Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Frost and Cold River 1
The defense of Hengyang seems to have ended in such a regrettable way.However, the giant wheels of the chariot did not stop there, but rushed forward with huge inertia.The impact of the Battle of Hengyang is also unprecedented. It is like a huge question mark, leaving a historical riddle that will never be understood by the opposing sides and future generations; it is also like a huge exclamation mark, set on a key junction in history. , so that people have to be vigilant and have to think deeply about it.
Among the many generals of the Japanese army, Isamu Yokoyama can be said to be a unique senior general with strong autonomy.Having more troops and greater rights is naturally one of the goals he pursues in life.In order to unify the command and continue to open up the operation of the mainland communication line, the Japanese base camp decided to form the 6th Front Army.For this reason, the base camp and the headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Army asked the opinions of the 11th Army.
Isamu Yokoyama's call back was: "It is very necessary, just upgrade the 11th Army." This telegram shows another side of Isamu Yokoyama's character.
On August 26, the 6th Front Army of the Japanese Army was established.However, the commander was not Isamu Yokoyama, but General Ningji Okamura.
After hearing this, Heng Shanyong did not hang his head down, and continued to prepare to attack Hongqiao, a suburban county of Hengyang, and Baoqing, a close neighbor.This plan was not approved by the headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Army.
Isamu Yokoyama and the staff of the 11th Army Headquarters were extremely dissatisfied with this, believing that it was an interference in front-line command power. As a commander of a front-line force, he should have the power to terminate his duties on the fly according to the enemy's situation.
On August 31, Yokoyama committed another crime and called to protest against this practice, and stated the reason why he must be pursued immediately.
Yan Junliu had no choice but to send his staff officer Imoto to the 11th Army to find out the truth.In the end, Yan Junliu gave in again and agreed to implement Isamu Yokoyama's plan.
In fact, the base camp and Yan Junliu also have unspeakable difficulties.In the past few months, the situation can be said to have taken a sharp turn for the worse.
European battlefield: On June 4, the Allied forces captured Rome, the capital of Italy; on June 6, the Allied forces successfully landed in Normandy, France, and opened up the second battlefield as they wished; on the same day, the Soviet Red Army began to fight abroad, on August 20 Invaded Romania; August 25, Allied forces entered Romania.The demise of Germany is only a matter of time.
The Japanese army also suffered a series of defeats on various battlefields. On July 7, the U.S. army occupied Saipan, and all 41,200 Japanese soldiers died in battle. On August 2, Tinian Island was also captured by the United States. More than 5,000 people from the 50th Wing of the 29th Division were killed in battle, and Lieutenant General Tsunoda, commander of the 1st Air Fleet, committed suicide. On August 11, the U.S. army captured Guam, and the 31st Japanese Army defending the island was completely wiped out. Commander Hideyoshi Oyan committed suicide. On August 4, Lieutenant General Shui Shang, head of the 56th Division, was chased to Myitkyina by the Chinese Expeditionary Force and forced to commit suicide.The flames of war are about to reach the mainland of Japan.When launching a campaign attack at this time, one has to think twice.In order to save Japan's decline, on August 4, the Japanese headquarters and the government merged into one and announced the National General Armed Forces Order, preparing to fight the United States on the Japanese main island.
The Japanese Empire has already felt the precarious and dark clouds brought about by poor soldiers and soldiers.
However, Yokoyama's 11th Army stole the limelight at this time. On September 7, Heng Shanyong commanded six divisions and one brigade to advance westward along the Hunan-Guangxi Railway from the 120-kilometer-wide front.The 71st Army of China's trump card army was outnumbered and was forced to transfer. Lieutenant General Wang Jiaben, the commander of the 79th Army, died in battle at Lengshuitan not far from Hengyang.
On September 14, Chen Munong, commander of the 93rd Army of the Chinese Defense Army, decided to withdraw from Quanzhou and Guilin without receiving any orders.On the same day, the 13th Division of the Japanese Army occupied Quanzhou City; the next day, the Japanese Army fell into Guilin in one day.
On September 14, Isamu Yokoyama ordered to stop the pursuit and make the next step after the troops were assembled.He read Clausewis's "On War" for a while, put down the book, and said to Chief of Staff Zhongshan: "At the meeting of the division chiefs of staff in May, I said that in the current Great East Asian War, we can immediately The only way to gain the military initiative is in front of our own army, and those idiots in Nanjing still say that I am arrogant, what is the result?" With these words, Yokoyama Yong's conceited face is clearly visible.
Three days later, Miyazaki, Chief of Staff of the Front Army, came to convey the battle plan.Heng Shanyong made fun of Yan Junliu again.
Hearing this, Miyazaki frowned angrily, and thought to himself: the hard days ahead will last longer!Isamu Yokoyama is Laozi's number one character in the world, and Ichiyo Banxi, the commander of the 20th Army transferred from Jixi, is also not easy to mess with.He was really worried that General Okamura would not be able to control the two wild horses.
At the beginning of November, Isamu Yokoyama really got involved with Ningji Okamura again, and decided to attack Liuzhou without authorization.For this reason, Isamu Yokoyama and Ningji Okamura fought several rounds of verbal battles back and forth on the telegram.
Chief of Staff Miyazaki believed that this was a breach of the command system of the Front Army.Amano Masaichi had just been promoted from the senior staff officer of the China Dispatch Army Headquarters to the deputy chief of staff of the Front Army. In the past, he was often teased and ridiculed by Isamu Yokoyama, and he felt angry in his heart.This could not help but add fuel to the story and shake off Isamu Yokoyama's faults enough, and finally said: "You should report to Commander Yan Jun 6 and the base camp, and you must rectify the combat discipline of the 11th Army."
Hearing this, Neiji Okamura coughed for a while, and said: "This is an act of ultra vires. We should order to change its deployment and seize the main force of the Kuomintang for a decisive battle. Don't say anything else." He believed that Amano was Yan Junliu's confidant , naturally won't have a good impression of him because of this,
Amano felt ashamed, and didn't dare to say anything, so he hurried to send a telegram.
Unexpectedly, this boy Yokoyama Yong was obstinately disobedient, he took the method of beating up while explaining, and resisted softly.
On November 9th, Okamura Ningji was really angry, and he called to request that the attacking troops be unified under the command of the commander of the 23rd Army, Tanaka Hisaichi.
As soon as this telegram reached the 11th Army, it was resisted by its subordinate divisions.On the one hand, the commanders of these divisions had a good relationship with Isamu Yokoyama, and they all thought that Okamura was eccentric and allowed the 23rd Army to take credit; How can we fight this battle?Therefore, they all expressed that they only listen to Yokoyama Isamu.
Just when the two sides were entangled, Heng Shanyong captured Liuzhou.Then, the 23rd Army also captured Nanning.Heng Shanyong cut first and then played, commanding hundreds of thousands of horses, and rushed towards Guizhou and Yunnan.
The Chinese army panicked immediately. During the retreat, the order was in chaos, and there was no unified command. They almost lost the ability to resist the Japanese troops who were chasing them.The 3rd, 13th, and 104th Divisions of the Japanese Army always held the initiative on the battlefield in the area west of Liuzhou.
On November 14, Heng Shanyong decided to send the 3rd and 13th main divisions to continue to pursue along the railway to Dushan. threaten.
On December 2, more than 300 people from the 2nd Squadron led by Lieutenant Miyamoto of the 104th Regiment of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army sneaked into Dushan City, wearing the winter cotton clothes of the national army, pretending to be national army troops.
The success of the 104th Wing gave the 13th Division a great inspiration. In the next ten days of combat, almost all the Japanese troops rushed forward in uniforms of the national army. On the night of December 2, the 1st Battalion of the 104th Wing cooperated with the outside world and successfully captured Dushan City.The 13th Division has suffered more than half of its casualties in the battle for more than half a year, especially in the offensive and defensive battle of Hengyang.Therefore, the victory of this offensive is very encouraging.
On December 3, after the 13th Division of the Japanese Army captured Dushan, it continued to attack. Before sunset that day, the soldiers of the 13th Division had reached the outskirts of Libo City.The next day, the 104th Wing of the Japanese Army captured Libo County after paying a heavy price.And this place is not far from Kunming and Chongqing.The National Army Command and the southwestern provinces suddenly became a mess, and there were many discussions about moving the capital. Rich businessmen, dignitaries and dignitaries were busy transferring their wealth, preparing to flee to India, Australia, the United States and other foreign countries.
"Well, if it wasn't for being held back by the 10th Army in Hengyang for a long time, and causing such heavy casualties, especially for our army's morale, maybe I, Hengshan, would be able to send my troops straight to China's capital—Chongqing! Alas, Amaterasu The Great God still hasn’t completely helped me!” Heng Shanyong couldn’t help sighing, and ordered the 3rd and 13th Divisions to retreat back to Guangxi after completely destroying the Dushan and Libo areas.
On December 5, the mainland communication line was completely opened up by the Japanese army, which cannot but be said to be a miracle.This battle lasted nearly a year. For the Japanese Empire, Isamu Yokoyama and his 11th Army are undoubtedly the biggest contributors.