Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Every day is brand new (2)

last third According to the "progressive" tactics, Yokoyama joined another division during the occupation process, making his frontline troops as many as three divisions. Even so, he did not dare to be careless. How did the second commander Sonobe and Ichiro stumble?In the battle of Shanggao, he separated the two divisions and one brigade, you did yours, he did his, but Luo Zhuoying defeated them one by one. The Yangtze River is surrounded by continuous mountains, and the terrain is more complicated than that of Jiangxi. The resistance of the Chinese army is expected to be much fiercer, so the same mistakes must not be repeated.

Yong Shanyong asked the three divisions to walk side by side and advance side by side, you help me, I help you, so as to minimize the risk factor. However, in the Battle of Western Hubei, it was not the mountains that stumbled Yokohama first, but another brand new tactic used by Chen Cheng. This tactic, not to mention Yokoyama could not have imagined it, even Chen Cheng himself would never have thought about it before, not because it was unexpected, but because it was too "luxury". Tactic Name: Land and Air Coordination. As early as when Chennault formed the Flying Tigers, Roosevelt had agreed to list China as a recipient country of the Concession Act. One of the assistance items was to train Chinese pilots and provide combat aircraft.

Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, this agreement was not moved much, and most of the planes were sent to the Soviet Union or the United Kingdom. After that, the Americans knew how powerful the Japanese army was, so they began to rush to make up some. No matter how unsatisfactory it is, China's own air force can finally get together again. Under the leadership of the Flying Tigers under the command of Chennault (at this time, the Volunteer Air Force was officially reorganized into the Fourteenth Air Force), the Chinese and American air forces began to jointly launch counterattacks from the air.

Leaving aside the young Chinese Air Force, how powerful the Flying Tigers are, they "kill you three times", and the Japanese Air Force is not an opponent at all. In the Battle of Western Hubei alone, thirty-seven aircraft were shot down or blown up. There are so many frames. It would be a joke to continue to control the air in this state. After forcing the Japanese Air Force to a corner of the stage, Chen Cheng had the possibility to use land-air coordination tactics. He discussed directly with the air force commander in Enshi to finalize the details of the cooperation between the army and the air force.

Now that the positions of the two sides have been adjusted, Yokoyama has to feel wronged.In the past, the Chinese army specially avoided dangerous times because of fear of bombing. Now it is the turn of the Japanese army. The three divisions dare not move in broad daylight, and can only sneak in at night, or at dusk and dawn. It is of course very slow to move forward in this way. There are mountain roads and night roads, and there are still obstacles in the way ahead.It would be nice if the Chinese defenders could retreat on their own and make way for us. To achieve this, the most effective way is to implement a roundabout attack, to cut off the rear of the defenders, to be more precise, to cut off the rear of the Shipai defenders in advance, and the Shipai will definitely be destroyed by then.

But Yokoyama soon found that he couldn't do it at all, because it was difficult to cross the line of defense composed of the three elite troops, whose combat effectiveness exceeded his expectations. Chen Cheng has a strong personality, but he is not a headstrong person.In the Yichang counterattack two years ago, Chiang Kai-shek praised it and thought it was a good fight, but Chen Cheng himself kept a clear head, that is, the troops in the sixth war zone had many recruits and lacked training. With such soldiers, even if you are Han Xinsheng It doesn't work. Let's assume that in the Yichang counterattack, even if the entire counterattack strategy is wrong, the division tactics are always correct, or the division tactics are also wrong, but if you are still commanding the 18th team from the Songhu era Army, a "flesh and blood mill", can grind the old Japanese army into tofu, so what's the difficulty in dealing with the 13th Division? How can Yichang not take it down?

From this, Chen Cheng came to the conclusion that what saves the strategy is tactics, and what saves the tactics is combat. Chen Cheng was well aware of the shortcomings of the army since the Anti-Japanese War. He once stood on the podium and said to everyone: "You can manage my family's income and expenditure. If you find out that there is corruption, you can immediately report it. And if you yourself are reported, then I'm sorry, but once verified, I will never forgive you lightly." Anyone can say nice things, but Chen Cheng will still do it, and he is unequivocal. He was the first to establish an independent military supply system in the Sixth War Zone, separating the economic disposal power from the troop commander, so as to curb the phenomenon of drinking blood and eating empty quota.

The most telling thing is that the general domestic troops, regardless of whether they are defeated or won, will mostly falsely report the number of casualties in the end. Only Chen Cheng was different. He would report as little as he could, and would never report more. Every time after a battle, he emphasized that his troops did not suffer much losses, and there was no shortage of food and ammunition. Of course, no one is a god, and when he is in the army, he really can't solve the problem. Chen Cheng sometimes has to take some flexible measures, but he always insists on the so-called "private and non-fraud doctrine", that is, the money obtained by any means is not allowed to be put in personal pockets. Subsidize the shortfall in military spending.

After the Yichang counterattack, Chen Cheng opened a wartime cadre training group, giving lectures in person, teaching strategies, tactics and professional skills of various arms to selected officers. Battle-based combat training. You have tasted courage, and it will be difficult if your combat effectiveness does not improve. Heng Shanyong thought of a surprise attack in a roundabout way, but not only failed, the "surprise" was ambushed, and even the captain was killed. Looking at the three divisions again, none of them could break through the defense line of the defenders. In desperation, Yokoyama could only focus on the stone tablets.

China's Volgograd The Shipai Fortress is only 30 miles away from Yichang, and its forts can block the river, preventing the Japanese army from going upstream. In the past, the 13th Division stationed in Yichang also organized attacks many times, but due to Chen Cheng's proper deployment, none of them succeeded in the end. Come back with success. Occupying the Shipai Fortress has become the biggest breakthrough of the Wuhan Eleventh Army's westward journey. Isamu Yokoyama himself took command in Yichang, the 13th Division served as the outermost cover, and the 3rd Nagoya Division and the 39th Division joined forces to rush to Shipai. The main force of the Japanese army, the scene is very scary.

The stone tablet guarding battle became the key to victory or defeat. Once the stone tablet was broken, Chongqing would be exposed, and there was no other way but to abandon the defense.At this time, although the high command had issued a transfer order at Chen Cheng's request to dispatch reinforcements from the fifth and ninth theaters respectively, it took time to arrive. Chiang Kai-shek personally called Chen Cheng: "Shipai Fortress must stand alone for ten days to make it China's Volgograd. If there is no order to retreat without authorization, the method of sitting together will be implemented." Since returning to Enshi, Chen Cheng has always been calm, but now he also became nervous. The question was who to send to guard the fortress. The defensive troops on the front line of Shipai have their own responsibilities, and more than half of them are very tired. They are afraid that they will not be effective after being transferred to the fortress. Instead, Yokoyama will take the opportunity to find defensive loopholes. You can't hula la la all go, you can only send the best ones. In Chen Cheng's mind, this role belonged to his 11th Division of the 18th Army, which was the foundation of his fortune and a symbol of honor. Normally, you can say anything about Chen Cheng’s incompetence, but you can’t speak ill of the 11th Division in front of your face. If there are those who don’t understand current affairs, Chen Cheng will definitely jump three feet high after hearing it: You can’t do it, your troops No, not your whole family! Obviously, in such an army, one can imagine what kind of person Chen Cheng would match. Hu Lian, the commander of the 11th Division, was born in Hua County, Shaanxi Province, and graduated from the fourth phase of Huangpu. Hu Lian and Zhang Lingfu had a good relationship, they were fellow villagers, they were classmates, and they were classmates at the same time in Whampoa.It is said that even the matchmaker was in the same family when she was young, and the two young men were so excellent that the woman felt that she couldn't choose for a while, and it was a pity to abandon anyone. In the end, the girl herself chose Zhang Lingfu through photos. Hu Lian is actually a good-looking talent, but if you want to compete for handsomeness, he is indeed no match for the most handsome guy in the army. Hu Lian and Zhang Lingfu are fellow countrymen and classmates The face is given by parents. You can be what you are born with. There is no way to do this. What can be done is the achievements that can be obtained through hard work the day after tomorrow.On the runway of life, Hu Lian kept pressing Zhang Lingfu. During the Battle of Songhu, the two brothers who lived together as the head of the regiment both fought to their death in Luodian. Hu Lian also organized a death squad and blew up Japanese tanks with cluster grenades. For a while, Hu Lian's limelight seemed to be completely overshadowed by Zhang Lingfu.When the latter became famous in Wanjialing and made great achievements, Hu Lian was still fighting guerrillas in the enemy's rear, either blowing up railways or planting landmines. Hu Lian was originally an old man of the 11th Division, and Chen Cheng was known for his love of supporting and advancing backwards. After Central China gradually became the frontal main battlefield, he transferred this new generation general back to the 11th Division. Before the Battle of the Shipai Guards, Hu Lian had just been promoted to the commander of the 11th Division, and there was no better time to use his power as a general. But when it comes to guarding the stone plaque to the death, and once guarding it, you have to guard it for ten days, no one is sure about it, neither Chen Cheng nor Hu Lian. Among the fortresses on the Yangtze River, Madang was the largest, known as the "Water Maginot", but it fell within a few days. Since then, the fortresses, large and small, have never been able to hold the record. Whether the stone tablet can be defended or not is still unknown, but it is certain that he will die here. After Hu Lian moved the command post to the front of the stone tablet, he wrote down five suicide notes, father, wife, relatives, one person One copy, even the words "remember to burn more paper money after death, and children will join the army to avenge their father when they grow up". way to save money Hu Lian has the determination to go all out, but he is not a reckless guy. Bravery alone is not enough to stand out from the second phase of Whampoa, and the necessary wisdom is indispensable. No matter how strong you are with one division, you still can't fight against two divisions, not to mention that the Nagoya division is still a veteran division. If you open it up and fight, let alone ten days, it may be exhausted in one day. When he was a guerrilla captain, because he had little capital, Hu Lian was thinking about the false and the real every day. He once pretended to attack the Japanese strongholds while covering the marines to mine mines on the river. The regular army is of course different from the guerrilla army, but the principle is the same. If you don’t have much money, you have to save some money.For a division, Hu Lian only drew division organs and a part of the troops to defend the position, and he hid the main force behind. What to rely on for a small number of troops, rely on the danger of the mountains. On May 25, Isamu Yokoyama issued an order to occupy the front line of Shipai.Three days later, both the Third Division and the Thirty-ninth Division were close to the front of the stone tablet, and they exchanged fire with the Eleventh Division. After that, no matter how fierce the battle was, Hu Lian always insisted on his "method of saving money" and used every hilltop, and there was only one company on each hilltop. In addition to company, he also uses platoon and even class.These squads were divided into parts and formed into combat teams. Each team had no more than two or three people. They brought a machine gun, food and drink, and squatted in the cave. Machine gun bunker. From squad to company, there are few people, but the firepower is not weak. Caves also serve as natural shelters On May 29, just four days after Isamu Yokoyama launched his attack, his offensive reached its climax.In front of the Shipai Fortress, wave after wave of Japanese troops entered in a cone-shaped formation in a dense formation. Wu Qiwei, the commander-in-chief of the defense on the front line of Shipai and the commander-in-chief of the Jiangfang Army, was afraid that Hu Lian would not be able to defend, so he asked Chen Cheng to change his position and move back. Chen Cheng considered it over and over again and thought it was impossible. Luring the enemy deep cannot lure Yokoyama to Chongqing. The stone tablet is the bottom of the bag. Only by standing against the 11th Army here can the bag be put on Yokoyama's head. However, Chen Cheng could not turn a blind eye to the danger that the bottom of the bag might leak. While asking to continue to defend the stone tablet, he ordered the reinforcements everywhere to launch a counterattack in advance to reduce the pressure on the stone tablet. Need to come quickly. As for the situation of the stone tiles, Chen Cheng couldn't help but sing the divine comedy called "Uneasy". He talked directly to Hu Lian, repeated Chiang Kai-shek's words, and asked him if he was sure of holding the fortress. Hu Lian replied: "Success is not sure, but Chengren is determined." Chen Cheng felt relieved. The general has the heart to fight to the death, and the soldier must not be greedy for life, and the stone tablet will not be lost for a while. On May 30th, the fierceness of the Stone Pai War reached its peak. The officers and soldiers of Hu Lian's 11th Division took up bayonets and started hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army around the hill.Within three hours, not a single gunshot was heard, and the two sides saw the winner or loser on the bayonet. Three hours later, all the Japanese soldiers who had rushed up the hill were stabbed down. This is definitely a battle of kung fu.During the Anti-Japanese War, there were very few Chinese troops that could fight bayonet-to-bayonet against the main force of the Japanese army. So Okamura Neiji could immediately deduce whether the opponent was the main force of Chiang Kai-shek’s army just by looking at the bayonet wounds on his soldiers. At this time, Hu Lian still didn't use the large army. If he continued in this way, he would have no problem guarding for ten days. Yokoyama's confidence began to waver. Following Chen Cheng's order to counterattack, the pressure on the 13th Division, which served as the outside cover, continued to increase. If it persisted, not to mention being unable to break through the stone cards, it might even affect Yichang's defense. Withdraw, no matter how reluctantly. On the same day, the Japanese army received an order to retreat, and China's "Volgograd" was held. After the Battle of Western Hubei, Chiang Kai-shek convened a meeting of army division commanders in Enshi and asked Hu Lian how many troops he had used in the defense. After learning that he had only used two battalions from the beginning to the end, he couldn't help being surprised and delighted, and repeatedly asked other troops to submit to the army. Hu Lian studied and strived to be able to strike more with less. Hu Lian became famous because of the Battle of the Stone Pai, and later served as the commander of the Eighteenth Army, reaching the pinnacle of his personal military career. tiger force On May 30, the Air Force provided information to Chen Cheng, believing that the Japanese army was showing signs of retreating, so Chen Cheng issued a pursuit order that night. The previous four commanders of the 11th Army, except for Tsukada Kou, who had not fought normally, none of the other fighters were not chased afterward.But there's nothing to complain about. In the end, you can't be alone in all the good things in the world. When you first left the house, didn't you all make gestures, feel complacent and excited? The key is that "Brother Yong" has poor psychological quality.Since he attacked Honghu, the journey has been smooth and smooth. He was the one who beat people, and very few people beat him. This man can't bear the slightest loss. No, no, this won't work, it's too embarrassing, and too useless. I have to find my own way and come back for a bite. The most ferocious pursuer behind the Japanese army was Wang Jiaben's Seventy-ninth Army. Yokoyama found that its position was prominent and its wings were empty. He ordered the Thirteenth Division, which was acting as a cover, to stop retreating and counterattack on the spot. At the same time, the 17th Brigade was also ordered to turn around and prepare to make a detour from the side, using a two-pronged approach to eat the 79th Army. If Yokoyama can succeed in this move, he will be proud of any previous commander—you see, they are all retreating, and I am the most handsome retreating. It's a pity that the solo 17th Brigade was stopped halfway before reaching the detour. When I looked up, my face was pale with fright. I was really afraid of what would come, and it was the "Tiger Troops" that the Japanese army was afraid of from top to bottom. The Japanese have the characteristics of distinguishing between appearances and facts in intelligence judgments. For example, they speculate that China's military focus is based on the area where Chen Cheng, who is known as "Chiang Kai-shek's second", is located. After "July 7th", Chen Cheng went to Shanghai , Songhu became the focus; Chen Cheng went to Wuhan, Wuhan became the focus; Chen Cheng went to Enshi, the Sixth War Zone became the focus. The victory of Wanjialing, especially after the battle of Shanggao, the Japanese army predicted the victory or defeat of the battle, and based on whether the "Tiger Army" appeared or not, basically where the 74th Army showed up, the battle was a bit more ominous Even if you barely win, the price you pay will not be small. From the Japanese High Command, to the headquarters of the "China Expeditionary Army", and then to the headquarters of the 11th Army in Wuhan, no one is staring at the 74th Army with wide-eyed eyes. This is no exaggeration. But I can't stand it. The "Tiger Squad" is as brave as a tiger, but also as alert as Jiangbei Tang Enbo. Japanese reconnaissance planes circle around it every day, and it is difficult to find the 74th Army.The only time was during the second Wuhan battle, when Xue Yue was responsible for a command error. In that battle, the Seventy-Fourth Army lost more than half, but the old foundation was still there, so it quickly recovered and became even more mysterious and unpredictable. Well now, you don't need to stare, the tiger has come out by itself, but as soon as it comes out, it will look for prey. When they found that the 74th Army was staring at them, the 17th Brigade was so frightened that they almost jumped from the earth to Mars. If there is something wrong in my heart, how can I fight the battle well.This unlucky brigade, which originally wanted to do some meritorious service, was defeated in one blow and became the Japanese army with the biggest loss in the battle. There were a total of five infantry brigades, but three lieutenant brigade captains died on the spot. Tigers attack to find prey Seeing this scene, the Thirteenth Division also panicked, and every move was a bit off-putting. Wang Jiaben, who was on the opposite side, stared straight at him, and slashed a large team leader off his horse with a slash. The fact that the Tigers were so terrifying gave Yokoyama Yong, who had never actually fought face-to-face with the 74th Army, gained insight. What are you looking at, anyone with legs, run quickly. In addition to relying on the fierce tiger of the Seventy-fourth Army, Chen Cheng also sent the Air Force to coordinate the pursuit. On June 11, the Battle of Western Hubei ended. According to Japanese statistics, more than 3,500 Japanese troops were killed or injured in the battle. What is different from the past is that this time there were also casualties caused by strafing and bombing by the Chinese and American air forces, and the proportion has accounted for the total number of casualties of the Japanese army. More than 10%, a wing leader of the 13th Division was seriously injured by the Air Force machine gun during the retreat.