Chapter 9 Waking up like a dream

After Heng Shanyong commanded an army of more than 100,000 to wipe out a large number of active forces of the national army, he forced the Chinese army to be unable to encircle him. Suddenly he turned around and sent his army southward, heading straight for Changde. After the 116th Division commanded by Yan Yongwang captured Jinli, the main force threw off the defeated 44th Army and rushed towards Changde.After the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army occupied Taoyuan and Zoushi, they forcibly crossed the Yuanjiang River and approached Doumu Lake, about 30 miles south of the Yuanjiang River in Changde City, in order to cut off the retreat of the 57th Division defending the city.While attacking Hanshou City, the 68th Division of the Japanese Army formed an encirclement circle around Changde in cooperation with other divisions, that is, divided troops from Niubitan to Anpeng Port, smuggled into Yuanshui, marched into Shimenqiao Airport in Baowei Township, and then penetrated 50 miles south of the city. The Doushan and Zhaojiaqiao areas were deployed to block the reinforcements from China's Ninth Theater after the battle to attack Changde City started.

It can be seen from the military combat map marked once an hour in the command post of Isamu Yokoyama that the Japanese 68th Division runs from east to west, and the 116th Division runs from northwest to southeast, and Changde City has been surrounded like an iron barrel. A team of heavily armed off-road trucks waited to start after launching beside the road.But Yokoyama put on his riding boots and wore white gloves, and ordered to bring his tall maroon horse. Suggestions from subordinates, should we still go to the front line by car? Hengshan smiled proudly and said: "Let my horse drink the water of the Yuanjiang River!" After saying that, he jumped on the horse's back.

At this time, the Kuomintang Military Commission in Chongqing wakes up like a dream, and finally sees through Hengshan’s plot to transfer the tiger away from the mountain. The tall and gloomy Military Commission building is full of calls, footsteps, and inquiries. They must quickly make new combat deployments . On November 19, after the defense of Changde had already started, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek hurriedly sent a telegram to Sun Lianzhong.The telegram said: "Immediately. Enshi Sundai Chief, Taoyuan King Commander-in-Chief Zuan Xu, Cili King Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yaowu, Changde Panlong King Army Commander Ze Jun, Changde 57D Division Commander Yu, Suzhuan 100th Army Commander Shi Zhongcheng: secret (1) It is increasingly difficult to supply the enemy in front of us. (2) Our 10th Army is struggling to suppress the enemy's right and back. (3) Our 74th Army, 44th Army, and 100th Army should do their best to The northwestern region of Changde fought decisively with the enemy, defended Changde, and lived and died with it. Rewards and punishments for meritorious deeds will never be tolerated. Hope that the order is hard work; neutral zero. Rong Haowei. (1102) Si."

At the same time, the Kuomintang Military Commission adjusted a new combat deployment: (1) Since the enemy invaded Changde for 30 years, we have suffered heavy casualties and were extremely exhausted, their supplies have been cut off, their rear is empty, and they will surely retreat; (2) Regardless of whether the situation in Changde changes or not, the Sixth and Ninth War Zones will join forces to encircle the enemy and annihilate them on the banks of the Yuan River; (3) The Ninth Theater: (A) The 10th Army (that is, changed to the Ninth Theater), the main force of the 99th Army, and the temporary 54th Division are under the command of Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Yutang, and quickly attack the enemy on the right bank of the Yuanjiang River on the south bank of Dongting. Focus on the direction of Deshan to support the operations of the 57th Division of Changde; (b) The Yang Sen and Wang Lingji groups should strengthen their attacking forces and actively attack the enemy;

(4) The sixth war zone: (a) Wang Yaowu commanded the 100th Army and part of the 74th Army to wipe out the enemy in Taoyuan, and used the main force to enter and leave Zoushi, attacking the right side of the Changde enemy, but the 57th Division still stuck to Changde; 2) Wang Jingjiu's group also commanded the 66th Army and the 185th Division to mop up the remnants of the enemy in Ziliangping and Renheping with one part, and another part to go in and out of Gong'an and Jinli, to block the enemy's rear, and to cross the Lishui River with the main force. In the direction of Maotan and Linli, ask the enemy to attack from the back; (c) The 44th Army of Wang Zuanxu's group should still attack the rear of the enemy in Changde in the area of ​​Taifu Mountain and Zuoyang Mountain, and the 73rd Army should quickly recapture Cili;

(5) Commanders at all levels should take the initiative, quickly seek the enemy and attack them, and must not lose control or use a large front line to defend the defense, so as not to lose opportunities and delay the overall situation; (6) The operational boundaries of the ninth and sixth theaters are changed to the line of the Yuanjiang River, and the operational boundaries of each group army are determined by the theaters; (7) The Chinese and American air forces continued to bomb enemy ships in the lake and allowed Changde to control the air; (8) Upcoming speed will be deployed and notified.

According to the division of China's political districts at that time, Changde undoubtedly belonged to the second category of large cities.It was unprecedented for such an important city to be defended by only one division.In the three battles of Changsha, the national army defending the city was more than two armies, and the defense of Hengyang also had an army of Fang Xianjue.When the generals who were sitting in the military committee looking at the map and commanding the war found that Changde's 8,000 men were too few, they mobilized reinforcements and marched towards Changde, trying to re-form an encirclement circle, and wanted to create another "Sky Furnace War" in Changde, but they failed to It's too late!

In fact, Changde has become an isolated city at this time, and has become the shackles of the Japanese 11th Army. Isamu Hengshan rode his war horse and galloped through the fertile fields of the Binhu Plain, as if he had entered the land of no one. It seemed that everything in the "よ" battle was proceeding according to his wishful thinking plan, and everything was going smoothly, but when the wily and calculating Japanese general was in the midst of the spring breeze, he did not expect to end up in Changde. When it was so easy, I met "Hu Ben" and Yu Chengwan!