Chapter 8 4. The last fight in the peripheral battle of Teng County

The main force of the 10th Division of Isoya Rensuke has arrived at the city of Teng County. The fortifications built by the 22nd Group Army between Teng County and Zou County are no longer effective in resisting the Isoya Rensuke Division.On the main garrison position, it was divided into several pieces by the enemy, which made it impossible for the garrison troops to communicate with each other. They faced the situation of being divided and surrounded by the Japanese army. After two days and two nights of fierce fighting, the garrison troops of the 22nd Group Army on the outskirts of Teng County suffered heavy casualties.Relying on their strong air and ground advantages, the Japanese army became even more arrogant after successively capturing the defensive positions in the Baishan and Huangshan areas.They are murderous and expanding forward.Like a red-eyed beast, under the indiscriminate bombardment of planes and cannons, led by tanks and armored combat vehicles, they attacked the main position on the east-west line of the border river in front of Teng County day and night.

There is no way, the balance of power between the enemy and us is too great.The Chinese soldiers had the courage to fight to the death, but the guns couldn't reach the enemy, and they watched themselves being divided and surrounded by the Japanese army. Just when Isoya Renjie's troops approached the city of Teng County and had not yet closed and encircled Teng County, almost all the division and brigade-level headquarters of the 22nd Group Army guarding the outer line of defense retreated to the county seat.They obeyed the order of the general headquarters of the group army. After the first and second lines of defense were lost, they relied on the fortifications of the city wall of Teng County to hold on and wait for the arrival of reinforcements from the rear.Unexpectedly, when the division and brigade headquarters entered Teng County, Isoya Rensuke followed behind.The Japanese army made a big roundabout, leaving aside the main position of the Kuomintang army, and went behind the main position, surrounding Teng County.

Teng County lost the first and second lines of defense on the outside, and it can be said that it was attacked from both sides.The Japanese army that surrounded Teng County cut off the connection between Teng County and the peripheral troops, resulting in the lack of unified and coordinated command of the peripheral guards.Coupled with being divided by the enemy, the guards were in a difficult situation, unable to communicate with the headquarters or with friends and neighbors.In the face of the fierce Japanese attack, they had no choice but to fight against each other. The troops of the 373rd and 375th brigades standing on the Puyang Mountain and Jiehe positions did not receive an order to retreat, and stubbornly resisted the current Japanese army.It wasn't until midnight that the liaison officer sent out quietly came back.They did not get in touch with the command headquarters, but only heard some news from the friendly army positions in Jiehe that the Japanese army had defeated the reserve team of the headquarters at the foot of Longshan Mountain, and the commanders of the division and brigade headquarters all retreated to Teng County.Later, orderlies came from nearby friendly positions and informed them to retreat before dawn.

It is best to get closer to Teng County, if not, go back to Zaozhuang and Weishan Lake to gather. So the friendly and neighboring troops crossed to cover the retreat, and accidents occurred from time to time on the way of retreat.They took the wounded and passed through the gaps in the villages occupied by the enemy. Due to their slow movement, they were often spotted and chased by the Japanese army.Fighting continued along the way, causing serious casualties.Not far from Teng County, the retreating troops knew that Teng County had been surrounded by the enemy, and Nanshahe Station had also been occupied by the enemy.

The regiment-level commanders of the retreating troops urgently agreed to go to Zaozhuang first, and then send someone to the Lincheng Army Group Headquarters to get in touch and receive new orders.On the way to Zaozhuang, the troops met Chen Yusheng, the brigade commander of the 127th Division. His troops were defeated by the Japanese army, and he came out with only one battalion of soldiers, and they marched towards Zaozhuang together. After the defensive battle outside Teng County, each brigade of the 125th Division actually had only one regiment.But in Lincheng they got a rest, and each regiment was supplemented with two mortars and several heavy machine guns, and each company also received a flower-shaped light machine gun made in Chongqing.

The situation in the 127th Division was even worse. Division Commander Chen Li was seriously injured. More than half of the division's officers and soldiers were killed or injured.During the retreat, no combat troops returned to Teng County. Teng County was surrounded by the Jigu Division.The troops retreating towards Teng County were severely injured by the Japanese army many times near Teng County because they did not know the situation. In addition, they lost their way in the dark, and the direction of breaking out was uncertain, and suffered heavy losses. From the dawn of March 14 to the early morning of the 16th, the fighting outside Teng County was almost over. The first and second lines of defense set up by the 22nd Group Army on the outskirts of the county all collapsed.Only the isolated city of Teng County was left in front of us. The officers, soldiers and local militia guarding Teng County did not have the slightest fear.