth Division to occupy Pingjiang on the eastern flank to prevent the Chinese army from launching a flank attack based on the Pingjiang mountain area as before. After the army was about to enter the Hunan battlefield, Anan temporarily canceled the plan. The painful experience of being frustrated by the 74th Army several times made the Japanese army truly realize that whether it was the 106th Division in the Battle of Wanjialing, or the 33rd Division and the 34th Division in the Battle of Shanggao Although these newly established divisions have superior weapons, they are still far behind the battle-hardened old troops like the 74th Army in terms of fighting spirit and experience.In a word, against the Seventy-Fourth Army, if the veteran elite divisions are not used, there is absolutely no chance of winning.For this reason, Anan did not hesitate to make changes to the overall plan in order to allow the Japanese Sixth Division to hold back the Seventy-Fourth Army. At the same time, the Japanese Fortieth Division, which participated in the attack on Pingjiang, was also transferred to the main battlefield.

It is not easy for Anan to make up his mind.Pingjiang is the weapon supply center of the Ninth War Zone, and it is also the headquarters of Yang Sen's Twentieth Army.Although the 20th Army is the Sichuan Army, it is known as the "Iron Army of the Sichuan Army". Its combat effectiveness is close to that of the elite troops of the Central Army, and it is very good at flanking and mobile combat. This is really rare among the troops of the Kuomintang system.When Okamura entered Changsha for the first time, he had already suffered from the losses of the 20th Army.Because of this, Anan once had the intention of resolutely occupying Pingjiang. One year later, when reviewing the strategic value of Pingjiang, he also said: "In fact, destroying and causing chaos to the enemy's commanding organization (referring to Pingjiang) should be the highest priority in combat." Purpose."

When the Sixth Division received Anan's cancellation order, its leading troops were only eight kilometers away from Pingjiang, and the vanguard squadron even had only one kilometer left to reach its destination.It is said that when the soldiers learned that the order was cancelled, they became stunned and dumbfounded, just like the snacks in their mouths were suddenly knocked out. What Anan wanted was to defeat the Seventy-Fourth Army, which became his highest goal of commanding the battle at that time.Since then, the number of the Seventy-Fourth Army has frequently appeared in the Japanese army's combat plans, orders, and Anan's diary, and the moving Seventy-fourth Army has always been under the strict surveillance of the Japanese Eleventh Army Headquarters.

On the morning of September 23, due to rain, the Japanese reconnaissance plane was unable to dispatch, but the clouds gradually opened and the rain stopped at noon.From a bird's-eye view from the air, the 74th Army can clearly be seen appearing on the defile northwest of Liuyang. After receiving information about the appearance of the Seventy-Fourth Army, the headquarters of the Japanese Eleventh Army became tense.Anan even thought about whether to temporarily avoid the sharp edge of the 74th Army.It’s just that he considered that if he retreats immediately without a fight with the most elite troops in China, he will be caught by the Chinese government for propaganda. In this way, the Eleventh Army will not only lose face, but also have a great impact on the morale of the Japanese army. blow, so it is still necessary to "avoid such situations from happening".

Anan walked into the army's war room and emphasized to Chief of Staff Kinoshita and all his staff: "The problem in the future is how to deal with the 74th Army."