Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Pre-War Trend 1

The fierce offensive of the Japanese Army No. 1 battle continued unabated.Before the capture of Changsha, the Japanese army surrounded Changsha with two groups of elite soldiers, and Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, and Liling fell one after another. On June 18, Changsha fell.Since then, relying on the wind of victory in the Henan and Hubei battlefields, the Japanese army has stabilized the battle in northern Hunan and central Hunan in just 20 days.In the past, the defense lines built by the 20th Army, 26th Army, and 44th Army of the National Army, which were able to defend and attack well, were repeatedly breached by the powerful offensive of the Japanese army.Instead of being restrained and weakened, the Japanese army's combat power rose sharply.The waves and strength of the Japanese attack this time were quite different from the previous three times. Xue Yue's "Tianlun Dafa" had no effect, and the so-called "Fourth Battle of Changsha" planned by the Japanese army was beaten to pieces.The Japanese army quickly passed through the vast river network area in northern Hunan, the flat hillock area in central Hunan, and the mountainous area in eastern Hunan, and the main force gradually encircled the southern Hunan area.In the seven years of the Anti-Japanese War, the iron hooves of the Japanese army crossed Changsha and rushed south for the first time.

The Chinese army in eastern Hunan did not give up fighting. The 58th Army, 37th Army, and 72nd Army reorganized their troops in the areas of Jiuling Mountain and Wugong Mountain, and took the initiative to attack in the areas of Pingxiang, Liling, Sifen, and Youxian County many times, fighting the Japanese army to the death.They hoped to occupy these strategic cities and maintain the combat fulcrum of the theater, intending to gradually resume the encirclement of the Japanese army just like the previous three battles. Lu Daoyuan, commander of the 58th Army, Fu Yi, commander of the 72nd Army, Luo Qi, commander of the 37th Army, Ding Zhipan, commander of the 26th Army, Yang Hanyu, commander of the 20th Army, and Wang Zerui, commander of the 44th Army, are all battle-tested and long-term stationed The generals in Hunan Province, who are familiar with the terrain and the people's conditions, have repeatedly urged the troops to use the mountains to attack the towns in eastern Hunan, and repeatedly competed with the Japanese army that had not established for a long time. The 20th Army and the 44th Army cooperated to besiege Liling twice. The 58th Army and the 72nd Army also regained Pingxiang on June 28. On July 7, the 58th Army conquered Liling, and the 72nd Army conquered Sifen, Henglingpu, and Huangtuling. Three days later, the 27th and 34th Divisions of the Japanese Army made a comeback with superior forces. The 58th Army and the 72nd Army were unable to support them, and were forced to withdraw from Liling and Pingxiang again.After the main force of the Japanese army moved south, the 58th Army and the 72nd Army again conquered Pingxiang and continued to attack Liling in an attempt to cut off the enemy's rear. As a result, the Japanese 27th Division turned back and fought fiercely with the 58th Army. The 58th Army divided its forces to attack Sifen, Zhuting, Shiwan and other towns.Because of these advances, Army Commander Lu Daoyuan chose Lukou, Hukou Market and other places where the Japanese army was weak to quickly deploy and attack again and again. The 20th Army, 26th Army, and 44th Army transferred to Lianhua, Youxian, and Anren, either to block the Japanese army, or to pursue the enemy's tail, and repeatedly dealt with the Japanese army.These elite troops of the national army who have created three victories in the land of central Hunan still dream of winning the fourth victory with the previous style of play.Therefore, the competition for the strategic fulcrum in eastern Hunan has continued for two months.Some counties changed hands repeatedly.These fulcrums posed a threat to the Japanese flank, and the national army generals looked forward to a major battle to renew their troops.With the rapid southward withdrawal of the commander's headquarters of the Ninth Theater, these troops lost the rear service support and the organic and tight dispatching command of the big battle. Their battles have become a piecemeal tactical operation, a kind of military combat Observance of duty, a kind of pursuit of the honor of the army, has no great effect on the grand strategy.

On the contrary, the Japanese Army's No. 1 Operation Plan was proceeding in an orderly manner.Its strategic rear is steadfastly approaching its new goal.The strategic pattern has not been disturbed in the slightest by the bitter fighting of the Eastern Hunan Army.The military country, a grand and sophisticated combat machine, is pushing forward with all its might to the set goal.For the Chinese compatriots on the thousands of kilometers of land connected by the rear, the disaster has only just begun. At the moment when the defense battle in Changsha came to an end, the vanguard of the Japanese army along the Guangdong-Han Railway was already bombarding the most important city in southern Shonen, the outlying market town of Hengyang. On June 19, the Japanese army caught fire with the 8th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the 10th Army's 3rd Division of the 10th Army's security force on the banks of the Yisu River 60 miles away from Hengyang.The most critical battle of the Japanese No. 1 operation-the defense of Hengyang began.

Having said that, let us once again feel the importance of Hengyang's geographical location.Hengyang is located in the middle reaches of the Xiangjiang River, bordering Zhuzhou in the east, Chenzhou and Yongzhou in the south, Shaoyang in the west, and Xiangtan in the north.It is the junction point of the Guangdong-Han Railway and the Hunan-Guangxi Railway, and it is the most important goal for the Japanese army to open up the mainland transportation line. ; It is the only way to go south to Guangdong and west to Guangxi; it is also the center of the road network leading to the southwest, and a hub connecting the southwest and southeast.

Hengyang has been an important town in southern Hunan since ancient times. It is an important communication point between the north and the south, and has always been a battleground for military strategists.In order to defend and occupy this ancient city, many military strategists in history have lined up troops in its suburbs, confronting each other and fighting each other.During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's group fought against Wu Guo here.At the end of Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao once competed in Hengyang, set up camp in the suburbs, and commanded the rebel army to open the gate of Hengzhou.The place names such as Huangchaoling, Zhayingzhai, and Dianbing Town have been left to this day, which is the best proof of history.At the end of the Song Dynasty, the Fangla Army once bent their bows and flew arrows here; at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Red Turban Army once swung their halberds here; The warlords of various factions also use this place as a stage. After you sing, I will appear on the stage, and a tug-of-war has started.The people of Hengyang are truly in dire straits!After that, there were also the famous Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army and the Long March of the Red Army of Chinese Workers and Peasants.

Whether the battles fought before Operation No. 1 count or not depends entirely on the victory or defeat of this battle.If you win, you will pass, if you lose, you will block.The Japanese also clearly understand that the tenacity, courage, confidence, and hard work of both sides will be twisted together in Hengyang.The real battle begins in Hengyang.And Fang Xianjue, who was ordered to guard Hengyang, knew it even more clearly.There is a saying: Know yourself and know the enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles.Make it or break it!If you don't succeed, you will succeed!At this time, Fang Xianjue, who was in a complicated mood, couldn't help but think of the scene before the second Changsha battle.Because the enemy's situation was unknown, he was almost defeated.

The situation at the time came to be known as "the tragedy of the 9th theater".At that time, the positions of the 37th Army in northern Hunan had been breached by the Japanese 3rd and 4th Divisions.In order to prevent the 37th Army from being completely wiped out by the Japanese army, Xue Yue, the commander of the Ninth Theater Command, ordered the 37th Army to withdraw to the south for containment.As a result, the 37th Army withdrew south across the board.The Japanese followed the 37th Army and advanced towards Liqiao, Fulinpu, and Jinjing. On the 25th, the 26th Army, which was encircled in the Putang area, was already unable to parry under the fierce Japanese offensive.It was day and night, desperate to break out in the direction of Genggutai and Shiwan.Among the troops in the 9th theater, there are two ace troops.This is the 10th Army known as the "Taishan Army" and the 74th Army known as the "Anti-Japanese Iron Army".

Li Yutang, commander of the 10th Army, was born in Guangrao, Shandong Province, and a first-term student of Whampoa Military Academy. In the summer of 1938, he served as the commander of the Eighth Army.In the battle of Nanxun Line in the Battle of Wuhan, he was awarded the Huazhou Medal by Chiang Kai-shek for his outstanding military exploits.Xue Yue, who commanded the battle on the Nanxun line, presented a pennant to the Eighth Army "Taishan Army". The name "Taishan Army" comes from this.After the first battle in Changsha, Li Yutang was transferred to be the commander of the 10th Army, and the name "Taishan Army" was also brought to the 10th Army.Since then, the army has been training near Mount Heng.

The 10th Army received the order to move out on the 19th.Due to time constraints, there was no time to make sufficient preparations for combat, and the officers and soldiers were not given the necessary combat mobilization education. After receiving the order, the various ministries set off in a hurry.Due to the continuous march day and night, the troops were exhausted. Many soldiers dozed off while walking, and some even fell asleep by the roadside while walking. On the 22nd, the 10th Army finally arrived at the Jinjing area.That night, the 10th Army took over the defense of the 140th Division of the 37th Army in Jinjing and the area north of it.

At that time, there were Japanese troops in the Wengjiang and Wukou areas north of Jinjing.But there is no road between Wukou and Jinjing, only rugged mountain roads with complex terrain.And along the Wengjiang River, the transportation is very convenient.Therefore, the 10th Army judged that the Japanese army would not attack Jinjing directly from Wukou, but would go south along the road from Wengjiang.Therefore, the 10th Army used the 190th Division to defend the road between Wengjiang and Jinjing, and made it the focus of blocking the Japanese army's southern invasion, and prepared the 10th Division to station the villages along the river in the northwest of Jinjing.At this time, Fang Xianjue served as the commander of the 10th Division.

Due to the underestimation of the enemy's situation by the Reserve 10th Division and the lack of strict security, a cavalry unit of the Japanese army took a rugged path from Wukou to Jinjing before dawn on the 23rd to launch a sneak attack on the Reserve 10th Division.The division was stationed in a battalion at the forefront of the northwest of Jinjing. "The Japanese army broke into the camp while snoring and hacked at random. They were caught off guard and suffered great losses. Two or three hundred people were killed or injured"; Where did they come from, how many people were there, and what was the situation like, so they blindly resisted and searched in the dark, and made a mess. Divisions, regiments, battalions, and companies lost contact. It was not until after dawn that the division commander Fang Xianjue made the situation clear. Qing, report to the military." On the evening of the 23rd, the Japanese cavalry unit was spotted at the outpost of the 10th Division.Master Fang immediately ordered the whole division to prepare for battle.At dawn the next day, the 4th Division of the Japanese Army attacked the position of the Reserve 10th Division under the cover of aircraft.In the afternoon of the battle, the Japanese army changed its attack method, charging from the front with cavalry and outflanking with infantry from both sides.Fang Xian felt that the troops were in danger of being attacked, and immediately ordered to retreat.Jinjing was then reported to have fallen. When Fang Xianjue talked about this battle after the war, he said: "The enemy used all their cavalry this time to attack our command organization. As soon as we left the first command post, the Japanese army smashed our second command post first. They destroyed the communication. They have air force superiority, accurate and timely reconnaissance information, and rapid action, which caused us to lose contact with the top and bottom, unable to issue command intentions, and the troops had no leader. Such a fiasco." At that time, the 190th Division was ordered to occupy the northeast highland of Guhua Mountain west of Jinjing on the morning of the 23rd, and intercept the Japanese follow-up troops that attacked Jinjing from Wukou and the trail.The 190th Division then divided into two groups and marched northeast of Guhua Mountain.On the way, he fought an encounter with the vanguard of the Japanese 3rd Division.Later, he was ordered to go north to assist the 140th Division of the 37th Army in combat. On the 24th, the 190th Division was ordered to return to the Fulinpu area for defense.Division commander Zhu Yue led his troops to occupy the Liangjialong position north of Fulinpu, and occupied the north with the 568th and 569th regiments to guard against the enemy at Liqiao;Unexpectedly, Zhu Yue was suddenly flanked by a group of Japanese cavalry while leading his troops. Zhu Yue was wounded, the deputy division commander was killed, and the troops directly under the division headquarters and the 570th regiment collapsed.Soon, the other two regiments also retreated south under the attack of the Japanese army. On the 25th, the headquarters of the 10th Army moved southwest from Jinjing to Sunjiaqiao.In the evening, the Japanese army followed and arrived, and the headquarters of the 10th Army was besieged.Army commander Li Yutang led the spy battalion to break through to the northwest while fighting, and ran all the way to Qingshanpu, leaving the battlefield. After defeating the 10th Division and the 190th Division, the Japanese army concentrated their forces and went straight to the front line of the Gaocang section near Fulinpu of the 3rd Division.Although the 3rd Division resisted desperately, but the Japanese army was too strong, the 3rd Division was quickly divided into several sections.On the 26th, the division commander Zhou Qingxiang had no choice but to make the regiments break out.So far, the 10th Army, known as the "Taishan Army", was defeated across the board. After the Japanese 11th Army Headquarters issued an order to attack the south bank of the Miluo River at noon on September 22, it began to plan the next operational guidelines in the afternoon.After discussion, a decision was made: After defeating the Kuomintang army near Jinjing, they should pursue the lower reaches of the Liuyang River and then capture Changsha. On the 23rd, the divisions of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army launched a full-scale attack on the 26th, 37th, and 10th Army of the 9th Theater. That morning, it was raining heavily.Anan Keiki, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was awakened by the sound of rain in his sleep.The first thing he did when he woke up was "pray to God that the clouds will clear and the mist will clear".Because rainy weather is not conducive to attack, especially the impact on combat aircraft is greater.Anan Keiki believes that "today is the day of the decisive battle" and "this battle should decide the general situation from tonight to tomorrow morning." On the evening of the 24th, the front line sent back battle reports one after another: the Japanese divisions had completed the encirclement of the 26th, 37th, and 10th armies and were in the process of encircling and annihilating them; the 3rd division had defeated the 140th division. The 6th Division occupied Jinjing in the morning and cut off the retreat of the Kuomintang army; the radio station of the 26th Army was still in the north of Putang at noon, trying to escape to the southeast; the Kuomintang army retreated to Changsha sign. The lessons of the failure in the early stage of that battle cannot but be called painful!That was paid for by the blood and lives of thousands of soldiers!Fang Xianjue was stuck in this deep pain for a long time.